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Muslim / Sufi

18th Century

Pakistan/India
(Indian Subcontinent)

Sachal Sarmast

Timeline (1739 - 1829)

Poems by Sachal Sarmast
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Sachal Sarmast, Sachal Sarmast poetry, Muslim / Sufi, Muslim / Sufi poetry, poetry, poetry, poetry

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The name Sachal Sarmast can be translated as Ecstatic Saint of Truth. He is sometimes called Sachoo, The Truthful.

Sachal Sarmast was born in the Sindh region of what is today Pakistan, and is considered one of the great poets and Sufi mystics to emerge from the region.

His teachings have often been compared with al-Hallaj, the Sufi martyr who ecstatically proclaimed, "I am the Truth." Rather than blindly following tradition, Sachal urged people to seek the truth directly. And like ibn Arabi and others, Sachal Sarmast taught a vision of Unity called Wahdat al-Wujud, which others have compared to the great nondualist teachings of Advaita Vedanta within Hinduism and Zen/Chan within Buddhism.

Sachal Sarmast once said, "He (God) is everywhere and in each and every phenomenon. He has come here just to witness His own manifestation."

Sachal Sarmast was born Abdul Wahab in the village of Daraza in the Sindh region. His father died when he was a young child, and Abdul Wahab was raised by his uncle, who also became his spiritual master.

His soul was deeply moved by music. Listening to music, he was often enraptured, tears pouring down his face.

Sachal Sarmast married, but the young woman died two years later. He never remarried.

He took the name Sachal, Truth. Later people added Sarmast, Leader of the Ecstatics, to his name in appreciation of his spiritual poetry.

Sachal Sarmast lived a humble, ascetic life, preferring solitude, simple meals of daal and yogurt. It is said that he never left Daraza, the village of his birth. Yet he composed sacred poetry in seven different languages, poetry that is loved and sung to this day.

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Unfortunately, I haven't yet found a good single source of Sachal Sarmast's poetry in English. I've only discovered scattered verses translated on the Internet. We are waiting for a book of inspired translations of Sachoo.

Poems by Sachal Sarmast

	Friend, this is the only way
	I search in the streets, I cast my sights
	Neither did I roll rosary, nor did I ponder and pray
	'Tis not in religion I believe
	We are, what are we?
	You by yourself, know what is in your form!

Recommended Books

Sachal Sarmast: Sindhi Poet, by Kalyan B. Advani

Amazon.com

The Story of Melting: Sachal Sarmast's Persian Masnavi Gudaz-nama, by Sachal Sarmast

Amazon.com

Yaar di Gharoli / Kaafi - Sachal Sarmast: From Songs of the Mystics (mp3 song), by Abida Parween

Amazon.com

Related Links:

	Sachal Sarmast: The Great Sufi Poet of Sindh http://www.sachalsarmast.org/Home/sachal.html A brief biography and several examples of Sachal Sarmast's poetry in English. Although limited, this is still one of the better pages I've found on the Internet.
	Gulraj http://yangtze.cs.uiuc.edu/~jamali/sindh/sufis/index.html An online book exploring Sindh culture and mysticism, including Sachal Sarmast.
	Sachal Sarmast http://sachalsarmast.org A Sufi website dedicated to Sachal Sarmast and his spiritual succesors. You can listen to audio samples of Sachal Sarmast's songs in their original language.
	Sachal Sarmast http://sufiblog.com/sachal-sarmast.html A short biography online.
	Sachal Sarmast Means a Truthful Mystic http://iaoj.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/sachal-sarmast-means-a-truthful-mystic/ Another short biography.
	Sachal Sarmast - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachal_Sarmast A very short biography, but a source for several verses in English.
	Sachal Sarmast http://sachalsarmast.org/main.htm A Sufi website devoted to Sachal Sarmast -- a short biography, photographs, lineage tables.

Please support the Poetry Chaikhana, as well as the authors and publishers of sacred poetry, by purchasing some of the recommended books through the links on this site. Thank you!

Poetry Chaikhana Sacred Poetry from Around the World

Sachal Sarmast

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Sacred Poetry from Around the World

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