(Asghar Vasanwala found the following article on Sulekha site where the author’s name is missing. He has reformatted the article and made some minor changes. Ed.)
VEDANT & BHAKTI RASA IN URDU POETRY
There is a misconception that Urdu Poetry is all about gul-o-bulbul, shama-parwana, women and wine. Many Muslim Urdu poets are exponents of ancient Indian philosophy. You have only to go deep into them. Ghalib says:
Asal-a-shahood-o-shahido mashhood aik haiN
Hairan hooN, phir mushahida hai kis hisab meiN
Meaning:You and He whom you are searching for are in fact the same. I wonder for what this search is going on? This is the Vedantic concept Aham Twam Asmi (I and You are the same). Iqbal used the first line of Ghalib’s verse as such and added the second line as
Ghalib ka qaul such hai to phir zikr-e-ghair kya (If what Ghalib says is true then who is mine and who is not?). This means that we are all the same. This is the same as ancient concept of Vishvamev Kutumbakam (The world is just a family).
Again Ghalib says:
Ishrat-e-qatra hai dariya meiN fana ho jana (A restless drop of water gets solace only when is coalesces with the river water). Vedant says that a person gets solace only when he becomes one with the Brahma (the Supreme).
To know the secrets of life is an inborn urge in human beings, but it is not difficult for a jigyasu (searcher for truth) to know all about life. Iqbal says:
Zindagi ek raaz hai jab tak koi mehram na ho
khul gaya jis dum, to mehram ke siva kuchh bhi nahiN
Meaning: Life is a riddle as long as there is no true seeker, who on once seeing his inner-self finds that he himself is a combination of all secrets of life
Ghalib has put the same idea in a beautiful verse:
Mehram nahiN hai tu hi nawaha-e-raaz ka
YaN verna jo hijaab hai, parda hai saaz ka
The transparent cover on the realities of life is like that of the tunes of the instrumentalist with those of the vocalist (singer). The former do not hide the latter but make them more pleasant to the ears. For full explanation, please click my website
About piety and sin Ghalib says:
Jaanta hoon swab-e-tayto zuhad
Per tabiyat idhar nahin aati
Meaning: I understand the heavenly rewards of piety, but I am not inclined towards it (piety). This is the Vedantic concept ‘Jaanami dharmam param no paviriti / Jaanamyadharmam param na nirvati’ (I know what is dharma but I am not inclined towards it. I also know what Adharma is but I cannot free myself from its clutches.)
Iqbal believes in the ancient Indian concept of continuity of life which is akin to indestructibility of Aatma (Soul). He says:
Maut is gulshan mein juz sanjidane par kuchh nahiN
Meaning: Death is just like a bird sitting on the branch of a tree to shuffle and give rest to its wings so that it can fly again.) His imagery of the bird is about the Aatma.
Again Iqbal says:
SamaN ki mohabbat meiN muzmir hai tan asani
Manzoor agar manzil hai, gharat-gar-e-saman ho
Meaning: Unnecessary load of worldly goods is a hindrance to easily reaching your destination, peace of mind and eternal happiness. So if you want to reach your destination easily, throw away your excess load This is the same as aparigrah (non possession) of worldly goods, one of the commandments of Jain doctrine.
Though it is not adequately explored and appreciated, Urdu poetry by Muslim poets has given us elixir of Bhakti Rasa. Ghalib says:
Jaan di, di huyi usiki thhi
Haq to hai hai ki haq adaa na hua
Meaning: Allah gives life and He also takes it away, but the regret is that a person does not perform the sacrosanct duties assigned to him during his life-time
Ghalib’s disciple Altaf Hussain Hali goes a step further. He says:
Bande se magar hoga haq kyoNkar ada tera
Meaning: It is not possible for human beings to repay the innumerable bounties conferred on them by God. So they should not even claim to do that and should always remain indebted to Him).This is the same as a bhajan – Mera is mein kuchh naahi, jo kuchh hai so tor, tera tujhko saumpte kya laagat hai mor (All is yours / what do I lose if I give it back to you)
Maulana Altaf Hussain Hali’s poetry is all about bhakti rasa akin to that of Hindi poets of Bhaktiwaad. About ibaadat (bhakti) he says:
Raud mein, dehshat-e-junoon mein, teri ajab maza khushgawaar dekha
Na is mein koi thakaan dekhi, na is mein koi khumaar dekha
Meaning: Allah! Your devotees feel a unique pleasure in following the path sown by you even if it is full of thorns and the intoxication that we get in your prayers has no hangovers!
He propounds true secularism in his verse:
Salook hain tere yaksan wo gabro tarsan hon ya musalmaan
Na unse kuchh tera bair, na inse kuchh tera pyaar dekha
Meaning: Allah treats all persons as equal whether they are fire worshippers or Christians or Muslims). Hali does not believe in the concept of Kafir. Iqbal in his poem Naya Shiwala says ‘Shakti bhi, shanti bhi, bhagton ke geet mein hai’ (Both power and peace of mind are in the songs of the devotees). The same idea is there in Vishnu Puraan where Lord Vishnu tells Narada that he lives neither in Baikunth nor in the hearts of the yogis. He lives where his devotees sing songs of devotion.
Urdu poets do not approve of worship of God for the sake of showing off. Iqbal in a verse says – When I touched the ground with my forehead in namaaz, a voice came out telling me that your namaaz is a sham as you are deeply stuck in sensual pleasures. Also he gives a new dimension to God’s worship when he says ‘Main uska banda banoonga jisko khuda ke bandon se pyaar hoga’ (I will worship only the persons who love God’s creation).
CONTRIBUTION OF SUFI POETS
Sufism originated from a group of people who had no house of their own and lived on a platform under a shed near Prophet Mohammed’s house. They purposely lived a life of renunciation, deprivation and misery. They wore a dress made from coarse wool called suf and hence the name Sufi. Their motto was Alfaqr Fakhri (Poetry is my pride). Later they spread into Central Asia and preached their cult. Most Islamic historians believe that Sufism was brought to India by Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti.
Here their cult was influenced by Yoga, Vedant and later by Sikh Gurus. They appreciated many aspects of their philosophy and included them in Sufism. This resulted in an emotional integration between Hindus and Muslims, so vital for their living together in harmony. Sufi poets of Punjab wrote poetry in the Punjabi dialect of the areas where they lived, which was easily understood by the people.
Mysticism is the pivotal point of their poetry. This is direct communication and absorption into the Supreme by love and devotion. Like Vedant, they believe that God is there in every human being but He is hidden from him by khudi which is called aham in Hindu scriptures. Therefore it is necessary to kill khudi before becoming one with the Supreme.
The path chosen by them for this purpose is Ishq-Majaazi to Ishq-Haquiqi. In Ishq Majaazi the lovers have normal earthly feelings of joy, pain, agony and ecstasies. In Ishq Haquiqi the lover is a human being and the beloved is God. But they do not ask for worldly comforts and they do not yearn for heaven nor are afraid of hell. They seek only the enchanting sight of the Lord (beloved). This emotion is beautifully narrated by the famous Persian poetess Rabia-Al-Basri – If I love thee for fear of Hell / Put me in the fires of Hell / If I love thee for the sake of Heaven / Deprive me of this bliss for all times / My love for thee is thine alone / I yearn for thy communion / Withhold not thy everlasting beauty from me. Mira has expressed the same yearning for her Girdhar Gopal.
In Punjab, many love lores are sung but the Sufis adopted the love lore of Heer-Ranjha by Waris Shah for illustrating Ishq-Majaazi. Ranjha of Takht Hazara had heard a lot about the enchanting beauty of Heer of Sayals. He went to Heer’s village and met her in a garden. They fell in love at first sight. There were impediments in their meetings but this made their love even more intense. In this love lore, Heer is the human being and Ranjha, the beloved, is God.
Shah Hussain thus describes their union – Yesterday I was away from my Ranjha / Today I have become one with my Lord / He is Heer / He is Ranjha / Friends do not call me Heer / Call me Ranjha.
Bulle Shah describes the metaphysical union between Heer (man) and Ranjha (God) – Friends come and congratulate me / I am wedded to Ranjha / It was the gracious day which has come today / friends come and congratulate me.
Sultan Bahu gives a very meaningful relation between the two forms of love – The plant is the same / Distinctive leaves are the same / Ishq-Majaazi is the flower / And Ishq Haquiqi is its fruit. It implies that Ishq-Majaazi leads to Ishq Haquiqi.
The Sufis often kept this pleasure of communion to themselves but sometimes like Bulle Shah, when in Wajd (trance), they attired in ghagra (long skirt) and dupatta, fell down and said – O physician! Come soon and feel my pulse / I am dying / My Lord has made me to dance to exhaustion / Kar thayya thayya. Shah Hussain even sang – I am a devotee (gopi) / I am a devotee from Vrinda Ban and also the dark complexioned (Krishna) is my bosom friend. At one point he says – Get up Lazy Bones / It is time to sing Rama’s praise.