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‘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.
tukhārī    chant    mahalā  1   bārah  māhā  
ikoaṅkār  satigur  prasādi.    
 
 suṇi    kirat  karammā   purabi  kamāiā.  
siri  siri  sukh  sahammā   dehi  su    bhalā.  
hari  racanā  terī    kiā  gati  merī   hari  binu  ghaṛī  na  jīvā.  
pria  bājhu  duhelī    koi  na  belī   gurmukhi  ammritu  pīvāṁ.  
racanā  rāci  rahe  niraṅkārī    prabh  mani  karam  sukarmā.  
nānak    panthu  nihāle  sādhan    suṇi  ātam  rāmā.1.  
-Guru  Granth  Sahib  1107
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
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The first stanza begins with a plea to IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force): You listen!

The intimacy of that address is one that sets the tone for the rest of the composition. What does that relationship look like, when we can say something like “You listen!” to the One we are longing for? Barah Maha is a composition of deep intimacy, deep trust, deep longing, and deep love for the Spouse.

Guru Nanak as the seeker (human-bride) addresses IkOankar (Divine-Husband, Spouse) with intimacy and says: However I ended up here does not matter; I am here. Whatever You have ordained is done. You did this, I did this, and now I am in pain and doubt. But everything is Yours. What do I have? I do not have a way to see what You are. Without You, I have no other friend. I want to become Wisdom (Guru) oriented. I want to bring this nectar, this sweetness. The accounts of my deeds are irrelevant. I am here now, telling You what I am going through at this moment. I am in pain. You do everything. You are showing me the way. I am seeing it — I am seeing that it can happen. But will it happen?

Guru Nanak sets the stage of the composition through the voice of the seeker, expressing a deep longing for union without getting stuck on past actions or deeds, attempting to calculate or score-keep, or take accounts to see if they are “worthy of union.” Guru Nanak presents a kind of plea that inherently challenges classically Indic ideas we may have about karam (deeds or actions, from this lifetime and previous lifetimes) being tallied up and deciding our fate.

This longing is not about the past. This is about here and now. This is not about karma. This is about Grace.
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