Behad ramza dasda
Vedi be na dus mullah,
Oh Alif seedha kam khat aaya.
Speak not of the chaos of the "be", O Mullah!
The straight "alif” has no twists.
[ALIF:- A common Sufi theme is to concentrate on the unity of creation symbolized by the straight first letter of the Arabic alphabet i.e. Alif. The second letter or Ba (Be as pronounced in Punjab) is seen as extraneous to unity and clarity of understanding of mystic knowledge.]
O’yaar kalotni raat wala, bhais vata ik vat aaya.
Sohna meem da ghunghat pa ke dekh,
Ena zulfaan de ghunghal kad aaya.
The lover of that single night has returned in a new disguise.
The beautiful now wears the veil of the "MEEM",
And he now has locks of hair.
[The lines above refer to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), whose name Muhammad begins with the Arabic letter “MEEM”. The shape of the letter is used to create the impression of a shelter and denote his long flowing hair.]
Ali Haidera pehle Ahad si hun,
Ahmad bun ke vad aaya.
Ali Haider was first Ahad (god),
Now he comes again as Ahmad (Muhammad).
[In Shia belief, Hazrat Ali (here Ali Haider) was there in heaven to welcome Muhammad (here Ahmad) during his celestial journey and meeting with God (here Ahad). The poetry hints at the transformational linkages between man and God.]
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi – 2
My beloved reveals many secrets.
Kithae shia ae, kithae sunni ae.
Kithae Jatadhaar, kithae Munni ae.
Sometimes he is a Shia, and sometimes a Sunni.
Sometimes with long matted hair, and sometimes shorn bald.
[Shia & Sunni: Two fractions of Islam.]
[Jatadhaar & Munni: A reference to two groups of mystics found in Punjab. The Jattadhaar never wash or cut their hair and it remains matted in locks, while the Munni applies to those mystics who shave their heads.]
Kithae pataka beda dasda,
Buttkhanae vich kidre vasda.
Sometimes he talks of the Kaaba,
Sometimes he lives in the idol-house.
[Kaaba: Is a holy shrine of muslims. Idol-House here refers to Hindu temples and churches]
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi – 2
Aape zahir, aape batin, aape luk luk benda hai.
Aape mullah, aape qaazi, aape ilm parhenda hai.
He himself is the apparent, the esoteric, and then he hides himself.
He is the Mullah, and the Qazi, and he himself teaches knowledge.
[Zahir is the external or apparent meaning of the Quran. In other words, this refers to interpretations of Quranic doctrine that are conducted by normal human beings. The other component of the Quran is the Batin, or the underlying, esoteric dimension of the Quran, which can only be interpreted by the Aga Khan, who is the Imam of the Time.]
[Mullah is a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. In large parts of the Muslim world it is the name commonly given to local Islamic clerics or mosque leaders. Qadi is a judge ruling in accordance with the Sharia, the Islamic religious law.]
Khat zulnar kufar da gal vich buttkhanae vich behnda hai.
Jaaton ashraf yaar Ranjhe da layan di laj rakhenda hai.
Wearing the infidel amulet he sits in the idol house.
Of noble birth, my friend Ranjha keeps the honor of the afflicted.
[Using an analogy from a Punjabi folk epic (Heer-Ranjha), the poet depicts the ultimate lover as protector of those rendered vulnerable in their search for mystical knowledge.]
Aape lukda, aape dhisda, aape dhoom machenda hai.
Bullah Shah, Inaayat menu pal pal darshan denda hai.
He hides himself, and he reveals himself, he himself creates noise.
O Bullah, Shah Inayat shows himself to me again and again.
[Shah Inayat was the teacher of Bulleh Shah. Using this as an example, he poet shows the universal nature of the supreme teacher.]
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi - 2
Lan taraani dus ke jaani hun kiyoon mukh chupaya hai,
Mein dholan vich faraq na payi Inna-ma farmaya hai.
After asking me to become one with yourself, why have you hidden your face?
There is no difference between me and the beloved, the Quran says this alone.
[Lan Taraani refers to an aayat from the Quran, when Musa (a.s.) requests Allah to reveal His essence to Musa (a.s.). Allah says 'Lan Taraani' meaning 'you (Musa) will never be able to see me'. This is an allusion to Fana and Baqa, whereby when one remains as oneself one can never witness the Divine in His essence. So Allah is stating in the aayat that oh Musa, as long as you are Musa you will never be able to see me. Discard your identity and you shall see me / become me.]
[The green coloring is to indicate that this part or portion of the post has been changed from what it initially stood to be.]
Tan Sabir de keere paaye jo jharya so paya hai.
Mansoor ko lo kuch zahir hoya suli pakar charhaya hai.
You infested Sabir's body with worms and each that fell was replaced.
Mansur showed a little and you had him executed.
[Sabir was the nephew of the great Sufi Hazrat Baba Farid Shakarganj. His body was infested with worms and such was his love for Creation that if any worm fell down from his body, he picked it up and replaced it on his body.]
[Mansur or Mansur al-Hallaj, a great Sufi executed for heresy. He is remembered by his alleged statement “ana al-Haq”, “I am the Truth”. Truth being one of the attributes of Allah, it was thought that he had made a declaration of divinity for himself. The Sufi attitude is that he had discovered the inner mystic secret that God lives in all of us.]
Dasso nuqta jaat ilahi sajda kis karwaya hai.
Bulleh Shah da hukum na manya shaitan khuwar karaya hai.
Tell me, oh God, who had the angels bow to us?
You did not listen to Bulleh Shah's command and made the devil unhappy.
[Shaitaan: A reference to the Islamic belief the God ordered all the angels to his most perfect creation, i.e. humankind. One of the angels refused to do so and became Shaitan, the devil who leads mankind astray.]
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi - 2
Ik laazim baat adab di hai,
Sanu baat maloomi sub di hai.
There is one essence of knowledge,
We know everything about all.
Har-har vich surat rubb di hai,
Kithae zahir hai, kithae chupdi hai O’sohna.
The face of God is in everyone and everything,
Sometimes visible, sometimes hidden.
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi - 2
Asi vekh ke surat dilbar di,
Aaj be-surat nu jaan gaye.
In seeing the face of my beloved (Shah Inayat),
I have recognized the faceless one (god).
Bina Ain arab, bina meem Ahmad,
Assan yaar nu khoob pehchan gaye.
“ARAB” without “AIN” (A), “AHMAD” without “MEEM” (M),
I have recognized my friend (Shah Inayat).
[A play with words: removing the Ain from Arab gives Rab, meaning God. Removing the Mim from Ahmad gives Ahad, also an attribute of Allah. The message; Mohammad the Arab originates from God.]
Kithae Toor de purdeh chukda hai,
Kithae nawa de vich lukda hai.
Sometimes he lifts curtains of light,
Sometimes he hides behind names.
Jad ramz pachani yaaran ne,
O sub sadqe qurban gaye.
When the friends understood his mystery,
They sacrificed everything for him.
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi – 2
Oh besurat, vich surat de,
Bun aap Muhammad aaya hai.
The faceless one (god), has taken up a face,
And come disguised as Muhammad.
Rakh saamne sheesha wahdat da,
Aaj Rubb ne yaar sajaya hai.
The god placed the mirror of unity before himself,
And then he has decorated my beloved (Shah Inayat).
Bin surat de Rubb nahi labda,
Ohdi shakal noorani mukh Rubb da.
You can’t find god without a face,
His face glows with light, like that of god himself.
Je ohna hunda, na Rubb hunda,
Law laaka khuda farmaya hai.
If he (Shah Inayat) hadn’t existed, then the god also wouldn’t,
The god from the heavens has said this.
[LAW LAAKA: This is from the Hadith Qudsi (Divine saying relayed via Prophetic statement), in which Allah says to the prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) that 'Law Laaka la maa khalaqt al aflaaq...'(oh Muhammad) if you were not in existence (i.e. had I not created you) I would not have created the heavens (i.e. the whole of creation).]
[The green coloring is to indicate that this part or portion of the post has been changed from what it initially stood to be.]
Eh gal koi yaar khatawi nahi,
Je khuda O nahi, te juda vi nahi.
O’friend, there is nothing false about this statement,
If he isn’t god himself, then he isn’t different from god either.
Aape Ahmad bun ke hamd karay,
Te Muhammad naam rakhaya hai.
He becomes Ahmad to praise himself,
And named himself Muhammad.
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi - 2
Aape taalib te matloob aape,
Aape aap apna mehboob aape.
He is the wanter and the wanted,
He is his own lover.
Aape apne aap de milne di,
Tadbeer banayi jaandi ey.
He himself makes plans of meeting himself.
Jad shor muhabbat ne paya,
Be-surat surat bun aaya.
When love raised a tumult,
The faceless one came with a face.
Aape apne hijar vichore di,
Taqreer sunyai jandi ey.
He himself narrates the story of his separation.
Aape mud qadeema kalla ey,
Koi gair nahi Allah hee Allah ey.
He has been alone since eternity,
He is not a stranger. He is Allah.
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi - 2
Zara bekhud hoke dekh miyaan,
Jehde basti ey oh wasda ey.
Lose your selfishness and look,
At his humble abode.
Bina gurr kamil na ae bhed khulae,
Ey kalma koi na dasda ae.
This mystery cannot be solved without the guidance of a master,
None other can teach you the same.
Be-surat surat bun aaya,
Khud aap muhafiz surat da.
The faceless becomes one with a face,
The guardian of the face.
Khud rooh misaal te jism hoya,
Aape har har de vich wasda ey.
The spirit, the example and the body,
He lives in each one.
Aape qasrat de vich banda ey,
Ate aahdiyat vich Maula hai.
He is human in form,
And in unity with god.
Ilm apne da aap aalim hai,
Kithae aazadi kithae phasda ey.
He is the scholar of his own knowledge,
He is free, he is captive.
Jadon akhiyan dittian murshad ne,
Her dekheiya her her shaan andar.
When the teacher gave us eyes,
We saw him in everyone in all his glory.
Kithae momin hoke manda hai,
Kithae kafir hoke nasda ae.
Sometimes he believes as a Muslim,
Sometimes he runs away as an unbeliever.
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi – 2
Ki karda ni ki karda dilbar ki karda.
What is my beloved doing, what is he doing?
[The above cycle highlights the Sufi cycle of Hairat, i.e. bewilderment. The bewilderment at what is going on in the world and what the Maker is doing brings the final truth or m’arifat or secret knowledge.]
Ikke ghar vich wasdeah rasdeah,
Nai hunda vich purdah.
Dilbar ki karda ki karda ni ki karda dilbar ki karda.
Living together in one house,
There should be no secrets between us.
What is my beloved doing, what is he doing?
Vich maseet namaaz guzare,
Butt-khane ja warda.
Dilbar ki karda ki karda ni ki karda dilbar ki karda.
He prays in the mosque,
And then he enters the idol-house.
What is my beloved doing, what is he doing?
Aap ikko kayi lakh gharan de,
Malik sub ghar ghar da.
Dilbar ki karda ki karda ni ki karda dilbar ki karda.
He himself is one and has a hundred thousand houses,
The master of every house.
What is my beloved doing, what is he doing?
Jit wal dekha ut wal oh ho,
Her di sangat karda.
Dilbar ki karda ki karda ni ki karda dilbar ki karda.
In whatever direction I look, I find him there,
He accompanies everyone.
What is my beloved doing, what is he doing?
Musa te Pheron bana ke,
Do ho ke kyon larda.
Dilbar ki karda ki karda ni ki karda dilbar ki karda.
Having created Moses and the Pharaoh,
Why does he become two and fight?
What is my beloved doing, what is he doing?
Hazir nazir her thaan oho,
Kehra kis nu kharda.
Dilbar ki karda ki karda ni ki karda dilbar ki karda.
He is present, he is visible, he is everywhere,
Who is taking whom along?
What is my beloved doing, what is he doing?
Kithae Rumi ey kithae Shami ey.
Kithae sahib kithae ghulami ey.
Sometimes he is Rumi, sometimes Shami.
Sometimes he is a master, sometimes a slave.
Kithae khasan vich kithae aami ey.
Oh aape aap tamami ey oh sohna.
Sometimes he is the nobility, sometimes the common folk.
He is complete in himself.
[Rumi: Jalal ud-din Rumi, A Persian mystic poet famous for his Masnavi.]
[Shami: Abu Ishaq Shami is a lesser known sufi poet. He was one of the first among the Chishti Sufi order to call himself Chisti.]
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi – 2
Meem Day Ohlay Wasda Nee Dholan Mahi.
He lives under the "meem," my beloved.
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi - 2
Kun keha fayakun kahaya,
Be-chooni se choon banaya,
He said "kun" and made them say “fayakun",
From nothingness he created existence,
[Kun fayakun is the quranic description of the act of creation. Kun is an Arabic word referring to the act of manifesting, existing or being. In the Quran, Allah commands the universe to be (kun!), and it became (fayakun). Thus kun fayakun is translated to “be!, and it became”.]
Aahad de vich meem ralaya,
Hun mei lakhya sohna yaar,
In “Aahad” (god) he mixed “Meem”,
Now I have found the beautiful friend,
[Aahad is one of the 99 names of god as given in Quran. By mixing “meem” into the Ahad we get Ahmad, which is Prophet Muhammad. Play of words here.]
Jisde husn da garam bazaar.
Meem de ohle wasda mera dholan mahi.
Whose beauty has excited the market.
He lives under the "meem" my beloved.
Wasda meem de ohle mera dholan mahi – 2
He lives under the "meem," my beloved.
Pyara pehn pushaka aaya,
Aadam apna naam dharaya,
The beloved has come wearing garments,
He has named himself Adam,
Ahad to bun ahmad aaya,
Nabiyan da sardar.
From Ahad (god) he has become Ahmad (Muhammad),
The king of the prophets.
Wasda meem de ohle mera dholan mahi - 2
He lives under the "meem," my beloved.
Kaaran preet neet bun aaya,
Meem da ghunghat mukh te paya,
He has come as the deed, love and desire,
Wearing the veil of the "meem" over his face,
Ahad ton Ahmad naam dhayara,
Mera dholan mahi wasda meem de ohle
From Ahad (god) he changed his name to Ahmad (Muhammad),
He lives under the "meem" my beloved.
Wasda meem de ohle mera dholan mahi - 2
He lives under the "meem," my beloved.
Aap ahdiyat de vich ahad,
Aape vich wahdat roop yaar da ey.
God himself is in unity,
My friend (Shah Inayat) is in unity.
Aape noor wajood shahood aape,
Aape aap sare roop dhar da eh.
His existence is in light, and he alone is the witness to it,
He himself takes up different body forms.
Oh mehboob aape aape ho aashiq,
Aape apne touh jind varda eh.
He is the beloved, he is the lover,
He gives himself life.
O dewaniya meem Muhammadi cho,
Piya alif aape chamka maarda eh.
From within that lovelorn-madman Muhammad,
The beloved "Alif” (god) flashes forth.
[Divinah, Persian meaning “Mad man”, is also used to denote the sometimes unorthodox behavior of the Sufis, who appear mad to the established order.]
Mera dholan mahi wasda meem de ohle – 2
He lives under the "meem," my beloved.
Karan ki behad tareef usdi,
Ohta lung behad cho had aaya.
What limitless praises can I sing of him?
He has crossed over the limits of limitlessness.
Hoya bari behad di qaid vicho,
Aj had de vich behad aaya.
Freed from the prison of limits,
The limitless (god) has now come within my limits.
Bibi aaminah de ghar houn id’an,
Dekho kufr te shirk da radd aaya.
There are celebrations in the house of Bibi Aminah,
See, the negation of unbelief and association has come.
[Aminah, the mother of Muhammad celebrating his birth.]
[The word Shirk denotes the association of anyone else with the unified concept of God and also indicated attitudes of polytheism.]
[Kufr: The word Kafir is derived from Kufr. It is an Arabic word which translates to concealment, or rejection. The word kafir is used for non-believers or non-muslims.]
O deewaniya meem da kund pa ke,
Surat vich allah hus samad aaya.
Oh, madman wearing the veil of "meem",
Allah has shown himself in his face.
Mera dholan mahi wasda meem de ohle – 2
He lives under the "meem," my beloved.
Ehay meem de ohle wasda mera dholan mahi,
Behad ramza dasda mera dholan mahi.
He lives under the "meem" my beloved,
My beloved reveals many secrets.
Auliyah shah Mansur kahave,
Ramz anal haqq aap sunave.
He called Mansur the king of Theologians,
He himself made Mansur tell the secret of "I am the Truth"
Aape aap nu sooli chadhave,
Kol khaloke hass da mera dholan mahi.
He had himself hanged,
And he himself stands beside and laughs.
Behad Ramza Dasda Mera Dholan Mahi.
My beloved reveals many secrets.
