Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
They are caught up in showy display, lovingly attached to all they own.
The body that forgets the One, Nanak, is reduced to ashes.
The critique sharpens to ostentation — living for "showy displays" and possessions, the performance of having. And the plain reminder: the body, however adorned and displayed, "shall be reduced to ashes." This is not morbid; it is perspective. All the display is staged on something that will not last. Guru Arjan is not against having things; he is against being owned by the showing of them — pouring your life into a performance that ash will end. The remedy, as always, is not to forget the One in the middle of the show.
What's the difference between having nice things and living for the *showing* of them? Which one lasts?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI