Farida Je Tu Akal Lateef: The Sufi Ethics of Baba Farid ud Din Ganj Shakar
Section 1: The Mirror of the Soul
جے توں عقل لطیف کالے لکھ نہ لیکھ
آپنے گریوان میں سر نیواں کر دیکھ
Je Tu Akal Lateef Kaale Likh Na Lekh
Aapne Gireban Mein Sar Niwan Kar Dekh
If you possess a refined intellect, do not record the black deeds of others;
Rather, lower your head and look into your own collar (examine your own faults).
فریدا کالے مینڈھے کپڑے ، کالا مینڈا ویس
گناہیں بھریا میں پھراں ، لوک کہن درویش
Farida Kaale Mainde Kapre, Kaala Mainda Ves
Gunaahin Bharya Main Phiraan, Lok Kahan Darvesh
My clothes are black, and my appearance is black;
I wander about full of sins, yet the people call me a Dervish.
Section 2: The Bread of Contentment
رکھی سکھی کھا کے ، ٹھنڈا پانی پی
فریدا ویکھ پرائی چوپڑی ، نہ ترسائیں جی
Rukhi Sukhi Kha Ke, Thanda Paani Pee
Farida Vekh Parayi Chopri, Na Tarsayeen Jee
Eat your dry, plain bread and drink cold water;
O Farid, do not let your heart long for the buttered bread of others.
فریدا روٹی میری کاٹھ دی ، لاون میری بھکھ
جنھاں کھادی چوپڑی ، گھنے سہن گے دکھ
Farida Roti Meri Kaath Di, Laavan Meri Bhukh
Jinhan Khaadi Chopri, Ghane Sehan Ge Dukh
My bread is as simple as wood, and my only ‘sauce’ is my hunger;
Those who eat rich, buttered bread will eventually endure great suffering.
Section 3: The Jungle Within
فریدا جنگل جنگل کیا بھویں ؟ ون کنڈا موڑیں
وسی رب ہیا لئے ، جنگل کیا ڈھونڈیں
Farida Jungle Jungle Kya Bhavein? Van Kanda Morein
Vasee Rabb Hiya Liye, Jungle Kya Dhondein
Farid, why do you wander from jungle to jungle, crushing the thorns underfoot?
The Lord abides within your heart; why do you search for Him in the wilderness?
فریدا خاک نہ نندیے! خاکو جیڈ نہ کو ءِ
جیوندیاں پیراں تلے ، مویاں اپر ہوئے
Farida Khaak Na Nindiye! Khaaku Jed Na Koi
Jeevandiyan Pairaan Tale, Moyaan Uppar Hoye
Farid, do not slander the dust! Nothing is as great as the dust;
While we are alive, it is under our feet; when we are dead, it rests above us.
Insight: The Ethics of Akal Lateef
Baba Farid’s philosophy is built on the foundation of Malamat (self-reproach) and Faqr (spiritual poverty). By identifying himself as a sinner dressed in the black of a dervish, he bridges the gap between the seeker and the sinner. His message is clear: True wisdom (Akal Lateef) is not found in books or jungles, but in the internal silence of the heart and the patient acceptance of one’s destiny.
Vocabulary: Hikmat-e-Faridi
- Akal Lateef (عقل لطیف): Refined intellect; spiritual intelligence.
- Gireban (گریوان): Collar; symbolic of looking inward at one’s own soul.
- Mainda (مینڈا): My (traditional Punjabi dialect).
- Chopri (چوپڑی): Buttered or rich bread; symbolic of worldly luxury.
- Kaath (کاٹھ): Wood; referring to his simple wooden bowl or dry bread.
- Hiya (ہیا): Heart; the inner essence.
- Nindiye (نندیے): To slander or speak ill of.
SubhanAllah