[Bashir] 1

Muhamamd Bashir

Zainab Sattar

Salt-243

18 March 2018

Comparison of kafis

These both kafis are one of the most famous master pieces of Bulleh Shah. Mainly, he deals

same questions in two kafis but with different style and progression. The central aim seems to be

deviation from socio-cultural norms which is frequent aspect of Bulleh's rebellious nature. Najum

Syed stresses some important criticism on the existing narratives about Bulleh's poetry. Najum

says that popularity of a poem also means that it might have got lots of dead matter over the course

of history. Najum in his prologue to this poem tries to address the issue at stake in poems of Bullah

like " Mai Bayqaid" and " Bulleh ki jana mai kaun". He argues that it was deviation from versions

of traditional history narratives and an attempt to redefine human temporal existence based on his

conscious experience with the creation and himself rather than adopting the dead men's narratives.

Najum says,

"Any vision of history is thus both an index of, and a primary factor in, the spiritual make-up of a

person or a group. Once you finally commit yourself to a limited vision of history and your hedged

place in that vision you deliver yourself in the hands of ruthless gods who are jealous of the

intrusion of human will in their realms. They grip you, mould you and set you in motion according

to their own designs. And ironically you maintain the belief that your actions and thoughts are the

results of your own conscious will."( Najum)

The central idea of both kafis seems to be a dialogue between man and moment, mentions

Syed. He says this is an artist's version of history. For him past is made of experience rather than
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events. Najum says that this experience isn't based on any principle of moral or dogmatic selection,

but it is an attempt to comprehend the harmony and disorder at the same moment. So, Bulleh Shah's

these two masterpieces are an attempt to discover time through live.

As Najum noted that in "Bulleh Ki Janan Mai Kaun", it's some sort of attempt to raise

questions about existence by a child. Bulleh begins with a question about his existence. It is natural

human tendency to associate himself with a group, entity or organization. People used to identify

themselves with their castes and creed and it was unescapable. But here Bulleh is not willing to

accept the traditional narrative of his existence. Same is case with, "Mai Bay Qaid", where again

he is refuting any tag given to him. Although first one is a question based kafi and curiosity driven

while the other is declaration of his freedom. In Mai Bay Qaid, he claims his basic right to freedom

and explains it further.

There is a common massage in both poems and many others, which is that " Neither am I

Muslim nor Hindu". Bulleh tries to negate this binary made by society in both of his poems. And

it is most recurrent pattern of his poetry. Historically, subcontinent had many religions and people

identified themselves with different religions. People attached their sensibilities with that ideology.

But, Punjabi Sufi poets explicitly denounce this repeatedly. For instance, consider below a kafi by

Shah Hussain,

‫انی حسینو جالہا' ناں اِس مول نوں الہا‬

‫نہ اوہ منگیا نہ اوہ پرنایا‬

‫نہ اوس گنڈھ' نہ ساہا‬

‫نہ گھر باری' نہ ُمسافر‬

‫نہ اوہ مومن' نہ اوہ کافر‬

‫جو آہا سو آہا‬

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Here Shah Hussain also identifies himself to be weaver. Hussain also clearly denounces

his affiliation of being Muslim or Kafir. So, when you see in terms of this rejection of binaries,

both kafis have this property.

J R Puri explains that all these attributes depend on each. Existence of one affects the

other. But Bulleh is perfect in himself, says Puri, and Bulleh does not depend on any other entity.

This is what makes him unique. Qazi Javed argues that usual scholarship was source of

exclusiveness, ignorance and sectarianism at the time of Bulleh. Ulema used to decree Fatwas

against people and incited people for violence. These Ulema whom Sufis normally call Mullahs,

raged a war against Sufis also. Bulleh firmly stood against their opposition and criticism. Javed

says that for Bulleh humanity dividends were a foul practice.

Qazi argues that Bulleh had a different state of being. In these two kafis, there is idea of

birthday. Brahmans introduced the caste system, so in that context future of a person was defined

by his birthday. The child could never get any better rights than his parents, Syed Lateef noted.

So, instead of arguing about caste directly, Bulleh indirectly says that I am not the one who is

born. He is collapsing that institution of birthday which therefore breaks all the socio-religious

affiliations of birthday. He rejects this idea of birthday in both these lines from these two

different kafies,

Na Mai Adam Hawa Gaya

And

Na Mai Paida, Na Paid

So, you see this recurrent pattern of entangled state. When Bulleh says that he is neither a

product of birthday nor is he source of birthday, he is creating an entangled state. In this state, Sufi
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can live without worldly needs and becomes an independent thinker. Ordinary people continue to

associate themselves with other groups because they feel insecure in solitude. Once people adopted

certain association, it was difficult for them to switch it because their sensibilities were attached

with it. There is this other dimension of psychological nature which made divisions important. No

one argues against the devision rather everyone wants to reach at the first level of division or

hierarchy which is evidently impossible for all. So, Bulleh gives this idea in which you become

indifferent This entangled state was expressed in another way by Sultan Bahu which Duggal

mentions,

The heart is burning in the fire of separation

In which alone can God be seen

It neither lives nor dies (Entangled state)

Hence, he is rejecting that social institution based on birthday which created by Brahmans

and later used by Muslims Ulema. He acquires freedom after rejecting this social institution which

had created discrimination among the people.

J R Puri interprets the ending stanzas that Bulleh has defined human as a soul. He argues

that it is the soul which is eternal and independent of these temporal modes which Bulleh is

rejecting. Soul is independent of limits of time, place, culture, birthday and death, says Puri. Puri

compares soul with God which is explicitly mentioned in the poetry of many Sufi poets. There is

idea that I am not, God is all there is. Thus, Sufi rejects his own state of being to acknowledge the

infinite state of his creator. Shah Hussain puts it,

‫ربا میرے حال دا محرم توں‬

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‫ ُروم ُروم ِوچ توں‬،‫ باہر توں ہیں‬،‫اندر توں ہیں‬

‫ سبھ کجھ میرا توں‬،‫توں ہیں بانا‬،‫توں ہیں تانا‬

‫ سب توں‬،‫ میں ناہیں‬،‫کہے حسین فقیر نماناں‬

‫ربا میرے حال دا محرم توں‬

(Rabba)

You are inside, you are outside saying Shah Hussian here.

There is a dissimilarity between " Mai By Qaid" and " Bulla ki Janan Mai Kaun".

First is an attempt to free himself from social bandages by acknowledging the fact that he

does not know at all about his very existence.so, it is an attempt to understand while in

second kafi he is declaring his freedom openly and says that he is free.

Choda Tabki Sair Asda

Kidy Na Hond Qaid

Bulleh here says that he visits the seven skies and he can't be confined anywhere. Seven

skies were referred to as entire universe in those days, so Bulleh is saying that he has hold on this

entire universe. He may be referring to power of his mind which can comprehend everything.

"While first kafi about know is an attempt to raise questions about epistemology as

mentioned earlier by Najum. In this context Menzur Ejaz explains this attempt of Bulleh,

"After having accomplished his scholastic learning Bulleh Shah, like his predecessors, faced the

question of epistemology (theory of knowledge) of learning. The question was and is: how and

why is knowledge gained? Sultan Bahu had categorized the knowledge through religious

madrassas as a marketable commodity used to charm the rulers and mislead the people. For him

the real knowledge expands your inner-self and helps you to relate to humanity, nature and the
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whole universe. Bulleh Shah was sharper in negating the knowledge gained for religious and other

establishment-friendly purposes."(Ejaz)

Although, he is negating the knowledge for religio-economic purposes, as Ejaz mentions,

yet his end task is same which is to acquire freedom. His purpose was purification of inner soul

and self. So, he says that he is neither Muslim nor kafir, it is an attempt to purify soul from pollution

of traditional narratives. He had many times wrote satire of those narratives which Menzur Ejaz

mentions,

"Bulleh Shah goes into details of how knowledge is used by various levels of the

religious establishment and how it makes them degenerates and compares them with Satan who

was the most learned angel of God but went against God's will. For Bulleh Shah real knowledge

came from history and real-life experiences. In another Kafi, he points out that he has acquired

the understanding of the world from the course of history where anarchy shows the naked

realities hidden under the ongoing status quo."(Ejaz)

In sum, he is talking about knowing and understanding in " Bulleh Ki Janan Mai Kaun",

while in " May Bay Qaid", he mainly deals with the question of being I.e state of his inner self

which is free state as he stresses. However, end task seems same for both, an attempt to free. In

the first, he is freeing himself by acknowledging his ignorance. Ignorant is arguably a free person

as he is not aware of any truth. As Bulleh does not know the secret of his being, he is free. That is

why he ends kafi like this,

‫ نہ کوئی دوجا ہور پچھاناں‬،‫اول آخر آپ نوں جاناں‬

‫ بلھا شاہ کھڑا ہے کون‬،‫میتھوں ہور نہ کوئی سیانا‬

Shah Hussain
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In " Bulleh Ki Janan Mai Kaun", he shows a subtle variation. In this the end he claims he

knows it all while he began with the idea of not knowing. He is rather saying in a satirical sense

that no one is more intelligent than me and I the one who is eternal. While in " Mai Bay Qaid"

rhythm is smooth and he stresses same idea in entire kafi. He ends it with the fact that he is

neither born nor he gave birth to someone. So, he should be free as nothing is caused by him.

Since he is not cause of any entity, he can't be held accountable by force, therefore, is free. Free

to think, free to move, free to adopt whatever attire he wishes, free to choose his master and free

express his ideas. So, both kafies focus on the idea of freedom but their variation is subtle,

unique and independent.

Words: 1740

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