Aasaa, The Word Of Shaykh Fareed Jee:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
They alone are true, whose love for God is deep and heart-felt.
Those who have one thing in their heart, and something else in their mouth, are judged to be false. ||1||
Those who are imbued with love for the Lord, are delighted by His Vision.
Those who forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord, are a burden on the earth. ||1||Pause||
Those whom the Lord attaches to the hem of His robe, are the true dervishes at His Door.
Blessed are the mothers who gave birth to them, and fruitful is their coming into the world. ||2||
O Lord, Sustainer and Cherisher, You are infinite, unfathomable and endless.
Those who recognize the True Lord - I kiss their feet. ||3||
I seek Your Protection - You are the Forgiving Lord.
Please, bless Shaykh Fareed with the bounty of Your meditative worship. ||4||1||
Says Shaykh Fareed, O my dear friend, attach yourself to the Lord.
This body shall turn to dust, and its home shall be a neglected graveyard. ||1||
You can meet the Lord today, O Shaykh Fareed, if you restrain your bird-like desires which keep your mind in turmoil. ||1||Pause||
If I had known that I was to die, and not return again,
I would not have ruined myself by clinging to the world of falsehood. ||2||
So speak the Truth, in righteousness, and do not speak falsehood.
The disciple ought to travel the route, pointed out by the Guru. ||3||
Seeing the youths being carried across, the hearts of the beautiful young soul-brides are encouraged.
Those who side with the glitter of gold, are cut down with a saw. ||4||
O Shaykh, no one's life is permanent in this world.
That seat, upon which we now sit - many others sat on it and have since departed. ||5||
As the swallows appear in the month of Katik, forest fires in the month of Chayt, and lightning in Saawan,
and as the bride's arms adorn her husband's neck in winter;||6||
Just so, the transitory human bodies pass away. Reflect upon this in your mind.
It takes six months to form the body, but it breaks in an instant. ||7||
O Fareed, the earth asks the sky, "Where have the boatmen gone?"
Some have been cremated, and some lie in their graves; their souls are suffering rebukes. ||8||2||
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
Raag Soohee, The Word Of Shaykh Fareed Jee:
Burning and burning, writhing in pain, I wring my hands.
I have gone insane, seeking my Husband Lord.
O my Husband Lord, You are angry with me in Your Mind.
The fault is with me, and not with my Husband Lord. ||1||
O my Lord and Master, I do not know Your excellence and worth.
Having wasted my youth, now I come to regret and repent. ||1||Pause||
O black bird, what qualities have made you black?.
"I have been burnt by separation from my Beloved."
Without her Husband Lord, how can the soul-bride ever find peace?
When He becomes merciful, then God unites us with Himself. ||2||
The lonely soul-bride suffers in the pit of the world.
She has no companions, and no friends.
In His Mercy, God has united me with the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy.
And when I look again, then I find God as my Helper. ||3||
The path upon which I must walk is very depressing.
It is sharper than a two-edged sword, and very narrow.
That is where my path lies.
O Shaykh Fareed, think of that path early on. ||4||1||
You were not able to make yourself a raft when you should have.
When the ocean is churning and over-flowing, then it is very difficult to cross over it. ||1||
Do not touch the safflower with your hands; its color will fade away, my dear. ||1||Pause||
First, the bride herself is weak, and then, her Husband Lord's Order is hard to bear.
Milk does not return to the breast; it will not be collected again. ||2||
Says Fareed, O my companions, when our Husband Lord calls,
the soul departs, sad at heart, and this body returns to dust. ||3||2||
Shaloks Of Shaykh Fareed Jee:
One Universal Creator God. By The Grace Of The True Guru:
The day of the bride's wedding is pre-ordained.
On that day, the Messenger of Death, of whom she had only heard, comes and shows its face.
It breaks the bones of the body and pulls the helpless soul out.
That pre-ordained time of marriage cannot be avoided. Explain this to your soul.
The soul is the bride, and death is the groom. He will marry her and take her away.
After the body sends her away with its own hands, whose neck will it embrace?
The bridge to hell is narrower than a hair; haven't you heard of it with your ears?
Fareed, the call has come; be careful now - don't let yourself be robbed. ||1||
Fareed, it is so difficult to become a humble Saint at the Lord's Door.
I am so accustomed to walking in the ways of the world. I have tied and picked up the bundle; where can I go to throw it away? ||2||
I know nothing; I understand nothing. The world is a smouldering fire.
My Lord did well to warn me about it; otherwise, I would have been burnt as well. ||3||
Fareed, if I had known that I had so few sesame seeds, I would have been more careful with them in my hands.
If I had known that my Husband Lord was so young and innocent, I would not have been so arrogant. ||4||
If I had known that my robe would come loose, I would have tied a tighter knot.
I have found none as great as You, Lord; I have looked and searched throughout the world. ||5||
Fareed, if you have a keen understanding, then do not write black marks against anyone else.
Look underneath your own collar instead. ||6||
Fareed, do not turn around and strike those who strike you with their fists.
Kiss their feet, and return to your own home. ||7||
Fareed, when there was time for you to earn good karma, you were in love with the world instead.
Now, death has a strong foothold; when the load is full, it is taken away. ||8||
See, Fareed, what has happened: your beard has become grey.
That which is coming is near, and the past is left far behind. ||9||
See, Fareed, what has happened: sugar has become poison.
Without my Lord, who can I tell of my sorrow? ||10||
Fareed, my eyes have become weak, and my ears have become hard of hearing.
The body's crop has become ripe and turned color. ||11||
Fareed, those who did not enjoy their Spouse when their hair was black - hardly any of them enjoy Him when their hair turns grey.
So be in love with the Lord, so that your color may ever be new. ||12||
Fareed, those eyes which have enticed the world - I have seen those eyes.
Once, they could not endure even a bit of mascara; now, the birds hatch their young in them! ||14||
Fareed, they shouted and yelled, and constantly gave good advice.
But those whom the devil has spoiled - how can they turn their consciousness towards God? ||15||
Fareed, become the grass on the path,
if you long for the Lord of all.
One will cut you down, and another will trample you underfoot;
then, you shall enter the Court of the Lord. ||16||
Fareed, do not slander the dust; noting is as great as dust.
When we are alive, it is under our feet, and when we are dead, it is above us. ||17||
Fareed, when there is greed, what love can there be? When there is greed, love is false.
How long can one remain in a thatched hut which leaks when it rains? ||18||
Fareed, why do you wander from jungle to jungle, crashing through the thorny trees?
The Lord abides in the heart; why are you looking for Him in the jungle? ||19||
Fareed, with these small legs, I crossed deserts and mountains.
But today, Fareed, my water jug seems hundreds of miles away. ||20||
Fareed, the nights are long, and my sides are aching in pain.
Cursed are the lives of those who place their hopes in others. ||21||
Fareed, if I had been there when my friend came, I would have made myself a sacrifice to him.
Now my flesh is burning red on the hot coals. ||22||
Fareed, the farmer plants acacia trees, and wishes for grapes.
He is spinning wool, but he wishes to wear silk. ||23||
Fareed, the path is muddy, and the house of my Beloved is so far away.
If I go out, my blanket will get soaked, but if I remain at home, then my heart will be broken. ||24||
My blanket is soaked, drenched with the downpour of the Lord's Rain.
I am going out to meet my Friend, so that my heart will not be broken. ||25||
Fareed, I was worried that my turban might become dirty.
My thoughtless self did not realize that one day, dust will consume my head as well. ||26||
Fareed: sugar cane, candy, sugar, molasses, honey and buffalo's milk
- all these things are sweet, but they are not equal to You. ||27||
Fareed, my bread is made of wood, and hunger is my appetizer.
Those who eat buttered bread, will suffer in terrible pain. ||28||
Eat dry bread, and drink cold water.
Fareed, if you see someone else's buttered bread, do not envy him for it. ||29||
This night, I did not sleep with my Husband Lord, and now my body is suffering in pain.
Go and ask the deserted bride, how she passes her night. ||30||
She finds no place of rest in her father-in-law's home, and no place in her parents' home either.
Her Husband Lord does not care for her; what sort of a blessed, happy soul-bride is she? ||31||
In her father-in-law's home hereafter, and in her parents' home in this world, she belongs to her Husband Lord. Her Husband is Inaccessible and Unfathomable.
O Nanak, she is the happy soul-bride, who is pleasing to her Carefree Lord. ||32||
Bathing, washing and decorating herself, she comes and sleeps without anxiety.
Fareed, she still smells like asafoetida; the fragrance of musk is gone. ||33||
I am not afraid of losing my youth, as long as I do not lose the Love of my Husband Lord.
Fareed, so many youths, without His Love, have dried up and withered away. ||34||
Fareed, anxiety is my bed, pain is my mattress, and the pain of separation is my blanket and quilt.
Behold, this is my life, O my True Lord and Master. ||35||.
Many talk of the pain and suffering of separation; O pain, you are the ruler of all.
Fareed, that body, within which love of the Lord does not well up - look upon that body as a cremation ground. ||36||
Fareed, these are poisonous sprouts coated with sugar.
Some die planting them, and some are ruined, harvesting and enjoying them. ||37||
Fareed, the hours of the day are lost wandering around, and the hours of the night are lost in sleep.
God will call for your account, and ask you why you came into this world. ||38||
Fareed, you have gone to the Lord's Door. Have you seen the gong there?
This blameless object is being beaten - imagine what is in store for us sinners! ||39||
Each and every hour, it is beaten; it is punished every day.
This beautiful body is like the gong; it passes the night in pain. ||40||
Shaykh Fareed has grown old, and his body has begun to tremble.
Even if he could live for hundreds of years, his body will eventually turn to dust. ||41||
Fareed begs, O Lord, do not make me sit at another's door.
If this is the way you are going to keep me, then go ahead and take the life out of my body. ||42||
With the axe on his shoulder, and a bucket on his head, the blacksmith is ready to cut down the tree.
Fareed, I long for my Lord; you long only for the charcoal. ||43||
Fareed, some have lots of flour, while others do not even have salt.
When they go beyond this world, it shall be seen, who will be punished. ||44||
Drums were beaten in their honor, there were canopies above their heads, and bugles announced their coming.
They have gone to sleep in the cemetary, buried like poor orphans. ||45||
Fareed, those who built houses, mansions and lofty buildings, are also gone.
They made false deals, and were dropped into their graves. ||46||
Fareed, there are many seams on the patched coat, but there are no seams on the soul.
The shaykhs and their disciples have all departed, each in his own turn. ||47||
Fareed, the two lamps are lit, but death has come anyway.
It has captured the fortress of the body, and plundered the home of the heart; it extinguishes the lamps and departs. ||48||
Fareed, look at what has happened to the cotton and the sesame seed,
the sugar cane and paper, the clay pots and the charcoal.
This is the punishment for those who do evil deeds. ||49||
Fareed, you wear your prayer shawl on your shoulders and the robes of a Sufi; your words are sweet, but there is a dagger in your heart.
Outwardly, you look bright, but your heart is dark as night. ||50||
Fareed, not even a drop of blood would issue forth, if someone cut my body.
Those bodies which are imbued with the Lord - those bodies contain no blood. ||51||
Fareed, seek that sacred pool, in which the genuine article is found.
Why do you bother to search in the pond? Your hand will only sink into the mud. ||53||
Fareed, when she is young, she does not enjoy her Husband. When she grows up, she dies.
Lying in the grave, the soul-bride cries, "I did not meet You, my Lord."||54||
Fareed, your hair has turned grey, your beard has turned grey, and your moustache has turned grey.
O my thoughtless and insane mind, why are you indulging in pleasures? ||55||
Fareed, how long can you run on the rooftop? You are asleep to your Husband Lord - give it up!
The days which were allotted to you are numbered, and they are passing, passing away. ||56||
Fareed, houses, mansions and balconies - do not attach your consciousness to these.
When these collapse into heaps of dust, none of them will be your friend. ||57||
Fareed, do not focus on mansions and wealth; center your consciousness on death, your powerful enemy.
Remember that place where you must go. ||58||
Fareed, those deeds which do not bring merit - forget about those deeds.
Otherwise, you shall be put to shame, in the Court of the Lord. ||59||
Fareed, work for your Lord and Master; dispel the doubts of your heart.
The dervishes, the humble devotees, have the patient endurance of trees. ||60||
Fareed, my clothes are black, and my outfit is black.
I wander around full of sins, and yet people call me a dervish - a holy man. ||61||
The crop which is burnt will not bloom, even if it is soaked in water.
Fareed, she who is forsaken by her Husband Lord, grieves and laments. ||62||
When she is a virgin, she is full of desire; but when she is married, then her troubles begin.
Fareed, she has this one regret, that she cannot be a virgin again. ||63||
The swans have landed in a small pond of salt water.
They dip in their bills, but do not drink; they fly away, still thirsty. ||64||
The swans fly away, and land in the fields of grain. The people go to chase them away.
The thoughtless people do not know, that the swans do not eat the grain. ||65||
The birds which lived in the pools have flown away and left.
Fareed, the overflowing pool shall also pass away, and only the lotus flowers shall remain. ||66||
Fareed, a stone will be your pillow, and the earth will be your bed. The worms shall eat into your flesh.
Countless ages will pass, and you will still be lying on one side. ||67||
Fareed, your beautiful body shall break apart, and the subtle thread of the breath shall be snapped.
In which house will the Messenger of Death be a guest today? ||68||
Fareed, your beautiful body shall break apart, and the subtle thread of the breath shall be snapped.
Those friends who were a burden on the earth - how can they come today? ||69||
Fareed: O faithless dog, this is not a good way of life.
You never come to the mosque for your five daily prayers. ||70||
Rise up, Fareed, and cleanse yourself; chant your morning prayer.
The head which does not bow to the Lord - chop off and remove that head. ||71||
That head which does not bow to the Lord - what is to be done with that head?
Put it in the fireplace, instead of firewood. ||72||
Fareed, where are your mother and father, who gave birth to you?
They have left you, but even so, you are not convinced that you shall also have to go. ||73||
Fareed, flatten out your mind; smooth out the hills and valleys.
Hereafter, the fires of hell shall not even approach you. ||74||
Fareed, the Creator is in the Creation, and the Creation abides in God.
Whom can we call bad? There is none without Him. ||75||
Fareed, if on that day when my umbilical cord was cut, my throat had been cut instead,
I would not have fallen into so many troubles, or undergone so many hardships. ||76||
My teeth, feet, eyes and ears have stopped working.
My body cries out, "Those whom I knew have left me!"||77||
Fareed, answer evil with goodness; do not fill your mind with anger.
Your body shall not suffer from any disease, and you shall obtain everything. ||78||
Fareed, the bird is a guest in this beautiful world-garden.
The morning drums are beating - get ready to leave! ||79||
Fareed, musk is released at night. Those who are sleeping do not receive their share.
Those whose eyes are heavy with sleep - how can they receive it? ||80||
Fareed, I thought that I was in trouble; the whole world is in trouble!
When I climbed the hill and looked around, I saw this fire in each and every home. ||81||
Fareed, in the midst of this beautiful earth, there is a garden of thorns.
Those humble beings who are blessed by their spiritual teacher, do not suffer even a scratch. ||82||
Fareed, life is blessed and beautiful, along with the beautiful body.
Only a rare few are found, who love their Beloved Lord. ||83||
O river, do not destroy your banks; you too will be asked to give your account.
The river flows in whatever direction the Lord orders. ||84||
Fareed, the day passes painfully; the night is spent in anguish.
The boatman stands up and shouts, "The boat is caught in the whirlpool!"||85||
The river flows on and on; it loves to eat into its banks.
What can the whirlpool do to the boat, if the boatman remains alert? ||86||
Fareed, there are dozens who say they are friends; I search, but I cannot find even one.
I yearn for my beloved like a smouldering fire. ||87||
Fareed, this body is always barking. Who can stand this constant suffering?
I have put plugs in my ears; I don't care how much the wind is blowing. ||88||
Fareed, God's dates have ripened, and rivers of honey flow.
With each passing day, your life is being stolen away. ||89||
Fareed, my withered body has become a skeleton; the crows are pecking at my palms.
Even now, God has not come to help me; behold, this is the fate of all mortal beings. ||90||
The crows have searched my skeleton, and eaten all my flesh.
But please do not touch these eyes; I hope to see my Lord. ||91||
O crow, do not peck at my skeleton; if you have landed on it, fly away.
Do not eat the flesh from that skeleton, within which my Husband Lord abides. ||92||
Fareed, the poor grave calls out, "O homeless one, come back to your home.
You shall surely have to come to me; do not be afraid of death."||93||
These eyes have seen a great many leave.
Fareed, the people have their fate, and I have mine. ||94||
God says, "If you reform yourself, you shall meet me, and meeting me, you shall be at peace.
O Fareed, if you will be mine, the whole world will be yours."||95||
How long can the tree remain implanted on the river-bank?
Fareed, how long can water be kept in a soft clay pot? ||96||
Fareed, the mansions are vacant; those who lived in them have gone to live underground.
They remain there, in those unhonored graves.
O Shaykh, dedicate yourself to God; you will have to depart, today or tomorrow. ||97||
Fareed, the shore of death looks like the river-bank, being eroded away.
Beyond is the burning hell, from which cries and shrieks are heard.
Some understand this completely, while others wander around carelessly.
Those actions which are done in this world, shall be examined in the Court of the Lord. ||98||
Fareed, the crane perches on the river bank, playing joyfully.
While it is playing, a hawk suddenly pounces on it.
When the Hawk of God attacks, playful sport is forgotten.
God does what is not expected or even considered. ||99||
The body is nourished by water and grain.
The mortal comes into the world with high hopes.
But when the Messenger of Death comes, it breaks down all the doors.
It binds and gags the mortal, before the eyes of his beloved brothers.
Behold, the mortal being is going away, carried on the shoulders of four men.
Fareed, only those good deeds done in the world will be of any use in the Court of the Lord. ||100||
Fareed, I am a sacrifice to those birds which live in the jungle.
They peck at the roots and live on the ground, but they do not leave the Lord's side. ||101||
Fareed, the seasons change, the woods shake and the leaves drop from the trees.
I have searched in the four directions, but I have not found any resting place anywhere. ||102||
Fareed, I have torn my clothes to tatters; now I wear only a rough blanket.
I wear only those clothes which will lead me to meet my Lord. ||103||
Fareed, those who are very proud of their greatness, wealth and youth,
shall return empty-handed from their Lord, like sandhills after the rain. ||105||
Fareed, the faces of those who forget the Lord's Name are dreadful.
They suffer terrible pain here, and hereafter they find no place of rest or refuge. ||106||
Fareed, if you do not awaken in the early hours before dawn, you are dead while yet alive.
Although you have forgotten God, God has not forgotten you. ||107||
Fareed, my Husband Lord is full of joy; He is Great and Self-sufficient.
To be imbued with the Lord God - this is the most beautiful decoration. ||108||
Fareed, look upon pleasure and pain as the same; eradicate corruption from your heart.
Whatever pleases the Lord God is good; understand this, and you will reach His Court. ||109||
Fareed, the world dances as it dances, and you dance with it as well.
That soul alone does not dance with it, who is under the care of the Lord God. ||110||
Fareed, the heart is imbued with this world, but the world is of no use to it at all.
It is so difficult to be like the fakeers - the Holy Saints; it is only achieved by perfect karma. ||111||
The first watch of the night brings flowers, and the later watches of the night bring fruit.
Those who remain awake and aware, receive the gifts from the Lord. ||112||
The gifts are from our Lord and Master; who can force Him to bestow them?
Some are awake, and do not receive them, while He awakens others from sleep to bless them. ||113||
You search for your Husband Lord; you must have some fault in your body.
Those who are known as happy soul-brides, do not look to others. ||114||
Within yourself, make patience the bow, and make patience the bowstring.
Make patience the arrow, the Creator will not let you miss the target. ||115||
Those who are patient abide in patience; in this way, they burn their bodies.
They are close to the Lord, but they do not reveal their secret to anyone. ||116||
Let patience be your purpose in life; implant this within your being.
In this way, you will grow into a great river; you will not break off into a tiny stream. ||117||
Fareed, it is difficult to be a dervish - a Holy Saint; it is easier to love bread when it is buttered.
Only a rare few follow the way of the Saints. ||118||
My body is cooking like an oven; my bones are burning like firewood.
If my feet become tired, I will walk on my head, if I can meet my Beloved. ||119||
Do not heat up your body like an oven, and do not burn your bones like firewood.
What harm have your feet and head done to you? Behold your Beloved within yourself. ||120||
I search for my Friend, but my Friend is already with me.
O Nanak, the Unseen Lord cannot be seen; He is revealed only to the Gurmukh. ||121||
Seeing the swans swimming, the cranes became excited.
The poor cranes were drowned to death, with their heads below the water and their feet sticking out above. ||122||
I knew him as a great swan, so I associated with him.
If I had known that he was a only wretched crane, I would never in my life have crossed paths with him. ||123||
Who is a swan, and who is a crane, if God blesses him with His Glance of Grace?
If it pleases Him, O Nanak, He changes a crow into a swan. ||124||
There is only one bird in the lake, but there are fifty trappers.
This body is caught in the waves of desire. O my True Lord, You are my only hope! ||125||
What is that word, what is that virtue, and what is that magic mantra?
What are those clothes, which I can wear to captivate my Husband Lord? ||126||
Humility is the word, forgiveness is the virtue, and sweet speech is the magic mantra.
Wear these three robes, O sister, and you will captivate your Husband Lord. ||127||
If you are wise, be simple;
if you are powerful, be weak;
and when there is nothing to share, then share with others.
How rare is one who is known as such a devotee. ||128||
Do not utter even a single harsh word; your True Lord and Master abides in all.
Do not break anyone's heart; these are all priceless jewels. ||129||
The minds of all are like precious jewels; to harm them is not good at all.
If you desire your Beloved, then do not break anyone's heart. ||130||
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