Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Gurmukhs are full of love. The One keeps them safe.
Who can harm them with mean words? They love the Name.
Their minds are at one with the One. All who fight them fight in vain.
Servant Nanak thinks of the Name. The One keeps him safe.
This one gives real comfort for when people say unkind things about you.
Nindaa means slander: saying mean, untrue things about someone. The verse asks: how can anyone's slander harm those who love the Name? Not because no one tries. It is because a heart resting in the One's love is not so easily wounded.
"Jin har saytee man maani-aa" — those whose minds are at one with the One. "Sabh dusat jhakh maaraa" — all who attack them try in vain. The arrows do not land, because there is no soft spot of pride for them to hit.
Think of a raincoat. The rain still falls, but it runs right off. When your worth rests in the One's love, and not in what others say, cruel words lose most of their sting. The One, the Protector, is the shelter.
This is not about being untouchable. It is about where your worth rests.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
What helps mean words bother you less — where do you find your sense of worth?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI