Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Hundreds of thousands of coins were poured out for them when they sat, and hundreds of thousands when they stood.
They ate coconuts and dates, and rested at ease on their beds.
Now ropes are around their necks, and their strings of pearls are broken.
This one is about how no amount of money can buy safety.
Ik lakh lehniH behthee-aa lakh lehniH kharhee-aa — they were given a hundred thousand coins when they sat, and a hundred thousand when they stood. That is wealth at its most extreme. Just sitting or standing brought riches.
Then one line ends it all. TinH gal silkaa paa-ee-aa tutniH motsaree-aa — ropes were put around their necks, and their strings of pearls broke.
The broken necklace is the sharpest picture in the hymn. It is the same neck, with two very different fates. What the riches decorated, the riches could not protect.
This raag often teaches that there are two kinds of wealth. Here that lesson is pushed as far as it goes. Anything that can be given can also be taken away. Think of a sandcastle on the beach. It can be grand, but the tide can take it. A treasure that can never be taken must be a different kind of treasure, the treasure of the One.
What do you have that could never be taken from you?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI