Couplets › Self-Knowledge
From Bang-e-Dara, 1924 — 'Aql aur Dil' · originally composed in Urdu
Raaz-e-hasti ko tu samajhti hai
Aur aankhon se dekhta hun main
Aur aankhon se dekhta hun main
“You, Reason, comprehend the secret of existence; but I, the Heart, see it with my own eyes.”
Romanहिन्दी
राज़-ए-हस्ती को तू समझती है
और आँखों से देखता हूँ मैं
और आँखों से देखता हूँ मैं
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
The close of a dialogue between Reason and Heart. Reason has boasted of being the guide of the lost; the Heart answers that reason only understands the mystery of life, while the heart actually sees it directly. Direct vision outranks analysis.
For You, Today
Reason explains the world; the heart perceives it. Iqbal gives the last word to direct seeing over secondhand understanding. When analysis and intuition disagree about something that matters, don't automatically trust the one with the argument.
In the same spirit
Sitaron se aage jahan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Abhi ishq ke imtihan aur bhi hain
Beyond the stars there are worlds yet — there are still more trials of love to come.
Aspiration · Love · Restlessness
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
Zindagi ho meri parwane ki surat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Ilm ki shama se ho mujh ko mohabbat ya-rab
Let my life be like the moth's, O Lord; let me love the lamp of knowledge.
Love · Aspiration · Youth