Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
It is a painful way to live: carrying bitterness inside while speaking sweet words on the outside, so that the inside and the outside never match. A life so divided against itself never finds real peace.
This one says it is hard to live when your inside and your outside do not match.
The verse paints two pictures. Antar bikh — poison inside. Mukh amrit — sweet nectar in the mouth. Amrit is the nectar that gives life. So the person speaks sweet words while carrying bitterness within. Then the verse gives a harsh image: jam pur baaDhaa chotaa khaavai, tied up and beaten in the city of Death.
That image is harsh, and the pain it points to is real even now. A mind at war with itself cannot rest. Think of smiling at someone while you are angry with them inside. It is tiring to keep the smile on. Being sweet outside and bitter inside pulls a person in two.
So this is a diagnosis, said with compassion. It names why such a life hurts. It is not a judgment on anyone.
How does it feel when what you show people matches what you really feel inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI