Ans. The eight questions posed in Japu Ji are:
1. ਕਿਵ ਸਚਿਆਰਾ ਹੋਈਐ
“How can one become spiritually pure (truthful)”?
(SGGS, P. 1)
2. ਕਿਵ ਕੂੜੈ ਤੁਟੈ ਪਾਲਿ*॥
“How can one pierce the partition of falsehood”?(SGGS, P. 1)
3. ਫੇਰਿ ਕਿ ਅਗੈ ਰਖੀਐ ਜਿਤੁ ਦਿਸੈ ਦਰਬਾਰੁ ॥
“What should one offer to unite with Him”?
(SGGS, P. 2)
4. ਮੁਹੌ ਕਿ ਬੋਲਣੁ ਬੋਲੀਐ ਜਿਤੁ ਸੁਣਿ ਧਰੇ ਪਿਆਰੁ ॥
“What words should one utter that would invoke His love”?
(SGGS, P. 2)
5. ਕਵਣੁ ਸੁ ਵੇਲਾ ਵਖਤੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਕਵਣ ਥਿਤਿ ਕਵਣੁ ਵਾਰੁ ॥
ਕਵਣਿ ਸਿ ਰੁਤੀ ਮਾਹੁ ਕਵਣੁ ਜਿਤੁ ਹੋਆ ਆਕਾਰੁ ॥
(SGGS, P. 4)
“What were the time, the lunar day, and the week day; what season, what month was it when the universe was created”?
(SGGS, P.4)
6. ਕਿਵ ਕਰਿ ਆਖਾ ਕਿਵ ਸਾਲਾਹੀ ਕਿਉ ਵਰਨੀ ਕਿਵ ਜਾਣਾ॥
“How is one to express His greatness and how to praise Him; how to describe and how to know God”?
7. ਸੋ ਦਰੁ ਕੇਹਾ
(SGGS, P. 6)
“How great is His gate”?
8. ਸੋ ਘਰੁ ਕੇਹਾ ਜਿਤੁ ਬਹਿ ਸਰਬ ਸਮਾਲੇ॥
(SGGS, P. 6)
“How great is His mansion from where God takes care of all”?
The answer to the first question is:
ਹੁਕਮਿ ਰਜਾਈ ਚਲਣਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਲਿਖਿਆ ਨਾਲਿ॥
“One should willingly obey His command”.
(SGGS, P. 1)
Sometimes the command may be harsh, but it is for the benefit of the human being. It should always be taken as sweet.
The answer to the second question that Guru Nanak gives in Japu Ji is: The partition (Paal) between man and God consists of water of avarice, mud of jealousy and scum of rituals. One has to destroy it and instead bring in clean water of Lord’s Name. The impurities in this ‘Paal’ of ones mind are: thoughts of pilgrimages as a means to attain salvation, taking crutch of yogic exercises, longing for excessive wealth, pride about ones smartness. All these have to be forsaken. This Paal’ breaks if one always stays in a state of equipoise, not let anger get better of him/her. In others words one should stay happy under all circumstances and unscathed by problems.
The answer to the third question is that one should offer uninterrupted devotion to God. One should not waste even a single moment of the ambrosial hour of morning, which is the best time to meditate on Him.
The Guru’s answer to the fourth question is that if one contemplates the greatness (of God) it will lead to the development of His love. One should understand the meanings of Gurbani. The first step towards the goal of love is to sing His praises. The second step is to listen and the third step is to have only His and no one else’s love in ones mind. Thus the path to meet the infinite Lord is to recite Gurbani with love, contemplate on its words and follow them.
The answer to the fifth question regarding the time of creation of the universe is that neither the Vedas, nor Quraan have the knowledge to answer this question. Because there are many worlds (in addition to ours), this much is sufficient to say that it is not possible to know the limit of God Almighty. There are hundreds of thousands of earths beyond which there are even more. Therefore He alone knows when and how He created this universe.
ਇਕ ਦੂ ਇਕੁ ਸਿਆਣਾ॥
In answer to the sixth question, how to describe God, the Guru enjoins that while singing His laudations one must keep in mind that:
(SGGS, P. 5)
“There are many smart and knowledgeable people around”. One should therefore recite the following couplet of Guru Nanak:
ਨਾਨਕੁ ਵੇਚਾਰਾ ਕਿਆ ਕਹੈ॥
ਸਭੁ ਲੋਕੁ ਸਲਾਹੇ ਏਕਸੈ॥
ਸਿਰੁ ਨਾਨਕ ਲੋਕਾ ਪਾਵ ਹੈ॥
ਬਲਿਹਾਰੀ ਜਾਉ ਜੇਤੇ ਤੇਰੇ ਨਾਵ ਹੈ
(SGGS, P. 1168)
“What can poor Nanak say (that is new)? The whole world lauds the one God. Nanak, in reverence, places his head at the feet of those who utter Your Name, O Lord. To all Your Names (uttered by various people) I am a sacrifice”
Anyone who claims to have known His limit, cannot find a place in Lord’s court:
Furthermore the laudation should be done with humility in ones mind.
In answer to the seventh question, regarding God’s portal, the Guru says:
At His door there are countless harmonies, musical measures, tunes and minstrels. In Judeo-Christian Mythology it is said that when God created the body of Adam, to it, the soul was introduced by the help of music. So music has the capability of taking (ones conscience) to God. That is why everyone is singing His laudations.There are five elements (air, water, fire, earth and ether). By combination of these elements God has created all creatures including gods, and human beings (prophets, sages and all). It is only through singing His praises (irrespective of who he is) that one could meet Him.
The answer to the eighth (last) question, “how great is His mansion?” the answer is:One has to abide by His will in order to know this secret,or
ਰਹਣੁ ਰਜਾਈ ॥
To say it differently, it is that place where there is contemplation on Him, or where the laudations of fearless God are sung, or where those who see all creatures alike. That house is within ones mind. He who has pervaded His power throughout the universe, has made the human body as His abode:
ਅਉਹਠਿ ਹਸਤ ਮੜੀ ਘਰੁ ਛਾਇਆ ਧਰਣਿ ਗਗਨ ਕਲ ਧਾਰੀ॥
(SGGS, P. 907)
God is not an imaginary entity, idea or illusion; He has a place, He has a door.