‘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.
bābīhā priu bole kokil bāṇīā.
sādhan sabhi ras colai aṅki samāṇīā.
hari aṅki samāṇī jā prabh bhāṇī sā sohāgaṇi nāre.
nav ghar thāpi mahal gharu ūcaü nij ghari vāsu murāre.
sabh terī tū merā pritamu nisi bāsur raṅgi rāvai.
nānak priu priu cavai babīhā kokil sabadi suhāvai.2.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1107
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the second stanza, the seeker calls out to IkOankar. In the outside environment, the seeker sees the pied cuckoo and the Indian cuckoo singing sweet songs, calling out to the Beloved. The seeker relates to this state of longing, where the cuckoos sing and sing, and sing, and present themselves in a certain way to get to that which they thirst for. This longing is what makes the season or the environment beautiful.
According to Indic folklore, the symbolism of the pied cuckoo is one of deep yearning. The belief is that the pied cuckoo asks in its language ‘where is the beloved…where is the beloved.’ It thirsts for the rains. But there is a particular raindrop, one particular drop, that the pied cuckoo seeks in its calling. It will not drink any other water, for it is only this one drop that can quench its thirst. The pied cuckoo sits patiently in the mango grove, calling out to the Beloved and inhaling the fragrance of the buds before they blossom. The seeker relating to this state of longing, this environment, and these surroundings make this season beautiful. Bearing witness to the seasons can stir up emotions that help the seeker get to that place of union. The pleasantness of the environment lies in the possibility of what will happen — in the hope of union.
In the environment all around, there is a sweetness — in the fragrance of the buds and in the sounds of bird songs. This sweetness can enter the seeker and help them experience a similar sweetness. Just as the cuckoo sitting on that mango tree sounds beautiful calling for the Beloved, so too does the seeker sitting among us, who sings the same song.
Guru Nanak speaks both from an element of lived experience and an element of narration based on observation. He is seeing these things physically in the environment around him and giving us that glimpse. But, through that glimpse of the external, he transcends the physical environment and connects it to the seeker’s internal state. That transcendence from the observed to what we can internalize is important.
Guru Nanak says, now that the seeker can internalize the feeling of hope that permeates the outside environment, the seeker who is in the lap of the Beloved looks good and is accepted. The one who is entangled in the leaves or the flowers will miss the fruit. There are those who believe that cultivating the nine sense organs (two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth/tongue, two openings for urine and excrement) is important. They focus on the physical. But that seeker who sees the fruit is the one who considers the nine sense organs to be immaterial because they have discovered the tenth thing. That tenth thing has come to be experienced — the ever-present IkOankar in their home-heart. The realization that there is no moment of separation, that there are only moments when one does not feel the presence. The seeker who has discovered this is dyed in love with IkOankar. Day and night, they enjoy the union. Their body becomes the house of all joys. The seeker looks around and sees in nature the possibility of the union they are seeking. If it can happen in nature, they think, it can happen in me as well.
