ਊਨੇ ਕਾਜ ਨ ਹੋਵਤ ਪੂਰੇ ॥
oonay kaaj na hovat pooray.
Your unfinished worldly affairs will never be resolved.
ਕਾਮਿ ਕ੍ਰੋਧਿ ਮਦਿ ਸਦ ਹੀ ਝੂਰੇ ॥
kaam kroDh mad sad hee jhooray.
You shall always regret your sexual desire, anger and pride.
ਕਰੈ ਬਿਕਾਰ ਜੀਅਰੇ ਕੈ ਤਾਈ ॥
karai bikaar jee-aray kai taa-ee.
You act in corruption in order to survive,
ਗਾਫਲ ਸੰਗਿ ਨ ਤਸੂਆ ਜਾਈ ॥੨॥
gaafal sang na tasoo-aa jaa-ee. ||2||
but not even an iota will go along with you, you ignorant fool! ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Your unfinished worldly jobs will never all get done.
Wanting, anger, and pride leave you full of regret, again and again.
You do wrong just to get by —
yet not even a speck of it will go with you, careless one!
The world's to-do list never ends — so don't let it swallow your whole life.
Unfinished tasks are never all finished; the list refills itself: oonay kaaj na hovat pooray. Three things leave the deepest regret: wanting, anger and pride. And nothing gathered by bending the rules goes along at the end.
Gaafal means careless, someone who has drifted into a daze. The sharp word is a wake-up call.
A Question to Sit With
What's one thing you'd rather spend your energy on than chasing an endless list?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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