Salok Sheikh Farid, Salok 118 — few walk the harder, truer road

ਫਰੀਦਾ ਦਰਵੇਸੀ ਗਾਖੜੀ ਚੋਪੜੀ ਪਰੀਤਿ ॥

fareedaa darvaysee gaakh-rhee choprhee pareet.

Fareed, it is difficult to be a dervish - a Holy Saint; it is easier to love bread when it is buttered.

ਇਕਨਿ ਕਿਨੈ ਚਾਲੀਐ ਦਰਵੇਸਾਵੀ ਰੀਤਿ ॥੧੧੮॥

ikan kinai chaalee-ai darvaysaavee reet. ||118||

Only a rare few follow the way of the Saints. ||118||

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa

In plain words

Farid says: being a dervish, a holy one, is hard; loving buttered bread is easy.

Only a rare few walk the way of the holy ones.

Comfort is easy; the holy road is walked by a rare few.

The deeper layer

The holy life is hard, comfort is easy, and only a few choose the hard road.

Darvaysee gaakh-rhee: the life of a darvaysh, a dervish, is hard. A dervish is a Sufi holy person who lives simply and gives everything to the One. Choprhee pareet: love for buttered bread, for an easy, comfortable life.

Ikan kinai chaalee-ai: only one here and there walks darvaysaavee reet, the dervish way. Think of the easy path down the hill and the steep path up the mountain; only a few take the climb.

A Question to Sit With

What is a harder choice you made that you were glad of later?

Translation by Dr. Sant Singh Khalsa·How we use AI

← Verse 418 of 450 Salok Sheikh Farid, Salok 117 — patience grows you into a great river

Verse 420 of 450 →Salok Sheikh Farid, Salok 119 — my whole heart aches to reach the Beloved

Use ← → to navigate