Gurbani Word Of The Day: naa-ee

ਨਾਈ (naa-ee)

Meaning: noun: Barber.

Quote:
ਭਲੋ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਦਾਸੁ ਦਾਸਨ ਕੋ   ਊਤਮੁ ਸੈਨੁ ਜਨੁ ਨਾਈ ॥
(ਪ੍ਰਭੂ ਦਾ ਸਿਮਰਨ ਕਰਕੇ) ਦਾਸਾਂ ਦਾ ਦਾਸ (ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਣ ਵਾਲਾ) ਕਬੀਰ ਭਲਿਓਂ-ਭਲਾ ਅਤੇ ‘ਨਾਈ’ (ਕਿਹਾ ਜਾਣ ਵਾਲਾ) ਭਗਤ ਸੈਣ ਉੱਤਮ ਬਣ ਗਿਆ।

bhalo kabir daas daasan ko   ootam sain jan naa-ee.
(With the loving remembrance of the Divine) Kabir (who was known to be) the slave of slaves, became exalted, and the ‘barber’, Bhagat Sain, became sublime. -Guru Arjun Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 1207

Message: Bhagat Sain was a barber in the court of a king. His belief in the Divine led him into the Bhakti movement. This movement provided for an individual to embark on a path of spirituality regardless of caste of birth or gender. The humble barber from a low caste worked in his small way towards overcoming the complexity of a caste system. He believed that for all mankind there is but a single refuge – the Divine. It was this ardent fervour that got the attention of the Gurus, and his writings a place in Guru Granth Sahib.

Etymology: From Sanskrit naa-ee → Persian naa-ee →Gujrati naavi and Punjabi naa-ee (barber).