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11.
Bulleh Shah was a Punjabi Sufi
poet, believed to have lived from 1680 to 1758. As is
a common practice in South Asian poetry, his poems include
a signature line which contains his name. Bulleh Shah
was settled in Kasur, now in Pakistan. His spiritual
master was Shah Inayat Qadiri of Lahore. The ancestral
village of Bulleh Shah was Uch Gilaniyan in Bahawalpur,
now a part of Pakistan, though his ancestors had migrated
from Bukhara in modern day Uzbekistan. From there his
family first shifted to Malakwal (Multan District, Pakistan)
and then to Pandoke, which is about 14 miles southeast
of Kasur, Pakistan. Bulleh's real name was Abdullah
Shah, but Bulleh was his nickname at home, and that
is the name he chose to use as a poet
His family background was religious, his father
being a highly religious person. Bulleh wrote primarily
in Punjabi, but also in the locally spoken language,
Siraiki, which is often considered a dialect of Punjabi.
His style of poetry is called Kafi, which was already
an established style with Sufis who preceded him. Several
of his songs are regarded as an integral part of the
traditional repertoire of Qawwali, the musical genre
which represents the devotional music of the Sufis.
The tomb of Bulleh Shah is in Kasur, and he is held
in reverence by all Sufis of India and Pakistan.
My stereos is the turn of time. The man who had been
refused by the mullahs to be buried after his death
in the community graveyard because of his unorthodox
views, today enjoys worldwide reverence and recognition.
The tomb of Bulleh Shah in Kasur and the area around
it is today the only place free of collective refuse,
and the privileged of the city pay handsomely to be
buried in the proximity of the man they had once rejected.
"This radical change has been possible because
people have been impressed in the course of time by
the holy way of Bulleh's life and the efficacy of his
teachings." The greatest Sufi poet of the Punjab
was Mir Bulleh Shah Qadiri Shatari.
Life of Bulleh Shah : "Because of his pure
life and high spiritual attainments, he is equally popular
among all communities. Scholars and dervishes have called
him "The Sheikh of Both the Worlds," "The
man of God," "The Knower of Spiritual Grace"
and by other equally edifying titles. Considered as
the greatest mystic poet of the Punjab, his compositions
have been regarded as "the pinnacle of Sufi literature."
His admirers compare his writings and philosophy to
those of Rumi and Shams-i-Tabriz. At present, he is
held in equally great esteem in Northern India and Pakistan.
Bulleh Shah's real name was Abdullah Shah. From Abdullah
Shah it changed to Bullah Shah or Bul1 Shah. "Out
of affection some call him Baba Bulleh Shah, Sain Bulleh
Shah and some others mar Bullah. "The 40th Knot"
gives evidence of his name. "Invoking the name
of God, now pray to Hi the Lord pervades everywhere
Abdullah exists more." There is some difference
of opinion among research scholars about the time of
his birth and death. Majority, however, believes that
he lived from 1680 1758. Even about his birthplace there
is some controversy. Some researchers hold the view
that he was born in the village Uch Gilaniyan in Bahawalpur
St (Pakistan). They believe that Bulleh Shah remained
in this village up to the age of six months, when parents
were residing here, but who shifted to village Malakwal
(Tehsil Sahiwal, Dist. Multan) for sc reason. They had
not been in Malakwal for a long time when the owner
of village Pandoke felt the need (preacher for the village
mosque. On the recommendations of the people of Malakwal,
he approached Bu Shah's father, Shah Mohammed Dervish,
took to Pandoke where he performed the duties not only
of the preacher but also of the village teacher for
children.
All
researchers agree on the point that the ancestors' village
of Bulleh Shah's parents was Uch Gilaniyan, it is from
there that they shifted first to Malakwal later to Pandoke.
However, some researchers hold view that Bulleh Shah's
birth took place after his parents had shifted to Pandoke.
Today it is known as Pandoke Bhatian. It is about 14
miles southeast of Kasur and is quite well-known. In
fact, Bulleh Shah's contribution to make it famous is
considerable. It is said that from among the ancestors
of Bulleh Shah, Sayeed Jallalluddin Bukhari came to
Multan from Surakh-Bukhara three hundred years earlier.
Here he got initiated from Hazarat Sheikh Ghaus Bahauddin
Zakriya of Multan, and here eventually he settled down.
Bulleh Shah's grandfather, Sayyiad Abdur Razzaq, descended
from the same line. Thus Bulleh Shah's family, being
of Sayyiad caste, was related to prophet Mohammed on
the one hand and on the other hand with Sufi thought
and mystic traditions, for centuries. Bulleh Shah's
father, Shah Mohammed Dervish, was well-versed in Arabic,
Persian and the holy Qura'n. He was a noble soul with
spiritual leanings. It is said that out of the whole
family, Bulleh Shah's sister had the greatest love for
him, who, like her brother, remained celibate all her
life, and spent much of her time in meditation. Both,
brother and sister, had been greatly influenced by the
high moral character of their father who, out of respect
for him, had been given the title "Dervish. "
The
tomb of Bulleh Shah's father still exists in Pandoke
Bhatian. Every year an urs is performed at the tomb
and Bulleh Shah's kafis are sung there. In this way
a tribute is paid to both, father and son, and it has
assumed the form of a tradition to perpetuate theirmemory.
Bulleh Shah's childhood was spent under the care of
his father at Pandoke. He received his early education,
like that of other children, from his father. Later,
for higher education he was sent to Kasur, which was
a well-known educational center those days. In Kasur
there were eminent teachers such as Hazarat Ghulam Murtaza
and Maulana Mohiyuddin. Their fame had spread far and
wide. Bulleh Shah too became a pupil of Hazarat Ghulam
Murtaza. With his native intelligence and moral inclination,
he gained much from his contact with his teacher. There
is a strong historical evidence to show that Bulleh
Shah was an eminent scholar of Arabic and Persian. From
his own compositions we can find many references to
Islamic thought and mystic literature. Later, when he
attained mystic realization, his erudition and learning
acquired a new significance. But Bulleh Shah had to
pass through a hard struggle before he could attain
the inner knowledge. This attainment was possible only
through his contact with his Murshid or Master, Inayat
Shah. The study of scriptures and other holy books had
only aroused his interest and curiosity about spiritual
realization. His longing for union with the Lord reached
its consummation only after he met a perfect Master
in the person of Shah Inayat Qadiri. Inayat Shah was
a well-known Qadiri Sufi of his time. From the historical
point of view the Qadiri Sufis can be traced back to
the Sufi Saint Abdul Qadri Jilani of Bagdad. Jilani
is also known by the names Pir Dastgir and Piran-i-Pir.
Bulleh Shah himself has also given a hint that his "Master
of Masters" was born in Bagdad but his own Master
belonged to Lahore:
My Master of Masters hailed from Bagdad,
but my Master belongs to the throne of Lahore.
It is all the same. For He himself is the kite
and He himself is the string.
Two
collections of Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Jilani's sermons,
al Fathal Rabbani, comprising 62 and the Futuh al-Ghaib,
containing 78 of them, are well known to Islamic readers.
In one of the sermons, he strongly denounced his contemporaries
for their materialistic way of life. In another sermon
he said, "Good and evil were two fruits emerging
from two branches of a single tree. One of the branches
yielded sweet fruit and the other bitter; it would be
wise, therefore, for people to move to areas where the
sweet fruits were to be found." Also, " A
jihad fought against self-will was, to Sheikh Abdul-Qadir
far superior to that waged with the sword. Through this
struggle the idolatory of the self and the worshi p
of created things ( the hidden shirk) could be vanquished.
Sheikh Jilani "advised his audience that seekers
of God had to be indifferent towards even the life hereafter
and to cultivate pleasure only in the thought of annihilation
and abiding poverty in this life. "4 In India the
influence of the Sufi Qadiri thought was, felt after
three centuries in 1432 through the person of Mohammed
Ghaus, a Sufi dervish. Mohammed Ghaus first settled
in Bahawalpur, but later his teachings reached far and
wide. The Sufi saint of Punjab, Mian Mir (1550-1635
A. D.) was also connected with the Qadiri tradition.
It is well-known that Guru Ram Das got the foundation
of Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar laid by Mian Mir. The
story is also current that at the time of the Mughul
emperor Jahangir's persecution of the fifth Guru, Shri
Arjun Dev, Mian Mir sought the approval of Guru Arjun
Dev to raze the town of Delhi to the ground if he so
permitted. The Guru replied that he could also do it,
but under all conditions one must live in the will of
God. It is obvious from this that there was great love
between Mian Mir and the Gurus, and that he was held
in great esteem by them. The date of birth of Inayat
Shah Qadiri (died 1728 A.D.) is not known. But, from
one of his own hand-written manuscripts, it is evident
that he was enjoying good health in 1699 A.D. He was
an eminent Sufi saint of the Qadiri tradition and is
said to be a scholarly author. He wrote a number of
Persian books on mysticism, from among which Dastur-ul-Amal,
Islah-ul-Amal, Lataif-i-Ghaibya, and Ishartul Talibin
are particularly well-known. In Dastur-ul-Amal he has
made a mention of seven spiritual stages. The ancient
Hindu rishis considered passing through these stages
as necessary for God-realization. Inayat Shah lived
in Lahore, so he was called Inayat Shah Lahori. He belonged
to the Arain caste and earned his living through agriculture
or gardening. He also lived in Kasur for some time,
but due to the animosity of the ruler of Kasur he shifted
to Lahore, where he remained till the end of his life.
His tomb is also situated near Lahore. In Bang-i-Auliya-i-Hind
we find the following reference about him:
From the tribe of gardeners was brother Shah Inayat,
He received honor from Shah Raza Wali Allah.
He earned his living in the small town of Kasur Pathana.
The ruler Husein Khan of this town was his arch enemy.
From there Inayat Shah came to the city of Lahore;
Two miles to the south of the city he made his habitation.
It is at this place that we find his tomb.
In 1141 he departed from this world.
It is said that even before coming in contact with Inayat
Shah, Bulleh Shah used to do some spiritual practice,
and had acquired certain miraculous powers. When Bulleb
Shah, the seeker, passed near the small field of Inayat
Shah, he saw fruit laden trees on both sides of the
road. Inayat Shah himself was engaged in planting onion
seedlings. It occurred to Bulleh Shah to test Inayat
Shah of his spiritual power. Invoking the name of God,
Bullah looked at the trees, and the fruit started falling
on the ground. Inayat Shah looked back and saw that
unripe fruit was falling from the trees without any
reason. He immediately realized that it was due to the
mischief played by the young man passing by. He looked
towards Bulleh Shah and said, "Well, young man,
why have you brought down the unripe fruit from the
trees?" This is what Bulleh Shah wanted, to find
an opportunity to talk to Inayat Shah. He went up to
him and said, "Sir, I neither climbed up the trees,
nor did I throw any stones at the fruit, how could I
tear it from the trees ?" Inayat Shah cast a full
glance at Bulleh Shah and said, "0, you are not
only a thief, you are also being clever! " Inayat's
glance was so penetrating that it touched Bullah's heart
and he instantly fell at his feet. Inayat Shah asked
him his name and the purpose for coming to him. Bullah
replied, "Sir, my name is Bullah and I wish to
know how I can realize God." Inayat Shah said,
"Why do you look down? Get up and look at me."
As soon as Bullah raised his head and looked at Inayat
Shah, the Master again cast at him a full glance, laden
with love, shaking him all through. He said "0
Bullah, what problem is there in finding God ? It only
needs to be uprooted from here and planted there."
This was enough for Bulleh Shah. He got what he had
wished for. Inayat Shah had poured the essence of spirituality
in these few words. He conveyed to Bulleh Shah that
the secret of spiritual progress lay in detaching one's
mind from the world outside and attaching it to God
within. In Bang-i-Auliya-i- Hindthis instance has been
describedas below: "In the city of Kasur Pathana
it happened to a man of God, a descendent of prophet
Mohammed, the grandson of Pir Jilani, that he achieved
greatness from Hazrat Shah Inayat whose tomb lies in
Lahore, south of the city. Bulleh Shah said to himelf,
"I must get my Master after testing him. I must
fully satisfy myself, I must drink water after straining
it." In his intense search for his Master he first
looked towards Lahore, then he came there and took his
residence, where the garden of Shah Inayat was situated.
There he saw a mango on a tree at that time, he looked
at it, invoked the name of God, and the mango fell on
the ground. Shah lnayat gave a call to him and said,
"Listen, you wayfarer, you have stolen my mango.
Give it back to me." Bulleh Shah replied, "I
did not climb up the tree; your mangoes are far from
my reach. It is with the wind that the mango broke from
the branch and came into my lap. Invoking the name of
God, you got the mango. You have committed a theft.
" Bulleh Shah realized the spiritual power and
knowledge of Inayat Shah. He fell at his feet, was graced
by initiation from the Master and attained the secret
knowledge." Bulleh Shah's meeting with the Master,
getting initiation from him and being deeply impressed
has been described by a scholar in these words : "Bulleh
Shah had all those virtues in him which Shah Inayat
was looking for in a disciple. He opened his inner treasure
and placed it before him. .-.He got the vision, he became
oblivious of his surroundings, and in that state of
rapture he proclaimed the gift of his inner grace in
the manner of Mansur. "Bulleh Shah started to pass
his time in a state of strange ecstasy. In the company
of his Master and with the practice of the path he had
been shown, Bulleh Shah's spiritual condition started
changing day by day. His kafi, "Whatever color
I am dyed in " makes it clear how great was the
effect of his Master on him. In it he mentions that
his inner eye had been opened, all his doubts had been
removed, and he had been blessed with the light of Realization.
Through the grace of his Master he had the vision of
the Lord within and that for him no difference existed
between his Master and the Lord. The effect of his master
was so profound that but for his Master nothing else
mattered for him. He became strangely selfless and impervious
to affairs of the world. Prof. Purn Singh has described
an interesting incidence of this phase of Bulleh Shah's
life in his book The Spirit of Oriental Poetry. One
day he saw a young girl whose husband was expected to
come home, and in whose preparation she was putting
plaits in her hair. A strange desire arose in his mind.
He also dressed himself like that woman, put the same
type of plaits in his hair, and went in this guise to
meet his Master. For the worldly people such an act
would look ridiculous, but it shows not only the great
love for his Master but also his unconcern with public
opinion and his desire to sacrifice himself for his
beloved. In the manner of true lovers he shed his mescaline
pride and assumed the form of a helpless women who renounces
her ego and surrenders herself completely to her lord.
Whatever questions or doubts Bulleh Shah had in his
mind before he met his Master, were all drowned in the
experience of inner light. When he had made up his mind
to come to Inayat Shah, people had dissuaded him from
doing so, saying, "You are a great scholar, a master
of miraculous powers and a descendent of prophet Mohammed.
Does it seem right to you to go to an ordinary gardener
of low caste and become his disciple? Is it not shameful?"
But his Master was true to his name. HE showered such
grace on Bulleh Shah that a single glance of his made
him saturated with spiritual light. In ecstatic gratitude
Bullah proclaimed: "O Bullah, if you seek the pleasure
of a garden in spring, go and become a servant of the
Arain." Bulleh Shah held the hem of his Master's
cloak so firmly that he never let it go from his hand
for the rest of his life. All of Bulleh Shah's compositions
are suffused with love and gratitude for his Master.
In this love he identified his Master with the Lord.
He has addressed Shah Inayat with such words as guide,
as one who unites people with God, besides calling him
spouse, husband, Lord, friend, and beloved.
1. He listens to my tale of woe;
Shah lnayat guides me and takes me across.
(Week)
2 a. Shah Inayat is my Master, who has come to grace
me.
All my wrangles and strife's are over.
Who can now delude me ?
(Acrostic)
b. Bullah has fallen in love with the Lord.
He has given his life and body as earnest.1. He listens
to my tale of woe;
Shah lnayat guides me and takes me across.
(Week)
2 a. Shah Inayat is my Master, who has come to grace
me.
All my wrangles and strife's are over.
Who can now delude me ?
(Acrostic)
b. Bullah has fallen in love with the Lord.
He has given his life and body as earnest.
His Lord and Master is Shah Inayat
who has captivated his heart.
(Baran Maha)
c. He pervades in everyone.
Shah lnayat himself showed it, And then alone I could
see.
(Baran Maha)
3 a. Inayat will come to my nuptial couch;
I am in great delight.
(Knot)
b. My friends have come to congratulate me.
Shah Inayat, my Lord, has fulfilled my hopes.
(Baran Maha)
c. I left my parents to take your shelter,
O my beloved King Inayat!
Now honor this bond of love,
for I am entirely in your hands.
Pray, walk into my courtyard !
(Kafi)
d. Come Love, fold me in your arms,
Why this estrangement ? Says Bullah:
Ever since I found Shah Inayat, The Lord has taken abode
in me.
(Kafi)
e. Bulleh Shah has no caste ;
He has found Shah Inayat.
(Kafi)
He calls his Master the Lord of the soul and the philosopher's
stone, which can turniron into gold.
O Bullah, my Lord Inayat knows God,
He is the Master of my heart.
I am iron, he is the philosopher's stone.
"The Master is an adept in swimming, he can take
across an inept and
helpless woman."
Bullah also calls him the one who can embellish t soul
with spiritual apparel and jewelry and transform widow
into a bride.
O Bullah, the Lord brought me to the door of Inayat,
Who embellished me with clothes green and red.
For a distinguished scholar, who belonged to the line
of prophet Mohammed, to accept an ordinary vegetable
grower as his Master was a very extraordinary event
in the social conditions of Bulleh Shah's times. It
was like an explosion which shook the prevailing social
structure. Bullah had to suffer the taunts and ridicule
not only of men of his religion, clan and caste, but
also of all members of his family. He says :
1. 0, what has love done to me?
People hurl at me taunts and rebukes.
2. For the sake of my true friend,
I have to bear the reproaches of people.
3. To admonish Bullah came his sisters and sisters-in-law,
"Why have you brought disgrace to the prophet
and to the progeny of Ali?
Listen to our advice, 0 Bullah, and leave the hem of
the Arian's skirt.
Bullah preached fearlessly that the guidance of a Master
was indispensable for spiritual realization, and the
caste of the Master did not at all matter in this pursuit.
Even if he belonged to the lowest caste, his help would
still remain indispensable. Thus, he proclaimed at the
top of his voice that pride in being a Sayyiad would
land one in hell, and the one who held the skirt of
a Master like Inayat Shah would enjoy the pleasures
of heaven.
Let anyone, who calls me a Sayyiad,
be punished with tortures of hell,
Let anyone, who calls me a Sayyiad,
be punished with tortures of hell,
An interesting incident of this period in the life of
Bulleh Shah presents a graphic picture of his ecstasy,
generosity and fearlessness of public opinion. It is
said that as a result of disgust from people's attitude,
Bulleh Shah purchased a few donkeys so that people should
ridicule him. They started calling him "The man
with donkeys." During those days, a poor man's
wife was abducted by a Muslim Chieftain. In despair,
the husband went to Bulleh Shah, and asked for his help
in recovering his beloved wife. After a few moments
spent in thought, Bulleh Shah told the man, "Go
and see, my friend, if there is any music or dance going
on somewhere near about." The man soon came back
and reported that a group of eunuchs was dancing in
the village nearby, accompanied by a band of musicians.
"That is good, " said Bulleh Shah. "Come
now and sit on one of my donkeys, and we shall both
go to watch the dance. " As soon as the saint arrived
at the dance, he joined the group and also started dancing.
He got into an ecstasy and asked the man, "Where
does the Muslim Chieftain live ?" The man told
him that he lived in a certain part of the city near
the orchard of dates and the grove of mangoes. Then
Bulleh Shah called out with directed attention :
There is a mango grove, it is said,
and an orchard of dates.
The owner of donkeys calls you,
Wake up, if you are asleep.
Sorrel is thus hulled in the mortar,
Sorrel is thus hulled, my friend!
The moment he uttered these words, the abducted woman
ran out from the nearby garden and came to Bulleh Shah.
Bulleh Shah stopped dancing and called to the husband,
"Here is your beloved wife, brother! Take her home
and guard her well." Then once more wrapped in
ecstasy, he continued to dance to the bewitching music.
The gossips lost no time in going to Bulleh Shah's father,
an orthodox Muslim, and told him all that had happened.
Not only was his son now hiring out donkeys, but he
had also started to dance with the eunuchs. Greatly
distressed and enraged, the saint's father, with a rosary
in one hand and a staff in the other, hastened to the
place where his son was dancing. " Ah! it is you,
father" said Bulleh Shah as he heard his name called.
He looked at his father intently and began to sing :
People have only chaplets but my father has a rosary.
The whole of his life he has toiled hard,
But has not been able to uproot a single hair.
Sorrel is thus hulled in the mortar .
Sorrel is thus hulled, my friend !
As the son, filled with spiritual ardor, gazed at his
father, the inner eye of the father was opened and he
had a divine vision. With a serene and radiant smile
on his face, .he joined his son in the ecstatic dancing
and singing, and as he danced, he sang over and over
again :
Blessed are the parents whose sons
are dyed in such divine color !
They bring salvation even to their parents.
Sorrel is thus hulled in the mortar.
Sorrel is thus hulled, my friend !
The beginning of love is fascinating, but its path is
difficult and its destination far. Even a small error
or omission on the part of the lover can become a cause
of great annoyance for the beloved. 'That creates a
mountain of calamities for the lover. Such a thing happened
to Bulleh Shah, when his Master got annoyed with him
for an omission on his part. Some writers have attributed
the reason for his Master's annoyance to Bulleh Shah's
open criticism of rituals and customs practiced by Muslims,
and this was not to the liking of Inayat Shah. This
reason, however , does not appear plausible, because
criticism of external observance .is common to all Sufi
saints, and it was not unknown in the Qadiri tradition.
They were certainly not the worshippers of this system.
The second reason given for the annoyance is quite different
in nature. It is said that once Bulleh Shah invited
his Master on the marriage of one of his relatives,
The Saint deputed one of his disciples to represent
him at the function. This disciple belonged to the Arain
caste and was poorly clad. Now, Bulleh Shah's family
was proud of belonging to the clan of Sayyiads. They
did not give proper attention in receiving this poorly
clad man. Even Bullah happened to make this omission.
At least he should have shown proper respect to the
representative of his Master, But under the pressure
of his family or the fear of public opinion, he did
not give the guest due honor. When the disciple returned
from the marriage, the Saint asked him how the marriage
was celebrated. He told his Master the whole story ,
and complained that because of his low caste and tattered
clothes, neither Bulleh Shah nor his family showed him
due respect. The Saint replied, "How dare Bullah
behave like this ?" And then added, "What
have we to get from this useless man ? We shall change
the direction of the flow of water from his fields to
yours !" He had only to utter these words to bring
a calamity in Bullah's life. As soon as the Master changed
the direction of his grace, his spring turned into autumn.
His inner visions vanished, leaving him dry and barren.
Light changed into darkness and bliss into mourning.
It was a stunning blow to Bullah. One who has never
experienced inner bliss and who has never had a glimpse
of the divine glory of his Master within, his case is
quite different. But the one who has enjoyed the wealth
of inner experience and who is suddenly deprived of
this treasure, he alone knows the pangs of such a torture.
In fact, the lord of spiritual wealth is the perfect
Master, and there is nothing in the hands of the disciple.
Apparently, the disciple is himself seeking the Master,
and with his own effort treads the path and progresses
on it, as shown by the Master. But, in reality the disciple
cannot search for the Master with his mind and meager
intellect, nor can he find the true path with his own
power and cleverness. N or can he rise to spiritual
realms with his own endeavor. Finding the true path
and achieving spiritual progress are all gifts of the
Master's grace. Bulleh Shah has himself written, "The
Guru does whatever he wills." But to realize this
he had to suffer the annoyance of his Master and cross
the frightening ocean of the fire of separation. As
soon as his spiritual experiences were stopped, Bullah
hastened to his Master, but the Master turned his back
on him and asked him to leave the place. For one thing,
the annoyance of his Master '. for another the command
not to see him! What greater torture could there be
for a disciple ? Bullah was miserable. He began to burn
in the fire of repentance, and his condition was like
that of a fish out of water . In the compositions of
Bullah, many references can be found of this heart-rending
state of his mind. In many of his kafis there is a touch
of his personal life. No one can say with certainty
when these kafis were written. But the descriptions
in these poems bespeak of such a mental state. The pain
of separation erupts in them like turbulent waves. "In
poignancy of emotion, sincerity of feeling, ardor and
longing, these kafis are matchless. " From the
kafi given below it is evident; that the memory of the
bliss of union with the beloved and the pain of separation
from him are continuing to burn Bullah to shes like
a house on fire. He cannot give up love, but in the
separation of his beloved, he can find peace neither
by day nor by night. He is not blessed with the sight
of his beloved, but without seeing him, fire rages within
his breast, and his heart is breaking. It is hard to
bear such a state of mind, but it is also impossible
to relinquish love. So he hangs between life and death
:
I have been pierced by the arrow of love,
what shall I do ?
I can neither live, nor can I die.
Listen ye to my ceaseless outpourings,
I have peace neither by night, nor by day.
I cannot do without my Beloved even for a moment.
I have been pierced by the arrow of love,
what shall I do ?
The fire of separation is unceasing !
Let someone take care of my love.
How can I be saved without seeing him?
I have been pierced by the arrow of love,
what shall I do ?
O Bullah, I am in dire trouble !
Let someone come to help me out.
How shall I endure such torture ?
I have been pierced by the arrow of love,
what shall I do ?
I can neither live, nor can I die.
In another kafi he describes his pain thus :
He left me, and himself he departed;
What fault was there in me ?
Neither at night nor in the day do I sleep in peace;
My eyes pour out tears !
Sharper than swords and spears are the arrows of love
!
There is no one as cruel as love ;
This malady no physician can cure.
There is no peace, not for a moment,
So intense is the pain of separation !
O Bullah, if the Lord were to shower
His grace, My days would radically change !
He left me, and himself he departed.
What fault was there in me ?
As the period of separation became longer, Bullah's
condition became worse. On the one hand~ there was the
pain of separation, on the other, the ridicule of people.
He prostrates before the memory of his Master, and repeatedly
entreats him to show his face to him at the earliest.
Why do you tarry , my Beloved ?
O Bullah, now narrate your love story.
He alone knows who has experienced love.
There are rebukes within, taunts without
Such is the comfort I have found in love !
My eyes have taken to the habit of weeping.
For one, it is death, for another, reproach from the
world.
The pain of separation has tightly squeezed my life.
O Love, I have cried out my heart in anguish !
Bullah was full of repentance over his blunder. He was
keenly desirous to be forgiven by his Master. In his
mind he pleads to his Master to heal his wound of separation,
and to apply. balm to his heart by showing his face
to him.
I suffer from the pain of my mad love.
Come, dear Ranjha, cast a glance at me,
and forgive me my faults.
From the throne of Hazara set out Ranjha,
the Master of artless Heer.
The bridegroom visits the homes of all others;
What is the flaw that vitiates Bullah?
Bullah does not only describe the state of his suffering,
but also hurls complaints at his Master. On the one
hand, he regrets his own lack of wisdom, on the other,
he reproaches his Master, who, after piercing his heart
with the arrow of love, has hidden himself and has never
inquired after him.
Inflicting a wound you hid your face;
Who has taught you such thefts, my Love?
With your fancy you captivated my heart,
But then you never showed your face.
This cup of poison I have drunk myself ;
Indeed I was unripe in wisdom!
He calls his Master "the beloved Thug of Lahore"
and complains that he has robbed him with his love,
and made him useless for the world.
Never be taken in by its guiles ;
It gives not peace in forest or city.
When the traveler left after casting a glance,
Suddenly a noose was hung round my neck.
He then showed no concern for me.
Oh, I have met the "beloved Thug of Lahore"
!
To be incessantly weeping in separation of his Master
had become the usual routine for Bullah. This separation
of his had assumed the proportions of madness, and he
started roaming in streets and lanes. The intense longing
to see his Master produced a kind of fire within him,
to extinguish which he began to think out some plans.
"I He knew that his Master was a lover of music.
It is said that Bulleh put on the garb of a woman, got
hold of a sarangi and went to the house of a dancing
girl. He learnt dancing from her and became an adept
in it. He then took along with him a drummer and a harmonium
player and went to the tomb of a holy man in whose memory
an annual function was being celebrated. Shah Inayat
had also come to attend it. While all other dancers
and singers got tired and sat down, Bullah, in ecstasy,
continued to dance. His voice was extremely doleful
and heartrending. It is .said that Bullah sang many
kafis on the occasion. At last even Inayat Shah's heart
melted. With a voice full of compassion he said, "
Are you Bullah ?" Bullah ran and fell at his Master's
feet and replied with his eyes full of tears, "Sir,
I am not Bullah put Bhulla. " I The Master is never
indifferent to his disciple. When he realized that the
fire of repentance and separation had purified Bullah
and turned him into pure gold, he forgave him his lapse
and pressed him to his heart. The reason why the Master
put Bulleh Shah to such a hard test -the torture of
burning in the fire of separation and longing ~ was
to make him fit to receive the invaluable wealth of
the Word of God. With this spiritual treasure he was
not only to become rich himself, but also to make other
seekers the recipients of this wealth. When the fountain
of the Master's grace started flowing once again, the
arid fields of Bullah began to revive, and the fragrance
of the flowers of bliss spread all around. According
to the author of Qanun-i-Ishq, the Master pressed Bullah
to his heart, took him along with him, and intoxicated
him with the wine of union. Bullah's soul got dyed in
the hue of his Master's soul, so that no distinction
remained between the two. One of Bulleh Shah's kafis
gives a graphic description of his state of merging
in the Master (Fana-fil-Sheikh) :
Repeating the name of Ranjha
I have become Ranjha myself.
O call me ye all "Dhido-Ranjha,"
let no one call me Heer .
Ranjha is in me, I am in Ranjha,
no other thought exists in my mind.
I am not, He alone is.
He alone is amusing himself.
The Master is one with the Lord. So, merging in the
Master is transformed into merging in the Lord. This
state is expressed by Bullah in the following lines
of two kais
1. You alone exist, I do not, O Beloved!
2. Repeating the name of the Beloved
I have become the Beloved myself.
Whom shall I call the Beloved now?
The same thought is conveyed by Jesus Christ in the
Bible thus : "At that day ye. shall know that I
am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." Arriving
at this stage, the illusion of duality disappears, and
the glory of the Beloved is seen to pervade everywhere.
Bulleh Shah declares that love for the Lord has so radically
changed him that his individual self or ego has been
totally eliminated. He has now realized his true Self
hidden behind the veil of the physical body. His identification
with the Supreme Being has opened for him the floodgates
of divine light. In this light no one has remained a
stranger. All have become His own.
I have got lost in the city of love,
I am being cleansed, withdrawing myself
from my head, hands and feet.
I have got rid of my ego,
and have attained my goal. Thus it has all ended well.
O Bullah, the Lord pervades both the worlds;
None now appears a stranger to me.
In the transcendence of the finite to the Infinite;
all disputes of religion, of good and evil, disappear.
To Bullah now all began to appear as virtuous; none
seemed to him as evil or a stranger.
Remove duality and do away with all disputes;
The Hindus and Muslims are not other than He.
Deem everyone virtuous, there are no thieves.
For, within every body He himself resides.
How the Trickster has put on a mask!
Saturated with the love of God, Bullah became the personification
of compassion and forgiveness. He began to see the divine
in every being, and distinctions of caste and religion,
friend and foe, ceased to have any meaning for him.
The following incident of his life illustrates this
sublime state of his mind in a beautiful way: It is
said I that "once Bulleh Shah was engaged in meditation
inside his chamber. It was the month of Ramzan. Some
of his disciples were sitting outside eating carrots.
After some time a group of orthodox Muslims who were
keeping the fast happened to pass them. When they saw
the disciples sitting at a faqir's abode and violating
the fast, they were enraged. " They shouted in
an angry voice, " Are you not ashamed of eating
in the month of Ramzan, and that also at the abode of
a faqir?" The disciples replied, "Brother
believers, take your path. We are feeling hungry. That
is why we are eating. " The group of believers
felt suspicious about their faith. So they asked, "Who
are you?" They replied, "We are Muslims. Don't
the Muslims feel hungry?". The believers again
commanded them to stop eating, but the disciples did
not heed. The believers who were on horses, alighted.
They snatched the carrots from the hands of the disciples,
and threw them away. They also gave a few blows to them.
As they were about to leave, it struck them that the
pir of these impious people must have been cast in the
same mould. So they turned back to ask him what kind
of instruction he had given to his disciples. They went
to his chamber and said, "Who are you?" Bullah
who was meditating with his eyes closed, raised his
arms and moved his hands. They asked him again, "Why
don't you speak? Who are you?" Bullah once again
raised his arms. The riders taking him to be a mad man,
went away. Soon after they left, the disciples entered
the chamber, raising a hue and cry that they had been
beaten. Bullah told them that they must have done something
to provoke the believers. The disciples denied to have
done any such thing. Bullah said, "What did they
ask you?" The disciples replied, "They asked
us who we were, and we said we were Muslims." Bullah
retorted, "That's why you were beaten. You became
something and you suffered. I didn't become anything,
and they said nothing to me."
To consider oneself something emanates from the sense
of .ego. Such a person is still under the sway of maya,
and has not had a vision of Truth so far. One who has
had such a vision comes to know his true Self and gets
liberated from the bondage of caste, religion and country.
There are numerous instances in the poems of Bulleh
Shah, which show that the soul, like the Lord, has no
religion, no caste, no country. All these distinctions
are born out of time and space, but the soul is unborn
and timeless. It has neither a beginning, nor an end,
nor is it bound by the limitations of caste and religion.
Bullah recognizes only the primeval relationship of
soul with God :Having realized the Truth within, Bulleh
Shah became the embodiment of Truth himself. He spent
the rest of his life in disseminating the message of
this Reality. Till the end of his sojourn in this transient
world he was engaged in meditation of the Lord, and
guided all those who came in contact with him, on the
same path. His magnetic personality, his pure living
and his divine writings spread his fame far and wide.
Many a seeker after Truth was attracted by his charm
and derived much spiritual gain under his guidance.
The last years of his life he passed in Kasur, and here
he died in 1758-1759. His t6mb can be seen in Kasur
even today. It is mentioned in Bang-i-Auli-va-i-Hind
: Bulleh Shah was an evolved soul, a perfect faqir and
a true lover. Through the love for his Master he realized
the Lord. In his love one finds poignancy, ardor and
longing besides sincerity, sacrifice and renunciation.
Under the canopy of love he made his offerings of caste
and learning. His love for his Master never wavered
for a moment despite the fire of separation and longing
through which he passed. His writings, as also his life,
manifest transcendence of physical love ( of the Master)
to divine love ( of the Lord). Indeed, this is. the
path of all true mystics, all true lovers of God. Whosoever
has attained union with the Lord has done so by traveling
on this path, and whosoever will attain this union,
will do so by becoming a traveler on this path of love.
Bulleh Shah's life and writings are replete with subtle
secrets of the path. They do riot only strengthen the
love of a true lover, but also encourage him to undergo
the severest hardships for reaching the spiritual goal.
The life and compositions of Bulleh Shah will serve
as a lighthouse for times immemorial to true seekers
of spiritual realization.
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