Bhagat Trilochan Ji

Sheikh Farid breathed his last in 1266AD & a year after in 1267AD, was born in the state of Maharashtra another devotee of God by the name of Trilochan. The hymns he composed later in his life lead a person on the path of spirituality through varied precepts. Guru Arjan Dev ji included these hymns in Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji, making them a part of Shabad-Guru. Trilochan was born in the village Barsi, near the town of Sholapur in the Maharashtra state, though some scholars hold the view that he was born in Uttar Pradesh & that there was a Marathi influence on the language of his hymns in consequence of his prolonged stay in Maharashtra. Trilochan was a contemporary & close friend of Bhagat Namdev (1270-1330). Bhagat Trilochan observed that whenevr he called on his friend Namdev, the latter always happened to be busy in one worldly affair or another. At last one day, Trilochan could not restrain himself and asked his friend that he always appeared occupied in worldly affairs, how did he find the time to remember the Lord? Namdev satisfied his friend's curiosity in a very convincing manner and told him that althoguh his hands were engaged in worldly occupation, his mind was ever fixed on Him. For a householder, this was the best way to remember/worship God. Trilochan felt rather satisfied & happy at this answer. As says Bhai Gurdas, in his Var: X.21, it was Namdev who introduced Trilochan to his Guru who showed him the way to the Lord.
Bhagat Trilochan Ji always gave more importance to Bhakti (love & devotion) in preference to selfish interests. He said that he who is always occupied with problems relating to wealth and property will never become happy. He always served the saints at his residence with the utmost dedication and humanity.
The exact place of birth is not known. Some historians claim its Barsi near Sholapur, Maharastra and others claim its Uttar Pradesh but spent most of his time in Maharastra. The fact that two slokas of Kabir constitute a dialogue between Nam Dev and Trilochan shows that these two saints were contemporaries.
There are 4 shabads by Bhagat Tirlochan in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. In these he has condemned superficial rituals and pretentious renunciation and stressed the holiness of the heart.
Extracted from Gurbani De Racheta by Abnashi & Gurvinder Singh

Trilochan, a name which literally means three-eyed, that is, seer of the present, past and future, was a celebrated saint of the Vaisya caste. His birth is said to have taken place in the year A.D 1267. He either lived at or visited Pandharpur in the Sholapur district of the Bombay presidency, and was a contemporary of Namdev, who mentioned or addressed him in his hymns. Inquiries at Pandharpur and the neighbouring city of Barsi have, however, failed to furnish any information regarding Trilochan. The following legend passes for history among his admirers.
He had a perfect faith in and love for saints, but they visited him in inconveniently large numbers, and there were only he and his wife to attend and wait on them. He thought that they were not served as he could have wished, so he resolved on engaging a servant if he could find one who was accustomed to minister holy men. He continued to search for such an attendant, but not finding one became sad at heart. It is said that God was not pleased at the sorrow of his saint, and sent him a candidate for service. Trilochan asked the candidate who he was, whence he had come, and whether he had parents and a house and a home. The man replied that he had no parents and no home. He had merely come to be engaged as a servant. He could wait on the saints of God without assistance from others, as his life had been spent in such service. He gave his name as Antarjami, which interpreted means Searcher of hearts. Trilochan was highly pleased and ordered his wife to engage him and cheerfully supply all his wants. She was cautioned to consider his pleasure as her first duty.
Antarjami performed menial services for the saints, such as cooking, drawing water, washing their feet, shampooing and bathing them, in such a manner that Trilochan’s house became famous for its hospitality; and a large crowd of saints began to live with him and consume his substance. Thirteen months passed in this way, until one day Trilochan’s wife went to visit a female neighbour. The latter inquired why she was so dirty and looked so miserable. She replied that her lord had taken into his employ a servant who required so much attention that she had to spend all her days grinding corn and cooking for him. This was reported to Antarjami and he promptly disappeared.
When the time came to wait on the saints, Antarjami could not be found. Trilochan became very much grieved, and, rebuking his wife, told her that it was through her indiscretion Antarjami had left their service. When Trilochan’s grief has lasted for three days it is said that he was comforted by divine interposition. He consequently applied himself to the praise and contemplation of the one true God. His sorrow was then dispelled.
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