03/05/2025
the word of the week is ਲੁਣਨਾ, meaning to cut or reap/harvest.🔪🌾
in Gurbani, the Grim Reaper (ਲਾਵੀ, lavi) is used to illustrate the last stage of life. this shabad is especially rife with metaphors, as it describes the soul as a wandering merchant seeking to trade spiritual wisdom (ਗਿਆਨ). the human lifetime is compared to the night and often described as a ਰੈਣ ਬਸੇਰਾ, or temporary night’s lodging. as merchants would travel in the day, stop for the night, and pick up again at daybreak, so does the soul enter one’s body and leave upon completing life. 🤸🏽♂️
in the last stage of life, one grows old and death is near. no one knows when one will die or where they’ll go once they pass. one’s family and friends may mourn, but this is considered “false weeping” as it is rooted in emotional attachment. in a swift moment, one becomes completely estranged from life and the Reaper harvests our soul. 🌱
