By Krishna Bihari 'Noor'
main jis ke haath mein ik phool de ke aaya tha
usi ke haath ka patthar miri talash mein hai
usi ke haath ka patthar miri talash mein hai
“The very one in whose hand I had placed a flower — the stone in that same hand is now out hunting for me.”
Romanहिन्दीKrishna Bihari 'Noor'
मैं जिस के हाथ में इक फूल दे के आया था
उसी के हाथ का पत्थर मिरी तलाश में है
उसी के हाथ का पत्थर मिरी तलाश में 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 verse traces a single hand across time — once it held the flower the speaker offered, now it carries the stone that hunts him. Nothing changes but the object in the palm, and that economy is the cruelty: the same closeness that received tenderness now aims violence.
For You, Today
The people you opened yourself to most are the ones who can wound you most precisely — give trust knowingly, not blindly.
The couplet is admired for compressing the whole arc of love turned hostile into one unchanging hand.
Themes:Love & LossAdversity
More from Krishna Bihari 'Noor'
The heart of this site stays with Iqbal: explore his couplets → Or browse the whole Other Voices shelf →