In this celebrated Persian Ghazal, Bu Ali Qalandar (Sharafuddin) provides a roadmap for the intoxicated soul. In “Hast Dar Seena e Ma Jalwa Janana e Ma,” the poet declares the human heart to be the ultimate Sanam Khana (Temple) of the Divine. By famously claiming that the Fountain of Life sought by Prophet Khidr (A.S) is but a drop at the bottom of a lover’s cup, the Qalandar emphasizes that Ishq-e-Haqiqi renders the concepts of Heaven and Hell secondary to the direct vision of the Beloved.
ہست در سینہ ما جلوہ جانانہ ما
بت پرستیم دل ماست صنم خانہ ما
Hast Dar Seena-e-Ma Jalwa-e-Janana-e-Ma
Butt Parastaim Dil-e-Mast Sanam Khana-e-Ma
Within our breast resides the radiance of our Beloved;
We are “idol-worshippers,” and our intoxicated heart is our temple.
اے حضر چشمہ حیوان کہ بران می نازی
بود یک قطرہ ز درتہِ پیمانہ ما
Ay Khidr Chashma-e-Haiwan Ke Baran Mi Nazi
Buwad Yak Qatra Ze Dur-Teh-e-Paimana-e-Ma
O Khidr! That Fountain of Life of which you are so proud;
Is merely a single drop at the very bottom of our wine-cup.
جنت و نار پس ماست بصد مرحلہ دور
می شتابد بہ کجا ہمت مردانہ ما
Jannat-o-Naar Pas-e-Maast Ba-Sad Marhala Door
Mi Shitabad Ba Kuja Himmat-e-Mardana-e-Ma
Paradise and Hell are left behind us, hundreds of stages away;
To what heights is our courageous spirit rushing?
جنبد از جائے فتد بر سر افلاک برین
بشنود عرش اگر نعرہ مستانہ ما
Junbad Az Jaye Fatad Bar Sar-e-Aflak Bareen
Bishnawad Arsh Agar Naara-e-Mastana-e-Ma
The very foundations would shake and the highest heavens would fall;
If the Divine Throne (Arsh) were to hear our ecstatic cry!
ہمچو پروانہ بسوزیم و بسازیم بعشق
اگر آں شمع کند جلوہ بکاشانہ ما
Hamcho Parwana Basozeem-o-Basazeem Ba Ishq
Agar Aan Shama Kunad Jalwa Ba Kashana-e-Ma
Like a moth, we would burn and fulfill the covenant of love;
If only that Divine Light were to manifest in our humble abode.
ما بنازیم بتو خانہ ترا بسپاریم
گر بیائی شب وصل تو درخانہ ما
Ma Banazeem Ba-Tu Khana Tu-ra Baspareem
Gar Biyayi Shab-e-Wasl-e-Tu Dar Khana-e-Ma
We would take pride in You and surrender the house to You;
If ever the night of union brings You to our home.
گفت اوخندہ زنان گریہ چو کردم بدرش
بو علی ہست مگر عاشق دیوانہ ما
Guft Oo Khanda Zanan Girya Cho Kardam Ba-Darash
Bu Ali Hast Magar Ashiq-e-Diwana-e-Ma
He spoke with a playful smile as I wept at His doorstep;
“Is this Bu Ali nothing but our own crazed lover?”
Vocabulary & Meanings
- Jalwa-e-Janana: The manifestation of the Beloved.
- Sanam Khana: Temple / House of Idols (metaphor for the heart).
- Khanda-Zanan: “While smiling” or “laughingly” (indicating a state of joy).
- Chashma-e-Haiwan: The Fountain of Life / Water of Immortality.
- Arsh: The Divine Throne.
- Shab-e-Wasl: The night of spiritual union.
- Magar: Here used as “perhaps” or to imply “is it not?”.