ਨਾ ਕੋਊ ਲੈ ਆਇਓ ਇਹੁ ਧਨੁ ਨਾ ਕੋਊ ਲੈ ਜਾਤੁ ॥
naa ko-oo lai aa-i-o ih Dhan naa ko-oo lai jaat.
No one has brought this wealth with him, and no one will take it with him when he goes.
ਰਾਵਨ ਹੂੰ ਤੇ ਅਧਿਕ ਛਤ੍ਰਪਤਿ ਖਿਨ ਮਹਿ ਗਏ ਬਿਲਾਤ ॥੨॥
raavan hooN tay aDhik chhatarpat khin meh ga-ay bilaat. ||2||
Emperors, even greater than Raawan, passed away in an instant. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
You did not bring your wealth into the world, and you will not carry it out when you go.
Even the mightiest kings, greater than the legendary emperor Raawan, were here and then gone in a single breath.
You arrived with empty hands, and what you gather stays behind.
Raawan was a legendary emperor of immense might in the old stories. If even kings mightier than Raawan could not hold on, no amount of wealth is ours to keep. Nothing came in with us; nothing goes out with us.
A Question to Sit With
If you could carry only one thing beyond all your belongings, what would it be?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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