Being Too Sure of Yourself and Running Others Down Wastes a Life
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Some people are sure they're wonderful all on their own, and never pause to really understand.
Caught up in running down good and honest people, they let a whole life go to waste.
They never think of the Name — and in the end they leave wishing they had.
The middle pauri is about the trap of self-importance plus nindaa (running others down). Aapas ka-o baho bhalaa kar jaaneh — "they think themselves very good" — the blind spot of pride. Saadhoo jan kee nindaa — slandering good people — is the specific harm, and it "wastes a life." The literal's condemnation is softened per the voice rules; the manmukh here is gently observed, not damned, and the regret (pachhutaa-ee) is presented as the natural sadness of a life spent on the wrong things, a teacher rather than a punishment. The quiet caution: be careful of running others down, and of being too sure of your own goodness.
When have you been quick to judge someone — and what did you miss by doing it?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI