m: 1.
lakh corīā lakh jārīā lakh kūṛīā lakh gāli. lakh ṭhagīā pahināmīā rāti dinasu jīa nāli.
tagu kapahahu katīai bām̖aṇu vaṭe āi. kuhi bakrā rinn̖i khāiā sabhu ko ākhai pāi.
hoi purāṇā suṭīai bhī phiri pāīai horu. nānak tagu na tuṭaī je tagi hovai joru.2.
lakh corīā lakh jārīā lakh kūṛīā lakh gāli. lakh ṭhagīā pahināmīā rāti dinasu jīa nāli.
tagu kapahahu katīai bām̖aṇu vaṭe āi. kuhi bakrā rinn̖i khāiā sabhu ko ākhai pāi.
hoi purāṇā suṭīai bhī phiri pāīai horu. nānak tagu na tuṭaī je tagi hovai joru.2.
m: 1. |
lakh corīā lakh jārīā lakh kūṛīā lakh gāli. lakh ṭhagīā pahināmīā rāti dinasu jīa nāli. |
tagu kapahahu katīai bām̖aṇu vaṭe āi. kuhi bakrā rinn̖i khāiā sabhu ko ākhai pāi. |
hoi purāṇā suṭīai bhī phiri pāīai horu. nānak tagu na tuṭaī je tagi hovai joru.2. |

Guru Nanak says that there are so many people who wear this physical janeu who are liars, adulterers, abusers, cheaters, and thieves. They do these things covertly and then walk around wearing the thread for the show, not realizing that their actions will stay with them. The Guru further describes the ritual of the janeu ceremony, emphasizing the way people go through the motions and the pomp and show and performance insisting that it will lead to some sort of spiritual advancement. But when the thread gets worn out, it breaks, it is discarded, and another thread is put in its place. If the thread truly had any kind of spiritual power, it would not break. In fact, Guru Nanak says, the janeu of virtues does not need any replacement, does not require any ceremony, and is accessible to all, not just to upper-caste men.
Hundreds of thousands of thefts, adulteries, lies, abuses, cheatings, and offences committed covertly, stay with the being day and night. If someone does these things and continues to wear a janeu, then it is merely a show.
During the janeu ceremony, yarn is spun from the cotton to prepare the sacred thread. Then the Brahmin, arriving at the client’s house, twists the thread, sitting in a purified cooking square. A goat is then slaughtered, cooked, and eaten, and everyone says that the ceremony is completed, and now the sacred thread must be worn.
When this janeu wears out or breaks, then it is discarded, and another thread is worn. But, Nanak! If this thread had any strength of virtues, it would not break.
During the janeu ceremony, yarn is spun from the cotton to prepare the sacred thread. Then the Brahmin, arriving at the client’s house, twists the thread, sitting in a purified cooking square. A goat is then slaughtered, cooked, and eaten, and everyone says that the ceremony is completed, and now the sacred thread must be worn.
When this janeu wears out or breaks, then it is discarded, and another thread is worn. But, Nanak! If this thread had any strength of virtues, it would not break.
Hundreds of thousands of thefts, hundreds of thousands of adulteries, hundreds of thousands of false (talks), hundreds of thousands of profanities, hundreds of thousands of cheatings, and hundreds of thousands of offences committed covertly, (stay) with the being day and night.
(During the janeu ceremony) thread is spun from the cotton, (and) having arrived, the Brahmin twists it.
(Then) having slaughtered the goat, (it is) cooked, (and) eaten (and) everyone says, (now the janeu) must be worn.
(When this janeu) becomes old, it is thrown away, then another is also worn.
(But) Nanak! (This) thread shall not break, if there is strength in (this) thread.
(During the janeu ceremony) thread is spun from the cotton, (and) having arrived, the Brahmin twists it.
(Then) having slaughtered the goat, (it is) cooked, (and) eaten (and) everyone says, (now the janeu) must be worn.
(When this janeu) becomes old, it is thrown away, then another is also worn.
(But) Nanak! (This) thread shall not break, if there is strength in (this) thread.
The first two lines evoke syntactic structural parallelism through phrases like ‘lakh corīā’ (hundreds of thousands of thefts), ‘lakh jārīā’ (hundreds of thousands of adulteries), ‘lakh kūṛīā’ (hundreds of thousands of false talks), ‘lakh gāli’ (hundreds of thousands of profanities), and ‘lakh ṭhagīā’ (hundreds of thousands of cheatings). Thus, it has been stated that the being is surrounded by infinite faults or vices.
Employment of the compound word ‘rāti dinasu’ (day and night) is also special; ‘rāti dinasu’ means all of the time, which implies that there is no time when the human being can stay away from these faults or vices.
The next four lines employ satire. The outer physical janeu is critiqued in these lines, due to its temporal nature, as it is thrown away upon getting old and worn out.
The last line of the salok is symbolic, which states that if the thread has any strength, then it should not break, a quality which the outer physical janeu certainly does not possess. For this reason, one ought to acquire IkOankar-like qualities and wear a spiritual janeu, which does not ever break and always stays with them.
The meter convention in the first two lines of this salok is 16+13, whereas the rest of the lines have a meter convention of 13+11. The second line is of 16+11 meters and the fifth line is of 13+13 meters. This salok is also a combination of a four line verse with 16+11 characters each (sarsī chand) and a two line verse/couplet with 13+11 characters each (doharā chand).
Employment of the compound word ‘rāti dinasu’ (day and night) is also special; ‘rāti dinasu’ means all of the time, which implies that there is no time when the human being can stay away from these faults or vices.
The next four lines employ satire. The outer physical janeu is critiqued in these lines, due to its temporal nature, as it is thrown away upon getting old and worn out.
The last line of the salok is symbolic, which states that if the thread has any strength, then it should not break, a quality which the outer physical janeu certainly does not possess. For this reason, one ought to acquire IkOankar-like qualities and wear a spiritual janeu, which does not ever break and always stays with them.
The meter convention in the first two lines of this salok is 16+13, whereas the rest of the lines have a meter convention of 13+11. The second line is of 16+11 meters and the fifth line is of 13+13 meters. This salok is also a combination of a four line verse with 16+11 characters each (sarsī chand) and a two line verse/couplet with 13+11 characters each (doharā chand).