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Sikhism·Aasaa Kee Vaar·Aasaa Kee Vaar, Pauri 1
Verse 34 of 85

Everyone Thinks They're Right; Real Worth Is Weighed

ਮਃ ੧ ॥
mehlaa 1.
First Mehl:
ਲਬੁ ਪਾਪੁ ਦੁਇ ਰਾਜਾ ਮਹਤਾ ਕੂੜੁ ਹੋਆ ਸਿਕਦਾਰੁ ॥
lab paap du-ay raajaa mahtaa koorh ho-aa sikdaar.
Greed and sin are the king and prime minister; falsehood is the treasurer.
ਕਾਮੁ ਨੇਬੁ ਸਦਿ ਪੁਛੀਐ ਬਹਿ ਬਹਿ ਕਰੇ ਬੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
kaam nayb sad puchhee-ai bahi bahi karay beechaar.
Sexual desire, the chief advisor, is summoned and consulted; they all sit together and contemplate their plans.
ਅੰਧੀ ਰਯਤਿ ਗਿਆਨ ਵਿਹੂਣੀ ਭਾਹਿ ਭਰੇ ਮੁਰਦਾਰੁ ॥
anDhee rayat gi-aan vihoonee bhaahi bharay murdaar.
Their subjects are blind, and without wisdom, they try to please the will of the dead.
ਗਿਆਨੀ ਨਚਹਿ ਵਾਜੇ ਵਾਵਹਿ ਰੂਪ ਕਰਹਿ ਸੀਗਾਰੁ ॥
gi-aanee nacheh vaajay vaaveh roop karahi seegaar.
The spiritually wise dance and play their musical instruments, adorning themselves with beautiful decorations.
ਊਚੇ ਕੂਕਹਿ ਵਾਦਾ ਗਾਵਹਿ ਜੋਧਾ ਕਾ ਵੀਚਾਰੁ ॥
oochay kookeh vaadaa gaavahi joDhaa kaa veechaar.
They shout out loud, and sing epic poems and heroic stories.
ਮੂਰਖ ਪੰਡਿਤ ਹਿਕਮਤਿ ਹੁਜਤਿ ਸੰਜੈ ਕਰਹਿ ਪਿਆਰੁ ॥
moorakh pandit hikmat hujat sanjai karahi pi-aar.
The fools call themselves spiritual scholars, and by their clever tricks, they love to gather wealth.
ਧਰਮੀ ਧਰਮੁ ਕਰਹਿ ਗਾਵਾਵਹਿ ਮੰਗਹਿ ਮੋਖ ਦੁਆਰੁ ॥
Dharmee Dharam karahi gaavaaveh mangeh mokh du-aar.
The righteous waste their righteousness, by asking for the door of salvation.
ਜਤੀ ਸਦਾਵਹਿ ਜੁਗਤਿ ਨ ਜਾਣਹਿ ਛਡਿ ਬਹਹਿ ਘਰ ਬਾਰੁ ॥
jatee sadaaveh jugat na jaaneh chhad baheh ghar baar.
They call themselves celibate, and abandon their homes, but they do not know the true way of life.
ਸਭੁ ਕੋ ਪੂਰਾ ਆਪੇ ਹੋਵੈ ਘਟਿ ਨ ਕੋਈ ਆਖੈ ॥
sabh ko pooraa aapay hovai ghat na ko-ee aakhai.
Everyone calls himself perfect; none call themselves imperfect.
ਪਤਿ ਪਰਵਾਣਾ ਪਿਛੈ ਪਾਈਐ ਤਾ ਨਾਨਕ ਤੋਲਿਆ ਜਾਪੈ ॥੨॥
pat parvaanaa pichhai paa-ee-ai taa naanak toli-aa jaapai. ||2||
If the weight of honor is placed on the scale, then, O Nanak, one sees his true weight. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

When greed and dishonesty are running the show, everyone's just scrambling and scheming, and the loudest performers call themselves the wisest.

And almost everyone thinks they're already perfect — nobody admits their flaws. But put real honor on the scale, and you see a person's true weight.

Almost everyone thinks they're already right — but real worth is what you'd truly weigh, not what you claim.
The deeper layer

This is a sharp, almost cartoon-like satire of a corrupt world: greed and sin are the king and minister, falsehood the treasurer, desire the advisor — the vices personified as a scheming government. Around them the fools call themselves scholars and gather wealth by clever tricks, everyone performing importance. And then the shalok's most piercing line, true in every age: everyone calls himself perfect; none call themselves imperfect. It's so easy to assume we're the ones in the right. The cure is a scale: when honor is weighed, one sees his true weight. Real worth isn't what you claim; it's what you'd actually weigh if goodness could be measured. A little honest self-questioning — am I really as right as I think? — is worth more than all the self-congratulation in the world.

A Question to Sit With

Why is it so easy to assume we're the one who's right? How can we check ourselves honestly?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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