Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Really taking wise teaching to heart is what brings a lasting, settled peace.
Reading more and more without letting it in just tires you out — it's understanding that heals.
The verse distinguishes understanding from mere reading: grasp the Sermon (khasam kee baat) truly and you attain sadaa sukh, lasting peace — but parhi parhi... dukh paavai, the more you read without understanding, the more you ache. It's not anti-book (again, this is a poem of letters); it's pro-digestion. Facts you swallow without chewing sit heavy; wisdom you actually take in nourishes. For a child: it's better to truly understand one good thing than to skim a hundred, because only what you understand can become peace.
Would you rather memorize many things or deeply understand a few? Why?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI