ਨਾ ਕੋ ਪੜਿਆ ਪੰਡਿਤੁ ਬੀਨਾ ਨਾ ਕੋ ਮੂਰਖੁ ਮੰਦਾ ॥
naa ko parhi-aa pandit beenaa naa ko moorakh mandaa.
By himself, no one is literate, learned or wise; no one is ignorant or evil.
ਬੰਦੀ ਅੰਦਰਿ ਸਿਫਤਿ ਕਰਾਏ ਤਾ ਕਉ ਕਹੀਐ ਬੰਦਾ ॥੪॥੨॥੩੬॥
bandee andar sifat karaa-ay taa ka-o kahee-ai bandaa. ||4||2||36||
When, as a slave, one praises the Lord, only then is he known as a human being. ||4||2||36||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
On his own, no one is learned or wise, and no one is ignorant or wicked.
Only when, as a humble servant, a person praises the One — only then is he truly worthy of the name "human."
What makes you truly human isn't how smart you are — it's a heart turned in praise toward the One.
A leveling and a definition. The leveling: "by himself, no one is literate, learned or wise; no one is ignorant or evil" — our labels are not self-made absolutes. The definition: what makes a being truly human is not intellect or its lack, but praising the One as a humble servant. Humanity is an orientation of the heart, not a score on a test.
A Question to Sit With
What do you think makes someone most fully human?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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