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.
jo siru sāī nā nivai so siru kījai kāṁi.
kunne heṭhi jalāīai bālaṇ sandai thāi.72.
-Guru Granth Sahib 1381
Commentary
Literal Translation
Interpretive Transcreation
Poetical Dimension
Calligraphy
In the seventy-second stanza, Sheikh Farid asks, The head that does not bow before the beloved Owner, what should be done with that head? He answers, It should be burned beneath the earthen pot in place of firewood. What should be done to the head that does not bow to IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One), which does not cultivate humility, which does not chip away at the ego and become tender to the beloved Owner? It is better to have been placed under an earthen pot and used as fuel in place of firewood. Burning the body is to be avoided in Islamic contexts due to the practice of burying the dead in anticipation of the Day of Judgment, where the body must be as whole as possible. Sheikh Farid appears to be exploring this idea and presenting stark imagery to jolt us out of our complacency. Sheikh Farid implies, with his signature simplicity, that if the mind and head will not fulfill their true purpose, we might as well make them useful.
When we are steeped in arrogance, pride, and ego, even when we know what we ought to do, it is hard for that knowledge to penetrate through to a change in thinking and a corresponding behavioral change. We are being reminded that these heads, these intellects, these ways of thinking, are not worth anything if they are not situated in humility and devotion to beloved IkOankar—until they are living in harmony with the Command of the beloved One. We are being urged toward self-surrender. We are being urged toward remembrance and devotion. We are being reminded that we need not act like a leader, authority, or a Sheikh who has all the answers. If we remove pride, we eliminate pains, we eliminate our lack of success in the divine path, and we end our separation. If we spend our whole lives not addressing this, if we wait till the end, we find that we regret it at the end, and in that panic and remorse, we do say things like, I might as well die. Sheikh Farid brings us to those feelings that come from a place of urgency and regret now, so that we may still do something about them with the time we have. Will we?
