In Sufi poetry, a commonly used word for 'I' or ego is the Arabic word nafs(نَفْس). In Bhakti poetry, ahaṃkāra (अहंकार) denotes the same concept. In the couplets studied below, it will become clear that overcoming nafs (نَفْس) or ahaṃkāra (अहंकार) through 'acceptance (of the Will of God or the Will of the Universe)' is the key practice advocated in Sufi & Bhakti poetry.
In English translations, many words and phrases denote acceptance: 'submission', 'dissolution of I', 'loss of ego', 'egolessness', 'merging with the Universe', 'alignment', and so on. Among these, I like 'acceptance' the most. It is succinct and positive, which is superior to a double negative like 'loss of ego'.
Instead of directly using the words nafs(نَفْس) or ahaṃkāra (अहंकार), the sublime poetry of Sufi and Bhakti saints describes 'submission' or 'dissolution of I' using beautiful, creative metaphors! For example, 'khidmat mein fana' in Urdu means 'selflessness in service' or 'to lose oneself in service'. Even 'annihilation', 'ceasing to exist' and 'death' represent submission of the ego. A popular imagery is that of the moth ('parvana' in Urdu) merging with the flame ('shama' in Urdu). The moth represents the ego / 'I'; the flame represents the Universe. Thus the death of a moth by merging into the flame is a metaphor for submission of 'I' towards acceptance of the Will of the Universe.
Every couplet of Sajda Kar Ke Qadam-E-Yaar is beautiful!
I couldn't find much information about Hazrat Syed Wamiq Mian online. A YouTube video shows a shrine / mazār dedicated to him.
The first two lines of the couplet refer to Oneness / non-duality, which is somewhat difficult to conceptualize. We will discuss non-duality in another part of this essay: Who Am I?
The last two lines refer to alignment / merger of what 'I' (the ego) wishes with what the Universe wishes, which basically means acceptance of the Will of God.
Sees Utaare (severing your head) is a metaphor for losing one's ego.
The above line is taken from the Japji Sahib, a composition considered to be a comprehensive essence of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs.
A literal translation of the entire couplet is: 'All that Nanak seeks is constant remembrance that Your Will is as sweet as nectar'.
This couplet has beautiful, poetic wordplay. The phrase 'Jo Ubhra So Dooba' means that the person with ego sinks. The phrase 'Jo Dooba So Paar' means that the person who has no ego is the one who successfully traverses the river (of love).