Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
When we hold tight to things that are not real or lasting, we get all tangled up in them, like getting caught in thorns.
Everything we cling to for its own sake eventually slips away, and clinging only makes the letting-go harder. There is a lighter way to live — holding the passing things gently, and holding the One close.
Holding tight to what fades only gets us more tangled.
Mithi-aa means false, and koorh means untrue. The verse says the person who clings to them gets urajh, tangled up, in things that don't last. Think of a fishing line knotted in a bush. The harder you pull, the tighter the knot gets.
The verse ends with a stern old picture. Dharam Raa-ay, the judge of right and wrong, calls the person to account, and they leave in shame. Inside that warning is gentle wisdom. Clinging to what fades only tightens the tangle, and a lighter grip is always possible. A mistake is a knot to loosen, not a sentence to fear.
What is something you can enjoy without needing to cling to it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI