Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
He does not speak; he sits in a vow of silence.
But inside he is full of wanting, and he is made to wander from life to life.
He keeps hard fasts, and his body suffers.
He does not understand the Hukam, the flow of life; he is caught in "mine, mine."
Being quiet on the outside does not calm the storm inside.
The verse pictures a monee, someone who has vowed not to speak: bolai naahee ho-ay baithaa monee. But antar kalap: inside there is still wanting, so they keep wandering from life to life. They keep hard fasts too, and that only wears out the body.
The deeper miss is this: hukam na boojhai vi-aapi-aa mamtaa. They do not understand Hukam, the One's order, the flow of life. Instead they are caught in mamtaa, clutching at "mine." It is like sitting very still in class while your mind races about the weekend. Quiet on the outside is not peace on the inside.
Can you be quiet on the outside and still be stormy inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI