Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Sometimes we grab shiny bits of glass and let real gold slip through our fingers. We cozy up to what harms us and push away the friend who helps.
What is good can taste bitter for a moment, and what is empty can taste sweet. Chasing the empty just leaves us worn out.
We sometimes pick glass and throw away gold.
Kaach bihaajhan kanchan chhaadan — buying kaach, glass, and throwing away kanchan, gold. Think of trading a real friendship for a few more minutes on a game. Bairee sang hayt saajan ti-aag — we make friends with what harms us and leave the true friend behind.
Hovan ka-uraa anhovan meethaa — what is real tastes bitter, and what is empty tastes sweet. It is like vegetables and candy. The good choice is not always the tasty one.
The verse says that people caught up in bikhi-aa, things that act like poison, burn away inside. Put simply, chasing the empty wears us out. The verse names these upside-down choices gently, so we can turn back.
When have you almost traded something real for something shiny?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI