Meaning
A heavy, massive mountain; a towering weight of rock.
Literally: heavy mountain
How Iqbal uses it
The koh-e-garaan, the immense and immovable mountain, is Iqbal's measure of vast obstacle and of unshakable steadfastness alike; the will that can move or stand firm as such a mountain is the strong self he summons.
See it in the verse
Koh-e-Garaan in Iqbal’s couplets
Ye ek sajda jise tu garaan samajhta hai
Hazaar sajdon se deta hai aadmi ko nijaat
Hazaar sajdon se deta hai aadmi ko nijaat
This one act of devotion, which you find so heavy to make — it frees a person from a thousand servile bowings.
Freedom · Selfhood
Utha na sheesha-garaan-e-firang ke ehsaan
Safaal-e-Hind se mina-o-jaam paida kar
Safaal-e-Hind se mina-o-jaam paida kar
Do not be indebted to the glassmakers of the foreign land — fashion your goblet and cup from the clay of your own soil.
Selfhood · Freedom · Action
Guzar-auqat kar leta hai ye koh o bayaban mein
Ki shahin ke liye zillat hai kar-e-ashiyan-bandi
Ki shahin ke liye zillat hai kar-e-ashiyan-bandi
It makes its living among mountains and wilderness, for to the falcon the building of a comfortable nest is a disgrace.
The Falcon · Freedom · Adversity