Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
If someone dishonest praises you, it does not warm your heart. And if they blame you, it does you no harm.
No one stands up for a cheat. So how could a cheat's doings ever turn out well?
What makes you worthwhile is what is real inside you, not what an untrue person says about you.
The verse uses chor, a thief, to mean a heart that lives by dishonesty. Chor salaahay cheet na bheejai — a cheat's praise does not soak into your heart. Jay badee karay taa tasoo na chheejai — and a cheat's blame does not chip anything away.
Think of a scale that has been rigged. Whatever number it shows means nothing. In the same way, the words of an untrue person, flattery or blame, carry no weight. Your value comes from what is real inside, not from who is talking.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
Why might praise from someone you do not trust feel empty?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI