Hazrat Sultan Bahu � Poetry Kalam, Abiat

PAGE NO. 04
 

Alif

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Akkheen surkh te mooheen zardee, Har wallon dil aaheen hoo

Muhaa muhaar khushboi waalaa, Pahuntaa vanj kadaaeen hoo

Ishq mushk na chhuppe raihnde, Zaahir theen uthaaeen hoo

Naam faqeer tinhaan daa Baahoo, Jin laamakaanee jaaeen hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Their eyes sleepless, their faces pale, Lovers constantly sigh in grief.

What has become of these faces That once beamed with youth and vivacity?

Love is like musk that cannot stay hidden: Its fragrance cannot but reveal its presence.

Only those who abide in realms beyond space Deserve to be called �faqir�, O Bahu.*

• A faqir is a beggar, a religious mendicant, a dervish, a humble man, but in Sufi parlance a faqir is one who has attained the highest goal in spirituality; a God-realized man.

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Andar kalmaa kul kul kardaa, Ishq sikhaaiaa kalmaa hoo

Chaudaan tabqe kalmen andar, Chhad kitaabaan ilmaan hoo

Kaanne kapp ke qalam banaavan, Likh na sakkan qalmaan hoo

Kalmaa mainoon peer parhhaiaa, Zaraa na raheeaan almaan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Within me resounds the melody of Kalma,* The melody that love has taught me to hear.

Why don�t you put away your books, And forget that you have learnt from them � For within the Kalma you will find The fourteen inner realms.

Scholars sharpen reeds into pens, But they are not capable of writing the true Kalma.

This Kalma has rid me of all afflictions Of the body and mind � Only a Master could have taught it to me, O Bahu.

• Kalma literally means speech, word or proclamation. According to the tenets of Muslim religion, �to read the Kalma� is to confess or affirm Mulim faith by saying, �There is no god, but God; Mohammad is the Prophet of God� (la Ilaha ill Allah Mohammad rasool�llah). To make someone say or repeat the Kalma is to convert him � to make a Muslim of him. But, according to Hazrat Sultan Bahu and other Sufi mystics, Kalma is not a written or spoken word or expression. They refer to Kalma as the Sound underlying creation � the audible Voice of God referred to by other Masters as Word, Shabd, Bani, Naad, Nida, Nida-i-Sultani, Baang-i-Aasmaani, etc. It can be heard through meditation on the real Name of God, referred to by Bahu as Ism, Ism-i-A�zam, Zaati Ism, etc., which can only be imparted by a perfect Master (kaamil Murshid).

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Eh tan Rabb sachche daa hujraa, Wich paa faqeeraa jhaatee hoo

Naa kar minnat khwaaj khizr dee, Tain andar aab hayaatee hoo

Shauq daa deevaa baal hanere, Mat labbhee vast kharaatee hoo

Marn theen agge mar rahe, Jinhaan Haqq dee ramz pachhaatee hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

This body is the temple of the true Lord; Peep within it, hermit!

You need no help from Khwaja Khizr:* The water of life is already within you.

Light the lamp of love in your heart To dispel the darkness within And discover the long-lost treasure.

Those who realize the secret of God Die before death [and find everlasting life].

• Hazrat Khwaja Khizr is said to have drunk aabe hayaat, the water of life, and to know the secret of the pool of nectar.

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Eh tan Rabb sachche daa hujraa, Khirheeaan baagh bahaaraan hoo

Wichche kooze, wich musalle, Wich sajde diaan thaaraan hoo

Wichche kaabaa wichche qiblaah, il-lillaah pukaaraan hoo

Kaamil murshid miliaa Baahoo, Aape laisee saaraan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

This body is a temple of the true Lord In which fragrant gardens abound With eternally fresh blossoms.

Inside are the prayer mats, the places for prostration And the means for ritual ablution.

Inside is the Ka�ba and the Qibla,* And here I cry out to Allah, the one without parallel.

O Bahu, I have found the perfect Master Who will guide and protect me within.

• Qibla, Lit. �focal point�; the point to which prayer is directed, especially the Ka�Ba. In other words it is the geographical location of the Ka�ba in relation to a devotee in ritual prayer called namaaz � he must face in the direction of the Ka�ba while offering his devotion. IN a mosque this direction is indicated by the mehraab (prayer arch). Qibla is also used as a synonym for the Ka�ba.