Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The one who mourns is often only pretending.
He laughs inside, even while he weeps for someone else.
This line is about grief that is only for show.
Rovanhaarai jhooth kamaanaa — the one who wails is acting out a lie. Has has sog karat baygaanaa — he laughs inside while mourning someone else. Guru Arjan is not talking about real sadness. When someone we love dies, crying is honest and good.
He means the loud crying that is only on the outside, while the heart is untouched. Think of someone who cries at a funeral so others will notice, then checks their phone and grins. The Guru names this not to make fun of true loss. He does it to help us tell the real from the fake. Another shabad in Raag Aasaa looks the same way at empty customs around death.
What is the difference between performing sorrow and truly feeling it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI