More Punjabi Vocabulary SPN! Plants

Seed

ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਹਰਿ ਪੁੰਨੁ ਬੀਜਿਆ ਫਿਰਿ ਤੋਟਿ ਨ ਆਵੈ ਹਰਿ ਪੁੰਨ ਕੇਰੀ ॥੩॥
jan naanak har punn beejiaa fir thott n aavai har punn kaeree ||3||
Servant Nanak has planted the Seed of the Lord's Goodness; this Goodness of the Lord shall never be exhausted. ||3||

Gurmukhi ਬੀਜਿਆ beej (also Awid, kx, guTlI, qu^m, dwxw, vIrj )
Modern Punjabi n. bi. M;
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/learn-punjabi/23815-more-punjabi-vocabulary-spn-plants.html



More can be done with this topic because there are so many wonderful verses using "seed" in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

 
Do share your immediate thoughts or reactions on this issue? We value your views! Login Now! or Sign Up Today! to share your views with us.. Gurfateh!

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Wonderful posts Aaad!

Some modern Panjabi words to add:

When I was very very young we would chew the insides of sugarcane to get the juices. We would call them ਗੱਨਾ (gunha).

Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=23815
The modern word for grapes is AMgUr or angoor. The word dakh that you used in the post sounds very similar to dakhaan, which was the word we use for raisins or sultanas.

Dalsingh ji

Thank you for the word for sugarcane. This one was difficult as Guruji uses the generic gurr and the translator had to make a decision about what that probably signified in English.

Raisins are grapes -- after grapes are sun-dried they become raisins. I will add dakhaan to the section on grapes with a note.

Are you available to look at a short essay I wrote on "cereal" -- which poses some interesting questions about predicaments faced by translators? Punjabi word meanings shift with context -- and to find an English relationship is not always that easy for the best of translators. This one is an interesting problem.

No problem. Send us the essay Aad ji.

Here is a really interesting vaar of Bhai Gurdas which uses many words related to products created using sugarcane.

Vaar 2 Pauri 12

ਗੰਨਾ ਕੋਲੂ ਪੀੜੀਐ ਰਸੁ ਦੇ ਦਰਹਾਲਾ ।
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=23815
gannaa koloo peerheeai rasu day darahaalaa|
Crushed by the crushing machine sugarcane gives juice instantly.

(Note: word ਗੰਨਾ [gunnah] identical to modern)

ਕੋਈ ਕਰੇ ਗੁੜੁ ਭੇਲੀਆਂ ਕੋ ਸਕਰ ਵਾਲਾ ।
koee karay gurhu bhayleeaan ko sakar vaalaa|
Some prepare lumps of jaggery and brown sugar out of it.

(ਗੁੜ [goorh] as I know it is a brown sugary substance, is it mollases? Interestingly the word ਸਕਰ [shakar] is used for sugar. I had thought this was a Europeanised word previousl derived from sugar, but maybe I was wrong, actually Panjabis had sugar a long time before Europeans so sugar may well be derived from the Indian word?)

ਕੋਈ ਖੰਡ ਸਵਾਰਦਾ ਮੱਖਣ ਮੱਸਾਲਾ ।
koee khand savaaradaa makhan masaalaa|
Some prepare refined sugar and some adding in it sweet drops make special jaggery.

(Here we have the proper Panjabi word for sugar - ਖੰਡ or khand)

ਹੋਵੈ ਮਿਸਰੀ ਕਲੀਕੰਦ ਮਿਠਿਆਈ ਢਾਲਾ ।
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=23815
hovai misaree kaleekand mitdiaaee ddhaalaa|
It is moulded into lump sugar and variegated sweets.

(Misree [ਮਿਸਰੀ] are what I thought were giant grains of sugar when I was a child!)


ਖਾਵੈ ਰਾਜਾ ਰੰਕੁ ਕਰਿ ਰਸ ਭੋਗ ਸੁਖਾਲਾ ।
khaavai raajaa ranku kari ras bhog sukhaalaa|
The poor and the wealthy both eat it with pleasure.

Dalsingh ji

To the best of my knowledge, sugar as well as "gurr" was developed in Asia first. "Gurr" does mean molasses according to the Punjabi translation engine that I have been using. Sugar is an interesting product. The "gurr" of the Gurus was most likely palm sugar or "jaggery" which is not refined as much as the white sugar we use today. And the refining process is and was then different. So the result is a darker crystal. Even raw sugar from sugar cane is brownish. Jaggery can range in color from a lemony yellow to a light tan. For white sugar from sugar cane the refining is completed in several stages until a white crystal is achieved. Vegans will not eat sugar cane sugar because traditional methods of heating to a very high temperature involve the use of animal bones for charcoal. Jaggery is not refined that way, and therefore the color will not be a crystalline white.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=23815
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=23815

Sorry for the factoids -- it can be annoying -- I know.

Thanks, and I will send you the essay.

Castor oil plant
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=23815


ਆਸਾ ॥
aasaa ||
Aasaa:

ਤੁਮ ਚੰਦਨ ਹਮ ਇਰੰਡ ਬਾਪੁਰੇ ਸੰਗਿ ਤੁਮਾਰੇ ਬਾਸਾ ॥
thum chandhan ham eirandd baapurae sang thumaarae baasaa ||
You are sandalwood, and I am the poor castor oil plant, dwelling close to you.


ਨੀਚ ਰੂਖ ਤੇ ਊਚ ਭਏ ਹੈ ਗੰਧ ਸੁਗੰਧ ਨਿਵਾਸਾ ॥੧॥
neech rookh thae ooch bheae hai gandhh sugandhh nivaasaa ||1||
From a lowly tree, I have become exalted; Your fragrance, Your exquisite fragrance now permeates me. ||1||


ਮਾਧਉ ਸਤਸੰਗਤਿ ਸਰਨਿ ਤੁਮ੍ਹ੍ਹਾਰੀ ॥
maadhho sathasangath saran thumhaaree ||
O Lord, I seek the Sanctuary of the company of Your Saints;


Gurmukhi ਇਰੰਡ eirandd alternatively ਹਿਰਡੁ hiradd
No modern Punjabi available at this time

Probably everyone at one time in their life has had the rather unpleasant experience of taking castor oil. Attempting to disguise the disagreeable taste with peppermint or fruit juice often results in a permanent dislike for the flavor enhancer as well as the castor oil. Although it is native to the Ethiopian region of tropical east Africa, the castor bean or castor plant (Ricinus communis) has become naturalized in tropical and warm temperate regions throughout the world, and is becoming an increasingly abundant weed in the southwestern United States. Castor plants are very common along stream banks, river beds, bottom lands, and just about any hot area where the soil is well drained and with sufficient nutrients and moisture to sustain the vigorous growth. Although the seeds or beans are extremely poisonous, they are the source of numerous economically important products and are one of earliest commercial products. Castor beans have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs dating back to 4000 B.C., and the oil was used thousands of years ago in wick lamps for lighting. To many people the castor plant is just an overgrown, undesirable weed, and yet it produces one of nature's finest natural oils. Source Castor Bean Plant





The superior "oiliness" of castor oil and its ability to "cling" to very hot moving parts make it an outstanding racing oil for high performance engines. In fact, it is the basic ingredient of Castrol-R racing motor oil for high speed automobile and motorcycle engines. Castor oil is a popular fuel additive for two cycle engines, and imparts a distinctive aroma to the exhaust of these engines. Castor wax, a hard wax produced by the hydrogenation (chemical combination with hydrogen) of pure castor oil, is used in polishes, electrical condensers, carbon paper, and as a solid lubricant.
Reference:: Sikh Philosophy Network http://www.sikhphilosophy.net/showthread.php?t=23815

Weeds

Taking a different approach to this word, weeds. There are weeds and then there are weeds.

Modern Punjabi for weed

weed n. kadha. M; buti. F; mariri. F; 1. a weed which grows among wheat. Piaji. F; 2. proverb.

And the interesting proverb. Money borrowed on interest is as bad as piaji in a wheat field. Dam biaji, khet piaji;

And in Gurbani there are these references to weeds. The links will take you to the entire shabad.

Page 683 Line 4 Raag Dhanaasree: Guru Arjan Dev

ਨਿੰਦਕ ਟਿਕਨੁ ਨ ਪਾਵਨਿ ਮੂਲੇ ਊਡਿ ਗਏ ਬੇਕਾਰ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
nindhak ttikan n paavan moolae oodd geae baekaar ||1|| rehaao ||
The slanderers are not allowed to stay; they are pulled out by their roots, like useless weeds. ||1||Pause||


Page 693 Line 9 Raag Dhanaasree: Saint Nam Dev

ਮਾਰਵਾੜਿ ਜੈਸੇ ਨੀਰੁ ਬਾਲਹਾ ਬੇਲਿ ਬਾਲਹਾ ਕਰਹਲਾ ॥
maaravaarr jaisae neer baalehaa bael baalehaa karehalaa ||
As water is very precious in the desert, and the creeper weeds are dear to the camel,

But in the two salokas below a very special weed is under discussion. It is the butcafrondosa which is not a weed at all. Though it may have been seen as a useless weed/tree by Kabir.

Page1365 Line 1 Raag Salok: Saint Kabir

ਕਬੀਰ ਚੰਦਨ ਕਾ ਬਿਰਵਾ ਭਲਾ ਬੇੜ੍ਹ੍ਹਿਓ ਢਾਕ ਪਲਾਸ ॥
kabeer chandhan kaa biravaa bhalaa baerrihou dtaak palaas ||
Kabeer, the sandalwood tree is good, even though it is surrounded by weeds.

Page 1370 Line 8 Raag Salok: Saint Kabir

ਜਿਹ ਕੁਲ ਦਾਸੁ ਨ ਊਪਜੈ ਸੋ ਕੁਲ ਢਾਕੁ ਪਲਾਸੁ ॥੧੧੧॥
jih kul dhaas n oopajai so kul dtaak palaas ||111||
But that family in which the Lord's slave is not born is as useless as weeds. ||111|

And here it is: dhaak or palaas - both words are common names for Butea frondosa

Common names: Flame of the Forest, Dhak, Palas, ******* Teak, Parrot Tree, Dhak or Palas (Hindi); Porasum (Tamil) ; Khakda (Gujerati). Origin: India




Source of the image TopTropicals.com - rare plants for home and garden

About dtaak or paalas That the flowers contain much nectar is evidenced by the frequent visits of many species of birds; sunbirds, mynahs and babblers are usually to be seen, hurrying from flower to flower, chattering and twittering. With man, also, the tree is very popular, having numerous uses. From an infusion of the flowers a brilliant colouring matter can be obtained, which may be made into water-paint or into a dye. Cotton, prepared with alum, can be dyed a bright yellow or orange.

From the seeds a clear oil is obtained and the gum which exudes from the stems, known as Bengal Kino, is valuable to druggists because of its astringent qualities, and to leather workers because of its tannin. Young roots make a strong fibre which has many uses, the making of rope sandals being one of the most important. Roots, eaten raw, cause giddiness, but, baked, are eaten by Mundari children. The leaves, because of their strength, are sewn together by poor people to make plates and the lovely flowers are popular with all Indian women for adornment of their hair.

The Palas is sacred to the moon and is said to have sprung from the feather of a falcon impregnated with the Soma, the beverage of the Gods, and thus immortalised. It is used in Hindu cremonies for the blessing of calves to ensure their becoming good milkers. When a Brahmin boy becomes a Sadhu, his head is shaved and he is given a Palas leaf to eat—the trifoliate formation representing Vishnu in the middle, Brahma on the left and Shiva on the right. Source is link above.

Next up will be the milkweed...... in a day or two.