Word Of The Day: kaoo-aa

Theme for the Week:
Humans and animals have several characteristics in common. Beyond the common activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, human beings have another faculty: the ability to reason and inquiry. It is this extraordinary ability to be introspective – to question the meaning and purpose of our existence and to endeavor to find a solution to human suffering – that sets humans apart from animals.

Humans have a spiritual side. If we simply remain preoccupied with the outer world, we will have wasted the opportunity inherent in the human form to realize our true identity and purpose and achieve genuine spiritual happiness.

The selection of verses for this week depicts how we humans have become so focused on the outer illusion. We consider this to be our life and begin to unconsciously behave like animals. Examples of animal behaviour and some of their traits are used in these verses to depict this side of human nature.

ਕਊਆ (kaoo-aa)
Meaning: noun: Crow.

Quote:
ਕਊਆ ਕਾਗ ਕਉ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਰਸੁ ਪਾਈਐ   ਤ੍ਰਿਪਤੈ ਵਿਸਟਾ ਖਾਇ ਮੁਖਿ ਗੋਹੈ॥
kaoo-aa kaag kau aṁmrit ras paa-ee-ai   triptai visṭaa khaai mukh gohai.
Even if a crow is fed ambrosial nectar, it is satisfied only by eating manure or putting dung in its mouth. – Guru Ram Das Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 493

Message: Look around us and one sees man constantly focused on the material aspects of life – wealth, comfort, and health. We worry about the loss of these in our lives and this pushes us to work harder rather than smarter.

Gurbani’s wisdom is here to help make us smarter, but even when it is presented to us, we disregard it because it takes time, effort and energy to understand and practice. The positive aspects of wisdom are sidelined by our focus on the hungry need for the material.

Like the crow, which chooses not to taste the nectar, but prefers to eat dirt, man too chooses not to even taste the sweetness that will come from the power of Guru’s wisdom. We are crows who prefer to be fed filth and dirt instead of the sweetness we can have from the wisdom of Gurbani.

Through the Guru’s teachings we not only nurture the spiritual side of our nature but the spinoff is a less stressful and wholesome human side as well.

ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸਰੁ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਸਤਿਵਾਦੀ   ਜਿਤੁ ਨਾਤੈ ਕਊਆ ਹੰਸੁ ਹੋਹੈ॥
The true Guru who always speaks truth is the pool of nectar; bathing within it, a crow (an evil person) becomes a swan (a virtuous one).– Guru Ram Das Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 493

Etymology: From Sanskrit/Pali kaak → Prakrit kaay → Khowar (Dardic) kaag → Sihahli kaa/kaau/kaauka, Kashmiri kaav, Sindhi/Lahndi kaau, Bhojpuri/Hindi kauaa.

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