Sikhism·Raag Saarang·Shabad 10
Verse 2 of 3

Wealth Nobody Owns

ਜਿਸੁ ਧਨ ਕਾ ਤੁਮ ਗਰਬੁ ਕਰਤ ਹਉ ਸੋ ਧਨੁ ਕਿਸਹਿ ਨ ਆਪ ॥
jis Dhan kaa tum garab karat ha-o so Dhan kiseh na aap.
That wealth, which you are so proud of - that wealth does not belong to anyone.
ਖਿਨ ਮਹਿ ਛੋਡਿ ਜਾਇ ਬਿਖਿਆ ਰਸੁ ਤਉ ਲਾਗੈ ਪਛੁਤਾਪ ॥੧॥
khin meh chhod jaa-ay bikhi-aa ras ta-o laagai pachhutaap. ||1||
In an instant, you shall have to leave behind all your corrupt pleasures; you shall be left to regret and repent. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

That wealth you feel so proud of? It belongs to no one — not to you, not to anyone.

One day you'll set down all the passing pleasures it buys, and wish you had leaned on something that lasts.

Wealth only passes through your hands, so build your pride on something that lasts.
The deeper layer

The money we feel proud of belongs to no one.

Dhan is wealth. Garab is the pride we take in it. So dhan kiseh na aap means "that wealth belongs to no one." It only passes through our hands. Think of a library book. You can enjoy it for a while, but one day it goes back on the shelf.

Bikhi-aa ras are pleasures that fade fast. We leave them behind in an instant. Pachhutaap is the regret of someone who leaned on what could not hold them up. So the verse gently cools the pride we build on money.

A Question to Sit With

What lasts longer than the things money can buy?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

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