“I am free, my mind is free..”- Bulleh Shah

Bulleh Shah’s original thought and courage has always inspired me. A few days ago, I was struck by these verses of Bulleh Shah. I have attempted a translation but then its not a good one…

Bulleh-a aashiq hoyiyon Rabb da, Hoai Malamat Lakh
Tenon Kafir Kafir aakhdey, toon aaho aaho aakh

O Bulleh, just love your God and ignore the chidings
When they say you are an infidel, say “yes I am one”

And, then I visited Manzoor’s blog and found these translations. Manzoor writes “….Belief in humanity and love for fellow human beings is the sign of enlightenment and rationality, quoting again Bulleh Shah:

I am free, my mind is free,
I am neither a sick person nor a physician
Neither a believer nor an infidel
Nor a mullah or syed
In the fourteen spheres I walk in freedom
I can be imprisoned nowhere.

(translated by MA Akhyar?)

He complains, “in this country moral and intellectual dwarfs can be hailed as the saviors” and quotes from Shah again…

Crows swoop on hawks,
Sparrows do eagles stalk,
Strange are the times!

(translated by C Duggal)

Find more on Bulleh Shah on Jahan-e-Rumi here and here.

While concluding this post, I cannot help re-produce the following lines : 

I know not who I am

I am neither a believer going to the mosque
Nor given to non-believing ways
Neither clean, nor unclean
Neither Moses not Pharaoh
I know not who I am

I am neither among sinners nor among saints
Neither happy, nor unhappy
I belong neither to water not to earth
I am neither fire, not air
I know not who I am

(From All Things Pakistan’s post on rediscovering Bulleh Shah)

 

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

Published in: on January 26, 2007 at 11:19 am

The URI to TrackBack this entry is: http://razarumi.wordpress.com/2007/01/26/247/trackback/

RSS feed for comments on this post.

9 Comments Leave a comment.

  1. On January 26, 2007 at 3:05 pm Irving Said:

    Thank you for the lovely poetry of Bulleh Shah. His voice and poetry resembles the great Sufi poets of the ages, who had the same refrain of being free from all worldly encumbrances.

    Ya Haqq!

  2. On January 27, 2007 at 9:33 am manzoor Said:

    I am Free My mind is free is not my translation translation i came across this in Zamir Niazi book Press In Chains. This verse is probably translated by MA Akhyar for the book and second one is translated by C. Duggal. I am sorry that i failed to mention the sources and shall correct this error.

  3. On January 27, 2007 at 10:49 am razarumi Said:

    Manzoor, many thanks!
    I have edited the post accordingly and also added the names of translators you provided..
    Keep visiting, RR

  4. On January 27, 2007 at 3:00 pm jugnoo Said:

    “Bhulla ke janan main kon”
    What a true personality he was. Still he is alive through his words. I like his poetry, not only me but every one.

  5. On January 28, 2007 at 5:57 pm bhupinder Said:

    Thanks for the aaho ahho aakah couplet. Another one of my favourites is:
    dharamsal vich dharvi rahinde, thakur dware thug
    vich maseet kusatti rahinde, aashik rahin alag

    (In temples reside the ruffians, in gurudwaras, the thugs
    In mosques reside the liars, the true lovers (of the Divine), stay aloof from all these.)

  6. On March 13, 2007 at 4:37 pm shahid Said:

    One of Bulleh Shah Kafi

    Behad Ramzaan dasda nee
    Meyndaa Dholann maahee
    Meem de Ohley wasdaa nee
    Meyndaa Dholann maahee

    Auliyaa mansoor kahaawey
    Ramz anal-haq aap bataaway
    Aapey aap noon soolee charhaaway
    Te kol khaloke hasdaa nee
    Meyndaa Dholann maahee

    Behad Ramzaan dasda nee,
    Meyndaa Dholann maahee

    My dear Beloved discloses (unveils) many mysteries.

    He dwells behind Meem
    O my dear Beloved

    He himself tells the mystery of anal-haq (I am the Truth)
    He Himself is responsible for hanging Himself (Mansoor)
    Then He Himself stands aside and laughs
    Oh my dear Beloved

    My dear Beloved discloses(unveils) many mysteries
    (Prof Saeed Ahmed)

    Moreover in which Bulleh shah book can I find these verses? Please helpme in this regards.

    paRh paRh ilm hazaar kitaabaN
    qaddi apnay aap nou paRhiya naee
    jaaN jaaN waRhday mandir maseedi
    qaddi mann apnay wich waRhiya naee
    aa-vaiN laRda aye shaitan de naal bandeaa
    qaddi nafss apnay naal laRiya naee

    [yes, yes, you have read thousands of books
    but you have never tried to read your own self
    you rush in, into your Mandirs, into your Mosques
    but you have never tried to enter your own heart
    futile are all your battles with Satan
    for you have never tried to fight your own desires]

    Thanks

    Shahid

  7. On March 14, 2007 at 12:44 pm Raza Rumi Said:

    Shahid Saheb
    Please get this book

    Masterworkds of Punjaabi Sufi Poetry”
    “Bulleh Shah Within Reach”
    “Volume 1″
    Muzaffar A. Ghaffar
    Ferozsons (Private) Limited

    http://www.ferozsons.com.pk/

  8. On September 4, 2007 at 7:32 pm shahidain Said:

    RR Shahab
    AOA

    Sending this to you after a lapse of 4 months. I managed to get the Vol 1 and 2 by Muzaffar Ghaffar. Please let me the page number where I can find these verses

    “paRh paRh ilm hazaar kitaabaN
    qaddi apnay aap nou paRhiya naee
    jaaN jaaN waRhday mandir maseedi
    qaddi mann apnay wich waRhiya naee
    aa-vaiN laRda aye shaitan de naal bandeaa
    qaddi nafss apnay naal laRiya naee”

    A Bulleh shah couplet

    “paRh paRh likh likh laaweyN Dheyr
    veyd kitaabaaN chaar chafeyr
    girdey chaanan wich anheyr
    apney aap dee khabar naa saar

    Parh parh masley roz sunaavey
    Khaanaa shak shubey da khaweyn
    Daseyn hor te hor kamaaweyn
    Ander khot baahir suchyaar

    You read and write heaps of books
    Sacred books are piled up all around you
    Surrounded by light, you carry darkness within you
    You have no self knowledge at all

    You deliever sermons everyday
    You eat the food of suspicion and doubt
    You preach something and act inversly
    Inwardly you are corrupt but outwardly you are pious”

    (Translation by Prof Saeed Ahmad)

  9. On December 2, 2007 at 12:12 pm javeria khalid Said:

    its a great site 2 visit I luv baba bulle shah GOR PAYA KOI HOR BULLA KI JANA ME KAUN Means that in my grave its not me

Leave a Comment