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.
sabhnā man māṇik ṭhāhaṇu mūli macāṁgavā.
je taü pirīā dī sik hiāu na ṭhāhe kahī dā.130.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1384
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the one hundred and thirtieth stanza, Sheikh Farid says, The minds of all are rubies; breaking them is not good at all. If, for you, there is yearning for the Beloved, do not break the heart of anyone. We continue with the imagery of the ruby-like hearts and minds. Sheikh Farid repeats the message of the last stanza with slight variation: do not break the heart of anyone. We tend to think of the body as precious. We spend our lives trying to maintain it, protect it, keep it from showing signs of aging and deteriorating with time. We can see when the body is hurt, and we can see what it looks like when it heals. But we do not think of the mind or the heart as precious in the same way. We do not think of hurting hearts and minds as similarly painful because we cannot see the effects of that hurt. Sheikh Farid reminds us that the heart and the mind are both precious jewels. These are the rubies lodged within the body, because within them is the presence of beloved IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). And if this is understood, if we can understand that the heart and mind are dwelling places of the beloved One, the way we think and act will change.
At a basic level, it is not acceptable to break or hurt these jewels. If we have a yearning or a longing or excitement for meeting the beloved One within, we ought not to break anyone’s hearts or minds. If we have love and devotion and a desire to connect with the beloved One, we will not break hearts or minds. Yearning for the beloved One is love for the beloved One, and love for the beloved One means we see the beloved One in all beings. This is the simplest message—the most global guidance. This is the lifestyle to nurture and the society to envision, the way children are asked what they would do if they were president and their answers are always simple: I would make sure no one is hungry. I would make sure everyone is nice to each other. I would make sure no one is hurt. We know this intuitively when we are children, that this is the thing we ought to aspire to, not only as individuals, but as societies. We do not need to overthink or decide who deserves our love and kindness and who does not. To truly live this lifestyle means we end the dichotomies we create between ourselves and others, good and bad, emotions and thought. Let us see the One in all. Let us expand in this seeing, in this connection. Let us become more gracious and compassionate and sweeter in every thought, word, and action. We can build toward this reality. Will we?
