By Nida Fazli
hosh walon ko khabar kya be-khudi kya chiz hai
ishq kije phir samajhiye zindagi kya chiz hai
ishq kije phir samajhiye zindagi kya chiz hai
“What do the ever-sober know of the state of self-forgetting? Fall in love — only then will you understand what life is.”
Romanहिन्दीNida Fazli
होश वालों को ख़बर क्या बे-ख़ुदी क्या चीज़ है
इश्क़ कीजे फिर समझिए ज़िंदगी क्या चीज़ है
इश्क़ कीजे फिर समझिए ज़िंदगी क्या चीज़ है
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 couplet draws a hard line between the perpetually sober and those who have known self-forgetting in love. Fazli's claim is bold: life cannot be understood from the safe shore — you must lose yourself first. Knowledge here is not information but surrender.
For You, Today
Some truths about being alive are closed to caution — you have to risk love, and the loss of self it brings, to reach them.
A classic mushaira verse, it sets the intoxication of love above the composure of the cautious.
Themes:Love & LossWisdom
More from Nida Fazli
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →