Sikhism·Raag Maaroo·Shabad 144
Verse 1 of 69

Virtue Priced Cheap or Priceless, Depending on the Buyer

ਮਾਰੂ ਵਾਰ ਮਹਲਾ ੩
maaroo vaar mehlaa 3
Vaar Of Maaroo, Third Mehl:
ੴ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਪ੍ਰਸਾਦਿ ॥
ik-oNkaar satgur parsaad.
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
ਸਲੋਕੁ ਮਃ ੧ ॥
salok mehlaa 1.
Shalok, First Mehl:
ਵਿਣੁ ਗਾਹਕ ਗੁਣੁ ਵੇਚੀਐ ਤਉ ਗੁਣੁ ਸਹਘੋ ਜਾਇ ॥
vin gaahak gun vaychee-ai ta-o gun sahgho jaa-ay.
If virtue is sold when there is no buyer, then it is sold very cheap.
ਗੁਣ ਕਾ ਗਾਹਕੁ ਜੇ ਮਿਲੈ ਤਉ ਗੁਣੁ ਲਾਖ ਵਿਕਾਇ ॥
gun kaa gaahak jay milai ta-o gun laakh vikaa-ay.
But if one meets a buyer of virtue, then virtue sells for hundreds of thousands.
ਗੁਣ ਤੇ ਗੁਣ ਮਿਲਿ ਪਾਈਐ ਜੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਮਾਹਿ ਸਮਾਇ ॥
gun tay gun mil paa-ee-ai jay satgur maahi samaa-ay.
Meeting with a virtuous person, virtue is obtained, and one is immersed in the True Guru.
ਮੋੁਲਿ ਅਮੋੁਲੁ ਨ ਪਾਈਐ ਵਣਜਿ ਨ ਲੀਜੈ ਹਾਟਿ ॥
mol amol na paa-ee-ai vanaj na leejai haat.
Priceless virtues are not obtained for any price; they cannot be purchased in a store.
ਨਾਨਕ ਪੂਰਾ ਤੋਲੁ ਹੈ ਕਬਹੁ ਨ ਹੋਵੈ ਘਾਟਿ ॥੧॥
naanak pooraa tol hai kabahu na hovai ghaat. ||1||
O Nanak, their weight is full and perfect; it never decreases at all. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

There is only One. And the One is found by the True Guru's grace — a gift that is always here, waiting for an open heart.

When goodness is offered to people who do not care for it, it sells for almost nothing.

But bring that same goodness to someone who treasures it, and it is worth hundreds of thousands.

Goodness is passed from heart to heart, and it settles in the Guru. It cannot be bought in a shop or paid for with money. Nanak says: its weight is full, and it never grows less.

Goodness is worth exactly as much as the heart that receives it, and to the right heart it is beyond price.
The deeper layer

The whole Vaar begins with worth, and with where true worth is found. Goodness has no fixed market price; its value depends entirely on the one receiving it. Among those who love the True One, virtue is priceless and inexhaustible.

A Question to Sit With

Where do you take your best qualities, to people who treasure them or to people who ignore them?

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

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