مکے گیاں گل مکدی ناہیں
Makke gayaan gal mukdi naaheen
Going to Mecca doesn't solve the matter
بلھے شاہ
مکے گیاں گل مکدی ناہیں پانویں سو سو جمعے پڑھ آئیں
Makke gayaan gal mukdi naaheen Pahnwe sau sau Jumme parh aiay
Going to Mecca doesn't solve the matter, Even if you offer a hundred Friday prayers.
گنگا گیاں گل مکدی ناہیں پانویں سو سو غوطے کھائیں
Ganga gayaan gal mukdi naaheen Pahnwe sau sau ghote khaiay
Going to the Ganges doesn't solve the matter, Even if you take a hundred dips.
گیا گیاں گل مکدی ناہیں پانویں سو سو پنڈ پڑھائیں
Gaya gayaan gal mukdi naaheen Pahnwe sau sau pand parhaiay
Going to Gaya doesn't solve the matter, Even if you read a hundred sermons.
بلھے شاہ! گل تائیوں مکدی جدوں 'میں' نوں دلوں گنوائیے
Bulley Shah! Gal tanyo mukdi Jadon 'main' nu dilon ganwaiay
Bulleh Shah! The matter is only solved... When the 'I' is lost from the heart.
پڑھ پڑھ عالم فاضل ہویاں کدی اپنے آپ نوں پڑھیا ای نئیں
Parh parh aalam faazal hoyaan Kade apne aap nu parhyaee naeen
You became a scholar and an expert by reading and reading, But you have never read your own self.
جا جا وڑدا ایں مندر مسیتے کدی من اپنے وچ وڑیا ای نئیں
Ja ja wurdaein mandar masseta Kade munn apne wich wuryaee naeen
You go and enter temples and mosques, But you have never entered your own heart.
ایویں روز شیطان نال لڑدا ایں کدی نفس اپنے نال لڑیا ای نئیں
Ainwainee roz shataan nal lardaein Kade nafs apne naal laryaee naeen
You needlessly fight with Satan every day, But you have never fought your own ego (nafs).
بلھے شاہ! آسمانی اُڈیاں پھڑدا ایں جیڑا گھر بیٹھا اونہوں پھڑیا ای نئیں
Bulley Shah! Aasmaani Uddiyaan phardaen Jera ghar baitha onhoon phariyaee naeen
Bulleh Shah! You try to catch the one flying in the skies, But you have never caught the one sitting inside your home.
سر تے ٹوپی تے نیت کھوٹی لینا کی ٹوپی سر ترھ کے
Sir te topi te niyyat khoti Laina ki topi sir tarh ke
A cap on your head, but your intention is corrupt; What will you gain by just placing that cap on your head?
تسبیح پھری پر دل نہ پھریا لینا کی تسبیح ہتھ پھڑ کے
Tasbeeh phiri par dil na phiriya Laina ki tasbeeh hath parh ke
The rosary turned, but the heart did not turn; What will you gain by just holding that rosary in your hand?
چلے کیتے تے رب نہ ملیا لینا کی چلیاں وچ وڑ کے
Chille keetay te Rab na miliya Laina ki chiliyaan wich wur ke
You performed seclusions (chille), but you did not find God; What will you gain by entering those seclusions?
بلھے شاہ جگ بنا دودھ نئیں جمندا پانویں لال ہووے کڑھ کڑھ کے
Bulley Shah jag bina dudh naeen jamda Pahnwe laal huwe karh karh ke
Bulleh Shah, milk doesn't set without a starter culture, Even if you boil it and boil it until it turns red.
اے کتا در در پھرے تے در در در در ہووے
Ai kutta dar dar phire Te dar dar dur dur howe
This dog wanders from door to door, And at every door, it is shamed ("Shoo! Shoo!").
جے اِک در دا ہو کے بہہ جائے کانوں در در ہووے
Jei ik dar da ho ke beh jaaye Kaanoon dur dur howe
If it would just commit to a single door, Why would it ever be shamed?
جے توں رب نوں مناناں پہلے یار نوں منا
Je to Rab nu manaunaan Pehle yaar nu manaa
If you wish to please God, First, you must please your Beloved (Murshid).
رب من جاندا اے یار نوں منانا اوکھا اے
Rab man jaandaey Yaar nu manauna aukha aye
God is easily pleased; It is pleasing the Beloved that is difficult.
بن کنجری تے بلے وانگ گھنگرو توں پا
Ban kanjri te Bulley wang Ghungroo tu paa
Become a dancer like Bulleh, And wear dancing bells!
رب من جاندا اے یار نوں منانا اوکھا اے
Rab man jaandaey Yaar nunmanauna aukha aye
God is easily pleased; It is pleasing the Beloved that is difficult.
📖Metaphorical & Poetic Meaning
This is a blistering critique of religious externalism and a passionate argument for internal, ecstatic devotion.
Anti-Ritualism (Kafi 1):
Bulleh Shah dismisses all external acts of piety when done without inner change. Going to Mecca (Islam), dipping in the Ganges (Hinduism), or reading sermons in Gaya are all useless if the heart is still corrupt and the ego (main) is still in charge.
The Inward Journey (Kafi 2):
The key is to "read your own self" and "enter your own heart." He says the real enemy is not Satan (shataan), but the nafs (the inner ego). The Divine is not far away in the skies; it is "sitting inside your home" (ghar baitha), but you fail to "catch" it.
Hypocrisy & The Guide (Kafi 3):
The cap, rosary, and 40-day seclusions (chille) are all useless if the heart is impure. He then uses the brilliant metaphor of milk: the "milk" (the human soul) can "boil" (do rituals) until it's red, but it cannot transform into yogurt (a new state of being) without a jag (a starter culture). For Sufis, this jag is the Murshid (the Spiritual Guide). All your efforts are pointless without the guide's grace.
The One Beloved (Kafi 4):
This is the climax. The "dog" is the seeker (mureed). If he wanders from "door to door" (seeking worldly favors, or different masters), he is shamed. But if he commits to a "single door" (the door of his Murshid), he finds honor. This leads to the famous claim: it is harder to please the "Yaar" (the Beloved/Murshid) than God. Why? Because God is abstract and forgiving. The guide is present, testing you, demanding you shatter your ego. Bulleh Shah famously had to dress as a kanjri (a female dancer) and wear ghungroo (ankle bells) to dance in front of his master to win back his favor after a dispute. This act of ultimate humility was the true path.