Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who hold the True One in mind are rare and few.
But those who adore the One with all their heart — through their generosity, countless others are fed.
Everyone turns toward You, yet those are accepted who are dear to the Great One.
Those who take and take without ever serving the True Guru stay hungry inside no matter how much they consume.
Some speak sweetly to your face and bitterly behind your back — and that split within them keeps them apart from the One.
One heart that loves the One can feed countless others, while a heart split in two keeps itself apart.
Look at this picture of giving. The few who truly remember the One become food for asankh karorhay, "countless millions." One heart lined up with the teaching feeds a crowd. Think of one big pot of soup at a community kitchen, feeding everyone who walks in.
The verse also has harder lines. They use images of disease and of being born again and again. The teaching inside them is this: a life of only taking leaves you hungry inside, however much you gather.
Then there is the person who speaks sweetly to your face and bitterly behind your back. That split inside is what keeps them apart from wholeness. The point is never to look down on a person. It is the natural cost of a heart divided in two. If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
Why do you think saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back leaves the person who does it feeling worst of all?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI