Sikhism·Raag Aasaa·Shabad 149
Verse 3 of 6

Endlessly Weighing Sin and Virtue Keeps You Circling

ਸਾਸਤ੍ਰ ਬੇਦ ਪਾਪ ਪੁੰਨ ਵੀਚਾਰ ॥
saastar bayd paap punn veechaar.
The Shaastras and the Vedas speak of sin and virtue;
ਨਰਕਿ ਸੁਰਗਿ ਫਿਰਿ ਫਿਰਿ ਅਉਤਾਰ ॥੨॥
narak surag fir fir a-utaar. ||2||
they say that mortals are reincarnated into heaven and hell, over and over again. ||2||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

The old scriptures speak of sin and virtue.

They say souls are born into heaven and hell, over and over.

Endlessly weighing sin and virtue keeps you in the very cycle it describes.
The deeper layer

Keeping score of right and wrong is not the same as meeting the One.

The Shaastras and Vedas, old holy books of India, speak of sin and virtue. They say souls are born again and again, into heaven and into hell. It is a huge list of good marks and bad marks.

Picture a report card that you study every night. You can know every mark on it by heart. That still does not make you learn. In the same way, counting sin and virtue can keep you going round the very circle it describes. What breaks the circle is meeting the One.

A Question to Sit With

Is keeping score of right and wrong the same as actually being transformed?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

About this shabad →
Use ← → to navigate