Rabb

Professor Mohan Singh was the first Punjabi poet that I was introduced to by my grandmother who brought home Saavey Pattar and spent many summer afternoons taking us through it. The poem below is one that she recited often but it didn't mean anything to my 8 year old self. It had completely slipped my mind until the other day when I remembered the first two lines out of the blue. And so I finally read it.

The complete poem is here.

ਰੱਬ
ਰੱਬ ਇੱਕ ਗੁੰਝਲਦਾਰ ਬੁਝਾਰਤ
ਰੱਬ ਇਕ ਗੋਰਖ-ਧੰਦਾ ।
ਖੋਲ੍ਹਣ ਲੱਗਿਆਂ ਪੇਚ ਏਸ ਦੇ
ਕਾਫ਼ਰ ਹੋ ਜਾਏ ਬੰਦਾ ।
ਕਾਫ਼ਰ ਹੋਣੋ ਡਰ ਕੇ ਜੀਵੇਂ
ਖੋਜੋਂ ਮੂਲ ਨਾ ਖੁੰਝੀ
ਲਾਈਲੱਗ ਮੋਮਨ ਦੇ ਕੋਲੋਂ
ਖੋਜੀ ਕਾਫ਼ਰ ਚੰਗਾ ।


Rabb
"Rabb ik gunjaldaar bujaarat - God's an entangled riddle
Rabb ik gorakh-dhanda - God's a labyrinth of complications
Kholan laggiyan pech eis dey -  Trying to understand God's workings
Kaafir ho jaaye banda. - Turns man into an unbeliever (kaafir).
Kaafir hono dar key jee vein - And so even though you live in the fear of becoming a kaafir
khojon mool naa khunji  - But don't ever give up on your questions
Laayilagg momin dey kolon - Rather than being a credulous believer
khoji kaafir changa." - It is better to be a questioning kaafir.

Tey jey tuhaanu samajh aa vi gayi, taan pher ki hoya, for as Bulleh Shah says:

“Gal samajh layee tey raolaa keeh ey,
Eyh Raam, Raheem tey Maula keeh ey.”