Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
Other wisdom — the kind that is clever but false, that impresses but doesn't hold — is useless. Worse than useless.
Falsehood practiced a hundred times over is still false. The number doesn't change what it is.
The wisdom that actually helps is the kind that knows the truth and lives from it.
Fifth rahao. Intelligence without truth is described here as not just neutral but harmful. This connects to Pauri 1 of Japji Sahib: hundreds of thousands of clever tricks, but not one of them will go along with you.
The specifically named falsehood — jhooth — repeated a hundred times still doesn't become true. In information contexts today, we might call this the "big lie" phenomenon: repetition is mistaken for truth. Guru Nanak was ahead of this.
Have you ever been convinced of something that later turned out to be false? How did you figure it out?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI