Shah Abdul Latif’s philosophy of sorrows
Sorrows adorn joys-III

By Saleem Bhutto Lateefi

The second chapter of Latif’s poetry like first one also deals with a spiritual journey through sufferings and then man removes the veil from his heart and beholds the vision beatific and there is peace achieved through sufferings and sorrows but through humility, kindness, courtesy, patience and forbearance.

In chapter of Suhni, the spiritual journey is beret with many risks and hazards symbolized in the Indus river’s lurking dangers and its monstrous creatures. Finally, the journey’s end is reached. Story ends with the tragic drawing of Suhni. Here the human essence is assimilated with the Divine essence and since nothing exists absolutely but ’God’ and ’All is God’, the rest being just illusion and deception, as peot says:

Sahar (Beloved), Suhni, and the river water are one and the same.
This ineffable mystery none can scan.

The underlying them in five chapters of Sasui is the selapres in the evolution of a mystic for a higher life, due to his little negligence when an opportunity comes for him. In all the five chapters, Sasui is seen in the travails of her journey through the formidable rocks, mountains ranges, hazardous and high summits. Yet she never wavers nor does she ever think of giving up pursuing the path of spiritual journey. Her painful and difficult journey comes to an end with her death, which turns eat to be the means of uniting her with her Beloved. After sufferings and sorrows death united the two lovers, never to be parted again. Sasui bears boldly the pangs of separation and says, “But pain of my Beloved’s separation is my companion and my guide”. One noty only considers pain as companion and guide but she says, “All these discomforts for Beloved’s union, I considered comforts. For Sasui, Beloved’s manifestation is my comfort.

Dark day I consider a happy one,
Sweet is the sorrow, that to me Beloved has given.(49)

Ture lovers like Sasui advance each step forward and do not show weakness because “To those who love, suffering makes them glow.” Sasui touches such tofly heights of spiritual powers that she enjoys the search of her Beloved.

I seek, may I never find, may you always be far.
May without you I find no peace and no solace.(50)

Why she is deeply indulged in sorrows because she knows that in love’s sake who willingly accepts the wildness is rewarded equally as she says:

“Water is thirsty for those who thirst for it”(51)

she also knows that:

“lucky are those whose lives are lost in spiritual quest.”(52)

 Then comes the allegory of Leela and Chanesar which deals with the fall of God’s favoured one from His grace for exchanging his loyalty from Him to some other mundane object. Then comes unceasing sorrows and pangs of separation. Through her journey of unceasing sorrows Leela learns to preserve her moral fiber intact, she resists temptations and loves that took away her love, and finally she realize the truth that ,God is very exacting in His chosen one’s dedication to Him! She achieves true wisdom which comes from sorrows and suffering and denies the worldly knowledge which misled her.

The theme of man’s fall from divine grace because of his own folly is repeated in chapter of Moomal Rano with a little difference. Moomal does not exchange divine favour for material gain but tries to seck some consolatier in ways other than those that a seeker in the search of Reality is to pursue. During the separation of Rano Moomal was pining away in his love because Rano was hurt and annoyed due to some misunderstanding. She was desperate she sent many messages to her Beloved Rano to give her chance to explain but he would not hear of it. All pleas from her side were of no avail. She could not appeare has love and remained in unceasing sufferings and finally her souls is awakened and uplifted as she says:

1. Where do I direct the camel? All is light
Within me is Kak’s colourful palace, within is ludano bright.
All is Rano and Rano, nothing else exists.(53)

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Both the earlier stories deal with man’s fall from divine grace by making a ship regain union after suffering but in case of Marvi, the evolved human self in his its efforts for a higher life, resists all temptation and looses the comfort one during this journey. Shah believes that ’sorrow is wisdom’ but to keep this wisdom intact and increase, sorrow is unavoidable every now and then in life because ocean of spirituality is fathomless as stated in chapter of ’Sea Farers’. The divers bring forth pearls and other precious stuff are the spiritual truths which the seekers and lovers of God find by deep meditation and constant search. This increasing search is constant longing and remembrance inspite of sufferings and sorrows, tortures and troubles as in case of Marvi. Mystics believe that man had pledged himself with God and his only purpose in life is to lead a pure life, sinless life and cultivate within himself attributes of God, so that he is ultimately rewarded with the vision Beatific which is his ultimate goal.

The chapter of Marvi in addition being a allegory, is a song of patriotism. Just as the individual human soul longs to return to its original abode, so did Marvi long to return to her native place, Malir. The former aim can only be accomplished by constant remembrance of the Lord and by cultivating godly attributes in oneself so as to live a pure, blanders life without being lured by the many frivolous attractions of the world. She bears to return and troubles but does not give up longings and memories. She in sufferings and sorrows keep on remembering and longing and finally she achive the same pure state of sould in shape of freedom from the captivity of king Umer.

Marvi longing is expressed in the following verses:

1. Without my desert folks, I am distressed,
May I keep pledge with one whome my eyes blood shed.(53)

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2. God Almighty! Let me not die in this prison,
My body in chains, day and might I weep,
Let my days end, when my native place I reach.(56) 

The tortures and sufferings of Marvi are expresses as:

1. Iron rings round my neck, hand cuffs and chains,
My feet are fettered, doors of room are nailed
Spices roam in yard, ministers are on guard,
Unhappy me in this state in a room I am locked,
Oh Malir’s headman! Come and enquire after Malir’s maid.(57)

 And she cries that:

Desert dwellers change not their love for glittering gold,
I will not misconceive in Umerkot,
Now will I exchange love of huts for gorgeous mansions

She constantly remembers her people and land.

Other prisioners are at rest, I alone an restless in chains,
My people’s memory, hangs like a sword over head.

Finally, through tortures and trobles, sufferings and sorrows Marvi reaches higher life and her soul is awakened.

Auspicious were those days that in prison I spent,
In palace, large drops of tears like rain I kept,
Longing for return, I was in a miserable state,
My love has purified my chains.(58)

Suchf is a philosophy of our great poet that ’sorrow is wisdom’, it is not sufficient to achive and be blessed with wisdom but like Marvi Shah Latif insists that sorrows are necessary even to maintain wisdom and attain higher and higher life.

The inherent religious and mystic attitude so pervasive in Shah Latif’s work is interesting study as our great poet has settled philosophy and has the faith and conviction. Poet’s efforts to harmonise the spirit and the mind, his preoccupation with matters of mortality and immorality, eternity and transience of existence along with his capacity and tendency of joy in sufferings, dwelling with beauty can be seen in connection with association of religion and language.

1. Those who drank from Beloved’s Beauty expanse,
Were so seized with love and longing,
That even in mind-stream, their thirst unquenched remained.(59)

2. They reached who shifted their gaze from this world to that,
Perfect Beauty and Perfect wisdom’s Lord is away from them just a step.(60. 

(Continued)