KALAM-E-BAHOO

Na koee taalib, na koee murshid,
Sab dilaase mutthe hoo.

Raah faqr daa pare parere,
Hirs duneeaa dee kutthe hoo.

Shauq Ilaahee ghaalib hoiaa,
Jind marne te utthe hoo.

Jain tan bharhke bhaah birhon dee,
Maran tirhaae bhukkhe hoo.

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There aer few genuine disciples.
People purporting to be Masters Perpetuate themselves with false promises.

They exploit their followers to satisfy their greed;
They have no inkling of the exaltation of the mystic path.

But when their hearts are touched by God’s love,
They willingly sacrifice their lives on this path.

People who burn in the fire of worldly passions
Will die hungry and thirsty for the world.

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Na main jogee na main jangam,
Na main chillaa kamaaiaa hoo.

Na main bhajj maseetee varhiaa,
Na tasbaa kharhkaaiaa hoo.

Jo dam ghaaril so dam kaafir,
Murshid eh farmaaiaa hoo.

Murshid sohnee keetee Baahoo,
Pal wich chaa pahunchaaiaa hoo.

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I am not a yogi, I am not a jangam.*
I don’t do forty-day retreats.

I have never escaped to a mosque,
Nor have I ever rattled the beads of a rosary.

My Master has taught me a precious lesson:
The moment you have forgotten to remember God
Is the moment you have spent in denial of God!

O, what a marvel my Master has performed-
In no time has he transported me to the Lord!
*
(A kind of Hindu mendicant with matted hair and bells; a worshiper of Shiva)
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Na main ser na paa chhataakee,
Na pooree sarsaahee hoo.

Na main tolaa, na main maasaa,
Gal rattiaan te aaee hoo.

Rattee hovaan rattiaan tullaan,
Oh bhee pooree naahee hoo.

Wazan tol pooraa tad hosee,
Jad hosee fazal Ilaahee hoo.

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I am neither a seer nor a pao.*
I am not a chhatak nor quite a sarsahi.

I am not a tola nor indeed a masha.
I must now weigh myself against a ratti.

But I find I am even less significant
Than a ratti, the smallest measure of weight!

I will only assume my true worth
When the Lord showers his grace on me!
*
(A sser is a weight measure, slightly less than a kilogram. Bahu takes seer as the standard representing a spiritually mature person. He mentions other weight measures (give in italics) in their descending order-right down to ratti, the smallest measure. This bait is on humility and self abnegation, inferring that we are totally worthless; that it is God’s grace alone that can invest our couls with value)
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Na main Sunnee, na main Sheeaa,
Dohaan ton fil sarhiaa hoo.

Mukk gae sabh khushkee painde,
Jad dariaa wahadat varhiaa hoo.

Kaee mantaare tar tar haare,
Koee kinaare charhhiaa hoo.

Sahee salaamat paar gae,
Jinh murshid daa larh pharhiaa hoo.

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I am neither a Sunni nor a Shia:
Both make me sick; both cause me heartburn.

The arid part of my journey ended
When I turned away from both
And plunged into the ocean of oneness.

Many dived into that ocean ill-prepared,
And drowned- Only the rare one who was able to swim across!

But those who held fast to their Master’s hand
Safely landed ashore.
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Na main aalim, na main faazil,
Na muftee na qazee hoo.

Na dil meraa dozakh te,
Na shauq bahishteen raazee hoo.

Na main treehe roze rakkhe,
Na main paak namaazee hoo.

Bajh wisaal Allaah de Baahoo,
Duneeaa koorhee baazee hoo.

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I am neither scholarly nor virtuous;
I am not a priest, Nor am I an expounder of Qur’anic law.

I crave not heavenn, I fear not hell.

I have never fasted for the thrity days of ramzaan,
Nor have I been a devout worshipper in a mosque.

This world is but a false drama
Unless union is attained with God, O Bahu

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Naheen faqeeree jhalliaan maaran,
Suttiaan lok jagaavan hoo.

Naheen faqeeree vaihndeeaan nadeeaan,
Sukkiaan paar langhaavan hoo.

Naheen faqeeree wich havaa de,
Sajjaadaa thairaavan hoo.

Naam faqeer tinhaan da,
jehrhe Dil wich dost tikaavan hoo.

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Spiritual life does not consist Of loud prayers and frenzied dancing-
They only upset the peace and quiet of early morning.

Walking on water is not spirituality

Nor is praying on mats suspended in mid air.

They alone may be called mystics, O Bahu,
Who have enshrined the Friend in their hearts.

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Nerhe wassan door daseevan,
Vehrhe naaheen varhde hoo.

Andar dhoondan vall na aaiaa,
Baahir dhoondan charhhde hoo.

Door giaan kujh haasil naahin,
Shauh labbhe wich ghar de hoo.

Dil kar saiqal sheeshe vaangoon,
Door theevan kul parde hoo.

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The Lord lives nearby but seems so far away:

You don’t know how to look for him within!

Nothing will be achieved by looking outside-
He lives right in your own backyard!

All the veils will be lifted, O Bahu,
When you remove all the coverings of dirt,
And your heart shines like a mirror.

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Wahadat de dariaa uchhalle,
Jal thal jangal reene hoo.

Ishq dee zaat maneende naaheen,
Saangaan jhall tapeene hoo.

Ang bhabhoot maleende ditthe,
Sai javaan lakheene hoo.

Main qurbaan tinhaan ton,
jehrhe Hondee himmat heene hoo.

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The river of oneness has surged,
Quenching the thirst of the deserts and wastelands.

If you don’t nurture God’s love in your heart,
You will be dry and parched like those deserts-

I have seen many a young ascetic smeared with ash.

I sacrifice myself to anyone, O Bahu,
Who humbles himself in his youth and power.

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Wahadat de dariaa ucchalle,
Hik dil sahee na keetee hoo.

Hik butkhaane waasil thee-e,
Hik parhh parhh rahe maseetee hoo.

Fazil chhadd fazeelat baithe,
Ishq baazee jaan leetee hoo.

Hargiz Rabb na mildaa,
jinhaan Trattee chaurh na keetee hoo.

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The ocean of oneness overflowed with love,
But still people went thirsty- They didn’t open their hearts.

Some merged with the Lord through idol worship;
Others wasted their time with scriptures in mosques.

But when their hearts were touched by God’s love,
These scholars denounced their learning.

You will never be worthy of meeting God, O Bahu,
If you have not sacrificed your all for him.

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Wahadat de dariaa Ilaahee,
Aashiq lainde taaree hoo.

Maaran tubbeeaan kaddhan motee,
Aapo-apnee vaaree hoo.

Durr-e-yateem lae lishkaare,
Jion chann laataan maaree hoo.

So kion naaheen haasil bharde,
Jo naukar sarkaaree hoo.

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The Lord is an ocean of oneness
In which lovers swim as they please, free of care.

In their own turn, they appear in the world
To dive deep into that ocean, to gather pearls.

Among the pearls is a gem- Unique in value, unmatched in lustre-
That shines like the moon.*

We are all in the employ of the Lord, O Bahu;
Let us pay homage to him through our paryers.
*
(A pearl of unique value signifies the Word of God, or Kalma)

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Vanjan sir te farz hai mainoon,
Qaul qaalu balaa kar ke hoo.

Lok jaane mutfakkar hoeeaan,
Wich wahadat de varh ke hoo.

Shauh deeaan maaraan Shauh vanj laihsaan,
Ishq tullaa sir dhar ke hoo.

Jeeondiaan Shauh kise na paaiaa,
Jain laddhaa tain mar ke hoo.

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Ever since the Lord ordained the Creation,
I have been pledged to return to my original home.

People know, from my quest for unity in God,
That I am as anxious as I am eager to merge with him.

I shall bear the blows of destiny as I pursue him,
While I am ferried across to him on the boat of his love.

No one ever found the Lord while living, O Bahu,
exept those who found him By dying while living.

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Vaih vaih nadeeaan taaroo hoeeaan,
Bambal chhorhe kaahaan hoo.

Yaar asaadaa rang mahalleen,
Dar te khale sikaahaan hoo.

Na koee aave, na koee jaave,
Kain hath likh munjaahaan hoo.

Jekar khabr jaanee dee aave,
Kaleeon phull theevaahaan hoo.

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Water flows in streams, like life in the river of time.
The reeds have blossomed again-
Another season of life has passed!

I still tarry on my Lord’s doorstep-
Waiting for the nod to enter his glorious palace.

I see no one going in, no one coming out-
How can I get my heart’s message to him?

The bud of my heart would unfurl into a flower
Were I to receive his Word, Were I called to his presence.

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Hardam sharm dee tand tarorhe,
Jaan eh chhodak bulle hoo.

Kichrak baalaan aqal daa deevaa,
Birhon anheree jhulle hoo.

Ujarh giaan de bhet niaare,
Lal jawaahar rulle hoo.

Dhotiaan dagh na lainhnde,
jitthe Rang majeethee dullhe hoo.

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My deep sighs have raised such a storm
That the restraining cords of shyness have snapped.

How long will the sickly flame of reason
Hold against the storm of yearning that rages in my heart?

Precious like rubies and diamonds in our own Home,
Now we live like destitute aliens-deserted and helpless.

Once you are dyed in the crimson of God’s love
The colour will never wash off,
For such is the hue of his love-deep and fast!

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Hassan de ke rovan lioee,
Dittaa kis dilaasaa hoo.

Umar bande dee ainven gaee,
Jion paanee wich pataasaa hoo.

Saurhi saamee sutt ghatesan,
Palat na saksain paasaa hoo.

Saahib lekhaa mangsee Baahoo,
Rattee ghatt na maasaa hoo.

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Banished from my home of bliss and happiness,
I was cast out to this vale of tears.
No one came to lend a hand; No one consoled my ailing heart.

Pointless was my existence:
I vanished from the scene Like a sugar cube tossed into the ocean!

Finally I was lowered into that narrow hole in the ground
Where I couldn’t even turn on my side.

To crown it all, O Bahu, the Lord now demands
The full settlement of my account-to that last farthing!

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