बेशक मंदिर मस्जिद ढा दे, बुल्लाह शाह ये कहता,
पर प्यार भरा दिल कभी न तोड़ो, इस दिल में दिलबर रहता |
You may break a temple of a mosque, Bullah Shah says,
but never break a heart full of love, in that resides the lord.
These words surpass the boundaries of religion and faith, putting humanity on
the highest pedestal. These words evoke the feeling of mutual love and respect,
and may find acceptance in the modern day ideology of fighting against
communalism and bigotry.
Secularism and religious criticism seem to be an emerging phenomenon in today’s
world. With the rise of internet and social media, the ideas of getting rid of
religious fanaticism and fundamentalism are discussed and shared in a way that
influences great many people.
In the Indian subcontinent or particularly the South Asian region, friction
amongst people who possess opposite sets of ideologies, when it comes to
religion and faith, has been growing lately. The recent incidences which we can
recall range from banning of books and movies to even murdering people.
Three atheist bloggers have been hacked to death since the beginning of this
year in Bangladesh. A similar event happened in India when a social activist,
Narendra Dabholkar was shot dead by unidentified people. He was the founder of
‘Maharashtra Andhshradha Nirmoolam Samiti’, an organisation working in the area
of creating scientific temper in people and pushing the government to bring
laws which put an embargo on acts promoting superstition.
There is a very thin line between criticism and insult and one must make sure
that they don’t cross the limits while showing their disapproval. In the year
2010, Bombay high court had made a ruling that criticism of any religion was
permissible in India under the right to freedom of speech and expression.
However, the court also specified that the criticism shall be strictly academic
and done in good faith. Therefore, the right to express our dissent towards other
faiths or religions does not allow us to insult others feelings.
Now the idea of secularism, atheism or agnosticism is also seen as new and
modern. It is perceived by many that criticism of religion is a fruit of the
western education and this rebellious thought process which dauntlessly
challenged the superstition, blind faith, bigotry etc. did not exist in older
times. We have read and heard about people who hailed from one sect trying to
proselytize others and the odious things which happened in its name.
Our country has been blessed by the presence of saints and seers who advocated
for equality and peace. The message of Sant Kabir, Tukaram, Namdev, Tuslidas, Meerabai,
Lalon Fakir and several others lingers in the conscious of our great nation even
today. Bhakti and Sufi movements in India were started to fight against the
oppressive and regressive traditional practices and uniting the people. The
practice of praying or serving the god was metamorphosed and new ways of
singing and dancing in his praise were introduced. This went against the restrictive
doctrines which had kept our society in shackles for years.
The poetry of Kabir and Guru Nanak has inspired millions of hearts and will
continue to do the same in future. There was another metrist-cum-saint in
northern India during the time of Aurangzeb, who conjured up poems and verses
which have personally influenced me the most.
Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri, popularly known as Bullah shah was a Punjabi poet
whose soulful lyrics have been adapted in various music genres and songs.
Legendary qawwali singers like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen and Wadali
brothers have given voice to Baba Bulleh Shah’s magical words. In modern times,
sufi rock and fusion singers or bands have been using his poetry in their songs
and it has received tremendous amount of appreciation from the listeners.
Whenever I listen to Baba Bullah’s poetry, it makes me transcend to another
world and leaves me with a light and soothed feeling as if floating in the air.
Each verse in his poetry carries so much meaning and value which touches deep
into my heart and soul. A lot of us must have listened to his creations without
knowing about his life, his message or perhaps the meaning of his words.
The song Bullah Ki Jana by Rabbi Shergill gave a fresh twist to one of the best
poems of the mystic. Music genre which appealed to the young listeners spawned
a new place for these age old poems in today’s world. Baba Bullah, through this
poem, tries to extend the message of equality and humanism. This is one of the
most favourite ‘Kalam’ of mine written by him where he accepts or promulgates
the fact that he does not know who he is yet he knows that he doesn’t belong to
any particular sect, religion, cast, creed, etc.
It is said that Baba Bulleh Shah was targeted time and again by the Mullahs and
the Mughal establishment for being a traitor to his own religion. He had called
the eighth Guru of the Sikhs, Teg Bahadur Ji, a ‘Ghazi’ or a warrior, after he
was beheaded by the Mughals for supporting the Kashmiri Pandits against forced
conversion and tortures which were meted out on them. He had a cordial
relationship with the Sikh gurus who had rebelled against the tyranny of
Mughals and wrote a verse praising the tenth guru, Gobind Singh ji.
न करू अब की,
न करू बात तब की,
गर न होते गुरु गोबिंद सिंह,
सुन्नत होती सब की |
Neither I talk about yesterday, not about tomorrow,
I talk about today.
Had Guru Gobind Singh not been here,
everyone would get under Islamic sway.
He was a true secular by heart and went all the way to criticize forced
conversion of people to a religion which he was born into. This obviously
brought him the wrath of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb but still he enjoyed mass
following and was revered by thousands of people. While he raised his voice
against the violence and injustice done by Mughals, he also advised Baba Banda
Singh Bahadur, who was appointed by Guru Gobind Singh as head of the army of
Sikh warriors, to abandon the ways of violence and killing of innocent Muslims
and to fight the Mughals in a peaceful manner.
Belonging to a family of Syed clan which claimed its direct descendence from
Prophet Muhammad’s family, Bulleh Shah chose to become a disciple of Shah
Inayat who belonged to the Arai community. The Arais are believed to be low
caste Hindus who converted to Islam to escape the discrimination faced by them
and thus, they were considered to be inferior by the Muslims. Bullah’s family
and community members were perturbed by his decision to choose such a person as
his ‘Murshid’ or ‘Guru’ and they all tried to convince him leave his company.
Bulleh Shah rejected the appeals and suggestions made by everyone and shunned
them.
बुल्ले नु समझावन आइयाँ बेहनां ते परझाइयां,
मन ले बुलया साडा कहना छड दे पल्ला राइयाँ,
आल-ए-नबी औलाद-ए-अली नु तू क्यों लीतां लाइयां’
जेहड़ा सानु सय्यद आखे दोज़ख़ मिले सज़ाईयां
जे कोई सानु राइन आखे बेहश्ती पीन्गाँ पाइयां|
Bulleh's sisters and sisters-in-law came to persuade him
Listen to us Bulleh and forego the company of Arains
Why have you crossed our the ancestry of the Prophet and the lineage of Ali
Whoever calls me Syed shall receive the punishment of hell
Whoever calls me an Arain shall sway on the swings of heaven.
He was living with Shah
Inayat in Lahore when ladies of his family went there to persuade him into
leaving the company of his teacher. This ‘Kafi’ written by him shows his
rebellious and unconventional mind-set which refused to reconcile with
orthodoxy and bigotry. This is a bigger lesson for the Hindu community which is
plagued by the evils of caste since time immemorial.
The rebellious spirit of
Bulleh Shah also showed when he opposed the orders or Emperor Aurangzeb when he
put a ban on music and dance. Bullah went from one place to another singing and
dancing in praise of the lord after Shah Inayat told him to do so. The sufi
tradition followed by him promotes devotion or ‘Bhakti’ as the form of uniting
with god. Inspired by the ideas of ‘Bhakti Movement’, it focuses on renouncing
the ritualistic practices and involving oneself in pure devotion in the form of
poetry, songs, dancing, singing, etc.
मक्के गया, गाल मुकदी नाही,
भावे सौ सौ जुम्मे पढ़ाइये |
गंगा गया गाल मुकदी नाही,
भावे सौ सौ गोते खाइये |
बुल्ले
शाह गल ताइयों मुकदी,
जद मै नु दिलो मुकाइये |
Going to Makkah is not the ultimate
Even if hundreds of prayers are offered,
Going to Ganges is not the ultimate
Even if hundreds of cleansings are done,
Bulleh Shah the ultimate is
when the 'I' is removed from the heart.
However, the
philosophy or ideology which was followed by him has been ingrained in Indian
psyche since the advent of Buddhism in India. We belong to a land which has
seen multiple religions and philosophies sprout and flourish and also gradually
left behind the practices which lost relevance with changing times.
Sidhartha Gautama was perhaps the first person in recorded history who
challenged the superstitious ways pertaining in the society during his time.
His teachings were spread throughout northern India and also reached countries
like China, Myanmar, Japan, Thailand, etc.
Similarly, most of the poets and saints who were a part of the ‘Bhakti’ and
‘Sufi’ movement of India have followed the same path of separating themselves
from any religious dogmas, rituals and superstitions. Bullah Shah is also
compared with the great sufi poet ‘Jalaluddin Rumi’ in terms of the quality of
his teachings and popularity. He was a humanitarian who kept morality and
respect for each other above than any other thing. Throughout his life, he
reiterated his message of equality, love and peace among individuals.
चल बुल्लेया चल ओथे चलिए, जित्थे सारे अंधे,
न कोई साडी ज़ात पछाने, न कोई सानु मन्ने |
O Bullah! Let’s go to a place where everybody is blind,
where nobody knows my caste/religion or holds me in high respect
Very much
like the modern times, he had to face the outrage of self-anointed protectors
of the religion. Not just the Mughal administration and clerics opposed him,
his own family except for his sister did not support Bullah’s eccentric
endeavour. Their resistance to his unorthodox views continued even after his
death. He was refused to be buried in the community graveyard of Village Pandok
in Kasur district of Lahore, where he was born. He was instead buried on the
outskirts of the town where his shrine is currently located in Pakistan. Even
after all this criticism and opposition, an annual three day ‘urs’ festival is
celebrated in Kasur where people from all over the country and the world gather
to commemorate the death anniversary of Baba Bulleh Shah.
The wisdom of Baba Bulleh Shah is needed for the revival of people’s conscience
in changing times. For me personally, he has been a symbol of liberation,
courage, humanity and love. His words and his life have left a deep impact on
my mind and innumerable people round the globe. His profound knowledge, if
reached millions of people, has the power to change the world for good.
ना मई मोमिन विच मसीतां,
ना मई विच कुफर दिया रीतां,
ना मई पाकं विच पलीतां,
ना मई मूसा ना फिरौन |
ना मै अंदर वेद किताबां,
ना विच भांगां ना शराबां,
ना विच रेह्न्दा मस्त ख़राबां,
ना विच जागण ना विच सौण |
ना मै भेद मज़हब दा पाया,
ना मै आदम हव्वा दा जाया,
ना कोई अपना नाम धयारा,
ना मै बैठन ना विच भौण |
बुल्ला
की जाना मै कौन ?
Not a believer inside the mosque, am
I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the PharohNot in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard’s intoxicated craze
Neither awake, nor in a sleeping daze
Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move
O Bullah! I know not who I am?
