Sikhism·Raag Kalyaan·Shabad 22
Verse 7 of 9

When Wanting Runs The Show

ਸਾਕਤ ਸੁਆਨ ਕਹੀਅਹਿ ਬਹੁ ਲੋਭੀ ਬਹੁ ਦੁਰਮਤਿ ਮੈਲੁ ਭਰੀਜੈ ॥
saakat su-aan kahee-ahi baho lobhee baho durmat mail bhareejai.
The faithless cynic is said to be very greedy - he is a dog. He is overflowing with the filth and pollution of evil-mindedness.
ਆਪਨ ਸੁਆਇ ਕਰਹਿ ਬਹੁ ਬਾਤਾ ਤਿਨਾ ਕਾ ਵਿਸਾਹੁ ਕਿਆ ਕੀਜੈ ॥੬॥
aapan su-aa-ay karahi baho baataa tinaa kaa visaahu ki-aa keejai. ||6||
He talks excessively about his own interests. How can he be trusted? ||6||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

The one who turns away from the One is greedy like a hungry dog, filled up with the dirt of wrong thinking.

He talks and talks, only for his own gain. How can anyone trust him?

When wanting-more runs the show, even our own words stop being trustworthy.
The deeper layer

When greed runs a life, it fills the mind with wrong thinking, and words spoken only for gain are hard to trust.

Saakat: someone who has turned away from the One. Su-aan: a dog, an old picture of hunger that never has enough. Durmat mail bhareejai: filled with the grime of wrong thinking. Aapan su-aa-ay karahi baho baataa: they talk a lot, only for their own gain. Tinaa kaa visaahu ki-aa keejai: how can they be trusted? The picture is aimed at greed itself, which can take hold of anyone.

A Question to Sit With

How can you tell when someone is listening to you, and when they only want their own way?

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

About this shabad →
Use ← → to navigate