Malik Muhammad Jayasi was a prominent Indian Sufi poet and pir, known for his contribution to Hindi literature during the Bhakti movement. Jayasi, who resided in Jayas, established a flow of love-linked cult (Premashrayi Dhara) in ‘Nirgun Brahmopasana’ selecting the medium of the story of ‘Padmawati’ and ‘Ratnasen’. By subjugation (meeting) and seperation- ‘Sanyoga’ and ‘Viyoga’, he dictated the lession of Gyan and Yoga.
Accepting this very basic conception Jayasi in his ‘Padmavat‘ writes indicating lusty worldly love and spiritual unworldly love in ‘Masanavi Shaili’. The object of Jayasi is to find his most beloved God by love. This love-current, this stream of love in his poetry, is the chief aim of Jayasi, and that he found.
His Birth
“भा अवतार मोर नव सदी” (My birth occurred in Hijri Nine Hundred) and “जायस नगर मोर असथानू” (My resident is at Jayas Nagar’) like assertions established Jayasi’s birth place in Jayas Nagar (Rae Bareli) in Hijri 900, Christian year 1495. A fearful dangerous earthquake occured at the time of his birth, as in his ‘Akhiri Qalam’ he said :
“आवत उधत चार बिधि थाना । भा भूकम्प जगत अकुलाना……
गिरि पहार पर्वत हिलि गये । सात समुंद कीच मिल गये ।”
(At my coming in the world four types of disturbances took place. There was earthquake, the whole world became perturbed. The hills and mountains shook, seven oceans became muddy.)
Akhiri Qalam: JayasiHis ancestors were resident of Arab, and they came into India probably in connection with their business. He lost his one eye due to attack of smallpox in his very early childhood. His parents left this world when he was a child and wandered here and there with saints and Fakirs. His maternal father kept him with himself, married him and gave him good settlement.
There were seven sons to him, but all died in an accident of the falling of the roof of the house. Since then he felt detachment (Vairagya) from the world and left the house living in connection of Fakeeras. He made Sufi saint Sheikh Mubarak Bodle his Guru and accepted the path of Sufi religious faith (Sufi Sampradaya). His fame as a Sufi saint spread abroad and from his works he explained the Sufi ideas.
His Works
- Akharavat
- Padmavat
- Sikhanavat
- Chandravat
- Irtavat
- Matkavat
- Chitravat
- Muraeenama
- Makharnama
- Posteenama
- Maharanama
- Holinama, and
- Akhiri Qalam.
In all these ‘Padmavat‘, ‘Akharavat‘, and ‘Akhiri Qalam’ are accepted his authentic works. Padmavat has proved itself a classic, and due to this creation, Jayasi has got a poet’s standard worth counting.
Acharya Ramchandra Shukla thought Tulsidas‘ Ram Charit Manas’ composed taking the inspiration of this work of Jayasi. Padmavat caused Jayasi an inexhuastible fame. In ‘Akharavat’ alphabetically the Sufi theories Have been explained. In ‘Akhiri Qalam’ there is explanation of heaven and hill and in his noted work ‘Padmavat’ the relation of ‘Brahma’ and Jeeva’ has been depicted through the worldly love of ‘Padmavati’ and ‘Ratnasen’.