Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
I do not pick leaves as offerings, and I do not worship statues of gods.
Without loving devotion to the One, all service is useless.
Service without love for the One stays empty, whatever form it takes.
Tora-o na paatee pooja-o na dayvaa: I pick no leaves, I worship no image. Read alone, it could sound like a rejection of Hindu practice. The very next line gives the point: raam bhagat bin nihfal sayvaa, without loving devotion, all service is fruitless. The quarrel is with hollow ritual in any tradition, never with the people who pray. The heart is what matters.
Can you think of a time you did something the “right” way but your heart wasn't in it? How was that different from doing it with love?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI