Bulleh and Sarvagna

I came across this number by Rabbi Shergill called Bulleh ki jaana main kaun, and I found it awesome. I mean, when was the last time you heard lyrics like that coming from the world of IndiPop, known more for mind numbing and banal lyrics. The best way to watch these is with the volume muted :D That way you wont miss all those skimpily clad bombs gyrating around. (I am not complaining about *that* :D )

I did some googling around, and found out about Bulleh Shah, a sufi mystic from Punjab, who had originally written these beautiful words.

Something interesting that I noticed in the song composed by Bulleh Shah, he uses the word "Bulleh Shah" as a kind of anchor to end stanzas. You could see parallels with the "vachana sahitya" originating from the veerashaiva movement in parts of Karnataka state in modern India. There is also a strong contempt for ritualism and all forms of authority in both.

I am reproducing the lyrics of the song here from here

Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun	Bulleh! to me, I am not known
Na maen momin vich maseet aan Na maen vich kufar diyan reet aan Na maen paakaan vich paleet aan Na maen moosa na pharaun. Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun Na maen andar ved kitaab aan, Na vich bhangaan na sharaab aan Na vich rindaan masat kharaab aan Na vich jaagan na vich saun. Bulleh! ki jaana maen kaun. Na vich shaadi na ghamnaaki Na maen vich paleeti paaki Na maen aabi na maen khaki Na maen aatish na maen paun Bulleh!, ki jaana maen kaun Na maen arabi na lahori Na maen hindi shehar nagauri Na hindu na turak peshawri Na maen rehnda vich nadaun Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun Na maen bheth mazhab da paaya Ne maen aadam havva jaaya Na maen apna naam dharaaya Na vich baitthan na vich bhaun Bulleh , ki jaana maen kaun Avval aakhir aap nu jaana Na koi dooja hor pehchaana Maethon hor na koi siyaana Bulla! ooh khadda hai kaun Bulla, ki jaana maen kaun	Not a believer inside the mosque, am I Nor a pagan disciple of false rites Not the pure amongst the impure Neither Moses, nor the Pharoh Bulleh! to me, I am not known Not in the holy Vedas, am I Nor in opium, neither in wine Not in the drunkard`s intoxicated craze Niether awake, nor in a sleeping daze Bulleh! to me, I am not known In happiness nor in sorrow, am I Neither clean, nor a filthy mire Not from water, nor from earth Neither fire, nor from air, is my birth Bulleh! to me, I am not known Not an Arab, nor Lahori Neither Hindi, nor Nagauri Hindu, Turk (Muslim), nor Peshawari Nor do I live in Nadaun Bulleh! to me, I am not known Secrets of religion, I have not known From Adam and Eve, I am not born I am not the name I assume Not in stillness, nor on the move Bulleh! to me, I am not known I am the first, I am the last None other, have I ever known I am the wisest of them all Bulleh! do I stand alone? Bulleh! to me, I am not known

And to end this, I quote some of the writings of sarvagna a great wandering monk from Karnataka, India

suTTa bUdiya tandu daTTawAgi baDidu
neTTaneye sreshTa swargawa padEwaDey
katte tA paTTa keDenenda sarvagna

If only heaven could be reached just by wearing ash thickly, even a donky that rolls in ash will be able to go to heaven.
(Wearing the sacred ash as religious markings, especially on the forehead, is common among hindus (shaivaites))