Work Hard and Feel Hollow If You Forget What It's For

ਸਲੋਕ ॥

salok.

Shalok:

ਕੁਟੰਬ ਜਤਨ ਕਰਣੰ ਮਾਇਆ ਅਨੇਕ ਉਦਮਹ ॥

kutamb jatan karna^N maa-i-aa anayk udmah.

For his family, he works very hard; for the sake of Maya, he makes countless efforts.

ਹਰਿ ਭਗਤਿ ਭਾਵ ਹੀਣੰ ਨਾਨਕ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਬਿਸਰਤ ਤੇ ਪ੍ਰੇਤਤਹ ॥੧॥

har bhagat bhaav heena^N naanak parabh bisrat tay paraytah. ||1||

But without loving devotional worship of the Lord, O Nanak, he forgets God, and then, he is a mere ghost. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

He works so hard for his family, and makes endless efforts for the sake of illusion.

But without loving devotion, Nanak, he forgets the One — and becomes a mere ghost.

You can work incredibly hard for your family and still feel hollow inside if you forget what it's all for — present but not truly alive, like a ghost going through the motions.

The deeper layer

A sober turn. A person can pour their whole life into working "for family" and chasing "Maya" — all genuinely hard effort — and yet, forgetting the One, become "a mere ghost." The word is haunting: a ghost is present but not truly alive, going through the motions of a life without its animating center. This is not a knock on providing for family (the householder path honors that); it is a warning that even good, hard labor, if it forgets the source entirely, hollows a person out. You can be endlessly busy and still, inside, be a ghost.

A Question to Sit With

Is it possible to be very busy and hardworking and still feel empty inside? What might be missing?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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