ਮਨਮੁਖੁ ਰੰਗੁ ਕਸੁੰਭੁ ਹੈ ਕਚੂਆ ਜਿਉ ਕੁਸਮ ਚਾਰਿ ਦਿਨ ਚਾਗਾ ॥
manmukh rang kasumbh hai kachoo-aa ji-o kusam chaar din chaagaa.
The self-willed manmukh is like the false color of the safflower, which fades away; its color lasts for only a few days.
ਖਿਨ ਮਹਿ ਬਿਨਸਿ ਜਾਇ ਪਰਤਾਪੈ ਡੰਡੁ ਧਰਮ ਰਾਇ ਕਾ ਲਾਗਾ ॥੨॥
khin meh binas jaa-ay partaapai dand Dharam raa-ay kaa laagaa. ||2||
He perishes in an instant; he is tormented, and punished by the Righteous Judge of Dharma. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A mind turned only on itself is like the bright dye of the safflower — cheerful for a few days, then it fades.
It slips away fast and comes apart, the way flashy things always do.
Flashy, self-centered brightness fades fast — the deep color is what lasts.
The manmukh (self-turned mind) is the fast-fading safflower dye — vivid but not colorfast. The literal's "tormented, punished by the Righteous Judge" is dropped; the teaching stays as a simple contrast: self-centered color fades, the deep dye (next pauri) holds. Ego is a fading paint, not a crime.
A Question to Sit With
What's something that looked exciting but faded quickly?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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