ਆਸੀਸ (aasees)
Meaning: noun: Blessing.
Quote:
ਪੂਤਾ ਮਾਤਾ ਕੀ ਆਸੀਸ॥ ਨਿਮਖ ਨ ਬਿਸਰਉ ਤੁਮ ਕਉ ਹਰਿ ਹਰਿ ਸਦਾ ਭਜਹੁ ਜਗਦੀਸ॥
pootaa maataa kee aasees.
nimakh na bisrau tumh kau hari hari sadaa bhajahu jagdees.
O son! This is your mother’s blessing that, you may not forget the Divine even for an instant, and may you always revere Him, the Master of the universe. – Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 496
Message: Happy Birthday!
As per Bhai Vir Singh and other Sikh scholars, the hymn this verse is taken from was composed by the fifth Guru as an expression of his mother, Bibi Bhani’s, blessings on some occasion.
It has now become a tradition that during celebrations of birthdays, this hymn is sung. The beauty of this hymn is that unlike worldly mothers who wish for material comforts for their child, Bibi Bhani asks her child not to forget the Divine even for an instant, i.e. always emulate the Divine qualities.
Such a divine mother who asks her child not to forget the Creator is a role model.
Overcoming our egoism and replacing it with the desire to love and remember the Almighty, infact, helps us better handle life’s problems and challenges.
Etymology: From Sanskrit aashish (wish, prayer; blessing) → Prakrit aasisaa/aaseesaa (blessing).
