Salok Vaaraan Te Vadheek (Mehl 1), Salok 17 — Who Is a Warrior
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
He alone is a Khatri, a warrior, who is a hero in good deeds.
He uses his body for kindness and giving.
He knows his field, and plants the seeds of giving.
Such a warrior is accepted in the Court of the One.
But whoever lives by greed, grabbing and lies
receives the fruit of what he himself has done.
A true warrior is brave at doing good, not only at fighting.
The Khatri, or Kshatriya, was the warrior class. People thought you were a warrior because of your birth. Guru Nanak says something different. khatree so jo karmaa kaa soor — the true warrior is a hero in good deeds. He uses his own body and strength to give and to help.
Then comes a farming picture. He khayt pachhaanai, knows his field, and beejai daan, plants the seeds of giving. That harvest is welcomed in the Court of the One.
The last lines show the opposite kind of life. Greed and lies grow their own crop. apnaa keetaa aapay paavai — you get back what you yourself have done. This is the idea of karma: what we do comes back to us. Like a garden, what you plant is what comes up.
What does bravery look like when there is no fight to win, just a choice to be generous or not?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI