Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bal-e-Jibril · originally composed in Urdu
bhi kar se
ka ka nahin
ka ka nahin
“Ask also for a seeing heart; the light of the eye is not the light of the heart.”
Romanहिन्दीاردو
भी कर से
का का नहीं
का का नहीं
The couplet in Devanagari — it carries the authenticity of the original, and every Hindi reader can read it.
دل بینا بھی کر خدا سے طلب
آنکھ کا نور دل کا نور نہیں
آنکھ کا نور دل کا نور نہیں
The couplet as Iqbal wrote it, in Urdu (Nastaliq).
♪ Hear the coupletA recitation in a synthesized voice.
The Interpretation
Iqbal separates two kinds of sight. The eye registers facts and surfaces; the heart perceives meaning, worth and direction. Information alone does not amount to insight. He urges the seeker to cultivate the inner vision that judges what the outer eye merely collects.
For You, Today
Data and observation are not the same as understanding. Alongside what you can measure, build the inner discernment that tells you what actually matters.
In the same spirit
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
Na samjhoge to mit jaoge ai Hindostan walon
Tumhari dastan tak bhi na hogi dastanon mein
Tumhari dastan tak bhi na hogi dastanon mein
If you will not understand, you will be erased, O people of Hindustan — not even your story will remain among the stories.
Awakening · Courage