Learn Punjabi Punjabi SPN - Vocabulary And More

[spnadmin]

All jios posting in this thread.


Let me be even more obsessive. When we post the vocabulary word using entries from the dictionaries at srigranth.org and punjabionline, they are not modern Punjabi words, but from Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

It is important to post the transliteration as well as the words from Gurbani, or words in modern Punjabi fonts. There are forum members, even those who speak Punjabi, who cannot read the Gurmukhi text and depend on the transliteration text to know what is going on. Yes, the Gurmukhi script is an invitation to learn something new. But some people may just become frustrated and walk away.

English is the official language of the forum; so we need to accommodate people who are native English speakers and those who may be of Punjabi origin but did not learn to read the fonts for whatever reason. This thread, when it provides all the different transcriptions, actually helps people to bridge from one alphabet system to another. Forgive me. I am on the cranky side this morning.

 

[dalsingh]

"The Cyclopaedia of Indian and of Eastern and Southern Asia" by Edward Balfour, 1885, India. You can read it entirely online and on p. 1083 there is a big, big discussion of the Indian cats & differences, which will be so helpful for our ongoing animal discussion.

Futurekaur. Can you post us a link for this? Please.....

 

[futurekaur]

Dal ji;
my pleasure, sorry
The cyclopædia of India and of ... - Google Book Search
it is in Google books free to read. I had no idea there were hunting leopards, this give so much depth and enjoyment.

 

[dalsingh]

Gyani Ji

I agree with you and it is important people realise that Panjabi is not a technical language as such. So don't expect a comparative level of vocabulary in categorisation that exists in English (unless it's relatives as explained by gyani!)

You know this obsession with categorisation itself is a fairly recent event of the western hemisphere and nothing similar seems to have taken place before.

 

[futurekaur]

First we need to remind everyone reading the thread that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is written in Northen medieval dialects of India! Modern Punjabi words will not always be the same as found in Gurbani.
Indeed classification is recent, Linnaeus invented it Carl Linnaeus but he used Latin, not a vernacular language like Swedish, or English or French. Punjabi is a vernacular language too. Sanskrit & Latin were languages of the elite.
The language of the SGGS was meant to be understood by common people, and this is so very important.

 

[spnadmin]

New word -- after something of a break in the conversations on this thread.

Cat

pONcw, mwaUN, mwxo
pONcw, mwaUN, mwxo

ਤੇਰੀ ਪੂੰਛਟ ਊਪਰਿ ਝਮਕ ਬਾਲ ॥੧॥
thaeree poonshhatt oopar jhamak baal ||1||
The hair on your tail is shiny and lustrous. ||1||
(in this line from Sant Kabeer it is not clear who the animal is that he addresses. It could be a cat. We can see the connection pONcw and poonshatt)



Modern Punjabi
n. 1. An animal. Billi. F; billa. M;

This shabad is so beautiful that I am posting a lot of it, even though the word "cat" is a tiny part.

ਜੈਸੇ ਰਣ ਮਹਿ ਸਖਾ ਭ੍ਰਾਤ ॥
jaisae ran mehi sakhaa bhraath ||
As one's brother becomes a helper on the field of battle;



ਜੈਸੇ ਭੂਖੇ ਭੋਜਨ ਮਾਤ ॥
jaisae bhookhae bhojan maath ||
as one's hunger is satisfied by food;

ਜੈਸੇ ਕਿਰਖਹਿ ਬਰਸ ਮੇਘ ॥
jaisae kirakhehi baras maegh ||
as the cloudburst saves the crops;



ਜੈਸੇ ਪਾਲਨ ਸਰਨਿ ਸੇਂਘ ॥੨॥
jaisae paalan saran saenagh ||2||
as one is protected in the tiger's lair;||2||



ਗਰੁੜ ਮੁਖਿ ਨਹੀ ਸਰਪ ਤ੍ਰਾਸ ॥
garurr mukh nehee sarap thraas ||
As with the magic spell of Garuda the eagle upon one's lips, one does not fear the snake;

ਸੂਆ ਪਿੰਜਰਿ ਨਹੀ ਖਾਇ ਬਿਲਾਸੁ ॥
sooaa pinjar nehee khaae bilaas ||
as the cat cannot eat the parrot in its cage;

ਜੈਸੋ ਆਂਡੋ ਹਿਰਦੇ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
jaiso aaanddo hiradhae maahi ||
as the bird cherishes her eggs in her heart;

ਜੈਸੋ ਦਾਨੋ ਚਕੀ ਦਰਾਹਿ ॥੩॥
jaiso dhaano chakee dharaahi ||3||
as the grains are spared, by sticking to the central post of the mill;||3||

ਬਹੁਤੁ ਓਪਮਾ ਥੋਰ ਕਹੀ ॥
bahuth oupamaa thhor kehee ||
Your Glory is so great; I can describe only a tiny bit of it.

Guru Arjan Dev

We do also find billa in the Bani of Sant Kabeer

ਦੇਖਤ ਕੁਤਰਾ ਲੈ ਗਈ ਬਿਲਾਈ ॥੨॥
dhaekhath kutharaa lai gee bilaaee ||2||
I saw a cat carrying away a dog. ||2||

 

[spnadmin]

Fox



lMUbV

Modern Punjabi
n. lumbar. M; lumri. F; lumbari. F;

The fox is mentioned only 1 time in Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

ਬੰਤਰ ਚੀਤੇ ਅਰੁ ਸਿੰਘਾਤਾ ॥
banthar cheethae ar singhatha ||
Monkeys, leopards and lions,


ਮਾਂਜਾਰ ਗਾਡਰ ਅਰੁ ਲੂਬਰਾ ॥
manjar gaddar ar loobara ||
cats, sheep, foxes,


ਬਿਰਖ ਮੂਲ ਮਾਇਆ ਮਹਿ ਪਰਾ ॥੪॥
birakh mool maeia mehi para ||4||
trees and roots are planted in Maya. ||4||

 

[spnadmin]

Indian Jackal

igd

Modern Punjabi
n. giddar. M; giddari. F;

The jackal is named only 5 times in Gurbani, and siaar is the word used 4 of those 5 times.

ਜਬ ਲਗੁ ਸਿੰਘੁ ਰਹੈ ਬਨ ਮਾਹਿ ॥
jab lag singh rehai ban maahi ||
As long as the tiger lives in the forest,

ਤਬ ਲਗੁ ਬਨੁ ਫੂਲੈ ਹੀ ਨਾਹਿ ॥
thab lag ban foolai hee naahi ||
the forest does not flower.

ਜਬ ਹੀ ਸਿਆਰੁ ਸਿੰਘ ਕਉ ਖਾਇ ॥
jab hee siaar singh ko khaae ||
But when the jackal eats the tiger,

ਫੂਲਿ ਰਹੀ ਸਗਲੀ ਬਨਰਾਇ ॥੨॥
fool rehee sagalee banaraae ||2||
then the entire forest flowers. ||2||

ਜੀਤੋ ਬੂਡੈ ਹਾਰੋ ਤਿਰੈ ॥
jeetho booddai haaro thirai ||
The victorious are drowned, while the defeated swim across.

 

[Gyani Jarnail Singh]

First we need to remind everyone reading the thread that the Sri Guru Granth Sahib is written in Northen medieval dialects of India! Modern Punjabi words will not always be the same as found in Gurbani.
Indeed classification is recent, Linnaeus invented it Carl Linnaeus but he used Latin, not a vernacular language like Swedish, or English or French. Punjabi is a vernacular language too. Sanskrit & Latin were languages of the elite.
The language of the SGGS was meant to be understood by common people, and this is so very important.

Just a quick off hand...example of how modern Punjabi differs from Gurbani "punjabi".....
HARKH in Gurbani is for HAPPINESS....in modern Punjabi harkh is for ANGER - U-Turn in meaning !!

Gyani jarnail Singh

 

[spnadmin]

Gyani ji

Wowie! Zowie!

We have been noticing this throughout the start of the thread. It would be interesting for someone to post an outline or a timeline that shows how different language influences enter into the evolution of the Punjabi language at specific times in history. There is one on Wikipedia, but not what I have in mind.

One thing I have been organizing is a set of bookmarks to a number of online translation dictionaries for various languages, including Persian. But here the problem is the same. The dictionaries for Persian are modern dictionaries. Not classical Persian dictionaries.

I vote for this: A switch over to Sanskrit. It is a good language and it is the mother language for all of Europe, many languages spoken in the Americas, and many Near Asian, Central Asian and South Asian languages today. That would make life a lot simpler. And a lot of mystery would be cleared up. :yes::idea:

 

[dalsingh]

Aad ji

I read somewhere that the Persianised letters of the Panjabi alphabet (the ones with dots) are rarely (if ever?) used in SGGS, however they are extensively used in the Dasam Granth. Does this point at at an increase in the use of Persian source words in the mid to late 1600s?

ਤੇਰੀ ਪੂੰਛਟ ਊਪਰਿ ਝਮਕ ਬਾਲ ॥੧॥
thaeree poonshhatt oopar jhamak baal ||1||
The hair on your tail is shiny and lustrous. ||1||
(in this line from Sant Kabeer it is not clear who the animal is that he addresses. It could be a cat. We can see the connection pONcwand poonshatt)

pUC or ਪੂੰਛ are the modern Panjabi words for tail (I presume the difference is regional, my family always used the second version with the subtle "n" nasalised sound). So it looks like this word has changed little over time.

 

[spnadmin]

Dalsingh ji

You raise another very interesting question about language. I read, and now cannot find the source though it is bookmarked, that by the time the Adi Granth was compiled by Guru Arjan Dev ji that the language of the Sikhs had already changed to a more vernacular form that was very different from that spoken by Guru Nanak. The intersection of cultures causes this to happen.

It however makes sense that more Persian would be in the Dasam Granth. It makes a lot of sense. And I will check that timeline on Widipedia.

 

[dalsingh]

You also have to remember that the Guru Gobind Singh himself was fluent in Farsi (Persian) and judging by the Firdausi quote in Zafar Nama may well have been familiar with at least some classical Farsi literature. I also noticed Dasam Granth also uses a lot of Farsi names for weapons.

As Sikhs increasingly expanded from spiritual concerns into more political domains it is natural that they would have encountered more Persian as this was the language used by the ruling classes.

What is more intriguing is that there are some references to Sikhs being seriously discouraged from learning Farsi in some Rahit Namas from the 1700s. Presumably this was to keep links between the Khalsa and Moghuls cold as the majority of the Khalsa were set on self rule (sovereignty) and not compromising with the rulers.

During Sikh self rule I know that Hari Singh Nalva was fluent in Persian and Maharajah Ranjit Singh kept all darbar records in Persian.

 

[dalsingh]

Modern Panjabi for jackal is:

ig`dV (Giddarh) with the female being ig`dVnI (Giddarhnee).

In Panjabi culture the jackal has a unfortunate reputation of being a coward and to insult someone as a coward you can called them a giddarh.

As my uncle once said "Jackals are cowards because they only come out in packs or at night" I doubt this is true.


Bhai Gurdas refers to jackals a number of times in his vaars using a variant that is very close to the modern word:

Here is an example in a vaar warning against superstition:

ਸਉਣ ਸਗੁਨ ਵੀਚਾਰਣੇ ਨਉ ਗ੍ਰਿਹ ਬਾਰਹ ਰਾਸਿ ਵੀਚਾਰਾ ।
saun sagun veechaaranay nau grih baarah raasi veechaaraa|
The life led in the light of omens, the nine planets, the twelve signs of the zodiac;

ਕਾਮਣ ਟੂਣੇ ਅਉਸੀਆ ਕਣਸੋਈ ਪਾਸਾਰ ਪਸਾਰਾ ।
kaaman toonay auseeaa kanasoee paasaar pasaaraa|
Incantations, magic divination by lines and by the voice is all futile.

ਗਦਹੁ ਕੁਤੇ ਬਿਲੀਆ ਇਲ ਮਲਾਲੀ ਗਿਦੜ ਛਾਰਾ ।
gadahu kutay bileeaa il malaalee gidarh chhaaraa|
Cries of donkeys, dogs, cats, kites, blackbirds and jackals cannot control our lives.

 

[spnadmin]

Dalsingh ji

Piece from the shabad originally posted above

ਜਬ ਹੀ ਸਿਆਰੁ ਸਿੰਘ ਕਉ ਖਾਇ ॥
jab hee siaar singh ko khaae ||
But when the jackal eats the tiger,

ਫੂਲਿ ਰਹੀ ਸਗਲੀ ਬਨਰਾਇ ॥੨॥
fool rehee sagalee banaraae ||2||
then the entire forest flowers. ||2||

Jackals like vultures are purifiers. Neither kills to eat, but cleans the forests and plains of dead carcasses. Yet both strike fear in the heart. It is the sound jackals make according to Bhai Vardas -- and the sound of jackals at night sounds almost human but also like the high-pitched call of spirits -- eerie. You can hear them at night in the Sonoma desert. And their association with death.

But when the jackal eats the tiger.... Kabeer is telling us something, not about physical death.

I enjoyed your discussion of Persian influences and Persian usage. And thanks for posting those pictures for dumbo me.

 

[dalsingh]

I saw the coolest documentary the other day about tigers in India. They were using cameras disguised as logs all over the forest and these were placed by trained elephants!!

Saw the tigeress and her cubs, a leopard, the sloth bear carrying its young on its back, wild boar, jackals!

What a treat.

 

[spnadmin]

dalsingh ji

Do you have the info on the documentary. The channel, or the web site for the channel. It might be a good addition to this thread.

Elephants are the most remarkable creatures! They are smart! And in looking for pics for this thread, I try to search only for pics from India. In doing that I have discovered the remarkable efforts being made in India to preserve wild life. The National Forest System also has a very effective Internet presence.



I have special pics for dogs and that will probably be the last vocabulary entry until we have our consolidation event. Keep members guessing about that.

 

[spnadmin]

Poor Dog, Not a good identity in Gurbani. Here are some examples.

1. Ang 15

ਲਬੁ ਕੁਤਾ ਕੂੜੁ ਚੂਹੜਾ ਠਗਿ ਖਾਧਾ ਮੁਰਦਾਰੁ ॥
lab kuthaa koorr chooharraa thag khaadhhaa muradhaar ||
Greed is a dog; falsehood is a filthy street-sweeper. Cheating is eating a rotting carcass.

2. Ang 21

ਕੂਕਰ ਕੂੜੁ ਕਮਾਈਐ ਗੁਰ ਨਿੰਦਾ ਪਚੈ ਪਚਾਨੁ ॥
kookar koorr kamaaeeai gur nindhaa pachai pachaan ||
Those who practice falsehood are dogs; those who slander the Guru shall burn in their own fire.

3. Ang 24

ਏਕੁ ਸੁਆਨੁ ਦੁਇ ਸੁਆਨੀ ਨਾਲਿ ॥
eaek suaan dhue suaanee naal ||
The dogs of greed are with me.

4. Ang 50

ਜਿਉ ਕੂਕਰੁ ਹਰਕਾਇਆ ਧਾਵੈ ਦਹ ਦਿਸ ਜਾਇ ॥
jio kookar harakaaeiaa dhhaavai dheh dhis jaae ||
Like the mad dog running around in all directions,

5. Ang 136

ਕਾਮਿ ਕਰੋਧਿ ਨ ਮੋਹੀਐ ਬਿਨਸੈ ਲੋਭੁ ਸੁਆਨੁ ॥
kaam karodhh n moheeai binasai lobh suaan ||
Sexual desire and anger shall not seduce you, and the dog of greed shall depart.

6. Ang 145

ਕੁਤੇ ਚੰਦਨੁ ਲਾਈਐ ਭੀ ਸੋ ਕੁਤੀ ਧਾਤੁ ॥
kuthae chandhan laaeeai bhee so kuthee dhhaath ||
You may apply sandalwood oil to a dog, but he will still be a dog.

7. Ang 190

ਜਿਨਿ ਦੀਏ ਤਿਸਹਿ ਨ ਜਾਨਹਿ ਸੁਆਨ ॥੩॥
​

jin dheeeae thisehi n jaanehi suaan ||3||
But the dog does not know the One who has bestowed these. ||3||

The stray dogs that wander the streets of cities in India have suffered terribly -- at times the government taking pity and at other times permitting mass killings. Recently I read about a pack of strays who killed a sambar that wandered into a village, and they were dealt with harshly. The dog symbolizes Greed, and no wonder, he cannot ever get enough to eat.

Modern Punjabi
sg, suAwn, ku`qw
n. kutta. M; kutti. F; 1. Mad dog. Halka. M; halkaya. M; 2. A small dog. Khanda. M; katura. M; gular. M;

But there is another face for dogs in India. If you google "German Shepherds India" page after page of breeders, kennels, and veterinarians specializing in these wonderful dogs will surface. The German Shepherd is very popular. And a German Shepherd from the Punjab won the All India German Shepherd competition in 2007.

Police departments have begun canine brigades. And the Patiala police department has an entire web site devoted to the care and training of German Shepherd for police work.

These German Shepherds are members of the Calcutta police department. You can also see some Labrador Retrievers on parade.

 

[spnadmin]

These German Shepherds are in training with the newly formed Patiala Canine Unit.

That was big. What about small? Little dogs are also popular; for example, the Lhasa Apso, Gumpo or temple dogs of Tibet.

This Lhasa Apso "Sam" is a champion and was bred in a very famous kennel in Northern India.

 

[spnadmin]

Sangat ji

This has happened before. The pictures disappear. The mugger disappeared from one of my posts. And the blue ox disappeared from a post by Dalsingh jii. Why? I do not know. The pictures are in the public domain, so it is not a matter of copyright violation. I will put them back in. If they disappear again, then another strategy will be needed.