Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Sometimes the world can feel like it has lost its way — people telling lies so easily that honesty seems forgotten, and kindness pushed aside. It can be hard to watch. Those who live without honor leave behind a poor name when they are gone.
But even then, you get to choose how you live. You can hold on to what is true and gentle when others let it go. Nanak says whatever the Creator does comes to pass. Everything around you still rests in the One, so you are never on your own.
Honesty can fade in a hard time, and the One is still in charge.
It is a shalok, a short verse, by Guru Nanak. It mourns Kal, the Kali Yuga. That is the name for a dark age when goodness grows weak. The verse uses strong, rough pictures for how people act. They tell lies easily. Chookaa dharam beechaar — all thought of doing right has gone.
Jin jeevandi-aa pat nahee — those who live without honor leave a poor name behind when they are gone.
Even then, each of us can choose to live truthfully. Kartaa karay so ho-ay — whatever the Creator does, comes to pass. Everything still rests inside the Hukam, the One's will and the flow of how things work. That is meant as comfort, not giving up. Think of a lighthouse on a stormy night. The waves crash, but the light keeps shining, and ships can still find their way.
When it feels like others aren't being fair or honest, how can you still be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI