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Sikhism·Raag Wadahans·Shabad 47
Verse 1 of 4

The Shiny Surface Isn't the Whole Story

ਵਡਹੰਸੁ ਮਹਲਾ ੧ ॥
vad-hans mehlaa 1.
Wadahans, First Mehl:
ਬਾਬਾ ਆਇਆ ਹੈ ਉਠਿ ਚਲਣਾ ਇਹੁ ਜਗੁ ਝੂਠੁ ਪਸਾਰੋਵਾ ॥
baabaa aa-i-aa hai uth chalnaa ih jag jhooth pasaarovaa.
O Baba, whoever has come, will rise up and leave; this world is merely a false show.
ਸਚਾ ਘਰੁ ਸਚੜੈ ਸੇਵੀਐ ਸਚੁ ਖਰਾ ਸਚਿਆਰੋਵਾ ॥
sachaa ghar sachrhai sayvee-ai sach kharaa sachi-aarovaa.
One's true home is obtained by serving the True Lord; real Truth is obtained by being truthful.
ਕੂੜਿ ਲਬਿ ਜਾਂ ਥਾਇ ਨ ਪਾਸੀ ਅਗੈ ਲਹੈ ਨ ਠਾਓ ॥
koorh lab jaaN thaa-ay na paasee agai lahai na thaa-o.
By falsehood and greed, no place of rest is found, and no place in the world hereafter is obtained.
ਅੰਤਰਿ ਆਉ ਨ ਬੈਸਹੁ ਕਹੀਐ ਜਿਉ ਸੁੰਞੈ ਘਰਿ ਕਾਓ ॥
antar aa-o na baishu kahee-ai ji-o sunjai ghar kaa-o.
No one invites him to come in and sit down. He is like a crow in a deserted home.
ਜੰਮਣੁ ਮਰਣੁ ਵਡਾ ਵੇਛੋੜਾ ਬਿਨਸੈ ਜਗੁ ਸਬਾਏ ॥
jaman maran vadaa vaychhorhaa binsai jag sabaa-ay.
Trapped by birth and death, he is separated from the Lord for such a long time; the whole world is wasting away.
ਲਬਿ ਧੰਧੈ ਮਾਇਆ ਜਗਤੁ ਭੁਲਾਇਆ ਕਾਲੁ ਖੜਾ ਰੂਆਏ ॥੧॥
lab DhanDhai maa-i-aa jagat bhulaa-i-aa kaal kharhaa roo-aa-ay. ||1||
Greed, worldly entanglements and Maya deceive the world. Death hovers over its head, and causes it to weep. ||1||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

We each come for a while and then move on; the world's shiny surface isn't the whole story.

A true home is found by living truly and serving the good.

Leaning only on grabbing and pretending never quite gives a heart a place to rest.

The shiny surface of things isn't the whole story — a true home comes from living honestly and doing good.
The deeper layer

Guru Nanak opens: "whoever has come will rise up and leave; this world is merely a false show" — the glittering surface isn't the lasting reality. A "true home is obtained by serving the True Lord; real Truth by being truthful." The harsh image ("a crow in a deserted home") is softened to a heart that finds no rest when it leans only on grabbing and pretending. For a child: the shiny surface of things isn't the whole story — a true home comes from living honestly and doing good.

A Question to Sit With

What makes a place feel like a true home to you?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

About this shabad →
← Shabad 46 · Verse 4 Grief Shared and Turned Toward the Good Gently Heals
Verse 2 of 4 →Real Closeness to the Good Can Never Be Broken
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