The Life of Bulleh ShahBy: J.R. Puri and T.R. Shangari

Mysterious is the turn of time. The man who had been refused by themullahs to be buried after his death in the community graveyard becauseof his unorthodox views, today enjoys worldwide reverence andrecognition. The tomb of Bulleh Shah in Qasur and the area around it istoday the only place free of collective refuse, and the privileged of the citypay handsomely to be buried in the proximity of the man they had oncerejected. "This radical change has been possible because people havebeen impressed in the course of time by the holy way of Bullah's life andthe efficacy of his teachings."The greatest Sufi poet of the Punjab was Mir Bulleh Shah Qadiri Shatari. "Because of his pure life and high spiritual attainments, he is equallypopular among all communities. Scholars and dervishes have called him"The Sheikh of Both the Worlds," "The man of God," "The Knower ofSpiritual Grace" and by other equally edifying titles. Considered as thegreatest mystic poet of the Punjab, his compositions have been regardedas "the pinnacle of Sufi literature." His admirers compare his writings andphilosophy to those of Rumi and Shams-i-Tabriz. At present, he is held inequally great esteem in Northern India and Pakistan.Bulleh Shah's real name was Abdullah Shah. From Abdullah Shah itchanged to Bullah Shah or Bul1 Shah. "Out of affection some call him BabaBulleh Shah, Sain Bulleh Shah and some others mer Bullah. "The 40thKnot" gives evidence of his t] name. "Invoking the name of God, now prayto Hi the Lord pervades everywhere Abdullah exists more."There is some difference of opinion among research scholars about thetime of his birth and death. Majority, however, believes that he lived from16801758. Even about his birthplace there is some controversy. Someresearchers hold the view that he was born in the village Uch Gilaniyan inBahawalpur St (Pakistan). They believe that Bulleh Shah remained in thisvillage up to the age of six months, when parents were residing here, butwho 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 villagePandoke felt the need (preacher for the village mosque. On therecommendations of the people of Malakwal, he approached Bu Shah'sfather, Shah Mohammed Dervish, took to Pandoke where he performed theduties not only of the preacher but also of the village teacher for children.All researchers agree on the point that the ancestors' village of BullehShah's parents was Uch Gilaniyan, it is from there that they shifted first toMalakwallater to Pandoke. However, some researchers hold view that Bulleh Shah'sbirth took place after his parents had shifted to Pandoke. Today it is knownas Pandoke Bhatian. It is about 14 miles southeast of Qasur and is quite

well-known. In fact, Bulleh Shah's contribution to make it famous isconsiderable. It is said that from among the ancestors of Bulleh Shah,Sayeed Jallalluddin Bukhari came to Multan from Surakh-Bukhara threehundred years earlier. Here he got initiated from Hazarat Sheikh GhausBahauddin Zakriya of Multan, and here eventually he settled down. BullehShah's grandfather, Sayyiad Abdur Razzaq, descended from the same line.Thus Bulleh Shah's family, being of Sayyiad caste, was related to prophetMohammed on the one hand and on the other hand with Sufi thought andmystic 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. Itis said that out of the whole family, Bulleh Shah's sister had the greatestlove for him, who, like her brother, remained celibate all her life, and spentmuch of her time in meditation. Both, brother and sister, had been greatlyinfluenced by the high moral character of their father who, out of respectfor him, had been given the title "Dervish. " The tomb of Bulleh Shah'sfather still exists in Pandoke Bhatian. Every year an urs is performed at thetomb and Bulleh Shah's kafis are sung there. In this way a tribute is paid toboth, father and son, and it has assumed the form of a tradition toperpetuate 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 Qasur, which was a well-knowneducational center those days. In Qasur there were eminent teachers suchas Hazarat Ghulam Murtaza and Maulana Mohiyuddin. Their fame hadspread far and wide. Bulleh Shah too became a pupil of Hazarat GhulamMurtaza. With his native intelligence and moral inclination, he gained muchfrom his contact with his teacher.There is a strong historical evidence to show that Bulleh Shah was aneminent scholar of Arabic and Persian. From his own compositions we canfind many references to Islamic thought and mystic literature. Later, whenhe attained mystic realization, his erudition and learning acquired a newsignificance. But Bulleh Shah had to pass through a hard struggle beforehe could attain the inner knowledge. This attainment was possible onlythrough his contact with his Murshid or Master, Inayat Shah. The study ofscriptures and other holy books had only aroused his interest and curiosityabout spiritual realization. His longing for union with the Lord reached itsconsummation only after he met a perfect Master in the person of ShahInayat Qadiri.Inayat Shah was a well-known Qadiri Sufi of his time. From the historicalpoint of view the Qadiri Sufis can be traced back to the Sufi Saint AbdulQadri Jilani of Bagdad. Jilani is also known by the names Pir Dastgir andPiran-i-Pir. Bulleh Shah himself has also given a hint that his "Master ofMasters" 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 kiteand 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 wellknown to Islamic readers. In one of the sermons, he strongly denouncedhis contemporaries for their materialistic way of life. In another sermon hesaid, "Good and evil were two fruits emerging from two branches of asingle tree. One of the branches yielded sweet fruit and the other bitter; itwould be wise, therefore, for people to move to areas where the sweetfruits were to be found." Also, " A jihad fought against self-will was, toSheikh Abdul-Qadir far superior to that waged with the sword. Through thisstruggle the idolatory of the self and the worshi p of created things ( thehidden shirk) could be vanquished. Sheikh Jilani "advised his audiencethat seekers of God had to be indifferent towards even the life hereafterand to cultivate pleasure only in the thought of annihilation and abidingpoverty in this life. "4In India the influence of the Sufi Qadiri thought was, felt after threecenturies in 1432 through the person of Mohammed Ghaus, a Sufi dervish.Mohammed Ghaus first settled in Bahawalpur, but later his teachingsreached far and wide.The Sufi saint of Punjab, Mian Mir (1550-1635 A. D.) was also connectedwith the Qadiri tradition. It is well-known that Guru Ram Das got thefoundation of Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar laid by Mian Mir. The story isalso current that at the time of the Mughul emperor Jahangir's persecutionof the fifth Guru, Shri Arjun Dev, Mian Mir sought the approval of GuruArjun Dev to raze the town of Delhi to the ground if he so permitted. TheGuru replied that he could also do it, but under all conditions one must livein the will of God. It is obvious from this that there was great love betweenMian 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 wasenjoying good health in 1699 A.D. He was an eminent Sufi saint of theQadiri tradition and is said to be a scholarly author. He wrote a number ofPersian books on mysticism, from among which Dastur-ul-Amal,Islah-ul-Amal, Lataif-i-Ghaibya, and Ishartul Talibin are particularlywell-known. In Dastur-ul-Amal he has made a mention of seven spiritualstages. The ancient Hindu rishis considered passing through these stagesas necessary for God-realization.Inayat Shah lived in Lahore, so he was called Inayat Shah Lahori. Hebelonged to the Arain caste and earned his living through agriculture orgardening. He

also lived in Qasur for some time, but due to the animosity of the ruler ofQasur he shifted to Lahore, where he remained till the end of his life. Histomb is also situated near Lahore. In Bang-i-Auliya-i-Hind we find thefollowing 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 Qasur 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 Shahused to do some spiritual practice, and had acquired certain miraculouspowers. When Bulleb Shah, the seeker, passed near the small field ofInayat Shah, he saw fruit laden trees on both sides of the road. Inayat Shahhimself was engaged in planting onion seedlings. It occurred to BullehShah 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. InayatShah looked back and saw that unripe fruit was falling from the treeswithout any reason. He immediately realized that it was due to the mischiefplayed by the young man passing by. He looked towards Bulleh Shah andsaid, "Well, young man, why have you brought down the unripe fruit fromthe trees?" This is what Bulleh Shah wanted, to find an opportunity to talkto Inayat Shah. He went up to him and said, "Sir, I neither climbed up thetrees, nor did I throw any stones at the fruit, how could I tear it from thetrees ?" Inayat Shah cast a full glance at Bulleh Shah and said, "0, you arenot only a thief, you are also being clever! " Inayat's glance was sopenetrating 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. Bullahreplied, "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." Assoon as Bullah raised his head and looked at Inayat Shah, the Master againcast 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 beuprooted 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. Heconveyed to Bulleh Shah that the secret of spiritual progress lay indetaching one's mind from the world outside and attaching it to Godwithin. In Bang-i-Auliya-i-Hindthis instance has been describedas below:"In the city of Qasur Pathana it happened to a man of God, a descendent ofprophet Mohammed, the grandson of Pir Jilani, that he achieved greatnessfrom 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 mustfully satisfy myself, I must drink water after straining it." In his intensesearch for his Master he first looked towards Lahore, then he came thereand 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 thename of God, and the mango fell on the ground. Shah lnayat gave a call tohim and said, "Listen, you wayfarer, you have stolen my mango. Give itback to me." Bulleh Shah replied, "I did not climb up the tree; yourmangoes are far from my reach. It is with the wind that the mango brokefrom the branch and came into my lap. Invoking the name of God, you gotthe mango. You have committed a theft. " Bulleh Shah realized the spiritualpower and knowledge of Inayat Shah. He fell at his feet, was graced byinitiation from the Master and attained the secret knowledge."

Bulleh Shah's meeting with the Master, getting initiation from him andbeing deeply impressed has been described by a scholar in these words :"Bulleh Shah had all those virtues in him which Shah Inayat was looking forin a disciple. He opened his inner treasure and placed it before him. .-.Hegot the vision, he became oblivious of his surroundings, and in that stateof rapture he proclaimed the gift of his inner grace in the manner ofMansur. "

Bulleh Shah started to pass his time in a state of strange ecstasy. In thecompany of his Master and with the practice of the path he had beenshown, Bulleh Shah's spiritual condition started changing day by day. Hiskafi, "Whatever color I am dyed in " makes it clear how great was the effectof 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 ofRealization. Through the grace of his Master he had the vision of the Lordwithin and that for him no difference existed between his Master and theLord.The effect of his master was so profound that but for his Master nothingelse mattered for him. He became strangely selfless and impervious toaffairs of the world. Prof. Purn Singh has described an interestingincidence of this phase of Bulleh Shah's life in his book The Spirit ofOriental Poetry. One day he saw a young girl whose husband was expectedto 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 thatwoman, put the same type of plaits in his hair, and went in this guise tomeet 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 unconcernwith public opinion and his desire to sacrifice himself for his beloved. Inthe manner of true lovers he shed his mescaline pride and assumed the

form of a helpless women who renounces her ego and surrenders herselfcompletely to her lord.Whatever questions or doubts Bulleh Shah had in his mind before he methis Master, were all drowned in the experience of inner light. When he hadmade up his mind to come to Inayat Shah, people had dissuaded him fromdoing so, saying, "You are a great scholar, a master of miraculous powersand a descendent of prophet Mohammed. Does it seem right to you to goto an ordinary gardener of low caste and become his disciple? Is it notshameful?" But his Master was true to his name. HE showered such graceon Bulleh Shah that a single glance of his made him saturated withspiritual light. In ecstatic gratitude Bullah proclaimed: "O Bullah, if youseek the pleasure of a garden in spring, go and become a servant of theArain." Bulleh Shah held the hem of his Master's cloak so firmly that henever let it go from his hand for the rest of his life. All of Bulleh Shah'scompositions are suffused with love and gratitude for his Master. In thislove he identified his Master with the Lord. He has addressed Shah Inayatwith such words as guide, as one who unites people with God, besidescalling 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. 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, whichcan turn iron 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.Again,"The Master is an adept in swimming, he can take across an inept andhelpless woman."Bullah also calls him the one who can embellish t soul with spiritualapparel 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 prophetMohammed, to accept an ordinary vegetable grower as his Master was avery extraordinary event in the social conditions of Bulleh Shah's times. Itwas like an explosion which shook the prevailing social structure. Bullahhad to suffer the taunts and ridicule not only of men of his religion, clanand 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 Arain's skirt.Bullah preached fearlessly that the guidance of a Master wasindispensable for spiritual realization, and the caste of the Master did notat all matter in this pursuit. Even if he belonged to the lowest caste, hishelp would still remain indispensable. Thus, he proclaimed at the top of hisvoice that pride in being a Sayyiad would land one in hell, and the one whoheld the skirt of a Master like Inayat Shah would enjoy the pleasures ofheaven.Let anyone, who calls me a Sayyiad, be punished with tortures of hell,And let him revel in the pleasures of heaven, who labels me an Arain.If you seek the pleasures of the spring season,

become a slave of the Arain.An interesting incident of this period in the life of Bulleh Shah presents agraphic picture of his ecstasy, generosity and fearlessness of publicopinion. It is said that as a result of disgust from people's attitude, BullehShah purchased a few donkeys so that people should ridicule him. Theystarted calling him "The man with donkeys." During those days, a poorman's wife was abducted by a Muslim Chieftain. In despair, the husbandwent 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 andsee, my friend, if there is any music or dance going on somewhere nearabout." The man soon came back and reported that a group of eunuchswas dancing in the village nearby, accompanied by a band of musicians."That is good, " said Bulleh Shah. "Come now and sit on one of mydonkeys, and we shall both go to watch the dance. " As soon as the saintarrived at the dance, he joined the group and also started dancing. He gotintoan 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 orchardof dates and the grove of mangoes. Then Bulleh Shah called outwithdirected 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 thenearby garden and came to Bulleh Shah. Bulleh Shah stopped dancing andcalled to the husband, "Here is your beloved wife, brother! Take her homeand guard her well."Then once more wrapped in ecstasy, he continued to dance to thebewitching music. The gossips lost no time in going to Bulleh Shah'sfather, an orthodox Muslim, and told him all that had happened. Not onlywas his son now hiring out donkeys, but he had also started to dance withthe eunuchs. Greatly distressed and enraged, the saint's father, with arosary in one hand and a staff in the other, hastened to the place where hisson was dancing. " Ah! it is you, father" said Bulleh Shah as he heard hisname 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 ofthe father was opened and he had a divine vision. With a serene andradiant smile on his face, .he joined his son in the ecstatic dancing andsinging, and as he danced, he sang over and over again :Blessed are the parents whose sonsare 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 itsdestination far. Even a small error or omission on the part of the lover canbecome a cause of great annoyance for the beloved. 'That creates amountain of calamities for the lover. Such a thing happened to BullehShah, when his Master got annoyed with him for an omission on his part.Some writers have attributed the reason for his Master's annoyance toBulleh Shah's open criticism of rituals and customs practiced by Muslims,and this was not to the liking of Inayat Shah. This reason, however , doesnot appear plausible, because criticism of external observance .is commonto all Sufi saints, and it was not unknown in the Qadiri tradition. They werecertainly not the worshippers of this system.The second reason given for the annoyance is quite different in nature. It issaid that once Bulleh Shah invited his Master on the marriage of one of hisrelatives, The Saint deputed one of his disciples to represent him at thefunction. 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. EvenBullah happened to make this omission. At least he should have shownproper respect to the representative of his Master, But under the pressureof his family or the fear of public opinion, he did not give the guest duehonor. When the disciplereturned from the marriage, the Saint asked him how the marriage wascelebrated. He told his Master the whole story , and complained thatbecause of his low caste and tattered clothes, neither Bulleh Shah nor hisfamily showed him due respect. The Saint replied, "How dare Bullahbehave like this ?" And then added, "What have we to get from this uselessman ? We shall change the direction of the flow of water from his fields toyours !" He had only to utter these words to bring a calamity in Bullah'slife. As soon as the Master changed the direction of his grace, his springturned into autumn. His inner visions vanished, leaving him dry and barren.Light changed into darkness and bliss into mourning. It was a stunningblow to Bullah.One who has never experienced inner bliss and who has never had aglimpse 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 atorture. In fact, the lord of spiritual wealth is the perfect Master, and there isnothing in the hands of the disciple. Apparently, the disciple is himselfseeking the Master, and with his own effort treads the path and progresseson it, as shown by the Master. But, in reality the disciple cannot search forthe Master with his mind and meager intellect, nor can he find the true pathwith his own power and cleverness. N or can he rise to spiritual realms withhis own endeavor. Finding the true path and achieving spiritual progressare all gifts of the Master's grace. Bulleh Shah has himself written, "TheGuru does whatever he wills." But to realize this he had to suffer theannoyance of his Master and cross the frightening ocean of the fire ofseparation.As soon as his spiritual experiences were stopped, Bullah hastened to hisMaster, but the Master turned his back on him and asked him to leave theplace. For one thing, the annoyance of his Master '. for another thecommand 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 hiscondition waslike that of a fish out of water .In the compositions of Bullah, many references can be found of thisheart-rending state of his mind. In many of his kafis there is a touch of hispersonal life. No one can say with certainty when these kafis were written.But the descriptions in these poems bespeak of such a mental state. Thepain of separation erupts in them like turbulent waves. "In poignancy ofemotion, sincerity of feeling, ardor and longing, these kafis are matchless."From the kafi given below it is evident; that the memory of the bliss ofunion with the beloved and the pain of separation from him are continuingto burn Bullah to ashes like a house on fire. He cannot give up love, but inthe separation of his beloved, he can find peace neither by day nor bynight. He is not blessed with the sight of his beloved, but without seeinghim, fire rages within his breast, and his heart is breaking. It is hard to bearsuch a state of mind, but it is also impossible to relinquish love. So hehangs 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 showerHis 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 becameworse. On the one hand~ there was the pain of separation, on the other, theridicule of people. He prostrates before the memory of his Master, andrepeatedly 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 withoutSuch 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 tobe forgiven by his Master. In his mind he pleads to his Master to heal hiswound of separation, and to apply. balm to his heart by showing his face tohim.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 hurlscomplaints at his Master. On the one hand, he regrets his own lack ofwisdom, on the other, he reproaches his Master, who, after piercing hisheart with the arrow of love, has hidden himself and has never inquiredafter 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 drunkmyself ; Indeed I was unripe in wisdom!He calls his Master "the beloved Thug of Lahore" and complains that hehas 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 theusual routine for Bullah. This separation of his had assumed theproportions of madness, and he started roaming in streets and lanes. Theintense longing to see his Master produced a kind of fire within him, toextinguish which he began to think out some plans. "I He knew that hisMaster was a lover of music. It is said that Bulleh put on the garb of awoman, got hold of a sarangi and went to the house of a dancing girl. Helearnt dancing from her and became an adept in it. He then took along withhim a drummer and a harmonium player and went to the tomb of a holyman in whose memory an annual function was being celebrated. ShahInayat had also come to attend it. While all other dancers and singers gottired and sat down, Bullah, in ecstasy, continued to dance. His voice wasextremely doleful and heart-rending. It is .said that Bullah sang many kafison the occasion. At last even Inayat Shah's heart melted. With a voice fullof compassion he said, " Are you Bullah ?" Bullah ran and fell at hisMaster's feet and replied with his eyes full of tears, "Sir, I am not Bullah putBhulla. " IThe Master is never indifferent to his disciple. When he realized that the fireof repentance and separation had purified Bullah and turned him into puregold, 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 tortureof burning in the fire of separation and longing ~ was to make him fit toreceive the invaluable wealth of the Word of God. With this spiritual

treasure he was not only to become rich himself, but also to make otherseekers the recipients of this wealth.When the fountain of the Master's grace started flowing once again, thearid fields of Bullah began to revive, and the fragrance of the flowers ofbliss spread all around. According to the author of Qanun-i-Ishq, theMaster pressed Bullah to his heart, took him along with him, andintoxicated him with the wine of union. Bullah's soul got dyed in the hue ofhis Master's soul, so that no distinction remained between the two. One ofBulleh Shah's kafis gives a graphic description of his state of merging inthe Master (Fana-fil-Sheikh) :Repeating the name of RanjhaI 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 transformedinto merging in the Lord. This state is expressed by Bullah in the followinglines of two kafis :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 inyou."Arriving at this stage, the illusion of duality disappears, and the glory of theBeloved is seen to pervade everywhere. Bulleh Shah declares that love forthe Lord has so radically changed him that his individual self or ego hasbeen totally eliminated. He has now realized his true Self hidden behind theveil of the physical body. His identification with the Supreme Being hasopened for him the floodgates of divine light. In this light no one hasremained a stranger. All have become His own.I have got lost in the city of love,I am being cleansed, withdrawing myselffrom 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, ofgood 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 ofcompassion and forgiveness. He began to see the divine in every being,and distinctions of caste and religion, friend and foe, ceased to have anymeaning for him. The following incident of his life illustrates this sublimestate of his mind in a beautiful way:It is said I that "once Bulleh Shah was engaged in meditation inside hischamber. It was the month of Ramzan. Some of his disciples were sittingoutside eating carrots. After some time a group of orthodox Muslims whowere keeping the fast happened to pass them. When they saw the disciplessitting at a faqir's abode and violating the fast, they were enraged. " Theyshouted in an angry voice, " Are you not ashamed of eating in the month ofRamzan, and that also at the abode of a faqir?" The disciples replied,"Brother believers, take your path. We are feeling hungry. That is why weare 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 feelhungry?". The believers again commanded them to stop eating, but thedisciples did not heed. The believers who were on horses, alighted. Theysnatched 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 struckthem that the pir of these impious people must have been cast in the samemould. So they turned back to ask him what kind of instruction he hadgiven to his disciples. They went to his chamber and said, "Who are you?"Bullah who was meditating with his eyes closed, raised his arms andmoved his hands. They asked him again, "Why don't you speak? Who areyou?" Bullah once again raised his arms. The riders taking him to be a madman, 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 theymust have done something to provoke the believers. The disciples deniedto have done any such thing. Bullah said, "What did they ask you?" Thedisciples replied, "They asked us who we were, and we said we wereMuslims." Bullah retorted, "That's why you were beaten. You becamesomething and you suffered. I didn't become anything, and they saidnothing to me."To consider oneself something emanates from the sense of .ego. Such aperson 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 getsliberated from the bondage of caste, religion and country. There arenumerous instances in the poems of Bulleh Shah, which show that thesoul, like the Lord, has no religion, no caste, no country. All thesedistinctions are born out of time and space, but the soul is unborn andtimeless. It has neither a beginning, nor an end, nor is it bound by thelimitations of caste and religion. Bullah recognizes only the primevalrelationship of soul with God :I take myself to be the beginning and the end;I do not recognize aught except the One.Having realized the Truth within, Bulleh Shah became the embodiment ofTruth himself. He spent the rest of his life in disseminating the message ofthis Reality. Till the end of his sojourn in this transient world he wasengaged in meditation of the Lord, and guided all those who came incontact with him, on the same path. His magnetic personality, his pureliving and his divine writings spread his fame far and wide. Many a seekerafter Truth was attracted by his charm and derived much spiritual gainunder his guidance. The last years of his life he passed in Qasur, and herehe died in 1758-1759. His t6mb can be seen in Qasur even today. It ismentioned in Bang-i-Auli-va-i-Hind :When 1171 (Hijiri) had come to pass,In Qasur his shrine was well raised.Bulleh Shah was an evolved soul, a perfect faqir and a true lover. Throughthe love for his Master he realized the Lord. In his love one findspoignancy, ardor and longing besides sincerity, sacrifice and renunciation.Under the canopy of love he made his offerings of caste and learning. Hislove for his Master never wavered for a moment despite the fire ofseparation and longing through which he passed. His writings, as also hislife, 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 ofGod.Whosoever has attained union with the Lord has done so by traveling onthis path, and whosoever will attain this union, will do so by becoming atraveler on this path of love. Bulleh Shah's life and writings are replete withsubtle secrets of the path. They do riot only strengthen the love of a truelover, but also encourage him to undergo the severest hardships forreaching the spiritual goal. The life and compositions of Bulleh Shah willserve as a lighthouse for times immemorial to true seekers of spiritualrealization.

Introduction to Bulleh Shah's PoetryBy : K. S. Duggal

The Sufi cult is akin to mysticism. It is believed in some quarters that it wasborn out of interaction between Semitic Islam and Aryan Vedantism on the

soil of India. This is not the whole truth. Sufism took birth in Arabia in theninth century. However, the Aryan perceptions in Iran and then in Indiainfluenced it a great deal, more particularly in accentuating the emotionalcontent as against the dry-as-dust self-denial of the Arabs. The Arabs laidstress on asceticism and disciplining of the body, while the later Sufis inIran and India, under the influence of Greek philosophy, Platonic ideology,Christian faith, Vedantist thinking, Buddhist lore, etcetera believed inleading an emotionally ~rich life. They drank and danced and advocatedthat physical love could sublimate itself into spiritual love. They had faithin God: they loved the Prophet but they maintained that the Murshid orGuru could also lead to realization of the Divine Reality.

Literally speaking, a Sufi is one who is pure or one who goes about with awoollen blanket. In Greek, he is a Sufi who is enlightened. The cardinalfeatures of the Sufi cult are:

(a) God exists in all and all exist in God.(b) Religion is only a way of life; it does. Not necessarily lead to Nirvana.(c) All happenings take place as per the will of God; nothing happens if Hedoes not ordain it,(d) The soul is distinct from the physical body and will merge into DivineReality according to a person's deeds,(e) It is the Guru whose grace shows the way and leads to union with God,

The Sufis believe that there are four stages in one's journey to realization:

(a) Leading a disciplined life as prescribed in Islam (Shariat),(b) Following the path delineated by the Murshid or Guru (Tariqat),(c) Gaining enlightenment (Haqiqat),(d) On realization of truth, getting merged into Divine Reality (Marfat).

The practitioners of the Sufi cult came 10 India following the Muslimconquerors, more with a view to propagating Islam, There came to beestablished several centers at Lahore, Pakpattan, Kasur, Multan and Uch inthe Punjab, 'However, the most popular sects among them were thosewhich combined in them the best of every faith and promoted it amongstthe people, Bulleh Shah, the noted Sufi poet, belongs to this group.

The Sufis loved God as one would love one's sweetheart. God for a Sufi isthe husband and humankind his wife, Man must serve, love, undergoasceticism, gain enlightenment and then get merged in God, The IndianSufis laid stress on repeating the Name (Japu), concentration (Dhyan) andmeditation (Habs-1~dam), A Sufi must eschew sin, repent, live a simple andcontented life and should look for the grace of the Murshid or Guru. The

Sufis maintain that the soul has been separated from the Divine Reality andthe supreme mission of human life is to achieve union with God.

Like the Iranian Sufis who sang the praises of Yusaf Zulaikha, laila Majnunand Shirin Farhad, the Sufis in the Punjab idealised the romances of HeerRanjha, Sohni Mahiwal and Sassi Punnun. Preoccupied with themetaphysical, they restored the use of symbols drawn from everyday lifearound them like the spinning-wheel, boat, dowry, etc. As poets, theyemployed kafi, baramah, athwara, siharfi, doha, baint and deodh as theirfavourite poetic forms. Their language is simple and conversational, lightand lyrical. There is no denying that they made an indelible impression °onthe life and thought of the people of the Punjab. More important among theSufi poets who wrote in Punjabi were Shah Husain (1538-

1599), Sultan Bahu (1629-1691), and Shah Sharaf (1640-1724). They werepreceded by Farid in the 12th century and followed by Bulleh Shah(1680-1757), Ali Hyder (1690-1785), Hashim Shah (1735-1843) and others inthe 17th and 18th centuries.

More important among the Sufi saints who influenced life in the Punjabwere: Data Ganj Baksh, Sheikh Farid Shakarganj, Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki,Moinuddin Chishti, Nizamuddin Auliya, Mian Meer and Sarmad.

Though he is said to have been born in 1680 A.D., not much is knownabout Bulleh Shah's personal life. The little that has been culled from theworks attributed to him and the contemporary records testify that he wasborn in a village called Uch Gilania in Bahawalpur. Later his father SainMohammad Oarvesh moved first to a village known as Malakwal and thento Pandoke near Kausur, not far from Lahore. Bulleh Shah was only sixyears old at that time. Here he was put under the tutelage of Ghulam Murtzawho was the Imam of one of the mosques in Kasur. There being no regularschools, the practice obtaining in the town was that the mosque served asan elementary school and the Imam of the mosque was entrusted with thetask of teaching children. Ghulam Murtza was a sort of poet who, it is said,had translated Gulistan from the Persian. When Bulleh came of age, hebecame a Murid of Inayat Shah Qadri of Lahore. This was greatly resentedby his people who were Syeds, while Bulleh Shah's Murshid was alow-caste Araeen, Syeds draw their lineage from Prophet Mohammad.There is evidence of this unpleasantness in Bulleh's verse. The ardentdevotee in him says:

Those who call me SyedAre destined to hell made for them.Those who call me Araeen

Have the swings of heaven laid for them.

Nevertheless, according to A.N. Walker, Bulleh Shah's sister had to pay theprice for it; she remained unmarried. In 1729 when Shah Inayat died, BullehShah succeeded him as' the master of ceremonies in the monastery atLahore. According to the epitaph on his tomb, Bulleh Shah died in 1757. Henever married.

A semi-literate Punjabi peasant, Bulleh Shah's search for truth led him onto the spiritual path. And it is when he started enjoying the beauty of truththat his emotional exuberance drove him to Sufism : singing, dancing andfinding expression in verse. However, neither did he care to prepare aDivan nor did he or anyone else ever record the story of his life. His poetryhas traveled to us from mouth to mouth mainly through Qawwals. Similarly,his life has come to us in the form of anecdotes, some of which arereflected in his verse. Maybe it was due to the fact that the Punjab wasgreatly disturbed between 1710-1750. If there were any MSS, they musthave been lost. It was only in 1882 that one Malik Hira collected hiscompositions and brought them out from Lahore for the first time.

His first meeting with his Murshid Inayat Shah is said to have beenmeaningfully dramatic. It is said that when Bulleh approached his spiritualmaster, Inayat Shah was engaged in transplanting onion seedlings in hisorchard. Finding that Bulleh Shah wished to be initiated into the fold ofdivine seekers, Inayat Shah remarked, 'It's not difficult; it is like uprootinghere and planting it there.

This clinched the issue. Bulleh Shah became a disciple of Inayat Shah.

It is said that soon after Bulleh Shah annoyed his Master due to someindiscretion and he was thrown out of the Daira. Several months passed;Bulleh begged forgiveness, repented, had other devotees speak to InayatShah who would not relent. Suffering the pangs of separation, Bulleh sangsoulful Kafis:

Leaving my parents, I am tied to youOh Shah Inayat! My beloved Guru

Whatever happens is ordained by him.His mandate none dare alter.

My pangs of agony cry aloudSomeone should go and tell my MasterFor whom I pine.

As time passed, he went sort of crazy and in a fit of frenzy he disguisedhimself as a dancing girl and barged into his Master's Daira singing anddancing:

Your love has made me dance allover.Falling in love with youWas supping a cup of poison.Come, my healer, it's my final hour.Your love has made me dance all over.

Discovering that it was none other than Bulleh, singing and dancing inabandon, Inayat Shah relented and took him back in his fold.

During the period of his estrangement with his Master, Bulleh Shah used toroam about in the streets of Lahore in a deranged state of mind. In theprime of his youth, with curly tresses flowing on his shoulders, he was thecynosure of many an eye. It is said, once passing through a street he saw amiddle aged woman doing the hairdo of a newly-wedded bride. BullehShah liked the hairdo and the next time he happened to pass that way, heasked the lady to do a similar hairdo for him. Who would not oblige acharming youth like Bulleh? It is said that when her husband came to knowof it, he gave a severe beating to his wife. As the husband was giving ventto his jealous anger, there was a knock on the door. Opening the door theyfound it was no other than Bulleh Shah asking the lady to undo his hairdo!'My husband wouldn't allow it, he beats me,' said Bulleh and put thewoman's husband to shame.

Similarly, when Aurangzeb banned singing and dancing as an un-Islamicpractice, Bulleh Shah's Master, Inayat Shah, is said to have advised him togo from village to village in the Punjab singing and dancing and thus defythe imperial injunction which Bulleh did with impunity.

Bulleh Shah's times were out-of-joint. The Punjab was particularlydisturbed. Before he died in 1707, Aurangzeb was preoccupied in theSouth, leaving the North to be administered by Governors who had tocontend with Marathas and the Khalsa emerging as a formidable forceunder Guru Gobind Singh. Then there were incursions from the northwest-whether by Nadir Shah or Ahmed Shah Abdali. There were alsofundamentalists like Sheikh Ahmed Sarhandi who infused much communalhatred and disharmony inconsistent with the Sufi way of life and ideologywhich laid emphasis on the unity of God, amity and communalcohesiveness. They had little use for formal religion whether it was Islamor Hinduism. They sneered at meaningless rituals and ceremonials and

propagated liberation of man from the stranglehold of blind faith.

When Guru Gobind Singh, a great revolutionary of his time, created theKhalsa by baptising the Sikhs of Guru Nanak with Amrit at Anandpur Sahibin 1699, Bulleh Shah had just come of age. He was 19 years old. GuruGobind Singh, a mystic in his own' right, launched a relentless fightagainst the time-worn rituals and ceremonials of the Hindu Rajasentrenched in the Himalayan belt on the one hand and the bigotedness andunjust rule of the Mughals on the other. With the death of Aurangzeb in1707 A.D. the Punjab was plunged into turmoil. The confusion was worstconfounded with the attacks of Nadir Shah and Ahmed Shah Abdali, moreparticularly between 1740 and 1750 A.D. Thus until his death in 1757 BullehShah had to witness disintegration allover the Punjab. He bemoans it againand again:

The Mughals quaff the cup of poison.Those with coarse blankets are up.The genteel watch it all in quiet,They have a humble pie to sup.The tide of the times is in spate.The Punjab is in a fearsome state.We have to share the hell of a fate.

What seems to have irked Bulleh Shah, and for that matter hiscontemporary mystics the most, was the widening gulf between the Hindusand the Muslims of the day. The root cause of the misunderstanding wasSheikh Ahmed of Sarhand who believed:

"The glory of Islam wlies in ridiculing the non-Muslims. Those who givequarter to Kafirs disgrace Islam...

The non-Muslims should be kept at a distance like dogs. They must not begiven any consideration or humane treatment. Violence and inhumanbehaviour with them are like saying one's prayers. Inflicting Jazia on themis to humiliate them. This leads them not to wear respectable clothes, dothemselves up or make any purchases of luxury goods." Maktoobat-i-lmamRabbani

The reference to those 'with coarse blankets' in Bulleh Shah's verse is tothe Sikhs. They being an upcoming community were a thorn in the flesh ofthe Muslim fundamentalists like Aurangzeb who would not tolerate eventhe Shia Muslims. He had his, own brother Dara Shikoh who was a Shiamurdered mercilessly. The same fate was meted out to Sarmad who was anoted mystic of his time. In his single-minded pursuit of Islamization,

Aurangzeb had Guru Tegh Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru, executed publiclyin Delhi.

Aurangzeb was followed by Bahadur Shah who tried to make friends withthe Sikhs. cultivated Guru Gobind Singh as his ally, but essentially a weakruler, the newly forged friendship was short-lived. He was followed on theDelhi throne by Jahandar Shah (1712-1713), Farrukh Sayyar (1713-1719),Mohammad Shah (1719-1748) and Ahmed Shah (1748-1754). They were allstaunch Sunnis. The Governors appointed to take charge of the Punjabaffairs by them were no Gless narrow-minded and communal Sunnis. Theywere: Munim Khan (1707

1713), Abdul Samad Khan (1713-1726), Zakria Khan (1726-1745), YahiyaKhan (1745-1747), Shah Niwaz (1747-1748), Mir Moinuddin (1748-1753) andMuradBegum (1753-1754).

The Hindus who did not play their tune and the Sikhs in general werepersecuted as never before in the annals of Indian history. In 1732 A.D.Haqiqat Rai, a young boy, was executed because it was believed that hehad abused Bibi Fatima when provoked by his Muslim class-fellow with aswearword for a Hindu goddess. Farrukh Sayyar's regime saw BandaBahadur subjected to inhuman tortur before he was beheaded in Delhi.During this period every Sikh head, alive or dead, had a price fixed on it.Similarly, Zakariya Khan had Bhai Mani Singh done to death by slicing hislimbs, one after the other. In 1745 Bhai Taru Singh's skull was dismantledand he was put to death. Then during the tenure of Abdul Samad and hisson Yahiya Khan an attempt was made to wipe out the Sikhs as acommunity altogether. They were either put to the sword or driven to thebushes in the countryside. It is said that, in what has come to be known asChhota Ghalughara, about 7,000 Sikhs were rounded up in Kahnuwanforest and killed,. while 3,000 were captured. Those captured were laterslain in Lahore and their heads arranged to form a pyramid. Anothergenocide of the Sikhs took place on 5th February, 1762, when Ahmed ShahDurrani massacred 22,000 Sikhs in a village called Koop Heera. This cameto be known as Wada Ghalooghara. Both the times Harimandir Sahib (TheGolden Temple) at Amritsar was destroyed and the Holy Tank defiled.

The most unfortunate ignominy suffered by the Punjab during this periodwas the repeated incursions of Nadir Shah, starting in 1739 and those ofAhmed

Shah Abdali, whose first attack took place in 1747. These were both achallenge and an opportunity for the Sikhs. Hounded out of their hearths

and homes, they lived virtually on horseback. Organizing themselves intoguerrilla squads, they would attack the retreating Afghan forces w1th lootand relieved them of their booty and rescued thousands of Hindu girlsaccompanying them as slaves. In due course of time, they evolvedthemselves into Misals who wielded considerable influence in the Punjab.And from them emerged a hero known as Maharaja Ranjit Singh who wasthe first Punjabi to rule over the Punjab in the annals of Indian history.

Such were the times when Bulleh Shah emerged as a protagonist ofcommunal amity in the Punjab. Living in Kasur with his Murshid in Lahore,he could not but be embroiled in the political changes taking place aroundhim despite the fact that the Sufis tried as far as possible to steer clear ofthe contemporary happenings.

Bulleh Shah's was a major voice against injustice. He called Guru TeghBahadur, the Ninth Sikh Guru, who was beheaded by Aurangzeb, a Ghazi.He hailed Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, as a protector ofHinduism:

I talk about neither yesterday nor tomorrow;I talk about today.Had Gobind Singh not been there,They would all be under Islamic sway.

He gave no quarter to hypocrisy. He was particularly hard on Mulla~ Quaziamd Mufti in the Muslim social hierarchy. f1e accepted no discipline. Sayshe:

I am emancipated, emancipated I am,I am no prisoner of being born a Syed,All the fourteen heavens are my territory,I am slave to none.Only they shout loud while calling others to prayerWhose hearts are not pure .Those who go to Mecca on pilgrimageHave little else to occupy them here.

It needed a great deal of courage for a Muslim to say all this during thetimes Bulleh Shah lived in.

The record of the persecution of the Sufis in India is fairly alarming despitethe fact that their contribution to Islam and to Indian society for promotingamity amongst the various communities is no mean.

Jalaluddin Khilji had Saidi Maula, an eminent Sufi of his time, crushedunder the feet of an elephant. Similarly, Alauddin Khilji had almost gotHazrat Nizamuddin Auliya beheaded but for a miraculous escape. It is saidthat Mohammad Bin Tughlaq had Sheikh Shahabuddin Bin Ahmadmurdered with his mouth filled with dung. A similar fate was meted out toNasiruddin Chiragh Oehlvi who was tortured with holes bored in hischeeks. Firoz Shah had Ahmed Bihari executed since Bihari's disciplesaddressed him as God. Jehangir had Guru Arjan, a friend of Mian Mir,tortured to death. Aurangzeb had Guru Tegh Bahadur beheaded.

It was, therefore, highly bold of Bulleh Shah to have challenged themindset of the bigoted Muslims of his time:

The Mullas and Qazis show me the lightLeading to the maze of superstition.Wicked are the ways of the worldLike laying nets for innocent birdsWith religious and social taboosThey have tied my feet tight.

Be that as it may, Bulleh Shan maintained:

Shariat is my midwife, Tariqat. is my motherThis is how I have arrived at the truth of Haqiqat.

Despite this, when he was denounced as a heretic, Bulleh Shah shoutedback:

A lover of God?They'll make much fuss;They'll call you a KafirYou should say -yes, yes.

He does not differentiate between the Hindu and the Muslim. He sees Godin both of them. When he decides to ridicule them, he does not spareeither:

Lumpens live in the Hindu templesAnd sharks in the Sikh shrines.Musclemen live in the Muslim mosquesAnd lovers live in their clime.

Sick of the sophistications of the academicians, he would rather be happyin the company of the uneducated. He preferred simple folk with faith to theso called enlightened of his day:

Enough of learning, my friendFor it there is no end.An alphabet would do for me,No one knows when one's life would end.

The Sufis of the Punjab were close to the saints of the Bhakti Movement.Both denounced fundamentalism. While the Sufis laid emphasis on love,the saints emphasized devotion. Some of the spiritual stages of the Sufishave parallels in the saints of the Bhakti Movement :

'Aboodiat' of the Sufis is the 'Seva Bhav' of the saints, meaning selflessservice.' Similarly, 'Zuhd' is 'Tapassiya', meaning asceticism, 'Tassawar' is'Dhyan', meaning meditation, 'Habs-i-dam' is 'Pranayam', meaning Yogabreathing exercise, 'Zikr' is 'Simran'. meaning repetition of Name, 'Wisal' is'Milap',meaning union and 'Fanah' is 'Abhedata', meaning merger with the Divine.

There were three main cults of Sufism prevalent in India: Qadri, Suhrawardiand Chishti. Bulleh Shah belonged to the Qadri denomination. The mainfeatures of the Qadri cult were:

(a)Developing the spiritual potential byexercising discipline and self-denial.(b) Discarding rituals and ceremonials of anyfaith, of any type.(c) Disregard for Shariat as such.(d) Man can gain realization of the Divine Realitythrough the intervention of his Murshid orGuru.

Bulleh Shah has delineated his spiritual journey of a Sufi through variousstages as known to his times in his poetry, these being: Shariat, Tariqat,Haqiqat and Marfat. He started his spiritual journey as a conformist. Mostof the seekers do so.

Shariat is the preliminary stage when the Salik conforms to the Sharia orthe code of conduct as dictated by Islam. It is saying prayers five times aday, observing fasts during the month of Ramzan. besides faith in thesupremacy of God and Prophet Mohammad as His Messenger. It is saidthat Bulleh' Shah knew the text of the HOLY QURAN by heart. The way hequotes the Islamic scriptures in his verse speaks volumes for it. SaysBulleh Shah:

Understand the One and forget the rest,Shake off your ways of a non-believerLeading to the grave and to hell, in quest.

Tariqat: If Bulleh Shah's verse is any guide, he did not take long to leaveShariat as a spiritual path behind, At best. he employed it as astepping-stone. He moved on to Tariqat. which is an important landmark ina Salik's career. The cardinal feature of this stage is the assistanceprovided by the~ Murshid or Guru. In fact, what Sharia does in the life of acommon devotee, Tarriqat does in the case of a Sufi. The literal meaning ofTariqat is manner or observance. Tariqat according to Bulleh Shah is thePurslat of Baba Farid, the bridge which helps the seeker pass the arduouspath of hard spiritual exercises with the help of the Murshid. The Guru orMurshid is like the philosopher's stone which converts metal into gold.Good deeds are the dowry that the bride collects at this stage and thenqualifies for union with the lord. In the first instance, Bulleh Shah discardsthe rituals and the ceremonials prescribed by the Shariat:

Burn the prayer mat, break the water pot,Quit the rosary and care not for the staff.

Having done that. he -"I surrenders to the Murshid who is going to hold h1shand and cruise him to his destination. Bulleh's love for his Guru is likethat of Heer for Ranjha or Sohni for Mahiwal. It is physical love sublimatedinto spiritual love:

Why must I go to KaabaWhen I long for Takht Hazara?People pay their homage to KaabaI bow before my Ranjha.

Haqiqat: The third stage of his spiritual journey to which Bulleh Shah referstime and again in his verse is Haqiqat or the realization of truth. Thedevotee understands and accepts the existence of God. God is truth. Godexists in everything around us. This concept has been described in the Sufiidiom as Hamaost. When the Salik comes to realize it. he no longerdiscriminates between the Hindu and the Muslim. the temple and themosque. He hears the call of the Muezzin in the flute-strains of an idolworshipper:

Pour not on prayers, forget the fasts.Wipe off Kalma from the sight.Bulleh has found his lover within,Others grope in the pitch-dark night.

What a spark of knowledge is kindled ~I find that I am neither Hindu nor Turk.I am a lover by creed;A lover is victorious even when swindled.

At this stage Bulleh Shah has little use for books and learning:

The rest is all but idle talk,What counts is the name of Allah, it looks.Some confusion is created by the learned,And the remaining g1ess is entailed in books.

Marfat: This is the last stage of the spiritual evolution of a Sufi. It is themerging into Divine Reality called Fana and thus attaining the life eternalknown in the Sufi idiom as Baqa. The Murshid helps the seeker arrive atthis stage but it is the grace which makes possible the ultimate union. Themoment this happens, caste and creed cease to have any meaning. TheAtma (Soul) and Paramatma (God) become one. When Bulleh attained thisstage, the entire world appeared to him as a reflection of the Divine Reality,Bulleh has merged in God:

Remembering Ranjha day and night,I've become Ranjha myself.Call me Dhido Ranjha,No more I be addressed as Heer.I abuse Ranjha but adore him in my heart.Ranjha and Heer are a single soul,No one could ever set them apart.

Be that as it may, Bulleh Shah's Sufism is Quranic Sufism. At least to startwith. When he breaks this code, he hardly ever goes beyond the limits laiddown by his tribe earlier. However later in due course, he is influenced bythe Saint tradition prevalent in the Punjab during his times. Like apracticing Yogi, he advocates Habs-i-dam or Pranayam which leads tounion with God: .

Heer and Ranjha have already met,In vain she looks for him in the orchard;Ranjha rests in the knots of her net.

Similarly, he refers to the ten Dwars of the yogis:

It is for you that I am imbued with greed.

Closing the nine Dwars, I went to sleep.I come to the tenth and ask your leave.My love for you is ever so deep.

The place Bulleh Shah gives to his Murshid in his spiritual evolutionreminds one of the importance of the Guru in the Sikh faith as obtaining inthe tradition of the Bhakti Movement :

Leaving my parents I am tied to you,O Shah Inayat, my beloved Guru!Keep the promises made,Do come to me.

The immortality of the soul is indicated thus:

I was in the beginning, I'd be in the end,Who could be wiser than me?

In the tradition of the saints of the Bhakti Movement, Bulleh Shah styleshimself as the bride. God is the bridegroom :

How many knots should I tie for my wedding?My learned friend, advise!The marriage party must come on the prescribed date,Will forty knots be wise?

Unlike the general trend of the Sufi poets, Bulleh Shah is humble. He findsfaults in himself. He has faith in his Master's mercy. It is the grace of Godwhich will eventually cruise him across :

I'm a poor scavenger of the court of the True Master.Bare-foot, unkempt hair, I have been summoned from beyond.

In order to kill one's ego and cultivate control over all temptations, unlikehis contemporaries, Bulleh Shah does not prescribe Zuhd and torturing thebody to submission. on the other hand, like the Saints of the BhaktiMovement, he believes in love and devotion. At the most, he is seensuffering the pangs of separation and no more:

In my passion of union with him,I've lost all count of form;I laid my bed in the public parkAnd went to sleep in my lover's arms.I am broken, I am bent,Tell him how I am pining for him;

My disheveled hair, with the tying band in my hand,Feel not embarrassed, do go and tell him oh messenger!

Bulleh Shah goes a step further. He seems even to have been influenced bywhat is known as the Bhagwat tradition. He is enamored of Krishna's flute.The flute notes seem to have a peculiar pull for him :

Bulleh Shah was captivatedThe moment he heard the flute,Frenzied he ran towards the MasterWhom and how should he salute?

The tilt Bulleh Shah's Sufism has more particularly in the later periodtowards the Saint tradition belonging to> the Bhakti Movement could alsobe due to his having belonged to the Qadri cult of the Sufis. The Qadri cultis close to the Nirgun Bhakti Mat, akin to the Sikh faith. Its founder wasAbdul Qadir Jeelani of Iran. Bulleh Shah's Master, Inayat Shah, was also aQadari. Says Bulleh :

Come Inayat Qadri!I long for you.

Bulleh Shah was no less conscious of reforming his society. He was asevere critic of the clergy whether Islamic or Brahminic. He ridicules themfor the way they exploit the people and mislead them with false promises.He calls them thugs :

The thugs with their mouths full of frothTalk about life and deathWithout making any sense.With the fundamentalist, he is more severe :If you wish to be a ghazi,Take up your sword :Before killing the KafirYou must slaughter the swindler.

Bulleh Shah is credited with the following works:

Kafis 150,Athwara 1,Baramah 1,Siharfi 3,Oeodh49, andGandhan 40.

This is the whole lot that appears in his name in various collectionspublished from time to time. A considerable part of it is unauthentic. Thefirst time an academician in Or. Mohan Singh Diwana' researched on BullehShah's work, he seems to have found only 50 Kafis genuinely composed bythe Sufi Saint. This was in the thirties of the twentieth century. Syed NazirAhmed of Lahore (Pakistan) compiled a fairly prestigious volume of BullehShah's work in 1976 in which he has included 66 Kafis besides a fewmiscellaneous pieces. Interpolations have been galore. His Kafis at timesseem to vary as they travel from Pakistan to India.

Kafi has no specific mould called Chhand in Punjabi poetics. It has,however, a prescribed manner of presentation as light classical music.Rather than a Raga, some scholars have called it a Ragini. Long beforeBulleh Shah, Guru Nanak wrote three Kafis. We have five more Kafis in theHoly Granth, one each of Guru Amardas and Guru Ram Das, two of GuruArjan and one of Guru Tegh Bahadur. These Kafis are available in RagasAsa, Suhi, Tilang and Maru. Besides light classical musicians, Kafi singingis popular with Qawwals who make their presentations in choruses andcarry the audience with them as if in a trance. Kafis, as text, sing thepraises of the Murshid and the Divine Reality, refer to the transitoriness ofthe world and also describe the pangs of separation of the devotee fromthe Guru and seeker from God. At times Kafis deal with social and politicalthemes as well. Bulleh does it time and again. As regards the form, moreoften than not, Bulleh provides a refrain which provides relief as well asunderlines the theme of the Kafi:

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

The Iraqis are despisedWhile the donkeys are prized.Strange are the times!

Those with coarse blankets are kings,The erstwhile kings watch from the ring.Strange are the times!

It's not without rhyme or reason.Strange are the times!

Athwara: Taking week days as the basis, Athwara is generally theexpression of a love-torn beloved (Soul) separated from the lover (God).The beloved expects the lover every day, waits for him but he is to be seen

nowhere. As poetic form. the first couplet of the Athwara has a longermeasure which is sung by the leader of the choral group. It is followed byshort-measure couplets sung by the rest of the party. Bulleh Shah'sAthwaras are, in fact, Satwaras, starting with Saturday and terminating withFriday. Though a rebel by conviction, Bulleh Shah follows the Islamiccalendar in Athwaras and Baramah. A specimen :

I better have a look at my love on SaturdayMaybe I don't come home the next day.What a Saturday it is !Suffering from the pangs of love, I pine.I look for you in dales and deserts,It's past midnight, I hear the chimes.I miss you.Longing for you every moment,Sleeping at night, I encounter tigers.I cry for help at the top of my voiceSpears piercing my every fiber.I remain yours.

Baramah as a poetic form is a great deal popular in the Indian languages.Like Athwara, in Baramah the poet makes every month a basis forrecounting his woes in separation from his lover. An attempt is also madeto depict the peculiar climatic features of the month, more often than notwith a view to associating them with the emotional intensity of the loverpining for his beloved. In a poetic form Baramah is also like Athwara withthe first couplet in a larger measure to be sung by the leader, followed byshort-measure couplets presented by the rest of the choral group.Baramah can be intensely passionate at times while describing the plightof the love-torn beloved in the rainy season or in the long winter nights. Aspecimen :

Phagun

The Spring)

The month of Phagun reflects in fieldsThe way someone dresses in flowers.Every branch is laden with blossoms,Every neck has the look of a bower.My friends celebrate Holi.My eyes are a brimming trough.Tears give me a miserable time,I am torn with slings of love .

Whatever happens is ordained by Him.His mandate none dare alter.My pangs of agony cry out aloudSomeone should go and tell my Master,For whom I pine.

Doha is a typical Punjabi poetic form though it has no prescribed measureas such. It is in fact a couplet that rhymes and is complete in itself. Itreveals a fact of life or makes a telling observation. It can be an emotionaloutburst or a reference to a political happening or ridiculing a social foible.A few specimens :

Day before Bulleh Shah was an atheist,He worshipped idols yesterday.He had no occasion to commune with HimThough he sat at home today.Bulleh loves the MuslimAnd salutes the Hindu lord.He welcomes home all thoseWho remember the Almighty God.Bulleh treads the path of love,It is an endless road.A blind man meets the blind,Who should wield the goad?

Siharfi or acrostic is another poetic form which was very popular with themedieval poets in the Indian languages. There was a time when every majorpoet tried his hand at writing a Siharfi. It is taking an alphabet from thescript of the language and building the composition, followed by the nextalphabet and so on. Guru Nanak has a highly sophisticated acrostic calledPatti to his credit. It figures in the Holy Granth. Bulleh Shah's acrostic isdevoted mainly to man's yearning for union with the Divine. A specimen:

Alif -He who meditates on AllahHis face is pale, his eyes bloodshot.He who suffers pangs of separation,No longer he longs his life ~ last.Say -Soulful is my love for you,Whom shall I go and tell?In the swelling waters of a river at midnightA wailing swallow fell.

Gandhan or knots as a poetic form owes its origin to a practice prevailingamong the tribals of the Sunderbans and Ganjibar of the Punjab (Pakistan)who when they fix a marriage date, tie the number of knots and the bride's

family would then untie a knot every morning so that the marriageceremony is celebrated on the day decided upon earlier. Bulleh Shah usesthis device to depict his wait for his union with his Murshid. Every dayuntying a knot brings him closer to the long-cherished union with theMaster. A specimen :

How many knots should I tie for my wedding?My learned friend, advise!The marriage party must come on the prescribed day,Will forty knots be wise?Untying the first knot I sat and cried.Since I must go one day, better get the dowry dyed.

Bulleh Shah's language is Central Punjabi but when he is emotionallycharged, he waxes eloquent into Lehndi, the South-eastern dialect. Thereare traces of other Punjabi dialects also in his poetry which could,perhaps, be attributed to interpolations and the fact that his work hastravelled from mouth to mouth. While singing in chorus the Oawwals areknown to deviate from the original text. Bulleh Shah employs classicalterms and phrases whether from the Persian or the Sanskrit according tothe philosophic content of his verse. His language is replete with eternaltruths, which are in common use in the Punjab in everyday life. As a poet,some of his expressions remain unsurpassed :

The sun has set; its flush only is left.A peacock calls in the grove of passion.

Mohammad Baksh, a great bard of his time, writing in 1864, was, perhaps,the first to recognize Bulleh Shah's talent. Says he:

Listening to Bulleh's Kafis Rids one of blasphemy. He, indeed, has swumGod's ocean of eternity.

A question that nags a reader of Bulleh Shah's work is that if Sarmad andother Sufi saints who talked the way Bulleh talked could not escape the ireof the fundamentalists and were done to death, how is it that Bulleh couldescape this fate? More, when he spoke so endearingly about the Sikhs whowere at logger heads with the rulers of the day. There appear to be tworeasons for it. Firstly, when Bulleh Shah was at the peak of his glory,Mughal rule was on the decline. The administration was much toopreoccupied with law and order to take notice of such social aberrations.

Secondly, unlike Hinduism, Sikhism is close to Islam conceptually, thoughit is nearer Hinduism socially. Guru Nanak who believed, there is no Hindu,there is no Muslim was still venerated in the Punjab as 'Baba Nanak ShahFaqir; Hindu ka Guru, Musalman ka Pir' (Guru Nanak the great man of God!He is the Guru of the Hindu and Pir of the Muslim). Even Guru~ GobindSingh, the reigning Sikh Guru, had a large number of followers among theMuslims like Pir Budhu Shah, Nihang Khan, Ghani Khan, Nabi Khan andothers. Writing in his book, Sufis, Mystics and Yogis of India, Banke Biharisays, 'It was a period when Mughal supremacy was fading out and theSikhs were gaining supremacy. He (Bulleh Shah) met Shri Guru GobindSinghji and others and heard to his great pain of the atrocious deeds of theMuslims in decapitating the heads of Hindu saints. It was a time when a fewdecades earlier Sarmad had been beheaded by Alamgir for his pantheisticleanings. ,

Bulleh Shah is classed with Kabir and is said to belong to the Sainttradition of the Sufis. The Punjab witnessed the emergence of the two maincults of the

Sufis: The Quranic Sufis and the Neo-Platonic Sufis. Amongst the QuranicSufis in the Punjab are listed: Fard Faqir, and Ghulam Rasul. Those listedas NeoPlatonic Sufis are: Hafiz Barkhurdar, Ali Hyder, Ahmed Yar, Muqbaland Waris Shah. Unlike all these Baba Farid, Shah Husain and Bulleh Shahare closer to the saint tradition of the Bhakti Movement. They seek unionwith the Divine on the lines of the Nirguna Bhaktas. Says Bulleh Shah

I have wiped off the KalmaAnd found my Lord within me.The whole world is deceived.

Bulleh Shah's mysticism is the assertion of the soul against the formalityof religion. He came to believe that it is possible to establish a direct linkwith God. His is the eternal yearning of the human soul to .have directexperience of Divine Reality.

Bulleh Shah's Sufism was no doubt Quranic to start with. But the Shariathas relevance as long as duality persists; the moment duality disappears,one is liberated from all bonds. This is exactly what seems to havehappened with Bulleh Shah. He qualified himself to Tariqat. He becameliberated. He became a part of the Divinity. He sees himself in everythingaround him.

Before the Sufi cult arrived in India, it had crossed many a bridge. TheSaint tradition of the Bhakti Movement was yet another influence which it

imbibed and gave birth to a distinct variety of Sufism which is rooted in thePunjabi soil. It was a happy mixture of Sabar and Takwa, Santokh andRiazat, Takkawal and Toba, Raza and Prem. Bulleh Shah played aprominent role in it. According to Lajwanti Raffia Krishna writing in PunjabiSufi Poets: 'He is one of the greatest Sufis of the world and his thoughtequals that of Jalal-ud-din Rumi and Shams Tabrez of Persia.

BULLEH SHAH AND THE ARTIST'S VISION OF HISTORYBy: Najm Hussian Syed

In the beginning was the stone. And man stood before the stonepossessed by the need to live and the urge to be. In the end too, is thestone and man stands before it as unsatiated as in the beginning.Between these two points there is movement- movement that cuts andchisels the stone to form the axe, that strikes two stones against eachother to rouse the slumbering spirit of fire, that smithers the stone tofragments to touch off the multifaced dance of water, that splits the verybeing of the stone to release demons whose dance is infinitely subtler andinfinitely mightier. The movement breathlessly explores the mazes wroughtby its own course and then shapes the stone into forms of pain, pleasureand silence, to envision through them what is beyond pain and pleasureand silence.It is this movement which is the history of man past, present and future.Within the course of this movement is contained all that man has felt,thought and done. Also within the course of the movement lie thedimension of unrealised potentiality. Whatever man has felt, thought anddone carries the memory of what he could feel, think and do-the memory ofthe stones that hedge the movement.This two-fold character of human history points to only one directioninexhaustible continuity. No action is decisive, no ideology is absolute.What has been is always accompanied by what could have been and noend is completely and finally achieved. . It is only the limited perspective ofday-to-day life which gives us the illusion of finality and deceives us intobelieving that in what surrounds us now life has finally fulfilled itself. Men,objects and events in one's immediate vicinity seem to wear a finished andindependent look. One is never prepared to bargain the smug solidity offamiliar objects for the chimerical flux of unending time. There is nothingsurprising in such an inhibition. No one can actually see or feel themovement of the earth. T oMost men a complacent belief in the solidity and permanence of theirsurrounding is a precondition of existence. The set of beliefs, ideas andattitudes in which I have grown .are the benevolent Himalayas that stand aseternal guards around the smug rotation of mornings my and evenings. Myrigidly conditioned emotional reflexes stretch round me a steel shelter ofpsychological security. Loosen a rivet and you smother my soul, youthreaten to blot out my very being. Study of History is the means of

loosening the rivets of this steel shelter. And this explains why we maintaina hidden, unacknowledged suspicion of history. It is only within certainlimits and with certain reservations that we admit our connection withhistory. Instead of discovering what trends in history are responsible forour frame of attitudes and emotions have zealously busy ourselves infitting history to our frame of attitudes and emotions. The nature andextent of our willingness to associate ourselves with the past, present andfuture time is determined by our own impulse for personal security. Suchan attitude towards history represents a consciousness which hasforegone the opportunities of expansion, marking out a narrow path in pastand future, sidetracking discovery and challenge. The awareness of timewe thus achieve is a projection of a private sentiment, an exaggerateddramatization of personal frustration and daydreaming.Any vision of history is thus both an index of, and a pril1iary factor in, thespiritual makeup of a person or a group. Once you finally commit yourselfto a particular limited vision of history and your hedged place in that visionyou deliver yourself in the hands of ruthless gods who are jealous of theintrusion of human will in their realms. They grip you, mould you and setyou in motion according to their own designs. And ironically you maintainthe belief that your actions and thoughts are the results of your ownconscious will. You scarcely have the detachment to reflect that yourconscious will itself has been harnessed by the image to which itsurrendered itself. The physical or ideological tyranny to which our honesthands subject others is only a reflection of the tyranny of a partial vision ofhistory to which we submitted ourselves.The individual sentiment is comparatively flexible but the group sentimentsand attitudes pile up in the course of ages and harden to a degree where itis difficult to successfully resist or dislodge them. The group sentimentsappear in obsessive touchiness about its vision of history: As aspokesman of the group one does not find oneself prepared to tolerate anyindividual deviationhowever genuine. The individual deviation which is an internal challengeand an agent of dynamic development is thus suppressed. The deviatingindividual instead of acting as a source of enlargement and modification iscompelled either to become a desensitized appendix to the mass of socialsentiment or to remain socially unacceptable. In the center rests the massof passively conformist elements which, in the absence of necessarycirculation progressively decay into a dead weight. On the fringes oroutside them the deviating individual is kept ineffective in his alienation.When a community continues to subscribe to a partial vision of history itruns the risk of ultimately destroy~ the basis of a creative relationshipbetween itself and its members.It must be seen now what is the difference between a complete and apartial vision of history and bow this difference has been important in the

evolution of human consciousness. Once, though not long ago, man livedin caves and hunted for his food like his fellow animals. Man preyed on hisfellow animals and fell a prey to them. He remained in perilous communionwith wind, rain, heat of the day and chill of the night. In his intense physicalexperience he had only one relation with time - the direct personal relationwith the current moment that glared at him from behind a thicket, themoment that suddenly thrust its glistening teeth and claws into his flesh.He sought to conquer this vm1 current moment by contemplating it in anabstract eternal frame. He caught the current moment in all its aliveness onthe walls of his cave and felt that he had entered into an inner relationshipwith the moment beyond the moment. There was an intensesynchronization between the acts of contemplating. The artist-man was notperhaps conscious of his contemplation as one is conscious of anexpressible idea. He lived his vision of time rather than formulate it. He felthimself to be a part of the creation and not a product of a creed orideology. He found his fulfillment by affirming his contact with the currentmoment. And art was not a by-product of his internal deferred living. Thedistinction between internal and external living is of later origin. It was afterthe synthesis was disturbed that human consciousness found itimpossible to retain the spontaneous wholeness of experience. And thosewho still sought a personal contact with the current moment were termedas artists, mystics, heretics or lunatics.These designations are less the products of convenience and more offear-man's fear of his own inner impulse that urged him to look beyond thesilence of the stone. In fact the "artist" and the "mystic" were only adisowned part of the ordinary man; they themselves were more genuinelyordinary than was realised. I t was left only to "the artist'. or "the mystic" toretain an intimate relationship with time. The artist knows time as anever-present reality. To him the moment is an ever-open door - a doorwhich within its shape integrates his entire experience as a unit of creation.He finds himself perpetuated within the door. He knows that the door is notthe final end-and nothing that he knows, is constantly yearns to realisewhat is beyond the d~. The artistic creation too is not an end in itself; it isan act within the door. Associating the performance of Ragas withparticular seasons and particular hours of day is a really significantphenomenon. The Raga itself is a comprehensive formulation of humanexperience; it is the door. The performance of the Raga is an act within themoment-the moment which is physically present as an hour of the day or aseason of the year. The performer and the listeners with him try to enterinto an intimate relationship with the moment. The artist' s relationship withtime is not one of antagonism resulting if1 either his surrender or theconquest of time. This relationship is undertaken as a dialogue betweenman and the moment. But as the moment itself is not the end man strivesto wrestle out of its embrace. The cherished attainment of the ~~~1~ former

is to arrive at a point where the moment wanes and the Raga itself is leftbehind.The example of the classical Raga indicates the nature of the artistic effortand its goal. Art is essentially an act of impulsive meditation in which lifetries~.' to measure and stretch its limits; the knowledge of the limitsimplies the strength to stretch there. The artist has little use forchronology. F or him past is not made of events but of experience; andexperience lives when events are dead. And for a communion withexperience he does not go to events; he goes to his ownconsciousness-which contains the past in a living form and which containsthe future too. He is not haunted by fear of the past or fear of the future noris he shy of facing the present because in his consciousness they live asone intimate experience-an experience not based on any principle of moralor dogmatic selection but comprehending all harmopies and discordsimplicit in the fact of existence.The poet Bulleh Shah is one deeply stimulating representative of the classof artists who felt intensely the need of discovering time through livecontact.

"Bullah! Can I know who I am. I neither join the faithful in their devoutaffirmation in the mosque nor I find myself scaling the subtleties of denial.I do not raise my finger with the righteous nor do I bare my breast with thecondemned. I am not Moses nor the Pharoah either . The sacred scripturesfrom this world or that contain no clues for me. I do not discover myself inthe sensual surrender. I am neither concealed by the profane ecstasy ofintoxication nor made manifest by the holy Vedas. I am not contained inwhat is uncovered by the wary eye of wakefulness nor in what is revealedby sleep. No form of pleasure or pain, revelry or remorse finds me out. I amnot disposed by fire, air, water and dust. 1 am neither a Hindu nor a Turk.My identity lies neither in the wilderness of Arabia nor within the walls ofLahore. I am not the secret essence strenuously revealed by creed andreligion. I was not born of Adam and Eve. I did not adopt any name nor canI owe any. 1 am neither stationary nor adrift. Can I know who am I? I t ismyself I know to be, the beginning and the end. Neithe1' do I recognise anyother being. It is nowhere else within myself that perception and

knowledge are embodied. Then who is He that stands as the Other? Andwho am I? Can 1 know Bullah?"The popularity of this poem, as of several others of Bulleh Shah, has beenlargely responsible for blurring its virtues. Popular applause where it mayindicate the aliveness of any poem also signifies that the poem has, in thecourse of its life accumulated a certain amount of dead matter. There is nosurer signal for a poet. To overhaul his wares than an undefined acclaim.The popular reading of this poem takes the refrain to be a suave abstentionfrom commitment of any kind-who knows and who can know, so let usshelve the ungainly business of knowing altogether. The appeal lies in thesatisfaction yielded by the escape supposedly implicit in the refrain, froman essential inner questioning about reality. The popular interpretation isthe result of a conveniently indifferent way of reading the poem. For abetter appreciation of the poem it is necessary to rediscover the subtletiesof tone and gesture inherent in each phrase. Also there should be anawareness of the cultural background of the form used here by BullehShah.The present English rendering in its effort to indicate the content of thepoem can do little justice to the other levels of the poet's intention whichare served by form and manner.Bulleh Shah here undertakes a contemplative self-questioning. Thequestioning takes the shape of a riddle-a riddle posed by the poet tohimself. This reference to the pattern of riddles which are asked of childrenis vital for the understanding of the poem. In his own self the poetcombines the awareness of the grown up person who has posed the riddleand the bewildered curiosity of the child who has been asked the question.This peculiarity of the form represents a consciousness which workstowards a solution through all the intricate levels of mature reflection andexperience, and yet retains the insistent curiosity of the child in face ofevery conclusion. The stanzas of the poem are the suggestions of maturereflection and experience; the refrain is the child's quarry which breaks anddissolves these suggestions.Those conversant with the form of Punjabi riddles would know that thechildren demand certain clues as a matter of right. "In what direction liesthe answer in eatables or in things of ordinary use 1" In the riddle of BullehShah a series of negatives dismisses all the possible clues. What is left isthe elemental question. And the question itself is worded with a view tosuggest a deliberate vagueness. The three possible literal translations ofthe refrain would be:(a) "How do I know who I am?" b) "How do I know who He is"? and (c) "How can I know the whoness?"And the three translations do not exhaust the subtlety which the apparentsimplicity of the refrain's syntax hides. The "I" of Bulleh Shah represents

man in his very essential capacity as a unit of creation. The "I" is inevitablyconfronted by "who". And in answer to this chimerical question the poetwith an amazingly casual touch recreates the entire panorama of hULD3.nexperience in Time. For an ultimate fulfillment man took up the search foridentity and affiliation. Each level of experience deceived him with ananswer which took the shape~ of a dogma, an institution, a belief, a value,an attitude or a relationship. But in elemental tussle of "I" and "who" thechild dismisses all the answers provided by the experience of man,breaking one toy after another in his frenzied curiosity. The poem is adance of negative phrases accompanied by the double interrogative of therefrain. The only positive phrase is contained in the beginning of the laststanza.This affirmation is a climax to the passion of denial. Where do 1 go fromhere? Where does the endless road lead? I have distinguished myself fromall that has existed in identity. I know what I am not; then how do I knowwhat I am?Bulleh Shah's question embodies a moment containing past, present andfuture time. The moment contains the total individual and social experienceof human history .The rejection of suggested identity and affiliations whenit comes is complete and indiscriminate and implies a passion for beinganew, for recreating the I. There is no preference or more exactly, allpreferences have fallen in favour of the unknown positive.The artist's vision of history of which Bulleh Shah provides an example isthe vision which alone is responsible for the creation of an inner dynamismand Thus the direct opposite of our parochial view of history.