ਬੰਕੇ ਬਾਲ ਪਾਗ ਸਿਰਿ ਡੇਰੀ ॥
bankay baal paag sir dayree.
You make your hair beautiful, and wear a stylish turban on your head.
ਇਹੁ ਤਨੁ ਹੋਇਗੋ ਭਸਮ ਕੀ ਢੇਰੀ ॥੩॥
ih tan ho-igo bhasam kee dhayree. ||3||
But in the end, this body shall be reduced to a pile of ashes. ||3||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
We comb our hair just so and wear a fine turban set proudly on the head.
And yet even this handsome body is a passing thing, on its way, like everything made of earth, back to the earth.
Outer looks are passing, so let them rest lightly on you.
Ravidas smiles at our care for appearances, not to shame it, but to set it in the light of impermanence. The traditional ash-imagery is turned toward the natural cycle of earth returning to earth, keeping the teaching, softening the shock. What passes is not to be feared, only kept in perspective.
A Question to Sit With
How much do outside looks really matter, next to the kind of person you are?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
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