Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Sometimes people aim their hardness at the kindest folks around them, while cozying up to whatever is cruel — and it never brings them any peace, here or anywhere.
That path is restless by nature: a hunger that is never satisfied, a heart torn in two directions, always chasing and never arriving.
Those who tear others down find no honor where the True One sees.
Nanak says: without the Naam, there is no solid ground to stand on, on this shore or the one beyond.
Ill-will wears itself out, and it never brings peace.
This verse is about people who aim hatred at the good. Santaa naal vair kamaavday means they act with hatred toward kind and holy people. Dustaa naal moh pi-aar: they stay close to those who are cruel. It is wrong to aim hardness at the kind, and the verse says so clearly.
But the verse does not ask us to wish anything bad on them. It shows how ill-will hurts itself. Tarisnaa kaday na bujh-ee: their thirst is never satisfied. DubiDhaa is a heart pulled two ways at once. It does its own damage. Think of running on a treadmill. You can run for hours and never get anywhere.
The verse calls them nindak, people who speak badly of others. It says they find no honor where truth is seen, and no ground on this shore or the next. The way off the treadmill is the Name.
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.
Why do you think being unkind to good people ends up making the unkind person more restless, not less?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI