Verse 38 of 57
Salok Mehlaa 9, Salok 38 — the trap you set is the one you fall in
ਨਰ ਚਾਹਤ ਕਛੁ ਅਉਰ ਅਉਰੈ ਕੀ ਅਉਰੈ ਭਈ ॥
nar chaahat kachh a-or a-urai kee a-urai bha-ee.
The man wishes for something, but something different happens.
ਚਿਤਵਤ ਰਹਿਓ ਠਗਉਰ ਨਾਨਕ ਫਾਸੀ ਗਲਿ ਪਰੀ ॥੩੮॥
chitvat rahi-o thaga-ur naanak faasee gal paree. ||38||
He plots to deceive others, O Nanak, but he places the noose around his own neck instead. ||38||
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
A person wants one thing, and something quite different happens.
Nanak says: he kept plotting to trick others, and the noose fell around his own neck.
Plans change, so hold them lightly; and the trap you set for others catches you.
Plans often turn out differently, and a trap set for others catches the one who set it.
Nar chaahat kachh a-or: a person wants one thing. A-urai kee a-urai bha-ee: something else entirely happens.
Chitvat rahi-o thaga-ur: he kept planning to cheat others. Faasee gal paree: the noose fell on his own neck. Like someone who digs a pit for another and falls into it, the cheater is caught by his own plan.
A Question to Sit With
Has a plan of yours ever gone sideways in a way that turned out okay? What did you learn?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI
Use ← → to navigate