The Source Book On Sikhism

Reading from the Hymn of Salutations. Japji

I salute Him Whom none can name,

Whom none can enshrine in clay,

She Pure Being, the Spirit of Eternity,

The Beauty of Life past all measures!

The Iridescent Soul: beyond all colour, and raiment, and caste, and race;

Whom even the gods name by non-naming, and so do the tiny blades of grass praise Him!

My salutations to Him, the Naked, through the colour and clothes of His Creation!

I salute Him whom no waters can ever wet,

Whom no sky doth cover;

The Ever-unstained by deeds and doings;

Who holds the orbs of heaven in His hands, and who Himself stands on nothing!

In whom life touches no-life, science no-science, light and darkness are one, knowledge and ignorance both meet, pain and pleasure are not distinct, Dharma is A-Dharma, scriptures, non-scriptures and worlds, no-worlds!
I salute Him,

The child in children,

The Orb in rolling orbs,

The Indra in Kings,

The beauty in kings, slaves and saints!

The great Fire, the great Seed, the great Unknown!

I bow to Him from Whom all things come,

In whom all things are,

To Whom all things return.

The ancient Yogi, the Adept, the gem of charm!

I salute the Song,

The Skill of Perfection,

The Rhythm of Harmony of the Immeasurable -

Where the depths of rapturous Silence lie on the heights of holy chanting!

I salute that Stranger, whose eyes fascinate everyone!

The Figure of Renunciation, the Figure of Illumination!

The Man of Beauty, Joy, and Mystery,

The Ever-undescribed, the All-described,

With whose Names the pages of Creation are full.

I salute the Mother of Worlds,

I bow to the Knowledge Absolute;

The Kind One Who always thinks of us;

Who gives Love, light and life; and Who counts not!

The Speech of our speech, the Mind of our mind,

The soft, soft Light, the Ambrosia of Immortality!

Salutations to the Pure Being!

The Beginningless Beginning, the Infinite at all points;

The Self-absorbed, Unconscious-conscious Avdhuta Supreme, that is seated everywhere as the Soul of all,

deluging everything with His love!

Who overwhelms all living things with goodness,

The One, the Many, and the One again!

My Gobind, my Makand, the Million-hearted, the Infinite Mind, my Hari, my Beloved!

The Sea of million-waves, the One Mai unportioned by all-Difference.

The Beautiful Transience, and Transcendent Permanence!

The Sweet Sad One who hath no cares!

Salutations to the Dharma, the light of goodness!

Salutations to the Beloved beyond all namings!

Salutations to the Splendour of Soul!

Salutations to the Kind One Who is always with us

Who is Glory Infinite, Glory! Glory! Everywhere