Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Shame on the food and shame on the clothes of those who love other things more than the One.
They are like little worms in a heap of muck, sunk deep in it. Dying and being born again and again, they waste away.
A life spent chasing only outside things stays empty.
This verse uses strong words. Dharig khaanaa means "shame on the food." The verse says food and clothes lose their worth for those caught in doojai bhaa-ay, love of "the second," of things apart from the One. It uses a hard picture of little worms living in dirt, going round and round.
The teaching under it is simple. Think of eating a whole bag of chips when you're sad. It fills your stomach, but the sad feeling is still there. Outside things can't fill an inside emptiness.
A life spent that way keeps circling, mar jameh, dying and being born again, without getting anywhere. The very next verse turns toward the Guru and the Sangat — people gathered together to remember the One.
What is something that looked satisfying but left you feeling empty?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI