Translation – Labib Mahfuj Chisty
1. Sohni and Mahiwal
In the field of Nakshi Kantha, the poet Jasimuddin mentioned a shepherd song.
The lyrics of the song are like this –
“The river of milk is in my friend’s house,
There was a desire to go to the river, but the rules do not give wings.”
One such amazing example of figurative literature is Sohni and Mahiwal. Where, two lovers and the river that hinders their union are used as the subject to illustrate the spiritual union, that is, the union of the Guru and the devotee. The story is like this –
Sohni and Mahiwal were accused of love. They were separated and a river called “Chenab” was cut between them! The river that stood as a cruel obstacle in their way of union.
Sohni makes a clay pot to meet her beloved and in that pot she wants to cross the river to Mahiwal. But after going a little far in the Srotswini river, her clay pot breaks, and her sacred grave is in the riverbed of the terrible turbulent river.
Sohni and Mahiwal, who hold a special place in the Sufi literature of Punjab, are symbols of the lover-lover or lover-lover on the path of spiritual love! And as an obstacle to the union of this lover and lover, there is a river called Duniya! That river is very terrible! Turbulent!
To cross that river, a boat is needed! A suitable boat! The boat that will take the lover to his freedom. In the words of Mahatma Lalon, a wooden boat of form. That is, a person who is perfect in his intentions or a guide, i.e. a Guru-Murshid.
If the Guru is a hypocrite or incompetent, then there is no other way but to drown in the river and die.
Sohni, at the moment of her death, called out to the broken earthen pot, “How could you betray me like this?”
The broken pot replied –
“May garha, main khur jaana
Mainun haat na lawain –
Far palra pakke murshid da
Jerha teno par langawe”
Meaning – I am a clay pot, fragile! You cannot cross the river by holding me, if you want to cross, hold a pure murshid (take a wooden one), only then will you be able to cross the turbulent river.
2. The Empire of Sanayi
A wonderful creator of classical Sufi literature, the spiritual Sufi saint Hakim Sanayi Ghaznavi (RA). In a fit of emotion, he wrote,
“O you who have heard about Rum and about China, Rise and come to behold the empire of Sanaa” – Those who have heard about the empire of Rome and China, come and see the empire of Sanayi.
After reciting the qasida, the prince of Rome set out for Ghazni with a curious mind. To see the empire of the ascetic!
Hakim ascetic! The poor and afflicted ascetic, dressed in sackcloth, is meditating next to a tomb! There is no pomp in the life of a hermit! An empty, broken house and hut! The prince entered the ascetic’s empire!
Show me your empire, said the prince. Ascetic made a condition, if you want to see my empire, you will have to wear clothes like me! The prince agreed. The ascetic abandoned his ornaments and expensive clothes and put on a robe! A sackcloth dress!
As soon as he put on the ascetic’s clothes, it was as if an electric current of divine light played inside and outside the prince! A stream of trumpet-like joy of a divine feeling arose in his heart! The ruined house and cottage of Sanai began to seem like the most precious temple in the world, the temple of love! The kingdom he had left behind had become a disgusting garbage dump for him!!
The bewitched prince Hakim surrendered himself forever at the feet of Sanai. He took initiation as a monk! He became a great man who was free from his life!
He said,
“Not only Rome and China, Sanai’s empire is more precious and beautiful than the whole world”
3. God only sees the heart!
We all know about that shepherd who was worshipping his God in the desert. With a heart full of devotion, he called out to God and said –
Lord! Where are you? Will you accept me as your slave? I will serve you, Lord! I will give you my life and all my livestock. If you are sick, I will serve you. I will comb your hair beautifully. I will sew your shoes, I will massage your small soft hands and feet, I will sweep your house. Where are you, Lord? I will sacrifice everything for you! All my sighs and tears are for you, Lord!
The shepherd’s burning prayer seemed to Moses (a.s.) to be a crime, an insult! At Moses’ (a.s.) rebuke, the shepherd ran away like a frightened deer! In a frightened and shocked mind, he abandoned his heartfelt and yearning prayer!
Immediately, Hazrat Moses (a.s.) was revealed. It is said, “The shepherd’s prayer actually reached the heart of the Lord! The Lord hears all the words of a heart without deceit.”
4. I am my only illusion!
Who has shown you the way to God? When Hazrat Abu Bakr Shibli (RA) was asked this question, he replied, “A dog!”
The dog was very thirsty! When he went to drink water in a pond, he saw his reflection in the water, he thought it was another dog and was very scared. He was so scared that he could not drink water.
But when the dog’s thirst reached its peak, he overcame his fear and jumped into the water, and saw that the other dog had also disappeared.
Hazrat Abu Bakr Shibli (RA) said, I have definitely learned, “I am my illusion, the illusion that deprives me”. We have to overcome our illusion with strength. We have to conquer the false self, that is, illusion. Only then can we attain the life of humanity!!
5. The Power of the Lord
Hazrat Abu Ali Shakiq Al Balkhi (RA), also known as Shakiq Balkhi, was a devotee of the world-famous saint Ibrahim bin Adham. An incident from his life –
Hazrat Shakiq Balkhi once went to Turkey from Balkh for business. There he suddenly saw an idolater weeping in front of his idol. He was worshipping. Shakiq Balkhi thought that the man was misguided. He said to the man, “Why are you worshipping stones, we should worship the Almighty and All-Powerful Living Lord!”
The man looked at Shakik Balkhi. He said with annoyance, “How Almighty is your Lord? Who is unable to provide for your livelihood in your city? You had to come so far in the pursuit of livelihood?”
The incident left a mark on Shakik Balkhi’s heart. And from that moment on, Shakik Balkhi became introverted in search of God.
Teaching –
If the heart is not awakened, even the Almighty Lord is incapable,
If the heart is awakened, even the helpless idol is omnipotent!
6. The Slave’s Gratitude
In ancient times, a rich merchant had a slave. The slave was also loyal to his master who was performing his duties with complete honesty, sincerity and loyalty. The merchant also became so dependent on his slave that even when he was eating Eat, he would first give the food to the slave. If the slave was happy with the taste of the food, then he would eat the food himself.
One day, a farmer brought a watermelon for the merchant and cut it up and gave it to him to eat. As was his habit, the merchant first gave a piece of watermelon to his slave.
The slave ate the watermelon piece with such peace and joy, it seemed that the watermelon was very delicious and the slave liked it very much. The merchant gave the slave another piece. He gave another piece. In this way, it turned out that there was only one piece left!
The merchant now put the last piece in his mouth. His face turned pale after eating it! The watermelon was as bitter as poison and the merchant’s mouth remained full of bitterness for a long time! The watermelon, which was as bitter as poison, was absolutely unfit to eat.
The man asked the slave with great surprise, how do you eat it? Even with such joy With?
My Lord! The servant replied – How delicious food has Sarajivan fed me! Today, for the first time, when you gave me bitter food with your own hands, I was ashamed to complain! Lord, my entire existence is your gift, how can I deny you a single bitter favor?
Lesson – We are very ungrateful.
7. The company of fools
In the northern part of Persia, there lived some brown bears of an extinct species. The main enemy of these bears was another terrible animal that killed the bears. The locals called this animal a dragon.
Once a man pitched his tent in this area. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream and went to the edge of the forest and saw that a dragon had attacked a bear. The bear was overwhelmed by the dragon’s attack. The man immediately shot the dragon in the head with the revolver he had with him. The dragon was shot in the brain and died.
Then the man noticed that the bear was coming towards him. He was a little scared Even after finding it, he wanted to see what the bear would do! The bear, surprising the man, lowered its head near his feet and expressed gratitude.
When the man set off towards the tent, the bear also followed him. It sat by the man’s tent all night. The next day the bear did not leave either. The man developed a friendship with the bear.
The man continued to live with the bear. The bear gradually became completely loyal. This is how the day went on.
The man’s relatives became worried. They forbade him to stay with the bear. But the man had full faith in the bear. He continued to live with the bear.
One day, the man was going somewhere with the bear. On the way, he got tired of the excessive heat and sat down under a banyan tree. The man’s eyelids drooped in the cool breeze in the shade of the banyan tree. The man put the bear next to him and fell asleep.
The trained bear, which had been trained for so long, treated the man with utmost compassion. He sits next to him. Time passes. Suddenly, a fly comes out of nowhere and sits on the man’s face. The bear tries to chase the fly away with great care. The fly is also stubborn! It comes again and sits on the man’s face. This goes on and on. The bear also becomes desperate to chase the fly away!
The bear cannot chase the fly away in any way! It comes again and sits on the man’s face. Finally, the bear decides to kill the fly. He brings a big stone! When the fly sits on the man’s forehead, the man hits the fly with a stone. The fly is crushed, and so is its head.
Lesson – Although the intention is good, the company of fools is dangerous!
8. Who is essentially bound? Man or cow?
The ascetic Hazrat Junayd Baghdadi is walking on the city street with his disciples. Another man is walking past them with a cow. The man is walking holding the rope around the cow’s neck. Hazrat Junayd Baghdadi asked his disciples, tell me who is bound here?
The disciples replied, the cow is bound and following the man.
“Now look”, said Junayd Baghdadi and took out the scissors and cut the rope. The cow ran and the man who owned the cow started running after the cow!
Junayd Baghdadi continued – Whatever you think is yours, nothing is yours. Basically, you are bound! The material identity of the world is yours as long as you keep it bound. If you don’t bind it, everything will run away from you!
Just like the cow!
9. Selflessness – Above Worship
Three dervishes were engaged in worship in an abandoned house on the outskirts of the city. But the fourth dervishe did not engage in worship and stood at the broken door of the house. All night! Until the three dervishes finished their worship!
Why did he do that? In reply, the fourth dervishe said, the door of the house is broken and it is very cold outside, with a cold draft! I was standing at the door so that the dervishes would not suffer from the cold.
That dervishe was the great saint Hazrat Khwaja Ibrahim bin Adham (RA)
10. Service and Worship
Two brothers decided that they would devote themselves to religion. One brother engaged in worship of the Creator, and the other brother engaged in serving his sick mother. After a few days, the brother who was engaged in worship of the Creator dreamed that his mother’s servant brother had attained siddhakam.
The unseen message says, “You were the servant of the needy, and your brother served the real needy!”
Translation – Labib Mahfuj Chisty