17) Ratee jagayn tay shaikh sada wayn
18) Parr raat nu jaagan kutay, tay to utay
— Bulleh Shah
Meaning
Where the angels wake, the Shaikh always stays, and where the night keeps awake, there too is a way.
Explanation
This couplet is a playful yet profound challenge to perceived vigilance. Bulleh Shah seems to be addressing someone who boasts of their constant awareness or spiritual wakefulness. The Shayar suggests that mere claims of staying awake all night are insufficient. True awareness, or the deepest form of spiritual realization, is something far more subtle and challenging to maintain—it is a question directed at the heart, not just the eyes.
