Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Rare in this world are such humble people, whom the One tests and places in the treasury, like gold found true.
They rise above caste, status and color, and they let go of "mine, mine" and of greed.
Rare people rise above every label, like caste, status and skin color.
The verse says aisay jan virlay jag andar: such people are rare in this world. Then parakh khajaanai paa-i-aa: they are tested and put in the treasury, like gold that has been checked and found true.
Next comes a clear line on equality: jaat varan tay bha-ay ateetaa. Jaat means caste, the group a family is born into. Varan means class, and also color. They rise above all of these. And mamtaa lobh chukaa-i-aa: they drop the grabbing "mine, mine" and greed. Guru Nanak taught that every person is equal. Think of a team where no one asks where you come from, only how you play together.
What labels do people get sorted by, and what would it look like to see past them?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI