Last week a Gurmukh Pyare brought the following Pankitis to Daas' attention. We discussed them as follows:
ਬੀਸ ਸਪਤਾਹਰੋ ਬਾਸਰੋ ਸੰਗ੍ਰਹੈ, ਤੀਨਿ ਖੋੜਾ ਨਿਤ ਕਾਲੁ ਸਾਰੈ ॥ (Ang 23)
Question: Should there be a bindi (nasal sound) at the end of ਖੋੜਾ?
Vichaar: ਬੀਸ ਸਪਤਾਹਰੋ means 27 (twenty + seven); ਬਾਸਰੋ means days; ਸੰਗ੍ਰਹੈ means to collect; ਤੀਨਿ ਖੋੜਾ means three times, three avastha or three something, it literally means three pits.
Meaning: One should collect Naam wealth all 27 Nakhaitra.e. everyday, and in all 3 Avasthas or times, one should remember Kaal i.e. death. ਤੀਨਿ ਖੋੜਾ can be anything i.e. 3 terms of life - childhood, youth and old age or 3 times of the day - morning, afternoon and evening or anything. Scholars have different interpretations on this and Guru Sahib has not made it clear as to what ਤੀਨਿ ਖੋੜਾ means. The idea is that one should remember that one is not going to live always and thus should not develop attachment in this world.
Answer: As for the question whether there should be bindi at the end of ਖੋੜਾ, the answer is yes because the meaning is ਤੀਨ ਖੋੜਾਂ ਵਿਖੇ।
ਕਉਤਕ ਕੋਡ ਤਮਾਸਿਆ ਚਿਤਿ ਨ ਆਵਸੁ ਨਾਉ ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਕੋੜੀ ਨਰਕ ਬਰਾਬਰੇ ਉਜੜੁ ਸੋਈ ਥਾਉ ॥੨॥ (Ang 708)
Question 1: Does ਕੋੜੀ above mean 10 million (crores) and thus is there a nasal sound at the end of this word?
Question 2: Since the word ਉਜੜੁ actually means ਉਜਾੜ, so should the pronunciation of this word be ਉਜੱੜ?
Answer to question 1: Some scholars have interpreted this word ਕੋੜੀ as ਕਰੋੜੀਂ or ਕ੍ਰੋੜੀਂ which means crores (one crore is 10 million) but the truth of the matter is that the word ਕੋੜੀ does not appear in Gurbani anywhere in the meaning of crore. ਕੋੜੀ literally in common Punjabi language means a leper (one inflicted with the leprosy disease).
The meanings of this Pankiti seems to be as follows: If one is enjoying feats and entertainments of Maya but Naam does not get remembered in the mind, then such persons are spiritual lepers, such place where they reside is like hell and is a wilderness.
Answer to question 2: Yes the pronunciation of ਉਜੜੁ should be ਉਜੱੜੁ in order to derive the meaning of ਉਜਾੜ which is a noun and means wilderness. If we don't pronounce it like ਉਜੱੜੁ, then it will sound like the verb ਉੱਜੜੁ because naturally we would tend to place the Adhak between ਉ and ਜ.
Gurbani is Agam Agaadh Bodh.
Kulbir Singh
ਸਤਿਗੁਰਬਚਨਕਮਾਵਣੇਸਚਾਏਹੁਵੀਚਾਰੁ॥