Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Taking what isn't theirs, grabbing in greed, bending the truth, tearing others down — a person can spend a whole life just this way.
They pin their hopes on shimmering mirages, sure the water ahead is sweet and real, and lean their whole heart on it.
A life spent chasing what isn't real is like running toward a mirage.
Par harnaa lobh jhooth nind — taking what belongs to others, greed, lying, and putting people down. The verse says a person can spend a whole life this way.
Marig tarisnaa — the deer's thirst. It is the classic mirage. On a hot day, a deer sees shimmering "water" far ahead and runs toward it. But the water is never there. You may have seen the same thing on a hot road, where it looks wet in the distance.
The verse is not a curse. It names a life spent chasing mithi-aa, what isn't real, while believing it is meethee, sweet. Seeing the mirage as a mirage is already the start of turning around.
What 'shiny water' have you run toward that turned out to be less than it promised?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI