jin satgur si-o chit laa-i-aa tinH sukh vasi-aa man aa-ay.
Those who focus their consciousness on the True Guru - peace comes to abide in their minds.
ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ ਧਿਆਵਹਿ ਰੰਗ ਸਿਉ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮਿ ਰਹੇ ਲਿਵ ਲਾਇ ॥
har naam Dhi-aavahi rang si-o har naam rahay liv laa-ay.
They meditate on the Name of the Lord with love; they are lovingly attuned to the Name of the Lord.
ਨਾਨਕ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸੋ ਧਨੁ ਸਉਪਿਆ ਜਿ ਜੀਅ ਮਹਿ ਰਹਿਆ ਸਮਾਇ ॥
naanak satgur so Dhan sa-upi-aa je jee-a meh rahi-aa samaa-ay.
O Nanak, the True Guru has bestowed upon them the wealth, which remains contained within their hearts.
ਰੰਗੁ ਤਿਸੈ ਕਉ ਅਗਲਾ ਵੰਨੀ ਚੜੈ ਚੜਾਇ ॥੧॥
rang tisai ka-o aglaa vannee charhai charhaa-ay. ||1||
They are imbued with supreme love; its color increases day by day. ||1||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In plain words
The one who never turns to the teaching, in whose mind the Name never lands — what a waste of a life; what did they come here for?
The glitter is false capital; in a flash its thin covering slips off, and the hand is left empty. But those who fix their heart on the teaching find peace settling in; the teaching gives them a wealth that stays in the heart, and its color deepens day by day.
One kind of wealth evaporates the moment you reach for it; the other deepens in you day by day.
The deeper layer
The Shalok contrasts two investments. "Maya is false capital" — it looks like wealth, but "in an instant, its false covering falls off," leaving nothing. Against it, "the True Guru has bestowed... the wealth which remains contained within their hearts" — an inner wealth whose "color increases day by day." One investment evaporates; the other deepens. The Vaar keeps pressing this choice.
A Question to Sit With
Which of your 'investments' are quietly evaporating, and which are deepening?
