Sukhmani Sahib (Ashtpadi 2, Pauri 4)
Fourth Pauri of the Second Ashtapadi
Introduction
After having illuminated how only Naam can save the soul amidst suffering, karma, ego, and death, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, the Fifth Nanak, now walks the reader through the soul’s ultimate journey — one that cannot be measured, understood, or aided by the world. The Fourth Pauri is poetic and evocative: it places the seeker in the darkest, loneliest, most testing spiritual terrain — and reveals that even there, Naam is sustenance, recognition, light, shade, and cooling rain. In this pathless path, Naam is everything.
Pauri
ਜਿਹ ਮਾਰਗ ਕੇ ਗਨੇ ਜਾਹਿ ਨ ਕੋਸਾ ॥
<i>Jih maarag ké gané jaahi na kosaa</i>
Translation: On that path where no distance can be counted—
Hindi Transliteration: जिह मारग के गने जाहि न कोसा।ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਊਹਾ ਸੰਗਿ ਤੋਸਾ ॥
<i>Har kaa naam oohaa sang ṫosaa</i>
Translation: —the Name of the Lord shall be your only provision or companion.
Hindi Transliteration: हरि का नामु ऊहा संगि तोसा।ਜਿਹ ਪੈਡੈ ਮਹਾ ਅੰਧ ਗੁਬਾਰਾ ॥
<i>Jih pædæ mahaa anḋʰ gubaaraa</i>
Translation: On that journey covered in total and terrifying darkness—
Hindi Transliteration: जिह पैडै महा अंध गुबारा।ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਸੰਗਿ ਉਜੀਆਰਾ ॥
<i>Har kaa naam sang ujee▫aaraa</i>
Translation: —the Name of the Lord shall be your radiant light.
Hindi Transliteration: हरि का नामु संगि उजीआरा।ਜਹਾ ਪੰਥਿ ਤੇਰਾ ਕੋ ਨ ਸਿਞਾਨੂ ॥
<i>Jahaa panṫʰ ṫéraa ko na siñaanoo</i>
Translation: On that path where no one recognises or remembers you—
Hindi Transliteration: जहां पंथि तेरा को न सिञानू।ਹਰਿ ਕਾ ਨਾਮੁ ਤਹ ਨਾਲਿ ਪਛਾਨੂ ॥
<i>Har kaa naam ṫah naal pachʰaanoo</i>
Translation: —there, the Name of the Lord shall give you identity.
Hindi Transliteration: हरि का नामु तह नालि पछानू।ਜਹ ਮਹਾ ਭਇਆਨ ਤਪਤਿ ਬਹੁ ਘਾਮ ॥
<i>Jah mahaa bʰa▫i▫aan ṫapaṫ baho gʰaam</i>
Translation: Where there is scorching heat and terrifying discomfort—
Hindi Transliteration: जहां महा भइआन तपति बहु घाम।ਤਹ ਹਰਿ ਕੇ ਨਾਮ ਕੀ ਤੁਮ ਊਪਰਿ ਛਾਮ ॥
<i>Ṫah har ké naam kee ṫum oopar chʰaam</i>
Translation: —there, the shade of the Lord’s Name shall shelter you and provide shade.
Hindi Transliteration: तह हरि के नाम की तुम ऊपरि छाम।ਜਹਾ ਤ੍ਰਿਖਾ ਮਨ ਤੁਝੁ ਆਕਰਖੈ ॥
<i>Jahaa ṫarikʰaa man ṫujʰ aakrakʰæ</i>
Translation: Where thirst torments and cries out from deep within—
Hindi Transliteration: जहां त्रिखा मन तुझु आकरखै।ਤਹ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਬਰਖੈ ॥੪॥
<i>Ṫah Naanak har har amriṫ barkʰæ. ||4||</i>
Translation: —there, O Nanak! The Ambrosial Name of the Lord shall shower upon you. ||4||
Hindi Transliteration: तह नानक हरि हरि अमृतु बरखै ॥४॥
Essence
This Pauri is a sacred vision of the soul’s ultimate test: the unknown, unlit, unfamiliar terrain that every being must one day cross. Guru Arjan Dev Ji offers a profound metaphor for the post-life journey or the inner spiritual path that defies measurement, companionship, or material support. When no one knows your name, when your worldly identity is void, Naam remains your sustenance, your light, your cloak, and your comfort.
Each image is intensely symbolic: the path without distance suggests that the soul’s real journey is internal, not spatial. The darkness points to the loss of direction without divine awareness. The heat refers to the burning of karmic consequences and worldly desire. In each case, Naam becomes the remedy — it feeds, recognises, illumines, shades, and cools.
Finally, when the soul cries out in thirst, not for water, but for peace, love, and union, the Guru promises that Har, Har — the Ambrosial Lord — shall rain down upon you. This is no poetic flourish, but a lived reality for those steeped in Simran. It is the Naam raining from within, in the anahad silence of the heart, quenching the soul’s eternal longing.
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.