Sukhmani Sahib (Ashtpadi 11, Pauri 2)
🌸 Ashtpadi 11 – Pauri 2: Introduction
This pauri continues to reveal the absolute sovereignty of Waheguru. All liberation, abilities, transformations, or miracles — whether for saint or sinner — occur solely by the pleasure of the Divine Will. Guru Arjan Dev Ji declares that no force in existence operates independently of God’s desire. It is the Lord’s grace that lifts souls, enables the impossible, preserves life, and manifests divine praise. The pauri teaches complete surrender, affirming that even the capacity to remember, speak, or know God arises through His own benevolence.
📜 Pauri 2 — Line by Line
🔸 ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਮਾਨੁਖ ਗਤਿ ਪਾਵੈ ॥
🔸 प्रभ भावै मानुख गति पावै ॥
🔸 Parabh bhāvai mānukh gaṯ pāvai.
💬 If it pleases God, one attains salvation.
🔸 ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਾ ਪਾਥਰ ਤਰਾਵੈ ॥
🔸 प्रभ भावै ता पाथर तरावै ॥
🔸 Parabh bhāvai ṭā pāṭhar ṭarāvai.
💬 If it pleases God, even stones can swim across.
🔸 ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਬਿਨੁ ਸਾਸ ਤੇ ਰਾਖੈ ॥
🔸 प्रभ भावै बिनु सास ते राखै ॥
🔸 Parabh bhāvai bin saas ṭe rākhai.
💬 If it pleases God, the body is preserved even without breath.
🔸 ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਾ ਹਰਿ ਗੁਣ ਭਾਖੈ ॥
🔸 प्रभ भावै ता हरि गुण भाखै ॥
🔸 Parabh bhāvai ṭā har guṇ bhākhai.
💬 If it pleases God, one speaks the Lord’s praises.
🔸 ਪ੍ਰਭ ਭਾਵੈ ਤਾ ਪਤਿਤ ਉਧਾਰੈ ॥
🔸 प्रभ भावै ता पतित उधारै ॥
🔸 Parabh bhāvai ṭā paṭit uḍhārai.
💬 If it pleases God, even the fallen are uplifted.
🔸 ਆਪਿ ਕਰੈ ਆਪਨ ਬੀਚਾਰੈ ॥
🔸 आपि करै आपन बीचारै ॥
🔸 Āp karai āpan bīchārai.
💬 He Himself acts and contemplates.
🔸 ਦੁਹਾ ਸਿਰਿਆ ਕਾ ਆਪਿ ਸੁਆਮੀ ॥
🔸 दुहा सिरिआ का आपि सुआमी ॥
🔸 Ḍuhā siriā kā āp suāmī.
💬 He Himself is the Master of both worlds.
🔸 ਖੇਲੈ ਬਿਗਸੈ ਅੰਤਰਜਾਮੀ ॥
🔸 खेलै बिगसै अंतरजामी ॥
🔸 Khelai bigsai anṯarjāmī.
💬 He plays and rejoices; He is the Inner-knower of all hearts.
🔸 ਜੋ ਭਾਵੈ ਸੋ ਕਾਰ ਕਰਾਵੈ ॥
🔸 जो भावै सो कार करावै ॥
🔸 Jo bhāvai so kār karāvai.
💬 As it pleases Him, so do all deeds occur.
🔸 ਨਾਨਕ ਦ੍ਰਿਸਟੀ ਅਵਰੁ ਨ ਆਵੈ ॥੨॥
🔸 नानक द्रिसटी अवरु न आवै ॥२॥
🔸 Nānak drisṭī avar na āvai. ||2||
💬 O Nanak! To the enlightened gaze, none else is seen but Him. ||2||
🌺 Essence of Pauri 2 — Ashtpadi 11
Guru Arjan Dev Ji here affirms the supreme independence of Divine Grace. Nothing occurs by human effort alone — whether salvation, miraculous acts, or moral transformation — but only if it pleases the Lord. He raises the fallen, grants voice to praise Him, and maintains existence itself. Both worlds (material and spiritual) lie under His dominion. The final lines remind the seeker that an awakened mind perceives only One Divine Presence everywhere, dissolving the illusion of duality. All hope, effort, and liberation depend on His Will alone.
If you feel this humble piece could offer even a small measure of peace to someone you know, please do share it.
NOTE: I am not a trained scholar in Sikh Studies or religious studies, in general. I have no claims of mastery or authority. What I offer is a seeker’s voice — a servant’s humble attempt to understand the depths of the divine wisdom encapsulated in these sacred lines. Should I have made any mistake, misinterpretation, or omission, I beg for unqualified forgiveness in advance from the Guru and the readers.
ਵਹਿਗੁਰੁਜੀ🙏🙏🙏