Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Think of the soft tongue, sitting safely between thirty-two sharp teeth -- like a tender thing held inside scissors. Is the power in the soft flesh, or in the sharp blades? Neither -- everything is held in the One's power. In just that way, when someone attacks the holy, the One protects its servant's honor.
This one says the One keeps its people safe, the way your tongue is kept safe inside your mouth.
Think about your tongue. It is soft, just flesh and blood. All around it are thirty-two hard teeth, closing like scissors. Yet it moves among them all day, and it stays safe.
Who has the power here? Not the soft tongue. Not the hard teeth either. sabh vasgat hai har kayree — everything is in the One's power.
In the same way, people sometimes speak badly about a good person. That is called slander: saying untrue and unkind things about someone. The verse says the One protects the honor of its servant. Safety comes from the One, not from our own strength.
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.
When have you been kept safe in a situation that could have gone badly?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI