Verse 366 of 450
Salok Sheikh Farid, Salok 65 — the swan does not eat the grain
ਹੰਸੁ ਉਡਰਿ ਕੋਧ੍ਰੈ ਪਇਆ ਲੋਕੁ ਵਿਡਾਰਣਿ ਜਾਇ ॥
hans udar koDhrai pa-i-aa lok vidaaran jaa-ay.
The swans fly away, and land in the fields of grain. The people go to chase them away.
ਗਹਿਲਾ ਲੋਕੁ ਨ ਜਾਣਦਾ ਹੰਸੁ ਨ ਕੋਧ੍ਰਾ ਖਾਇ ॥੬੫॥
gahilaa lok na jaandaa hans na koDhraa khaa-ay. ||65||
The thoughtless people do not know, that the swans do not eat the grain. ||65||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A swan flies down and lands in a field of grain, and people run out to chase it away.
The thoughtless people do not know that the swan does not eat the grain.
Look closer before you decide what someone is after.
A pure heart can be misjudged by people who only see the outside.
In old poetry the swan feeds on pearls, not on common grain. When it lands in the field, the villagers assume it has come to steal. Gahilaa lok na jaandaa: the careless people do not understand.
Holy people living in the world are often treated the same way. Others assume they want what everyone wants, when their hunger is for the One.
A Question to Sit With
Have you ever misjudged someone who turned out to be nothing like you assumed?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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