aage naath ...

[Aditya, the Hindu Skeptic]

-----Original Message-----
From: Frank Van Den Bossche <Frank.vandenbossche at RUG.AC.BE>
>Does anyone know the literal meaning of the Hindi saying 'aage naath na
>piichhe pagahaa' rendered as 'to have neither home nor hearth' or 'to be


Naath is actually a variation of 'nath' ,  the nostrils of a bullock and 'pagha'
means the rope that is used to pull the bullock. As you know bullocks are
castrated bulls and have nostrils pierced and a rope threaded through them to
control them. The bulls called 'Saand' do not have any such restraints and serve
the only purpose to be studs and are not owned by anybody and are hard to
control.