Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Even good-looking rituals can become tangles if the heart isn't in them.
Things we do just for show, or out of pure grabbiness, quietly tie us up.
But keep what's real and true at the center, and the tangles loosen on their own.
This one says even good deeds can tie us up when the heart is not in them.
Karam and dharam, rituals and religious duties, can all become ties that bind. The verse adds that good and bad deeds are tied up with them too.
This is not against faith. The Gurus themselves taught and practiced devotion. It is against empty form: a ritual done only for show.
The verse also names things done for our children and spouse out of pride and clinging. Those become ties too. They turn into ropes instead of wings.
Think of saying "sorry" only because a teacher is watching. The words are right, but nothing inside has changed.
Jah daykhaa tah jayvree — wherever I look, I see the rope of attachment to Maya, the passing show of the world. The tangle is everywhere, until the True Name is at the center. It is the heart in it that makes the difference.
What's the difference between doing something kind because you mean it and doing it just to look good?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI