ਗੋਂਡ ॥
gond.
Gond:
ਖਸਮੁ ਮਰੈ ਤਉ ਨਾਰਿ ਨ ਰੋਵੈ ॥
khasam marai ta-o naar na rovai.
When her husband dies, the woman does not cry.
ਉਸੁ ਰਖਵਾਰਾ ਅਉਰੋ ਹੋਵੈ ॥
us rakhvaaraa a-uro hovai.
Someone else becomes her protector.
ਰਖਵਾਰੇ ਕਾ ਹੋਇ ਬਿਨਾਸ ॥
rakhvaaray kaa ho-ay binaas.
When this protector dies,
ਆਗੈ ਨਰਕੁ ਈਹਾ ਭੋਗ ਬਿਲਾਸ ॥੧॥
aagai narak eehaa bhog bilaas. ||1||
he falls into the world of hell hereafter, for the sexual pleasures he enjoyed in this world. ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There's a certain something the whole world runs after — the pull of having more, holding more, owning more.
But it stays faithful to no one. It slips from hand to hand, and whoever clutches it hardest is left the emptiest.
The thing the whole world chases belongs to no one — and chasing it hardest leaves you emptiest.
This shabad personifies Maya — the whole shifting world of getting and having — as a figure everyone is in love with. The original opens with harsh, adult imagery that is set aside here; the teaching underneath is kept clear. Maya is not evil, but it is not faithful either. It cannot be owned, only chased — and the chase itself is what empties a person out.
A Question to Sit With
What is something people chase after that never quite makes them feel full?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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