Birhare

Separation or the pain of separation is referred to as ‘birha.’ In literary context, the poetic form in which the pain of separation is expressed is referred to as ‘birhare.’ Although separation is described in other poetic forms as well, in ‘birhare’ the theme of separation is central.

Some scholars, such as Sukhdev Madpuri, categorize birhare as a form of extended folk song. According to him, birhare are folk songs that express the misfortune of Panjabi women—songs that narrate the tale of a Panjabi woman’s suffering in deeply emotional and poignant language. In earlier times, men had to travel far away for trade or work, often being away from home for years. Left behind, their wives bore the pain of separation, enduring a double burden. On the one hand, they were not allowed to visit their parental homes for years, and on the other, there was often no one in their in-laws’ house with whom they could share their grief or find emotional relief. Through these songs, they remembered their husband and their parental families. For example, in this song, a separated woman recalls her mother while grinding at the millstone, expressing her pain in grief-filled words:
pīh pīh ve maiṁ bhardī parātāṁ
āpaṇīāṁ māvāṁ bājhōṁ
ve koī puchdā nā bātāṁ
akkhīāṁ jal bhar āīāṁ nī māe
akkhīāṁ ḍul ḍul paiṁdīāṁ nī māe
ik rāt ve hanherī
dūjā des ve parāiā.
(Grinding and grinding, I fill the platters,With no mothers of my own,
There’s no one to ask me how I am.
My eyes well up with tears, O mother,
My tears flow and fall, O mother,
One grief is the darkness of night,
The other—that the land is foreign.)

It is possible that, along with other folk-poetic forms related to separation (such as barahmaha and alahuniya), the tradition of birhare also existed in Panjabi folk literature. Perhaps for this reason, Guru Arjan Sahib revealed three Sabads under the title Birhare.

The cry of separation can also be heard in medieval Panjabi Sufi poetry and epic romance (qissa kav) literature. Sufi poets made separation a central theme of their poetry. Farid Ji referred to separation as a sultan (king) in his saloks. The theme of separation is present in both his compositions included in the Guru Granth Sahib and his other writings. The protagonists of Panjabi epic romances, such as Hir-Ranjha, Sohni-Mahiwal, and Sassi-Punnu, are all characters who endure separation. One can find a striking example of the agony of separation in ‘Saiful Maluk’ written by Mian Muhammad Bakhsh:
vichaṛ giā mere dil dā jānī te maiṁ kakkhāṁ vāṁgar rul gaī.
phulāṁ nāloṁ merī nāzak jindaṛī jihṛī vic kanḍiāṁ de tul gaī.
gam sajjaṇāṁ de mār mukāiā te maiṁ athrū baṇ ke ḍul gaī.
ik māhīā terī yād nā bhuldī bākī har shaia jag dī bhul gaī.
(The beloved life of my heart has parted from me, and I am lost like a worthless being.
My delicate being, softer than flowers, is bundled with thorns.
The grief of separation from the beloved has destroyed me, and I spilled, having become tears.
O my beloved, I can’t forget your memory, everything else in this world has been forgotten.)

It is worth noting here that although medieval literature is filled with the theme of separation, compositions under the specific title ‘birhare’ are found only in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Some modern Panjabi poets have also used the word birhara or birhare in the titles of their poems or poetry collections. For example, Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s collection ‘Birha Tu Sultan,’ his poem ‘Main Tera Birhara’ from the collection ‘Arti,’ Santokh Singh Dhir’s poetry collection ‘Birhare,’ and Dr. Jaswant Singh Neki’s ‘Na Ih Git Na Birhara’ are notable instances. It is worth mentioning that the collections by Santokh Singh Dhir and Dr. Jaswant Singh Neki do not contain any individual poem titled Birhara. It is possible that the central theme of these collections is separation, which is why the word appears in the titles of these collections. This usage seems to be influenced by the birhare compositions and Farid Ji’s saloks in the Guru Granth Sahib.

Birhare Recorded in the Guru Granth Sahib
Under the title of ‘āsā mahalā 5 birhaṛe gharu 4 chantā kī jati,’ three Sabads by Guru Arjan Sahib are recorded on pages 431-432 of the Guru Granth Sahib in the form of astpadis. This title is preceded by two astpadis, of which these three are a continuation. Each of these compositions consists of eight one-line stanzas. These Sabads are:

1. pārbrahamu prabhu simrīai piāre…. bhai sāgaru pāri parāi. 8.1.3.
2. janam maraṇ dukhu kaṭīai piāre…. māte sahaji subhāi. 8.2.4.
3. sabh bidhi tum hī jānate piāre…. nānak hari sarṇāi. 8.3.22.15.2.42.

According to Bhai Vir Singh, the first two astpadis are sung along with the Sabads that are sung during the chaunki. ’

‘Gharu 4 Chanta Ki Jati’
In the title of these Sabads, the phrase ‘gharu 4 chantā kī jati’ refers to their musical rendition, indicating that they are to be sung in the melodic structure of the chants set in the fourth ghar.

The word ‘chantā’ in the title is also interpreted by scholars in relation to the chants by Guru Ramdas Sahib (from ‘hari ammrit bhinne loiṇā’ to ‘hari jugu jugu bhagat upāiā’), which are traditionally sung during the kirtan of Asa ki Var.

In the Sampradai Tika Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the word ‘jati’ is linked to the rhythm of the tabla. According to this commentary, there are three techniques of playing the tabla: gati, jati, and sath. When the fingers of the hands play mnemonic syllables and the sound produced is also soft, it is called ‘gati.’ When the right hand performs ‘gati’ and the left hand plays openly, it is known as ‘jati.’ When both hands play openly and the tone of the sound produced is also open, it is called ‘sath.’ According to this commentary, the word ‘jati’ in the above title means that these Sabads are to be sung in the rhythm of ‘jati.’

Dr. Charan Singh has also described these techniques of table (percussion) playing. However, according to him, when the word ‘kī’ is also written with ‘jati,’ it refers to ‘dharna’ (a singing style). For example, ‘birhaṛe gharu 4 chantā kī jati’ suggests that the composition is to be sung in the style of the chants. But if there is only the word ‘jati,’ it should be interpreted as the ‘jati’ technique of tabla. For instance, the word ‘jati’ in ‘bilāval mahalā 1 gharu 10 jati.’ Thus, according to Dr. Charan Singh, the word ‘jati’ in the title of these Sabads indicates that they are to be sung following the structure or style of the chants.

The gist of Birhare
These Sabads express the pain of separation of the being and their yearning for union with IkOankar with deep emotional intensity. The repeated use of the word ‘piāre’ (beloved) evokes a sense of heartfelt longing. To transform separation into a union, emphasis is placed on renouncing material pleasures. By developing a loving connection with IkOankar, one does not experience separation.

Based on the discussion, it can be said that Birhare is a poetic form primarily centered on longing or separation, and it holds a significant place in folk poetry rooted in longing. Although the earliest reference to this poetic form is found in the Guru Granth Sahib, its link to folk tradition cannot be denied. In the Guru Granth Sahib, to formally express this poetic form, the metrical structure of an astpadi with a one-line stanza has been used. However, it can be inferred that other metrical forms may also have been employed for this purpose. Regarding the singing of these compositions, the opinion that it is to be sung in the style of chants seems more appropriate.