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 bāri parāiai baisaṇā sāṁī mujhai na dehi.
je tū evai rakhsī jīu sarīrahu lehi.42.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1380
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the forty-second stanza, Sheikh Farid addresses IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), and says, O my beloved Sovereign! Do not make me sit at the door of another. What does it mean to be sitting at the door of another? In Sheikh Farid’s time, there were often those who would sit at their door waiting to see the chief or sovereign to ask them to resolve their issues. They were the subjects of those sovereigns. Sheikh Farid takes that dynamic and relates it to his relationship with IkOankar, his beloved One. He says, Do not make me sit at someone else’s door! Do not make me subservient to someone else. Sheikh Farid bears the title of ‘Sheikh,’ pointing to his social status and authority, legitimacy, and power as a Sufi master. It is notable that Sheikh Farid takes this line of reflection, reframing his own worldly power in the context of his reliance on or subservience to IkOankar.
Sheikh Farid continues, If you are to keep me like this, then take the soul from my body. If we are to depend on anyone other than IkOankar, it is as good as being dead. It is better to perish than to rely on anyone else. Sheikh Farid is a Sheikh—an accomplished Sufi master, with the authority, legitimacy, and knowledge to teach, initiate, and guide aspiring dervishes in the Islamic faith. Even with all this power, he wishes to sit outside the door of IkOankar alone. He wishes to live in the house of IkOankar alone. This is the only place he can stay and dwell. Will we come to understand our relationship with the beloved One this way? Will we sit only outside that door? Will we shed our subservience to other people, other authorities, other lifestyles, fears, or vices?
