Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You can wash in every sacred river and keep a fast on every holy day. But if your mind stays stormy and restless inside, the outside washing has not reached the part that matters.
Know that such religion bears no fruit. I tell you this as the truth, for your own good.
Washing and fasting do not help if the mind stays restless.
Tirath karai barat fun raakhai — a person bathes at holy places and keeps fasts. Nah manoo-aa bas jaa ko — but has no hold over the mind. Manoo-aa means the mind.
Nihfal Dharam taahi tum maanhu — know that such religion bears no fruit for them. Saach kahat mai yaa ka-o — I say this truly, for their good. The tone is caring. It is not a scolding.
Think of washing the outside of a cup while the inside stays dirty. The real work is inside: quieting and steadying the heart. This point fits every tradition, not just one.
What helps you settle your mind when it feels stormy inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI