ਇਕਿ ਭੇਖ ਕਰਹਿ ਫਿਰਹਿ ਅਭਿਮਾਨੀ ਤਿਨ ਜੂਐ ਬਾਜੀ ਹਾਰੀ ॥੩॥
ik bhaykh karahi fireh abhimaanee tin joo-ai baajee haaree. ||3||
Some wear religious robes, and wander around in pride; they lose their life in the gamble. ||3||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some people put on holy robes and wander around full of pride.
They lose the game of life, like someone who bets everything and loses.
Holy clothing means nothing if the heart underneath is empty.
Bhekh means religious garb — the robes, marks, and uniforms of holiness. The critique is of formalism: wearing the outside of devotion while filling up with abhimaan (pride). Joo-ai baajee haaree — losing the game in a gamble — the whole show is staked on the wrong thing. The target is empty display in any tradition, not any faith itself.
A Question to Sit With
When can dressing the part become a way of skipping what matters inside?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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