(AD 1680–1757; AH 1090–1170)
Baba Bulleh Shah, whose real name was Abdullah Shah, is counted among the foremost Punjabi Sufi poets, along with Varis Shah, Sultan Bahu and Shah Hussain (1538–99). He was born in Bahawalpur and died in Kasur, both in Pakistan.
Baba Bulleh Shah served as a pupil of the Sufi teacher Inayat Shah Qadri (d. 1728). In this way, he accumulated knowledge of the Qur’an, the Arabic and Persian languages, and mystic ideology. The exact number of poems Baba Bulleh Shah composed is unknown, with estimates ranging from 50 to 250, but his writing consists largely of poems written in the kafi style.
Not a believer in the mosque am I,
Nor a disbeliever with his rites am I.
I am not the pure amongst the impure,
Neither Moses nor Pharaoh am I.
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
Not in the holy books am I,
Nor do I dwell in bhang or wine,
Nor do I live in a drunken haze,
Nor in sleep nor waking known.
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
Not in happiness or in sorrow am I found.
I am neither pure nor mired in filthy ground.
Neither made from earth nor water,
Nor am I in air or fire to be found.
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
Not an Arab nor Lahori,
Not a Hindi or Nagouri,
Nor a Muslim or Peshawari,
Not a Buddhist or a Christian.
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
Secrets of religion have I not unravelled,
Nor have I fathomed Eve and Adam.
Neither still nor moving on,
I have not chosen my own name!
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
From first to last, I searched myself.
None other did I succeed in knowing.
Not some great thinker am I.
Who is standing in my shoes, alone?
Bulleh, who knows who I am?
You alone exist; I do not, O Beloved!
You alone exist, I do not!
Like the shadow of a house in ruins,
I revolve in my own mind.
If I speak, you speak with me:
If I am silent, you are in my mind.
If I sleep, you sleep with me:
If I walk, you are along my path.
Oh Bulleh, the spouse has come to my house:
My life is a sacrifice unto Him.
You alone exist; I do not, O Beloved!
The crow attacks the hawk.
Sparrows swoop on eagles.
It’s a topsy-turvy world!
The stallion is rejected.
The donkey is accepted.
It’s a topsy-turvy world!
Paupers walk like kings.
And kings beg on the streets.
It’s a topsy-turvy world!
Says Bulleh,
Throw away your pride,
Let go of ego,
Forget yourself for once,
Then only you will find Him!
One point contains all;
Learn about the One, forget the rest.
Forget hell and the terrible grave;
Leave the ways of sin and purify
Your heart.
That’s how the argument is spun:
It’s all contained in One!
Why rub your head against the earth?
What point in your vain prostration?
Your Kalimah read, makes others laugh.
You do not grasp the Lord’s word!
Somewhere the truth is written down:
It’s all contained in One!
Some go to the jungle in vain
And starve and cause themselves some pain;
They waste their time with all this
And come home tired, nothing gained!
Find your master and become God’s slave.
In this way you’ll be free of care;
Free of desire, free of worry,
And your heart truthful, pure.
Bulleh has discovered this truth alone:
It’s all contained in One!
He who is stricken by Love
Sings and dances out of tune.
He who wears the garb of Love
Gets blessings from above.
Soon as he drinks from this cup
No questions and no answers remain.
He who is stricken by Love
Sings and dances out of tune.
He who has the Beloved in his heart,
He is fulfilled with his Love.
No need he has for formality,
He just enjoys his ecstasy.
He who is stricken by Love
Sings and dances out of tune.
Love springs eternal!
When I learnt the lesson of Love
I dreaded going to the mosque.
Hesitantly, I found a temple
Where they beat a thousand drums.
Love springs eternal! Come!
I am tired of reading holy books,
Fed up with prostrations good.
God is not in Mathura or Mecca.
He who finds Him is enlightened!
Love springs eternal! Come!
Burn the prayer mat, break the beaker!
Quit the rosary, chuck the staff!
Lovers shout at the top of their voices:
Break all rules that tie you down!
Love springs eternal! Come!
Heer and Ranjha1 are united:
While she searches for him in orchards,
He is in her warm embrace!
She has her love, she is fulfilled!
Love springs eternal! Come!
It is you alone.
Not I, my love.
You are; I’m not.
Shadow-like you haunt my mind
And I am lost in you.
When I speak, you speak with me,
And when I am silent so are you.
When I sleep, you sleep with me,
And when I walk, you walk with me.
Bulleh’s Master has come home
And he is devoted fully.
It is you alone.
Not I, my love.
You are
And I’m not!
Fasting, pilgrimage, prayer –
In love, I have forgotten all!
As soon as news of love arrived,
Forgot all logic, all form,
And gave up daily chores;
Fasting, pilgrimage, prayer –
In love, I have forgotten all!
When my Beloved entered my abode
I abandoned religion’s code.
He dwells in every creed
Whose presence is everywhere,
Yet the common folk
See Him not, and are unaware.
Fasting, pilgrimage, prayer –
In love, I have forgotten all!
My Lord has come as man.
Himself the deer,
Himself the tiger,
Himself the hunted
And the hunter.
He is the master.
He the slave.
He is the trader.
He the buyer.
My Lord has come as man.
The player plays
A strange game,
Makes me dance
A puppet in His hands;
I dance at His clapping
To the tune that
He has chosen.
My Lord has come as man!
The God that you find,
While wandering in the jungle,
Is found by fish and foul and beast.
O foolish mankind!
Bulleh Shah! Only they find
The true God
Who are good and pure in heart!
You have learnt so much
And read a thousand books.
Have you ever read your Self?
You have gone to mosque and temple.
Have you ever visited your soul?
You are busy fighting Satan.
Have you ever fought your
Ill intentions?
You have reached into the skies,
But you have failed to reach
What’s in your heart!
Destroy the mosque!
Destroy the temple!
Destroy whatever you please.
Do not break the human heart,
For God Dwells therein!