Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Millions of religious leaders could not halt the invader once the Emperor's coming was known.
He burned the rest-houses and the ancient temples; he cut down the princes and threw them into the dust.
And no Mughal was struck blind — no one worked any miracle at all.
The hymn's most unsparing line is its last: no one performed any miracle. The holy men had promised that their spells and blessings would stop the invader; the invader came; nothing happened. Guru Nanak — the most religious man in the province — records the failure with devastating plainness, because truth-telling outranks the reputation of religion. Faith, in his hands, is not magic: it never promised to blind armies. It promises something the army cannot touch. Confusing the two is how religion loses people — and this verse refuses the confusion forever.
What is the difference between faith and expecting magic?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI