Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Mera tariq amiri nahin faqiri hai
Khudi na bech ghareebi mein naam paida kar
Khudi na bech ghareebi mein naam paida kar
“My way is not wealth but inner sufficiency — do not sell your selfhood; earn your name even in poverty.”
मेरा तरीक़ अमीरी नहीं फ़क़ीरी है
ख़ुदी न बेच ग़रीबी में नाम पैदा कर
ख़ुदी न बेच ग़रीबी में नाम पैदा कर
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 states a clear personal creed and turns it into an instruction. His path is not accumulation; it is faqr, an inner richness that needs little. And the command is uncompromising: whatever your circumstances, do not trade away your self to escape them.
For You, Today
There will be moments when selling a piece of who you are looks like the fastest exit from a hard situation. Iqbal's line is firm: keep the self intact, and make your name on those terms — even lean ones.
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
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