“Dil Dardaan Keeti Poori” is a profound Kaafi by the 16th-century Sufi saint Shah Hussain. In this poem, Hussain explores the paradox of spiritual fulfillment through pain. He argues that while the world chases millions (“Lakh Kror”) and remains empty, the “Dard” (pain of longing for the Divine) is what actually completes a human soul. The poem famously contrasts the “Chitti Chadar” (white cloak of worldly status) with the “Bhoori” (rough woollen blanket of a dervish), teaching that true wisdom (“Budh”) is found in the company of the righteous rather than in material accumulation.
دل درداں کیتی پوری نی
دل درداں کیتی پوری
لکھ کروڑ جنہاں دے جڑیا
سو بھی جُھوری جُھوری
Dil dardaan keeti poori ni
Dil dardaan keeti poori
Lakh kror jinhan de juriya
So bhi jhoori jhoori
This heart has been made whole by its pains
Indeed, the heart’s pain has completed me.
Those who have amassed millions and millions
Even they remain withered and incomplete.
بَھٹھ پئی تیری چِٹی چادر
چَنگی فقیراں دی بُھوری
سَادھ سنگت دے اوہلے رہندے
بُدھ تینہاں دی سُوری
Bhath payi teri chitti chadar
Changi faqiraan di bhoori
Saadh sangat de ohle rehnde
Budh tinhan di soori
Let your white cloak of vanity be cast into the furnace
Better is the coarse, dark blanket of the dervishes.
Those who take shelter in the company of the holy
Possess a wisdom that is sharp and pure.
کہے حسین فقیر سائیں دا
خلقت گئی اَدھوری
Kahe Hussain faqir saeen da
Khalqat gayi adhoori
Says Hussain, the humble faqir of the Lord
The worldly masses have departed this life incomplete.
Vocabulary: Dil Dardaan Keeti Poori
- Dardaan: Pains / Sorrows of spiritual longing.
- Poori: Complete / Whole / Fulfilled.
- Jhoori Jhoori: Withered / In pieces / Sorrowful.
- Bhath: A furnace or kiln.
- Chitti Chadar: White cloak (representing social status/ego).
- Bhoori: A rough, brown woollen blanket (symbol of poverty/humility).
- Saadh Sangat: Company of the righteous or saints.
- Budh: Intellect / Wisdom.
- Soori: Sharp / Refined / Wise.