Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Alif-Allaah chambe dee bootee, Murshid man wich laaee hoo
Nafee asbaat daa paanee milia, Har rage har jaaee hoo
Andar bootee Mushk machaayaa, Jaan phullan te aaee hoo
Jeeve murshid kaamil Baahoo, Jain eh bootee laaee hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

My Master has planted in my heart The jasmine of Allah’s Name.

Both my denial that the Creation is real And my embracing of God, the only reality, Have nourished the seedling down to its core.

When the buds of mystery unfolded Into the blossoms of revelation, My entire being was filled with God’s Fragrance.

May the perfect Master Who planted this jasmine in my heart Be ever blessed, O Bahu!

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Allaah parhion haafiz hoion, Na giaa hijaabon pardaa hoo
Parhh Parhh aalim faazil hoion, Taalib hoion zar daa hoo
Lakh hazaar kitaabaan parhiaan, Zaalim nafs na mardaa hoo
Baajh faqeeraan kise na mareya, Eho chor andar daa hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

You have read the name of God over and over, You have stored the holy Qur’an in your memory, But this has still not unveiled the hidden mystery.

Instead, your learning and scholarship Have sharpened your greed for worldly things,

None of the countless books you’ve read in your life Has destroyed your brutal ego.

Indeed, none but the Saints can kill this inner thief, For it ravages the very house in which it lives.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Alif-aihad jad dittee wiskaalee, Az khud hoiaa faanee hoo
Qurb, wisaal, maqaam na manzil, Na uth jism na jaanee hoo
Na uth ishq muhabbat kaaee, Na uth kaun makaanee hoo
Aino-ain theeose Baahoo, Sirr wahadat subhaanee hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

When the one Lord revealed himself to me, I lost myself in him.

Now there is neither nearness nor union. There is no longer a journey to undertake, No longer a destination to reach.

Love attachment, my body and soul And even the very limits of time and space Have all dropped from my consciousness.

My separate self has merged in the Whole: In that, O Bahu, lies the secret of the unity that is God!

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Allaah sahee keetose jis dam, Chamkiaa ishq agohaan hoo
Raat dihaan de taa tikhere, Kare agohaan soohaan hoo
Andae bhaaheen, andar baalan, Andar de wich dhoohaan hoo
Shaah rag theen Rabb nerhe laddhaa, Ishq keetaa jad soohaan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

The moment I realized the oneness of God, the flame of his love shone within, to lead me on.

Constantly it burns in my heart with intense heat, Revealing the mysteries along my path.

This fire of love burns inside me with no smoke, Fuelled by my intense longing for the Beloved.

Following the Royal Vein,* I found the Lord close by. My love has brought me face to face with him.

* The Royal Vein or shah rag is the central current in the subtle body, starting from the eye centre and leading up to the highest spiritual regions. It is located and followed by means of the spiritual practise taught by a perfect Master. The hindu’s call it sushmana or sukhmana nadi. It is the Royal Highway to the court of the Lord. It is not to be confused with the sushmana naadi of the yogis, which runs up the spinal column.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Alif alast suniaa dil mere, jind balaa kookendee hoo
HUbb watan dee ghaalib hoee, Hik pal saun na dendee hoo
Qaihar pave is raazan duneeaa, Haqq daa raah marendee hoo
Aashiq mool qabool na Bahoo, zaaro zaar ruvendee hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

When, at the time of Creation, God separated me from himself,
I heard him say: “Am I not your God?”* “Indeed you are,” cried my soul, reassured. Since then has my heart flowered.

With the inner urge to return Home, Giving me not a moment of calm here on earth.

May doom strike this world! It robs souls on their way to God.

The world has never accepted his lovers; They are persecuted and left to cry in pain.

* According to the Qur’an, God created souls and decided to send them down to inhabit the creation. When he saw them in torment at the prospect of their separation from him, he reassured them by asking, “Am I not your God?” meaning that he was not deserting them for good, and that he would call them back.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Oho nafs asaada belee, jo naal asaade siddhaa hoo
Zaahid aalim aan nivaae, tukrha wekhan thiddhaa hoo
Jo koee usdee kare savaaree, Naam Allaah us laddhaa hoo
Raah faqar daa mushkil Baahoo, Ghar maan na seeraa riddha hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Only the mind that works in harmony with my spirit is my friend.

Only the person who has so tamed his mind Can realize the Name of God.

This same mind forces the abstinent and the devout To grovel before greed and temptation,

Tough is the path to God, O Bahu, It is not a bowl of your mother’s pudding.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Azal abad noon sahee keetose, wekh tamaashe guzre hoo
Chaudaan tobaq dile de andar, Aatish laae hujre hoo
Jinhaan haqq na haasil keetaa, Doheen jahaaneed ujrhe hoo
Aashiq gharq hoe wich wahadat, Wekh tinhaan de mujre hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

I have, at last, grasped the beginning and the end: I have seen the whole sectacle of past, present and future Pass before my eyes.

Within my heart are fourteen realms.* Chambers of light – ablaze With the profusion of God’s light.

Those who have not realized God will wander, Homeless in this world, destitute in the next.

But watch the lovers dance with ecstasy, As they merge into the oneness of God.

* Some sufi mystics divide the inner journey into fourteen stages or realms, Hu symbolizes the resonant Sound, Word or Kalma; it also stands for God, who pervades the universe in the form of that Sound or Word. The name Bahu is made up of ba (with) and Hu, and therefore means ‘one who abdies in God’

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Andar hoo te baahir hoo, Hardam naal jalendaa hoo
Hoo daa daagh muhabbat waalaa, Hardam piaa sarhendaa hoo
Jitthe hoo kare rushnaaee, Chhorh andheraa vaindaa hoo
Dohee jahaan ghulaam us Baahoo, Jo hoo sahee karendaa hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Hu is within, Hu is without, Hu always reverberates in my heart.

The wound in my heart aches constantly With the unabating pain of Hu’s love.

The darkness of ignorance departs From the heart lit by Hu.

I sacrifice myself to the one, O Bahu, Who has realized the significance of Hu.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Addhee laanat duneeaa taaeen, Saaree duneeaa daaraan hoo
Jain raah sahib kharch na keetee, Lain ghazab deeaan maaraan hoo
Peovaan kolon putt kohaava, Bhatth duneeaa makkaaran hoo
Tark jinhaan duneeaa theen keetee, Laisan baagh bahaaraan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Accursed is life in this world; Twice as accursed are they who are attached to it.

Those who have not dedicated their lives to God Shall suffer the unrelenting blows of destiny.

Abominable is this sly world – It can even prompt a father to kill his own son.

Those who have renounced this world Will enjoy the delights of the garden That is eternally in bloom.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Imaan salaamat har koee mange, Ishq salaamat koee hoo
Imaan mangan sharmaavan ishqon, Dil noon ghairat hoee hoo
Jis manzil non ishq puchaave, Imaan khabar na koee hoo
Ishq salaamat rakkheen Baahoo, Diaan imaan dharoee hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Believers pray to God for the protection of faith, But few pray for the gift of his love.

I am ashamed at what they ask for, Even more at what they are willing to yield.

Religion is quite unaware of the spiritual plane To which love can raise us.

O Lord, keep my love for you ever fresh, says Bahu: I shall mortgage my religion for it.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Eh tan meraa chashmaan hove, Murshid wekh na rajjaan hoo
Loon loon de mudh lakh lakh chashmaan, Ik kholaan ik kajjaan hoo
Itniaan dithiaan sabar naa aave, Hor kite val bhajjaan hoo
Murshid daa deedaar hai Baahoo, Lakh karorhaan hajjaan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Were my whole body festooned with eyes, I would gaze at my Master with untiring zeal.

O, how I wish that every pore of my body Would turn into a million eyes – Then, as some closed to blink, others would open to see!

But even then my thirst to see him Might remain unquesnched. What else am I to do?

To me, O Bahu, a glimpse of my Master Is worth millions of pilgrimages to the holy Ka’ba!

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Andar wich namaaz asaadee, Hikse jaa niteeve hoo
Naal qiam rakooa sajoode, Kar takraar parheeve hoo
Eh dil hijar firaaqon sarhiaa, Eh dam mare na jeeve hoo
Sachchaa raah Mohammad waalaa, Jain wich Rabb labheeve hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

I offer my prayer in the temple of my heart – The only true place to worship God.

I stand in supplication, I bow in obeisance, I tender my prayer without break in its repetition.

Hanging between life and death My heart burns in the fire of separation from him.

The path indicated by the Prophet is true, O Bahu: Following it one can find God

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Akkheen surkh te mooheen zardee, Har wallon dil aaheen hoo
Muhaa muhaar khushboi waalaa, Pahuntaa vanj kadaaeen hoo
Ishq mushk na chhuppe raihnde, Zaahir theen uthaaeen hoo
Naam faqeer tinhaan daa Baahoo, Jin laamakaanee jaaeen hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Their eyes sleepless, their faces pale, Lovers constantly sigh in grief.

What has become of these faces That once beamed with youth and vivacity?

Love is like musk that cannot stay hidden: Its fragrance cannot but reveal its presence.

Only those who abide in realms beyond space Deserve to be called ‘faqir’, O Bahu.*

* A faqir is a beggar, a religious mendicant, a dervish, a humble man, but in Sufi parlance a faqir is one who has attained the highest goal in spirituality; a God-realized man.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Andar kalmaa kul kul kardaa, Ishq sikhaaiaa kalmaa hoo
Chaudaan tabqe kalmen andar, Chhad kitaabaan ilmaan hoo
Kaanne kapp ke qalam banaavan, Likh na sakkan qalmaan hoo
Kalmaa mainoon peer parhhaiaa, Zaraa na raheeaan almaan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Within me resounds the melody of Kalma,* The melody that love has taught me to hear.

Why don’t you put away your books, And forget that you have learnt from them – For within the Kalma you will find The fourteen inner realms.

Scholars sharpen reeds into pens, But they are not capable of writing the true Kalma.

This Kalma has rid me of all afflictions Of the body and mind – Only a Master could have taught it to me, O Bahu.

* Kalma literally means speech, word or proclamation. According to the tenets of Muslim religion, ‘to read the Kalma’ is to confess or affirm Mulim faith by saying, “There is no god, but God; Mohammad is the Prophet of God” (la Ilaha ill Allah Mohammad rasool’llah). To make someone say or repeat the Kalma is to convert him – to make a Muslim of him. But, according to Hazrat Sultan Bahu and other Sufi mystics, Kalma is not a written or spoken word or expression. They refer to Kalma as the Sound underlying creation – the audible Voice of God referred to by other Masters as Word, Shabd, Bani, Naad, Nida, Nida-i-Sultani, Baang-i-Aasmaani, etc. It can be heard through meditation on the real Name of God, referred to by Bahu as Ism, Ism-i-A’zam, Zaati Ism, etc., which can only be imparted by a perfect Master (kaamil Murshid).

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Eh tan Rabb sachche daa hujraa, Wich paa faqeeraa jhaatee hoo
Naa kar minnat khwaaj khizr dee, Tain andar aab hayaatee hoo
Shauq daa deevaa baal hanere, Mat labbhee vast kharaatee hoo
Marn theen agge mar rahe, Jinhaan Haqq dee ramz pachhaatee hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

This body is the temple of the true Lord; Peep within it, hermit!

You need no help from Khwaja Khizr:* The water of life is already within you.

Light the lamp of love in your heart To dispel the darkness within And discover the long-lost treasure.

Those who realize the secret of God Die before death [and find everlasting life].

*Hazrat Khwaja Khizr is said to have drunk aabe hayaat, the water of life, and to know the secret of the pool of nectar.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Eh tan Rabb sachche daa hujraa, Khirheeaan baagh bahaaraan hoo
Wichche kooze, wich musalle, Wich sajde diaan thaaraan hoo
Wichche kaabaa wichche qiblaah, il-lillaah pukaaraan hoo
Kaamil murshid miliaa Baahoo, Aape laisee saaraan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

This body is a temple of the true Lord In which fragrant gardens abound With eternally fresh blossoms.

Inside are the prayer mats, the places for prostration And the means for ritual ablution.

Inside is the Ka’ba and the Qibla,* And here I cry out to Allah, the one without parallel.

O Bahu, I have found the perfect Master Who will guide and protect me within.

*Qibla, Lit. ‘focal point’; the point to which prayer is directed, especially the Ka’Ba. In other words it is the geographical location of the Ka’ba in relation to a devotee in ritual prayer called namaaz – he must face in the direction of the Ka’ba while offering his devotion. IN a mosque this direction is indicated by the mehraab (prayer arch). Qibla is also used as a synonym for the Ka’ba.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Aujharh jhall te maaroo bele, Jitthe jaalan aaee hoo
Jis kaddhee noon dhaah hameshaan, Ajj dhatthee kal dhaaee hoo
Nain jinhaan dee vahe sirhaandee, Oh such na saonde raahee hoo
Ret paanee jith hon ikatthe, Uth bannee na bajhdee kaaee hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

This body, this desolate wilderness, In which the soul has come to lodge, Is a rapidly crumbling bank of the river of time.

It will collapse – tomorrow, if not today.

Lodged on the edge of such a shore, How can a traveller sleep in peace?

For where sand and water meet, No embankment can hold, O Bahu.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Aap na taalib hain kaheen de, Lokaan taalib karde hoo
Chaavan khepaan karde sepaan, Na Rabb de qaihron dared hoo
Ishq majaazee tilkan baazee, Pair avalle dharde hoo
Oh sharminde hosan Baahoo, Andar roz hashae de hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

These false prophets Were never disciples themselves. But they contrive to make disciples of others

As an act of seeming benefaction. But they swindle their disciples Of their money and belongings;

They fear not the wrath of God. Crooked in their ways, they lose their footing

In the slippery game of outward love. Say Bahu: They will regret their doings on the day of judgement

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Andar hoo te baahir hoo, Baahoo kith labheeve hoo
Sai riaazat kar karaahan, Khoon jigar daa peeve hoo
Lakh hazaar kitaaban parh ke, Daanishmand sadeeve hoo
Naam faqeer tahendaa Baahoo, Qabar jahendee jeeve hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

Hu is within, Hu is without, Hu pervades everything; Where then is Bahu to find Hu?

He has wounded his own heart, He has tortured his own soul

With austerities of all manner, With worship of all kinds, Having read millions of books,

He has also come to be called ‘wise’,But the name ‘faqir’ befits only him, O Bahu, Whose very grave breathes life!*

* The body is a greave in which the soul stays buried until awakened by the kalma or Word of God.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Alif-Allaah chambe dee bootee, Murshid man wich laandaa hoo
Jis gatt utte sohanaa raazee, Oho gatt sikhaandaa hoo
Hardam yaad rakhe har wele, Sohanaa uthaandaa bahaandaa hoo
Aap samajh samjhendaa Bahoo, Aap aape ban jaandaa hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

My master has sown in my heart The jasmine of God’s Name.

He has taught me how to captivate The heart of my charming Beloved.

He keeps me in his thoughts eternally. He always makes me do his will.

He himself grants me his wisdom, O Bahu. He himself moulds me into his own real Self.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Baahoo baagh bahaaraan khirhiaan, Nargis naaz sharam daa hoo
Dil wich kaabaa sahee keetose, Paakon paak piram daa hoo
Taalib talab tawaaf tamaamee, Hubb huzoor haram daa hoo
Giaa hijaab theeose haajee, Bakhshish raah karam daa hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

The garden of my heart has so blossomed That it puts the charming narcissus to shame,

Manifested within me is the holy Ka’ba; Blessed with the purity of love, my heart rejoices,

I circle the inner Ka’ba with fervent love; In ardent devotion I yearn For the blessing of my Beloved’s presence.

The veil is now lifted, my pilgrimage is complete, In his mercy, O Bahu, lies the way to remission.

Kalam-e-Bahu

Roman English of Kalam-e-Bahu

Baghdaad shaihar dee kiaa nishaanee, Uchcheean lammeeaan cheeraan hoo
Tan man meraa purze purze, Join darzee deeaan leeraan hoo
Leeraan dee gal kafanee paa ke, Ralsan sang faqeeraan hoo
Shaihar Baghdaad de tukrhe mangsaan, Karsaan Meeraan Meeraan hoo

English translation of Kalam-e-Bahu

The city of Baghdad is graced* With tall, elegant cypresses, My fond memories of that fair city

Tear my heart to shreds Like waste cloth in a tailor’s shop.

Wearing a cloak made with these shreds, I will join the beggars in the lanes of Baghdad

And beg for alms, calling out: “O Meeran, Meeran, my beloved Master!”*

*Baghdad was the home to