The full name of Saint Wajid Sahib was Wajid Ali Shah. He was the youngest among his Guru brothers, so his short, cute name ‘Wazid’ became popular. Although in his compositions he himself has used words like Wajid, Bajid, Bajind, Wajid, Janbajid etc. for his name, yet the name Wajid became popular. Wajid Sahib was a Muslim by caste. He was born in Sanganer, Rajasthan. No authentic information is available regarding his date of birth, parents etc.
It is said that Wajid Saheb was very fond of hunting since childhood. Before the glimpse of sainthood, he used to hunt wild animals often. In this way, while hunting, he was entering youth from adolescence. One day Wajid was roaming the jungle in search of prey. Suddenly he saw a beautiful deer. Then what, he shot an arrow at it. The deer got badly injured as soon as the arrow hit it. The injured deer kept on writhing in unbearable pain for a long time. Wajid kept on watching her writhing in pain, not just watching, he started becoming one with her. It seemed as if Wajid himself was writhing in pain in the form of the deer. The cruelty of being a hunter was washed away. The heart-rending pain of the deer melted Wajid’s heart. Finally when the deer gave up its life in writhing pain, a spring of tears burst forth in Wajid’s heart.
Wajid was no longer the same Wajid he was before this incident. He broke his bow and arrows and threw them away. The pain of the deer filled his heart. He could not handle the sudden outpouring of compassion and immense pain. He started wandering from forest to forest in search of a saint or sage who could take care of him. His eyes were always looking for the huts of sages and saints. Wandering like this he reached Amer. What a game of existence it was, there he got the good fortune of meeting Saint Dadu Saheb.
Parallel to the above incident, it is also popular that Wajid did not shoot the arrow at that beautiful deer. He was about to shoot the arrow when he saw the extraordinary beauty in the carefree gait of that deer, in its stride, in its aloofness, in the swiftness of its jump and at that very moment he threw away the bow and arrow. That extraordinary beauty was just a glimpse as if it was the flash of lightning. Now he did not return home but kept searching for sages and saints in the jungles to get this beauty. That beauty was as if a glimpse of God, which is not visible now. There was no desire to get it. There was great longing, the separation from him would warm the heart. One day he reached Amer to take refuge with Saint Dadu Dayal.
Dadu sahab called Wajid and said something. Dadu’s words were like the first rain of Ashadh and Wajid’s heart was like a land heated by pain. As soon as the drops of his words fell, a sweet fragrance started rising from his heart. Wajid was completely convinced that the relief from his inner pain was possible only at the feet of Dadu sahab. Just like he had broken the bow and arrow one day and thrown it away, similarly he broke his ego and threw it away and within no time the seed lying in Wajid’s heart blossomed into the creeper of discipleship. Dadu sahab accepted him as his disciple. Wajid received initiation from him and started living in Amer while receiving teachings. He started walking on the path of sadhana shown by Dadu sahab. Now meditation and sadhana became his life.
People estimate that when Wajid came to Dadu’s refuge, he must have been a young man of about 20 years. With the immense grace of Dadu Saheb, Wajid’s inner eyes opened and he became Wajid Saheb from Wajid. When the lamp of truth was lit inside Wajid Saheb, the tune of truth started resonating, the source of compassion that had burst forth in his heart, now started bursting out from his lips in the form of beautiful poetry through that tune. Just as he was a simple man, his poetry was also simple and easy to reach the heart. His poetry had the sweet fragrance of soil. His poetry started getting respect among the saints as well. Many poets, devotees and saints also included his ‘Arill’ chhand in their compositions. In this way, he became a great saint poet. Was decorated as.
It is also a popular belief that while strolling, Wajid sahab reached Raja Mansingh’s garden. The garden was beautiful but one of the flowers blooming in that garden fascinated him. He plucked that flower and brought it and offering it at the feet of Guru, said, ‘Prabhu! See its beauty, how unique it is.’ Wajid sahab was thinking that Sadguru would be very happy, but contrary to his expectation, Dadu sahab said, ‘Wajid, you are still stuck on the beauty of worldly things. Haven’t you started seeing the beauty of their creator God in these things yet? There is no end to the beauty of that God. The beauty of that God is infinite and eternal. This is the truth. Only He and His beauty reside in my heart, no one else. Only that life is meaningful which gives this purposeless joy and resides in the mind, heart, speech and eyelids.’ Accepting this advice of Sadguru, Wajid sahab got immersed in deep meditation. Ever since he came, he kept on doing sadhna at the feet of Sadguru in Amer for 17-18 years. Paramguru Osho says that God appeared in a beautiful form within Wajid. Finding God in the true form is a long journey, it seems philosophical. It is easy to find God in the form of beauty because beauty is the nearest door to God.
It is said that at the end of Dadu Saheb’s life, he had 152 disciples. He asked 52 disciples to establish Gaddis in different places and carry forward the Guru-disciple tradition and contribute to the welfare of the world. He asked the remaining 100 disciples to go to Bhairana mountain and continue their sadhana. Wajid Saheb was also among those 100 disciples.
As per the wish of his Guru, he made a cave in Bhairana mountain and started meditating on Lord Hari.
Wajid sahab was in the cave when Sant Haridas ji, a disciple of Dadu sahab, came to meet him. After some laughter and jokes, Wajid sahab preached to Haridas ji that, ‘The life of a living being is of four days like the silk cotton flower. Therefore, to attain Hari, one should give up sensual pleasures, lust and greed for money. One should not quarrel with anyone because it contains anger and anger contains death. Sadguru-Surrender, truth, affection and sweet words are the path to God’s devotion.
It is not known exactly when Wajid Saheb’s physical life ended, but his sense of beauty and the sweet fragrance of his poetry are still making the land of Rajasthan fragrant.
