For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
جہاں میں کوئی جواب تیرا ۔ بام دیو شرما رشیؔ پٹیالوی
۱
دکھا رہا ہے دل و نظر کو جمالِ فِطرت شباب تیرا
نہ ہو سکا ہے نہ ہو سکے گا جہاں میں کوئی جواب تیرا
۲
سنور رہا ہے نِکھر رہا ہے ترے اِشاروں پہ حسنِ عالم
جِدھر بھی دیکھیں نظر اُٹھا کر ہے کار فرما شباب تیرا
۳
تجلّیوں میں تری حقیقت چھپی چھپی سی رہے گی کب تک
عجب تذبذُب میں ڈالتا ہے نقاب تیرا حجاب تیرا
۴
تری لطافت تری نزاکت گُلوں کے رُخ سے برس رہی ہے
کلی کلی پر ہے رُوپ تیرا چمن چمن ہے شباب تیرا
۵
تری تجلّی کو دیکھتے ہی عجیب عالم میں کھو گیا وہ
نقاب بن کر مری نظر پر پڑا ہے رنگِ نقاب تیرا
۶
عطا کیا ذوقِ دید مجھ کو مگر نہ دی تابِ دید تو نے
سوالِ ثانی ہے میرے لب پر سُنا جو میں نے جواب تیرا
۷
نہیں تو بس اک یقیں نہیں ہے مجھے کرم پر تجھے وفا پر
وفا بھی ہے بے مِثال میری کرم بھی ہے بے حِساب تیرا
۸
رشیؔ فسانہ بنا ہوا ہے ازل سے دہرایا جا رہا ہے
سوال تیرا جواب اُن کا سوال اُن کا جواب تیرا
जहाँ में कोई जवाब तेरा – बाम देव शर्मा ‘ऋषि’ पटियालवी
१
दिखा रहा है दिल ओ नज़र को जमाल-ए फ़ितरत शबाब तेरा
न हो सका है, न हो सकेगा जहाँ में कोई जवाब तेरा
२
सँवर रहा है, निखर रहा है तेरे इशारों पे हुस्न-ए आलम
जिधर भी देखें नज़र उठाकर, है कार-फ़रमा शबाब तेरा
३
तजल्लियों में तेरी हक़ीक़त छुपी-छुपी सी रहेगी कब तक
अजब तज़बज़ुब में डालता है नक़ाब तेरा, हिजाब तेरा
४
तेरी लताफ़त, तेरी नज़ाकत गुलों के रुख़ से बरस रही है
कली-कली पर है रूप तेरा, चमन-चमन है शबाब तेरा
५
तेरी तजल्ली को देखते ही अजीब आलम में खो गया वो
नक़ाब बन कर मेरी नज़र पर पढा है रंग-ए नक़ाब तेरा
६
अता किया ज़ौक़-ए दीद मुझको, मगर न दी ताब-ए दीद तू ने
सवाल-ए सानी है मेरे लब पर सुना जो मैं ने जवाब तेरा
७
नहीं तो बस एक यक़ीं नहीं है मुझे करम पर तुझे वफ़ा पर
वफ़ा भी है बे-मिसाल मेरी, करम भी है बे-हिसाब तेरा
८
ऋषि फ़साना बना हुआ है, अज़ल से दोहराया जा रहा है
सवाल तेरा, जवाब उनका, सवाल उनका, जवाब तेरा
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. baam dev sharma rishi paTialavi (1917-1999) originally from hoshiarpur in punjab. He was a disciple of nasim noormahli, who in turn was a disciple of daaGh dehlavi. He has written exquite Ghazal in chaste urdu and many progressive nazm in chaste urdu as well as in spoken hindi/urdu/hindustani. He was part of a group of friends who organized joint celebration of one another’s religious festivities to promote communal harmony. Also see josh malihabadi – nigaah meri shabaab tera.
1
dikha rahaa hai dil o nazar1 ko jamaal2-e fitrat3 shabaab4 tera
na ho sakaa hai, na ho sakegaa jahaaN5 meN koi javaab6 tera 1.eyes 2.glory 3.nature 4.youth 5.world 6.answer, equal, compare
Nature’s beauty, seen through the heart and eyes, reflects ‘your’ youthful glory shabaab. Nothing in the world, past or future, can compare to ‘you’. The ‘you’ is the beloved but could it be the divine beloved; there’s a divine, almost mythical uniqueness being attributed here; your beauty transcends time and space.
2
saNvar1 rahaa hai, nikhar2 rahaa hai ter’e ishaaroN3 pe husn4-e aalam5
jidhar bhi dekheN nazar6 uThaa kar, hai kaar-farmaa7 shabaab8 tera 1.adorned 2.freshen, rejuvenate 3.gestures, signs 4.beauty 5.world 6.eyes 7.working
The entire world, the beauty of nature, the elegance of life, is seen to respond (saNvarnaa – nikharnaa) to the beloved’s gestures/subtle suggestions. The universe itself seems to polish and perfect itself under her influence. Wherever one raises the eyes to see, they find your youthful/energetic/vigorous essence at work. This is mystical admiration: the (divine) beloved is not just beautiful, but an unseen force behind all beauty.
3
tajalliyoN1 meN teri haqiiqat2 chhupi-chhupi si rahegi kab tak
ajab3 tazabzub4 meN Daalta hai naqaab5 tera, hijaab6 tera 1.brilliance 2.truth, reality 3.strange, mysterious 4.confusion, fascination 5.veil 6.hiding, invisibility
How long will your inner truth, your essence, remain hidden. The veil (naqaab) and the spiritual covering (hijaab) confuse and fascinate. There’s a divine mystery here: your presence dazzles, yet keeps the seeker in a state of yearning and wonder.
4
teri lataafat1, teri nazaakat2 guloN ke ruKh3 se baras4 rahi hai
kali-kali5 par hai roop6 tera, chaman-chaman7 hai shabaab8 tera 1.elegance 2.delicacy 3.face 4.rains from used here to mean reflected in 5.every bud 6.face, beauty 7.every garden 8.youth, energy, vigour
Your elegance and delicacy rain down through (are reflected by) the faces of flowers. Every bud carries a trace of your beauty; every garden glows with your charm. This is nature as a mirror of the (divine) beloved; each flower a verse of your presence, each bloom a testament to your poetic existence.
5
teri tajalli1 ko dekhte hi ajiib2 aalam3 meN kho gayaa voh
naqaab4 ban kar meri nazar5 par paRaa hai raNg-e naqaab4 tera 1.radiance 2.strange, mysterious 3.condition, state 4.veil 5.eyes 6.in the way of, like
Here the voh the person viewing/witnessing the beloved’s brilliance could be the poet himself. The poet talking about himself – the moment he saw your radiance (tajalli), he was transported into a mysterious, otherworldly state. Yet that very vision becomes a veil; your beauty is so intense, it blinds and masks, instead of revealing.
6
ataa1 kiyaa zauq2-e diid3 mujh ko, magar na dii taab4-e diid3 tuu ne
savaal5-e saani6 hai mer’e lab7 par, sunaa jo maiN ne javaab8 tera 1.granted 2.taste, longing 3.to see, to behold 4.strength, power 5.question 6.second, following 7.lips 8.answer, reply
You granted me the taste/desire to behold you, but not the power to withstand/bear the sight. Even as I received your answer, another question forms on my lips, such is the endless cycle of seeking the divine.
7
nahiiN to bas ek yaqiiN1 nahiiN hai mujhe karam2 par tujhe vafaa3 par
vafaa3 bhi hai be-misaal4 meri, karam2 bhi hai be-hisaab5 tera 1.trust 2.kindness, benevolence 3.loyalty, faith 4.unexampled, unmatched 5.unlimited
If there is one thing lacking, it is trust … I am insecure in trusting your benevolence, forgiveness and you don’t trust my faith, even though my faith is unmatched and your generosity limitless. This could apply both to the earthly and divine beloved but I am not sure if there is any deeper meaning.
8
rishi1 fasaana2 bana hua hai, azal3 se dohraayaa4 ja rahaa hai
savaal5 tera, javaab6 unn ka, savaal unn ka, javaab tera 1.pen-name 2.fable 3.beginning, eternity 4.repeated 5.question 6.reply
Here the poet is addressing himself and tera refers to the poet and unn refers to the beloved- the beloved can be the divine. Since time immemorial, this fable (fasaana) has been playing out – your question and the beloved’s answer, and the beloved’s question and your answer i.e., the dynamics have been the same over the ages. There’s a timeless, cosmic dialogue between seeker and beloved, or soul and universe.
It’s a loop of longing, response, reflection, a beautifully circular, eternal love play.
baam dev sharma rishi paTialavi (1917-1999) originally from hoshiarpur in punjab. He was a disciple of nasim noormahli, who in turn was a disciple of daaGh dehlavi. He has written exquite Ghazal in chaste urdu and many progressive nazm in chaste urdu as well as in spoken hindi/urdu/hindustani. He was part of a group of friends who organized joint celebration of one another’s religious festivities to promote communal harmony. Also see josh malihabadi – nigaah meri shabaab tera.
1
dikha rahaa hai dil o nazar1 ko jamaal2-e fitrat3 shabaab4 tera
na ho sakaa hai, na ho sakegaa jahaaN5 meN koi javaab6 tera
1.eyes 2.glory 3.nature 4.youth 5.world 6.answer, equal, compare
Nature’s beauty, seen through the heart and eyes, reflects ‘your’ youthful glory shabaab. Nothing in the world, past or future, can compare to ‘you’. The ‘you’ is the beloved but could it be the divine beloved; there’s a divine, almost mythical uniqueness being attributed here; your beauty transcends time and space.
2
saNvar1 rahaa hai, nikhar2 rahaa hai ter’e ishaaroN3 pe husn4-e aalam5
jidhar bhi dekheN nazar6 uThaa kar, hai kaar-farmaa7 shabaab8 tera
1.adorned 2.freshen, rejuvenate 3.gestures, signs 4.beauty 5.world 6.eyes 7.working
The entire world, the beauty of nature, the elegance of life, is seen to respond (saNvarnaa – nikharnaa) to the beloved’s gestures/subtle suggestions. The universe itself seems to polish and perfect itself under her influence. Wherever one raises the eyes to see, they find your youthful/energetic/vigorous essence at work. This is mystical admiration: the (divine) beloved is not just beautiful, but an unseen force behind all beauty.
3
tajalliyoN1 meN teri haqiiqat2 chhupi-chhupi si rahegi kab tak
ajab3 tazabzub4 meN Daalta hai naqaab5 tera, hijaab6 tera
1.brilliance 2.truth, reality 3.strange, mysterious 4.confusion, fascination 5.veil 6.hiding, invisibility
How long will your inner truth, your essence, remain hidden. The veil (naqaab) and the spiritual covering (hijaab) confuse and fascinate. There’s a divine mystery here: your presence dazzles, yet keeps the seeker in a state of yearning and wonder.
4
teri lataafat1, teri nazaakat2 guloN ke ruKh3 se baras4 rahi hai
kali-kali5 par hai roop6 tera, chaman-chaman7 hai shabaab8 tera
1.elegance 2.delicacy 3.face 4.rains from used here to mean reflected in 5.every bud 6.face, beauty 7.every garden 8.youth, energy, vigour
Your elegance and delicacy rain down through (are reflected by) the faces of flowers. Every bud carries a trace of your beauty; every garden glows with your charm. This is nature as a mirror of the (divine) beloved; each flower a verse of your presence, each bloom a testament to your poetic existence.
5
teri tajalli1 ko dekhte hi ajiib2 aalam3 meN kho gayaa voh
naqaab4 ban kar meri nazar5 par paRaa hai raNg-e naqaab4 tera
1.radiance 2.strange, mysterious 3.condition, state 4.veil 5.eyes 6.in the way of, like
Here the voh the person viewing/witnessing the beloved’s brilliance could be the poet himself. The poet talking about himself – the moment he saw your radiance (tajalli), he was transported into a mysterious, otherworldly state. Yet that very vision becomes a veil; your beauty is so intense, it blinds and masks, instead of revealing.
6
ataa1 kiyaa zauq2-e diid3 mujh ko, magar na dii taab4-e diid3 tuu ne
savaal5-e saani6 hai mer’e lab7 par, sunaa jo maiN ne javaab8 tera
1.granted 2.taste, longing 3.to see, to behold 4.strength, power 5.question 6.second, following 7.lips 8.answer, reply
You granted me the taste/desire to behold you, but not the power to withstand/bear the sight. Even as I received your answer, another question forms on my lips, such is the endless cycle of seeking the divine.
7
nahiiN to bas ek yaqiiN1 nahiiN hai mujhe karam2 par tujhe vafaa3 par
vafaa3 bhi hai be-misaal4 meri, karam2 bhi hai be-hisaab5 tera
1.trust 2.kindness, benevolence 3.loyalty, faith 4.unexampled, unmatched 5.unlimited
If there is one thing lacking, it is trust … I am insecure in trusting your benevolence, forgiveness and you don’t trust my faith, even though my faith is unmatched and your generosity limitless. This could apply both to the earthly and divine beloved but I am not sure if there is any deeper meaning.
8
rishi1 fasaana2 bana hua hai, azal3 se dohraayaa4 ja rahaa hai
savaal5 tera, javaab6 unn ka, savaal unn ka, javaab tera
1.pen-name 2.fable 3.beginning, eternity 4.repeated 5.question 6.reply
Here the poet is addressing himself and tera refers to the poet and unn refers to the beloved- the beloved can be the divine. Since time immemorial, this fable (fasaana) has been playing out – your question and the beloved’s answer, and the beloved’s question and your answer i.e., the dynamics have been the same over the ages. There’s a timeless, cosmic dialogue between seeker and beloved, or soul and universe.
It’s a loop of longing, response, reflection, a beautifully circular, eternal love play.
