Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Anger burns the one who holds it, more than anyone else.
And when we go looking outside for what only lives within, we come back empty-handed.
This one is about how anger burns the person who carries it.
This verse is part of a poem that walks through the alphabet. It stacks up its warnings letter by letter.
Tatai taamas jali-ohu moorhay — with the letter "tatta": in anger, you are burning yourself, foolish one. Anger hurts the angry one first. It is like holding a hot coal to throw at someone. Your own hand gets burned.
Next, the place where you live becomes spoiled. A careless, forgetful way of living ruins its own home.
Then comes the sharpest picture. Ghar ghar fireh tooN moorhay — you go begging from door to door. Dadai daan na tuDh la-i-aa — and still you do not get the gift.
This is about searching everywhere outside for a peace that can only be found inside. You can knock on every door and still come home with empty hands.
The poem is not scolding just to scold. It is turning your search around. It saves you all that tiring knocking, and points you back home, to your own heart.
What happens inside you when you hold onto anger? Who does it hurt most?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI