Salok Sehskritee, Salok 67 — Even an Ant Can Become Great
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who are proud and drunk on lust,
who use their strength to force others around,
never remember the One's lotus feet. Their lives are spoiled, as worthless as straw.
O little ant, tiny as you are, you become rich and great through remembering the Lord of the Universe.
Nanak says: I bow again and again, countless times.
Pride and pushing others around leave a life empty; remembering the One makes even the smallest great.
First the salok describes people who are full of themselves. They are drunk on pleasure, and they push others around with their strength. They never turn toward the One. The verse says their lives are as light and empty as straw.
Then the turn. Hay papeelkaa — O little ant! Even something as tiny as an ant becomes rich and great through remembering the One.
Think of a small seed in the ground. It looks like nothing. But connected to water and sun, it grows into a tall tree. Greatness does not come from being loud or big. It comes from what you are connected to. The salok ends with humble bowing, again and again.
Have you ever felt small or unimportant? What if greatness had nothing to do with size or showing off?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI