sāvaṇi saras manā ghaṇ varsahi ruti āe.
mai mani tani sahu bhāvai pir pardesi sidhāe.
piru ghari nahī āvai marīai hāvai dāmani camaki ḍarāe.
sej ikelī kharī duhelī maraṇu bhaïā dukhu māe.
hari binu nīd bhūkh kahu kaisī kāpaṛu tani na sukhāvae.
nānak sā sohāgaṇi kantī pir kai aṅki samāvae.9.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1108
‘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 ninth stanza, we enter the monsoon season, in the month of Savan (mid-July to mid-August). This is a time that is celebrated in Indic music and folklore. This is a time of great relief, especially for agrarian societies that spend the two preceding months of summer working in the heat. The rainy season has come, the dense rain has come, everyone feels good, there is an emphasis on beautification, especially among the young women. All people decorate themselves in various adornments to celebrate. The girlfriends get together under the mango trees, they sit and talk, swing on the trees, and relax. The whole atmosphere is of celebration. But, the seeker sees all of this and wonders, what about in my mind? If in this month, the external season is all about celebration and feeling good, but I am not feeling that way inside, what is the point?
As the writers, singers, and poets witness the natural beauty this month, they are inspired by new ideas, new poems, and new songs. Similarly, the seeker is inspired by the external environment with new ideas regarding what they can do about their love.
When the outside environment is good, the internal reflection happens at a deeper level. The seeker thinks to themselves; I am witnessing this season, I am adorning myself, I am watching those around me in great joy, the environment is so beautiful that we celebrate. I can have all of the right knowledge and music and adornment, and I can have the right people all around me, but unless the love enters me, it all feels like a waste. I have a human body that experiences this joy! I have the right people to help facilitate this feeling! But if the Spouse is not entering my home or coming to my bed, this life feels tasteless, flavorless. Something is missing. If You are not with me, this is all a waste. Even the flowers on the bed feel like thorns, it is raining outside, but there is not even a drop of rain within my mind.
At some point, the one who has beautified themselves for their beloved, who has adorned themselves to attract their beloved who does not get that relationship, will feel defeated. Similarly, the seeker witnessing this delightful season and how everyone around them is feeling good realizes that if their beautification is in the absence of connection or intimacy, it is all a waste.
What can one do to come out of this condition, where they do not feel sleep or hunger, where dying and pain feel the same because they are alone on the bed? We can come out of this state by becoming the suhagan, or the connected seeker — the one who is embraced by the Spouse. The ones whose spouses have come home know that it is not that simple. The physical presence is not the only thing we are after. If our relationship is not one of deep connection, we can miss even those who are sitting right next to us. Physically the spouse might be present, but has the spouse come home to our minds? Is there a presence there?
The connected seeker is the one who is in the embrace of the Spouse — by being part of the presence. Interestingly, Guru Nanak does not give any clear direction on what the seeker must do because, in this stanza, the seeker is reflecting. The seeker is the one who says; I do not want to be alone on this bed. This is my condition. How can I sleep or feel hunger? How can these clothes be good for me? All of these things I have tried to do to become the connected seeker are worthless without You. I have been trying to become beautiful for You, but I have not been embraced. You have not come into my mind. This separation is like death to me.
Are we just performing intimacy with the Spouse? Do we go through the motions thinking that the external displays we put on are indicative of a deeper internal intimacy? Do we use those external things as a way to avoid reflecting on our relationships with the Spouse? Do we understand, as the seeker does, that these things alone do not create internal happiness? That whether or not intimacy will eventually happen rests with the seeker and the Spouse alone?
As the writers, singers, and poets witness the natural beauty this month, they are inspired by new ideas, new poems, and new songs. Similarly, the seeker is inspired by the external environment with new ideas regarding what they can do about their love.
When the outside environment is good, the internal reflection happens at a deeper level. The seeker thinks to themselves; I am witnessing this season, I am adorning myself, I am watching those around me in great joy, the environment is so beautiful that we celebrate. I can have all of the right knowledge and music and adornment, and I can have the right people all around me, but unless the love enters me, it all feels like a waste. I have a human body that experiences this joy! I have the right people to help facilitate this feeling! But if the Spouse is not entering my home or coming to my bed, this life feels tasteless, flavorless. Something is missing. If You are not with me, this is all a waste. Even the flowers on the bed feel like thorns, it is raining outside, but there is not even a drop of rain within my mind.
At some point, the one who has beautified themselves for their beloved, who has adorned themselves to attract their beloved who does not get that relationship, will feel defeated. Similarly, the seeker witnessing this delightful season and how everyone around them is feeling good realizes that if their beautification is in the absence of connection or intimacy, it is all a waste.
What can one do to come out of this condition, where they do not feel sleep or hunger, where dying and pain feel the same because they are alone on the bed? We can come out of this state by becoming the suhagan, or the connected seeker — the one who is embraced by the Spouse. The ones whose spouses have come home know that it is not that simple. The physical presence is not the only thing we are after. If our relationship is not one of deep connection, we can miss even those who are sitting right next to us. Physically the spouse might be present, but has the spouse come home to our minds? Is there a presence there?
The connected seeker is the one who is in the embrace of the Spouse — by being part of the presence. Interestingly, Guru Nanak does not give any clear direction on what the seeker must do because, in this stanza, the seeker is reflecting. The seeker is the one who says; I do not want to be alone on this bed. This is my condition. How can I sleep or feel hunger? How can these clothes be good for me? All of these things I have tried to do to become the connected seeker are worthless without You. I have been trying to become beautiful for You, but I have not been embraced. You have not come into my mind. This separation is like death to me.
Are we just performing intimacy with the Spouse? Do we go through the motions thinking that the external displays we put on are indicative of a deeper internal intimacy? Do we use those external things as a way to avoid reflecting on our relationships with the Spouse? Do we understand, as the seeker does, that these things alone do not create internal happiness? That whether or not intimacy will eventually happen rests with the seeker and the Spouse alone?
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