ਅੰਡ ਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਜੇਰ ਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਉਤਭੁਜ ਸੇਤ ਬਿਨਾਧਾ ॥
and binaasee jayr binaasee ut-bhuj sayt binaaDhaa.
Those born of eggs shall pass away, and those born of the womb shall pass away. Those born of the earth and sweat shall pass away as well.
ਚਾਰਿ ਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਖਟਹਿ ਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਇਕਿ ਸਾਧ ਬਚਨ ਨਿਹਚਲਾਧਾ ॥੨॥
chaar binaasee khateh binaasee ik saaDh bachan nihchalaaDhaa. ||2||
The four Vedas shall pass away, and the six Shaastras shall pass away. Only the Word of the Holy Saint is eternal. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Every living creature — born in every different way — has its season and then moves on. That is simply how living things are.
Even the great and holy books, treasured for ages, belong to time. Only the word of the holy stays steady forever — the living Truth behind every page.
The truth a book points to lasts longer than the book itself.
The old catalog of "the four births" stands for all life. Placing even the Vedas and Shastras among the passing things is striking: Guru Arjan honors scripture yet insists that the living truth it points to outlasts the texts themselves.
A Question to Sit With
What is the difference between memorizing words and living what they mean?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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