???? (chi?ee)
Meaning: noun: Sparrow.
Quote:
??? ?????? ???? ?? ????? � ???? ??? ???????
adh gulhaa chi?ee kaa chuga? ��gai? cha?ee bil-laai.
Half a seed is the feed of a sparrow, and then it flies through the sky and chirps. � Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 1286
Message: Just a little to get by
The verse above cites the beautiful example of a sparrow to illustrate the importance of humility and contentment.
The sparrow is small. The feed of a sparrow is very little, maybe half a seed.
After joyously pecking and feeding, it flies away and chirps in the sky.
A humble and content person is satisfied with what he or she has and is more pleasing to the Creator than an egoist who boasts about one�s wealth or power and lacks contentment and satisfaction.
When we lack contentment, we endeavour hard to amass wealth during our lives, and hardly ever devote any time to self-improvement or spiritual development. We hardly have any time for the joyous moments of life on earth. We need to learn from the sparrow that is contented with even a small amount of food.
Etymology: From Sanskrit chi?ak (sparrow) ? Pali ? Prakrit chi?ig (bird) ? Sindhi chi?o/chi?ee, Lahndi and Punjabi chi?aa/chi?ee (sparrow).
