87. Zikr te tasbeeh zaelith traav: Abdul Ahad Zargar

ذِکر تہٕ تسبیح زألِتھ تراو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

مکرو سٕتی نو دَے اتھِ آو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Zikr te tasbeeh zaelith traav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Makro seeith no Dai athi aav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Makr: مکر : Cunning

Dai: دَے : God/Divine

Fikr: فکر : Meditation/reflection/thought

Burn down remembrance and the rosary aside,

Through thought repeated, the secrets abide.

No craft of cunning reveals the Divine,

Through thought repeated, the secrets shine.

Explanation:

This stanza points to the distinction between outer ritual and inner realization. "Burn down remembrance and the rosary aside" is not a literal burning, but a metaphor. In Sufi practice, dhikr (remembrance of God, often with a rosary) is a common spiritual tool. However, the poet emphasizes that mechanical repetition or reliance on external forms alone is not enough. The outer symbols, the beads, the formal prayer, are secondary to inner experience. They are “burned aside” to focus on the essence, not the shell.

True knowledge of the Divine arises from deep, contemplative reflection, not just mechanical ritual.

The intellect, strategy, or outward cleverness cannot unveil God. Divine reality is beyond trickery, reasoning, or worldly knowledge. Only sincerity, devotion, and inner purification can lead to recognition of the Divine.

Repetition here is not rote, but heartfelt and conscious reflection. When one contemplates sincerely, the inner “secrets” of the Divine begin to shine. This reflects the Sufi idea of gnosis (ma‘rifah) i.e., knowledge of God through experiential insight, not just textual learning.

پر تہ پان ترأوِتھ سرٕ کر ذات 

ارٕ سرٕ تراو کشف و کرامات

پِھرٕ ور کتھن روزِ نہٕ باو 

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Parr te paan traevith sarr kar zaat,

Arreh-sar traav kashf wa karamaat.

Phirreh warr kathan rozih ne baav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Parr te paan: پر تہ پان : Strangers and self

Arreh-sarreh: ارٕ سرٕ : Restlessness

Kashf o karamaat: کشف و کرامات : Revelation and Miracles

Phirreh warr katheh: پِھرٕ ور کتھہٕ : Veiled or twisted words

Quit the others, cast your pride, and seek the One,

Leave all restlessness, let quest for revelations & miracles be done.

The veiled words will fade, they hold no true delight,

Know the Divine through thought, repeated day and night.

Explanation:

Do not cling to worldly desires, and let go of your ego. Abandon the futile pursuit of miracles and revelations, for true fulfillment lies in seeking God. Even veiled or symbolic words, often mistaken for profound meaning, are ultimately empty. Turn your focus inward and seek the secret of the Divine through constant reflection. As the saying goes, استقامت ہزار کرامات سے بہتر ہے — consistency outweighs a thousand miracles.

گوپھِ بیٖرون لاگ ٲشنٲیی

ویپہِ یے لبکھ لا انتہٲیی

ژھوپہِ چُھے قیمت مہ کر ٹاو ٹاو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Gophi beerun laag aaeshnaeyi,

Weppi hi labakh la intihaeyi.

Chhoppi chhui qeamat, ma kar taav taav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Taav taav karun: ٹاو ٹاوکرُن : go on announcing loudly and publicly.

Make acquaintances outside, yet guard your cave,

Hold firm your own depths, and infinity you’ll crave.

Keep silence within, let no word betray,

Through ceaseless reflection, the Divine lights your way.

Explanation:

The “cave” here may mean the inner reflections and thoughts of a seeker. Poet says that outside of this cave make acquaintances but not within it. If you can hold on to this inner space without making anyone it's aquaintance, you will reach the infinity in Divine realm. Silence is very valuable thing. Don't expose your "cave" by talking about it.

نولہٕ سُند کھین چُھے مُردار لاش

غولہٕ سُند فن چُھے أپُز پرکاش

ٹھولہٕ کنجہِ کمہِ رنجہِ بنہِ پولاو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Nooleh sund khen chhui murdar laash,

Gooleh sund fun chhui apuz prakash.

Thooleh kanji kami ranji banni pulao,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Nool: نوٗل : Mongoose 

Gool: غوٗل : Will O the Wisp. Kashmiri word is برم چوک/رم رم چوک  Bramchok or Rumrum chok.

Prakash: پرکاش : Light

Ranji: رنجہِ : Sadness

Polao: پولاو : A fragrant dish of rice.

The mongoose feasts on carrion’s claim,

The will-o’-wisp plays its deceptive flame.

Which cry can turn an eggshell to pulao,

Discern the secret through reflection’s glow.

Explanation:

The mongoose eating carrion isn’t blamed or praised; it simply acts according to its nature. Similarly, the will-o’-wisp shining falsely to distract travellers is just the nature of illusion, it can’t be otherwise.The eggshell can never become pulao howsoever it may grieve; transformation must align with the inherent qualities of things.

The true nature of the human soul is to seek the Divine. This happens through contemplation, reflection, and inner awakening, the “natural function” of the soul. Just as the mongoose naturally eats carrion, the human naturally seeks God when attuned.

یچھہ سٕندی پأٹھی چُھے ہارٕ کلہٕ پوش 

مچھہ ہندی پأٹھی چُھے دِل فراموش

کچھہ بیالہِ منز کس دچھ میوٕہ دراو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Yechhi sindh paeth chhui haareh kalle posh,

Machhi hindh paaeth chhui dil faramosh.

Kachhi byali manz kas dachh myov draav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Yechh: یچھ : A ghost in Kashmiri folklore 

Haareh: ہارٕ : Money/Wealth 

Kalle posh: کلہٕ پوش : Cap/ Headdress 

Kachh: کچھ : Weeds

Dachh myov: دچھ میو : Grape fruit/ Good fruit

Like a ghost you value the headdress rare,

Like a fly your heart is forgetful and unaware.

Who plucked sweet grapes from weed’s dark seed?

Seek the Divine through thought’s repeated heed.

Explanation:

In Kashmiri folklore it is believed that if anyone can take a Yechh's cap (believed to be made of silver) and put it under a millstone/waterpot, the Yechh becomes his servant. Poet may have meant here that you value your freedom and doesn't want to surrender to the wish of Divine. And like a fly (as against moth), your heart is neglectful of the Divine. Moreover, spiritual sweetness (the grapes) cannot grow from base or ignorant intentions (the weed).

کولہٕ ٹونچ بن وس دریاوس

مولہٕ بیش موکھتہٕ ہار پزیا کاوس

کولہٕ بطکس پییا ابدال ناو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Kolleh-tonch ban wass daryavas,

Molleh-besh mokhteh-haar pazya kaavas.

Kolleh batkas peyya Abdaal naav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Kolleh-tonch: کولہٕ ٹونچ : Kingfisher 

Molleh-besh: مولہٕ بیش : Invaluable 

Abdaal: ابدال : Saint of high rank

Be a kingfisher and dive into the river,

Does the crow deserve the invaluable pearl chain?

Shall the stream-duck earn the saintly name?

Recognise the Divine secret by repeated acclaim.

Explanation;

The river symbolizes the ocean of Divine Reality. The kingfisher is the seeker who must plunge fearlessly into the depths of Truth, not merely skim its surface. Diving may also represent fana i.e., self-annihilation, where the seeker loses the ego to find the Divine essence.

The crow stands for the worldly or impure self, still attached to material gain and spiritual ignorance. The pearl necklace is Divine wisdom or gnosis (ma‘rifah). A crow, symbol of greed and noise, cannot possess such purity. It cautions against seeking Divine treasures without inner purification.

The duck moves on the water’s surface but never dives beneath, it may symbolise those who display religiosity outwardly but lack inward depth. The saintly name is not earned by form, ritual, or claim, but by inner transformation.

مورٕ تاج شوبیا گانٹہِ بر سر

کورٕ کر شوبیا فوجِ افسر 

جورٕ شال ما زلٕری زالس بنیاو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Moreh taaj shoobya gaanti bar-sar,

Koreh kar shoobya fauji afsar.

Jori shaal ma zalir zaalas banyaav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Koreh-kar : کورٕ کر : Blind and deaf

Joreh shaal: جورٕ شال : A valuable kind of shawl

Will a peacock’s crown suit the eagle’s head?

Can the blind and deaf an army lead?

A spider’s thread weaves not a silken pair,

Seek the hidden truth through mindful prayer.

Explanation:

The peacock represents purity, beauty, and divine grace, while the eagle here may symbolise impurity and base instincts (since it feeds on carrion). In Sufi terms, the virtues of the enlightened or purified heart cannot inhabit one ruled by base desires or impurity. Spiritual refinement cannot attach itself to a soul steeped in filth or ego.

Those cut off from the Divine, unable to hear its call (deaf) or speak its truth (mute), cannot guide others in spiritual struggle. Leadership requires inner illumination, not merely worldly power or authority. Efforts rooted in ego, deceit, or superficial cunning (spider’s thread) cannot create the harmony and grace of a purified, illuminated heart. Only devotion and remembrance produce the true "toos” fabric of spiritual beauty.

ہُد ہُد پھیران آفاقس

شُد گٹہٕ منزِ گو راہ راتہٕ کیٖلس 

دود یس لاش تس گاش پرزلیاو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Hud hud pheraan aafaaqas,

Shud gatti manze gov rah raate-kreelas.

Dodd yass laash tass gaash prezlyaav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Rah gachhun: راہ گژھُن : To fault/sin

The hoopoe soars across the heavenly skies,

The bat stumbles even where darkness lies.

He whose body burned yet glimpsed the radiant light,

Recognise the secret through repeated insight.

Explanation:

In Sufism the hoopoe symbolises the Spiritual Guide or enlightened soul (like in the story of Solomon and the hoopoe or in the Poem of Fariduddin Attar's Conference of birds). It moves freely in the realms of the unseen, representing a heart attuned to the Divine, soaring beyond the confines of ego and worldly attachment.

The bat may represent the unaware or veiled soul. Even in darkness, symbolic of ignorance or concealment from Divine truth, it stumbles and cannot find its way, though it's inherent quality is to fly in darkness. This line emphasizes that mere existence in a realm (or proximity to knowledge) does not grant insight; spiritual guidance and inner light are essential.

The moth-like seeker who approaches the Divine with intense love though “burned” by the fire of Divine attraction (trials or ecstatic love), the soul experiences illumination, the light of God.

شاٹہٕ ہون گاٹھِ پیٹھ لاگان شیر

کاٹھٕ کانہِ مورِ کُس ونہِ شمشیر

پأٹھی پوشَس پییا نِلہٕ کأنٹھ ناو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Shaatha hoon gaatha peth laagaan sher,

Kaatha kaani moori kus wani shamsher.

Paaeth poshas pey-ya nilleh-kaanth naav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

The dog of the sandbank roars like a lion on land,

Who’ll call a dry twig a sword of hand?

Shall a common bloom earn the Clitoria's grace?

Discern the secret through reflective embrace.

Explanation:

Shatha Hoon: شاٹہٕ ہون : The dog that lives, out of the human habitation, in the sand banks of the river. It is content with what it gets.

Gatha Hoon: گاٹھِ ہوٗن : The dog at the river bank (or near habitation) that roams around to eat anything it can find. Metaphorically, a person, clever enough but without application, who wanders about from place to place and does not succeed in making any profit.

Kaatha kaani murr: کاٹھٕ کانہِ مورِ : A dry wooden twig or stick.

Paaeth posh: پأٹھی پوشَ : A common flower of little value/Some say it's vernacular name of cotton flower.

Nille-kaanth: نِلہٕ کأنٹھ : A flower considered sacred and used in worship rituals by Hindus.

The dog on the sandbank symbolizes a person who is content and at peace in their natural, humble state (the riverbank is like the realm of simplicity or inner contentment). In this state, the soul is aligned with the divine flow, and there is no greed or distraction.

The dog on the land pretending to be a lion represents the ego when it strays from simplicity, when a person seeks power, recognition, or worldly gain, they inflate their sense of self.

This may also illustrate the ego pretending to possess power or grandeur. Just as a small, powerless dog pretends to be a lion, the unrefined soul may display arrogance or claim spiritual strength it does not have. True spiritual authority comes from inner purification, not outward posturing.

Such people/egos are like dry twig, without life or value. Likewise, a common flower/cotton flower can never be as famed as the Butterfly Pea Flower.

However, in some manuscripts instead of Paaeth Poshas, it is written Paaeth Poozas پأٹھی پوٗزس پییا نِلہٕ کأنٹھ ناو 

In such case the meaning changes. پأٹھی پوٗزس means rote like worship not from the heart or in short a person who has no spirituality. نِلہٕ کأنٹھ in contrast becomes the Divine being (as Shiva is called so in Hinduism). A person who has no real spirituality cannot ever get the Divine name.

یس نہِ آسہِ پننی خبر پانَس 

سُے بنیا راتہٕ رأچھ بیگانس

کم بانس کتیو گنج اتھِ آو

 فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Yass ne aasi panini khabar paanas,

Sui banya raateh raaech begaanas.

Kam baanas katyu ganj athhi aav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Kam baane: کم بانہ : A person who deaf to grace. Poverty of receiving; the one whose heart cannot contain what descends. Literal translation is Utensil-short or Short of utensil.

He who knows not the depth of his own heart,

Shall he guard the stranger’s treasure or part?

When can the grace-deaf uncover hidden treasure?

Discern the secret through contemplation, beyond measure.

Explanation:

A person neglectful of his own heart cannot be trusted as the guardian of stranger's treasure. Stranger here may mean God Himself and He is stranger to the one who is neglectful of his own heart, the heart where God's reflection is seen. A person who is grace-deaf can never see the treasure of Divine.

ہا احـد زرگـر تراو پِنڈار 

ہر دم فقیٖرس لاگ خاکسار

الفقر فخری در حدیث آو

فِکرو گژھی گژھی سیٖر پرزٕ ناو

Haa Ahad Zargar traav pindaar,

Har dum Faqeeras laag khaksaar.

Alfaqr fakhri dar Hadees aav,

Fikro gaechh gaechh seer parzenaav.

Pindaar: پِنڈار : Pride/Arrogance 

Khaksaar: خاکسار : Humble

O Ahad Zargar, lay your pride aside,

At every moment, be in humility to your guide.

“Poverty is my pride” the Prophet’s word,

Discern the secret through reflection, undisturbed.

Explanation:

God can be found by deep reflection in the guidance of the Spiritual Guide. However, for that one has to shun even the single sand-grain of pride. Al-Faqr (الفقر) means poverty, but not merely material want. In Sufi understanding, it refers to spiritual 

poverty: the state of total dependence on God and detachment from worldly possessions and self-sufficiency. Though it's often said to be Hadith but it is not authenticated anywhere. However, it has been used symbolically by many sufi poets throughout.

واللہ اعلم