Entangled in false attachments, they pass their lives in egotism and self-conceit.
ਕ੍ਰਿਪਾ ਕਰੇ ਜਿਸੁ ਆਪਣੀ ਧੁਰਿ ਪੂਰਾ ਕਰਮੁ ਕਰੇਇ ॥
kirpaa karay jis aapnee Dhur pooraa karam karay-i.
But that being, whom the Lord has blessed with His Mercy from the very beginning, does perfect deeds, and accumulates good karma.
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਸੇ ਜਨ ਉਬਰੇ ਜੋ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਸਰਣਿ ਪਰੇ ॥੨॥
jan naanak say jan ubray jo satgur saran paray. ||2||
O servant Nanak, those humble beings alone are saved, who enter the Sanctuary of the True Guru. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
In plain words
Friendship with the self-willed — people who follow only their own wanting — is a deal made with Maya, the pull of things.
Even as you watch, they run off; they never stay firm.
As long as they get food and clothes, they stick around.
On the day they get nothing, they start to curse.
The self-willed are blind to what matters and do not know what is in the heart.
A false bond does not last; it is like stones stuck together with mud.
Blind to themselves, they stay busy with empty tangles.
Wrapped up in false attachments, they spend their lives saying "me, me."
But the one the One blesses with kindness from the very beginning does good and complete deeds.
Nanak says: those humble ones are saved who take shelter with the True Guru.
A friendship built only on what you can get washes away like mud.
The deeper layer
The self-centered bond (manmukh) lasts only while food and clothing keep coming, and washes out like stones joined with mud. The warning is about the bond, not contempt for people: anyone can be caught in ego and attachment. The rescue comes as mercy, to those who take shelter with the True Guru.
A Question to Sit With
How can you tell a fair-weather friend from a true one?
