For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the “Roman” or “Notes” tab.
Recitation
روشنی نہ ملی ۔ پنڈت آنند نرائن مُلّاؔ
۱
بشر کو مشعل ایماں سے آگہی نہ ملی
دھواں وہ تھا کہ نگاہوں کو روشنی نہ ملی
۲
خوشی کی معرفت اور غم کی آگہی نہ ملی
جسے جہاں میں محبت کی زندگی نہ ملی
۳
جگر نہ تھا کہ کوئی پھانس سی چبھی نہ ملی
جہاں کی خاک اڑائی کہیں خوشی نہ ملی
۴
یہ کہہ کے آخر شب شمع ہو گئی خاموش
کسی کی زندگی لینے سے زندگی نہ ملی
۵
لبوں پہ پھیل گئی ایک موج غم اکثر
بچھڑ کے تجھ سے ہنسی کی طرح ہنسی نہ ملی
۶
طواف شمع پتنگوں کا جل کے بھی ہے وہی
جگر کی آگ سے آنکھوں کو روشنی نہ ملی
۷
ثبات پا نہ سکے گا کوئی نظام چمن
فسردہ غنچوں کو جس میں شگفتگی نہ ملی
۸
فلک کے تاروں سے کیا دور ہوگی ظلمت شب
جب اپنے گھر کے چراغوں سے روشنی نہ ملی
۹
ابھی شباب ہے کر لوں خطائیں جی بھر کے
پھر اس مقام پہ عمر رواں ملی نہ ملی
۱۰
وہ قافلے کہ فلک جن کے پاؤں کا تھا غبار
رہ حیات سے بھٹکے تو گرد بھی نہ ملی
۱۱
وہ تیرہ بخت حقیقت میں ہے جسے ملاؔ
کسی نگاہ کے سائے کی چاندنی نہ ملی
रौशनी न मिली – पंडित आनंद नरायन मुल्ला
१
बशर को मश’अल-ए-ईमाँ से आगही न मिली
धुआँ वो था के निगाहों को रौशनी न मिली
२
ख़ुशी की मा’रेफ़त और ग़म की आगही न मिली
जिसे जहाँ में मोहब्बत की ज़िंदगी न मिली
३
जिगर न था कि कोई फाँस सी चुभी न मिली
जहाँ कि ख़ाक उड़ाई कहीं ख़ुशी न मिली
४
ये कह के आख़ेर-ए-शब शम’अ हो गई ख़ामोश
किसी की ज़िंदगी लेने से ज़िंदगी न मिली
५
लबों पे फैल गई एक मौज-ए-ग़म अक्सर
बिछड़ के तुझ से हँसी की तरह हँसी न मिली
६
तवाफ़-ए-शम’अ पतंगों का जल के भी है वही
जिगर की आग से आँखों को रौशनी न मिली
७
सबात पा न सकेगा कोई निज़ाम-ए-चमन
फ़सुर्दा ग़ुंचों को जिस में शगुफ़्तगी न मिली
८
फ़लक के तारों से क्या दूर होगी ज़ुल्मत-ए-शब
जब अपने घर के चराग़ों से रौशनी न मिली
९
अभी शबाब है कर लूँ ख़ताएँ जी भर के
फिर इस मक़ाम पे उम्र-ए-रवाँ मिली न मिली
१०
वो क़ाफ़ेले के फ़लक जिन के पाँव का था ग़ुबार
रह-ए-हयात से भटके तो गर्द भी न मिली
११
वो तीरा-बख़्त हक़ीक़त में है जिसे मुल्ला
किसी निगाह के साए की चाँदनी न मिली
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997), a kashmiri panDit from lukhnow, a high court judge, member of lok sabha and then of the rajya sabha was a liberal thinker reaching across communal lines with a strong love of urdu. This composition is an excellent example of his liberal thinking bordering on atheism.
1
bashar1 ko mash’al-e-imaaN2 se aagahi3 na mili
dhuaaN vo tha keh nigaahoN ko raushni na mili 1.human 2.torch of faith 3.knowledge, awareness
Humanity has not received true knowledge or awareness through the torch of faith. There’s so much smoke around the flame that there isn’t much enlightenment i.e., blind faith obfuscates our vision, meaning reason. Thus, the torch of faith is not very useful.
2
Khushi ki m’aarifat1 aur Gham ki aagahi2 na mili
jise jahaaN meN mohabbat ki zindagi na mili 1.mystic knowledge 2.awareness
Those who do not find (universal) love (of humanity) in their worldly life will never comprehend a mystical acceptance of happiness and sorrow.
3
jigar1 na tha keh koi phaaNs2 si chubhi na mili
jahaaN3 ki Khaak4 uRaaii kahiN Khushi na mili 1.liver/heart 2.thorn, splinter 3.world 4.Khaak uRaana – means wander all over looking for something.
I did not find any liver/heart that was not pierced with a splinter. I kicked the dust everywhere but found no true happiness either i.e., everybody has some pain or sorrow in life
4
ye kah ke aaKhir-e-shab1 sham’a2 ho gaii Khaamosh3
kisi ki zindagi lene se zindagi na mili 1.end of the night 2.candle 3.extinguished
At the end of the night, the flame of the candle extinguished while saying to itself that nobody ever got life by taking the life of someone else. This is an allegory that alludes to a moth that is attracted to a candle, is enamored by its flame, and starts circling around it till it’s burnt and dies. The death of the moth did not help the candle prolong its own life. Nor does killing someone prolong the life of anyone else.
5
laboN pe phail gaii ek mauj-e-Gham1 aksar2
bichhaR ke tujh se haNsi ki tarah haNsi na mili 1.wave of sorrow 2.often
Often a wave of sorrow swept over the lips (instead of a smile). Once separated from you, I could not find genuine pleasure.
6
tavaaf1-e sham’a pataNgoN ka jal ke bhi hai vahi
jigar ki aag se aaNkhoN ko raushni na mili 1.circumambulation
Moths flying around the flame of a candle is an instinct that prevails in spite of the danger of burning to death. The fire of its liver (passion for faith) disables its eyes from seeing very well. Blind faith and intensity of passion disable our rationality and power of reasoning. Said mohammed iqbal …
be-Khatar kuud paRa aatish-e namrood meN ishq
aql hai mahv-e tamaasha-e lab-e baam abhi
I composed a Ghazal in the style of Ghalib in which …
namrood ki jo aag meN kooda bila-Khatar
naadaan raakh ho gaya us iltehaab meN
7
sabaat1 paa na sakega koi nizaam2-e chaman
fasurda3 GhunchoN4 ko jis meN shaguftagi5 na mili 1.permanence 2.administration, rule 3.wilted 4.unopened buds 5.blossoming, pleasure
No grand arrangement of a garden will ever reach its full potential of a long-lasting bloom unless unopened buds are able to blossom individually i.e., a society as a whole cannot prosper unless sections of society or individuals are able to reach their potential for success.
8
falak1 ke taaroN se kya duur hogi zulmat2-e shab
jab apne ghar ke charaaGhoN se raushni na mili 1.sky 2.darkness
If the lamps of our own house do not provide light, how can the stars of the sky dispel the darkness of night? If we don’t rely on our own capabilities to achieve whatever we want to achieve, how can fate or faith get it for us?
9
abhi shabaab1 hai kar luuN Khataa’eN2 ji bhar ke
phir is maqaam3 pe umr-e-ravaaN4 mili na mili 1.youth 2.transgressions 3.stage (of life) 4.flow/movement of life
I am still young. Let me commit transgressions to my heart’s content. I don’t know if this flowing/moving life will ever return to this stage (of youthful transgression).
10
vo qaafile1 keh falak2 jin ke paaNv ka tha Ghubaar3
rah-e-hayaat4 se bhaTke5 to gard bhi na mili 1.caravan 2.sky 3.dust 4.path of life, universal life 5.wander off
Those caravans that kicked up dust clouds reaching into the sky as they moved, were completely lost when they wandered off the path of life, i.e., grand systems and ideologies that moved away from the true path of humanism and universal love ended up in the dustbin of history.
11
vo tiira-baKht1 haqiqat2 meN hai jise mulla
kisi nigaah ke saaye ki chaandni na mili 1.dark fortune, unfortunate 2.truth
They are truly unfortunate, O mulla, who never received a loving glance from someone. ‘nigaah ke saaye ki chaandni’ probably means glance of love.
panDit anand narain mulla (1901-1997), a kashmiri panDit from lukhnow, a high court judge, member of lok sabha and then of the rajya sabha was a liberal thinker reaching across communal lines with a strong love of urdu. This composition is an excellent example of his liberal thinking bordering on atheism.
1
bashar1 ko mash’al-e-imaaN2 se aagahi3 na mili
dhuaaN vo tha keh nigaahoN ko raushni na mili
1.human 2.torch of faith 3.knowledge, awareness
Humanity has not received true knowledge or awareness through the torch of faith. There’s so much smoke around the flame that there isn’t much enlightenment i.e., blind faith obfuscates our vision, meaning reason. Thus, the torch of faith is not very useful.
2
Khushi ki m’aarifat1 aur Gham ki aagahi2 na mili
jise jahaaN meN mohabbat ki zindagi na mili
1.mystic knowledge 2.awareness
Those who do not find (universal) love (of humanity) in their worldly life will never comprehend a mystical acceptance of happiness and sorrow.
3
jigar1 na tha keh koi phaaNs2 si chubhi na mili
jahaaN3 ki Khaak4 uRaaii kahiN Khushi na mili
1.liver/heart 2.thorn, splinter 3.world 4.Khaak uRaana – means wander all over looking for something
I did not find any liver/heart that was not pierced with a splinter. I kicked the dust everywhere but found no true happiness either i.e., everybody has some pain or sorrow in life.
4
ye kah ke aaKhir-e-shab1 sham’a2 ho gaii Khaamosh3
kisi ki zindagi lene se zindagi na mili
1.end of the night 2.candle 3.extinguished
At the end of the night, the flame of the candle extinguished while saying to itself that nobody ever got life by taking the life of someone else. This is an allegory that alludes to a moth that is attracted to a candle, is enamored by its flame, and starts circling around it till it’s burnt and dies. The death of the moth did not help the candle prolong its own life. Nor does killing someone prolong the life of anyone else.
5
laboN pe phail gaii ek mauj-e-Gham1 aksar2
bichhaR ke tujh se haNsi ki tarah haNsi na mili
1.wave of sorrow 2.often
Often a wave of sorrow swept over the lips (instead of a smile). Once separated from you, I could not find genuine pleasure.
6
tavaaf1-e sham’a pataNgoN ka jal ke bhi hai vahi
jigar ki aag se aaNkhoN ko raushni na mili
1.circumambulation
Moths flying around the flame of a candle is an instinct that prevails in spite of the danger of burning to death. The fire of its liver (passion for faith) disables its eyes from seeing very well. Blind faith and intensity of passion disable our rationality and power of reasoning. Said mohammed iqbal …
be-Khatar kuud paRa aatish-e namrood meN ishq
aql hai mahv-e tamaasha-e lab-e baam abhi
I composed a Ghazal in the style of Ghalib in which …
namrood ki jo aag meN kooda bila-Khatar
naadaan raakh ho gaya us iltehaab meN
7
sabaat1 paa na sakega koi nizaam2-e chaman
fasurda3 GhunchoN4 ko jis meN shaguftagi5 na mili
1.permanence 2.administration, rule 3.wilted 4.unopened buds 5.blossoming, pleasure
No grand arrangement of a garden will ever reach its full potential of a long-lasting bloom unless unopened buds are able to blossom individually i.e., a society as a whole cannot prosper unless sections of society or individuals are able to reach their potential for success.
8
falak1 ke taaroN se kya duur hogi zulmat2-e shab
jab apne ghar ke charaaGhoN se raushni na mili
1.sky 2.darkness
If the lamps of our own house do not provide light, how can the stars of the sky dispel the darkness of night? If we don’t rely on our own capabilities to achieve whatever we want to achieve, how can fate or faith get it for us?
9
abhi shabaab1 hai kar luuN Khataa’eN2 ji bhar ke
phir is maqaam3 pe umr-e-ravaaN4 mili na mili
1.youth 2.transgressions 3.stage (of life) 4.flow/movement of life
I am still young. Let me commit transgressions to my heart’s content. I don’t know if this flowing/moving life will ever return to this stage (of youthful transgression).
10
vo qaafile1 keh falak2 jin ke paaNv ka tha Ghubaar3
rah-e-hayaat4 se bhaTke5 to gard bhi na mili
1.caravan 2.sky 3.dust 4.path of life, universal life 5.wander off
Those caravans that kicked up dust clouds reaching into the sky as they moved, were completely lost when they wandered off the path of life, i.e., grand systems and ideologies that moved away from the true path of humanism and universal love ended up in the dustbin of history.
11
vo tiira-baKht1 haqiqat2 meN hai jise mulla
kisi nigaah ke saaye ki chaandni na mili
1.dark fortune, unfortunate 2.truth
They are truly unfortunate, O mulla, who never received a loving glance from someone. ‘nigaah ke saaye ki chaandni’ probably means glance of love.
