phalguni mani rahasī premu subhāiā.
andinu rahasu bhaïā āpu gavāiā.
man mohu cukāiā jā tisu bhāiā kari kirpā ghari āo.
bahute ves karī pir bājhahu mahlī lahā na thāo.
hār ḍor ras pāṭ piri loṛī sīgārī.
nānak meli laī guri apaṇai ghari varu pāiā nārī.16.
-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 sixteenth stanza, we come to the month of Phagan (mid-February to mid-March), a time when something is being created, but it has not yet been born yet, a time of exhilaration and excitement at what is to come. The mind is fully in love, loving that it is in love, and this state is continuous. Every day, the mind of the seeker is deeply in love because the self is lost, and greed dissolves from the mind, making room for the continuous presence of the One. This month shows us the ultimate success of the seeker, where their entire full state of existence is encompassed by being in love, being immersed in love, and loving the feeling of being in love. This is a time when the mind and the heart are in sync. In earlier months, the mind was fixated on the external environment and its fickleness as it changed month to month. Now, the mind is without doubt, without other love, and without ego. The mind is clear on what it wants, and there is no longer a battle between the heart and the mind. Now, the mind is excited and in love and radiant each day. Every day, the seeker is liked and pleased. There is no attachment or greed in the mind.
Now, the mind is able to clearly ask for the Spouse to come home because the mind is ready for that meeting. Before, the heart was asking, and the motivation was emotions and desires. Now the mind is saying, I am ready for You now, too. Without You, I have tried various outlooks in order to enter Your house, and they did not work. I tried to decorate myself, to make You want to meet me. Those who You desire enjoy the tastes of union. I am ready for You.
The Wisdom (Guru) has brought the seeker to this level, where the Spouse can come to dwell in the home-heart. The internal happiness that the seeker feels is coming out in externalizations of enjoying the tastes and the flavors that come with this kind of living. All of these flavors of life are internalized. Whereas in past months, the seeker’s internal state was affected by the external environment. This month, they have that presence and the state of being immersed in love that results in the internal shifting of the external. Usually, we perform happiness or adornment in order to try and change the relationship and the internal experiences. The seeker has shifted now so that those externalizations are no longer needed to feel that internal happiness.
The mind had to go through its own journey to accept the feelings of the heart. It went through its doubts, wanting one thing and then another, drifting and changing with the changing seasons. We all experience this in our seeking, even when we logically know and see and even feel what is important, our minds can take more time to shift to that understanding without getting in the way of the heart. The mind must remain excited and in love. This happens when we go within and start to foster a relationship with the Beloved.
Now, the mind is still and able to experience the presence of the Spouse after witnessing the physical environment change. Before, it was about witnessing the external. Earlier, the mind was witnessing the physical manifestations of various colors. Now, it is able to see the invisible and mysterious aspects within the mind, experiencing that color of love internally, continuously immersed in the bliss of being in love. Now, in the seeker’s home-heart, the Spouse lives. Everything that started in the spring season is now becoming complete, and intimately complete.
Now, the mind is able to clearly ask for the Spouse to come home because the mind is ready for that meeting. Before, the heart was asking, and the motivation was emotions and desires. Now the mind is saying, I am ready for You now, too. Without You, I have tried various outlooks in order to enter Your house, and they did not work. I tried to decorate myself, to make You want to meet me. Those who You desire enjoy the tastes of union. I am ready for You.
The Wisdom (Guru) has brought the seeker to this level, where the Spouse can come to dwell in the home-heart. The internal happiness that the seeker feels is coming out in externalizations of enjoying the tastes and the flavors that come with this kind of living. All of these flavors of life are internalized. Whereas in past months, the seeker’s internal state was affected by the external environment. This month, they have that presence and the state of being immersed in love that results in the internal shifting of the external. Usually, we perform happiness or adornment in order to try and change the relationship and the internal experiences. The seeker has shifted now so that those externalizations are no longer needed to feel that internal happiness.
The mind had to go through its own journey to accept the feelings of the heart. It went through its doubts, wanting one thing and then another, drifting and changing with the changing seasons. We all experience this in our seeking, even when we logically know and see and even feel what is important, our minds can take more time to shift to that understanding without getting in the way of the heart. The mind must remain excited and in love. This happens when we go within and start to foster a relationship with the Beloved.
Now, the mind is still and able to experience the presence of the Spouse after witnessing the physical environment change. Before, it was about witnessing the external. Earlier, the mind was witnessing the physical manifestations of various colors. Now, it is able to see the invisible and mysterious aspects within the mind, experiencing that color of love internally, continuously immersed in the bliss of being in love. Now, in the seeker’s home-heart, the Spouse lives. Everything that started in the spring season is now becoming complete, and intimately complete.
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