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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Admin" data-source="post: 72016" data-attributes="member: 1">Introduction to the Japji by James G. Lochtefeld Copyright 1994 (I, James G. Lochtefeld, am completely responsible for the text and translations on this page, and   any faults herein must fall on me alone.) The Japji is the opening section of the Adigranth, the Sikh scripture. As the name "Morning Prayer" suggests, devout Sikhs recite it at the beginning of the day, ideally ending by sunrise.1 The Japji's 38 verses are an extended meditation on the Divine Name, qualities, and purpose, as well on human nature and the appropriate response to the divine call. These verses are preceded by the Mul Mantra or opening verses, and succeeded by the benediction known as Ardas. The Mul Mantra, a terse description of Divine qualities, can serve as either a starting point or a final summary of Guru Nanak's message, but to be fully intelligible it needs to be examined in the wider context of his thought. The Ardas begins by mentioning the constant passing of time, and the warning to pay attention to this, but ends with a bow to those who have responded to the divine call, and who lead others to God. Although any religious text is difficult for outsiders to fully comprehend, the Japji has certain clues that can help us understand its structure. The most important clue is repetition, which is of two sorts. In some verses, each line begins with the same word: in verses 8-11 Nanak stresses the importance of "hearing" (the Divine Name), and in verses 12-15, the importance of "pondering." In such verses, the sheer weight of repetition highlights the importance of that thought. Less visible, but equally important, is the way that Nanak ends consecutive verses by repeating a particular line. Throughout bhakti poetry a poem's final line, often marked for the hearers by the poet's name ("Nanak says"), serves as both a way to summarize the poem, and to bring it to poetic conclusion. By concluding consecutive verses with the same line, Nanak not only stresses the particular thought, but also indicates the conceptual boundaries between groups of verses. Throughout the Japji Nanak puts great importance on the salvific power of the Divine Name, and it is important to understand what he means by this. It is not as if the Name is a spell or incantation, giving magic power to those who know it. Rather, any one of God's Names ("Formless," "Stainless," "Giver," etc.), can serve as a focus for contemplation, repetition, and absorption. The Name's real power comes not from its phonetic elements, but from the way in which the devotee uses it in spiritual life. These Names also provide a limited, provisional way for human beings to think about a God whom Nanak insists is ultimately transcendent and ineffable, although Nanak also believes that through grace human beings can know God in their hearts. Finally, how can one reconcile Nanak's belief in divine omnipotence with his insistence that one is rewarded or punished according to one's deeds? The answer, as in the Semitic religious traditions, is that human beings are free either to conform to the divine will, or to rebel against it. For Nanak, the primary sin is not any particular action, but haumai, a word whose two parts, hau and mai, are both forms of the word "I." The root problem is this egocentrism which distorts human perceptions and actions, leading them to focus on their immediate desires, rather than on what they know is right. Unlike Semitic traditions, Nanak believes in karma and reincarnation (and that these are manifestations of the divine Order); escape from rebirth comes only when one gives up ego-centeredness, and consciously strives to conform to God's will.Source: <a href="http://personal.carthage.edu/jlochtefeld/sikh/japji.htm" target="_blank">The Japji</a></blockquote>

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