Persian · noun · Character & Virtue
Khud-daari
ख़ुद्दारी
said khud-DAA-ree
also written: Khuddari, Khud-dari, khuddari, khudari
Meaning
Self-respect, dignity, self-possession that refuses humiliation.
Literally: self-holding
How Iqbal uses it
true
See it in the verse
Khud-daari in Iqbal’s couplets
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
Khud badalte nahin Quran ko badal dete hain
Hue kis darja faqeehan-e-haram be-taufeeq
Hue kis darja faqeehan-e-haram be-taufeeq
They will not change themselves, so they reinterpret the Quran instead — how utterly bereft of grace the jurists of the sanctuary have become.
Justice · Awakening · Courage
Jab ishq sikhata hai aadab-e-khud-aagahi
Khulte hain ghulamon par asrar-e-shahanshahi
Khulte hain ghulamon par asrar-e-shahanshahi
When love teaches the discipline of self-awareness, the secrets of sovereignty open up even to slaves.
Freedom · Self-Knowledge · Awakening
Ishq bhi ho hijab mein husn bhi ho hijab mein
Ya to khud aashkar ho ya mujhe aashkar kar
Ya to khud aashkar ho ya mujhe aashkar kar
Love is veiled and beauty too is veiled; either reveal yourself, or make me one who can be revealed.
Love · Self-Knowledge · Restlessness
Taqlid ki rawish se to behtar hai khud-kushi
Rasta bhi dhund khizr ka sauda bhi chhod de
Rasta bhi dhund khizr ka sauda bhi chhod de
Better self-destruction than a life of blind imitation; find your own road, and give up the obsession with a guide.
Selfhood · Freedom · Courage
Miri mashshatgi ki kya zarurat husn-e-mani ko
Ki fitrat khud-ba-khud karti hai laale ki hina-bandi
Ki fitrat khud-ba-khud karti hai laale ki hina-bandi
What need has true beauty of meaning for my adorning hand? Nature, all on its own, paints the tulip red.
Self-Knowledge · Humility · Action
Related words
ARABIC
Izzat
Honour, respect, esteem, dignity.
ARABIC
Ghairat
Honour, self-respect, a fierce sense of dignity that stirs one to defend it.
PERSIAN
Khudi
Selfhood; the self, the ego — in the philosophical, not the vain, sense.
ARABIC
Istighna
Contented independence and freedom from need, the heart's dignified self-sufficiency.
PERSIAN
Be-niyaazi
Indifference and freedom from need, the proud heart's serene aloofness from want or supplication.
ARABIC
Faqr
Spiritual poverty; the dervish's chosen detachment from wealth and power.