Bulleh! to me, I am not known
by Bulleh ShahOriginal Language Punjabi
Not a believer inside the mosque, am I
Nor a pagan disciple of false rites
Not the pure amongst the impure
Neither Moses, nor the Pharaoh
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not in the holy Vedas, am I
Nor in opium, neither in wine
Not in the drunkard`s intoxicated craze
Neither awake, nor in a sleeping daze
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
In happiness nor in sorrow, am I
Neither clean, nor a filthy mire
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Not an Arab, nor Lahori
Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri
Hindu, Turk, nor Peshawari
Nor do I live in Nadaun
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Secrets of religion, I have not known
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
I am not the name I assume
Not in stillness, nor on the move
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
I am the first, I am the last
None other, have I ever known
I am the wisest of them all
Bulleh! do I stand alone?
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
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/ Image by firdausmahadi /
Bulleh Shah has given us a riddle to unravel today.
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Ask yourself, What or who is not known when he keeps saying that he is "not known"? How can he say to himself that he is not known?
The little self, the ego, the self of attributes with a place in the world, the self that answers to the name Bulleh ("I am not the name I assume") -- that self can't know the deeper Self. Why? Because the True Self is far too immense. The True Self is "not a believer... nor a pagan." The True Self is not involved "in happiness nor in sorrow." The True Self is too big to be contained by those definitions; it permeates them and encompasses them, without being caught by them.
Not from water, nor from earth
Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth
The True Self is not hemmed in by beginnings and ending.
From Adam and Eve, I am not born
One's True Self is eternal.
I am the first, I am the last
And utterly whole and all-encompasing, with nothing external.
None other, have I ever known
No surprise then that the little self that clings to definitions and boundaries cannot know the Self Bulleh speaks of. The great, flowing vastness one is, well, it is perceived, but it is not 'known.'
Bulleh! to me, I am not known
To encounter the deepest mystery, we have only to look in the mirror.
Ivan
PS- A blessed Ramadan to all of my Muslim friends. Ramadan Mubarak!
PPS- And also let me quickly acknowledge the passing of Muhammad Ali. He gained fame as a boxer, but it was his greatness of spirit that made him an international icon. He was a verbal poet, a social activist, a courageous man nobly living with a debilitating illness. He was a genuinely kind and wise man... and, less well known, he was a follower of the Sufi path. His presence was a gift to the world. RIP.
Recommended Books: Bulleh Shah
