m: 1.
tagu na indrī tagu na nārī. bhalke thuk pavai nit dāṛī.
tagu na pairī tagu na hathī. tagu na jihavā tagu na akhī.
vetagā āpe vatai. vaṭi dhāge avarā ghatai.
lai bhāṛi kare vīāhu. kaḍhi kāgalu dase rāhu.
suṇi vekhahu lokā ehu viḍāṇu. mani andha nāu sujāṇu.4.
tagu na indrī tagu na nārī. bhalke thuk pavai nit dāṛī.
tagu na pairī tagu na hathī. tagu na jihavā tagu na akhī.
vetagā āpe vatai. vaṭi dhāge avarā ghatai.
lai bhāṛi kare vīāhu. kaḍhi kāgalu dase rāhu.
suṇi vekhahu lokā ehu viḍāṇu. mani andha nāu sujāṇu.4.
m: 1. |
tagu na indrī tagu na nārī. bhalke thuk pavai nit dāṛī. |
tagu na pairī tagu na hathī. tagu na jihavā tagu na akhī. |
vetagā āpe vatai. vaṭi dhāge avarā ghatai. |
lai bhāṛi kare vīāhu. kaḍhi kāgalu dase rāhu. |
suṇi vekhahu lokā ehu viḍāṇu. mani andha nāu sujāṇu.4. |
Guru Nanak focuses this verse on the one who is officiating, playing with the word tagu, or restraint, and emphasizing the uselessness of the physical janeu. The Brahmin himself has not tied a janeu on his genitals — he has not restrained his or his wife’s own indulgence in sensual desires. The Brahmin himself has not tied a janeu on his feet — he has not restrained himself from walking on the wrong path. The Brahmin himself has not tied a janeu on his hands — he has not restrained himself from indulging in bad behavior. The Brahmin himself has not tied a janeu on his tongue — he has not restrained himself from speaking lies or slander. The Brahmin himself has not tied a janeu on his eyes — he has not restrained himself from looking at the beauty of others with the wrong intention.
Thus, Guru Nanak points out, the Brahmin himself wanders around without the thread of self-restraint, but, engaging in the pomp and show of the janeu ceremony, he goes around twisting the cotton yarn, putting the sacred threads on others, accepting money based on the upholding of this system. These initiations start and end with the idea of initiation, instead of being about a larger idea of initiating someone into a journey towards the fulfillment of a vision or mission. They are about the show of the thing instead of about any kind of real change in behavior or declaration of intention. We see these kinds of initiations and ceremonies today, both within the religious world and outside of it, where the main idea is making someone a part of some group without any real meaning behind their initiation. These ceremonies and rituals and initiations are all futile if they are based on gender, caste, or class discrimination, if they are based on systems of oppression and uphold those systems. Guru Nanak says that the Brahmin — who represents those we might see today as the experts, the officiators, anyone who exerts control via ceremony and tradition — profits off of all of this while being a hypocrite in his own actions, lacking discipline and advising people on the path when he himself has gone astray.
Thus, Guru Nanak points out, the Brahmin himself wanders around without the thread of self-restraint, but, engaging in the pomp and show of the janeu ceremony, he goes around twisting the cotton yarn, putting the sacred threads on others, accepting money based on the upholding of this system. These initiations start and end with the idea of initiation, instead of being about a larger idea of initiating someone into a journey towards the fulfillment of a vision or mission. They are about the show of the thing instead of about any kind of real change in behavior or declaration of intention. We see these kinds of initiations and ceremonies today, both within the religious world and outside of it, where the main idea is making someone a part of some group without any real meaning behind their initiation. These ceremonies and rituals and initiations are all futile if they are based on gender, caste, or class discrimination, if they are based on systems of oppression and uphold those systems. Guru Nanak says that the Brahmin — who represents those we might see today as the experts, the officiators, anyone who exerts control via ceremony and tradition — profits off of all of this while being a hypocrite in his own actions, lacking discipline and advising people on the path when he himself has gone astray.
The Brahmin has made no effort to either control his own genitals nor his wife’s genitals from indulging in vices, because of which they are dishonored (spit falls on the beard) everyday.
Neither is there a sacred thread for the feet to dissuade them from walking on the wrong path, nor is there one for the hands so that they do not indulge in wrong deeds. Neither is there a sacred thread for the tongue so that it does not speak lies or slander anyone, nor is there one on the eyes so that they do not stare at other’s beauty with wrong intention.
Thus, the Brahmin himself wanders around without the thread of self-restraint, but twisting the cotton yarn, puts the sacred threads on others.
Having collected a fee in the name of offerings from the client, the Brahmin solemnizes the marriage ceremony of his clients’ children and taking out the horoscope, he advises them the path of life, while he himself has gone astray.
O People! Listen carefully, and see this strange spectacle of the Brahmin, who despite being spiritually ignorant, names himself wise.
Neither is there a sacred thread for the feet to dissuade them from walking on the wrong path, nor is there one for the hands so that they do not indulge in wrong deeds. Neither is there a sacred thread for the tongue so that it does not speak lies or slander anyone, nor is there one on the eyes so that they do not stare at other’s beauty with wrong intention.
Thus, the Brahmin himself wanders around without the thread of self-restraint, but twisting the cotton yarn, puts the sacred threads on others.
Having collected a fee in the name of offerings from the client, the Brahmin solemnizes the marriage ceremony of his clients’ children and taking out the horoscope, he advises them the path of life, while he himself has gone astray.
O People! Listen carefully, and see this strange spectacle of the Brahmin, who despite being spiritually ignorant, names himself wise.
(The Brahmin has) neither (tied a) thread to (his own) genital, nor (tied a) thread to (the genital of his) wife, (because of which) spit falls on the beard in the morning everyday.
Thread is neither (tied) to the feet, nor (is) the thread (tied) to the hands. Thread is neither (tied) to the tongue, nor (is) the thread tied to the eyes.
(Thus, the Brahmin) himself wanders without the thread, (but) having twisted the threads, puts (them) on others.
Having collected a fee (the Brahmin) solemnizes wedding (of the clients’ children, and) having taken out the paper (horoscope), tells (them) the way.
O People! Listen (and) see this strange show (of the Brahmin). (He is) mentally blind (but) the name is wise.
Thread is neither (tied) to the feet, nor (is) the thread (tied) to the hands. Thread is neither (tied) to the tongue, nor (is) the thread tied to the eyes.
(Thus, the Brahmin) himself wanders without the thread, (but) having twisted the threads, puts (them) on others.
Having collected a fee (the Brahmin) solemnizes wedding (of the clients’ children, and) having taken out the paper (horoscope), tells (them) the way.
O People! Listen (and) see this strange show (of the Brahmin). (He is) mentally blind (but) the name is wise.
The first four lines of this salok exhibit syntactic structural parallelism:
tagu na indrī (thread neither to the genitals)
tagu na nārī (thread neither to the wife)
tagu na pairī (thread neither to the feet)
tagu na hathī (thread neither to the hands)
tagu na jihavā (thread neither to the tongue)
tagu na akhī (thread neither to the eyes)
The word combinations, ‘indrī-nārī’ (sense/reproductive organ-woman), ‘pairī-hathī’ (feet-hands) and ‘jihavā-akhī’ (tongue-eyes), used for this parallelism are very creative. ‘Indrī-nārī’ appears as a symbol of the individual’s spiritual conduct. Similarly, ‘pairī-hathī’ is used for the individual’s life/physical conduct, and ‘jihavā-akhī’ has been used as a symbol of his/her mental conduct. Through these word combinations, it has been explained that the Brahmin who is wearing an outer janeu is completely trapped in vices in terms of spiritual, mental, and physical conduct.
The next six lines of this salok employ satirical poetic style to question the Pandit. They suggest that the Brahmin is wandering without a (real) janeu, and yet, prepares and puts (a physical) one on others. Accepting a wage, he officiates marriages and teaches others the way of life based on a horoscope.
There is semantic rareness here, because the last line of the salok ‘mani andha nāu sujāṇu’ (he is mentally blind but the name is wise) offers a summary of the entire salok. This line critiques people like the Pandit who act wise, but in reality they are mentally blind, implying spiritually ignorant. This line is also used as an idiom; consequently there is an appearance of a proverb here.
Similarly, the second line ‘bhalke thuk pavai nit dāṛī’ (spit falls on the beard in the morning everyday) is also used as a proverb. ‘Dāṛī te thuk paiṇā’ (spit falling on the beard) is a commonly used Panjabi proverb, which means facing shame or damnation. These proverbs have further sharpened the satire emerging in this salok.
In this salok there are ten lines in total. The first four lines and the ninth and tenth lines have a meter convention of 16-16. Here, the pair to two lines each can be categorized under a four line verse with 16 or 15 characters each (caupaī chand). The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth lines are metered 13-13. This can be categorized under ulālā or candarmaṇi chand. Thus this salok can be considered a combination of a four line verse with 16 or 15 characters each (caupaī chand) and candarmaṇi chand.
tagu na indrī (thread neither to the genitals)
tagu na nārī (thread neither to the wife)
tagu na pairī (thread neither to the feet)
tagu na hathī (thread neither to the hands)
tagu na jihavā (thread neither to the tongue)
tagu na akhī (thread neither to the eyes)
The word combinations, ‘indrī-nārī’ (sense/reproductive organ-woman), ‘pairī-hathī’ (feet-hands) and ‘jihavā-akhī’ (tongue-eyes), used for this parallelism are very creative. ‘Indrī-nārī’ appears as a symbol of the individual’s spiritual conduct. Similarly, ‘pairī-hathī’ is used for the individual’s life/physical conduct, and ‘jihavā-akhī’ has been used as a symbol of his/her mental conduct. Through these word combinations, it has been explained that the Brahmin who is wearing an outer janeu is completely trapped in vices in terms of spiritual, mental, and physical conduct.
The next six lines of this salok employ satirical poetic style to question the Pandit. They suggest that the Brahmin is wandering without a (real) janeu, and yet, prepares and puts (a physical) one on others. Accepting a wage, he officiates marriages and teaches others the way of life based on a horoscope.
There is semantic rareness here, because the last line of the salok ‘mani andha nāu sujāṇu’ (he is mentally blind but the name is wise) offers a summary of the entire salok. This line critiques people like the Pandit who act wise, but in reality they are mentally blind, implying spiritually ignorant. This line is also used as an idiom; consequently there is an appearance of a proverb here.
Similarly, the second line ‘bhalke thuk pavai nit dāṛī’ (spit falls on the beard in the morning everyday) is also used as a proverb. ‘Dāṛī te thuk paiṇā’ (spit falling on the beard) is a commonly used Panjabi proverb, which means facing shame or damnation. These proverbs have further sharpened the satire emerging in this salok.
In this salok there are ten lines in total. The first four lines and the ninth and tenth lines have a meter convention of 16-16. Here, the pair to two lines each can be categorized under a four line verse with 16 or 15 characters each (caupaī chand). The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth lines are metered 13-13. This can be categorized under ulālā or candarmaṇi chand. Thus this salok can be considered a combination of a four line verse with 16 or 15 characters each (caupaī chand) and candarmaṇi chand.