Sukhmani Sahib (Ashtpadi 2, Pauri 3)
Third Pauri of the Second Ashtapadi
Introduction
In the first two Pauris of this Ashtapadi, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the Fifth Nanak, exposed the limitations of worldly wealth, relationships, and rituals in bringing true peace and liberation. Now, in the Third Pauri, the Guru intensifies the urgency: even a million helping hands cannot save you in the hour of divine reckoning — only Naam can uplift. Whether amidst misfortune, rebirth, ego, or the heavy burden of sin, the Name of the Lord rescues immediately. But how can we find such a treasure? Through loving remembrance, and above all, through the Company of the Holy.
Pauri
ਛੂਟਤ ਨਹੀ ਕੋਟਿ ਲਖ ਬਾਹੀ ॥
<i>Chʰootaṫ nahee kot lakʰ baahee</i>
Translation: You shall not be saved by hundreds of thousands and millions of helping hands.
Hindi Transliteration: छूटत नहीं कोटि लख बाही।ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਤ ਤਹ ਪਾਰਿ ਪਰਾਹੀ ॥
<i>Naam japaṫ ṫah paar paraahee</i>
Translation: But chanting the Naam, you are lifted up and carried across.
Hindi Transliteration: नामु जपत तह पारि पराही।ਅਨਿਕ ਬਿਘਨ ਜਹ ਆਇ ਸੰਘਾਰੈ ॥
<i>Anik bigʰan jah aa▫é sangʰaaræ</i>
Translation: Where countless misfortunes (obstructions) threaten to destroy you—
Hindi Transliteration: अनिक बिघन जह आइ संघारै।ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਤਤਕਾਲ ਉਧਾਰੈ ॥
<i>Har kaa naam ṫaṫkaal uḋʰaaræ</i>
Translation: —the Name of the Lord rescues (buoys) you instantly.
Hindi Transliteration: हरि का नामु ततकाल उधारै।ਅਨਿਕ ਜੋਨਿ ਜਨਮੈ ਮਰਿ ਜਾਮ ॥
<i>Anik jon janmæ mar jaam</i>
Translation: Through countless lives (births), the soul is born and dies.
Hindi Transliteration: अनिक जोनि जनमै मरि जाम।ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਤ ਪਾਵੈ ਬਿਸ੍ਰਾਮ ॥
<i>Naam japaṫ paavæ bisraam</i>
Translation: Chanting the Naam, the soul finds true rest and eternal peace.
Hindi Transliteration: नामु जपत पावै बिस्राम।ਹਉ ਮੈਲਾ ਮਲੁ ਕਬਹੁ ਨ ਧੋਵੈ ॥
<i>Ha▫o mælaa mal kabahu na ḋʰovæ</i>
Translation: The filth of ego is never cleansed by any external means.
Hindi Transliteration: हउ मैला मलु कबहु न धोवै।ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਕੋਟਿ ਪਾਪ ਖੋਵੈ ॥
<i>Har kaa naam kot paap kʰovæ</i>
Translation: The Name of the Lord erases millions (crores) of sins.
Hindi Transliteration: हरि का नामु कोटि पाप खोवै।ਐਸਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਜਪਹੁ ਮਨ ਰੰਗਿ ॥
<i>Æsaa naam japahu man rang</i>
Translation: O my mind! Chant such a Naam with deep love and delight.
Hindi Transliteration: ऐसा नामु जपहु मन रंगि।ਨਾਨਕ ਪਾਈਐ ਸਾਧ ਕੈ ਸੰਗਿ ॥੩॥
<i>Naanak paa▫ee▫æ saaḋʰ kæ sang. ||3||</i>
Translation: O Nanak! It is obtained only in the Company of the Holy. ||3||
Hindi Transliteration: नानक पाईऐ साध कै संगि ॥३॥
Essence
In this Pauri, Guru Arjan Dev Ji turns the seeker’s gaze from the illusion of help to the certainty of divine rescue. You may possess armies, wealth, support, or lineage — but none of it can free the soul in the moment of crisis. Misfortune, karmic trials, and death surround us like a storm. And yet, Naam — the remembrance of the Lord — is the lightning bolt of grace, rescuing immediately.
The True Guru points to the soul’s long journey, caught in the endless wheel of birth and death. Rituals and beliefs alone cannot purify the ego, which is sticky, stubborn, and self-clinging. But the Naam cleanses where no water can, and gives rest where no comfort exists. This is not a mechanical practice, but one to be done in love (rang) — with a delighted heart, filled with longing for the Beloved.
Finally, the Guru gives us the means to access such a Naam — not through solitude, or lonely wanderings in the jungles, but in Sadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy. In their presence, the heart blossoms, the mind awakens, and divine remembrance becomes natural. Nanak affirms: it is there, and only there, that Naam becomes your own.
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.
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ 🙏🙏