Baba Farid on the Union (Yog) with Allah

In the following writing, Baba Farid speaks again of Love, this time making it clear that the people who truly love are the ones who become attached to Allah. He also goes through the deepest truth of life, that eventually this body will die, return to dust in a neglected graveyard somewhere. Death is much closer than we imagine, and during this time, Farid does not want to live a life of chaos and confusion stemming from a 'bird like' mind that brings endless turmoil.

"O Farida, reply those who harm and antagonize you with goodwill, don't let anger enter your mental conciousness. This is how you free yourself from all diseases and gain everything you put yourself towards." - Words of Baba Shaykh Farid

Here, Baba Farid uses the word "Dharam" (Dharma), a word used for spiritual law which, from the traditions the language is used, entails the following: 1. That there is an acceptance of a multitude of viewpoints, none of which can provide the full picture of the endless that is.

2. The acceptance of something 'spiritual', at the bare minimum in that there is a response system in life that is appropriate towards the circumstances of life we find ourselves in.

3. In the journey of life, especially in the path of spirituality, we don't knowingly put down or take advantage of others.

In my last post, I referred to Baba Farid as an Islamic Bhakti Yogi; and here again he shows it with his use of the language. In the following writing of Baba Farid below, he even uses the term "Gauri" which is the Punjabiyat (perhaps called Braj Bahshah during the time of Baba Farid himself) way of referring to the wife of Shiva, and uses that terminology as a feminine representative of Allah, that she is pleased watching people 'ferry across' to the their most Divine being. At the end of this writing, Baba Farid says your actions are what goes with you, and that if we brought lots of harm and damage into the life, the souls continue to suffer even after we depart. Very strong words, and like always, Baba Farid speaks to all audiences, he doesn't care if you're Moslem or Hindu, he simply says this torturous suffering of ones action will occur regardless if one is burned or buried. Enjoy the read below.

ਆਸਾ ॥

Aasaa || (morning messages of hope and courage) ਬੋਲੈ ਸੇਖ ਫਰੀਦੁ ਪਿਆਰੇ ਅਲਹ ਲਗੇ ॥

Sheikh Faird Speaks: the ones who truly Love are attached to Allah ਇਹੁ ਤਨੁ ਹੋਸੀ ਖਾਕ ਨਿਮਾਣੀ ਗੋਰ ਘਰੇ ॥੧॥

This body will eventually turn to dust and treated like a neglected graveyard. ||1|| ਆਜੁ ਮਿਲਾਵਾ ਸੇਖ ਫਰੀਦ ਟਾਕਿਮ ਕੂੰਜੜੀਆ ਮਨਹੁ ਮਚਿੰਦੜੀਆ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥

You can connect with the Presence in the Present, Sheikh Farid, if you learn to restrain your reactive mind, whose desires are like that of a bird, bringing out endless turmoil.  ||1||Pause and Reflect||

ਜੇ ਜਾਣਾ ਮਰਿ ਜਾਈਐ ਘੁਮਿ ਨ ਆਈਐ ॥

If I had recognized death for its absolute finality, a destination never to return from,

ਝੂਠੀ ਦੁਨੀਆ ਲਗਿ ਨ ਆਪੁ ਵਞਾਈਐ ॥੨॥

I would not have ruined this life by clinging to the “me and I” absorbed this world of falsehood. ||2||

ਬੋਲੀਐ ਸਚੁ ਧਰਮੁ ਝੂਠੁ ਨ ਬੋਲੀਐ ॥

Speak the Truth, consistent with the Spiritual Law (Dharma), do not speak things that are Untrue.

ਜੋ ਗੁਰੁ ਦਸੈ ਵਾਟ ਮੁਰੀਦਾ ਜੋਲੀਐ ॥੩॥

Be the Disciple that travels the route as pointed out by the Guru. ||3||

(this writing of a Guru and doing as per the Gurus instructions are consistent amongst Yogis, Sufis, Hindu mystics, and Sikhs of Punjab/Sindh/Peshawar/Kashmir/etc.)

ਛੈਲ ਲੰਘੰਦੇ ਪਾਰਿ ਗੋਰੀ ਮਨੁ ਧੀਰਿਆ ॥

Seeing the young ones ferrying across (to the divine), Gauri’s (another name of Shiva’s wife, Parvati) heart is filled with encouragement.

<interesting he uses Gauri as a reference - Baba Farid was very close to the Nath Yogis in his time, also, it shows that Baba Farid spoke the language of the local people, he was not an outsider and so had no issues using local legends as allegories, in this case he is using a feminine name of the divine, of a local dialect, to represent Allah. This also lets you know he didn't define the Divine into sex and/or gender and was able to be flexible in his language to refer to different parts of the divine. After all, who but Allah would be happy to see many souls enter the heavenly realm?>

ਕੰਚਨ ਵੰਨੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਕਲਵਤਿ ਚੀਰਿਆ ॥੪॥

Those distracted by glitter and gold (and leave the path), (they) are cut down with a saw. ||4||

ਸੇਖ ਹੈਯਾਤੀ ਜਗਿ ਨ ਕੋਈ ਥਿਰੁ ਰਹਿਆ ॥

O Sheikh, no one's life or place is still or permanent in this world.

ਜਿਸੁ ਆਸਣਿ ਹਮ ਬੈਠੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਬੈਸਿ ਗਇਆ ॥੫॥

That seat/posture, upon which I (or we) sit - others too sat in posture and then departed. ||5||

<again interesting, he uses the term Aasan or Asana for seat/posture, another yogic term instead of other terms that could refer more directly to chair or seated>

ਕਤਿਕ ਕੂੰਜਾਂ ਚੇਤਿ ਡਉ ਸਾਵਣਿ ਬਿਜੁਲੀਆਂ ॥

As the swallows appear in the month of Katik, forest fires in the month of Chayt, and lightning in Saawan,

ਸੀਆਲੇ ਸੋਹੰਦੀਆਂ ਪਿਰ ਗਲਿ ਬਾਹੜੀਆਂ ॥੬॥

Same as the bride, whose arms adorn her husband's neck in winter;||6||

ਚਲੇ ਚਲਣਹਾਰ ਵਿਚਾਰਾ ਲੇਇ ਮਨੋ ॥

All are in passing, all are transitory, all are going and never to return. Reflect this in your conditioned, reactive mind.

ਗੰਢੇਦਿਆਂ ਛਿਅ ਮਾਹ ਤੁੜੰਦਿਆ ਹਿਕੁ ਖਿਨੋ ॥੭॥

It took six months for the body to strengthen*, only an instant to break it down. ||7||

it is unknown here if he means the body in the womb - as Punjabi folklore says the first 3 months a woman only prepares and that the ‘soul body’ only enters the womb after the 3rd month - thus 6 months to birth - or whether it takes 6 months of physical practice to have a strong body - which amounts to two 90 day cycles of a Sadhna with Asanas from the Hatha Yoga traditions of the Nath Yogis)

ਜਿਮੀ ਪੁਛੈ ਅਸਮਾਨ ਫਰੀਦਾ ਖੇਵਟ ਕਿੰਨਿ ਗਏ ॥

(Seeing the state of this world) Farid imagines the Earth asking the Heavens “Where did all the boatmen go?” (Boatmen are those who ferry people to the divine - once again, consistent language with the Nath Yogis)

ਜਾਲਣ ਗੋਰਾਂ ਨਾਲਿ ਉਲਾਮੇ ਜੀਅ ਸਹੇ ॥੮॥੨॥

Doesn’t matter if they have been burned or buried, their souls continue to suffer from their actions on Earth. ||8||2||