ਊਤਮ ਥਾਨੁ (ootam thaan)
Meaning: noun: Good or best place (heart).
Quote:
ਸਗਲ ਥਾਨ ਤੇ ਓਹੁ ਊਤਮ ਥਾਨੁ॥ ਨਾਨਕ ਜਿਹ ਘਟਿ ਵਸੈ ਹਰਿ ਨਾਮੁ॥
ਨਾਨਕ! ਸਾਰੇ ਅਸਥਾਨਾਂ ਵਿਚੋਂ ਉਹ ਹਿਰਦਾ-ਰੂਪੀ ਥਾਉਂ ਉੱਤਮ ਹੈ, ਜਿਸ ਹਿਰਦੇ ਵਿਚ ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦਾ ਨਾਮ ਵੱਸਦਾ ਹੈ।
sagal thaan te oh ootam thaan. naanak jih ghaṭ vasai hari naam.
Nanak! Of all places, that heart-place is the best – in which heart the Name of the Divine dwells. -Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 266
Message: The best place to be in is the heart-place that recognizes Divine presence in itself and in everyone and everything around it.
The purest place where the Divine resides in is one’s heart. Feeling this presence, one becomes more aware of needing to follow the attributes of the Divine. Gradually, these attributes become a part of you and begin to play a bigger role in life. When this happens, pain and pleasure, failure and success, gain and loss, all appear to be alike.
Etymology: Blend of ootam from Sanskrit uttam (highest, best) + thaan from Sanskrit sthaan (place of abode) → Pali thaan (place, condition) → Prakrit thaan/thaan (place) → Sindhi thaano (place, station) → Punjabi thaan (place).
