???? (sookar)
Meaning: noun: Pig.
Quote:
???? ???? ?? ???? ??? � ???? ??? ????
kabeer saakat te sookar bhalaa�� raakhai aachhaa gaau.
Kabeer! A pig who keeps the village clean is better than an excessively materialistic person.
– Bhagat Kabeer, Guru Granth Sahib, Page 1372
Message: The expression, �eat like a pig�, suggests pigs eat too much. This includes eating any rubbish they come across. However, by eating garbage, they help us in keeping the place clean. This positive aspect of the pig�s behaviour is what Bhagat Kabeer seems to be referring to in this verse.
How about a human being who is excessively devoted to materialistic endeavours regardless of the harm caused to the environment or people? Such a materialistic and selfish person is worthless as he or she has not done anything useful for the world or been of any help to anyone. A pig is superior in deeds compared to such a person.
Pigs are highly intelligent, curious animals who engage in complex tasks and form elaborate, cooperative social groups…Pigs were once considered wicked and dirty, but science has helped to shed light on the depths of their remarkable cognitive abilities and to extend a greater appreciation for these often maligned and misunderstood animals.
David Low, an esteemed British academic, described the wild boar as a “noble” animal, while renowned writers and scholars have acknowledged pigs’ “unforgettable characters and obvious intelligence.”
Sir Winston Churchill, Britain’s famed prime minister, was fond of pigs and reportedly said, “Cats look down on you; dogs look up to you; but pigs look you in the eye as equals.”
(Extracted from: www.humanesociety.org/animals/pigs/pigs_more.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.nz/)
Notes: The word saakat literally refers to one who worships shakti, a goddess, instead of the Almighty; hence, it represents one excessively devoted to the world or the worldliness; an excessively materialistic person
Etymology: From Sanskrit sookar (boar) ? Pali sookar (pig) ? Prakrit sooar ? Hindi sooar, Lahndi/Punjabi soor. From Indo-European soo; comparable toLatin suis (sui-, as in English suilline, like a pig), German sau, English sow (she-pig).
