*Reader, Deptt of Guru Nanak Studies, GND University, Amritsar-143005.

The main theme of Barahmaha Tukhari is centered round the mystical aspect, i.e. the yearning of the human soul to attain union with God. The individual soul (jivatma) is portrayed as the woman and the Lord as the Divine Spouse. The varying moods of the individual soul suffering in separation and yearning for joyous union with God are illustrate in accordance with the changing seasons of twelve months. But to attain the mystical union with God, the prerequisite is to lead a life of ethical purity. The imperative need is to transform oneself in spiritual terms by breaking the wall of falsehood and by living purified life through cultivation of moral values.

To study the moral dynamics of Barahmaha Tukhari, this paper analyses, first, the individual soul’s feeling of alienation; second, the causes of alienation from God; third, the way to self-transcendence and communion with God; and fourth, the moral dimension of the all-pervasive Divine Will.

Human life in this mundane world is meaningless without realizing its Divine essence. Man remains involved in the worldly maya which, no doubt, is creation of God Himself, but the tragedy of man is that he forgets the Creator-God. This obliviousness of the divine source alienates man from God and become the main cause of his deep anguish and suffering, leading to duality, where he finds no support from anywhere:

"Man, in this phenomenal world, may accumulate all worldly possessions and he may relish in their enjoyment, but all this is transitory. The alienation from the original source makes life painful and unpleasant. Though the outward natural atmosphere and the singing of Koel appear pleasant yet these instances merely enhance the anguish of the deserted individual soul:"

"The flashes of lightening a appear terrifying and the physical comforts like sleep, hunger and clothes become useless and cause of pain for the deserted soul, which feels meek and powerless and finds no comfort in her own mansion."

This type of alienation of the individual soul may be depicted as spiritual death of the soul while the physical body is alive, but it is hard to live by dying in a spiritual way. However, the root cause of this suffering lies in living away from God and being immersed in the illusion of maya. The highest good lies in the attainment of God, while the highest misery lies in alienation from God. This suffering is synonymous with existence itself and it results from the tension between time and eternity. The process of existence, in moral term, is explained as an unending process of suffering due to man’s separation from God. The other type of sufferings may arise due to man’s mental conditions and are secondary to this spiritual alienation.

The question arises : why does man feel himself alienated from God? God is portrayed as All-Pervasive, Omni-present, Omniscient and Immanent, though in an ethereal way. So what causes the individual soul’s separation from God?

In the Barahmaha Tukhari, many significant ethical issues are taken to depict man’s condition of alienation. The present life of man is an admixture of joy and suffering and this joy and suffering of each man is in accordance with his previous deeds, i.e. deeds done in the previous lives. The inevitability of retribution for action is, explained ‘as you sow, so shall you reap’ meaning thereby that no word, thought or deed goes unnoticed and unrewarded. Hence both Karma and rebirth are closely related with the moral life of man and throw light on the significance of life in the mundane world, which is a continuation of endless lives and makes a picture of spiritual continuity and growth. Kirat, or accumulated effect of deeds, serves as the cause, or an individual act which initiates action as the effect - or result. So the ‘inexorable writ of karma’ indicates that the deeds (Kirat) that we have done in the past (poorab) have become our karma (destiny) which cannot be erased and would ultimately lead to pleasure or pain.

Nevertheless, there should be no complaint or grudge for whatever is given by God is for the betterment of the individual soul. In fact, man receives whatever he has given himself. This retribution for action is defined in terms of coming near God or going away from God. As a reward of one’s own accumulated deeds, one gets enlightenment, and the lamp of life lightens in spiritual equipoise by deep acquaintance with God. So the divine writ is in accordance with our own Karmas and it is through Divine Grace that man is so blessed that he receives the deserts of his deeds in a just way. The judgement of deeds is in God’s hands. He is Omniscient and one cannot conceal any deed from Him, howsoever one may try to do in secrecy. Whatever man has done in the past is inscribed as writ on his forehead.

This retribution for actions, in moral terms, is referred to as virtuous or vicious. He who practices good deeds is known as virtuous and he who commits sin is known as sinner. The evils, or demerits, bring suffering and burn the heart like the heat of Jeth month. The blissful state is possible only by imbibing to truth. Those whose mind constantly remembers God, ever remain with the Divine Source. Being lost in the illusion of worldly allurements, man suffers pain and repents forever for his state of alienation. The bondage of worldly attachment leads to falsehood and creates duality in mind. This delusion alienates man from the Divine Being and he suffers physical and mental deterioration. If man is overpowered by his demerits, it means that he is spiritually dead, but if he eliminates his demerits by cultivation of virtues or merits, that is real death, or dying to live. The life of man without the remembrance of God becomes self-centred and aloof like the dry grass whose sap is frozen due to heavy frost in the month of Pokh. (Nov.-Dec. in Northern hemirphese).

"Such self-centred person, due to his separate identity, wanders in duality and illusion. He may perform various religious ceremonies and rituals but is always away from the Divine essence. Only after surrendering his ego- or dying to live, he can get rid of the illusion of duality, and can find comfort in the innermost self being decked by the Divine Love. Man is bestowed with such nature that he can enlarge himself or restrict his capacity for receiving Divine Grace. Man’s attempt to transcendence gives meaning to his life. The egoistic nature of man is a step towards man’s defiance of the Divine Will because he tries to take credit for what happens in Divine Will. This defiance causes the soul’s duality from the Supreme Being, and man’s failure to raise himself above the level of animal instinct. In its subtle form, ego appears in the performance of multifarious religious ceremonies which determine man’s attitude of stability to certain commitments leading to self-assertion and replacing his faith in inner self by reliance on worldly possessions and aspirations. The transcendence of egoistic personality is possible by losing oneself, in a higher goal than oneself or by transforming one’s ego-centric pattern to a God-centred pattern, and by living and acting in the world as an instrument of God.

Now, the question arises, how can man transcend his lower instinctive and self-centred nature to make his life pure and to attain communion with God. In Barahmaha Tukhari, it is stated that self-transcendence is possible by keeping constantly the Divine Name in our mind and this is the supreme righteous action and worship of God. God is immanent and all-pervasive and also resides within the innermost self of man, but man can recognize Him only by regulation of his senses. Body or the physical constituent is not discarded, rather it serves as an instrument to realise the Divine spirit and, in other words, the Divine Spirit manifests itself through the human body. This body is referred to as a house, with nine doors, indicating sense organs, and only after closing the nine doors, i.e. withdrawing the senses from the external objects, from the sensual pleasures and from indulgence in desires, one can have entrance to the innermost Self which is considered as the residing place of God. Even at the climax of mystical experience of communion with God, the purity of this constituent or body is maintained by absorbing all the physical faculties in God and by rendering every breath of life in Divine worship. This experience of deep insight, joy and equanimity of mind comes through Guru’s word.

In Barahmaha Tukhari, the main emphasis is on the inner purity of body and mind which lies in the worship of God. Here the mention is of the prevalent practice of bathing at ‘the sixty eight pilgrimage places’ which are known as the traditionally sacred places. But this reference is made to repudiate all external paraphernalia of religion, with all its religious rites, ceremonies, sacrifices and pilgrimages, etc., because these practices enhance man’s ego and deprive him of the highest spiritual truths. The real pilgrimage place is worship of God to be realized within one’s self.

However, the moral principle in the bani is derivative of the ontological principle of One God whose manifestation in the phenomenal world is His Creator-with-Attributive aspect. This aspect reveals the divine relationship with the human person. These attributes are either names or appellations to depict the different aspects of God, and these act as motivating force for the perfection of man. It is only by the accumulation of virtues and by singing the glories of God, one can imbibe divine qualities and can become like God. This is possible only by the Grace of God. The individual soul (jivatma) endowed with merits can only cherish the words of merit to please the Immovable Lord and in this way, it becomes imbued with divine merits. It contemplates God’s Greatness being fixed in Divine love and devotion. Though God is permeating everywhere, and in one’s own being, intense devotion for God can bring one near to God to enjoy the ecstasy of divine love. In this way, the offerings of merit and intense love for God bring the state of fulfillment. With this deep love for God, man’s mind becomes stable and he attains union with God in sahaj avastha. The love of God creates bliss in mind and body and the nectar-like speech outpours spontaneously and brings grace of God through which one realizes God within the inner self.

The belief that ‘all happens according to Divine Will’ is the main emphasis in the holy composition. That individual soul (jivatma) is of good destiny who gets the approval of God. If anyone is approved by God, or is in His Divine Grace, no one can make any estimate of such person for without God, he has no value. It is in God’s Will that mind understands and knows God within his self through surat-sabad-yoga. This Divine Will is variously expressed in the Holy Scripture as hukam, ichha, bhave, razaa, bhana, etc. Here it is indispensable to understand the moral dimensions of this ontological principle. The Divine Will is understood to operate in two ways, i.e. as an external law or command and as internal self.

The nature of Divine Will is Truth, and only the truthful ones who submit to Divine Will merge in truth and are approved. The realization of Divine Will is indeed a sign of union with God, and implies a continuous volitional effort on the part of man to completely negate his separate identity and to attune himself to Divine Will. This submission - or attunement to Divine Will - has a curative effect on man because it moulds the total outlook of the individual and brings about spiritual, moral and ethical enlightenment of man. He not only realizes God but also becomes the vehicle of divine manifestation and virtues, like truth, contentment, love and mercy spring out spontaneously from him. Such person rises above the narrow limitations of time and space and to him each moment is full of Divine Vision.

To sum up, we can say that the dominating theme of Barahmaha Tukhari is to attain mystic union with God and, being unable to attain this state, the individual soul (jivatma) suffers the pangs of separation in the varying seasons of twelve months. Nevertheless to the morally evolved individual soul, each movement of varying season is blissful because it constantly exults in the Divine Union due to its virtues, self-purification and intense devotion to God.

2.. Dr. Jodh Singh, Varan Bhai Gurdas, Vol.1,Vision and Venture, Patiala, 1998.