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 iknā āṭā aglā iknā nāhī loṇu.
agai gae siññāpasani coṭāṁ khāsī kaüṇu.44.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1380
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the forty-fourth stanza, Sheikh Farid says, O Farid! Some have plenty of flour, some do not even have salt. There are all kinds of variations in this world of experience—of the haves and the have-nots, of the wide disparities in wealth and access, and their various manifestations. Some of us live in abundance, without worry over how we will feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, and keep a roof over our heads. Some of us do not even have the bare minimum. When we look around and see that some are so rich and those who are so poor, we are confronted with a kind of hard truth—that this power dynamic exists and is actually beneficial for the most powerful, and that we tend to blame people for their lack. When we see a person asking for money on the street, we often assume they must have done something to ‘put themselves’ in that situation. We see poverty as an individual problem, a sign of a lack of morality, rather than a sign of unjust and unequal systems that perpetuate wealth among the wealthy and poverty among the poor. While we see poverty as a sign that one has not lived a fruitful life. We see wealth as a sign of fruitful living even when it is earned unethically. These are the ailments of our time, as well as the ailments in our thinking.
Sheikh Farid says, The ones who go ahead will know who will endure blows? Regardless of our worldly status, regardless of what we do or do not have, what matters in the end is how we spend this time, and whether we make these lives fruitful beyond the worldly. It is only at the court of IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) that we can know who will receive consequence for their deeds: disgrace or honor. This is where we truly know who is ‘good’ or ‘bad,’ who has a lot or a little. So let us not judge people based on what they do or do not have in this world. Sheikh Farid encourages us to become devotees of IkOankar, to make this time fruitful by living in devotion and remembrance, and to abandon judgment. Will we walk this path? Will we remember what truly matters?
