Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A cheat may be good-looking and clever, but a fake coin is still worth almost nothing.
Slip it in among the good coins and it can hide for a while. But when the coins are tested, the fake shows.
Truth lasts longer than polish.
Chor su-aali-o chor si-aanaa — a cheat may be good-looking, and a cheat may be clever. Khotay kaa mul ayk dugaanaa — but a khotaa, a fake coin, is worth only a shell.
This is Dhanaasaree's money language, turned toward character. Looks and cleverness can blend in with the real thing for a while, like a plastic apple in a bowl of fruit. Jaa parkhee-ai khotaa ho-ay jaa-ay — when the coins are tested, the fake shows. Truth outlasts polish.
How can you tell whether something, or someone, is genuine and not just shiny?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI