ਅਨਿਕ ਬਸਤ੍ਰ ਸੁੰਦਰ ਪਹਿਰਾਇਆ ॥
anik bastar sundar pehraa-i-aa.
They wear all sorts of beautiful robes,
ਜਿਉ ਡਰਨਾ ਖੇਤ ਮਾਹਿ ਡਰਾਇਆ ॥੨॥
ji-o darnaa khayt maahi daraa-i-aa. ||2||
but they are still just scarecrows in the field, frightening away the birds. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You can dress up in the most beautiful clothes and still be like a scarecrow standing in a field -- fine to look at from far off, but hollow where it counts. Real life is inside, not on the surface.
Fine clothes cannot fill a life that is hollow inside.
Anik bastar sundar pehraa-i-aa -- dressed in fine robes. Ji-o darnaa khayt maahi daraa-i-aa -- like a scarecrow in a field. The scarecrow is a vivid, child-friendly image: impressive outline, nothing inside. The teaching (matching 356's 'decorating an empty room'): appearance without inner life is hollow. Not a judgment of clothes -- a call to fill the inside.
A Question to Sit With
What is the difference between someone who just looks impressive and someone with real substance?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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