Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A person can be very clever and still not please the One she loves.
When I get tangled chasing shiny things (that is Maya, the pull of what looks real but slips away), I wander lost in doubt.
Guru Nanak is saying: being clever is not the same as loving.
Kharee si-aanee kant na bhaanee means "she is very clever, but the Beloved is not pleased." Maa-i-aa laagee bharam bhulaanee means "stuck to Maya, she is lost in doubt." Maya is the pull of shiny things that look real but slip away.
Think of someone who knows every cheat code in a game but has never once played with a friend. A sharp mind chasing shiny things can't take the place of a heart turned toward the One.
Have you ever been smart about something but still missed the point?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI