By Waseem Barelvi
jahan rahega vahin raushni lutaega
kisi charagh ka apna makan nahin hota
kisi charagh ka apna makan nahin hota
“Wherever it stays, there it will spill its light — a lamp has no dwelling it can call its own.”
Romanहिन्दीWaseem Barelvi
जहाँ रहेगा वहीं रौशनी लुटाएगा
किसी चराग़ का अपना मकाँ नहीं होता
किसी चराग़ का अपना मकाँ नहीं होता
The verse 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
The lamp is read as a figure for the giving self — wherever it rests, it spends its light freely, owning no home of its own. The couplet finds dignity, not deprivation, in that homelessness: to belong everywhere by illuminating it is its own kind of dwelling.
For You, Today
If your gift is to bring light wherever you go, do not mourn the lack of a fixed place — your purpose travels with you.
One of Waseem Barelvi's most recited verses, often heard as a tribute to those who serve without claiming ground of their own.
Themes:SolitudeHumility
More from Waseem Barelvi
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →