This iconic Persian Ghazal by Bu Ali Qalandar is a profound journey into the state of Bikhudi (selflessness) and Ishq-e-Haqiqi. In “Manam Mahway Jamale Oo,” the poet describes the total annihilation of the self (Fana) in the presence of Divine Beauty. Each couplet concludes with the hauntingly beautiful realization that once the soul is drowned in the light of the Beloved, all sense of direction, time, and “self” disappears.
منم محو جما ل او
نمی دانم کجا رفتم
شدم غرق وصال او
نمی دانم کجا رفتم
Manam Mahway Jamale Oo
Nami Danam Kuja Raftam
Shudam Gharq-e-Wisal-e-Oo
Nami Danam Kuja Raftam
I am lost in His Beauty;
I know not where I am going.
I am drowned in His union;
I know not where I am going.
غلام روئے او بودم
اسیر بوئے او بودم
غبار کوئے او بودم
نمی دانم کجا رفتم
Ghulame Rooye Oo Bodam
Aseere Booye Oo Bodam
Ghubare Kooye Oo Bodam
Nami Danam Kuja Raftam
I am the slave of His face;
I am a captive of His fragrance.
I am the dust of His street;
I know not where I am going.
بآں مہ آشنا گشتم
زجان ودل من فدا گشتم
فنا گشتم فنا گشتم
نمی دانم کجا رفتم
Ba-Aan Mah Aashna Gashtam
Ze Jan-o-Dil Man Fida Gashtam
Fana Gashtam Fana Gashtam
Nami Danam Kuja Raftam
I am acquainted with that Moon;
I am sacrificed, heart and soul.
I am annihilated, I am melted away;
I know not where I am going.
شدم چون مبتلائے او
نہادم سر بپائے او
شدم محو لقائے او
نمی دانم کجا رفتم
Shudam Chon Mubtalaye Oo
Nahadam Sar Ba-Paye Oo
Shudam Mahway Laqaye Oo
Nami Danam Kuja Raftam
I am afflicted with His love;
I have placed my head at His feet.
I am absorbed in His vision;
I know not where I am going.
قلندر بو علی ہستم
بنام دوست سر مستم
دل اندر عشق او بستم
نمی دانم کجا رفتم
Qalandar Bu Ali Hastam
Ba-Name Dost Sarmastam
Dil Andar Ishq-e-Oo Bastam
Nami Danam Kuja Raftam
I am Bu Ali Qalandar;
I am intoxicated by the Name of the Friend.
My heart is tied to His love;
I know not where I am going.
Vocabulary & Meanings
- Mahway: Lost in / Absorbed in.
- Wisal: Spiritual union.
- Aseer: Captive / Prisoner of Love.
- Fana: Annihilation of the self.
- Laqaye: The sight/vision of the Beloved.
- Sarmastam: In a state of absolute ecstasy.
The Legacy of a Qalandar
“Manam Mahway Jamale Oo” stands as the ultimate testament to the spiritual philosophy of Hazrat Bu Ali Shah Qalandar. Unlike the scholarly path that relies on logic, the Qalandari path is paved with Bikhudi (self-forgetfulness) and a love so intense that it dissolves the identity of the seeker.
In these verses, we see the transition from being a “slave” and a “dust of the street” to becoming completely Fana (annihilated) in the Beloved. For the Qalandar, not knowing “where one is going” is not a sign of being lost—it is the highest evidence of having arrived at the door of the Eternal Friend.
“To lose one’s way in the Beauty of the Divine is to find the only path that truly matters.”