Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The yogis and wandering hermits with their long matted hair are stained.
The body is stained, and so is the soul inside it, the swan.
Even the most impressive holy wanderer, and even the body and soul, share the same dust.
Jogee and jangam are wandering holy people. Jataa is long matted hair, worn as a sign of giving up the world. Then mailee kaa-i-aa hans samayt: the body, together with the hans, is stained. Hans means swan, an old picture for the soul. The list now covers gods, rulers, days, jewels, wind, fire and water, holy people and the body itself. Nothing is left out, and the question waits: where, then, is purity?
Is it fair to decide someone is better or worse just from how they look on the outside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI