pokhi tukhāru paṛai vaṇu triṇu rasu sokhai.
āvat kī nāhī mani tani vasahi mukhe.
mani tani ravi rahiā jagjīvanu gur sabadī raṅgu māṇī.
aṇḍaj jeraj setaj utbhuj ghaṭi ghaṭi joti samāṇī.
darsanu dehu daïāpati dāte gati pāvaü mati deho.
nānak raṅgi ravai rasi rasīā hari siu prīti saneho.14.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1109
‘Barah Maha Tukhari’ describes the longing of a seeker to unite with their Origin, and the resulting bliss in that union. It is set against the backdrop of the occurring and changing natural conditions of the twelve months of the Indic and Panjabi calendar. Out of seventeen stanzas, the first four stanzas of the composition shed light on its theme. Stanzas five to sixteen sequentially outline the Guru’s teachings through the twelve months of the year. In the last stanza, the theme is concluded by providing the essence of the entire verse.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the fourteenth stanza, we come to the extreme winter month, Poh (mid-December to mid-January). The condition outside is harsh and hardened. Whatever was green around us is all dried out now, frozen and unable to grow. In this month, it is also like the external natural surroundings have collectively paused. Because of this, the seeker looks around at nature and asks themselves, is this external pausing going to cause a pause for me within? Is this going to create a pause within my love? All the things which I was enjoying — whether through the Word or the colors or the vegetation and life forms — they have stopped for a while. Is the messaging coming from the Beloved going to stop for me now because the external messaging is paused?
The days are shorter; we get up later; the darkness falls earlier; we feel lethargic and lazy. The seeker wonders if they can get rid of this new laziness within if they see a glimpse of the Beloved. They say, maybe You will be in my mind and body and mouth — maybe Your remembrance will be on the tip of my tongue.
The seeker knows that there are four forms of life-origination, and the Beloved pervades them. The seeker also knows that with the changing of the seasons, nature takes its different forms. There is a recognition here that the Beloved is in all forms and is always present, that even in this long and harsh pause, the external environment is not dead, and neither is the seeker’s internal environment. But this extreme winter cannot harden the seeker. It will not harden the seeker because they are in remembrance. For the seeker, the internal pause can be overcome by enjoying the Love from the Word of the Wisdom (Sabad Guru). The seeker is not looking for the Beloved externally but asks the Beloved, can You reveal Yourself within me so that I can feel that warmth? So I can meet You within, through this love?
The harshness of this season does not affect the seeker as much anymore. Remembrance is in the mind, in the body, and on the tongue. The seeker is enjoying this through the Word of Wisdom. The one who has reached that point, who is continuously enjoying the Love, tastes the Love and remains with the One in Love. That seeker remains in Love because they are enjoying the flavors of living in remembrance of the Love. They are engrossed in the Love itself and savoring every moment of it.
The days are shorter; we get up later; the darkness falls earlier; we feel lethargic and lazy. The seeker wonders if they can get rid of this new laziness within if they see a glimpse of the Beloved. They say, maybe You will be in my mind and body and mouth — maybe Your remembrance will be on the tip of my tongue.
The seeker knows that there are four forms of life-origination, and the Beloved pervades them. The seeker also knows that with the changing of the seasons, nature takes its different forms. There is a recognition here that the Beloved is in all forms and is always present, that even in this long and harsh pause, the external environment is not dead, and neither is the seeker’s internal environment. But this extreme winter cannot harden the seeker. It will not harden the seeker because they are in remembrance. For the seeker, the internal pause can be overcome by enjoying the Love from the Word of the Wisdom (Sabad Guru). The seeker is not looking for the Beloved externally but asks the Beloved, can You reveal Yourself within me so that I can feel that warmth? So I can meet You within, through this love?
The harshness of this season does not affect the seeker as much anymore. Remembrance is in the mind, in the body, and on the tongue. The seeker is enjoying this through the Word of Wisdom. The one who has reached that point, who is continuously enjoying the Love, tastes the Love and remains with the One in Love. That seeker remains in Love because they are enjoying the flavors of living in remembrance of the Love. They are engrossed in the Love itself and savoring every moment of it.
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