Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A closed-off heart does not sit easily near the teaching.
Where truth is at home, a heart set on pretending feels restless and out of place.
It finds excuses to slip away and drift back to what is false.
The false simply will not blend into the true — look closely and you will see it for yourself.
Pretending finds its own company, while the true-hearted students settle happily near the teaching.
The true and the false do not mix, and everyone drifts toward the company that fits their heart.
This verse, a pauri by Guru Ram Das, is about a simple rule you can watch for yourself. Vich sachay koorh na gad-ee: the false will not mix with the true, like oil and water.
The verse is gentle. The koorhiaar, the one set on pretending, is not cursed. They just feel restless and out of place where truth is at home. A closed heart cannot relax in an open room. Think of someone who has not done their homework, sitting in the front row. They keep wanting to slip out.
There is no punishment here, only a natural sorting. Everyone drifts toward the company that fits their heart. The true-hearted students settle happily near the teacher.
The verse invites you: man vaykhhu ko nirjaas, "look closely and see for yourself." It is a call to notice this in life, not to judge other people.
Have you noticed how you feel restless in some places and completely at ease in others? What does that tell you about where you truly belong?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI