Gurbani Word Of The Day: ghar

ਘਰੁ (ghar)
Meaning: noun: Literally, house, but here, system or school of thought.

Quote:
ਬਾਬਾ ਜੈ ਘਰਿ ਕਰਤੇ ਕੀਰਤਿ ਹੋਇ॥ ਸੋ ਘਰੁ ਰਾਖੁ ਵਡਾਈ ਤੋਇ॥
baabaa jai ghar karte keerat hoi. so ghar raakh vadaaee toi.
O Baba! Remember that system or school of thought, in which the praises of the Creator are sung; in this way, the gift of singing the glory of the Creator will be bestowed upon you. – Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 12

Message: There is only One Creator. Therefore, there has to be only one school of thought. That which guides us to sing the praises of the Creator is the one we should follow if we wish to receive the gift of His wisdom: His attributes and virtues.

The hymn, from which this verse is taken, refers to there being six schools of Hindu philosophy. Each has a founder and each a different set of teachings. The Guru reminds us that the teacher of all teachers is still only One and we need to be conscious of His presence.

In one month, there are weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. The one sun, through the earth’s rotation around it, gives rise to various seasons.

In the same vein, the One Creator manifests through various forms in His creation. Let us not sing praises to these forms but to the One – the guiding hand behind all creation. In Him rests true greatness.

Notes: The six schools of Hindu philosophy and their founders are as follows:
Sankhy – Kapil, Nyay – Gautam, Vaishesik – Kanad, Purv Mimansa – Jaimini, Yog – Patanjali and Vedant (sometimes called Uttar Mimansa) – Vyas.

Etymology: From Sanskrit ghar (house) → Pali ghar → Prakrit ghar → Sindhi gharu, Lahndi/Punjabi ghar.