Sindhi tassawuf does not motivate people to shun society. However, it teaches to observe hardships of life through the internal capacity and live with the support of nature
By Noor Ahmed Janjhi
Tassawuf has been remained a central theme in Sindhi classical poetry. However, the framework of tassawuf describes pros and cons of Sindhi society and it also portrays the behavior of an individual in the society and nature. All the poets of Sindhi classical poetry have discussed jogi, kapri, sami in different surs of the poetry. Ramkali is one of such surs that offers entire journey of jog. The jog is itself a key word describing the code of steadfast life in different stages. Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s waie ‘snadariyan na singri, galh gujhri, moon mareendi kadhn (Their pricking by horn, a secret point, may kill me sometime)’ is an abridgment of such deep thought. Depth of the thought penetrates into vary layers of heart and creates an excellent effect on spirit. It quenches centuries old thirst of human spirit and shares glittering pearls of meaningfulness.
Such a gem of classical Sindhi poetry, Ghullam Muhammad Janjhi (my beloved father) has explained the journey of steadfastness in human life in his poetry under sur of Ramkali. He has discussed such deep points that reflect the intellectual journey of human being. How a man can shine the tablet of thinking? How body and spirit complement each other? He who has been associated with jogis can share the real taste of such journey. Separation of such people is anguish and agony. Meeting with such is a great fortune. They should be consulted with till they are in world. Bhittai has rightly said;
”ويا جي هنگلور، ته ڪرم ملندا ڪاپڙي“
Ghullam Muhammad Janjhi has described the agony of the separation of such sami, jogi and kapri. His poetry is in Sindhi, Hindi, Siraiki and Urdu languages. Sur Ramkali in his poetry describes the detailed account of jogi, sami, nanga and adesi. He tells about the separation of adesi people asL:
سُڃيون ڪري سڀئي، ويا آديسي اڌ رات،
من سندي مخفي ، ڪريان ڪنھن سان بات،
سُجھي نه سڄي ڏيھه ۾، سندي جوڳين ذات،
سامين سنديءَ سڪ ۾، لنيو لنوان لات،
پاٽوندر پھري ويا، پکن منجھان پرڀات،
ھئي ھئي ڪريان ھيھات، جوڳي مٽي ويا جُوءِ مان
(Adesi people deserted all the places at midnight. To whom I may share my inner self. There do not seem jogi people in world. I am crying continuously in longing of sami people. Sensitive souls went away from the tents. By shouting far away, far away, they pass away from world)
Passing away of jogi people is like to cry ‘far away, far away’. Sami people are such a committed people that they have been created their unique world by passing through different tests and toils in life. They pass away from hunger and thirst and other worldly needs. The people jog journey strives to cross over some limitations of time and space framework. They pass through all of the points of possibility to move towards corridors of impossibility. All the tests of jog examine the strength of human being and build the capacity too. Human learning emerges from within. The inner world enters into interaction with the outer world. A concluding effect is evolved from the different causes and paves the way for further effects. It is the whole journey of human thought evolved through framework of time and space and reached to the present stage. Ghullam Muhammad Janjhi describes such a journey in these words:
تسا ڏيئي تَنَ کي، جن ريجھائيو رام،
بُک ڏنائون بدن کي، نمي ڏٺائون نام،
تني کي رام، گھڙي گڏيو ھيڪڙي
(They reconciled Ram by controlling their bodies. They observed hunger and found name through submission. Ram met with them in a short while)
گھڙي گڏيو ھيڪڙي، تن ريگڙ يارن رام،
ورتو تن وجود ۾، نانيءَ سندو نام،
ھنگلا ھلي ھيت مان، هريءَ ڪيئون هرنام،
نانگن ات نئون ڏٺو، گنگا سندو گام،
ويجھا ٿيا وريام، گسڪي گورک ناٿ کي،
(Ram met with people of sand in a short while. They pronounced the name of Nani within their inner selves. They moved from Hinglaj and submitted to Hari. Nanga people observed there a village of Ganges. They became nearer to Gorakhnath by creeping)
گسڪي گورکناٿ کي، ويجھو ڪئيون وجود،
ڀوڳين ڀانئيو ڀر ۾، اُت مولي کي موجود،
سبق سکيا اڳ ھُئا، فائق ايُ فرمود،
مھيسين مولود، پڙھيو اڳي ھو پرت جو
(They became nearer to Gorakhnath by creeping. They perceived the Master there. They learnt already the lesson of love and they pronounced the song of love accordingly)
پڙھيو اڳي ھو پرت جو، ماموين مثال،
ويجهو ٿيو وير اڳيين، واحد جو وصال،
اُتي اچي عشق ۾، پاڻ ڪيئون پائمال ،
گڏجي غلام محمد چوي، نانگا ٿيا نھال
اهڙي سان احوال ، سامين سفر کتيو
(Mamoi people already went through the example of affection. They became nearer to the visal. They destroyed themselves there in the love. Nanga became victorious in this ways, says Ghullam Muhammad. In this way sami people succeeded in their journey)
The steps discussed in the above cited bait are part and parcel of the culture of the journey of jog. All of these steps are observed to tame the animate being into a human being. Hunger and thirst are main spurs in human life. Capacity building in bearing the state of hunger and thirst maximally is required for pursuance of the journey of jog. The committed jogi people remain always in journey. They regard life as a continuous journey. The poet says;
اُٺن مٽيا آڏٿرا، لانگھا لکوتر،
پُري پنڌ پھاڙ جا، چانگن سي چوٿر،
سسئي سيئي سٽيا، ويچاري ويتر،
خان پنھونءَ خاطر، ڪيائين ڪشالا ڪوه جا
(The camels crossed all the passes and dunes and distances of the mountain range. Sassui followed their path for sake of her beloved Punhoon and wandered through mountains)
ڪيائين ڪشالا ڪوه جا، ڏورئين سڀ ڏونگر،
دانھون ڪيائين درد مان، تڏهن وري آيس وَرُ،
پيس ثاب سفر، پنھون موٽيو ڪيچ مان
(She explored all of the mountains and absorbed the difficulties of the journey. She cried out of pain. Her beloved heard the cry and returned back. Her journey became fruitful and Punhoon returned back from Kech)
He presents Sasui as an example of jog. She did all of the painstaking efforts for her beloved and the beloved returned back by honoring the hardships experienced by her. The voice of the love does resonance within the people of jog journey. Poison does not affect such an intangible word of love. Usually, the lovers are fond of poison with desire of the more and more:
الله سندي عشق جو، اندر جن اکر،
ڀڻيو بازارن ۾، وھائن وکر،
گڏين غلام محمد چئي، جانب ساڻ جگر،
اندر تن اثر، ظاھر نه ٿئي زھر سندو
(They have an intangible word of God’s love within them. They follow it and do dealing of in world markets. They associate their inner self with the beloved. That is why the poison does not affect them)
ظاھر نه ٿئي زھر سندو کاھوڙين خُمار،
پيتائون پريم سان، ڄاڻي سڀ ڄمار،
ھنئين تن ھروار ، ظاھر ذوق زهر جو
(There may not seem the effect of poison in the behavior of Khahori people as they drank all the life with love. They have the taste of poison within their hearts every time)
زھر سندو ذوق، اندر ۾ عاشقن کي،
پين پياليون پُر ڪري شھادت جي شوق،
تبارڪه جو طوق، ماڻن ان مَڌُ مان
(Lovers keep taste of poison within their hearts. They drink if by fondness of martyrdom. They achieve the gift of Tabarak through that drink)
In this way, love facilitated and trained them to become successful in the journey of jog. The poet says;
پڙھيو اڳي ھو پرت جو، ماموين مثال،
ويجھو ٿيو وير اڳين کي، واحد جو وصال،
اُلي منجھه عشق جي، پاڻ ڪيائون پامال،
گڏجي غلام محمد چئي، نانگا ٿيا نھال،
اھڙي سان احوال، سامين سفر کٽيو
جوڳي سکيا جاپ، جا گودڙين گت،
رکي پنھنجي رام سان، پوربين پرت،
چکيا سندي چوغان ۾، سامي چڙھيا ست،
رُوڙي رکي رام سان، نانگن نينهن نرت،
سامي تنھن سٿ، جي حامي رھن ھنگلاج جا.
حامي ھنگلاج لئه، روئن راتو ڏينھن،
چوڏس جئين چٽو ڪري، ناڙين پنھنجو نينھن،
سامي صبوح سيئن، نائين ڪنڌ نانيءَ کي
سھڙي ڏي سفر جا، ڏاتر تنين ڏيج،
خوش رھن سي خلق ۾، ھاديءَ سندي ھيج،
اوجاڳي اکين کي، سامي نه سُتا سيج،
پائي پڳڙيءَ پيچ، رام ريجھائيون رات ۾،
رام رِيڌو رات ۾، نوازيئين کي نانگن،
رکيون مالھون من ۾، ٻه سَريون ٻانگن،
جيڏانھن نظر ناٿ جو، تيڏانھن ٿا تانگھن،
گبريءَ جي گانگھن، اوڍيئون پنھنجي انگ تي
اوڍيئون پنھنجي انگ تي، حيا سندو حال،
ميرائيءَ جو من مان، ميڙي ڪڍيئون مال،
ليرون چيرون لڱ تي ته به لانگوٽيا لال،
اھڙي سان احوال، نانگا رسيا ناسوت سان
At last, people of jog reached at their expected place. They observed many precautions and honored warnings to reach there. It is the self-discipline and self-control that takes human being from animate being to human being. To remain in favor of Hinglaj, to remain steadfast in the love of Nani, to put on the cover of humbleness , to eradicate all the bad thoughts from thinking process have been some of the fundamentals of the code of jog journey. Those committed people remain successful and red faced accordingly. They reach to nasoot and the nothingness leads them nearer to visal. GMJ says:
نانگا رسيا ناسوت کي، مٽي ملڪوتا،
فھم سان فرقان کي، وانچيئون سڀ واتا،
حرف ٻُڌي ھيڪڙو پرور سي پاتا،
ڦٽا ڪيائون فڪر جا نباھي ناتا،
ٻيا کُٽائي کاتا، ويجھا ٿيا وصال کي
ويجھا ٿيا وصال کي ساري سڀ سبق،
ڏٺئون پنھنجي ڏيل ۾ سَبَع صاف طبق،
ھينئين جي ھٻڪ، لاٿائون الله سين
In his sur Ramkali, the poet has used many key words related to the journey of jog. These are; tan khay tassa deendar (people who remain thirsty and avoid enjoyments of world), regarriyara (observing sand as the habitate), Hinglaj ( a pilgrimage place), Mahesi (full time engaged in jog journey) Mamoi (people with secret tales ) , Verag (state of sensitivity and realization of pain of separation), Kapri ( class of jogi people with dresses) Nanga (jogi people with natural costume of nudity) Nasoot (Nihilism, nothingness), Sabaa tabaq (seven steps of self in tassawuf) Nani, Gorakhnath etc.
Sindhi tassawuf is a code compatible to the evolution of life away of strictness and hardship. It moves lifelike. It provides a situation of interfaith harmony and forbearance. It makes an accommodating environment and pushes away all the considerations of extremism. There is a message of love for humanity in it. By these characteristics, it attracts to people of all faiths and walks of life. It does not push people by the any motivation of hatred and bias. The journey of jog is the code that can give the safer way to the people of this world of hustle and bustle. It moves with the strategy to follow the nature and its framework. Sindhi tassawuf does not motivate people to shun society. However, it teaches to observe hardships of life through the internal capacity and live with the support of nature. It teaches clarity and clearness of inner self by honor the Mother Nature. Ghullam Muhammad Janjhi has also shared his views through his sur Ramkali effectively.
[author title=”Noor Ahmed Janjhi” image=”https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Noor-Ahmed-Janjhi-Sindh-Courier.jpg”]Noor Ahmed Janjhi is a senior educationist based in Desert District Tharparkar Sindh. He is author of several books in Sindhi and English on folk literature including two poetry books.[/author]
