Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Even the scholars are tangled — in the Vedas, in religious debates, in the pride of being the one who knows.
Tangled in attachment and corruption, they waste away.
This one says knowing about truth can still tangle you; tasting it sets you free.
BanDhan bayd baad ahankaar — people are tied up with the Vedas, arguments, and pride. The Vedas are ancient Hindu scriptures. BanDhan binsai moh vikaar — tied up in clinging and bad habits, they waste away.
The list ends with its most respected prisoner: the scholar. Family, religion, farming, trade, banking, learning: every part of society has now been named. None of them is bad in itself. The net is always the same net: ego gripping its role.
This grip is the hardest to see, because knowing about the truth can pass for knowing it. The Gurus speak of har ras, the taste of the One. It is the difference between reading a menu and eating the meal. You can win every argument about water and still be thirsty.
Is there something you argue about more than you live?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI