Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Gurmukh is full of love for the Beloved, and quietly turns the Word over in his heart.
For him, loving devotion is the road to the True One —
but the dances and shows of pretenders bring only pain.
The same act can help you or hurt you. It depends on whether love is inside it.
Gurmukh bhagat antar pareet pi-aar — the Gurmukh is filled with love for the Beloved. They turn the Guru's Word over quietly in the heart. For them, loving devotion is the road to the True One.
Then comes the plain contrast. Pakhand bhagat nirat dukh ho-ay — the dancing and worship of pretenders bring only pain. Pakhand means a show put on to fool others. The dance and the worship look the same from outside. What changes everything is the love inside. Think of saying "sorry" to a friend. Said with a whole heart, it heals. Said just to get out of trouble, it can make things worse. Another shabad in this raag (Shabad 64) says devotion counts "only if embraced with love."
Have you ever done the "right" thing without your heart in it, and felt worse, not better?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI