Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The truly clever, truly wise, truly graceful person is the one who has set down puffed-up pride.
The four great blessings and the eight great powers all come to a humble heart. They come by keeping the Name of the One in mind.
Really smart people are the ones who have let go of their pride.
This Shalok, a short couplet, gives a new meaning to being clever. Chatur, siaanaa, sugharh means clever, wise and graceful. All three belong to the person who has set down abhimaan. Abhimaan is self-importance, the "I" puffed up like a balloon.
Then the verse names the biggest prizes people of that time could imagine. The chaar padaarath are the four great blessings of a good life. The asat sidh are the eight amazing powers yogis hoped to gain. How do you get them? Not by force or by some great feat. You get them by bhaj har naam, keeping the One's Name in mind.
Guru Arjan does this often. He takes the highest thing people praise and shows it grows from a humble, open heart. Think of the best player on a team. It is often the one who passes the ball, not the one who shows off.
Have you noticed how the people who brag least are often the ones who know the most?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI