Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 · originally composed in Urdu
Utha na sheesha-garaan-e-firang ke ehsaan
Safaal-e-Hind se mina-o-jaam paida kar
Safaal-e-Hind se mina-o-jaam paida kar
“Do not be indebted to the glassmakers of the foreign land — fashion your goblet and cup from the clay of your own soil.”
उठा न शीशा-गराँ-ए-फ़िरंग के एहसान
सफ़ाल-ए-हिंद से मीना-ओ-जाम पैदा कर
सफ़ाल-ए-हिंद से मीना-ओ-जाम 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 urges self-reliance over borrowed splendour. Rather than living under obligation to another's craft, make your own vessels from your own earth. Even humble local clay, worked with care, yields what you need — and yields it free of debt.
For You, Today
Borrowing someone else's solutions is fast, but it leaves you dependent and indebted. Iqbal's preference is to build with what is already yours — your own materials, your own hands, your own ground.
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