“Ghoonghat Ohle Na Luk Sajna” (Do not hide behind the veil, O Beloved) is a heart-wrenching Kafi by Bulleh Shah. In this poetry, the seeker pleads for Deedar (Vision) and the removal of the veils of the ego. It echoes the same intense longing found in the Naats of Alahazrat and the Saraiki masterpieces of Khwaja Ghulam Farid.
Thematic Connections: The Prayer for Unveiling
The plea to remove the veil (Kashf) and the surrender to the Beloved is a recurring theme among the great Gnostics:
گھونگٹ اوہلے نہ لک سجنّاں
میں مشتاق دیدار دی ہاں
Ghoonghat Ohle Na Luk Sajna
Main Mushtaq-e-Deedar Di Haan
Do not hide behind the veil, O Beloved Friend!
I am desperately longing for a glimpse of You.
جانی باجھ دیوانی ہوئی
ٹوکاں کردے لوک سبھوئی
جیکر یار کرے دِل جوئی
میں تاں فریاد پَکار دِی ہاں
Jaani Bajh Deewani Hoyi
Tokaan Karday Lok Sabhoayi
Jekar Yaar Karay Dil Joyi
Main Taan Faryaad Pukaar Di Haan
Without my Beloved, I have gone mad with longing
The world taunts me and mocks my state
If only my Friend would comfort my aching heart
For I am constantly crying out in supplication
مفت وِکاندی جانّدی بَاندی
مل ماہی جِند اَینویں جَاندی
اک دم ہجر نہیں میں سہندی
میں بُلبُل اُس گلزار دی ہاں
Muft Wikandi Jaandi Baandi
Mil Maahi Jind Ainwen Jaandi
Ik Dam Hijr Nahin Main Sehndi
Main Bulbul Us Gulzar Di Haan
I am Your servant, sold to You without any price
Come meet me, O Master, for my life is slipping away
I cannot endure even a single moment of separation
For I am the nightingale of that Divine Garden
The Soul’s Surrender
In this Kafi, Bulleh Shah uses the phrase “Muft Wikandi” (Sold for free). This represents the highest station of Love where the seeker gives up all rights to their own soul, becoming a ‘Bandi’ (servant) of the Beloved.
This concept of spiritual surrender is also found in the Saraiki poetry of Khwaja Ghulam Farid, where the seeker is willing to be ‘sold’ just to remain in the presence of the Beloved. The ‘Ghoonghat’ or veil is nothing but the separation that only the Beloved’s ‘Dil Joyi’ (comforting presence) can remove.
Vocabulary: Ghoonghat Ohle Na Luk
- Ohle (اوہلے): Behind, hidden, or under the cover of something.
- Mushtaq (مشتاق): One who is intensely eager or has a deep yearning.
- Deedar (دیدار): The spiritual vision or a glimpse of the Divine/Beloved.
- Jaani (جانی): Life-partner or the Beloved who is as dear as one’s own life.
- Tokaan (ٹوکاں): Sarcastic remarks, taunts, or mocking criticism from society.
- Dil Joyi (دل جوئی): Consolation, comforting the heart, or showing kindness.
- Muft Wikandi (مفت وِکاندی): Sold for free; a state of total surrender without any demand.
- Hijr (ہجر): The painful state of separation from the Beloved.
- Gulzar (گلزار): A rose garden; here it symbolizes the Divine Presence or Paradise.