ਭਿਸਤੁ (bhisat)
Meaning: noun: Paradise, heaven.
Quote:
ਦਾਸੁ ਕਬੀਰੁ ਤੇਰੀ ਪਨਹ ਸਮਾਨਾਂ॥ ਭਿਸਤੁ ਨਜੀਕਿ ਰਾਖੁ ਰਹਮਾਨਾ॥
daas kabeer teree panah samaanṅaa. bhisat najeek raakh rahmaanaa.
O Merciful Lord! Servant Kabir is in Your shelter, keep him near You! (This closeness) is heaven for me. – Bhagat Kabir, Guru Granth Sahib, 1161
Message: Each religion believes in its own version of heaven. The Muslims had a version of a seventh heaven in which Allah had an army, generals, attendants and thousands of prophets around Him. The Hindus believed in the grandeur of the city of God. The story of Adam and Eve having to leave a paradise is also well documented.
Bhagat Kabir in the verse above is seeking shelter in God’s presence. He comes to God as a beggar at His door. It is a plea to remain close to the Divine in terms of being in fellowship with the Divine – His wisdom, His virtues, and His will (hukam) for this devotee. To Bhagat Kabir, being in divine presence in this manner is akin to being in heaven.
It is believed that Bhagat Kabir uttered the hymn from which the above verse is taken, in response to a Muslim’s suggestion to him to convert to Islam. Bhagat Kabir humbly declines his offer saying it would be impossible for a poor man to reach such a mighty God. He would be better off in the presence of that Divine who is pervading within His creation.
ਜਿਥੈ ਰਖਹਿ ਬੈਕੁੰਠੁ ਤਿਥਾਈ ਤੂੰ ਸਭਨਾ ਕੇ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਪਾਲਾ ਜੀਉ॥
(O Divine!) You are the cherisher of all; heaven is where You keep me. – Guru Arjan Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib, 106
Etymology: From Persian bihisht (paradise, heaven).
