Sikhism·Raag Malaar·Shabad 27
Verse 4 of 5

You Harvest What You Plant

ਜਿਨ ਕੈ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਨਾਹੀ ਹਰਿ ਹਿਰਦੈ ਤੇ ਕਪਟੀ ਨਰ ਨਿਤ ਕਪਟੁ ਕਮਾਂਤਿ ॥
jin kai pareet naahee har hirdai tay kaptee nar nit kapat kamaaNt.
Those who do not love the Lord in their hearts are deceitful; they continually practice deception.
ਤਿਨ ਕਉ ਕਿਆ ਕੋਈ ਦੇਇ ਖਵਾਲੈ ਓਇ ਆਪਿ ਬੀਜਿ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਖਾਂਤਿ ॥੩॥
tin ka-o ki-aa ko-ee day-ay khavaalai o-ay aap beej aapay hee khaaNt. ||3||
What can anyone give them to eat? Whatever they themselves plant, they must eat. ||3||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Those who have no love for the One in their hearts are tricksters; every day they keep on pretending.

What can anyone give them to eat? Whatever they plant, they must eat themselves.

In the end, each of us tastes the fruit of the seeds we plant, so plant good ones.
The deeper layer

A heart with no love for the One slips into tricks, and it eats what it plants.

Jin kai pareet naahee har hirdai: those with no love for the One in their hearts. Tay kaptee nar nit kapat kamaaNt: they are kaptee, tricky, always pretending.

Tin ka-o ki-aa ko-ee day-ay khavaalai: what can anyone give them to eat? O-ay aap beej aapay hee khaaNt: what they plant, they eat themselves. This is karma in its plainest form. Think of a garden. Plant tomato seeds, and tomatoes come up.

A Question to Sit With

What is a good seed you could plant today by how you treat someone?

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

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