Theme for the Week:
As we welcome the New Year, the twelve months ahead come fresh and new from the storehouse of Time. Let us be reminded that this is a gift from the Divine. We have done nothing to deserve it or to earn it. Like the air we breathe, time comes to us as a part of life.
The words chosen this week are synonymous and mean: Fresh and new. Who or what is ever fresh and ever new?
ਨਵਤਨੁ (navtan)
Meaning: adjective: Fresh, new.
Quote:
ਗੁਣ ਨਿਧਾਨੁ ਨਵਤਨੁ ਸਦਾ ਪੂਰਨ ਜਾ ਕੀ ਦਾਤਿ॥
guṇ nidhaan navtan sadaa pooran jaa kee daat.
The treasure of virtues, the Divine, is ever-fresh and new and His gift is perfect and complete. – Guru Ram Das, Guru Granth Sahib, 47
Message: With the ushering in of the New Year, come thoughts of how to start afresh, leaving behind the negative experiences of the previous year. It is a time of reflection. Where would this freshness come from?
The verse above states that the Divine – the treasure of virtues – is ever fresh and new and His gifts are perfect and complete. Why don’t we open the door this New Year to the Truth of the Divine, the all-pervading consciousness and to His gifts?
The Divine, the Creator, manifests within His creation. Some believe He is Immanent, deep within mankind, smaller than small yet all-pervading. Others say He is Transcendent, an onlooker from outside the universe.
Our Gurus believe that the Divine spirit is an unchanging essence that is a part of the Creator and it exists in all mankind. It has, it is and it will always remain fresh, new and up to date. We are reminded to be conscious of this essence in us, to reflect on the wisdom of the One and the treasure store that is open to us.
In the hymn from which this verse is taken, Guru Ram Das states that he has fallen in love with the true Lord who does not come and go as He is pervading amongst us all. He loves His devotees and removes pain and suffering.
Why not start the year afresh with a new, stable and steady companion who is wise, giving and tender hearted?
ਪੂਰਨ ਪੁਰਖੁ ਨਵਤਨੁ ਨਿਤ ਬਾਲਾ॥ ਹਰਿ ਅੰਤਰਿ ਬਾਹਰਿ ਸੰਗਿ ਰਖਵਾਲਾ॥
The perfect Lord is ever fresh and young. He is always with us inwardly and outwardly as our protector. – Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 240
Etymology: From Sanskrit nootan (new, fresh) → Pali nootan (recent, new).
