Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You wear fine robes and enjoy your pleasures. You behave well, but only to impress people.
You put on sweet oils of sandalwood and musk. But your constant companion is the demon of anger.
Guru Arjan is saying: good behavior put on for show leaves the anger inside untouched.
Fine clothes, pleasures, polite manners, sweet-smelling oils — they all look good. But aachaar karahi sobhaa meh log — you do good deeds so people will praise you. That is a performance, not goodness. Underneath, anger stays by your side all the time. The verse calls it a demon.
Perfume cannot hide the truth. Think of someone who is sweet to the teacher and then snaps at everyone at home. Behavior aimed at an audience leaves the real feelings inside unchanged. Another hymn in Raag Aasaa says the same about the show-off whose goodness is only for display.
What is the difference between being good and performing goodness for an audience?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI