Amir Khusrau

Amir Khusro, a Sufi poet saint, was the disciple of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. A spiritual seeker from the tender age of eight, Amir Khusrau (Khusro) arrived one day at the Khanaqqah (place of congregation for disciples of Sufi saints) of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. He thought to himself "I look for my Pir (teacher) who will draw me to his divine power". And in this quest he composed a quatrain and passed it on to the saint

"Oh mighty King,

You empower the humblest of birds

Perched upon your palace wall

To become a powerful hawk -

Such a meek person waits outside

Will he be beckoned

Or should he go away".

To which the reply came....

"If you are the one who knows the Truth, come in,

Share a moment of divine secrets.

If you know not what I say

Then the path that brought you here

Will take you away".

The saint knew that this was the moment designed by destiny; the moment which would change Khusrau's way of seeing the world. Devotion to his Pir, the subject of his art and channel of quest for God.

One day when Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya saw people worshipping in different ways on the river Yamuna, he remarked how each person has his own way of reaching God.

"Har quaum raast deene wa qibla gahe..."

to which Khusrau added

"Man qiblah raast kardam bar taraf e kal kulaahe.."

My way to Him is through the one who wears the tilted cap (referring to Auliya).

As part of his quest he also evolved several original Raagas, gave new feelings and meanings to them. He gave sound a new timbre..he gave the music lover the six stringed magic of the Sehtar.. the Sitar.

The poetry of Khusrau is a goldmine of spiritual thought, romance, and wisdom. It connects with secrets so diverse and subtle, wooing the human mind to surrender passionately to the beauty of the Sublime. Through his poetry he walks down the garden of love hand in hand with his beloved as if you and he were one.

He takes you through the rain, the clouds and meadows into the realm of separation and union... you hear the birds, you feel the wind..you feel the tears roll down in the pain of separation...

Excerpts for the CD cover 'The Tilted Cap' by Muzaffar Ali and Shafqat Ali Khan.

The mausoleum of Hazrat Nizammudin Auliya is located in Delhi. The tomb of Amir Khusrau is also located in the complex and the visitors to the Dargah pay their respects to Khusrau before Nizammudin Auliya as a mark of the special bond between the Pir and Murid (the disciple or the one commited to a teacher on the spiritual path of Sufism)

Here are some of Amir Khusrau's poems translated into English from Persian:

The lovers behold your limitless beauty

...A thousand idols fade away

In love I wander in your realm..shed bitter tears

Those who see my plight well up with sympathy

As dark nights engulf you in deep slumber

I count the stars till the break of day...

Though all is not well with Khusrau's heart

Yet, O fair aced beloved, how can I speak ill of thee...

How can I leave my beloved in this enchanting rain

How do i wrench this heart away

Heavens pour as I leave my love

Each weeps in loneliness, each it's own way

Meadows green, the orchards bloom and sway,

But the dark nightingale, in separation, moans miles away

Entangled I am in yours locks and yet, in one stroke,

You have severed my being, parted me from my beloved

O pupil of my eyes, shedding tears of blood

Become one with the bloodshot eyes.. do not get away

Beauty will not last for long if you keep yourself away from Khusrau

Without the thorn a flower wilts soon enough, if plucked away