Kaash meri jabeen e shauq
Posted on: August 5, 2014
This article is written by Sadanand Kamath, a fellow enthusiast of Hindi movie music and a contributor to this blog. This article is meant to be posted in atulsongaday.me. If this article appears in sites like lyricstrans.com and ibollywoodsongs.com etc then it is piracy of the copyright content of atulsongaday.me and is a punishable offence under the existing laws.
My interest in Urdu ghazals is as old as my interest in Hindi film songs of the golden era. For me, Talat Mehmood, Madan Mohan, Sahir Ludhinavi, Kaifi Azmi were synonymous with filmy ghazals of golden period. Of course, I was already aware of one of the greatest Urdu poets of Indian sub-continent, Allama Iqbal’s name associated with ‘saare jahaan se achcha Hindustan hamaara’ from my school days. The ghazals of the film ‘Mirza Ghalib’ (1954) expanded my horizon of Urdu poetry of Mirza Ghalib and some other poets like Daagh through non-filmy ghazals. From 1972 onwards, TV became a major medium through which I could watch the programmes of Urdu ghazal singing covering singers like Rajkumar Rizvi and his wife Indrani Rizvi, Rajendra Mehta and his wife Neena Mehta, Chandan Das, Peenaz Masani, Talat Aziz and many more.
The arrivals of Mehdi Hasan, Ghulam Ali and Jagjit Singh in a big way in the music scene sometime in the early 80s as ghazal maestros brought to my notice for the first time, some of the greatest Urdu Poets of classical and modern eras. The names like Mir Taqi Mir, Haider Ali ‘Aatish’, Momin Khan Momin, Ibrahim Zauq, Jigar Moradabadi, Josh Malihabadi, Akhtar Shirani, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Fani Badayuni and many others became familiar to me over a period of time. Ali Sardar Jafri’s T.V serial ‘Kahakasan’ (1992) gave me a further insight into the lives of some of the prominent Urdu poets of 20th century.
From the middle of the 90s onwards, my interest in Urdu ghazals remained dormant. It was only when I joined this Blog in July 2011, my interest in Urdu ghazals got revived. I remember Mr. Sudhir Kapur’s articles covering both filmy and non-filmy songs sung by K L Saigal being posted almost daily in the Blog. Some of them included the finest ghazals. It was during this time that I came to know about some more Urdu poets like Arzoo Lucknawi, Seemab Azeemabadi, Akbar Allahabadi etc Thanks to Nahm, I came to know for the first time the difference between a nazm and a ghazal. For the last 3 years or so, I have been studying the Urdu poetry in general and Urdu ghazals in particular as a hobby both on the internet and a few books.
For this article, I have selected a rare Sufiana ghazal ‘kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq sajdon se sarfaraaz ho’ (Record No. N.6175 issued in February 1934). It is interesting to note that Sufi ghazlas are metaphoric in nature. The meaning of ‘Aashiq’ (lover) and ‘Maashooq’ (beloved), the two important characters in a traditional ghazal (‘talking to women’) have a wider meaning in Sufi ghazals. Here ‘Aashiq’ is a divine lover or devotee while ‘Maashooq’ is the metaphor for a divine beloved – Almighty, God, Allah or sometime even a Sufi Saint. Both types of ghazals recognise ‘Ishq’ (love) as means of reaching to the beloved. But in Sufi ghazal, ‘Ishq’ is a divine love through which the divine lover tries to reach to God. The expression of the divine love towards Almighty is the same as a lover would express towards his beloved. In short, the Sufi ghazals are poetry of the love affairs with Almighty.
The other metaphors the Sufi poets normally use are ‘Saqi’ (wine server), ‘Maikhana’ (taveran) and ‘Mai’ (wine). The wider meaning of these words in the context of Sufi ghazals are that ‘Saqi’ is the Almighty, ‘Maikhana’ is the world or universe and ‘Mai’ is the means of reaching to Almighty. Just as a drunkard loses his sense of himself, a divine lover or devotee is said to be in a state of inebriation when his soul is intoxicated with the love for Almighty. Probably, we can call him to be a God-intoxicated lover.
‘Yaar’ is another word which is often used in Urdu ghazals. ‘Yaar’ in a normal sense means ‘close friend’. Sometime word is also used for ‘paramour’. In the ghazal, the word is normally used for ‘beloved’. But in Sufi poetry ‘yaar’ is a metaphor for a divine beloved – God, Allah or Sufi Saint who would normally be a ‘murshid’ (guide, teacher) of the poet.
While interpreting the Sufi ghazals, one has to keep in mind the metaphors used in them. Even it may help in a better interpretation of the ghazal depending upon who wrote the ghazal. Take for instance a matla (first) she’r of a famous ghazal using the word ‘yaar’:
Yaar ko maine mujhe yaar ne sone na diya
Raat bhar taala-e-bedaar ne sone na diya
At the outset, one may come to the conclusion that this is a romantic couplet having a shade of sensuality. In Hindi, it would be akin to ‘shringar ras’ type of poetry. But the moment one comes to know that this she’r was written by Khwaja Haider Ali ‘Aatish’, a 18th century Urdu poet, the broad interpretation of the she’r changes from romantic to spiritual. With the title ‘Khwaja’ preceding his name which is closely related to Sufism, the poet’s thoughts could roughly be translated to mean that the lover was so engrossed in his love and devotion to God (or his Sufi teacher/guide) that neither that love could allow God to sleep nor the God allowed him to sleep. This awakening did not allow him to sleep the whole night. Of course, it is difficult to interpret a ghazal taking into account as to who the poet had in his mind when he wrote the ghazal.
From the reading of four couplets of the ghazal ‘kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq’ covered in in the audio clip, the undertone of the ghazal is spiritual. This has to be so as the ghazal was written by Hazrat Bedam Shah Warsi, a Sufi saint and poet. The first obstacle in understanding the ghazal for me is that I have a doubt about the deciphering a few words of the ghazal especially in 3rd and 4th she’rs. Bedam’s ghazals are not widely discussed on the internet – not even on a few of the Sufi discussion forums on the internet in Roman Urdu. I have gone through about a dozen Sufi ghazals written by Hazrat Bedam which are available in Roman Urdu on the internet. Rest of his work is available in Urdu script which I cannot read. The full ghazal in Urdu script is here.
In this ghazal, words ‘niyaaz’ and ‘beniyaaz’ have been used which some Sufi poets are fond of using them. In fact, I find that the Sufi poet Hazrat Qibla Shah Niyaz Ahmed is also called ‘Niyaaz-Beniyaaz. ‘Niyaaz’ means ‘desire’ and ‘Beniyaaz’ is opposite of ‘Niyaaz, that is one who has no desire of anything. ‘Niyaaz’ is associated with divine lovers (devotees) who are desirous of the love of God (Allah). ‘Beniyaaz’ is associated with God (Allah) who has no desire whatsoever.
There is one line in the ghazal:
Jisne diya hai dard-e-dil kaash wo chaara saaz ho
This line reminds me of somewhat similar thoughts expressed in ‘tumhi ne dard diyaa hai tumhi dawaa dena’ from the film ‘Choomantar’ (1956). In the ghazal, the poet’s assumption is that whoever has afflicted pain to him would also be the healer of his pain. The underlying philosophy here is that it is the affliction of pain and tortures which would eventually lead one to the God. A similar thought was expressed by Swami Tapovanam, a wandering sadhu of the Himalayas in the 1930s, with reference to pilgrims who were away from the worldly pleasures to be with God in the Himalayan shrines. He said ‘for them, pleasures of senses are so many pain and tortures. A life of poverty (ascetic) affords them heavenly bliss’.
Very little is known about Hazrat Bedam Shah Warsi (1882-1936). It was revealed in one of the websites of a Sufi forum that Bedam Warsi had forbidden his followers from keeping details of his life. He was born in 1882 in Atawa (Etawah) as Ghulam Husnain (the name Husnain is derived from the combination of ‘Hassan’ and ‘Hussain’), the only son of Hazrat Syed Anwar. After his initial schooling in his home town, he went to Aligarh for higher studies. At the age of 17, he found a spiritual guardian in Haji Waris Ali Shah, a Sufi Saint who admitted him as ‘Ehram Posh Faqeer’ ( one who lives a simple life renouncing the worldly affairs and the connection with his family). He died in 1936 and his shrine is located close to the shrine of his Peer, Haji Waris Ali Shah at Dewa Sharif in Barabanki district (UP).
The ghazal is rendered by Kamala Jharia in semi-classical style of the 30s. The singer pronounces ‘Sajdon’ as ‘Sijdon’ in this ghazal. In the orchestration, tabla beats are prominent with a faint harmonium sound in the background. In an interview, Kamal Dasgupta had mentioned that almost all ghazals sung by Kamala Jharia were composed by Ustad Zamiruddin Khan, the Chief Trainer of Gramophone Company (HMV). So I take it that thist ghazal was composed by Ustad Zamiruddin Khan.
Listening to this ghazal gives an aura of the type of music prevalent in the 1930s.
Song-Kaash meri jabeen e shauq sijdon se sarfaraaz ho (Kamla Jharia NFS)(1934) Singer-Kamla Jharia, Lyrics-Hazrat Bedam Shah Warsi, MD-Ustad Zamiruddin Khan
Lyrics
kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq sijdon se sarfaraaz ho
yaar ki khaaq-e-aastaan taaj-e-sar-e-niyaaz ho
yaar ki khaaq-e-aastaan taaj-e-sar-e-niyaaz ho
aashiq-e-jaan nisaar ko
ishq ka khoob sila miley
haan haan
ishq ka khoob sila miley
aashiq-e-jaan nissar ko ishq ka khoob sila miley
jisne diyaa hai dard-e-dil
kaash wo chaara saaz ho
jisne diyaa hai dard-e-dil
kaash wo chaara saaz ho
kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq
sijdon se sarfaraaz ho
paa ke tujhe jahaan mein kiska rahe niyaazmand
paa ke tujhe jahaan mein kiska rahe niyaazmand
kyun na wo beniyaaz ho
tujhse bhi beniyaaz ho
kyun na wo beniyaaz ho
tujhse bhi beniyaaz ho
kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq
sijdon se sarfaraaz ho
mast-e-shabaa? bhi sadqe mein aen aen
apne ?? ke naaz ke
aaa aa aa aa
aa aa aa aa
aa aa aaa
mast-e-shabaa? bhi sadqe mein en en
apne ?? naaz ke
aa aa aa
aa aa aa
aa aa
mujhko bhi paaimaan kar
umr teri daraaz ho
mujhko bhi paaimaan kar
umr teri daraaz ho
kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq
sijdon se sarfaraaz ho
kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq
sijdon se sarfaraaz ho
kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq
Glossary of Urdu/Persian words used in the ghazal with meaning in English
Kaash = Perhaps
Jabeen = Forehead.
Jabeen-e-shauq = Face of love
Sijdon = Bow in prayer, Prostration
Sarfaraaz = Exalted, Eminent
Yaar = Friend, Beloved. Here the poet is referring to his Sufi teacher/guide.
Aastaan = Home, Place. In the context of Sufi poetry, it means a tomb/shrine
Khaak-e-aastsaan = Dust of Tomb/Shrine
Niyaaz = Desire, supplication, offerings
Sar-e-niyaaz = Head bowed in supplication
Nissar = Sacrifice
Sila = Reward
Chaara saaz = Healer, One who cures
Niyaaz mand = supplicating, humble
Beniyaaz = Without any desire/want, unaffected by desire
Saba = Gentle breeze
Sadqe = Alms, Offerings
Qadah = Bowl, Goblet
Paaimaan = Promise, assurance
Umr = Age, Life
Daraaz = Long, Extend
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7 Responses to "Kaash meri jabeen e shauq"
August 9, 2014 at 11:49 pm
Sir,
I read this post in the mail itself, and found it very informative and enlightening. Unfortunately my own connect with the ‘ Sufiana Kalam ‘ is limitted to this blog, where somethings like this appear from time to time.
I have visited ‘rekhta.org’ a few times mainly for ‘Jigar Moradabadi’ research. There is a collection of ‘khutuaat -e-jigar’, in Urdu where I was trying to find the letter written by Jigar to Begum Akhtar, referred by you in your write up earlier. But I have lost track of that search.
Regarding ‘Kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq’ :
Heard it again just now.
mast-e-shabaa? bhi sadqe mein aen aen
apne ?? ke naaz ke
mujhko bhi paaimaan kar
umr teri daraaz ho
This sounds very much like :
‘mast-e-shabaab (or mast sabaa)’ sadqe mein apne ‘khiraam-e-naaz’ ke
mujh ko bhi ‘ paaimaal ‘ kar umr teri daraaz ho
If you could give me the link where this ghazal is available in Urdu, I can be sure about the words in the above couplet. Though the location is mentioned in the post, the link is not there.
Thanks and regards.
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August 10, 2014 at 9:27 am
Thanks for going through the ghazal.
I find that the link was working when I sent this article to Atul. Probably, it may have got lost while formatting the texts of the article. The link is given below:
http://www.azkalam.com/bedam-warsi/kaash-meri-jabeen-e-shouq-sajdoon-se-sarfaraz-ho/
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August 10, 2014 at 4:41 pm
Thanks for the link. The ghazal given there is like this :
kaash meri jabeen-e-shauq sajdon se sarfaraz ho
yaar ki khaak-e-aastaan taaj-e-sar-e-niyaaz ho
ham ko bhi paaimaal kar umr teri daraaz ho
mast-e-khiraam-e-naaz udhar mashq-e-khiraam-e-naaz ho
chashm-e-haqeeqat-e-aashna dekhiye jo husn ki kitaab
daftar-e-sad hadees-e-raaz har warq-e-majaaz ho
saamne rouye yaar ho sajde mein ho sar-e-niyaaz
yoonhi hareem-e-naaz mein aatthon pahar namaaz ho
iss ke hareem-e-naaz mein a’qal-wa-kharz ko dakhl kya
jis ki gali ki khaak ka zarra jahaan-e-raaz ho
teri gali mein yaa ke jaa, jaaye kahan tera gadaa (?)
kyun na wo beniyaaz ho tujh se jise niyaaz ho
Bedam khastaa-e-hijr mein ban gayi jaan-e-raaz bar
jis ne diya hai dard-e-dil kaash wo chaarasaaz ho
There are obvious differences in the rendered ghazal and this one.
It will need deeper study to completely understand this. I am not sure about the ‘theology’ here.
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August 10, 2014 at 9:38 pm
Thanks for converting the ghazal from Urdu script to Roman Urdu.
I find that a verse from the maqta she’r – ‘jisne diya hai dard-e-dil kaash wo chaarasaaz ho’ has been placed in a different she’r in recorded version. Similar is the case with ‘hamko bhi paaimaal kar umr teri daraaz ho’.
Anyway, this ghazal has now become more complicated for me to understand than before.
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August 14, 2014 at 2:48 pm
Sadanand ji,
Your effort helps to kindle our interest in this genre of literature and music, which otherwise will continue to unfamiliar to us.
Enjoyed the Ghazal and the word meanings and your commentary helped me to savour the rendition better.
BTW was it based on Raag Bhimpalasree?
Thanks to Nahmji too.
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Atul’s Song A Day- A choice collection of Hindi Film & Non-Film Songs 
August 9, 2014 at 3:01 pm
Dear Sadanandji
Yesterday I learnt of this ghazal blog :
http://rekhta.org/?lang=Hi [
This is the site for all ghazal lovers. Period.
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August 9, 2014 at 4:17 pm
Yes, it is very good site for ghazals with some in-built literal translation of Urdu words available on line.
But I find that the ghazal discussed in the article is not included.
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