Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
From the very beginning, a sweetness was placed in the hearts of the ones who love. It is a treasure of devotion, poured in like nectar.
Some people look at that and try to compete out of jealousy. They only tire themselves out and gain nothing.
Devotion is a gift, and trying to copy it out of jealousy gets you nowhere.
Dhur bhagat janaa ka-o bakhsi-aa — from the very beginning, the One gave a gift to those who love. Bakhsi-aa means given freely. It is not earned like a trophy. The gift is amrit bhagat bhandaaraa: a treasure-house of devotion, full of amrit, sweet nectar, that never runs out.
Moorakh hovai so un kee rees karay — only a foolish person tries rees, rivalry, competing with them and copying them. Think of tracing a friend's drawing to win the art prize. You might copy the lines, but you can't copy the love that made it.
The verse says such a person's face is blackened "here and hereafter." That is an old way of saying they end up shamed and empty-handed. Copying love from the outside never makes it real.
Have you ever tried to copy someone instead of finding your own real version of a thing?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI