vaisākhu bhalā sākhā ves kare.
dhan dekhai hari duāri āvahu daïā kare.
ghari āu piāre dutar tāre tudhu binu aḍhu na molo.
kīmati kaüṇ kare tudhu bhāvāṁ dekhi dikhāvai ḍholo.
dūri na jānā antari mānā hari kā mahalu pachānā.
nānak vaisākhīṁ prabhu pāvai surati sabadi manu mānā.6.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1108
‘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
The sixth stanza continues with the season of spring, in the month of Vaisakh (mid-April to mid-May). One could imagine the name Vaisakh as symbolizing a more extensive idea about the branch (‘sakh’). That human beings are branches of the same tree, that a new form of the branch comes out at this time of year, that the branch was never dead but only dormant. That things grow and blossom in their time. That we are continuously evolving as nature evolves, taking on our beautiful forms.
Vaisakh is a time of year that is externally very “auspicious.” It is a post-harvest time; when people celebrate having survived a dangerous season and having reaped the benefits of their hard work. They gather for harvest festivals, they sing, they dance, they buy new clothes, and they adorn themselves in celebration. People enjoy the newness of the season, the new fragrances all around them as the vegetation changes, and the possibilities of new relationships that are beyond work and transaction. Each person is looking for their dhola, their beloved. Seeing this celebratory and joyous mood all around, the seeker longs for the Spouse and pleads, saying, have compassion, come into my home-heart. Take me across the difficult world-ocean. Without You, my worth is not even half a penny. If the Spouse were to come into the seeker’s home-heart, the seeker would be able to survive this dangerous world in the same way that they survived the dangerous season. Just as the harvest from the previous months would have no value if it were not good, the seeker has no value without the Beloved. If the Spouse finds the seeker endearing, then the seeker becomes invaluable. That relationship of intimacy between them is the most valuable thing. This dhola, this Beloved, is the one the seeker is longing for.
The seeker says to the Spouse; I know you are not far from me. I know you are within me, but can I actually recognize that on an emotional and experiential level? If I can feel that, then my mind will be satiated. The seeker who knows the Spouse is not far, who believes and feels the Spouse is dwelling within, will be united with the Spouse. This happens if the mind consciously immerses in the Wisdom and accepts the Wisdom within it. If that seeker who feels like a dry branch sees the possibility of being revived in this new season of new fragrances and new possibilities, if that seeker looks around at the things becoming green and understands that they can also become green, then this time of year also becomes good. That same fragrance and blossoming all around can happen within.
Vaisakh is a time of year that is externally very “auspicious.” It is a post-harvest time; when people celebrate having survived a dangerous season and having reaped the benefits of their hard work. They gather for harvest festivals, they sing, they dance, they buy new clothes, and they adorn themselves in celebration. People enjoy the newness of the season, the new fragrances all around them as the vegetation changes, and the possibilities of new relationships that are beyond work and transaction. Each person is looking for their dhola, their beloved. Seeing this celebratory and joyous mood all around, the seeker longs for the Spouse and pleads, saying, have compassion, come into my home-heart. Take me across the difficult world-ocean. Without You, my worth is not even half a penny. If the Spouse were to come into the seeker’s home-heart, the seeker would be able to survive this dangerous world in the same way that they survived the dangerous season. Just as the harvest from the previous months would have no value if it were not good, the seeker has no value without the Beloved. If the Spouse finds the seeker endearing, then the seeker becomes invaluable. That relationship of intimacy between them is the most valuable thing. This dhola, this Beloved, is the one the seeker is longing for.
The seeker says to the Spouse; I know you are not far from me. I know you are within me, but can I actually recognize that on an emotional and experiential level? If I can feel that, then my mind will be satiated. The seeker who knows the Spouse is not far, who believes and feels the Spouse is dwelling within, will be united with the Spouse. This happens if the mind consciously immerses in the Wisdom and accepts the Wisdom within it. If that seeker who feels like a dry branch sees the possibility of being revived in this new season of new fragrances and new possibilities, if that seeker looks around at the things becoming green and understands that they can also become green, then this time of year also becomes good. That same fragrance and blossoming all around can happen within.
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