Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Someone can be very careful about their own food and their own rules and, at the very same time, quietly take what belongs to other people. That care was only for show.
When pride fills the mind, even reading every holy book teaches you nothing. The words go in, but the pride blocks them from ever reaching the heart.
Being careful about the outside means little if you are taking from others at the same time.
The verse gives a sharp picture. Som paak is food cooked with great care, following purity rules. Yet the same person quietly takes what belongs to others. That shows how empty outer purity can be.
Then it says this person does not know the Shaastras or the Vedas, the old holy books. This is not about being unable to read. It means maan, pride, keeps the deepest meaning of any holy book from getting in.
Think of a phone with a "storage full" warning. You can try to download something new, but nothing fits. Pride fills the heart like that, so the wisdom has no room to land.
What is something you can only understand once you set your pride down?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI