Khusrau: Teri Re Main To

Bahauddin Khan Qawwal (1934-2006), today remembered more narrowly than his talent deserved, had had, in his day, The National Centre for the Performing Arts in India record his classical style of qawwali on golden tape for safe-keeping 'up to 200 years', as reference and guide for scholars of tomorrow.




घट के अंदर बैठ के करें प्रेम से पियार
ऐसे पिया से ख़ुसरो अपने तन मन दीजै वार ।

तेरी रे मैँ तो चरणन लागि
पीर निज़ामुद्दीन ख़्वाजा निज़ामुद्दीन

हर क़ौम रास्त रहे, दिनो क़िबला गाहे
मन क़िबला रास्त करदम बार सिम्त कजकुलाहे |

The first Farsi line was composed by Nizamuddin Aulia himself, who, while observing one day from his chilla or akhara how Hindu worshippers bathed in river Yamuna, remarked contentedly:

Har qaum rast rahe, deen-o [wa] qibla gahe

Every people has its right path, its faith and its focus of worship (the qibla is the direction to Mecca, towards which Muslims turn to pray.)

Khusrau, who was with him, at once completed the couplet with a verse that has come to represent (according to Regula Qureshi in her book) the central poetic statement of the Sufi in the subcontinent:

Man qibla rast kardam, bar samt kajkulahe

I, however, focus my worship on the crooked cap [of my Beloved.]

Khusrau goes on to say (I think Bahauddin Qawwal is singing a Farsi version of this qalam, the lines are a bit indistinct in the recording above):

Sansar har ko poojay, kul ko jagat sarahe,
Makke mein koyi dhoondhay, Kaashi ko koi jaye,
Guyyian main apnay pi kay payyian padun na kahe?
Har qaum rast rahe, deen-e wa qibla gahe.....
Teri re main to, charanan laagi ... etc.

The whole world worships something or the other,
Some look for God in Mecca, while some go to Kashi,
So why can’t I, Oh the Wise, just fall to my Beloved’s feet?
Every sect has a faith, a qibla ... I will here-fore stick to Thy feet.

The family of Bahauddin Qawwal have been granted permanent rooms adjacent to the shrines of Moinuddin Chishti, Nizamuddin Aulia and Alauddin Sabir Kaliari, in Ajmer, Delhi and Kaliar, due to their 700 years of service to these Sufi saints.

हर क़ौम रास्त रहे , दिनो क़िबला गाहे
मन क़िबला रास्त करदम बार सिम्त कजकुलाहे |