Salok Sehskritee, Salok 60 — A Devotee Without Dharam
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Like a Brahmin without the holy mark on his forehead, or a king without the power to command,
or a warrior without weapons — Nanak says: so is a devotee of the One without dharam, a life of faith and right living.
Faith and right living are the center of a devotee, the way weapons are to a warrior.
The salok gives three pictures. A Brahmin, a priest, without the holy mark on his forehead. A king who cannot give orders. A warrior with no weapons. Each one is missing the thing that makes them who they are.
In the same way, a person who loves the One is missing something without Dharam. Here Dharam means living trust and right living, not just believing things.
Think of a bike with no chain. It has wheels and pedals and a seat. But nothing moves it forward. The three people in the verse are just examples about needing a center. They are not about who ranks higher. Dharam is the center that holds the rest together.
What is something in your life that would feel empty without its center — and what is at the center of you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI