Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
There is a priceless treasure right here. It is easy to walk past it and spend our energy on unkind talk about others instead.
It is like building your home out of dry straw. Then you light a fire right at the doorway.
The Name is a priceless treasure, yet we can walk right past it to gossip about others.
Naam amolaa means the Name is priceless. The verse says a person does not love it. Instead, they love par nindaa, talking badly about others.
Then Guru Arjan gives a picture of trouble we make for ourselves. Someone builds a house of dry straw. Then they light a fire right at the door. Slander is that fire. Loving to tear others down is lighting a flame at our own doorway.
The lesson is to notice and be careful, not to condemn anyone. We can see the match in our hand before we strike it.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
Can you think of a time when a habit quietly created its own problems?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI