Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Gazing at Maya's show, a person's pleasures slip away. He falls in love with a shell worth almost nothing, and makes a mess of his life.
Tied up in blind busywork, his mind runs here and there. The Creator never comes into his mind.
When we chase shiny things, we can miss the treasure.
The verse uses the word ka-udee, a cowrie shell. Long ago, these small shells were used as coins worth almost nothing. Loving the shell is like getting a gift, keeping the wrapping paper, and throwing away what was inside.
The fun of chasing fades fast. The mind keeps wandering. And the quiet cost is this: karnaihaar na jee-a meh aavai — the Creator never comes to mind.
When have you wanted the wrapping more than what was inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI