The
saloks of Sheikh Farid
Ji guide the seeker towards life’s true purpose, the devotion to the one absolute Divine, IkOankar. In these saloks, he reminds us that our time in this world is finite; therefore, one must turn to IkOankar without delay. Yet, attachment to transient possessions and relationships causes many to forget this truth, becoming entangled in vices that lead to restlessness and inner turmoil. In contrast, those who cultivate virtues such as love, humility, patience, contentment, selfless service, and righteousness experience the bliss of connection with IkOankar even while living a householder’s life. Their life becomes serene and suffused with inner joy.
pharīdā pichal rāti na jāgiohi jīvadṛo muiohi.
je tai rabu visāriā ta rabi na visariohi.107.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1383
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the one hundred and seventh stanza, Sheikh Farid addresses himself and says, O Farid! If you did not rise in the last quarter of the night, it is as if you are dead even while alive. Sheikh Farid is communicating a larger message about time and how we spend it. During the day, we take care of so much—we may get up and make breakfast, feed our children, get ourselves ready for work and school, and then, we are off to fulfilling the day to day duties of work and home. This swallows the whole day up, and we find that by the end of the day we don’t have time for much else outside of dinner and sleep and entertainment. Sheikh Farid is asking us to reflect on our habits. We know what is beneficial and what is not—that if we eat too much or sleep too little, these things are negative influences on our lives. In the same way, if we do not spend some time devoting ourselves to IkOankar, this becomes emotionally and spiritually unhealthy. Sheikh Farid urges us to spend time in the early morning making a practice of devotion.
The early morning is when things are quiet—our brains have not yet begun to buzz with the anxiety around to-do lists and obligations. We have not yet reached for our phones and begin to dive into the doomscroll. During this period of the day, in the quiet and the darkness of the not-yet morning, we can connect with IkOankar. Sheikh Farid reminds us, If you have forgotten the Divine, even then you have not been forgotten by the Divine. We might have become forgetful of IkOankar, we might be in a state of disconnection, but the One does not forget us. This relationship is always here for us to rekindle, if only we find the time, and the effort, and the discipline. Will we begin to connect with IkOankar? Will we come alive again? Will we remember the One?
