- ਜਿਉ ਨਲਨੀ ਸੂਅਟਾ ਗਹਿਓ ਮਨ ਬਉਰਾ ਰੇ ਮਾਯਾ ਇਹੁ ਬਿਉਹਾਰੁ ॥ ਜੈਸਾ ਰੰਗੁ ਕਸੁੰਭ ਕਾ ਮਨ ਬਉਰਾ ਰੇ ਤਿਉ ਪਸਰਿਓ ਪਾਸਾਰੁ ॥੩॥: Jiou nalanee sooataa gahio man baouraa re maya ih biouhaar…. (sggs 336).
This is how parrots are trapped and caught (at least this is how they used to be caught in older days, May be it’s done differently these days!). People used “Nalanee” (ਨਲਨੀ), a mechanicsl device ( ਯੰਤ੍ਰ) to trap and capture parrots. It works something like this. They make a tiny wooden Dhol (ਲੱਕੜੀ ਦਾ ਇੱਕ ਨਿੱਕਾ ਜਿਹਾ ਢੋਲ), and erect it with the support of two wooden sticks, one on each side of the Dhol. This device is called “Nalanee”. In the center of “Nalanee”, some favorite grains (ਚੋਗਾ) of parrots are placed as a bait. Below the “Nalanee” is placed a vessel full of water. The balance of the “Nalanee” is kept extreme sensitive to any additional external weight (like that of a paarot). When a parrot comes to eat the grains, as soon as it sits on the “Nalanee”, the “Nalanee” tips over (ਤੋਤੇ ਦੇ ਭਾਰ ਨਾਲ ਚੱਕਰ ਉਲਟ ਜਾਂਦਾ ਹੈ, ਤੋਤਾ ਹੇਠਲੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਲਮਕ ਪੈਂਦਾ ਹੈ).
Hanging upside down on the bottom side of the “Nalanee” and same time seeing the water below, the parrot gets scared. To protect itself from falling down in the water, the parrot keeps tightly holding on to the device with its full strength. And it gets caught.
The Gurbani indicates that this is also the condition of the man. scared of old age and so many other situations of the life, the man gets caught in the snare of Maya.