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 dari darvājai jāi kai kiu ḍiṭho ghaṛīālu.
ehu nidosāṁ mārīai ham dosāṁ dā kiā hālu.39.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1379
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the thirty-ninth stanza, Sheikh Farid asks, having gone to the door, to the gate, did you ever see the gong? This innocent gong is beaten. What will be the condition of us, the ones full of faults? We spend so much of our lives steeped in a kind of paradox: we think so little about what we are engaged in, what deeds we are doing, and what their consequences will be, but this forgetfulness is punctuated with moments of deep and paralyzing awareness—fear about what we will have to face when all this living is over. Sheikh Farid draws our attention to the gongs that were once common fixtures of town squares, rung to alert locals of a gathering or meeting in the town center. We are presented with that imagery, understanding the striking of that gong as a kind of violence inflicted upon it. The gong is hit just to fulfill its purpose—what is the fault of the gong? The gong is innocent! The gong is not engaged in deeds of any kind, the gong is not entangled in vices, the gong is not inflicting harm on others. Sheikh Farid urges us to think more deeply about what we are engaged in. What will happen to those of us who are ‘not so innocent’? We have transgressed our whole lives. We have gotten caught up in all sorts of vices. Will we reflect on this and change our behavior? Or will we meet a fate far more consequential than that of the innocent gong?
