Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Pride in who your family is — empty. Pride in your personal accomplishments — useless.
The One Lord gives shade to every single being without distinction.
You can call yourself good all you want. But whether you actually are will only show up in God's accounting.
The leveling of social hierarchy
Jāti kā garu naharai, nāmai kā garu jā'e — "pride in social status is empty; pride in personal glory is useless." Guru Nanak dismisses two of the most powerful sources of human self-importance: inherited status (caste, family, lineage) and earned status (reputation, achievement, fame). Both are empty as sources of genuine standing.
The reason: sabhnā jī'ā dā ikko ḏātā, so maiN visri na jā'e — "the One Lord gives shade to all beings." The Lord does not distinguish between those of high caste and low caste, between the famous and the unknown, in the shade He provides. The sun does not shine more warmly on nobility. The rain does not fall more generously on the accomplished. The Lord's shade — His protection, His nourishment, His grace — is universal.
God's accounting as the only measure
O Nanak, this will only be known when your honor is approved in God's Account. The only question that matters is not what humans say about you. It is what shows up when the Lord's accounting is done. And that accounting measures something different from what human society measures.
*What is the difference between how you feel about yourself based on what other people think of you versus something you know to be true about yourself regardless of anyone's opinion?*
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI