Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You can sort good deeds from bad, and study all the sacred books,
yet a restless doubt can still linger in the heart. So what is it that finally softens pride and quiets that doubt?
Ravidas notices that being good and being learned are wonderful, but they may still leave pride and doubt inside.
You can sort good actions from bad ones. You can study the Vedas and the Puranas, the great sacred books of India. These are all good things. And yet sansaa sad hirdai basai — doubt can keep living in the heart. Then who will take away the abhimaan, the pride?
Think of a student who knows every rule of the game by heart. They still feel nervous and full of themselves before the match. Knowing the rules did not settle them inside.
Ravidas is not criticizing sacred books or doing right. He is noticing where they stop, and asking what reaches deeper. His answer, coming soon, is love. Love touches the part of us that study cannot reach.
Have you ever known the "right" thing to do but still felt unsettled inside? What settles it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI