Barah Maha (Mahala 5)

Guru Arjan Sahib

Delivering the message through the month of Assu (mid-September to mid-October, Guru Arjan describes the comfort found in connection. Message through the month of Assu: The joy of love has welled up within, but how may one, having gone, meet Hari? In this season, as the humidity fades and the insects disperse, the air is infused with a deep sense of pleasantness. This climate fosters an eternal seeking within the seeker, the seeker-bride, one that is unflinching and, at its peak, seeking an eternal union. The heart is filled with an overwhelming thirst for Hari, the beloved and all-pervasive One, IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). We long for the union that brings true fulfillment with the beloved One. When we are weary, emotionally drained, or need comfort, we often think of those who represent warmth and care in our lives—mothers, partners, friends, and, in this case, the One. In this condition, we can only call out to the ultimate Nurturer, the One. Still, there remains an underlying question: How do we address the separation that is not just physical but seems eternal? While the ache of physical separation is easier to understand, the longing for the nurturing One, which transcends time and space, requires a deeper understanding. Physical love may fade when people leave this world, but the love we share with the One is eternal. Once it enters the heart, it remains forever bound in an eternal union. In this journey, the being who has already experienced this union—becomes the guide. Helping us recognize true love, the kind that transcends worldly attachment, is found only in the One. This is why we humbly submit to the feet of the virtuous beings, knowing that the wisdom they impart will bring us closer to the One. Those who have tasted the sweetness of divine love remain content, for their hearts are already filled with the love of the One. Their renunciation is not of worldly things but of the self, and they ask the One to bind them to the hem of the divine robe—the symbol of the deepest, most intimate connection. Just as a child clings to the hem of their mother’s garment, so too do we wish to be forever united with the One, never to be separated again. We may wonder how we can feel comfort without the presence of Prabhu, the sovereign and protective One. Once, the bride ached to meet the beloved One, the Divine-Groom; she knows no separation, for their bond is eternal. Guru Arjan, in devotion, speaks of this union with deep love and reverence, seeking to live in the sanctuary of the One, ever guided by the Wisdom (Guru). This bride’s heart, filled with this love, finds the path to reunion, for love is the true guide on this journey. Love and comfort are echoed throughout this stanza, reminding us that true comfort is found in the eternal love of the One, a comfort that surpasses any worldly sense of pleasure or ease. While the external world may bring fleeting moments of comfort, the deepest sense of peace is found only when the bride feels the embrace of the Divine-Groom. All that remains is love, a love that binds the bride to the Divine-Groom, and through that union, the self finds its true comfort, its eternal home. And it is in this true love story that we feel the divine embrace of the beloved One, who holds us dearly and tenderly.

In a world where we often seek support and affection from those around us, perhaps we may pause to ask: Whose hem would truly give us comfort? Are we reaching for the One who promises eternal presence and love, or are we clinging to the ones who themselves have a fleeting nature?