اللہ اگر توفیق نہ دے انسان کے بس کا کام نہیں
فیضان محبت عام سہی عرفان محبت عام نہیں
یہ تو نے کہا کیا اے ناداں فیاضی قدرت عام نہیں
تو فکر و نظر تو پیدا کر کیا چیز ہے جو انعام نہیں
یارب یہ مقام عشق ہے کیا گو دیدہ و دل ناکام نہیں
تسکین ہے اور تسکین نہیں آرام ہے اور آرام نہیں
کیوں مست شراب عیش و طرب تکلیف توجہ فرمائیں
آواز شکست دل ہی تو ہے آواز شکست جام نہیں
آنا ہے جو بزم جاناں میں پندار خودی کو توڑ کے آ
اے ہوش و خرد کے دیوانے یاں ہوش و خرد کا کام نہیں
زاہد نے کچھ اس انداز سے پی ساقی کی نگاہیں پڑنے لگیں
مے کش یہی اب تک سمجھے تھے شائستہ دور جام نہیں
عشق اور گوارا خود کر لے بے شرط شکست فاش اپنی
دل کی بھی کچھ ان کے سازش ہے تنہا یہ نظر کا کام نہیں
سب جس کو اسیری کہتے ہیں وہ تو ہے امیری ہی لیکن
وہ کون سی آزادی ہے یہاں جو آپ خود اپنا دام نہیں
Sher 1:
اللہ اگر توفیق نہ دے انسان کے بس کا کام نہیں
(Allah agar taufiq na de insan ke bas ka kaam nahin)
If Allah (God) doesn’t grant the taufiq (ability, grace, divine enablement), it’s not within human capacity.
فیضان محبت عام سہی عرفان محبت عام نہیں
(Faizan-e-mohabbat aam sahi irfan-e-mohabbat aam nahin)
Though the outpouring/blessing (faizan) of love (mohabbat) may be common/general, the deep knowing/gnosis (irfan) of love is not common.
Meaning: Achieving true, deep spiritual understanding (irfan) of Divine Love is not merely a matter of human will or effort. It requires God’s specific grace (taufiq). While general feelings or expressions of love might be widespread, attaining the profound, experiential knowledge of its reality is rare and divinely granted.
Sher 2:
یہ تو نے کہا کیا اے ناداں فیاضی قدرت عام نہیں
(Yeh tu ne kaha kya ay nadaan fayyazi-e-qudrat aam nahin)
What is this you say, O ignorant one, that the generosity (fayyazi) of Nature/God (qudrat) is not common?
تو فکر و نظر تو پیدا کر کیا چیز ہے جو انعام نہیں
(Tu fikr-o-nazar toh paida kar kya cheez hai jo inaam nahin)
You, develop thought (fikr) and insight (nazar)! What thing is there that isn’t a reward/gift (inaam)?
Meaning: This couplet acts as a counterpoint or clarification. It challenges the notion that divine generosity is scarce. The poet urges the seeker to cultivate deep contemplation (fikr) and true perception (nazar). If one develops this inner capacity, one will realize that everything in existence is a gift and manifestation of divine generosity. The limitation isn’t in God’s giving, but in our ability to perceive.
Sher 3:
یارب یہ مقام عشق ہے کیا گو دیدہ و دل ناکام نہیں
(Ya Rab yeh maqam-e-ishq hai kya go deeda-o-dil nakaam nahin)
O Lord (Ya Rab), what is this station/state (maqam) of Divine Love (ishq)? Although the eyes (deeda) and heart (dil) are not (entirely) unsuccessful/failed…
تسکین ہے اور تسکین نہیں آرام ہے اور آرام نہیں
(Taskeen hai aur taskeen nahin aaram hai aur aaram nahin)
…There is solace/peace (taskeen), and yet no solace; there is rest/comfort (aaram), and yet no rest.
Meaning: This describes the paradoxical and overwhelming nature of experiencing Divine Love (ishq). Even when the seeker has some perception (eyes) and feeling (heart) of it, the state itself is bewildering. It brings a profound sense of peace and fulfillment, yet simultaneously contains an intense longing, restlessness, and awareness of separation that prevents complete ease. It’s a state beyond ordinary comprehension.
Sher 4:
کیوں مست شراب عیش و طرب تکلیف توجہ فرمائیں
(Kyun mast sharab-e-aish-o-tarab takleef tawajjoh farmayen)
Why, O you intoxicated with the wine (sharab) of pleasure (aish) and joy (tarab), please take the trouble (takleef) to pay attention (tawajjoh).
آواز شکست دل ہی تو ہے آواز شکست جام نہیں
(Awaaz-e-shikast-e-dil hi toh hai awaaz-e-shikast-e-jaam nahin)
It is indeed the sound of the breaking (shikast) of the heart (dil), not the sound of the breaking of the wine goblet (jaam).
Meaning: Those engrossed in worldly, superficial pleasures. He asks them to look beyond fleeting intoxication. The sound they might hear (perhaps the lament of the lover of God, or the inner turmoil of spiritual struggle) is not trivial like the breaking of a wine glass (symbolizing transient pleasure). It is the profound and significant sound of a “breaking heart” – a metaphor often used in Sufism for the dissolution of the ego and the necessary suffering on the path to divine union.
Sher 5:
آنا ہے جو بزم جاناں میں پندار خودی کو توڑ کے آ
(Aana hai jo bazm-e-jaanan mein pindaar-e-khudi ko tod ke aa)
If you wish to come into the assembly/presence (bazm) of the Beloved (jaanan), come having shattered the pride (pindaar) of self/ego (khudi).
اے ہوش و خرد کے دیوانے یاں ہوش و خرد کا کام نہیں
(Ay hosh-o-khirad ke deewane yaan hosh-o-khirad ka kaam nahin)
O you mad/obsessed with consciousness/sense (hosh) and intellect/reason (khirad)! Here [in the Beloved’s presence], consciousness and intellect have no role/are useless.
Meaning: This clearly states the prerequisite for entering the Divine Presence (meeting the Beloved). One must annihilate the ego, the sense of separate selfhood and its associated pride. Furthermore, reliance on ordinary intellect, reason, and sensory perception is insufficient in this realm. The path of love transcends rational thought.
Sher 6:
زاہد نے کچھ اس انداز سے پی ساقی کی نگاہیں پڑنے لگیں
(Zahid ne kuch is andaaz se pi saqi ki nigahen padne lagin)
The ascetic/pious one (zahid) drank [the wine of divine love/truth] in such a manner (andaaz) that the Saqi’s (Cupbearer/Spiritual Guide/God’s) gaze (nigahen) began to fall upon him.
مے کش یہی اب تک سمجھے تھے شائستہ دور جام نہیں
(Mai-kash yahi ab tak samjhe thay shaista-e-daur-e-jaam nahin)
The wine-drinkers (mai-kash – metaphor for lovers/initiates) until now had only understood/believed him [the zahid] to be unworthy (shaista nahin) of the circulation (daur) of the cup (jaam).
Meaning: This highlights the difference between outward religious observance and true inner spiritual experience. A person known for piety/asceticism (zahid), perhaps seen as dry or rigid by the passionate lovers (mai-kash), experienced genuine divine intoxication/love (pi) so profoundly that they attracted divine grace/attention (the Saqi’s gaze). This shows that true spiritual attainment transcends social or religious categories and appearances; it’s about the inner state.
Sher 7:
عشق اور گوارا خود کر لے بے شرط شکست فاش اپنی
(Ishq aur gawara khud kar le be-shart shikast-e-faash apni)
Love (Ishq) itself makes one accept/endure (gawara kar le) one’s own unconditional (be-shart) utter defeat (shikast-e-faash).
دل کی بھی کچھ ان کے سازش ہے تنہا یہ نظر کا کام نہیں
(Dil ki bhi kuch un ke saazish hai tanha yeh nazar ka kaam nahin)
There is also some conspiracy/play (saazish) of the heart (dil) involved; this is not the work of sight/intellect (nazar) alone.
Meaning: Divine Love forces the lover into a state of complete surrender, an annihilation of the self (“utter defeat”). This acceptance isn’t achieved through rational decision (nazar – sight/intellect) alone. The heart (dil), the center of deeper feeling and intuition, plays a crucial, almost conspiratorial role in leading the seeker towards this necessary surrender.
Sher 8:
سب جس کو اسیری کہتے ہیں وہ تو ہے امیری ہی لیکن
(Sab jis ko aseeri kehte hain woh toh hai ameeri hi lekin)
That which everyone calls imprisonment/bondage (aseeri) is actually richness/nobility (ameeri), but…
وہ کون سی آزادی ہے یہاں جو آپ خود اپنا دام نہیں
(Woh kaun si azadi hai yahan jo aap khud apna daam nahin)
…What freedom (azadi) is there here [in this world/state] that does not itself become its own trap/snare (daam)?
Meaning: Here, Jigar explores the ultimate paradox of freedom and bondage in the spiritual context. What appears to the world as bondage – devotion, surrender to God’s will, the constraints of love – is, in reality, the highest form of spiritual richness and true nobility. Conversely, conventional worldly freedom, driven by ego and desire, inevitably leads to becoming trapped by those very desires, choices, or the illusion of freedom itself. True freedom lies in the “bondage” to the Divine.
Essential Meaning and Takeaway:
The poem is a deep reflection on the path of Divine Love (Ishq) and Gnosis (Irfan). Its core message revolves around these points:
Divine Grace is Key: True spiritual understanding isn’t just earned; it requires God’s taufiq (grace). However, one must cultivate inner perception (fikr-o-nazar) to receive God’s abundant gifts.
Ego Annihilation: The primary obstacle is the ego (khudi). It must be shattered to enter the presence of the Beloved.
Beyond Intellect: Rational thought (hosh-o-khirad) is insufficient on this path; it’s the realm of the heart (dil) and surrender.
Paradoxical Nature: The experience of Divine Love is paradoxical – bringing both profound peace and intense longing, solace and restlessness.
True vs. Superficial: The poem contrasts deep spiritual experience (the “breaking heart”) with superficial worldly pleasures and even rigid, outward piety lacking inner connection.
Surrender as Victory: Love demands complete self-surrender (“utter defeat”), which is paradoxically the greatest victory.
Freedom in Bondage: What seems like imprisonment (devotion to God) is true spiritual richness (ameeri), while worldly freedom often becomes its own trap (daam).
Takeaway: The journey towards God/Reality is one of moving beyond the self, beyond reason alone, into the paradoxical realm of Divine Love. It requires grace, inner cultivation, the courage to face the “breaking of the heart” (ego dissolution), and the understanding that true freedom and richness are found in surrender to the Divine, not in the fleeting freedoms and pleasures of the world.
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