ਰਾਜੇ (raaje)
Meaning: noun: Rajas, Kings.
Quote:
ਰੋਵਹਿ ਰਾਜੇ ਕੰਨ ਪੜਾਇ॥ ਘਰਿ ਘਰਿ ਮਾਗਹਿ ਭੀਖਿਆ ਜਾਇ॥
(ਭਰਥਰੀ, ਗੋਪੀਚੰਦ ਆਦਿਕ ) ਰਾਜੇ ਕੰਨ ਪੜਾ ਕੇ ਰੋਂਦੇ ਹਨ, ਜਦੋਂ (ਜੋਗੀ ਬਣ ਕੇ ) ਉਹ ਘਰ ਘਰ ਜਾ ਕੇ ਭਿਖਿਆ ਮੰਗਦੇ ਹਨ।
rovahi raaje kaňn paṛaa-i. ghar ghar maagahi bheekhiaa jaa-i.
The rajas weep when their ears are pierced and they go begging from house to house. -Guru Nanak Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 954
Message: During the period of Guru Nanak, the yogis had a significant influence in the religious milieu of Punjab. The stories abound in the folklore of Punjab and other parts of North India that Bharthari, a raja, became the follower of yogi Gorakhnath along with his nephew Gopichand.
The Yogic custom required that they abandon kingdom and abstain from worldly engagement. They went to Gorakhnath’s hill abode in northern Punjab. However, they repented and cried when they had to get their ears pierced (to insert earrings) to become yogis and beg alms from door to door for sustenance.
Religious garb or symbols do not define a religious seeker. Nor is a religious life marked by ascetic withdrawal from society. It is the mind that needs to be worked upon. External practices and rituals of the body cannot lead us to overcome misery or achieve peace of mind.
Etymology: Plural of raajaa from Sanskrit raajan (chieftain, king) → Pali raajaa. Comparable to Indo European reg (to guide, to rule), Latin regis (king), English regi (king; see regicide).
