Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Many people preach and lecture. But without the Guru, genuine understanding does not come.
If the glory of the Name is given to you — attuned to truth — real honor arrives.
Those who are pleasing to You are good. Outside Your grace, no one is genuine or counterfeit on their own.
Aakhan aakhahi kaytrhay, gur bin boojh na ho-ay — many preach sermons, but without the Guru, understanding is not obtained. The form of teaching — the content, the articulation — may be perfect. But without the Guru's transmission, the depth does not enter. This is not a dismissal of teachers; it is pointing to what makes teaching actually work: the living transmission, the Guru's grace that opens what words alone cannot reach.
Naam vadaa-ee paa-ee-ai, jaa saachay laag bhaa-o — the glory of the Naam is received when one becomes attuned to truth with love. Bhaa-o (love, ardor): the heart-orientation, not just the intellectual agreement, is what opens the channel. Attuned to truth with love — both are needed.
Jo tudhh bhaaveh say bhalay, khotaa kharaa na ko-ay — those who are pleasing to You are good; no one is counterfeit (khotaa) or genuine (kharaa) on their own. The categories of counterfeit and genuine — which will be developed in the coinage metaphor of Pauri 4 — are not inherent qualities of the person. They come from the divine's assessment. Outside the Beloved's gaze and grace, no one is categorically either: it is the Beloved's pleasure that determines goodness. This deflates spiritual pride and religious superiority in one stroke.
What is the difference between someone who teaches from genuine understanding and someone who teaches what they have memorized — and how do you tell them apart?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI