The
saloks of Sheikh Farid
Ji guide the seeker toward the devotion of the one absolute IkOankar (the Divine), which is the true purpose of life. In these saloks, Farid Ji shares that our time in this world is finite, and thus, one should immediately turn to the devotion of IkOankar without delay. However, due to attachment to transient things and relationships, many forget this truth and become entangled in vices, leading to a perpetually restless and uneasy life. However, the being who embraces virtues such as remembrance of IkOankar, love, humility, tolerance, patience, contentment, selfless service, and righteous living, experiences the bliss of connection with IkOankar even while leading a householder’s life. Their life becomes comfortable and peaceful.
pharīdā galīe cikaṛu dūri gharu nāli piāre nehu.
calā ta bhijai kambalī rahāṁ ta tuṭai nehu.24.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1379
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the twenty-fourth stanza, Sheikh Farid says there is mud on the street, and the house is far away. My love is with the beloved friends. These words can be understood in a worldly and transworldly sense: we might have a deep and loving bond with our beloved friends, and we might want to see them, but we find that they are too far away or that the path to them is too difficult because of the weather. We might decide to stay home. We might have deep love for IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), but whether we experience connection with IkOankar is dependent on the effort we make from that place of devotion. That effort might be affected by the ‘weather’ we are in, or the atmosphere, or the conditions—the things that might make walking the path toward IkOankar harder, messier, or more uncomfortable.
Sheikh Farid says, If I go, then the blanket will get wet. If I stay, then my love will break. Even if the conditions are less than ideal, even if there is mud on that path, or rain in the sky, we ought to go. When we are in love and we are desperate for that connection with the beloved Friend, IkOankar, we do not say, I love you but I do not know if I can meet you today. We do not sit and think about the weather—whether it is good, how long the journey will be, whether we will get wet, whether we will get muddy, or sick from the cold. If we stay, our love breaks. Is it really love if we are willing to watch it break? Sheikh Farid is showing us all that it does not matter how many hardships we must tackle; we cannot get caught up in dichotomies of love. True and deep love has nothing to do with how hard it is; it has everything to do with whether we want to maintain it or not, and if we do, to do so with determination. Will we brave the weather? Will we go see our beloved Friend?
