Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those whose minds cling to greed and corruption forget the One, the good One.
Turned toward only themselves, they wander foolish and lost; a hard road is written for them.
This part shows the other road: a mind stuck on greed forgets the One and wanders lost.
It is a contrast Guru Ram Das draws in all his work. Lobh vikaar jinaa man laagaa — those whose minds cling to greed and wrong. Har visri-aa purakh changayraa — they forget the One, the good One. They are called manmukh, turned toward themselves.
The words are strong: moorh agi-aanee, foolish and ignorant. Read them not as a verdict on people, but as a direction. The manmukh isn't bad. They are just facing the wrong way. A mind pointed only at itself ends up on a hard road. That is what bhaag mandayraa, a hard fortune, means here.
The contrast with the last verse is the point. Love finds the One and tastes sweetness. Being shut up inside yourself forgets and wanders. Think of two kids at a picnic: one shares and has fun with everyone, the other guards a bag of chips alone. The two roads are laid side by side.
What's the difference between a mind turned toward what's good and one turned only in on itself? Where does each road lead?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI