It is all happening during Akbar’s reign. A most beautiful girl is born to a Siyyal family in Southern Punjab. The birth of Heer, after four sons, calls for major celebrations in Chuchak’s family. Chuchak is a shikdar and a landlord in Jhang. As Heer grows older word of her beauty spreads in the surrounding areas.

As she turns twelve, all the Siyyals start worrying about her marriage. At this time a proposal comes from the Khehra tribe asking for Heer’s hand for the son of their chief. Chuchak discusses it with the other Siyyals and accepts. The party of kammis bringing the proposal is sent off with gifts.

Festivities start as soon as the kammi’s break the news to the Khehras. The ecstatic Khans start gathering in great numbers with their best horses and camels to go over to the village of the Siyyals. The engagement of Saida Khehra with Heer is an occasion for major celebrations. Musicians, singers and dancers, all join in the procession. The kammis carry gifts and riches for distribution. They all reach the Siyyals singing and dancing. During the next few days all the rites and rituals of engagement take place in the midst of celebrations and the relationship is formalized.

Once the celebrations are over, Heer, who has been quite detached from the happenings, continues her life as before. Surrounded by a large number of friends, she spends most of the day playing outside. They play in the forest or at the swings and in the evening go to bathe in the river. Everyone fears Heer’s temper and stays out of her way. She walks through the forest like a lioness.

“Jidde Kidde Chuchak hondi, dharohi hor na kai
Heerey sandi dharohi pondi, sari zameen niwai
Katak samet phirey wich jhallan, mehri zameen kambai
Kahe Damodar wah saleti, dhan Chuchak di jai (#39)
“Wherever the daughter of Chuchak goes, no one else can do anything
And where Heer does something, the whole world bows down around her
With regal splendour she walks the forests, land trembling under her feet
What a girl! Says Damodar, the valor of the daughter of Chuchak”

Up the river in a nearby village lives Noora, a landlord of the Sumbul zat (caste). One day he decides to have a unique boat made for himself. Once the boat is complete, he sends for Luddan, the best of the boatmen from a far off village, to come and take care of his boat. While working for Noora, Luddan, one day, allows a landlord from the area who had come to look at the boat to board the boat instead of referring him to Noora. When Noora hears of this he gets furious and orders Luddan to be brought to him and gives him a beating. Luddan laments about being dishonored and insulted in this way in his old age but no one comes to his rescue.

One night, still angry and bitter about what had happened, Luddan takes off with the boat. After some time he realizes what he has done and what this will lead to. He knows that people will take him for a thief and no one will protect him from the wrath of Noora. He pulls the boat to the bank and is lost in his worries when suddenly he runs into Heer. He tells her what he has done. Hearing of the injustice to the old man Heer gets furious and tells him that he is to live under her protection. Once she sees the boat she likes it too and tells Luddan to keep the boat and that when Noora comes she will break his legs herself. Luddan asks her to call an elder, her father or perhaps her uncles, as it would not be possible for a girl to protect him when Noora comes to drag him away. Hearing this, Heer resolves to handle the matter herself. She fears not Noora, nor anyone else for that matter.

One day someone from Noora’s village passes by and identifies the boat and tells Noora about it. He wonders how the Siyyals could dishonor Noora in this way. Noora, upset and ashamed, sends a messenger with a very strong message to Chuchak saying that they better tie up Luddan and turn him over along with the boat or he would be forced to take arms against them. When Chuchak gets the message he is shocked at the nerve of the man who is threatening them like this. He reacts by having the messenger beaten up and insulted.

The messenger goes back and tells Noora how the Siyyals responded to his threat and dishonored Noora by insulting his kammi. Noora feels obligated to respond. So he gets all his companions together and they set out on 300 horses to bring back Luddan and the boat. Along the way, afraid of the bloodshed, they start having second thoughts about taking on the Siyyals. They decide to go through the forest instead of the regular path and take Luddan and the boat back without engaging in a fight. As they approach the river through the forest, Luddan, looking at the dust-cloud, realizes what was to come and asks Heer to make a compromise and at least give them back the boat. But Heer and all her friends really want the fight. Luddan again begs them to call the men and not to take on the army themselves but to no avail. All the girls go to their homes and without telling anyone get appropriately dressed and pull out swords.

By the time Noora and his companions reach the river, they are astonished to find Heer’s group armed and ready to fight. Heer introduces herself as Chuchak’s daughter and challenges Noora to fight. He is unable to refuse her challenge, and coming forward gets injured by Heer. Hassi, one of Heer’s special friends, asks Heer to reconsider as this does not seem right. Heer tells her friends that this is the first time that they have had to fight like this and they need to show everyone what they are capable of. They draw their swords, take their shields and invoking the name of Ali (a slogan in the name of Caliph Ali, often used by Muslim armies right before they launch an attach), jump on to Noora’s group. Even as the men get tired and want to withdraw, the girls would not let them. Noora finally tells his friends that this is not a good idea because if they die at the hands of girls, that would really be a dishonor. Heer, challenges Noora to come back into the fight for they have not had their fill yet. The men are quite impressed with the women of Siyyal who do not even fear death. Thus the episode ends with both Luddan and the boat remaining with Heer.

And now we go back in time to the birth of Ranjha. Far north of Jhang, in Hazara, there lives another landlord, Muazzam, who is a shikdar for his area. He is a Ranjha by zat. He has a son named Dhedo who from his early childhood has been known for his radiance and attraction. His mother dies when he is six. His elder brothers Tahir and Zahir, jealous of how people are attracted to him and afraid that if he grows up, he would certainly take the place of the father as the shikdar, keep making plans to kill him.

Muazzam, who has an idea of how the brothers feel about Dhedo, keeps him close to himself and further decides to have a guardian for him, just in case he himself were to die. So he secretly writes a letter to his friend, Khan Yaqub Warriach, a landlord of a neighboring village and asks him for help. Yaqub Warriach calls all members of his tribe and reads them the letter asking for suggestions. They know of Dhedo and suggest that he could be married into their tribe, to Yaqub’s daughter. Muazzam is overjoyed to hear of this and all kinds of celebrations follow. He decides, under the circumstances, to break the traditions and send Dhedo off to the bride’s tribe after marriage. He writes to Warriach that as he is old and wants to make sure that this arrangement works out, he wants to take care of it as soon as possible. Thus the preparations for the wedding start. Dhedo looks captivating and everyone who sees him cannot help but fall in love with him. But things do not go as planned. Before the wedding, Muazzam dies.

After the death of the father, the two elder brothers take all of the wealth and again start planning to get rid of Dhedo. They wonder if it would be better to poison him or to strangle him. They wonder if it would be too obvious to kill him immediately after the father’s death. Dhedo sensing that they are cheating him out of the wealth, tells them that after his father’s death there is no love left for him in the family and that they can continue to distribute the land and wealth amongst themselves. Dhedo would just walk around in a loyee. People in the village, feeling bad about what was happening, start talking more openly about what Tahir and Zahir are up to. Dhedo also hears about their ultimate plan to get rid of him. Thus in the middle of a night, taking with him his flute and his sarod (string instrument), without any money or food, he leaves his home.

Dhedo Ranjha goes into a mosque to spend the night. Early in the morning the girls, including the daughter of the sirdar (chief), come by the mosque to get water from the well. Then some Jats stop by and start asking Dhedo where he is heading. Dhedo tells them his story. The daughter of the sirdar goes straight to her home and tells her mother that she has found her mate in the mosque. They could make the arrangements for her or she was going off on her own. The mother slaps her across the face for having no shame. But she replies that she has thrown off her shyness and is already devoted to this young man. The mother goes off to see him for herself. She freezes as she lays eyes on Ranjha. Agreeing totally with her daughter’s choice, she announces that they are going to give their daughter in marriage to the stranger. As Ranjha has not eaten anything, food is brought to him in the mosque at night. But Ranjha, knowing that he has no intentions of marrying the girl considers the food haram (made unlawful by Islam). Thus, in the middle of the night, despite feeling the pangs of hunger, he leaves again without telling anyone.

When the hunger gets unbearable he goes into a house and asks for something to eat. The woman spreads out a white sheet and offers him good food. When the man of the house comes in he also treats Ranjha as a blessing and asks his wife to bring more food for the guest and to arrange for his stay at night. When he has rested they asked him about his family etc. Ranjha tells them that he has no family and no home. They offer him a mule or camel to travel on or a cow and a place to live if he wants to stay. But Ranjha, having acquired support and strength from them, takes his leave, telling them that he needs to go and pay homage to some Pirs after which he would come back to stay.

After a long and difficult journey, he reaches the village of the Siyyals. Standing on the bank of the river he wonders how to proceed. After a while he sits down and starts playing his flute. Suddenly, the Panj Pir (five Pirs) appear in a boat in the river, listening to his flute. The boat comes to the bank and the Pirs get off and join him. Thus, the six of them sit together and Ranjha tells them his whole story.

“Tan ghin haqiqat razi hoye, Ranjhay wanjhli wahee
Lalit rag wich wahi wanjhli, peeran changi bhaee
Hik hik with diti lay sabhnan, khatir aye razaee
Aakh Damodar Heer walaihan, Ranjhay pallay payee” (185)
“Satisfied knowing his story, they started listening to Ranjha’s flute
He played his flute in Rag Lalit which the peers loved
Each one pulled him to his chest, pleased with him
And as a reward they gave to him, Heer”

Then the Pirs go to Heer, in her dream, and tell her of the coming of her beloved. They also tell her not to accept anyone else but him. Before leaving, they give Ranjha milk to drink and suddenly Ranjha feels a radiance and a glow within and a new vision of everything. And thus, it was the Pirs who give Ranjha his love also.

Ranjha wakes up in the morning and swaying in a trance-like state, walks over to where Luddan is taking care of his boat. Luddan asks him where he is coming from and where he is heading. Then he asks Ranjha to play some of his music. Ranjha starts playing again and all the animals of the jungle including lions, tigers and snakes gather around him. Luddan gets intoxicated just listening to him. When Ranjha stops playing Luddan is so impressed that he offers him everything he has–his cows and his two wives. Ranjha tells him that he has no need of anything; he could keep his cattle. Then he asks him if he could just take a little nap on the bed nearby. Upon that Luddan goes quiet. Ranjha gets very upset that a moment ago this man was offering him all his cattle and wives and now he was not even willing to let him use the bed for a while. But Luddan explains that the bed belongs to Heer and that everyone is so terrified of her that no one would dare use her bed. Ranjha lays down on it anyway. Luddan allows him to do so thinking that he himself may lose his life over this, but it would be for Ranjha.

Heer is on the swings with her friends on the other side of the river. As the swing goes up she sees someone sleeping on her bed. Without thinking she jumps into the river and swims to the other side through the rough waters. People gather around to see what is happening. Luddan seeing the gathering knows that he will be killed today. Heer, furious, asks him if he is losing his mind of old age or is it that some powerful landlord, wanting to use her bed, has made him forget his loyalties to Heer. Listening to her yelling, Ranjha takes his loyee off his face. Suddenly there is light everywhere and even the fish in the water feel the shock. Everyone is overwhelmed looking at him. He jumps off the bed and is about to leave when she asks him if he could play his flute once. He starts playing and all the wild animals start gathering around them again.

Afterwards, Heer turns to Luddan with gratitude and tells him that she has always been waiting for him. Luddan tells her that that is why he had asked him to stay and offered him her bed. Heer looks at Ranjha quietly and knows that the Pirs have brought him to her. Ranjha on the other hand, also stunned, in his heart knew that she had been given to him by the Pirs.

“Dhedo pakr leeto ye Heeray, lay kaddi tay aaye
Trey se sath sahelian nalay, sahab khaid banayee
Kaddhi utay majlis baithay, Dhedo, Chuchak Jai
Kai na kissay nal bolaindi, aisee halat aayee” (215)
“Heer had made a connection with Dhedo, taking him with her
Now with three hundred and sixty girls, Ranjha played
They would have a majlis together, the girls, Ranjha, Heer
But how her inner state was changing, Heer could not share with a single one”
“Dukh na thammay, duskeen roway, koi bujh sakkay nahin
Ronday nain karaindi zari, keen thon dukh wandain” (221)
“Unending pain, continuous crying, no one could know why
Crying eyes continue craving, and no one to share the sorrow”

Heer’s friends start getting ideas about what to do with Ranjha. They all like him and desire him for themselves. Heer, however, still unable to talk, cannot stop the continuos flow of tears from her eyes. She feels a pain that would not end and cannot be shared. Finally upon Hassi’s insistence she tells her how in a way she regrets meeting Ranjha. She cannot imagine how she has spent her days, her life, without Ranjha. With Hassi’s support, she tells all the other girls to go away and play at the swings. Hassi, she asked to sit at a distance. Then she brings Ranjha to the bed.

“Koi na aakho Heeray mainon, na koi aakh Saleti
Zat sanat pachhano nahi, main chakay nal chakaiti
Kaddon Chuchak man peo mainda, main kiddan ohnan di baiti
Daman aa lagi lar tainday, jay pawan qabool jataiti
Tora trut gaya Heeray da, jo boli it bhatti
Hoi khak zameen di loka, rahi os mani na ratti
Gal wich pallu dast pairan tay, ishq machayee matti
Jeon peeran Ranjhay non ratta, teon Heer Ranjahitay ratti” (228-229)
“Let no one call me Heer, let no one call me Saleti
Let no one trace my caste, I am the caste of my Chak
I have no parents, I’m no one’s daughter
I’m here at your feet, if you accept this Jatti
Heer lost her command and her pride and rule
She was dust in the ground, her grandeur gone
In love and devotion, at the feet of Ranjha
What the Pirs were to Ranjha, Ranjha was to Heer”

Heer tells her mother that she has found a new chak (cowherd) for them who would take very good care of their cows. Thus Ranjha gets introduced to Chuchak. All the Siyyals sitting with Chuchak ask him where he is from. He evades the question and says that he is very hungry and would appreciate some food. When asked to send some food outside, Heer tells her father that there is enough food left over inside and that he should send anyone who needs to eat inside. Once inside, Ranjha has a feast, all prepared by Heer, who stands by him as he eats, with a fan in her hand.
After the meal he goes back to Chuchak and tells him his background and why he left home and has ended up with the Siyyals. Chuchak feels delighted to be able to help Muazzam Ranjha’s son and offers cattle, land to farm on and anything else that Dhedo needs to settle down there. But Ranjha, to Chuchak’s great surprise and disappointment, only wants to be Chuchak’s chak and take care of his cows.

Ranjha tells all about the cow whose milk it was. Chuchak is totally impressed with the psychic abilities of Ranjha almost as if he was a Pir or a seer. Impressed also with his great radiance, Chuchak gives him his desired job and orders a general celebration.

Ranjha takes the cows out for the first time. The chaks who have started feeling quite jealous of this new chak take his cattle and lead them into the jungle. At evening when Ranjha cannot find his cattle he just climbs a hill and starts playing his flute and again all the animals including the lions, the snakes and the cattle, like gopis responding to Krishna’s call, gather around him. He keeps patting the lions on the head as he walks back with them along with the cattle. The Siyyals watch in amazement as the water-buffaloes go into their respective places and start giving milk, even those that are typically very difficult, without any problems. They tell Chuchak and all the others about it. But Chuchak already knows that this is a very special chak, almost like a holy man (a wali).

The chaks, though, have not been too happy with Ranjha. He attracts wild animals like lions, tigers and snakes and moreover they feel jealous of how everyone seems to be just falling in love with this new chak. So they make a plan to get rid of him. They get their swords out and go out on a dark night to finish him off. Suddenly they are attacked by armies of horsemen, all dressed in black, riding black horses, who followed and dispersed them. In fear and shock they come to Chuchak and confess what they had planned to do and tell him about what happened. But Chuchak already knows that this new chak is blessed (has Baraqa). Thus the chak give up their quest as they realize that they cannot be an enemy of him who is so (Kamil) perfect and a friend of everyone, including the birds and the animals.

A couple of months pass like this. Heer would make churi (corn sweet) for Ranjha and take it to the jungle where he sat. Now the villagers started gossiping about this. The friends tell Heer that she is getting too involved.

“Asan tan kamil murshid paya, kujh lorinda nahin
Bairi peenghan tusan mubarik, asan son Ranjhan Sayeen” (#281)
“I have no needs, having my kamil murshid (perfected master)
You can have the swings and you can have the boat, for me, my Ranjha Sayeen”
Heer replies that they can go and have their swings and games; she needs nothing else now that she has found her perfect master. The friends are surprised at the clarity and the boldness of her answer.

The news travel all around that Chuchak’s daughter was having an affair (ashnai) with their chak. But no one dared to bring it to the parents’ attention. Finally the daughters-in-law of the family get together and talk to Kundi, Heer’s mother, complaining that Heer is spoiling her family name. The mother says that she will take poison if this is true. Next, Heer’s sisters-in-law ask Heer if she is involved with the chak. Heer retorts that it is really nothing and that it is not right for Khans to take part in such gossip unless they have seen something with their own eyes. Nonetheless, they warn Heer anyway that she should keep in mind who’s daughter she is and who’s daughter-in-law she is about to become. Next Heer’s mother, embarrassed in the community, asks her about it and Heer replies that she, a virgin, would know nothing of knowing a man in that way (an ashnai). The mother still insists that now that Heer is engaged to the Khehras, it is not acceptable for her to behave thus.

Finally, one day a worker asks Chuchak about what Heer has been doing. Chuchak, humiliated and shocked comes and asks Kundi about it. Kundi tells him that she has been hearing about it for some time too but that Heer denies it all. Chuchak calls his brother, Kaido1 , and asks if during his wanderings through the village he has heard anything. Kaido screams back that Chuchak has been totally dishonored and Kundi should have died rather than giving birth to a daughter like Heer. Chuchak asks him to go into the forest and find out what is really happening. Kaido, reluctantly, for he knows Heer’s temper, accepts the task.

At lunch-time Heer comes with the churi for Ranjha in the jungle, while Kaido hiding behind a tree sees it all. Ranjha asks Heer for some milk and as she walks away to get it, Kaido, pretending to be a beggar, comes and asks for the churi. Ranjha offers it to him without hesitation.

Kaido takes the churi and goes straight to Chuchak. He says that while everyone else is having regular food, look what the chak was getting for his lunch. Kundi, seeing how this will turn into more embarrassment for everyone, covers Heer saying that she had made the churi herself as an offering to be distributed among poor. When, on the other hand, Heer finds out that Kaido had been spying on her, she goes straight to his little cottage and burns it to the ground. When Kaido gets there she tells him that if he wants to stay alive, he should stay away from her.

One afternoon as Chuchak is walking through the forest he himself sees the two, Heer and Ranjha, sleeping together on the hill. He is so ashamed to see this that he could not face them and turns around. Heer gets up and sees him leaving and wakes Ranjha up. Chuchak, devastated by what he has seen, goes straight back home. When Ranjha goes to see him, he chastises him, whips him and tells him to leave. Ranjha, crying, goes back to his quarters and in his pain starts playing his music. The other chaks gather around him. Then, all the wild animals, birds, snakes, even the cows, like Krishna’s gopis, start gathering around him. Chuchak also could not help becoming intoxicated by that music. Finally Ranjha gets up to leave. As he walks away, all the other chaks and also all the cows leave with him. Chuchak, already moved by Ranjha’s pain, tells him that his hitting was more like a father hitting a son and that Ranjha should come back. Thus Ranjha turns around along with all of Chuchak’s cows.

Kundi and Chuchak now decide to arrange Heer’s marriage to the Khehras as soon as possible. But when Kundi talks to Heer, she replies that she can no longer be with anyone else but Ranjha because:

“Pani dul milya pani noon, baqi rahi na kai
Sun ambar! Ahe gal sachaween, keeti kain kurmai” (358)
“Water flowed and mixed with water and there was no separation left
Listen mother! This is the truth; do not plan any other weddings”
“Kahe Damodar mail karesee, aapay sacha sayeen” (371)
“The true sayeen would himself make our union happen”
“Sun sahab toon kamil murshid, main ajiz na azmaeen
Laggi aa main nal pairan day, chhrak na mainon jayeen
Daiween pak muhabat sachee, main koon na bharmaeen
Aakh Damodar suni Ranjhaita! Tairay pairan haith maraheen” (384)
“Listen my lord, a perfect master, do not put this meek one in a trial
Here I am stuck to your feet, do not push me away now
I beg you for your pure and true love, do not turn me away
Listen my Ranjha, my wish, to end my life in your feet”
“zahr ki pohe mao tehnanon, jehnan kamil ishq puchaye” (398)
“What harm can poison do, Mother, to those who have reached perfect devotion”
“Aakh Damodar kaun marainda, jain sar Dhedo sayeen” (414)
“Who is it that can harm me, under the shadow of Dhedo sayeen”

Khehras, she says, can go to hell! She can no longer be without her pure and sacred (pak) love. Ranjha, she says, has entered every pore of her body. And as far as she is concerned she is married to Ranjha already. She tells her mother that they have found a real Pir in Ranjha. When she cooks for him, if there is any part of the food that is not prepared or touched by her he would immediately know and would not eat it.

Her mother, cursing Ranjha, insists that the Khehras are pushing for marriage and can not be put off any longer. Also she says Heer would not be able to meet Ranjha any more as the whole village is already talking about them. She reminds Heer that even if they try to pull out of their bond with the Khehras, the Khehras are not going to back off easily and will claim her by force. There is no way out. Heer sighs and says that the true Sayeen himself, then, will have to get them together.
Thus the wedding is announced and the celebrations begin.

Heer and Ranjha meet once again in the jungle and while Heer shows great humility and loyalty to Ranjha, he starts questioning her intentions. He wonders how she can sit there with him while they are making preparations for her wedding with the Khehra. He reminds her that he also is the son of a landlord like Khehra and he has become a chak only for her.
The Khehras prepare their wedding procession with all kind of celebrations and festivity. The Siyyals also make plans for the reception. They do not let Heer out of their sight. Her brothers and Kundi’s brothers stay at home with her at all times. She tells them that she will not let anyone touch her body, now that she has been touched by Ranjha. She has only one heart and that is with Ranjha. She asks what they were going to send with the Khehras.

The Siyyals next go to Ranjha and threaten him. He tells them that after Heer there would be nothing left for him in that village anyway and he, accepting his fate, is planning to go back to Hazara from whence he came.

Heer, however, is not accepting things as easily. She stops eating, saying that without her master (Murshid), she cannot touch food. The brothers and uncles, finding no other way to save their family honor, afraid of what will happen in front of the Khehras and the whole world at the wedding, actually start thinking of killing her, except for Chuchak who intervenes at the last minute.

The wedding procession reaches the village and everyone gathers around to take part in the festivities and catch a glimpse of the bridegroom. Ranjha also thinks that before leaving, he might as well see Heer’s husband once. He goes close to the wedding party but due to the crowd, cannot see anything. In order to get higher he climbs on top of a bull and rides through the crowds. When the bridegroom sees Ranjha, he asks those around him about this young man. The chaks tell him that he is someone who wandered here from Hazara and works for Chuchak and is now here just watching the festivities. But Ranjha, riding that bull, had a special radiance about him. Saida Khehra could clearly see that:

“Ahe koi kamil sayyin sanda, tussan na mul likhaya
Azmat ki rushnai dissay, koi ban harifan laya
Nur inayat dissay nahayat, walliyan sanda saya
Aakho yaro! Kamil koi, apna aap chhupaya” (428)
“He is clearly a perfected being (Kamil Sayeen), you have failed to identify
His greatness is evident in the radiance of his face
A shining light, like a friend of the divine
Listen friends! He’s a perfected one, hidden”
“Kamil murshid main parna tainda, dooji ja na kai” (433)
“My perfect master, I am your mate, where else would I turn to”
“Asan kamil murshid paya, kujh lorinda nahin…
Aakh Damodar main Ranjhan dee, oh meray sir da sayeen” (437)
“I have found my perfect master, who needs anything else…
“Hik dil aahi, so Ranjhan lita, maye dooja dil naheen
Mard paraya na chhoohay asanon, namehram hath na layeen” (437)
“Only one heart I had, which Ranjha took, I have no more to give
Let no other man touch my body, namehram, keep their hands away”
“Aap rakhai asin day hathon, asin janahan nahin” (437)
“He himself moves through my hands, I know of nothing”
I belong to my Ranjha, he, my lord and my master”
“Payee jhat suraj rushnai, Ranjhay monh wikhaya
Uthi Heer, payee jhar paireen, tay gal wich palloo paya” (438)
“Ranjha showed his face, brilliant, like the radiance of the sun
And Heer got up and fell in his feet, her honor, now his”
“Jithay bhavi, banh tithahin, uzr beuzri da naheen
Mahin namani, kujh na janan, bajhon murshid sayeen
Athay pahr dhayan tussada, na karsan sans ajayeen
Akh Damodar was na mainday, jewn janain tewain nachain” (439)
“Tie me up wherever you like, I would argue not
Silly me, what do I know, except for my master, my sayeen
Every breath, every hour of the day, my mind focused on you
I am not the one in control, I dance however you make me.”
“Mama, veer na mehram koi, bajhon dhedo sayeen” (443)
“Other than my Dhedo sayeen, my uncle, my brothers, are mehrams no more”

Ranjha slowly finds a way to the back of the house. A friend of Heer tells her that Ranjha is there. Heer sneaks out and meets him. She touches his feet and hugs him. Ranjha tells her not to touch him. He tells her that she needs to go and settle down with the Khehras while he himself will return to Hazara. As for Heer, she is unaware of anything other than him. Her mind is totally focused on him every moment. She has surrendered totally to his will and will do anything, dance any way he wants her to dance. Ranjha leaves her there and going back into the forest wails and mourns in his grief.

The Brahman comes and performs rituals and ceremonies of the wedding. The mother begs Heer not to create a scene. Heer tells her that Ranjha will have her heart always and other than him no one would ever touch her body. After having her perfected master (Kamil Murshid), she needs nothing else in life.

Then comes the Qazi to perform the Nikkah . The brothers, the uncles and the mother all go into her room. She tells the brothers and uncles not to touch her since other than Ranjha no one is a mehram for her anymore. The Qazi asks her to nominate an attorney for herself so he can ask her, through him, if the Khehra is acceptable to her. Heer responds that she was not deaf or dumb and would therefore speak for herself. She belongs solely to Ranjha and likes only him, she says. The mother is the one who likes the Khehra. Heer is subsequently gagged and the Nikkah performed without her approval.

When Saida Khehra comes to her at night and touches her, she asks him who he is and when he tells her that he is Saida Khehra, she turns around and slaps him in the face so hard that he starts bleeding. Since he already knows of Heer’s temper and her relations with Ranjha, to save himself, says that he has just met Ranjha and it is for him that he has come to see her. She begs his forgiveness and tells him that he is like a brother to her and asks if being a nice brother he could get her together with Ranjha, her only mehram. Wanting to get away from there, he tells her that he will go and try to find Ranjha right away; thus he escapes.

When it is time to send the bride off with the wedding procession, Chuchak and his family start wondering what to do. Here they can not use force for everyone including the Khehras will find out. Kaido comes up with the suggestion that as many people are being sent to carry the dowry with the procession, Ranjha should also be given something to carry and sent with them. Ranjha is told that he has to carry a drum with the procession and that if he would not go, Heer will not go either, which would be a source of great humiliation to her. He accepts right away. Heer is now told that as they have arranged for Ranjha to go along with her she should sit in the palanquin. Heer seeing Ranjha sitting by the palanquin happily agrees to sit in it. The dowry with many valuables and riches, along with copious quantities of food, is picked up by the kammi and the procession is ready to take off.

As the time of vidai (the bride leaving her father’s home) approaches everyone starts crying. Hassi cries for they can no longer go back to the forest, to the boat, to the swings any more without Heer. As she laments everyone cries even more. Finally Heer speaks her parting words:

“Sadqay keetee, main Hassi nusathon, aatan chhor sidhai
Bairi, baila te pipal, peenghan, Luddan bap te bhai
Asin jullay an ditheen juheen, phir aawan gal na kai
na ko koh, na takiya mainon, na ko bap na mai” (483)
“I could give my life for you, my dear Hassi, I am leaving you all behind
The boat, the forest, the pipal tree, the swings, Luddan, my father and brothers
Watch as I leave it all, for I never will return here again
I have nothing left here for me now, no father and no mother”

As they pick up the palanquin to go and as Ranjha picks up the large drum on his head, the whole place wails and mourns with sorrow.

Along the way, they stop to rest. The father-in-law of Heer asks an old maid to take some churi for Heer as she has not eaten anything. The maid takes it to Heer who refuses to eat it. The maid, knowing of Ranjha, makes a plan. She eats half a plate of the churi and takes the rest to Ranjha saying that Heer has eaten this churi and has sent the other half to him. Ranjha, very hungry, almost takes a bite, when he suddenly stops and returns the plate to the maid, cursing her for almost making him break his fast, for he is not going to eat churi again that is not touched by Heer. This churi he says could not have been touched by Heer for he could not smell her in it. The maid, quite impressed with this, takes the plate of churi to Heer and now tells her that Ranjha has eaten some of it and has sent the other half to her. She also smells the churi and returns it to the maid, cursing her for lying to her, for she also is not going to eat churi without Ranjha ever again.

At one point, as the party stops to cross a river, the Khans take Ranjha aside and start beating him up. Ranjha cries out to them to just kill him with a sword and not to torture him so. As they do want to kill him, they start contemplating how best to do it. Saida Khehra can hardly bear to look at him for all the humiliation that he has caused them. He wants to kill Ranjha by chopping his head off with his sword. But the others decide against killing him too obviously as he is still Chuchak’s chak and killing him could cause further humiliation and other problems. So they decide to drown him. After beating him up some more they tell him to take the cows across the river knowing that he will die in the process.

In physical and emotional pain, Ranjha cries out and calls the Panj Pir. He tells them that they are the ones who brought him to Heer and now after raising him to such heights they have pulled the ladder from under him. As Ranjha continues to cry, all five of them appear besides him. They tell him not to worry, to go into the water and they themselves will keep him afloat. Once on the other side he plays his Sarodh and all the fish and wild animals appear by the bank to listen.

When Heer gets to the place of the Khehras, she is given a great welcome by their women. Once inside, her mother-in-law brings her some churi and tries to feed her with her own hands. Heer refuses to eat unless Ranjha is asked to come and sit with her. The old maid who is present explains to the mother-in-law the story of how Heer’s chak got left behind last night and did not get any churi, so now Heer also will not eat until he gets some too. The mother-in-law, quite upset, tells her that the days are gone when she could feed churi to other men. But after a while when other women come and want to play traditional games with the bride, Heer tells them to get Ranjha or she is not going to play any games. The mother-in-law puts an end to all games and rites and rituals and tells everyone to leave.

The khehras again decide that there is no other way but to finish Ranjha off. So they plan to go to the river where Ranjha is staying that night. A girl listening to this, goes to Ranjha and tells him about their plans. That night before they come for him, Ranjha goes into the river again and by early morning reaches the other side. There he remembers Heer’s palanquin that was there just a day ago and starts to roll on the ground crying in pain. He plays his flute again and girls gather around him. The girls ask him if someone he loved has died or if he has lost something precious. Ranjha, burning up with fever, responds that while there may be light for the rest of the world, for him there is only darkness. Then, one girl recognizes him from the day before when he was carrying a big drum on his head in the wedding procession of the Khehras. They ask him to stay there by the river so they can come to him everyday and he can fall in love again. But Ranjha responds:

“Jay koi jeevay jind day bajhon, tan main moyan jeevaeen
Kithay rahn asada theevay, jan asan vich naheen
Phirda ruh Heer day pichhay, keeh bidh janain naheen
Kuryo! Jay koi jeevay jind day bajhon, tan Heeray bajh jeevain” (533)
“If one could live without one’s life, then I could come back to life
But where would I go to live now, there is no vitality left in me
My spirit follows Heer somewhere, other than that I know nothing
Girls! If one could live without one’s life, then I could live without Heer”

Moving on, Ranjha comes back to the jungle where he used to bring his cattle and where he would sit together with Heer. On the hill where they would sit together, he bends down to kiss the ground. Then, in pain, he starts playing his flute. Immediately from all around, the friends of Heer gather around him, like the gopis around Krishna. They share the pain of separation with each other. The girls wonder why he had to go with the procession like a kammi and be humiliated. Then Ranjha tells them all else that had happened with him and how he made his way back there. Hassi, happy to have him back, tells him that he should stay with them as he had brought color back into their lives. But for Ranjha, they are all like stars around him with no moon, his Heer, in between. He feels his every pore, every drop of his blood doing zikr1 of Heer. He can not live with the Siyyals anymore. Without Heer, Jhang is empty for Ranjha. But Hassi and the others insist that if he were not to stay there, they would also leave Jhang with him. They bring food for Ranjha and then ask him to play his music. He starts to play and while all of them are intoxicated, he quietly gets up and leaves them behind.

When Ranjha finally gets back home to Hazara, he receives a very cold welcome from his brothers. He knows that he will not stay there for long. Casually he mentions to Tahir that he is not interested in his share of the wealth. He has wandered (been a faqir) for twelve years and is now there only to visit his home for a while.

Tahir tells him how disappointed all of them are by what he had been doing during these years. They have heard of him being a chak of the Siyyals. They have heard of him carrying the drum on his head at Heer’s wedding. He has brought dishonor to the name of his father.

The sisters-in-law then come and ask him about the one that Dhedo had given up everything for. Ranjha does not feel like talking about Heer with them. The friends and relatives come and meet him warmly and sit with him all day long. He does not feel like eating or drinking. He just wears his loyee and sits with them.

Yaqub Warriach hears that the son of Muazzam has returned to Hazara. He comes with a group to meet him and scolds him for doing all that he has done for all these years. He says that Dhedo was to be married into the Warriach family, to his daughter. Muazzam had wished to join the families so. Ranjha tells him that he has no claims to anyone and if they want the families to unite, he should marry his daughter to the elder son of Tahir who is old enough. Tahir actually likes the idea and Yaqub Warriach also agrees. Thus the preparations for the wedding start.

When it is time to go to the wedding, people in the village start insisting that Dhedo, being a son of Muazzam, must also go along with the wedding procession. Tahir comes and also requests Dhedo to go to the wedding as it would not seem proper otherwise. Dhedo, on the other hand, really does not feel like going under the circumstances. But at the request and insistence of the elders of the family, Dhedo agrees.

When the procession reached the house of the Warriach, the girls, in colorful clothes, come out to welcome them and to see the bridegroom. But there they are struck by the presence and beauty of Dhedo Ranjha. One of Dhedo’s friends tell them that this is the Ranjha who has lost his love and has come back to Hazara. The girls have heard of him. When the bride hears of him being out there, she begged the girls to bring him in.

“Tan ro ro kuri karaydi na’ray, “mainoon aan wikhayo
Aakh saleti sadqay kiti, main arman chakayo
Day dilasa, waikhan tain, mainoon jhat puayo
Aakh Damodar cha asada, mahin virag mitayo” (583)
“The girl then cries out and begs them, ‘show him to me once’
The girl begs them to fulfill this one wish of hers
Let me have one glimpse to bring some solace to my heart
It is my wish, just to take away the pain of loss”

Thus, when the guests sit down, the girls come to Dhedo and trick him into going inside with them. Once inside, they all encircle him and start dancing around him. Then the bride comes and asks to see who Dhedo Ranjha is. She asks him what sin she has committed that he would leave her and go after Heer of the Siyyals. She tells him how she has cried for all these years wondering if he would ever come back to her. Ranjha, trying to come up with excuses, tells her that she will get nothing from a useless person such as himself for he has no life left in him. But she knew of all that he had been doing: of his working as a chak for the Siyyals just to stay close to Heer; of him humiliating himself by carrying the drum on his head and going with the procession when she married someone else. She approached him saying that if he was after what was someone else’s right now, she also wanted what was rightfully hers. Ranjha pushed her back begging her to have shame and reminding her that he was not hers right now.

At this moment Tahir walks into the room and is shocked by what he sees. He reminds Dhedo that she was about to be married off and he has no business being inside the room. Dhedo, swearing that she is like a sister to him, leaves the room and gets away from the scene.

Coming back to Heer, after marriage, Saida and his parents start wondering what to do about her. If they keep her in the house, she keeps talking about Ranjha in front of people. They cannot even kill her as that again would turn into a scandal. They finally decide to send her to live with Sehti, Saida’s sister who is kept in a lonely, isolated hut1 .

Heer is burning in separation from her beloved. She would cry out, wail, moan, then go quiet, smoldering inside, then cry out from the intensity of the pain. Over time she can see her body just rotting away. But she is totally focused on her beloved. She has surrendered her will completely. She wants to burn any way her beloved wants her to burn. The being of Ranjha has entered her through every pore of her body.

“Loon loon dakhal keeta Ranjhaitay, ohoye daro laye
Jeewain jalaye kamil murshid, teeha jaleen maye” (606)
“Ranjha entered every pore of my body, only he holds my cure
I submit to burn any which way my master makes me burn”
“Ranjha Ranjha kahnon aakhan, main aapay Ranjhan Hoye
Ranjha Heer, Tay Heer Ranjhay dee, ratti faraq na koi” (607)
“Ranjha, Ranjha, who do I beseech?, I am Ranjha myself!
Ranjha is Heer and Heer, Ranjha, not a trace of a difference between them”

Heer resigns to attain peace in dying with his image in front of her eyes and his being within her being. Sehti keeps asking her about her pain but Heer sees no point in talking about it. She is so deep in it that no one can do anything about it, except for Ranjha. So she tells Sehti that only one who has gone through this pain can understand it.

It is at this point that Sehti starts telling Heer her story. She is kept here, not because she is crazy but because she had fallen in love with Brahmin Ramu. As Sehti keeps telling her story to Heer, Heer, knowing what Sehti is going through, starts taking care of her and supporting her. As Heer begins making devious plans of getting Sehti and Ramu together, she herself starts gaining consciousness and strength. It is almost like Heer of the Siyyals is waking up again.

Heer’s gets Ramu to start coming to the hut at night. Heer watches with envy as Ramu and Sehti continue to meet each other. Sehti feels really grateful to Heer for turning her life around. As she feels all veils lifted between Heer and herself, she asks Heer about her pain. Heer tells her story. Sehti, regretting not knowing anything earlier, immediately calls Ramu and tells her to go to Hazara and take Heer’s message to Ranjha.

Ramu asks Heer to give him a message and also to give him a sign that Ranjha will recognize. Heer tells him some details of how and where she used to meet Ranjha that will tell Ranjha that the message could only be from Heer. She asks him to tell Ranjha that she is stuck here, slowly dissolving, moving towards death, having only his name and his being, still with her. She tells Ramu to hurry.

“Uthi Ramu! Pohonch savairay, main marvaindi aahi
Sutti ag jagai Sehti, tan mainday kon lai” (643)
“Get up Ramu! get there as soon as you can; I’m dying here
Sehti has inflamed my whole being with the fire that I carried inside”

Walking for two days, with very few breaks, Ramu reaches Hazara. There he asks about the sons of Muazzam and people tell him about them all, including the one who left home and fell in love with Heer Siyyal and when she got married to someone else, came back to Hazara and now just lives in a small hut, like a sayeen, slightly outside of the city. Ramu goes out of the city and finds him. When the day is over, he finds a quiet time to approach Ranjha. He tells Ranjha that Heer has sent him. Ranjha, not believing him, tells him that he does not know any Heer and he is not even Ranjha. Ramu then gives him the details that Heer had given him as signs and tells him that she is slowly dying without him. Ranjha tells Ramu to go and tell her that Ranjha is coming to her. He burns his hut and leaves Hazara that night.

Ranjha decides to go up to Tilla first, the highest mountain near Jehlum with a Gorakhnathi temple on top of it. He climbs till he “reaches the place of the Pirs”. The jogi there asks Ranjha where he is coming from. Ranjha tells the jogi that he belongs nowhere. He has come to him for initiation and blessings. The jogi tries to send him away and turn him from the jogi marg (jogi path). Ranjha starts crying and at the feet of the Pir, begs for his blessing. He knows that those who have the blessing of the jogi are successful in the world.

The jogi warns him that the path of jog is dangerous like poison and difficult to tread–begging for food, sleeping on straw. Still if he wants jog, he needs to tell the truth about himself. So Ranjha tells him everything: his background, his falling in love with Heer and now that Heer was with the Khehras, his coming to the jogi for help and blessings. The jogi goes back to his chelas (initiates; students) who advise him against initiating Ranjha into jog. But he sees authenticity in Ranjha and decides to initiate and bless him. Ranjha puts the mark of jogis on his forehead and puts the rings of Gorakhnathi jogis in his ears looks quite different. The jogi tells him that since he has come to him, ‘she’ has been given to him. After initiation, Ranjha has even more of a radiance about him.

In another four days Ranjha reaches the Siyyals. He sees the girls around. Some of them who were unmarried are now married. Suddenly one says if only Ranjha would come this way today. Another says that she can also feel something in her heart, as if a strange happiness is around, and a slight intoxication. And she remembers having heard the peacocks in the morning. All of them start talking of him and craving his presence. The feeling is so strong that they start looking for him. But they can not find him anywhere. Suddenly they run into the jogi. They all ask him if they are going to meet today the one that they crave so much. He just sits there quietly and it is some time before Hassi recognizes him. They all hug him and they tell their stories, share their pain, sigh together, and sit together like old times. Hassi then tells him to stay there. It is the same jungle, the same boat, the same togetherness. But it is not the same for Ranjha.

“Sun Hassi! Main kikar jaleen, aye dil lagda nahin
Heeray bajhon, kul hanaira, kujh dasainda nahin
Rug rug day wich Heer samani, hor na ko ashnai
Aakh Hassi, vainda han khairein, keh bhavay khassay tain” (698)
“Listen Hassi! This heart won’t let me stay anywhere
I see nothing in this complete darkness without my Heer
She soaks every vein in my body, there is no other
Hassi, I am already on my way to the Khairas, you only have an empty shell here”
But Hassi and the others have a longing and craving of their own. Hassi insists:
“Sun Dhedo! Hik araz asadi, kit koon agay wainda?
Tun oho Ranjha tay asin oho kurian, kyun nahin gal manainda
Bohat udeek tusadi maikoon, hun naheen rahn karainda
Aakh Damodar, nahin tan aatan nalay tairay vainda” (699)
“Listen Dhedo! We beg you, why do you go forth?
You are the same Ranjha and we are the same girls, why don’t you accept?
We have longed for you so long, we cannot go on without you
If you do not stay we all will go with you”

Ranjha keeps telling them that it is not in his control any more. Hassi also is clear that any life with him would be better than anything that they had with the Siyyals. Finally some of them bring some churi for him and Hassi asks him to play his music for them. He starts to play and the animals start to gather around them and the girls go into a trance as if they are totally drunk. He quietly gets up and leaves.

When he approaches the city of the Khehras, he wonders how to proceed. He finds a place to sit just outside the city, by the river. Sehti happens to see him and is struck by his radiance. She recognizes who he must be. But still she asks him what kind of jogi he is and where he is from. He tells her that he is nobody and from nowhere. She slowly starts asking him where his asceticism was when he got Luddan beaten up by the river and when he carried the drum on his head and then when he gave his churi to Kaido. Ranjha upset with her from the beginning, now realizes that she obviously knows Heer. She tells him who she is and tells him to go to the house where Heer is early next morning and not to talk to anyone.

The next morning he goes to the house that Sehti had pointed out. Heer, who does not know of his coming, is asleep outside. She looks emaciated and sick. As she begins to get up he can see that she has been in continuous pain. He asks her for an offering as he has been hungry for too long. She tells him that hunger is all that she has had also and that is all that she can offer. In exchange for an offering, the jogi claims, he can give her whatever she longs for. After talking with him for some time, Heer suddenly smells Ranjha and begins to recognize him in the jogi. Then the Panj Pir intervene and tell her of his identity. Ranjha at this point cuts through the pretense and they finally hold each other and cry and cry but the craving will not leave. Heer is afraid to let him go lest he may turn into a dream again. But later, afraid that someone may find out and harm him, she tells him to go to the river bank and sit there till she talks with Sehti.

Three days later Sehti comes over to Heer. She explains that she got pregnant and therefore needed to take care of things. Then Sehti asks Heer to have a fight and to repeat the same curse words that she hears and maybe even worse. Sehti starts and Heer slowly begins to respond in fiery ways that she once knew well (my explanation). After the fight, Sehti goes to her parents and tells them that Heer is almost ready to come out of her retreat and live happily with Saida. The father-in-law, very happy to hear of the developments, sends all kinds of luxuries to Heer’s abode. Heer starts cooking well and also starts making and distribution churi again. Once Saida tries to come into the abode and Sehti intervenes and tells him strictly that he can come only when she tells him that Heer is perfectly ready.

Then Sehti and Heer think of a plan. They rub a paste of turmeric on Heer’s body, take a large needle and puncture holes in her ankle and scream that she has been bitten by a Cobra. Everyone starts crying and screaming. Some run off to tell Saida and his parents. When everyone is present, Sehti mentions the jogi who, with his face wrapped up, has been sitting by the river for a few days. Everyone knows that if anyone has a cure for a poisonous snake, a jogi does. Heer’s father-in-law goes to the jogi and asks him for help but the jogi does not respond. After a while he calls for Sehti who, along with other women, goes over and begs him to come and help. Finally he agrees to come and see what he can do.

When he looks at the marks on the ankle, he tells them that she has been bitten by a Cobra and it takes many days and a lot of effort to treat the bite. They beg him to care for her. Finally he agrees but with special provisions. He needs to prepare potions and cast spells, so he wants a totally isolated place with one attendant who is close to the girl. He suggests the one who had come seeking help. Thus all arrangements were made, with Sehti as the attendant, and the jogi was told to take as many days as he needed to save her. So Sehti gets everyone out, bolts all the doors and windows and announces:

“Hasso, khaido, maojan kareho, kami kesay di naheen
Jay main moi tan sadqay kiti, aawan kam tusaheen
Sey shukranay mainun kuriya, sikday ruh milaeen
Jeha hukm karay sayeen Ranjha, khawan soye pakaeen” (802)
“Laugh and play, have all the fun, we don’t need anyone now
And if I die for this, I sacrifice my life to make things work for you
I am grateful a hundred times dear girl, for the spirits are united
And if Sayeen Ranjha would order us now, we prepare what he wants to eat”

So finally Heer and Ranjha sit together, enjoy good food after almost three years, and enjoy each others company in these days filled with love and pleasures. Their faces begin to glow and their eyes begin to sparkle again. Heer, once again, looks as she used to when she played with Ranjha in the forest.

Things continue uninterrupted for eight days. Then people from the family come to Sehti’s house to inquire about what is happening. Sehti comes out to them and informs them that Heer is still alive but does not move; the jogi has been standing for all these eight days repeating mantras without sleeping or eating anything. The father-in-law tells her that they are waiting and any time there is any change in her condition, they need to know right away. Sehti comes back in and tells them to continue. Heer and Ranjha are now like one spirit in two bodies.

In another eight days the Khehras come back again. Sehti again comes out and tells how Heer is slightly better now. She also tells them of all the snakes who come and visit the jogi while he casts his spells. It is another eight days before they all return. Sehti congratulates them this time as Heer has turned over on her own that week. She also tells them of amazing feats that the jogi is performing. Another week passes and the three of them start planning a strategy. The next time the Khehras appear Sehti tells them that Heer is much better and in a week they should come prepared to give her a bath. Everyone starts to celebrate Heer’s recovery with music and offerings.

Now they have a week to make the next move. After five days they finally decide to run away. With much gratitude to Sehti, Heer and Ranjha leave her behind and flee the village that night. For the next two days they would hide in the forest during the day and run during the night.

On the eighth day, when the Khehras come prepared to welcome Heer back, no one answers the door. They break the door and wake up Sehti who is lying almost unconscious on the bed outside. She tells them that she has no knowledge of Heer and feels drugged. They all go inside the room and find a hole in the back wall. Immediately they know the jogi is none other than the chak who has come after Heer. The men climb their horses and go in all directions looking for them.

One party of the Khehras, including Saida, end up in the area where Heer and Ranjha are hiding during the day. The couple spies them and while wondering what to do when they see a group of Khans riding their horses close by. They both go to them and ask for help. First Heer introduces herself and then Ranjha, giving details of their families and letting them know that they rightfully belong to each other. The Khans are ready to give their lives for the daughter of Chuchak and son of Muazzam who ask for their protection. When the party of Khehras come by and demand the couple, the Khans draw their swords and start fighting.

After many die other people passing by come to them and ask what started the fight. They hear both sides but as many people had been killed, they tell them that the Qazi of the Raja in Kot Qabula will have to decide this matter. By the time they reach Kot Qabula, Saida’s father and others from the village having heard the news also arrive there. Hearing that Chuchak’s daughter has come to the Qazi of Kot Qabula with her chak, a huge crowd gathers in the court. The hearing begins.

The Qazi sits down to settle all issues according to the Shariat (Islamic law). Heer’s father-in-law tells the story first. The Qazi listening to the details turns to Heer telling her that Ranjha was not rightfully hers, that she had brought shame to her father and lost her honor in the world. Heer responds:

“Rab nikah dillan day baddhe, tun key bhansain Qazi” (905)
“It is god who ties hearts together in a Nikkah; who are you, Qazi, to break them?”

But according to the Qazi, Ishq, love and devotion, has nothing to do with Shariah. He thinks that Heer should go back to the Khehras. For Heer that is leaving virtue for sin. She curses the Qazi and declares that she would never leave Ranjha’s side. All that she says sounds like kufr to the Qazi who considers ishq, haram (unlawful). Besides she was connecting herself with a chak which means going against her zat also. Heer is willing to accept any punishment for what she had said. But the Qazi can not understand how anyone can justify her relations with the chak when her father had arranged her wedding with Saida and the whole village had attended the wedding. She is already dishonored but can choose to go back with the Khehras willingly or she will be forced to go. Her actions meant taking haram over halal and a disregard for god’s Shariah. According to the Shariah, Ranjha is the culprit. According to Heer though, Saida had not even come close to her in the last three years and to Ranjha, she was related, even when she was an infant. The argument continues between Heer and the Qazi until he starts to wonder if she really deserves to live. Finally Heer declares:

“Sun Qazi hik araz asadi, aye ikth kahani
Loh Qalam na arsh na kursi, na nazri aaway pani
Zamin zamana, chand na suraj, juti jot samani
Sahab di sonh sun tun Qazi, main tadon Ranjhay dast vikani” (927)
“Listen Qazi to what I have to say, to the real story
There were no heavens, no waters, no fates had yet been written
No sun, no moon, no land, not even time itself existed
I swear, listen Qazi, even then I belonged to Ranjha”
“Sun baitay samait tun Ali, main koon bohot saza wikhainda
jain da kutta vanjay marainda, so murshid hunay sunainda
Ke hoya, main bhulli chukki, oh apni laj palainda
Aakh Damodar tun sun Ali, tainon Ranjha nahin chhurainda” (938)
“Listen up all, including you Ali, torture me all you can
When a dog is dying, the master knows
Even if I falter in my devotion, he would protect his honor
Listen Ali! Ranjha would never let you get away with this”

Irritated with Heer, the Qazi turns to Ranjha and asks him how he took on the disguise of a jogi from being the chak of Chuchak. Ranjha explains that the story is complex and cannot be understood by those who do not understand the secret.
The Qazi orders R