Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The four castes and classes, the preachers with the six Shaastras at their fingertips,
the beautiful, the refined, the shapely, the wise — the five passions have enticed and beguiled them all.
No kind of person is safe from the five inner thieves: not the high-born, not the learned, not the beautiful.
The verse names everyone. Chaar baran — the four castes, the old ranking of families by birth, high and low alike. Scholars who know the six Shaastras, the six schools of scripture, at their fingertips. The beautiful, the stylish, the clever. The five passions have tricked them all.
These five are the Panch Vikaar: desire, anger, greed, attachment, and pride. Birth, learning, looks, and brains are no shield against them. Think of a cold going around school. It does not care who is top of the class or who is most popular. Anyone can catch it. Another shabad in Raag Aasaa says the same.
Why might being smart or accomplished not protect a person from their own impulses?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI