शिकस्त-ए-तौबा [Ghazal of Repentance]
… At eight o’clock in the morning of June 25th, 1943, Baba held a special gathering of a few of his lovers and the mandali, to listen to songs and ghazals of Jigar ‡ (one of Baba’s favorite poets) being performed at Meherabad. The following is one couplet Jigar sang about love:
“If one word of love,
so insignificant in expression
but so powerful in effect,
is focussed in the human world
and then released,
it encompasses the whole world.”
[ इक लफ़्ज़-ए-मोहब्बत का अदना ये फ़साना है
सिमटे तो दिल-ए-आशिक़ फैले तो ज़माना है
ये इश्क़ नहीं आसाँ इतना ही समझ लीजे
इक आग का दरिया है और डूब के जाना है ]
Baba was in an especially happy mood, and composed a few of his own couplets on the spot. Baba also gave this special explanation, and hint, of what he remarked was the greatest spiritual secret:
“When you want nothing,
you gain everything.”
He concluded, “You will all be pardoned for all your past bad karmas.”
The following is a ghazal by Jigar that Meher Baba heard sung in Urdu, translated by Adi K. Irani. It has been called the “Ghazal of Repentance.”
साक़ी की हर निगाह पे बल खा के पी गया
लहरों से खेलता हुआ लहरा के पी गया
Cheered up by each glance of Saki,
the wine-giver, my Beloved, I drank.
I drank away in the same undulating rhythm
as the waves that played on the surface of the wine.
बे-कैफ़ियों के कैफ़ से घबरा के पी गया
तौबा को तोड़-ताड़ के थर्रा के पी गया
Seeing the worldly intoxication of those
un-intoxicated with God’s love,
I became alarmed, and I drank.
Having broken the mood of repentance,
trembling, I drank.
ज़ाहिद! ये मेरी शोख़ी-ए-रिन्दाना देखना
रहमत को बातों बातों में बहला के पी गया
O you pious! Look to the prank of my drunkenness!
Having broken away from religious mercy,
the Divine Mercy every time descended,
and I drank.
सर-मस्ती-ए-अज़ल मुझे जब याद आ गई
दुनिया-ए-ए’तिबार को ठुकरा के पी गया
When I remembered the intoxication
of the primordial beginning,
I kicked away the world of faith, of piety,
and, like hell, I drank.
आज़ुर्दगी-ए-ख़ातिर-ए-साक़ी को देख कर
मुझ को ये शर्म आई कि शर्मा के पी गया
Seeing the heartful helplessness of Saki,
the wine-giver, my Master,
I felt so ashamed;
and in shamefulness, I drank.
ऐ रहमत-ए-तमाम मेरी हर ख़ता मुआफ़
मैं इंतिहा-ए-शौक़ में घबरा के पी गया
O Eternal Mercy Divine!
May my every error be pardoned
because in the height of my fervor,
in fear, I drank.
पीता बग़ैर इज़्न ये कब थी मेरी मजाल
दर-पर्दा चश्म-ए-यार की शह पा के पी गया
To drink without a permit,
how could I ever venture?
Consent I did obtain from the eyes of my Beloved,
by his glance, and I drank.
उस जान-ए-मय-कदा की क़सम बारहा ‘जिगर’
कुल आलम-ए-बसीत पे मैं छा के पी गया
O Jigar! Repeatedly do I swear
by the life of the tavern.
Now, having overcome;
having spread out myself over the entire world,
like hell, I drank.
Meher Prabhu, pp. 2896-2897
[Lord Meher, first edition]
https://www.fwb104.org/searchengine/site1/page2896.html
‡ Page 2895 footnote:
Jigar is a Persian word for the heart, sadness, pity, or power. Jigar was the nom-de-plume for the poet Ali Sikander Muradabadi (born 1890; died 1961), from Merath in northern India. He was an eminent poet of India, who had a true gift of inspiration from God for song and poetry. Jigar was not on the subtle planes, or a salik, but his poetry was genuinely inspired from the subtle world. On one occasion, he had a true glimpse of God. Jigar did not have continual divine inspiration, but he had the inspiration of the subtle world and only when he would write. This inspiration was therefore temporary when he was writing and not lasting (as a subtle or mental conscious salik). Jigar was addicted to alcohol and he would drink, and drink heavily, because his wife had left him and he felt a great sadness. After many years, when he stopped drinking alcohol he became sick and gradually fell critically ill. He wrote in Urdu (not in English, and it is not known if he knew English). He was Baba’s favorite living poet and a powerful writer of ghazals. In his later years, he found a spiritual Master named Azgaar (pen name for Asghar Husain Gondvi, 1884-1936) another eminent Indian poet, who inspired Jigar to continue to write. Meher Baba did not meet with Jigar in person. However, when Jigar was on his deathbed in 1961, Baba sent a man named Baghel (from Hamirpur) to him with a copy of GOD SPEAKS, as a gift from him. Baghel presented the book to him and Jigar touched his forehead with the book. Baghel told him about Baba and Jigar was very consoled and very happy to hear about Baba. He sent his salutations to Baba and soon after this he died.
https://www.fwb104.org/searchengine/site1/endNote518.html
GOD SPEAKS
The Theme of Creation and Its Purpose
By Meher Baba
https://avatarmeherbabatrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/godspeaks_p1.pdf
https://avatarmeherbabatrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/godspeaks_p2.pdf
GOD SPEAKS (ईश्वर वाणी)
हिंदी अनुवादकर्त्ता – केशव नारायण निगम
Hindi-English Dual Language Edition:
https://avatarmeherbabatrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/HindiEnglishGodSpeaks.pdf
Saqi Ki Har Nigah Pe
Mohammed Rafi https://youtu.be/yj_K8ufPG7U
Jagjit Singh https://youtu.be/qzhk4aR0rVM
Pankaj Udhas https://youtu.be/PTXlA6Yx1AY
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan https://youtu.be/IROccWiBT-A
https://www.rekhta.org/nazms/shikast-e-tauba-jigar-moradabadi-nazms
Ek Lafze Mohhabat Ka Adna Yeh Fasana Hai
https://youtu.be/oKMtg28BA0w
https://youtu.be/aeZegusBTqs
https://www.rekhta.org/ghazals/ik-lafz-e-mohabbat-kaa-adnaa-ye-fasaanaa-hai-jigar-moradabadi-ghazals
Meher Songs 