Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Speak only what will bring you honor. Not to impress people — but because the words you put into the world say something about who you actually are.
Those who are judged good at the deepest level are good — not because of titles or appearances, but because of what actually lives in them.
Those who carry bad karma sit and weep. Not because they are punished — but because they've built a life that doesn't hold them.
The rahao verse shifts from self-description to instruction: speak only that which will bring you honor. But what is honor, in Gurmat?
It is not social status. It is not reputation. It is the approval of one's own conscience — aligned with the divine. "Judged good at the Lord's Door" means: when you peel back all the performance, what's actually there?
The contrast here is between words spoken to impress (which is ultimately empty) and words spoken from truth (which carry weight even when no one is watching).
Have you ever said something just to sound good to others, and then felt hollow afterward? What would you have said instead?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI