Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People dig deep foundations and raise tall walls, and in the end the whole building crumbles back to dust. They gather and hoard and share nothing, sure that it is all theirs. But riches stay with no one -- not even the golden palaces of legend.
Everything we build and store up returns to dust in the end.
The theme grows wider now, from the body to everything we build. Day day neev divaal usaaree — digging deep foundations, raising walls. Bhasmandar kee dhayree — in the end, heaps of dust.
Sanchay sanch na day-ee kis hee — people gather and hoard, and give nothing to anyone. Andh jaanai sabh mayree — blindly, they think "it is all mine." That sure feeling is moh, attachment, and lobh, greed. They are two of the five passions Gurbani warns about, the inner pulls that steal our peace.
So-in lankaa so-in maarhee — even golden Lanka, the city of old stories, with its golden palaces. Sampai kisai na kayree — riches belong to no one for keeps. Think of a sandbox kingdom at recess. When the bell rings, everyone leaves it behind.
What are we tempted to think is "ours forever"? What would change if we held it lightly?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI