Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 · originally composed in Urdu
Dhundta phirta hun ae Iqbal apne aap ko
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hun main
Aap hi goya musafir aap hi manzil hun main
“I wander about searching for myself, O Iqbal — I am, it seems, at once the traveller and the destination.”
Romanहिन्दी
ढूँढता फिरता हूँ ऐ इक़बाल अपने आप को
आप ही गोया मुसाफ़िर आप ही मंज़िल हूँ मैं
आप ही गोया मुसाफ़िर आप ही मंज़िल हूँ मैं
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
The search for the self ends in a paradox: the seeker and the sought are the same. Iqbal is both the one journeying and the journey's end. The self you look for is not elsewhere; you are already standing in it.
For You, Today
We look everywhere for ourselves — in achievements, in others, in the future. Iqbal's quiet revelation: you are both the traveller and the destination. What you are searching for is the one doing the searching.
In the same spirit
Khudi ko kar buland itna ki har taqdeer se pehle
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Khuda bande se khud pooche, bata teri raza kya hai
Raise your selfhood so high that, before issuing every decree of destiny, God Himself asks you: tell me, what is your wish?
Selfhood · Courage
Apne mann mein doob kar pa ja suragh-e-zindagi
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Tu agar mera nahin banta na ban, apna to ban
Dive into your own self and find the trace of life. If you will not be mine, then do not — but at least become your own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Mere Allah burai se bachana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
My God, save me from evil; set me on the path that is good.
Humility · Self-Knowledge