Gurbani Word Of The Day: Velaa

Theme for the Week:
Time flies and waits for no man. Our lifespan on this earth is too short.  Yet, most of us remain engrossed in mere worldly affairs throughout our lives. We forget that the human birth, which is atop all other living beings, is blessed with enormous divine potential.

Gurbani reminds us to waste no time. To urge us to understand precious moments, the common fractions of time are used. In one of our previous issues (Units of Time:  http://awordathought.com/din/), we have featured five units of time: day, night, month, year, and age. This week we will share another set of five fractions of time used in Gurbani, four of which you can trace in the following verse:

ਸਾ ਵੇਲਾ ਸੋ ਮੂਰਤੁ ਸਾ ਘੜੀ ਸੋ ਮੁਹਤੁ ਸਫਲੁ ਹੈ ਮੇਰੀ ਜਿੰਦੁੜੀਏ   ਜਿਤੁ ਹਰਿ ਮੇਰਾ ਚਿਤਿ ਆਵੈ ਰਾਮ॥
O my soul! That time, that mhoorat, that gharee, and that muhat is fruitful, when my Lord comes to the mind. – Guru Ram Das, Guru Granth Sahib, 540

ਵੇਲਾ (velaa)
Meaning: noun: Moment of time, occasion.
Quote:
ਧੰਨੁ ਸੁ ਵੇਲਾ ਜਿਤੁ ਮੈ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੁ ਮਿਲਿਆ   ਸੋ ਸਹੁ ਚਿਤਿ ਆਇਆ॥
dhaňn su velaa jit mai satgur miliaa   so sahu chit aaiaa.
Blessed is that moment of time, when I met the true Guru, and the Divine came into my consciousness. – Guru Amar Das, Guru Granth Sahib, 441
Message: Guru Amar Das shares with us the delight of the moment, when we meet the Guru.  Such is the most blessed time. How do we meet the Guru and what do we obtain? We meet the Guru when we seek the Guru’s wisdom and lovingly enshrine it in our mind. By doing so, we realise that the Divine is dwelling in our hearts and in all those around us.

Living our lives with this awareness, helps us to unearth our virtues and overcome our flaws. This also brings about a sense of bliss as we feel peace in our mind and body. The Guru’s guidance and support help us in our walk of life.

Take stock of time and seize this moment now. Let the blessed moment radiate your life!

ਓਹ ਬੇਲਾ ਕਉ ਹਉ ਬਲਿ ਜਾਉ॥ ਜਿਤੁ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਜਪੈ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਉ॥
I humble myself to that moment of time, when my mind recites the Name of the Divine. – Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 191

Etymology: From Sanskrit velaa (limit, boundary, time) → Pali velaa (shore, time) → Prakrit velaa (shore, tide, time, opportunity) → Lahndi vel/velaa (time. leisure), and Punjabi velaa (time).

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here