Persian · noun · Time, Fate & the Cosmos
Zindagani
ज़िंदगानी
said zin-da-GAA-nee
also written: zindgani
Meaning
Life, living, the course of a lifetime.
Literally: Persian zinda (alive) + abstract suffix: the state of being alive.
How Iqbal uses it
Zindagani names life as a lived, dynamic process; for Iqbal true living is ceaseless striving and self-creation, life as a restless flame rather than passive existence.
See it in the verse
Zindagani in Iqbal’s couplets
Yaqeen muhkam, amal paiham, mohabbat fateh-e-aalam
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Jihad-e-zindagani mein hain ye mardon ki shamsheeren
Firm conviction, ceaseless action, and a love that conquers the world — these are the swords of the brave in the struggle of life.
Action · Love · Courage
Khudi mein doob ja ghafil, ye sirr-e-zindagani hai
Nikal kar halqa-e-shaam-o-sahar se javedan ho ja
Nikal kar halqa-e-shaam-o-sahar se javedan ho ja
Dive into your selfhood, O heedless one — this is the secret of life. Step out of the ring of evening and morning, and become everlasting.
Selfhood · Self-Knowledge · Awakening