Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In this world I have seen how much love turns out to be hollow.
Whether they're spouses or friends, everyone is mostly looking out for their own comfort.
This is the most sobering verse in the raag, and it must be read with care and honesty. Guru Tegh Bahadur observes something painful: much of what passes for love in the world is really self-interest — people drawn to us for what they get, staying close while it suits them. This is not cynicism or a counsel to distrust everyone; the Gurus everywhere honor genuine love, family, and friendship (the whole Grihast path). It is a clear-eyed distinction between conditional affection — which depends on convenience and can evaporate — and the one Love that does not. He is not saying "no one loves you"; he is saying: don't mistake the conditional, self-serving kind for the real thing, and don't build your whole security on it. There is a Love that stays when the convenient kind leaves.
What's the difference between someone who's around because it's convenient and someone whose care for you stays even when it's hard?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI