ਗੁਰ ਬਿਨੁ ਉਰਝਿ ਮਰਹਿ ਬੇਕਾਰਾ ॥
gur bin urajh mareh baykaaraa.
Without the Guru, he dies entangled in sin and corruption.
ਜਮੁ ਸਿਰਿ ਮਾਰੇ ਕਰੇ ਖੁਆਰਾ ॥
jam sir maaray karay khu-aaraa.
The Messenger of Death smashes his head and humiliates him.
ਬਾਧੇ ਮੁਕਤਿ ਨਾਹੀ ਨਰ ਨਿੰਦਕ ਡੂਬਹਿ ਨਿੰਦ ਪਰਾਈ ਹੇ ॥੧੧॥
baaDhay mukat naahee nar nindak doobeh nind paraa-ee hay. ||11||
The slanderous person is not freed of his bonds; he is drowned, slandering others. ||11||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Without the Guru, I can get all tangled up in unhelpful things.
When I spend my time tearing others down, I only tie myself in knots.
Kind words set me free; unkind ones weigh me down.
Tearing others down only ties me in knots; kind words set me free.
Without the Guru, a person gets tangled in what is useless. Slander binds the slanderer (nindak), and kindness frees; the knots are ones a person ties in themselves.
A Question to Sit With
How do unkind words about others end up hurting the person who says them?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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