Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa
People are entangled in the enjoyment of fine clothes. But gold and silver are only dust.
They acquire beautiful horses, elephants, and ornate carriages. They think of nothing else and forget all their relatives.
They ignore their Creator. Without the Name, they are impure.
The accumulation list — fine clothes, gold, silver, horses, elephants, carriages — maps the markers of wealth in Guru Arjan's Mughal India. The Mughal empire at its height was spectacularly wealthy; the court of Akbar (and later Jahangir) displayed a level of luxury almost incomprehensible to ordinary people.
Dhoor (dust) — gold and silver are only dust. Not worthless in themselves, but not what they appear to be in terms of permanence or ultimate value. The rich person who acquires everything and forgets the Creator has traded the real for an elaborate imitation.
What do you own or have that you would be most devastated to lose? If you imagine that loss clearly, what does it reveal about what you're actually depending on?
Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI