Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Those who live by lies are like dogs. Those who speak badly of the Guru burn in their own fire.
They wander lost and confused, fooled by doubt, in great pain. The Messenger of Death gives them no rest.
The self-willed find no peace, while the Gurmukhs are wonderfully joyful.
This verse uses strong pictures to show that lying and tearing down what is good end up hurting the person who does it.
Kookar koorh kamaa-ee-ai — living by lies is like being a stray dog, always sniffing around for scraps and never at rest. Gur nindaa pachai pachaan — whoever speaks badly of the Guru burns in their own fire.
That fire is not thrown at them from outside. It is the heat of living against your own true nature. Think of telling one small lie at school. Then you need a second lie to cover the first, and a third. Soon your stomach hurts every time someone asks a question. The lie is what burns.
Bharmay bhoolaa dukh ghano — they wander lost and confused, full of pain. Jam is the Messenger of Death. Gurbani often uses him as a picture of the hard results that catch up with a false life.
Manmukh sukh na paa-ee-ai — the manmukh, who follows only their own wants, finds no peace. Gurmukh sukh subhaan — the Gurmukh, turned toward the Guru, is full of wonderful joy.
If someone is being unkind to you or hurting you, that is never something you have to accept. Telling a grown-up you trust is always the right thing to do.
Have you ever been dishonest — to yourself or to someone else — and felt the discomfort of it living inside you? What did that feel like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI