ਨਿਤ ਨਿਤ ਕਾਇਆ ਮਜਨੁ ਕੀਆ ਨਿਤ ਮਲਿ ਮਲਿ ਦੇਹ ਸਵਾਰੇ ॥
nit nit kaa-i-aa majan kee-aa nit mal mal dayh savaaray.
He may constantly and continually wash his body; he may constantly rub, clean and polish his body.
ਮੇਰੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੇ ਮਨਿ ਬਚਨ ਨ ਭਾਏ ਸਭ ਫੋਕਟ ਚਾਰ ਸੀਗਾਰੇ ॥੩॥
mayray satgur kay man bachan na bhaa-ay sabh fokat chaar seegaaray. ||3||
But if the Word of my True Guru is not pleasing to his mind, then all his preparations and beautiful decorations are useless. ||3||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You can scrub and polish the outside all you like —
but if the heart isn't in it, all that decorating doesn't reach what matters.
Scrubbing and decorating the outside doesn't help much if the heart isn't in it.
The verse: "he may constantly wash his body... but if the Word is not pleasing to his mind, then all his decorations are useless." Outer washing and adorning mean little without an inner turn. Real cleanliness and beauty are on the inside. For a child: scrubbing and decorating the outside doesn't help much if the heart isn't in it.
A Question to Sit With
What matters more than looking good on the outside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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