ਕੋਲੂ (kolhoo)
Meaning: noun: Oil-press, sugarcane press.
Quote:
ਕੋਲੂ ਚਰਖਾ ਚਕੀ ਚਕੁ॥ ਥਲ ਵਾਰੋਲੇ ਬਹੁਤੁ ਅਨੰਤੁ॥
kolhoo charkhaa chakee chak. thal vaarole bahut anaňt.
The oil-press, the spinning wheel, the hand mill, the potter’s wheel, and countless whirlwinds in the desert – they all spin around endlessly. -Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 465
Message: Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel…
It’s in the nature of some things to move in circles, but is it good to move around in circles if you’re a human being?
Illustrating the beautiful circles made by objects from the past and the cyclical nature of whirlwinds in the desert, the Guru however advises us against going in circles and achieving nothing.
Like these devices, we also go round and round following the urges of our minds, but never pause to ponder where we are going and where we ought to be going.
Divinity is within us, not in neutral cosmic powers outside. Only by nurturing love for, and living in the conscious awareness of, the Divine can we become true disciples and find the true purpose in life.
Check out these beautiful videos:
- Bull Driven Oil Ghani: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trIrV-MMNnc
- Kolhu Ka Bail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MZFvWMkOlw
- The Windmills of Your Mind: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=like+the+windmills+of+your+mind#id=1&vid=6f6418819e9ff395bc64a678383860b1&action=click
Etymology: From Sanskrit kolhu (machine for pressing sugarcane or oilseeds) → Prakrit kolhua (sugarcane press) → Sindhi koloo and Punjabi kolhoo (oilpress, sugarcane press).
