Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
How long must you keep pleasing people, just to win their honor?
Servant Nanak says: meditate forever on the One in your heart, and then everyone will congratulate you.
Stop performing for applause. The honor that lasts comes from inside.
Kab ko-oo logan ka-o patee-aavai — how long will you keep pleasing people? Lok pateenai naa pat ho-ay — pleasing people does not bring real honor. Think of a social media post. Likes pour in for a day, then they are gone, and you want more.
So Guru Ram Das points somewhere else. Har hirdai sad Dhi-aavahu — remember the One in your heart, always. Then real honor comes by itself: jai jai karay sabh ko-ay, everyone cheers for you. You do not have to chase it. Other shabads in Raag Aasaa say the same. Honor comes from the Name, not from the crowd.
How much of what people do is really just performing to win approval?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI