Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A person can put on costume after costume and look very holy on the outside.
But inside, a restless wanting still spins, and a proud voice still talks.
If you never come to know your own heart, you can spend a whole life this way and lose the game, missing the very thing you were looking for.
No costume can do the inside work of knowing your own heart.
Bahutay bhaykh karai bhaykh-dhaaree — the disguise-wearers put on many disguises. A bhaykh is an outer costume of holiness: robes, marks, a special look.
The critique aims at show without change inside. Within, tisnaa, restless wanting, still burns. And the person still walks around proud.
Then the turn. Aap na cheenai baajee haaree — they do not know themselves, and they lose the game of life. This is not a curse. It is like a doctor naming what is wrong. Think of a player in a brand-new uniform who never learned the game. The uniform cannot play for them. Knowing your own heart is the work no costume can do for you. Without it, a person misses the very thing they were looking for.
What's the difference between looking good and actually being at peace inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI