ਬੋਲਤ ਬੋਲਤ ਬਢਹਿ ਬਿਕਾਰਾ ॥
bolat bolat badheh bikaaraa.
By speaking and only speaking, corruption only increases.
ਬਿਨੁ ਬੋਲੇ ਕਿਆ ਕਰਹਿ ਬੀਚਾਰਾ ॥੩॥
bin bolay ki-aa karahi beechaaraa. ||3||
If I do not speak, what can the poor wretch do? ||3||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The more I talk just to talk, the more tangled things get inside me.
But staying silent isn't nothing — silence can be its own clear, careful thinking.
Endless talk muddies things; silence leaves room to think clearly.
There is a gentle wordplay here. Beechaaraa means the humble creature, but it also rings of beechaar, reflection. So the line 'without speaking, what can one do?' turns quietly hopeful: without chatter, one is left to reflect — which is exactly the point. Fewer words, clearer water.
A Question to Sit With
When has too much talking made a simple thing more complicated than it needed to be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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