Bhai Nand Lal 'Goya' was a Afghan poet who became part of Aurangzeb's court. Witnessing the putrid moral conditions and fanaticism of the royal court, he found cool refuge at the feet of Guru Gobind Singh. Guru Gobind Singh, was warring against the Mogul emperor in defense of human rights, body and soul.
Behind the battle lines, over 50 emminet scholars laboured to create literature, new and translated, for the new patter of mind which the Tenth Master was designing for his followers.
Like background music behind the creation of the Master and the men of letters, came the beautiful songs of devotion of Bhai Nand Lal. The themes range from the condition of the beloved (bhagat), the relation between the bhagat and the Beloved (Guru Gobind Singh and Supreme Being merge like a stream into the ocean...one cannot tell the difference) and the Beloved Himself.
This poetry is guaranteed to strain tears from your eyes as the dew is born daily of the dawn. The bhagat is hopelessly drawn in the love play of the Beloved.
One couplet of Bhai Nand Lal Ji's work will be presented weekly for the benefit of Panthic Weekly readers.
Devotion to You
Devotion to You, like the breeze, blew me into the garden of existence.
There is no other urge for me to take birth.
Happy is the life that is spent in your worship.
What else is there to gain beneath the blue dome?
The moment I am without your thought, I die.
Without you what purpose have I in my life?
May my soul and self be a sacrifice to the dust of His feet,
Who shows me the way to your presence.
There were no sign posts on the pilgrim’s way,
Through heaven or earth.
It was the zeal of my quest which brought me to the threshold of worship.
Existence without your though, O Goya, is not possible.
If pining for you ceases, then the end of life is the only thing coveted.
Source : The Pilgrims Way : Diwan of Bhai Nand Lal Goya - Poet Laureate by BPL Bedi.
