Thanks for info

Pathay Khan’s version of this kafi (and incidently tusse vee uchay) is on this link

http://www.apnaorg.com/video/pkhan/

BULHE NU SAMJHAWAN AAINAN BHAINAN TE BHARJAIAN
To counsel Bulleh, his sisters in law have come

MAN NE BULHYA SADA KAHNA CHAD DE PALLA RAIAAN
Pay heed to us and give up mixing with the low caste Araeen

AAL-E NABI AULAD-E NABI NUN TOON KION LEEKAN LAINAN
You are a scion of Ali,the Prophet, why must you shame our fair clime.

JEHRA SANOON SYED SADDE DOZAKH MILAN SAZAIAAN
Those who call me Syed, are destined to hell made for them

JO KOI SANOON RAEEN AAKHE BHISHTEEN PEENGAN PAIAAN
Those who call me Araeen, have the swings in heaven laid for them

RAEEN SAEEN SABHI THAEEN RAB DIAN BE PARWAAIAN
The low caste and the high caste, are created by God who cares not for family

SOHNIAN PARE HATAIAN NE TE KOJHIAN LE GAL LAAIAN
He regards the beautiful and cherishes the not so comely.

JE TU LOREEN BAAGH BAHAARAN CHAKAR HO JA RAEEAN
If you wish to enjoy the glory of the Garden, go and serve the Araeen

BULHE SHAH DI ZAAT KI PUCHNA-EN SHAKAR HO RAZAAIAN
Why bother about Bulleh’s caste? Obey the command that comes from Saeen

(Translation by K S Duggel)

I do agree with your comments. This kafi was first sung by Pathanay Khan and then followed by Abida Perveen. If you recall that we intially thought that ” Umraan-langheean-pabhaan-phaar” is Khawaja Ghulam Fareed kafi, whereas it is written by a poet Mazhar Tirmizi.

“Tussan uchay tusandi zaat uchi,
Tussan Uch shahar day rahan walay,
Asaan kasoori, sadi zaat kasoori,
Asaan shaher Kasoor day rahan walay”

Taken from http://www.folkpunjab.com/abida-parveen/assan-ishq-namaz-jadoon-neeti-ae-2/

So it must be a lesser known poet albiet a popular one among kafi singers like Abida & Pathanay Khan

JEHRA SANOON SYED SADDE DOZAKH MILAN SAZAIAAN
JO KOI SANOON RAEEN AAKHE BHISHTEEN PEENGAN PAIAAN
RAEEN SAEEN SABHI THAEEN RAB DIAN BE PARWAAIAN

SOHNIAN PARE HATAIAN NE TE KOJHIAN LE GAL LAAIAN
JE TU LOREEN BAAGH BAHAARAN CHAKAR HO JA RAEEAN
BULHE SHAH DI ZAAT KI PUCHNA-EN SHAKAR HO RAZAAIAN

You say prayers upon prayers
You scream and yell loudly
Sitting on the pulpit, you deliver sermons
Greed has brought disgrace upon you ( Prof Saeed)

Another version of translation

Endless extra prayers you offer
Jarring prayer-calls are released from your coffer
Mounting pulpit, sermon you proffer
Wretched you became through greed ( Muzaffar Ghafar)

For Naveed Siraj, this “tussee wee uchhay, tohaadee zaat vee uchee, tusse vich uch day randay, assee kasooree, sadee zaat kasooree, asee vich kasoon day randay” has been added by Pathnay Khan himself we don’t find these refrains in any of the book written on Bulleh Shah. What I believe that there is not any word play, it has only been said to have a high regard/admire for the Murshid.

For Sidhusaahab. I have left a brief introduction on Baba Farid Life and Khawaja Farid Life at “Khawoja Fareed- The mystics voice of Soutern Punjab” you might find it informative.

A few couplets said by Bulleh shah regarding Mullas.

“Mulla tay mashaalchi dohaan ikko chit
Loukan karday chananan, aap anhairae vich “

Mullah and the torch-bearer, both from the same flock
Guiding others; themselves in the dark

“Parh parh masley roz sunaavey
Khaanaa shak shubey da khaweyn
Daseyn hor te hor kamaaweyn
Ander khot baahir suchyaar”

You deliever sermons everyday
You eat the food of suspicion and doubt
You preach something and act inversly
Inwardly you are corrupt but outwardly you are pious

“dharamsal vich dharvi rahinde, thakur dware thug
vich maseet kusatti rahinde, aashik rahin alag”

In temples reside the ruffians, in gurudwaras, the thugs
In mosques reside the liars, the true lovers (of the Divine), stay aloof from all these.

A thousand prayers for Pathanay Khan; May his soul rest in peace; the whole day i have been humming this kafi

Yes you are absolutely right – there is a word play. Bulleh Shah was from Kasur and therefore he calls himself “Kasoori ‘low – sinner-
His master and Pir Inayat’s ancestors had come from Ucch – and here he calls that medieval town – an abode of the Sufis “Uccha” (higher, exalted).

The third dimension also needs to be stated: malamati Sufis often put themselves at the lowest rung of society and relate to those who are looked at as the scum of the earth. It is through this sort of annhilation of ego and self that they make themselves empty of illusions thereby surrendering themselves to divine love.

And, here Bulleh Shah also puts that qasoori element.

Lastly, at another level there is typical Bulleh Shah wit and irony at work too. He did not believe in caste and neither did his murshid – Inayat was an Arain and Bulleh Shah a Syed – they broke the caste barriers. So for the unitiated populace, this was another way of playing up the irony – here a Syed – highest rank in Muslim hierarchy is calling himself ‘low’.

Your joke is therefore absolutely valid and continues the wit of Bulleh’s expression.

Sidhu ji- your interpretation is absolutely correct. Clergy in all religions uses faith for political and economic power – and Sufis/Bhakats had no patience for that….

The more profounder message is how organized religion keeps human spirit in ritualistic darkness not highlighting the real connection between Man and God!

RR, the first verse reminds me of Pathanay Khan’s intro “mairaa ranjhan hun koor hor” when he blows my mind with “tussee wee uchhay, tohaadee zaat vee uchee, tusse vich uch day randay, assee kasooree, sadee zaat kasooree, asee vich kasoon day randay”. Could you guide me if I ucchaa [of high esteem] and kasooree [full of blame/blemish/sin] mean what i think they do as i have indicated in brackets or is Uch Sharif and Kasoor also hinted at (perhaps intentionally with duality of meaning] since these two towns have had religious figures with huge following hence town names as well as literal meaning of the words causing this added dimension

I refer to this verse jokingly at work when some colleague pretends to be high and mighty

I hope I’ve been able to correctly comprehend the point that Baba Bulleh Shah is trying to make here.