Couplets › Selfhood
From Zarb-e-Kalim, 1936 — 'Javed Se' · originally composed in Urdu
Shakh-e-gul par chahak wa-lekin
Kar apni khudi mein aashiyana
Kar apni khudi mein aashiyana
“Sing, by all means, on the rose-branch — but build your nest within your own selfhood.”
Romanहिन्दी
शाख़-ए-गुल पर चहक वलेकिन
कर अपनी ख़ुदी में आशियाना
कर अपनी ख़ुदी में आशियाना
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 tells his son: enjoy the world, sing on its flowering branches — but do not make your home there. Your real dwelling is your khudi, your self. Delight in the external is fine; dependence on it is not.
For You, Today
Enjoy the pleasures and platforms the world offers, but don't let them become where you live. Iqbal says build your home in your selfhood, not on a borrowed branch. Perch outside; nest within.
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
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
Mere Allah burai se bachana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
Nek jo raah ho us rah pe chalana mujh ko
My God, save me from evil; set me on the path that is good.
Humility · Self-Knowledge