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.
kalar kerī chapṛī āi ulathe hanjh.
cinjū boṛan̖i nā pīvahi uḍaṇ sandī ḍanjh.64.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1381
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the sixty-fourth stanza, Sheikh Farid says, at the pond of salt water, the swans came and landed. They dip their beaks, but do not drink. There is a desire to fly away. In the previous stanzas, Sheikh Farid gave us a glimpse into the state of those who remain deprived of the people or environments they are seeking in their journey toward connecting with IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One). We might decide to walk this path and still find ourselves bereft of the companionship that helps us along the way. Sheikh Farid uses this extended metaphor to compare a salty lake to a community or environment composed of those who walk this path but are full of pretense. The swan is the seeker who has become discerning. In this pond of saltwater, in this salty or uninhabitable environment, the swans or seekers come and land. They dip their beaks in that water—they dip a toe into that environment, and realize quickly that these are not the companions they seek. They do not drink the undrinkable water. They do not engage with those who are full of pretense or lacking virtue. They fly away instead.
Sheikh Farid urges us to become more discerning about what we are ‘consuming,’ whose company we are keeping, and what communities we are choosing to be a part of. This world is one big pond. These swan-like seekers are in the world but not entangled in it. Their consciousness is permeated by IkOankar. They have desire and excitement in their consciousness and do not get entangled in vices. They do not drink the saltwater. They do not stay in negative companionship. Sheikh Farid urges us to find that pool of companionship, that group of people who are virtuous and true, and stay there. And if we cannot find it, to have the bravery and discernment to fly away. Will we become swan-like in our seeking? Will we find the virtuous companions? Will we refrain from consuming saltwater?
