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.
aju na sutī kant siu aṅgu muṛe muṛi jāi.
jāi puchahu ḍohāgaṇī tum kiu raiṇi vihāi.30.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1379
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the thirtieth stanza, Sheikh Farid says, Today I did not sleep with my Husband. Each part of my body aches. Here, we begin to explore what is happening within. The last few stanzas were about how we earn and how we consume, how we remain ethical and not indulgent. This stanza is now about our internal states, and our connection with or separation from IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), described here as the Divine-Husband. Sheikh Farid uses the common motif of the seekers as the wives and IkOankar as the Divine-Husband. Sheikh Farid takes this from the worldly relationship into the transworldly relationship of the seeker to the Divine-Husband.
In this separation as the bride of the Divine-Husband, as a seeker, Sheikh Farid says every part of his body is aching. When we are separated, that pang of separation, that ache, permeates every cell, every pore, every limb. It is inescapable. Sheikh Farid continues, Having gone to the duhagans, ask them, How does your night pass without your Divine-Husband? Duhagans can be understood as unfortunate brides who are experiencing separation from their Divine-Husband. In a transworldly sense, these are the seekers who are not experiencing union or connection with the Divine-Husband. Sheikh Farid goes to those duhagans, who understand his pain, and asks them How does your night pass? In what way are you getting through this separation? The pain of separation is like the pain a spouse feels when their partner is not present. One night is difficult—what about every night? Unable to be in remembrance, unable to feel the presence of the Divine-Husband, we feel this kind of deep pain. It is as if our bodies are breaking down. Sheikh Farid does not offer a conclusion with guidance here; he just asks us to reflect on our own pains. Are we getting through our long nights of separation, night after night? Are we steeped in forgetfulness? Do we want this pain to continue?
