Gurbani Word Of The Day: naagan

????? (naagan)
Meaning: noun: Female snake.

Quote:
????? ???? ?? ??? � ???? ??? ?? ????
naagan hovaa dhar vasaa � sabad vasai bhau jaai.
If I were a snake, I would live under the ground. (Just as a snake is lured out of its darkness and rid of its fear when a snake charmer plays his instrument) May the Word of the Guru dwell in my heart and all my fear be dispelled! – Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 157

Message: Snake charming is a practice of pretending to hypnotize a snake by playing an instrument called pungi or bansuri and charming it out of a dark hole, ridding the snake of the fear of death. Guru Nanak uses this belief of his times as a metaphor even though snakes actually move by mimicking the movements of the snake charmer�s pungi or bansuri.

Let us be so charmed with the Guru�s Word and unload all fears, eradicate our worries, and refresh and enhance our positive thoughts.

Take new steps to associate with the Guru-centered people who can help us raise our awareness of divine knowledge and spiritual understanding.

Let the music of the Guru�s charming flute forever ring in our minds. Let�s always be swayed to the right path of virtues as we remember the Virtuous One.

Etymology: Modified from Sanskrit naag (snake) ? Pali naag (snake).

Summary of the Week:
Our love and devotion to the Divine should flow in a natural way. No matter the circumstance, we adapt ourselves and be in harmony with the Creator and creation.

This week�s examples (animal instincts and their habitat) show how humans can imitate and learn from nature. Once the mind is in a spiritually conscious state, attachments and problems linked to pain and pleasure will cease to affect us negatively.

Our raised awareness will lead us to the life of a joyous, blissful and fearless soul – just like the deer, cuckoo, fish and snake.

Not that I want to be a god or a hero. Just to change into a tree, grow for ages, not hurt anyone. -Czeslaw Milosz, poet and novelist, 1911-2004