What Does This Pangti Mean?

[Into the Light]

http://www.sikhitothemax.com/page.asp?ShabadID=2521

jal kee bheeth pavan kaa thanbhaa rakath bundh kaa gaaraa |

The body is a wall of water, supported by the pillars of air; the egg and sperm are the mortar.

haadd maas naarraaee ko pinjar pankhee basai bichaaraa |1|

The framework is made up of bones, flesh and veins; the poor soul-bird dwells within it. ||1||

praanee kiaa maeraa kiaa thaeraa |

O mortal, what is mine, and what is yours?

jaisae tharavar pankh basaeraa |1| rehaao |

The soul is like a bird perched upon a tree. ||1||Pause||

raakhahu kandh ousaarahu neevaa |

You lay the foundation and build the walls.

saatae theen haath thaeree seevaa |2|

But in the end, three and a half cubits will be your measured space. ||2||

bankae baal paag sir ddaeree |

You make your hair beautiful, and wear a stylish turban on your head.

eihu than hoeigo bhasam kee taeree |3|

But in the end, this body shall be reduced to a pile of ashes. ||3||

oochae mandhar sundhar naaree |

Your palaces are lofty, and your brides are beautiful.

raam naam bin baajee haaree |4|

But without the Lord's Name, you shall lose the game entirely. ||4||

maeree jaath kameenee paath kameenee oushaa janam hamaaraa |

My social status is low, my ancestry is low, and my life is wretched.

thum saranaagath raajaa raam chandh kehi ravidhaas chamaaraa |5|6|

I have come to Your Sanctuary, O Luminous Lord, my King; so says Ravi Daas, the shoemaker. ||5||6||

what does Maharaj mean by 'But in the end, three and a half cubits will be your measured space'?

[Mehtab Singh]

Amazing shabad!

It is basically saying that all a human being needs at the end is 3 and a half hands worth of length to lie down, as in when he/she is a dead body. I think our height is 3 and a half times the length of our hands, so that is what Bhagat Ravidas Jee is stating here, implying that this is all we would need at the end once we are dead. The main idea of the shabad is not to get too attached to the mortal physical body. Bhagat Jee also describes its other attributes, such as what its made of and what all it composes.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Azaad]

Bhagat Ravidas ji was addressing the rulers at that time, saying you could build your grand palaces, wear beautiful turbans (signs of royalty at that time) but in the end, you'll only need "three and a half cubits" in which you'll be buried in.

[Into the Light]

I originally made the assumption that it meant that 3 and half cubits is the space needed to bury a body but then though, Bhagat he wasn't from a Muslim background.

Thanks for clearing it up both of you.

Vaheguroo

[Azaad]

I originally made the assumption that it meant that 3 and half cubits is the space needed to bury a body but then though, Bhagat he wasn't from a Muslim background.

Thanks for clearing it up both of you.

Vaheguroo

Bhagat ji were addressing the Muslim rulers of the time who bury their dead thats why they said 3 and a half cubits...

[Singh, Mahan]

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By the way

Haath (in Panjabi also called Hath) literally means a hand. It is also a unit of length that has been used in Punjab area. Even till very recently it was used as a rough measurement of length for measuring cloth, ropes, and nets etc by the farmers in the fields. It is the distance (length) from the tip of one's elbow to the tip of the middle finger of the hand . This length changes from person to person, (but is about 18 to 19 inches). Egyptians called this a Cubit. (Approximately, two Hath length makes a yard length)