WARRIS SHAH 45 their sexual passion is also dehumanised and has become lust. Every system of maya creates this dehumanisation in man. It can keep itself in existence on the basis of his dehumanisation only. Humanisation of man means his freedom, and his freedom is the end of every system of maya. There is always a deadly confrontation between any system of maya on one side and anything that makes man human on the other. Ishk is something which no system of maya can brook. When property dominates man, like everything else, work is also dehumanised. It becomes slave labour. In the system of maya woman is the lowest kind of slave. In the case of male only his labour power is on sale or he is on sale for his labour power only. But in the case of woman, along with this, her sex also is on sale. She is exploited for her sex also. Freedom of women means freedom of all, which means a free society—which means brotherhood of man. Ishk has humanised Heer and Ranjha and made them free. It has made them richer, nobler and greater people than they were before. It has made them heroes. The system cannot assimilate them. Although the system is powerful, it has no power to wean them away from ishk which has become their very existence. It cannot cow them down. It can only kill them and that it ultimately does. But in their death they are greater than the system which kills them and more glorious. Sahti is the Heer in kheras. Ishk has delivered her from the fetters of maya. She understands the significance of ishk in her own practice. She has no illusions about the morality of the system in which she is born. She holds its values in utter contempt. To her Heer belongs to Ranjha. Her blood-brother Saida is only a usurper. She helps Ranjha to meet Heer and all three of them plan together to run away. She has the resourcefulness and energy of the revolutionary. Whatever the situation she is never found wanting. She is as much experienced in the practice of ishk as she is firm about its moral validity. She is unbeatable in putting across the truth of ishk. She is lesser than Heer only because the rendering of the theme demands it so. Kaido embodies in himself the essence of the established order. He is evil incarnate. Every fibre of his being, every impulse in him, is anti-human. He is recognised as a trouble-maker even by the headmen, who form an active part of the system. In the normal course of things the system can afford a few human frills. At least it can make a show of them. Choochak does not like Kaido. He has no heart to encourage him. But when the crisis comes, it cannot permit the luxury of keeping the moral frills. The system appears in its stark reality. The detested Kaido becomes its undisputed leader and lawgiver. On the other side, . whatever dross of illusion was left in the lovers, the crises purge them of it. They arise in their pristine purity and glory as they meet their deaths. Warris Shah is great because like Farid he is a true Sufi. Being a true Sufi he understands that selfishness, greed and the like are deadly