Pierced by the arrow of love

The Punjabi Sufi mystic of the Indian subcontinent — Bulleh Shah — lived from 1680 to 1757 in what is now Pakistan. Significantly, his beautiful poetic exhortations of unconditional love and harmony are more relevant today in every conflict- ridden country and communally vitiated atmosphere.

He believed that only in wahdat- ul- wujud ( unity of all beings in the divine) and that too at an experiential and not just theoretical level, one can go beyond the man- made boundaries. His Punjabi poetry shows us a clear trajectory towards this ultimate reality.

In this regard, there is an excellent book, Bulleh Shah: Sufi Lyrics, translated by Christopher Shackle that I recently had the good fortune to go through. This is a striking modern English version of the beautiful Punjabi lyrics presented alongside the Punjabi text in the Gurmukhi script.

Because of his lucid poetic style through popular musical genres, Bulleh Shah is still endeared to Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs both in India and Pakistan as well as in the international Punjabi diaspora. But what we badly need to learn is to rise above the religious and sectarian divisions that he categorically denounces:

Na oh Hindu na oh Momin,

Na sajdaa deen masti hoo.

Dam dam de wich wekhan Maula, Jinhan qaza na kiti hoo.

( Neither Hindu, nor Muslim, free of religious ties, lovers don’t pray in temples; but they never take a break from their devotions.)

He went to the extent of challenging the profound Shia- Sunni divide among Muslims: Na main Sunni na main Shia dohan toon dil saria hu

Muk gae sab khushki pende daria rehmat waria hu

( I am neither a Sunni nor a Shia; both make me sick and cause me heartburn. The arid part of my journey ended when I turned away from both and plunged into the ocean of oneness.)

His belief in the divine union ( wisal- e- ilahi) and unity of existence ( wahdat- ul- wajud) elevated his soul beyond religious boundaries. Though he was accused of “deviation” from the Sharia, he completed his spiritual journey through the four gradual Sufi stages: ( 1) Shariat ( path), ( 2) Tariqat ( observance), ( 3) Haqiqat ( truth) and ( 4) M’arifat ( gnosis).

However, Bulleh Shah vehemently defied the priestly class as “merchants of religion” ( mazhab ke saudagar) and challenged the rapacious mullahs and self- serving clerics in his satirical verses such as these:

Nit asaade khalle khaandee,

Ehaa duneeaa zishtee hoo.

Jainde kaaran baih baih rovan, Sheikh, mushaaikh, Chishtee hoo. Jinhaan andar hubb duneeaa dee, Gharq unhaan dee kishtee hoo.

( This foul, ugly world for which priests and leaders of religion shed tears is rebuffed and rebuked by the lovers of God. If you are ambitious for the world, you will drown midstream in the ocean of life.)

Sadly, Bulleh Shah suffered the fanatic persecution even when after his demise. The local clergy did not allow the burial of his dead body in the graveyard. Three days passed after his death, but he was not buried. His body was taken outside for burial. But his divine union found resonance across the world:

I have been pierced by the arrow of love, what shall I do?

I can neither live, nor can I die.

I have peace neither by night, nor by day. The fire of separation is unceasing!

Let someone take care of my love.