Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Sometimes we can't tell a real swan from a heron just by looking.
What matters isn't the look — it's what's truly inside.
A short, wry Shalok: "I thought he was a great swan, so I kept his company; if I had known he was only a heron, I would not have touched him." The heron (bagula) looks a bit like a swan and stands very still (as if meditating) — but it's really just watching for fish. The Gurus use it for someone who looks holy but isn't. The lesson: don't judge by appearances; what matters is what's truly inside. The qMonk voice keeps this gently — it's about telling real goodness from show, not about calling anyone "wretched." For a child: you can't always tell what someone's really like just by how they look — what matters is what's inside.
How can you tell if someone is truly kind, beyond just how they appear?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI