Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit javaahar nath saaqi (1864-1916) was born into a kashmiiri panDit family with a long history of serving the emperor starting with akbar. It also had an equally long list of urdu shu’ara. He himself lived under straitened conditions, like a jogi/sufi. He had the good fortune to receive advice/correction for his compositions from three of Ghalib’s shaagird – hargopal tufta, mohammed zakariah zaki, and qurbaan ali saalik. This Ghazal, in the style of Ghalib’s ‘saaqi ne kuchh mila na diya ho sharaab meN’, is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam, along with that of his ustaad, zakariah zaki. This Ghazal is highly sufiyaana/mystical.
1
tanviir¹ kya ho noor²-e mah³ o aaftaab⁴ meN
donoN Khajil⁵ hue tere ruKh⁶ ke javaab⁷ meN     1.brilliance 2.light 3.moon 4.sun 5.embarrassed, ashamed 6.face, beauty 7.answer, comparison
How can the light of the sun and moon be (any more) brilliant. Both of them are put to shame by comparison with your beauty. This can be an exaggerated description of the beloved’s beauty or of the beauty of the divine spirit.
2
vahm¹-e duii² se haiN qalaq³ o inzteraab⁴ meN
is zindagi ne Daal diya hai azaab⁵ meN   1.illusion 2.duality 3.anxiety 4.restlessness 5.curse
For a sufi and a believer in ‘advaita’ – non-duality, coming into this world, getting life, implies separation from the great spirit. The ultimate goal is ‘fana’ – annihilation of the self and merger into the great spirit. Thus, this life, which is an illusion of duality, has made us anxious and restless. Life has become like a curse, with unfulfilled yearning for removal of this illusion of duality and unification with the great spirit.
3
ham ko bharam¹ ne bahr²-e tavahhum³ banaa diya
darya⁴ samajh ke kood paRe hum saraab⁵ meN    1.aberration, suspicion 2.ocean 3.illusion 4.sea 5.mirage
The material world is not ‘real’. It is only a mirage. The spiritual world is real. This aberration in our understanding has thrown us into this ocean of illusion. We mistakenly take this life to be a body of water and jump into it, when it is merely a mirage.
4
hasti¹ teri hijaab² hai Khud, behijaab³ ho
hogi kushood⁴-e raah⁵ kushaad⁶-e hijaab² meN    1.existence, being 2.veil, mystery 3.unveiled, manifest 4.opening up 5.path 6.width, expanse
This is addressed to god/great spirit. Your being itself is a mystery. Why do you need to hide your being behind a veil. Come out of it. With the expanse of your vision/manifestation the path (to salvation) will open up.
5
viiraaN-kada¹ hai hasti²-e mauhoom³, haq-shinaas⁴
hoshiyaar⁵ ho, baqaa⁶ nahiN dair⁷-e Kharaab⁸ meN    1.house of desolation 2.being, existence 3.illusory 4.truth knower, wise 5.careful, mindful 6.permanence 7.(material) world 8.mortal, brittle, impermanent
O wise one, this illusion of life is nothing but a house of desolation. Be careful, there is no permanence in this mortal world.
6
mahv¹-e laqaa² jo haiN malakuuti³ Khisaal⁴ haiN
bedaar⁵ ho ke bhi nazar⁶ aate haiN Khwaab⁷ meN    1.engrossed 2.beauty 3.angelic, viruous 4.nature 5.awake 6.appear 7.sleep, trance
Those who are engrossed and focused on divine beauty are of an angelic nature. Even when awake, they appear to be in a trance (disregarding the material and focusing on the spiritual).
7
donoN jahaaN¹ se haath jinhoN ne uTha² liya
aate vahi haiN ishq³ ke bas inteKhaab⁴ meN     1.worlds 2.haath uThaa lena means – to not have any vested attachments 3.love 4.selection, choosing
The conventional value of not having an attachment to the material world is clear. Not having an attachment to the next world should be interpreted to mean – not doing something only for rewards of the next world, as in Ghalib’s …
taa’at meN taa rahe na mai o aNgabiiN ki laag
dozaKh meN Daal do koii le kar behisht ko
Thus, those who have no attachments to either this or the next world, are the ones chosen by (universal) love.
8
tark¹-e savaal² ne mutavakkil³ banaa diya
laa⁴ o n’aam⁵ hai kya suKhan⁶-e laajavaab⁷ meN    1.give up, quit 2.question, demand, desire 3.trust in god (tavakkul) 4.(from arabic) no 5.(from arabic) yes 6.words, conversation 7.without answer, without equal, perfect
Not asking for anything (praying), made me put my trust completely in god. How can there be any room for “yes or no” in a conversation that is perfect. Said Ghalib …
gar tujh ko hai yaqiin-e ijaabat duaa na maaNg
y’aanii baGhair-e yak dil-e be-muddaa na maaNg
9
tum be-hijaab¹ ho to qayaamat² ho aashkaar³
raKhne⁴ ye kam nahiN haiN tumhaari naqaab⁵ meN    1.unveiled, revealed 2.tumult, doomsday 3.manifest 4.slits, gaps 5.veil
If the beloved were to unveil herself, there would be great tumult, so great that it will be like doomsday. The slits/gaps in your veil are enough. This applies both to the romantic and the divine beloved.
10
fatah¹ o shikast² raaz³ hai taa’miir⁴-e vaqt ka
kya jabr⁵ o eKhtiyaar⁶ hai is fatah-baab⁷ meN    1.success 2.failure 3.reason 4.progress 5.pre-determined 6.free will 7.constellation of stars that is an ill omen, bad luck, poor fate
Success and failure are a part of life, of the progress of time. This is not due to any pre-determined fate or free will in this world of ill omen (the material world).
11
uryaaN¹ hue to saare ye parde simaT² gaye
ham Khud hue hijaab³ ka parda hijaab meN    1.naked, revealed 2.shrink, gather (folded) 3.mystery
When the great spirit manifests itself than all curtains are pulled/gathered away. Its beauty if revealed for all to see. But we ourselves became the curtain that hides/veils this mystery i.e., we are unable to see/observe the beauty of the great spirit.
12
qaalib¹ ko apne chhoR ke maqloob² ho gaye
kya aur koii qalb³ hai is inqelaab⁴ meN   1.frame, mould, body 2.that which is moulded 3.intelligence, understanding, explanation (this is one of the many meanings from arabi) 4.change, turning back
When we leave this body, we get moulded into the great spirit. What other explanation can there be of returning to the origin.
13
jis par nazar¹ paRi vahi majzoob² ho gaya
aye piir-e-muGh³-e sulook⁴ bhi ho injezaab⁵ meN       1.glance 2.absorbed 3.short for piir-e muGhaaN, chief wine-maker, saaqi 4.behaviour, conduct, rules 5.act/process of getting absorbed/merged
Whoever you cast your eyes upon is immediately absorbed/merged/attracted to you. O saaqi there should be some (gentler) rule for the process of merger/attraction. This could apply both to the earthly beloved and to the divine beloved where merger is a realization of vahdat-ul-vujood, advaita.
14
husn¹-e karishma-Khez² jo chaahe vo kar dikhaa’e
taKhsiis³ kuchh nahiN hai yahaaN shaiKh⁴ o shaab⁵ meN    1.beauty, skill, capabilities 2.miracle worker, god 3.discrimination 4.elder 5.youth
The miracle worker – karishma-Khez – is god and his capabilities are unlimited and he can do whatever he wants. But he does not discriminate between anyone (shaiKh o shaab are used here as only representative).
15
suufi¹ yahi maqaam²-e tahayyur³ hai zaat⁴-e bahs⁵
hairat⁶ hui hai aaiina vahdat⁷ ke baab⁸ meN    1.mystic 2.place/occasion 3.amazement 4.being, person 5.discussion 6.amazement, bewilderment 7.one-ness as in vahdat-ul-vujood 8.theme
O sufi, the discussion of this being is an occasion for amazement. Bewilderment itself is a mirror that refects him (portrays his image) in the theme of one-ness of the universe. Said mir taqi mir …
muNh takaa hi kara hai jis tis ka
hairati hai ye aaiina kis ka
16
saaqi¹ bhi pii ke jur’a²-e mai³ mast⁴ ho gaye
hai kaif⁵-e ishq⁶ piir-e-muGhaaN⁷ ki sharaab meN     1.pen-name of the poet 2.sip, mouthful 3.wine 4.intoxicated 5.pleasure 6.love 7.chief winemaker
Chief winemaker (piir-e-muGhaaN) could be another possible description of the universal spirit. There is such magic and pleasure of (universal) love in the wine offered by the great spirit that saaqi was intoxicated with just one sip.