Couplets › Freedom
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Jab ishq sikhata hai aadab-e-khud-aagahi
Khulte hain ghulamon par asrar-e-shahanshahi
Khulte hain ghulamon par asrar-e-shahanshahi
“When love teaches the discipline of self-awareness, the secrets of sovereignty open up even to slaves.”
Romanहिन्दी
जब इश्क़ सिखाता है आदाब-ए-ख़ुद-आगाही
खुलते हैं ग़ुलामों पर असरार-ए-शहंशाही
खुलते हैं ग़ुलामों पर असरार-ए-शहंशाही
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
Iqbal ties inner freedom to self-knowledge. Love, as a teacher, instructs a person in khud-aagahi — knowing oneself — and the moment that knowing arrives, even the most bound person glimpses what it means to rule. Sovereignty, for Iqbal, begins inside; chains on the body cannot lock a self that has woken up.
For You, Today
External powerlessness loses its grip the moment you truly understand your own worth. The first territory to govern is not the world but the self — and that conquest is open to anyone willing to learn it.
In the same spirit
Nahin tera nasheman qasr-e-sultani ke gumbad par
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Tu shaheen hai, basera kar paharon ki chattanon mein
Your nest is not on the dome of a royal palace. You are a falcon — make your dwelling on the rocks of the mountains.
The Falcon · Freedom · 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
Ai tair-e-lahooti us rizq se maut achhi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
Jis rizq se aati ho parvaaz mein kotahi
O celestial bird, better death than the sustenance that brings any shortfall to your flight.
Freedom · The Falcon