Couplets › Selfhood
From Bang-e-Dara (1924) · originally composed in Urdu
Jina wo kya jo ho nafas-e-ghair par madar
Shohrat ki zindagi ka bharosa bhi chhod de
Shohrat ki zindagi ka bharosa bhi chhod de
“What kind of living is it that hangs on another's breath? Give up even your reliance on a life of fame.”
Romanहिन्दी
जीना वो क्या जो हो नफ़स-ए-ग़ैर पर मदार
शोहरत की ज़िंदगी का भरोसा भी छोड़ दे
शोहरत की ज़िंदगी का भरोसा भी छोड़ दे
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 calls a life dependent on others' approval no real life at all. To exist on the breath of others, on their praise, attention and validation, is to have no centre of your own. He even names fame as a trap, because a self that needs an audience to feel real has surrendered its khudi.
For You, Today
If your sense of being alive rises and falls with other people's praise, you have handed them your centre. Build a self that stands without applause.
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