Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. dwarka das sho’la (1910-1983), lahore and later punjab and dehli. He started learning urdu because he liked ‘urdu-vaale’ around him. He inherited a pharmacy business and grew it enough to get a mention in Who’s Who, India Trade Directory, 1942. He received formal schooling only up to 8^th grade because his father recruited him in the family business. While washing bottles/vials he kept humming ash’aar. Later, hafiz jalandhari became his ustaad. He says they clicked because hafiz jaalandhari was equally unschooled (formally) and talked in panjabi.
1
ab kya bataauN dost¹ se kya maaNg kya na maaNg
tu dekh apne zarf² ko phir maaNg ya na maaNg    1.friend, beloved, god 2.capacity
How can I tell, what to ask of the friend/beloved/god or what not to ask for. First you examine your own capacity then decide if you want to ask for it or not. This could have been addressed to himself, to a friend or to all his readers. Said Ghalib …
girni thi ham pe barq-e tajalli na tuur par
dete haiN baada zarf-e qadah-Khwaar dekh kar
Biblical/qur’aanic story is that Moses went up mount tuur asking to see god. Divine manifestation came in the shape of a lightning strike which pulverized the mountain and Moses fainted. He did not have the capacity to see. Ghalib claims that he has that capacity, therefore god should have caused lightning to strike him not Mt. Toor, just like the saaqi serves wine only in proportion to the capacity of the patron.
2
zillat¹ ki zindagi se to behtar² hai maut³ hi
apne Khuda se jurra⁴-e aab-e-baqaa⁵ na maaNg    1.shame, insult, disrepute 2.better 3.death 4.gulp 5.nectar of immortality
Death is better than a life of disrepute. Do not ask your god for a drink of the nectar of immortality. This could be because it is inevitable that in this life you will acquire disrepute at some point and after living forever is worse than death. But if you have already had a drink of the nectar of immortality, you will be forced to live a life of disrepute. But the spirit of the she’r is it is better to die (possibly by choice) than live in disrepute.
3
maana¹ keh tere ishq se majbuur² huN magar³
aye dost⁴ mujh se daad⁵-e fareb⁶-e vafa⁷ na maaNg    1.I agree 2.bound, powerless 3.but 4.friend/beloved/god 5.praise 6.deception 7.fidelity
The beloved is known for promising fidelity, and always breaking her promise. I agree that I am powerless before love of you, I cannot help but love you (inspite of your infidelity) but do not ask me to praise your promise of fidelity, for it is nothing but deception.
4
kya le ga dard¹ saare jahaaN ka sameT² kar
jo chaahe maaNg, ek dil-e dard-aashna³ na maaNg    1.pain 2.gather 3.sympathetic heart
What use is it to collect the pain of this world. Ask for anything you want, but don’t ask for a sympathetic heart. On the other hand, amiir minaaii says …
Khanjar chale kisi pe taRapte haiN ham amiir
saare jahaaN ka dard hamaare jigar meN hai
5
ya ibteda¹-e ishq ki zillat² bhi kar qubool³
ya mahaz⁴ tajrube⁵ ke liye intehaa⁶ na maaNg   1.beginning 2.shame, insult 3.accept 4.merely, only 5.experience 6.ending
As soon as you begin ‘ishq’, inevitably, you have to face shame and insult because the beloved ignores you (this can apply equally well to the divine beloved who is Ghani, and does not need your love). Thus, at the very beginning of ‘ishq’ learn to accept a life of shame. Merely for the sake of experiencing it do not pray for the ending – the final phase. This implies that you will not get the final phase (union with the beloved/divine) on a mere wish to experience what it feels like. You have to be prepared for ‘fana’ – total annihilation of the self, losing your identity to merge with the divine.
6
aisa na ho keh apni KhataaoN¹ pe aaye sharm²
bandoN³ se roz-e-hashr⁴ hisaab-e-Khata⁵ na maaNg     1.sins, transgressions 2.shame 3.devotees 4.day of judgement 5.accounting of transgressions
IF it is accepted that creatures don’t have any free will, then all their transgressions can be attributed to god’s will and he will be the one who will be shamed during the day of judgement. But more likely, it is god’s benevolence that will come into play and he will not ask uncomfortable questions so as not to risk his devotees. Thus, O god, don’t ask your devotees to account for their transgressions out of consideration of not shaming them. Ghalib has a completely different take …
aata hai daaGh-e hasrat-e dil ka shumaar yaad
mujh se mere gunah ka hisaab aye Khuda na maaNg
He is not ashamed, he has no regrets about the sins he actually committed. Far from it. He remembers the count of the scars on his heart of unfulfilled desires because of the sins that he wanted to commit but could not.
7
faqr¹ o Ghina² to sho’la³ qinaa’at⁴ ka naam hai
daava⁵ hai faqr¹ ka to meri jaaN duaa na maaNg    1.life of a faqiir/mendicant 2.fully supplied with all needs 3.pen-name of the poet 4.forbearance, doing without 5.claim
‘Ghina’, can be due to a luxurious life-style, or because the protagonist has brought himself to a state where he is happy to forsake everything, therefore, he doesn’t need anything. Thus, both ‘faqr’ and ‘Ghina’ can be considered other names of ‘qinaa’at’ (doing without). If you claim that you have a life-style of a ‘faqiir’, then don’t pray for anything. Be satisfied with what you have.