Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
The Pandits, the religious scholars, read their books. But they do not understand the real meaning.
They give instructions to others and then walk away, but they deal in Maya themselves.
Speaking falsehood, they wander around the world, while those who remain true to the Shabad are excellent and exalted.
This one says that knowing a lot is not the same as living well.
Pandit vaacheh pothee-aa naa boojheh veechaar: "scholars read their books but do not understand the real meaning." A Pandit is a learned teacher. Guru Nanak points to a gap. Some teachers tell others how to live, but they chase Maya, money and passing things, themselves.
This is not against learning. Learning is good. The point is that learning should change you. Think of someone who knows every rule of a game but never plays fair. Knowing the rules is not the same as being a good player.
Kathnee jhoothee jag bhavai: talking without living it just goes around in circles. But rahnee sabad so saar: the ones who live by the Word are the best. If someone knows everything about the Word and is not changed by it, they have missed its whole point.
Is there any teaching you deeply understand intellectually but haven't yet embodied in how you actually live? What is the gap between knowing and being?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI