rāgu sūhī mahalā 1 chantu gharu 2
ikoaṅkār satigur prasādi.
ham ghari sājan āe. sācai meli milāe.
sahaji milāe hari mani bhāe panc mile sukhu pāiā.
sāī vasatu parāpati hoī jisu setī manu lāiā.
andinu melu bhaïā manu māniā ghar mandar sohāe.
panc sabad dhuni anhad vāje ham ghari sājan āe.1.
-Guru Granth Sahib 764
During Sikh weddings, the first pauri (stanza) of this Sabad is often recited at the arrival of the groom’s wedding procession. The entire Sabad equates the joy experienced on the arrival of the wedding procession with the bliss arising from joining the company of virtuous beings. Through the grace of IkOankar (the Divine), the being has received their company and love for IkOankar. Now, the mind sings joyous praises of IkOankar and is drenched in the Nam of IkOankar. The cycle of birth and death has also ceased.
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
Suhi is a rag (musical mode) of enthusiasm. It is associated with deep love and devotion and evokes reverential adoration. This rag creates a mood of love beyond romance — a longing to experience it and a delight in doing so. Just as wedding ceremonies are passed through generations and are considered relatively ‘old,’ Suhi is one of the oldest rags. Deep love and devotion are among the oldest things we have tapped into and expressed. This old and deep love has always existed, but it is presented differently by different cultures. The idea of a love beyond time is deeply emotional, and these compositions are also deeply emotional.
In the first stanza of this composition, Guru Arjan says excitedly, Noble beings have entered my home. The Eternal has caused us to meet. In the physical and worldly wedding ceremony, the tradition is for the bride’s side to sing this composition as they welcome the groom’s side. Are we singing a generic welcome, or is there more to this? Can we really say in the worldly ceremony that we are being joined by the virtuous beings who help us connect with the Divine Groom, IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One)? The seeker is joined by the virtuous beings because the Eternal has caused it to happen. The Eternal has caused this to happen naturally and effortlessly. This is the Grace of the One! In the company of the noble and the virtuous beings, IkOankar becomes endearing to the mind of the seeker. IkOankar becomes beloved by the seeker. In their exalted company, the seeker finds happiness. Love for IkOankar wells up within, and all comforts are felt. When we join with the virtuous beings, we find a community we can confide in and lean on. These are our loved ones, and they guide us in welcoming the ultimate Beloved into our homes. They help us prepare; they help us cultivate ourselves within, and they help us soften and experience the comfort and deep love for the One.
In this company, in this community, that thing that our minds are longing for can be obtained. Are we clear on what we are longing for as human-brides, as seekers? That which the seeker longs for is Nam, or Identification with IkOankar. When we have the company of the virtuous ones, the companionship of those who have shown their behaviors are virtuous, we experience Identification with the One. Being in their company is constant, daily. Union with the One happens day and night, continuously. This love is ever-fresh, ever-new, and ever-exciting. The stubborn mind is convinced; it exists in a state of acceptance and contentment. We are softened to this relationship with IkOankar and softened to devotion. The heart and the home become beautiful and pleasant. All parts of us — the mind, body, and heart — bloom. We might go through the fluctuations of union, longing, and separation in worldly relationships. In this relationship, union happens every day. The seeker meets the Divine daily, and their mind, body, and heart are in it, perpetually blooming and expanding in love. It is in this constant and new experience of union that we are able to hear the five sounds of the five instruments: stringed instruments, leather-mounted instruments, metal instruments, earthen instruments, and wind instruments. These five sounds are the unstruck melodies, and they are resounding within. The music of the spiritual sphere plays without being struck, without effort. This is the music we can listen to after we quieten the noise all around us and listen closely to the sounds being played in nature all on their own. It is a musical manifestation of spiritual bliss that the ears cannot hear. It can only be experienced. It is the noble friends who facilitate this — the ones who help us grasp the thing we have longed for, the ones who can help us through our longing and facilitate us towards its ending, the ones who understand and experience this relationship. These are the noble friends who are already fulfilled in their relationship with IkOankar, who have transcended their longing. Will our minds be convinced? Will we experience this ever-new and ever-fresh love? Will we hear the unstruck melodies resounding?
In the first stanza of this composition, Guru Arjan says excitedly, Noble beings have entered my home. The Eternal has caused us to meet. In the physical and worldly wedding ceremony, the tradition is for the bride’s side to sing this composition as they welcome the groom’s side. Are we singing a generic welcome, or is there more to this? Can we really say in the worldly ceremony that we are being joined by the virtuous beings who help us connect with the Divine Groom, IkOankar (One Universal Integrative Force, 1Force, the One)? The seeker is joined by the virtuous beings because the Eternal has caused it to happen. The Eternal has caused this to happen naturally and effortlessly. This is the Grace of the One! In the company of the noble and the virtuous beings, IkOankar becomes endearing to the mind of the seeker. IkOankar becomes beloved by the seeker. In their exalted company, the seeker finds happiness. Love for IkOankar wells up within, and all comforts are felt. When we join with the virtuous beings, we find a community we can confide in and lean on. These are our loved ones, and they guide us in welcoming the ultimate Beloved into our homes. They help us prepare; they help us cultivate ourselves within, and they help us soften and experience the comfort and deep love for the One.
In this company, in this community, that thing that our minds are longing for can be obtained. Are we clear on what we are longing for as human-brides, as seekers? That which the seeker longs for is Nam, or Identification with IkOankar. When we have the company of the virtuous ones, the companionship of those who have shown their behaviors are virtuous, we experience Identification with the One. Being in their company is constant, daily. Union with the One happens day and night, continuously. This love is ever-fresh, ever-new, and ever-exciting. The stubborn mind is convinced; it exists in a state of acceptance and contentment. We are softened to this relationship with IkOankar and softened to devotion. The heart and the home become beautiful and pleasant. All parts of us — the mind, body, and heart — bloom. We might go through the fluctuations of union, longing, and separation in worldly relationships. In this relationship, union happens every day. The seeker meets the Divine daily, and their mind, body, and heart are in it, perpetually blooming and expanding in love. It is in this constant and new experience of union that we are able to hear the five sounds of the five instruments: stringed instruments, leather-mounted instruments, metal instruments, earthen instruments, and wind instruments. These five sounds are the unstruck melodies, and they are resounding within. The music of the spiritual sphere plays without being struck, without effort. This is the music we can listen to after we quieten the noise all around us and listen closely to the sounds being played in nature all on their own. It is a musical manifestation of spiritual bliss that the ears cannot hear. It can only be experienced. It is the noble friends who facilitate this — the ones who help us grasp the thing we have longed for, the ones who can help us through our longing and facilitate us towards its ending, the ones who understand and experience this relationship. These are the noble friends who are already fulfilled in their relationship with IkOankar, who have transcended their longing. Will our minds be convinced? Will we experience this ever-new and ever-fresh love? Will we hear the unstruck melodies resounding?
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