ਚਾਰਿ ਪਦਾਰਥ ਕਹੈ ਸਭੁ ਕੋਈ ॥
chaar padaarath kahai sabh ko-ee.
Everyone speaks of the four great blessings;
ਸਿੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਿ ਸਾਸਤ ਪੰਡਿਤ ਮੁਖਿ ਸੋਈ ॥
simrit saasat pandit mukh so-ee.
the Simritees, the Shaastras and the Pandits speak of them as well.
ਬਿਨੁ ਗੁਰ ਅਰਥੁ ਬੀਚਾਰੁ ਨ ਪਾਇਆ ॥
bin gur arath beechaar na paa-i-aa.
But without the Guru, they do not understand their true significance.
ਮੁਕਤਿ ਪਦਾਰਥੁ ਭਗਤਿ ਹਰਿ ਪਾਇਆ ॥੨॥
mukat padaarath bhagat har paa-i-aa. ||2||
The treasure of liberation is obtained through devotional worship of the Lord. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Everyone talks about the four great rewards people chase in life. The scholars and their books talk about them too. But without a teacher, no one really understands what they mean. The real treasure -- freedom -- comes through loving the One.
Everyone talks about life's big rewards; the real treasure, freedom, comes through love, not lectures.
The four classical aims of life are on everyone's lips, including the scriptures and the pandits. Nanak's point: information without a living teacher misses the significance. The true treasure, liberation, is reached by devotion -- contact, not commentary.
A Question to Sit With
What is the difference between knowing about something and truly understanding it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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