Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
No costume saves a person.
Not the rich householder, not the ruler, not the one who gives it all up, not the angry one.
Not even the one who knows every scripture by heart.
What makes a life whole is a heart that stays free and unattached while living fully in the world.
No outer role can make a person free. Only a free heart can.
The verse lists many kinds of people. Householders and kings. Those who give up the world, and those full of anger. People who read the Vedas, old holy books, in many ways. The verse says none of these roles keeps a person out of suffering.
This is evenhanded. It is not aimed at any one faith. It questions leaning on any outer role or any learning, in every tradition. Think of a team jersey. Wearing it does not make you a good player. The practice does.
Dayhee meh jo rahai alipataa — the one who stays unattached while living in the body. Alipat means untouched, like a lotus leaf that sits in water but stays dry. That person's work is whole, right in the middle of ordinary life.
Do you ever think a certain title or look would make you enough?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI