Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You split your ears for big holy earrings, and now you steal scraps.
You beg from door to door, yet you are never satisfied.
You left your own wife behind, and now you look at other women with a wanting eye.
The One is not found by wearing holy clothes. You are deeply unhappy.
A costume on the outside cannot fill an empty inside.
The verse pictures a wanderer with kaan faraa-ay, split ears for large earrings, as some yogis wore. Yet they take scraps that are not theirs, and beg from house to house without ever feeling full. The verse also says they left their own wife, yet look at other women. It is all about pretending: looking holy while the heart still wanders.
Then vays na paa-ee-ai mahaa dukhi-aaree: the One is not found through a vays, a religious costume, and such a person stays deeply unhappy. It is like wearing a team jersey without ever training. The shirt does not make you a player. The point is aimed at an empty show, not at yogis or any group.
When has a costume or a look failed to make you feel better?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI