--- title: Jinda Pir. — Folk tales of Sind and Guzarat · full text with trees description: Jinda Pir., «Folk tales of Sind and Guzarat» by C. A. Kincaid: the whole chapter, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics. It begins: In my last chapter I related how the saint Udero Lal and his disciple Phugar, after diving into the Indus near Nasarpur, came to the surface between Ro --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76982/9/) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [tales](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/) / [Folk tales of Sind and Guzarat](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76982/) / Jinda Pir. # Jinda Pir. Jinda Pir. of «Folk tales of Sind and Guzarat» by C. A. Kincaid: the whole text, 190 sentences and 3342 words. The small number after every sentence leads to its own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76982/9/page/2/) In my last chapter I related how the saint Udero Lal and his disciple Phugar, after diving into the Indus near Nasarpur, came to the surface between Rohri and Sukkur and landed on a rocky island.[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") The island is still there and bears on its rounded back a temple to Zinda Pir.[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the Hindus Zinda or the living Pir is none other than Udero Lal.[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the Musulmans he is somebody quite different.[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the Musulmans, the river Indus flowed once past Alor and not past Rohri.[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") Somewhere in the tenth century A.D. a Hindu king called Dalurai ruled at Alor.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") He and his brother Sasu Rai practised every kind of abomination.[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") Such were their wickedness and their vigour that they enforced the jus primae noctis on every young lady, who was married within their dominions.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") On one occasion a pious Musulman merchant named Shah Hussein was going down the Indus, so that he might sail from its mouth to Arabia and visit Mecca.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") With him journeyed his beautiful daughter.[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") On the way they stopped at Alor and the beauty of the merchant’s daughter was noised abroad and reached the ears of King Dalurai, who instantly demanded that she should be sent to his palace.[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") But neither Shah Hussain nor his daughter had any wish that she should become the concubine of a Hindu king.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") They both prayed fervently to Zinda Pir.[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") He appeared in a vision to the young girl and bade her and her father board their boat and weigh anchor.[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") They did so and the stream at Zinda Pir’s command, changed its course and leaving Alor, brought the boat and its burden to Rohri.[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") When Shah Hussain awoke next morning, he was close to Udero Lal’s island.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") To it he moored his boat and built the temple, that stands there to this day.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") On it are the words “Darga Ali.”[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") These give the date 341 A.H. or 961 A.D.[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") The above tale explains the foundation of the temple but it does not tell us who the saint himself was.[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") Earnest Christians will hear with surprise that he is none other than their old friend the prophet Elijah.[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") They will probably exclaim with Molière’s M. Géronte “Mais que diable allait-il faire dans cette galère?”[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") It was this way.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the Islamic legend, Elijah was in a former life a very holy man indeed, named Balya Ebn Malkan.[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") Because of the colour of his garment, he was also known as Al Khisr or the Prophet of the Green robe.[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") Balya Ebn Malkan was the contemporary of Moses and in Chapter 18 of the Koran we find him going with Moses on a most interesting circular tour.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") The story is shortly this.[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") Once the great Jewish sage was preaching to his people with such wisdom and eloquence that at the close of his sermon, they asked him whether there was any man in the world wiser than he was.[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") Conscious of his great powers, he replied in the negative.[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") That night God appeared to him in a dream, rebuked him for his vanity and told him that his servant Al Khisr was wiser than he was.[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") Moses asked where he could meet this paragon of wisdom.[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") God answered that Moses would find Al Khisr near a rock where two seas met.[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") If Moses took a fish with him in a basket, the spot where he missed the fish would be the place where the prophet of the green robe dwelt.[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") Moses took Joshua and a fish with him and in due course missed the fish and found the prophet.[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") Moses asked leave to be Al Khisr’s disciple and to learn his wisdom.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") Al Khisr answered that if Moses came and suffered all that Al Khisr did without asking any questions he could be his disciple, but not otherwise.[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") Moses promised to do so and the two prophets went to the sea shore and boarded a ship.[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") Al Khisr at once made a hole in the bottom of it.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") Moses indignantly asked whether he wanted to drown every soul on board.[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") But his companion sternly reminded Moses of his promise and left the ship.[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") A little later they met a youth.[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") Al Khisr struck him so violently on the head that he died at once.[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") Moses angrily asked why he had taken an innocent life.[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") Al Khisr again rebuked him and went his way to a city.[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") There they saw a crumbling wall which the citizens could not repair.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") Al Khisr touched the wall with his hand and it became as if it had been newly built.[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") Moses asked him why he did not claim from the citizens a rich reward.[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") Al Khisr then turned on his unfortunate disciple and cast him forth.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") “Three times” said Al Khisr, “you have broken your promise and questioned my acts.[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") You are not worthy to be my pupil.[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") I made a hole in the ship to save it from the king’s men.[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") Had it been seaworthy, they would have taken the ship by force and given the owner nothing.[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") I killed the youth, because although the son of true believers, he was himself an unbeliever and I feared lest he should corrupt the faith of his parents.[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") I repaired the wall for nothing, because hidden under it was a treasure, which a righteous man had buried there before he died.[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") He left two orphan sons and it is God’s will that when they reach man’s state, they shall find their father’s treasure.”[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") During Al Khisr’s existence as Balya Ebn Malkan he found and drank the waters of immortality.[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") That was why as Elijah he did not die, but was transported to heaven in a fiery chariot.[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") And because he drank the waters of immortality, he is always connected with running water; and with what nobler stream, could he be associated than the Indus, as it passes through the Sukkur gorge?[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") To-day the special duty of Zinda Pir is to help the Indus boatmen when in distress.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") His functions are thus similar to those of the ancient Dioscuri, of whom Macaulay wrote:[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") “Safe comes the ship to harbour Through billows and through gales If once the great twin brethren Sit shining on the sails.”[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") The Indus is terribly dangerous in July and August, when the mighty river swollen by the melting snows of the Himalayas comes tearing and tossing through the gorge.[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") So one who has seen the Indus in flood can never forget the sight.[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") It is then that the boatmen pray to Al Khisr.[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") To attend more closely to their prayers, Al Khisr comes in person to his temple and for forty days sits in a little niche specially reserved for him.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") The niche has comfortable cushions and in front of it is laid a copy of the Koran.[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") The saint is invisible, but the mujavars or attendants of the mosque or temple know that he has been there; for when the forty days begin they place in front of the niche the Koran open at the first page and when the forty days are past, they find the Koran open at the last page.[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") Elijah has in his leisure moments read the Koran from cover to cover.[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") ABDUL LATIF, the Author of SHAH JO RISALO.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") Abdul Latif’s grandfather Shah Karim was a Sayad of Matari and so celebrated for his piety that his mausoleum at Bulree in the Karachi District is still the scene of an annual fair.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") Shah Karim was born in 1558 A.D. and died it is said in 1660 A.D.[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") The tale runs that while Shah Karim was yet a boy, he met a fakir in a mosque.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") The fakir had been a soldier, but the awful consequences of war had so preyed on his mind that he had deserted the army.[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") Shah Karim became the spiritual follower of this fakir and grew up so renowned a saint that it was commonly said that whereas Bahawaldin, a rival saint, could make a live man dead, Shah Karim could make a dead man alive.[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") Shah Karim removed to Bulree and had three sons, one of whom Shah Habib was the father of Abdul Latif, the subject of our article.[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") The date of his birth is to be found in the Persian line on his mausoleum.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") Gardeed mahw ishk wujoode Latif Meer.[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") (The spirit of the lordly Latif was absorbed in love).[78](78/ "tree and pragmatics") According to the Abjad system, this gives the date of his death as 1751 A.D.[79](79/ "tree and pragmatics") As he was sixty-three when he died, he was born in 1688 A.D.[80](80/ "tree and pragmatics") He thus lived to see the establishment of the Kalhora dynasty, the invasion of Nadir Shah in 1739 and that of Ahmad Shah Durani in 1748.[81](81/ "tree and pragmatics") Abdul Latif fell in love with a beautiful Moghul girl, the daughter of one Mirza Beg.[82](82/ "tree and pragmatics") He was said to be a descendant of Mirza Jani Beg of the Turkhan dynasty, whose tombs are among the Makli Hills.[83](83/ "tree and pragmatics") Abdul Latif serenaded the lovely girl in verses written by himself, until he was ordered off the premises by her father.[84](84/ "tree and pragmatics") Undefeated, he turned himself into a pigeon and cooed his love to the fair maiden from the trellis of her balcony.[85](85/ "tree and pragmatics") Even so Mirza Beg with a father’s vigilance pierced his disguise and threatened to set his falcons on Abdul Latif, unless he flew away.[86](86/ "tree and pragmatics") The unhappy Abdul Latif went and sat on a sandhill and watched the house of the Moghul girl with such devotion from afar, that the sandhill grew round him until it had covered all but his head.[87](87/ "tree and pragmatics") A goatherd Jam by name who passed saw his head sticking out.[88](88/ "tree and pragmatics") He told Abdul Latif’s father, Shah Habib, who had his son dug up.[89](89/ "tree and pragmatics") But Abdul Latif was still beside himself with amorous passion.[90](90/ "tree and pragmatics") He went to a carpenter and induced him to hollow out a tamarisk tree, that stood by itself in a cemetery.[91](91/ "tree and pragmatics") Latif got inside the hollow tree and looked out on the world through a single cleft.[92](92/ "tree and pragmatics") In vain Shah Habib sought everywhere for his son.[93](93/ "tree and pragmatics") At last his lamentations touched the heart of the carpenter, who shewed him his son’s hiding place.[94](94/ "tree and pragmatics") Shah Habib took his son home, but an evil fate overtook the carpenter.[95](95/ "tree and pragmatics") As a punishment for betraying Abdul Latif’s hiding place, he became a leper.[96](96/ "tree and pragmatics") Shah Habib licked the sores, so that they healed, all save one obstinate one that remained open on his forehead.[97](97/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76982/9/page/2/) - ← previous: [Udero Lal.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76982/8/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76982/9/page/2/) - ↑ back to [Folk tales of Sind and Guzarat](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg76982/)