Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You are walking through life as if in a dream. What good have you actually done? When you got something by tricking someone, it felt good in the moment -- but it left you with no honor here and no shelter later. A whole life, slipping away for nothing.
Getting something by tricking someone feels good for a moment, but it costs the honor that lasts.
Rahee-ah supnantar — O body, you are living in a dream. In Gurbani, a dream is a picture of chasing things that are not truly real. Tudh ki-aa karam kamaa-i-aa — what good have you actually done?
Kar choree mai jaa kichh lee-aa taa man bhalaa bhaa-i-aa — when I got something by stealing, my mind was pleased. The pleasure lasts a moment. The cost lasts much longer. Halat na sobhaa palat na dho-ee — no honor here, and no shelter hereafter.
Think of copying someone's homework. You get the grade today, and you lose trust and real learning for a long time. Ahilaa janam gavaa-i-aa — a priceless life, wasted. That sad cry is what makes the listener want to turn around.
Have you ever gotten something the wrong way? How did it feel afterward, not just in the moment?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI