Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Gal Ik nuqtae vich mukdi aae - Bulleh Shah

English translation of a Punjabi poem by Bulleh Shah (1680–1757).
"Ik nuqtae vich gal mukdi aae"



At this one point, all talk ends.
Hold tight to this point, forget your calculations,
Leave the miserable state of unbelief,
Do not torment yourself with the fear of death and hell,
For these are imaginary fears.
Only into such a house will truth then enter.
At this one point, all talk ends.

For no reason you abrade your forehead on the ground,
You display your reverence at the mehraab,
You recite the kalma to impress a listener,
But knowledge does not enter your heart.
Can the truth stay hidden?
At this one point, all talk ends.

Many return from Mecca as hajjis,
With blue shawls across their shoulders.
They profit from Hajj ,
Who can admire such behavior?
Can the truth stay hidden?
At this one point, all talk ends.

Some withdraw to the forest,
Eat a single grain a day.
They exhaust their bodies foolishly,
And return home in bad shape,
Their life sucked dry with useless fasting and prayer.
At this one point, all talk ends.

Hold fast to your murshid,
Become a devotee of all creation,
Intoxicated, carefree,
Without desire, indifferent to the world,
Let your heart be fully clean.
Says Bulha, can the truth then be stopped?

At this one point, all talk ends."


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