Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Why should created beings feel pride in their minds?
The gift is in the hands of the Great Giver.
As it pleases Him, He may give, or not give.
What can happen just because a created being orders it?
This verse asks a simple question: why be proud, when every good thing we have was given to us?
Keetaa kahaa karay man maan — why should a created being be proud in their mind? Dayvanhaaray kai hath daan — the gift is in the hands of the Giver. Bhaavai day-ay na day-ee so-ay — as He wishes, He gives, or He does not.
This is the teaching of Hukam, the Divine Order that holds all of life. Pride forgets it. The one who got the gift did not make the gift. They did not earn it and cannot promise it will stay.
Think of a kid who wins a race in brand-new running shoes and brags as if they built the shoes themselves. Someone bought them. Someone cooked the breakfast that gave them energy. Someone taught them to run. Being proud of the win is fine. Forgetting the givers is where pride goes wrong.
This does not mean sitting still and doing nothing. Guru Nanak himself was very active. He traveled, worked, sang, and taught. The warning is only about the pride that comes from forgetting where everything comes from. Keetay kai kahi-ai ki-aa ho-ay — what can happen just because we order it?
Is there something you're proud of that you honestly couldn't have achieved without help — from others, from circumstance, from what you were born into? What would honest gratitude for that look like?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI