ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਬਾਨੀ (aṁmrit baanee)
Meaning: noun: Ambrosial or sweetest speech.
Quote:
ਸਗਲ ਬਾਨੀ ਮਹਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਬਾਨੀ॥ ਹਰਿ ਕੋ ਜਸੁ ਸੁਨਿ ਰਸਨ ਬਖਾਨੀ॥
(ਹੇ ਭਾਈ!) ਸਾਰੀਆਂ ਬੋਲ-ਬਾਣੀਆਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਮਈ ਬੋਲ-ਬਾਣੀ ਇਹੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਹਰੀ ਦਾ ਜੱਸ (ਕੰਨਾਂ ਨਾਲ) ਸੁਣ ਅਤੇ ਜੀਭ ਨਾਲ ਉਸ ਦਾ ਉਚਾਰਣ ਕਰ।
sagal baanee mahi aṁmrit baanee. hari ko jas sun rasan bakhaanee.
(O human!) Of all the speeches, the sweetest speech is – listen to the praise of the Divine and recite it with your tongue. -Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 266
Message: The most elegant or sweet speech that comes from our mouths is in the words spoken in praise of the Divine. None other can match this. Listening to the scriptures, singing the Divine praises and reciting them is second to none.
It is interesting to reflect on how much of our daily speech is based on this. Only a very small proportion is related to any subject connected to the Divine. Many may start the day with prayer but is this understood or repeated as a ritual?
More importantly, we should reflect on the tone of the majority of our interactions with others during the day. As the Divine is all-pervading, aren’t we interacting with Him? Would one way to recite His praise be to speak with love and respect for all His creation?
Etymology: Blend of aṁmrit from Sanskrit aṁmrit (immortal, nectar; comparable to the Greek ambrosia) + baanee from Sanskrit vaaṇee (sound, voice).
