ਭੇਖ ਦਿਖਾਵੈ ਸਚੁ ਨ ਕਮਾਵੈ ॥
bhaykh dikhaavai sach na kamaavai.
He wears religious robes, but he does not practice Truth.
ਕਹਤੋ ਮਹਲੀ ਨਿਕਟਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ॥੨॥
kahto mahlee nikat na aavai. ||2||
He says that he has found the Mansion of the Lord's Presence, but he cannot even get near it. ||2||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Someone can wear all the right religious clothes and say all the right words, yet not actually live what is true.
They may announce that they have found the One, while never coming truly near.
The costume of holiness is not the same as living what is true.
bheykh dikhaavai sach na kamaavai — outward religious display without inner practice. This critique of empty formalism is even-handed: it aims at going-through-the-motions in any tradition, not at one faith. What matters is sach kamaavai, actually living the truth, not the costume worn to signal it.
A Question to Sit With
What is the difference between looking good and actually being good?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
Use ← → to navigate