Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A heart turned toward the One and a heart turned only toward the world are pulling in opposite directions. There can never be a true bond between them.
The Maker can't be fooled; no clever act ever gets past the One.
The One draws the devotees in, and they live in truth, only truth.
The One lets the worldly wander off; they tell lies, and swallow the poison of their own lies.
They forget the plain fact that we all have to go someday, and they keep feeding their desire and their anger.
But the devotees serve, holding the Name night and day.
They take the very lowest place, the servant of the servants, and so the ego quietly dissolves.
At their Master's door their faces shine, made beautiful by the True Word.
This verse says the One can't be fooled by any show, and that people who serve humbly end up with shining faces.
It starts with an honest truth. "Bhagtaa tai saisaaree-aa jorh kaday na aa-i-aa" — between the bhagat, devotees, and the saisaaree, the world-focused, there's never a true match. This isn't snobbery, and it isn't telling anyone to avoid people. It's noticing something. A heart turned toward the One and a heart turned toward the world are heading in opposite directions. Like two kids on a tug-of-war rope, they can smile at each other, but they're pulling different ways. At the root, they want different things.
The center of the verse is how clearly the One sees. "Kartaa aap abhul hai na bhulai kisai daa bhulaa-i-aa" — the Creator never makes a mistake, and no one can fool Him. This whole set of verses keeps coming back to the picture of a tester sorting real coins from fake. Here it's said straight out. No clever act of being holy gets past the One. The difference between people isn't the outside show. It's what's real inside, and the One sees that exactly.
"Bhagat aapay mayli-an jinee sacho sach kamaa-i-aa" — He joins the devotees to Himself; they live truth, only truth. The world-focused "koorh bol bol bikh khaa-i-aa," tell lie after lie and so eat poison. They forget that we all have to go one day. Instead they feed kaam (grabbing desire) and karoDh (anger).
The verse ends with the devotees' path, the path of being humble. "Daasan daas ho-ay kai jinee vichahu aap gavaa-i-aa" — becoming the servant of servants, they lose the proud self. They take the lowest place, and there the ego melts. Then "mukh ujlay" — their faces shine at the Master's door. The lesson is hopeful. The difference isn't luck or family. It's which way the heart turns, and whether it's willing to take the humble place.
Are there parts of your life where you perform goodness for show — and how does it land to know the deepest seeing can't be fooled?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI