Persian · phrase · Selfhood & Will
Shaheen-e-Khudi
शाहीन-ए-ख़ुदी
said shaa-heen-e-khu-dee
also written: shaheen e khudi, shaheene khudi, shahin-e-khudi
Meaning
The falcon of selfhood; the soaring, self-reliant spirit Iqbal symbolises by the shaheen (royal falcon).
Literally: shaheen (royal falcon) + khudi (selfhood)
How Iqbal uses it
The shaheen is Iqbal's emblem of the free, high-flying, never-nesting believer who lives by his own strength.
See it in the verse
Shaheen-e-Khudi 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
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
Parwaz hai dono ki isi ek faza mein
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Kargas ka jahan aur hai, shaheen ka jahan aur
Both take flight in this very same sky — yet the vulture's world is one thing, and the falcon's another.
The Falcon · Self-Knowledge
Ho agar khudnigar-o-khudgar-o-khudgir khudi
Ye bhi mumkin hai ki tu maut se bhi mar na sake
Ye bhi mumkin hai ki tu maut se bhi mar na sake
If your selfhood becomes self-seeing, self-making and self-possessed, it is even possible that not even death can make you die.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge
Mira tariq amiri nahin faqiri hai
Khudi na bech gharibi mein naam paida kar
Khudi na bech gharibi mein naam paida kar
My way is not wealth but faqr, the dervish's poverty. Do not sell your selfhood; make your name in poverty itself.
Selfhood · Humility · Courage
Giraanbaha hai to hifz-e-khudi se hai warna
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
Gauhar mein aab-e-gauhar ke siwa kuchh aur nahin
If you are precious, it is from guarding your selfhood; otherwise a pearl is nothing but the lustre that is its own.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge