Couplets › Selfhood
From Bal-e-Jibril (1935) · originally composed in Urdu
Pani pani kar gai mujh ko qalandar ki ye baat
Tu jhuka jab ghair ke aage na man tera na tan
Tu jhuka jab ghair ke aage na man tera na tan
“The wandering sage's words washed over me with shame: the moment you bow before another, neither your mind nor your body is your own.”
Romanहिन्दी
पानी पानी कर गई मुझ को क़लंदर की ये बात
तू झुका जब ग़ैर के आगे न मन तेरा न तन
तू झुका जब ग़ैर के आगे न मन तेरा न तन
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 closes this ghazal with a hard verdict on dignity. Bowing here is not courtesy but surrender of the self, the giving away of Khudi to someone or something outside you. The instant you let another own your judgement, you forfeit ownership of everything, inner and outer.
For You, Today
Notice the small surrenders: the opinion you swallow, the principle you trade for approval. Each one quietly transfers ownership of your life to someone else. Keep your spine, and you keep yourself.
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