Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril, 1935 — 'Javed Ke Naam' · originally composed in Urdu
Mira nahin hai
na bech mein paida kar
na bech mein paida kar
“My way is not wealth but faqr, the dervish's poverty. Do not sell your selfhood; make your name in poverty itself.”
Romanहिन्दी
मिरा तरीक़ नहीं फ़क़ीरी है
न बेच में पैदा
न बेच में पैदा
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
Faqr, for Iqbal, is voluntary poverty held with dignity — not destitution but freedom from greed. His one warning to his son is sharp: whatever you lack, never sell your khudi, your self. A name earned in honest poverty outweighs riches bought by surrendering who you are.
For You, Today
Every ambitious life meets the offer: trade a piece of yourself for advancement. This line is the refusal. Stay poor before you sell your selfhood — the name you build with your integrity intact is the only one worth having.
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