Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A person can dye his robes the holy color and go begging in them. He can patch a coat from torn cloth, and still tuck money into his bag.
He goes from door to door and tries to teach the whole world. But his own heart is in the dark, and he loses the respect he wanted.
Lost in doubt, he does not know the Word; it is like playing a game he has already lost.
Holy clothes do not make a holy heart.
The verse describes someone who looks like a seeker from the outside. He dyes his robes with saffron, a holy orange color. He goes out begging in them. He wears a patched coat. But he tucks money into his bag. Ghar ghar maagai jag parboDhai — he begs from house to house and lectures the world. Yet man anDhai, his mind is blind, and he loses his honor.
The critique is aimed at showing off, not at any one path. Every tradition has people who only wear the look. Every tradition also has people who really live it.
Think of a coach who shouts advice from the sidelines but has never played. The words may sound right, but they are empty. The verse ends with a gambler's picture. Living only for the show is like betting your whole life on a game you cannot win.
When is doing something for show different from meaning it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI