For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
بھولے سے مسلماں نہ ہوا ۔ پنڈت امرناتھ ساحرؔ دہلوی
۱
حوصلہ وجہ تپش ہائے دل و جاں نہ ہوا
شعلۂ شمع تری بزم میں رقصاں نہ ہوا
۲
دستِ دِل پردہ کشائے رُخِ جاناں نہ ہوا
نا رسا اہلِ نظر بازیِ رِنداں نہ ہوا
۳
لبِ منصُور سے دی کس نے انالحق کی صدا
تو اگر پردۂ پندار میں پنہاں نہ ہوا
۴
قیس تھا مستِ ازل جامِ انا لیلیٰ سے
تن کی عریانی سے مجنوں کوئی عریاں نہ ہوا
۵
دِل مِٹا پر نہ مِٹا حرفِ محبّت دِل سے
کُفر اِسلام ہوا مرکزِ ایماں نہ ہوا
۶
مرکزِ عشق ہے دل، دائرۂ ہستی میں
میرے سیّارہ سے ثابت ہے کہ حیراں نہ ہوا
۷
چشمِ بینا ہے تو ہے شش جہت آئینۂ حُسن
تیرے جلوے سے یہ پیدا ہے کہ پنہاں نہ ہوا
۸
تم ہو ارمانِ جہاں دل ہے جہانِ ارماں
تم رہے دل میں تو مجموعہ پریشاں نہ ہوا
۹
ساقیِ بزمِ ازل کب سے ہے پیمانہ بہ دست
بادہ کش کوئی بھی دُردی کشِ پیماں نہ ہوا
۱۰
جلوۂ طُور سے گلشن ہے مری پزمِ نگاہ
دیدہ مِنّت کشِ گُلکاریٔ رِضواں نہ ہوا
۱۱
ہم رہے چشم عنایت سے ہمیشہ محروم
دل نشیں تیر نظر کا کوئی پیکاں نہ ہوا
۱۲
شب کو میرا نفسِ گرم ہے خورشیدِ فلک
ورنہ خورشید کبھی شب میں نمایاں نہ ہوا
۱۳
ہے کرشمہ میرے ساقی کا عجب ہوش رُبا
کہ مئے صاف سے غارتگرِ ایماں نہ ہوا
۱۴
چشم جاناں میں سماتے ہیں سمانے والے
موت سے آنکھ لڑانا کوئی آساں نہ ہوا
۱۵
دل ہے بت خانۂ اصنام خیالی ساحرؔ
تو وہ کافر ہے کہ بھولے سے مسلماں نہ ہوا
भूले से मुसलमाँ न हुआ – पंडित अमरनाथ साहिर देहलवी
१
हौसला वज्ह-ए तपिश-हा-ए दिल-ओ-जाँ न हुआ
शोला-ए शम’अ तेरी बज़्म में रक़्साँ न हुआ
२
दस्त-ए दिल पर्दा-कुशा-ए रुख़-ए जानां न हुआ
नारसा अहल-ए नज़र-बाज़ी-ए रिंदां न हुआ
३
लब-ए मन्सूर से दी किस ने अन-अल-हक़ की सदा
तू अगर पर्दा-ए पिन्दार में पिन्हां न हुआ
४
क़ैस था मस्त-ए अज़ल जाम-ए अना लैला से
तन की उर्यानी से मज्नूँ कोई उर्यां न हुआ
५
दिल मिटा पर न मिटा हर्फ़-ए मोहब्बत दिल से
कुफ़्र इस्लाम हुआ मरकज़-ए ईमां न हुआ
६
मरकज़-ए इश्क़ है दिल, दाएरा-ए हस्ती में
मेरे सय्यारे से साबित है के हैरां न हुआ
७
चश्म-ए बीना है तो है शश-जहत आईना-ए हुस्न
तेरे जल्वे से ये पैदा है के पिन्हां न हुआ
८
तुम हो अर्मान-ए जहां, दिल है जहान-ए अर्मां
तुम रहे दिल में तो मज्मू’अ परेशां न हुआ
९
साक़ी-ए बज़्म-ए अज़ल कब से है पैमाना ब-दस्त
बादा-कश कोई भि दुर्दी-कश-ए पैमां न हुआ
१०
जल्वा-ए तूर से गुल्शन है मेरी बज़्म-ए निगाह
दीदा मिन्नत-कश-ए गुल्कारी-ए रिज़्वां न हुआ
११
हम रहे चश्म-ए इनायत से हमेशा महरूम
दिल-नशीं तीर-ए-नज़र का कोई पैकाँ न हुआ
१२
शब को मेरा नफ़स-ए गर्म है ख़ुर्शीद-ए फ़लक
वरना ख़ुर्शीद कभी शब में नुमायां न हुआ
१३
है करिश्मा मेरे साक़ी का अजब होश-रुबा
के मय-ए साफ़ से ग़ारत-गर-ए ईमां न हुआ
१४
चश्म-ए जानाँ में समाते हैं समाने वाले
मौत से आँख लड़ाना कोई आसाँ न हुआ
१५
दिल है बुत-ख़ाना-ए अस्नाम-ए ख़याली साहिर
तू वो काफ़र है के भूले से मुसल्माँ न हुआ
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit amarnath sahir dehlavi (1863-1962) was deeply affected by the cultural degeneration following the 1857 war. He turned to themes of mysticism in his poetry. He was a scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi. This is one of two Ghazal of panDit amarnath sahir styled after Ghalib’s ‘dard minnat-kash-e davaa na hua’ although with a slightly different qaafiya. As is usual for sahir dehlavi, this also is highly sufiyaana.
1
hausla1 vaj’h2-e tapish-haa3-e dil-o-jaaN na hua
shola4-e sham’a5 teri bazm6 meN raqsaaN7 na hua 1.courage, daring 2.reason, basis 3.fires, passion 4.flame 5.lamp 6.gathering 7.dancing
This could be about a mushaa’era gathering or addressed to the beloved or the divine beloved. In a mushaa’era the shaa’er may be admitting that he did not have enough courage, that his passion did not light up his heart and soul/mind. Hence, the flame (candle which is placed in front of the shaa’er when he is called upon to recite) did not dance in this gathering. To the beloved or the divine beloved, he may be again admitting that his courage failed. The flame in his passion did not dance in his/her presence/gathering.
2
dast1-e dil parda-kushaa2-e ruKh3-e jaanaaN4 na hua
naarasaa5 ahl6-e nazar-baazi7-e rindaaN8 na hua 1.hand 2.opening/removing veil 3.face 4.beloved 5.unable to reach/access 7.looking, seeing 8.wine lovers, patrons of the tavern
The tavern is often a metaphor for believers in universal love, beyond the confines of orthodoxy. The wine served here is the wine of love. The patrons of this tavern have been able to do ‘nazar-baazi’ i.e., able to look at/comprehend the beloved (divine or earthly). But the heart of the shaa’er could not reach far enough, did not have access to be able to remove the veil from the beloved’s face.
3
lab1-e mansuur2 se di kis ne anal-haq3 ki sadaa4
tu agar parda-e pindaar5 meN pinhaaN6 na hua 1.lips 2.mansur al hallaaj 3.I am the Truth, aham brahmasmi 4.sound, call 5.used here to mean – thought, imagination 6.hidden
mansuur-al-hallaaj was a sufi scholar (858-922) who was convicted of heresy and executed. Among other things he is supposed to have declared ‘an-al-haq’ – I am the Truth, considered equivalent to ‘aham brahmasmi’. This shaa’er declares that the sound of an-al-haq from the lips of mansuur really came from someone else – implying that it came from god. If it was not you (gop) hidden behind the veil of thought/imagination saying this, who else could it have been.
4
qais1 thaa mast2-e azal3 jaam4-e anaa-laila5 se
tan6 ki uryaani7 se majnuuN8 koi uryaaN7 na hua 1.another name of majnuN 2.intoxicated 3.eternal, divine 4.cup 5.I am laila 6.body 7.nakedness, naked 8.of laila-majnuN legend
Legend has it that majnuN was deeply in love with laila and wandered the desert with torn clothes/naked looking for her. qais was intoxicated having drunk from the cup of ‘anaa-laila’. In reality, ‘laila’ is the divine beloved and he was intoxicated by ‘azal’ – eternity-divinity. It was not the nakedness of the body that made him naked, it was intoxication of divinity.
5
dil miTa par na miTa harf1-e mohabbat dil se
kufr2 islaam hua markaz3-e eemaaN4 na hua 1.word 2.denial, non-belief, belief other than islam 3.centre, focus, essence 4.faith
The heart itself was erased i.e., I lost my identity, merging myself in the divine, but the word of love was not erased along with my heart. For the shaa’er ‘markaz-e eemaaN – essence of faith’ is the word of love. He found it engraved on his heart, it remained even if the heart was erased and in this respect, there was no difference between kufr and islaam.
6
markaz1-e ishq hai dil, daa’era2-e hasti3 meN
mere sayyaare4 se saabit5 hai keh hairaaN6 na hua 1.centre, focus 2.circle, regime 3.existence, life 4.planet i.e., horoscope 5.proven 6.perplexed, confused
In the regime of existence i.e., in this world, the heart is the focus of (universal) love. His horoscope also shows the same thing. This proves that there is no preplexity or confusion about the principles of life.
7
chashm1-e biina2 hai to hai shash-jahat3 aaiina4-e husn5
tere jalve6 se ye paida7 hai keh pinhaaN8 ha hua 1.eye 2.seeing, discerning 3.six directions 4.mirror, reflection 5.(divine) beauty 6.glory, manifestation 7.used here to mean – apparent, proven 8.hidden
Your glory/manifestation proves that you are not hidden. If you have a discerning eye then you will be able to see that divine beauty is reflected in all directions.
8
tum ho armaan1-e jahaaN2, dil hai jahaan-e-armaaN3
tum rahe dil meN to majmu’a4 pareshaaN5 na hua 1.yearning, longing, love 2.world 3.world of yearning 4.collection, multitude 5.scatter
You, (O god) are the longing of the world i.e., the whole world desires/yearns for you, and the heart is the world/centre of love/yearning. If you are in the heart i.e., if we are devoted to the divine, then the multitude will not scatter, will remain focused. This probably means that we can call the divine by a multitude of names/images but as long as the focus is universal/divine love, then the multitude will be the same as one.
9
saaqi-e bazm1-e azal2 kab se hai paimaana3 ba-dast4
baada-kash5 koii bhi durdi-kash6-e paimaaN3 na hua 1.gathering, regime 2.eternity, immortality 3.cup (of the wine of love) 4.holding in hand 5.wine lover, wine drinker 6.drinking the last drops at the bottom, bottoms up
‘saaqi-e bazm-e azal’ is the divine being. It has been holding the cup of the wine of love in its hand for so long. But there has not been a wine-drinker who has drunk the whole cup to the last drops.
10
jalva1-e tuur2 se gulshan3 hai meri bazm4-e nigaah5
diida6 minnat-kash7-e gulkaari8-e rizvaaN9 na hua 1.glory, manifestation 2.mount tuur 3.garden, beauty 4.gathering, regime 5.eyes, sight 6.eyes 7.obliged to 8.embroidering, painting 9.gate-keeper of heaven
This has reference to the legend that moosa went up mount tuur asking to see god. All he got to see was a lightning flash as a manifestation of the divine. Thus, for the shaa’er, it is that lightning flash which is the beauty of the regime of his sight. He is not going to fall for/get under the obligation of the gate-keeper of heaven who has been painting a beautiful picture of what heaven is like. For the shaa’er the glory of god is enough, he does not need the temptation of heaven. Said Ghalib …
taa’at meN taa rahe na mai o aNgabiiN ki laag
dozaKh meN Daal do koii le kar behisht ko
11
ham rahe chashm1-e inaayat2 se hamesha3 mahruum4
dil-nashiN5 tiir-e nazar6 kaa koi paikaaN7 na hua 1.eye, glance 2.benevolence 3.always 4.deprived 5.resident of the heart 6.glance 7.tip of the arrow
The beloved has been shooting arrows/glances in all directions, but the shaa’er/suitor has always remained deprived for her benevolent glance. Not tip of her arrows found a place in his heart yet.
12
shab1 ko mera nafas2-e garm hai Khurshiid3-e falak4
varna5 Khurshiid3 kabhi shab1 ko numaayaaN6 na hua 1.night 2.breath 3.sun 4.skies, heavens 5.otherwise 6.emerge, visible
‘nafas-e garm’ is the passionate breath/words/verse of the shaa’er. It is his passionate verse that lights up the night, it is like the sun in the sky. Otherwise, has the sun ever emerged at night.
13
hai karishma1 mere saaqi ka ajab2 hosh-ruba3
keh mai4-e saaf5 se Ghaarat-gar6-e iimaaN7 na hua 1.miracle 2.surprising, unusual 3.stealing senses/awareness 4.wine 5.pure, strong 6.destructive 7.faith
The miracle of the saaqi steals my senses/awareness i.e. I become intoxicated with (divine) love. It is because of this that even pure/strong wine (worldly temptations) have not been destructive of my true faith.
14
chashm1-e jaanaaN2 meN samaate3 haiN samaane vaale
maut se aaNkh laRaanaa koi aasaaN na hua 1.eyes 2.beloved 3.contained in, absorbed in
Those who want to/are tempted by the eyes of the beloved are overwhelmed/get absorbed in it. They cannot look Death squarely in the eye. It is not easy to face it.
15
dil hai but-Khaana1-e asnaam2-e Khayaali3 saahir4
tuu vo kaafir5 hai keh bhuule se musalmaaN na hua 1.idol house 2.idols 3.imaginary 4.pen-name of the poet 5.non-believer
The heart is the idol-house of many imagine idols. O saahir, you are a non-believer who, even by mistake, has not become muslim. This probably is related the main theme carried through all the ash’aar of the Ghazal i.e., it does not matter if you have one god or many idols, you can embrace the essence of faith through universal love.
panDit amarnath sahir dehlavi (1863-1962) was deeply affected by the cultural degeneration following the 1857 war. He turned to themes of mysticism in his poetry. He was a scholar of sanskrit, arabi and faarsi. This is one of two Ghazal of panDit amarnath sahir styled after Ghalib’s ‘dard minnat-kash-e davaa na hua’ although with a slightly different qaafiya. As is usual for sahir dehlavi, this also is highly sufiyaana.
1
hausla1 vaj’h2-e tapish-haa3-e dil-o-jaaN na hua
shola4-e sham’a5 teri bazm6 meN raqsaaN7 na hua
1.courage, daring 2.reason, basis 3.fires, passion 4.flame 5.lamp 6.gathering 7.dancing
This could be about a mushaa’era gathering or addressed to the beloved or the divine beloved. In a mushaa’era the shaa’er may be admitting that he did not have enough courage, that his passion did not light up his heart and soul/mind. Hence, the flame (candle which is placed in front of the shaa’er when he is called upon to recite) did not dance in this gathering. To the beloved or the divine beloved, he may be again admitting that his courage failed. The flame in his passion did not dance in his/her presence/gathering.
2
dast1-e dil parda-kushaa2-e ruKh3-e jaanaaN4 na hua
naarasaa5 ahl6-e nazar-baazi7-e rindaaN8 na hua
1.hand 2.opening/removing veil 3.face 4.beloved 5.unable to reach/access 7.looking, seeing 8.wine lovers, patrons of the tavern
The tavern is often a metaphor for believers in universal love, beyond the confines of orthodoxy. The wine served here is the wine of love. The patrons of this tavern have been able to do ‘nazar-baazi’ i.e., able to look at/comprehend the beloved (divine or earthly). But the heart of the shaa’er could not reach far enough, did not have access to be able to remove the veil from the beloved’s face.
3
lab1-e mansuur2 se di kis ne anal-haq3 ki sadaa4
tu agar parda-e pindaar5 meN pinhaaN6 na hua
1.lips 2.mansur al hallaaj 3.I am the Truth, aham brahmasmi 4.sound, call 5.used here to mean – thought, imagination 6.hidden
mansuur-al-hallaaj was a sufi scholar (858-922) who was convicted of heresy and executed. Among other things he is supposed to have declared ‘an-al-haq’ – I am the Truth, considered equivalent to ‘aham brahmasmi’. This shaa’er declares that the sound of an-al-haq from the lips of mansuur really came from someone else – implying that it came from god. If it was not you (gop) hidden behind the veil of thought/imagination saying this, who else could it have been.
4
qais1 thaa mast2-e azal3 jaam4-e anaa-laila5 se
tan6 ki uryaani7 se majnuuN8 koi uryaaN7 na hua
1.another name of majnuN 2.intoxicated 3.eternal, divine 4.cup 5.I am laila 6.body 7.nakedness, naked 8.of laila-majnuN legend
Legend has it that majnuN was deeply in love with laila and wandered the desert with torn clothes/naked looking for her. qais was intoxicated having drunk from the cup of ‘anaa-laila’. In reality, ‘laila’ is the divine beloved and he was intoxicated by ‘azal’ – eternity-divinity. It was not the nakedness of the body that made him naked, it was intoxication of divinity.
5
dil miTa par na miTa harf1-e mohabbat dil se
kufr2 islaam hua markaz3-e eemaaN4 na hua
1.word 2.denial, non-belief, belief other than islam 3.centre, focus, essence 4.faith
The heart itself was erased i.e., I lost my identity, merging myself in the divine, but the word of love was not erased along with my heart. For the shaa’er ‘markaz-e eemaaN – essence of faith’ is the word of love. He found it engraved on his heart, it remained even if the heart was erased and in this respect, there was no difference between kufr and islaam.
6
markaz1-e ishq hai dil, daa’era2-e hasti3 meN
mere sayyaare4 se saabit5 hai keh hairaaN6 na hua
1.centre, focus 2.circle, regime 3.existence, life 4.planet i.e., horoscope 5.proven 6.perplexed, confused
In the regime of existence i.e., in this world, the heart is the focus of (universal) love. His horoscope also shows the same thing. This proves that there is no preplexity or confusion about the principles of life.
7
chashm1-e biina2 hai to hai shash-jahat3 aaiina4-e husn5
tere jalve6 se ye paida7 hai keh pinhaaN8 ha hua
1.eye 2.seeing, discerning 3.six directions 4.mirror, reflection 5.(divine) beauty 6.glory, manifestation 7.used here to mean – apparent, proven 8.hidden
Your glory/manifestation proves that you are not hidden. If you have a discerning eye then you will be able to see that divine beauty is reflected in all directions.
8
tum ho armaan1-e jahaaN2, dil hai jahaan-e-armaaN3
tum rahe dil meN to majmu’a4 pareshaaN5 na hua
1.yearning, longing, love 2.world 3.world of yearning 4.collection, multitude 5.scatter
You, (O god) are the longing of the world i.e., the whole world desires/yearns for you, and the heart is the world/centre of love/yearning. If you are in the heart i.e., if we are devoted to the divine, then the multitude will not scatter, will remain focused. This probably means that we can call the divine by a multitude of names/images but as long as the focus is universal/divine love, then the multitude will be the same as one.
9
saaqi-e bazm1-e azal2 kab se hai paimaana3 ba-dast4
baada-kash5 koii bhi durdi-kash6-e paimaaN3 na hua
1.gathering, regime 2.eternity, immortality 3.cup (of the wine of love) 4.holding in hand 5.wine lover, wine drinker 6.drinking the last drops at the bottom, bottoms up
‘saaqi-e bazm-e azal’ is the divine being. It has been holding the cup of the wine of love in its hand for so long. But there has not been a wine-drinker who has drunk the whole cup to the last drops.
10
jalva1-e tuur2 se gulshan3 hai meri bazm4-e nigaah5
diida6 minnat-kash7-e gulkaari8-e rizvaaN9 na hua
1.glory, manifestation 2.mount tuur 3.garden, beauty 4.gathering, regime 5.eyes, sight 6.eyes 7.obliged to 8.embroidering, painting 9.gate-keeper of heaven
This has reference to the legend that moosa went up mount tuur asking to see god. All he got to see was a lightning flash as a manifestation of the divine. Thus, for the shaa’er, it is that lightning flash which is the beauty of the regime of his sight. He is not going to fall for/get under the obligation of the gate-keeper of heaven who has been painting a beautiful picture of what heaven is like. For the shaa’er the glory of god is enough, he does not need the temptation of heaven. Said Ghalib …
taa’at meN taa rahe na mai o aNgabiiN ki laag
dozaKh meN Daal do koii le kar behisht ko
11
ham rahe chashm1-e inaayat2 se hamesha3 mahruum4
dil-nashiN5 tiir-e nazar6 kaa koi paikaaN7 na hua
1.eye, glance 2.benevolence 3.always 4.deprived 5.resident of the heart 6.glance 7.tip of the arrow
The beloved has been shooting arrows/glances in all directions, but the shaa’er/suitor has always remained deprived for her benevolent glance. Not tip of her arrows found a place in his heart yet.
12
shab1 ko mera nafas2-e garm hai Khurshiid3-e falak4
varna5 Khurshiid3 kabhi shab1 ko numaayaaN6 na hua
1.night 2.breath 3.sun 4.skies, heavens 5.otherwise 6.emerge, visible
‘nafas-e garm’ is the passionate breath/words/verse of the shaa’er. It is his passionate verse that lights up the night, it is like the sun in the sky. Otherwise, has the sun ever emerged at night.
13
hai karishma1 mere saaqi ka ajab2 hosh-ruba3
keh mai4-e saaf5 se Ghaarat-gar6-e iimaaN7 na hua
1.miracle 2.surprising, unusual 3.stealing senses/awareness 4.wine 5.pure, strong 6.destructive 7.faith
The miracle of the saaqi steals my senses/awareness i.e. I become intoxicated with (divine) love. It is because of this that even pure/strong wine (worldly temptations) have not been destructive of my true faith.
14
chashm1-e jaanaaN2 meN samaate3 haiN samaane vaale
maut se aaNkh laRaanaa koi aasaaN na hua
1.eyes 2.beloved 3.contained in, absorbed in
Those who want to/are tempted by the eyes of the beloved are overwhelmed/get absorbed in it. They cannot look Death squarely in the eye. It is not easy to face it.
15
dil hai but-Khaana1-e asnaam2-e Khayaali3 saahir4
tuu vo kaafir5 hai keh bhuule se musalmaaN na hua
1.idol house 2.idols 3.imaginary 4.pen-name of the poet 5.non-believer
The heart is the idol-house of many imagine idols. O saahir, you are a non-believer who, even by mistake, has not become muslim. This probably is related the main theme carried through all the ash’aar of the Ghazal i.e., it does not matter if you have one god or many idols, you can embrace the essence of faith through universal love.
