Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril · originally composed in Urdu
Mera tariq amiri nahin faqiri hai
Khudi na bech gharibi mein nam paida kar
Khudi na bech gharibi mein nam paida kar
“My way is not wealth but a chosen poverty; do not sell your selfhood, make your name even in want.”
Romanहिन्दी
मिरा 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, writing to his son, names the one thing never to trade away: khudi, the integral self. Wealth is not the measure of a life; the refusal to sell your character for comfort is. Even in hardship a person can build a name worth having, because that name rests on selfhood and not on possessions.
For You, Today
There will be moments when comfort is offered in exchange for a piece of who you are. Hold the line. A name earned without selling yourself outlasts any easy reward.
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