For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
دُوریِ منزل میں ہے ۔ پنڈت لبھو رام جوشؔ ملسیانی
۱
اب بھی کچھ بے چین ارمانوں کی شورش دل میں ہے
اب بھی اک ہنگامہ اس اُجڑی ہوئی محفل میں ہے
۲
دم بخود ہے یاس سے جو بھی تمنّا دل میں ہے
منظرِ شہرِ خموشاں اِس بھری محفل میں ہے
۳
زندگی ہی سنگِ راہِ کعبۂ مقصود تھی
دم نکلتے ہی مسافر کا قدم منزل میں ہے
۴
اُن کی تیغِ ناز نے اِس کے بھی ٹکڑے کر دیے
شکوۂ جور و جفا کچھ کہہ دیا کچھ دل میں ہے
۵
چارہ گر کو ڈھونڈنے کی اب ضرورت ہی نہیں
وہ چھری خود چارہ گر ہے جو رگِ بِسمل میں ہے
۶
وہ وفا تو چھوڑ بیٹھے تھے جفا بھی چھوڑ دی
دل بھی مشکل میں ہے میری جان بھی مشکل میں ہے
۷
وہ سفر کیا جوشؔ جس کو زندگی طے کر سکے
رہ نوردی کا مزہ تو دُوریِ منزل میں ہے
दूरी-ए मंज़िल में है – पंडित लभुराम जोश मल्सियानी
१
अब भी कुछ बेचैन अरमानौं की शोरिश दिल में है
अब भी एक हंगामा इस उज्ढी हुई महफ़िल में है
२
दम ब-ख़ुद है यास से जो भी तमन्ना दिल में है
मंज़र-ए शहर-ए ख़मोशां इस भरी महफ़िल में है
३
ज़िंदगी ही संग-ए राह-ए क़िब्ला-ए मक़्सूद थी
दम निकलते ही मुसाफ़ेर का क़दम मंज़िल में है
४
उनकी तेग़-ए नाज़ ने इसके भी टुकढे कर दिए
शिक्वा-ए जौर ओ जफ़ा कुछ कह दिया कुछ दिल में है
५
चारा-गर को ढूंडने की अब ज़रूरत ही नहीं
वो छुरी ख़ुद चारा-गर है जो रग-ए बिस्मिल में है
६
वो वफ़ा तो छोढ बैठे थे जफ़ा भी छोढ दी
दिल भी मुश्किल में है मेरी जान भी मुश्किल में है
७
वो सफ़र क्या जोश जिस को जिंदगी तय कर सके
रह-नवर्दी का मज़ा तो दूरी-ए मंज़िल में है
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. panDit labhuram josh malsiani (1884-1976) from malsian in the now pakistani side of punjab. He was orphaned at 14, without any material inheritance and grew up very poor, in an atmosphere devoid of any poetic tradition. Migrated to India a little before partition/independence. He has written with great feeling about communal harmony and about the loss of his homeland – pakistan. daaGh dehlavi was his ustaad for a brief duration (1902-1905). His son, baalmukund arsh malsiani was also a well recognized poet. Honoured with padma-shrii in 1971. This Ghazal is linked to ‘ye bhi mere dil meN hai’ under Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the Theme Index.
1
ab bhi kuchh be-chain1 armaanoN2 ki shorish3 dil meN hai
ab bhi ek haNgaama4 is ujRii5 hui mahfil6 meN hai 1.restless 2.desires 3.tumult 4.disturbance 5.ruined 6.gathering place
My guess is that the poet is speaking of his old age … his heart is a ruined gathering place of his youthful desires. There is still some disturbance in these ruins. There is still a tumult of restless desires in his heart. There is still some spark left in the old heart.
2
dam-ba-Khud1 hai yaas2 se jo bhi tamanna3 dil meN hai
manzar4-e shahr-e-KhamoshaaN5 is bhari mahfil6 meN hai 1.stunned 2.longing, yearning 3.desire 4.scene 5.city of the silent, graveyard 6.gathering
The ‘bhari mahfil’ could be an external gathering of people or a gathering of desires in the poet’s heart. In either case, there is a grave-yard like somber silence in this place because all desires are stunned/frozen because of the intensity of yearning. This is a sign of long endured hopelessness.
3
zindagi hi saNg1-e raah2-e qibla3-e maqsood4 thi
dam5 nikalte hi musaafir6 ka qadam7 manzil8 meN hai 1.rock, obstacle 2.path 3.used here to mean focus/centre 4.intended, desired 5.breath, life 6.traveler/seeker 7.step, foot 8.destination, path to the destination
This flows from the thought that the central goal is merger with the universal spirit; that this life represents separation from that soul and is therefore an obstacle to getting to the destination. As soon as breath leaves the body, the seeker is on the path to his/her destination.
4
unn ki teGh1-e naaz2 ne iss ke bhi tukRe kar diye
shikva3-e jaur-o-jafa4 kuchh kah5 diya kuchh dil meN hai 1.sword 2.coquetry 3.complaint 4.tyranny and oppression 5.speak, say
In poetic convention, the beloved is always tyrannical and oppressive towards her lover. She also weilds a sword of coquetry. The poet/lover has a long list of complaints about he has been treated. But because of her coquetry, he is able to say/express only some of it and the rest remains in his heart. Thus, her sword of coquetry managed to cut his complaints also in pieces.
5
chaara-gar1 ko DhoonDne2 ki ab zaroorat3 hi nahiN
voh chhuri4 Khud chaara-gar1 hai jo rag5-e bismil6 meN hai 1.healer 2.searching 3.necessity 4.knife 5.(jugular) vein 6.sacrificial animal
In this case the poet/lover himself is the sacrificial animal. It is not necessary to look for a healer, he says, because the knife on his jugular vein is itself the healer i.e., it will cure him of this life; he will get salvation upon dying.
6
voh vafaa1 to chhoR baiThe the jafaa2 bhi chhoR di
dil bhi mushkil3 meN hai meri jaan bhi mushkil meN hai 1.fidelity, keeping promises 2.torment 3.difficulty
It is traditional that the beloved is never true to her word. She had given up fidelity a long time ago and now she has stopped torturing the lover. The lover always values the tyranny he receives at the hands of the beloved, because it is a gift from her and it shows that she cares for him. Now that she is ignoring him, it is worse than being tortured so both his heart and his life are caught in a bind.
7
voh safar1 kya josh2 jis ko zindagi ta’e3 kar sake
rah-navardi4 ka mazaa5 to doori6-e manzil7 meN hai 1.journey 2.pen-name of the poet 3.traverse, completed 4.wandering 5.pleasure 6.distance 7.destination
What kind of a journey is it O josh, that can be completed within a lifetime. The real pleasure of wandering along the path is the long distance to the destination i.e., never reaching the destination. Said jaikrishn chaudhry habiib …
voh bhi kya mazay ki thi zindagi jo safar safar meN guzar ga’ii
nahiN manziloN meN voh dilkashi, mujhe phir safar ki talaash hai
panDit labhuram josh malsiani (1884-1976) from malsian in the now pakistani side of punjab. He was orphaned at 14, without any material inheritance and grew up very poor, in an atmosphere devoid of any poetic tradition. Migrated to India a little before partition/independence. He has written with great feeling about communal harmony and about the loss of his homeland – pakistan. daaGh dehlavi was his ustaad for a brief duration (1902-1905). His son, baalmukund arsh malsiani was also a well recognized poet. Honoured with padma-shrii in 1971. This Ghazal is linked to ‘ye bhi mere dil meN hai’ under Ghalib naqsh-e qadam on the Theme Index.
1
ab bhi kuchh be-chain1 armaanoN2 ki shorish3 dil meN hai
ab bhi ek haNgaama4 is ujRii5 hui mahfil6 meN hai
1.restless 2.desires 3.tumult 4.disturbance 5.ruined 6.gathering place
My guess is that the poet is speaking of his old age … his heart is a ruined gathering place of his youthful desires. There is still some disturbance in these ruins. There is still a tumult of restless desires in his heart. There is still some spark left in the old heart.
2
dam-ba-Khud1 hai yaas2 se jo bhi tamanna3 dil meN hai
manzar4-e shahr-e-KhamoshaaN5 is bhari mahfil6 meN hai
1.stunned 2.longing, yearning 3.desire 4.scene 5.city of the silent, graveyard 6.gathering
The ‘bhari mahfil’ could be an external gathering of people or a gathering of desires in the poet’s heart. In either case, there is a grave-yard like somber silence in this place because all desires are stunned/frozen because of the intensity of yearning. This is a sign of long endured hopelessness.
3
zindagi hi saNg1-e raah2-e qibla3-e maqsood4 thi
dam5 nikalte hi musaafir6 ka qadam7 manzil8 meN hai
1.rock, obstacle 2.path 3.used here to mean focus/centre 4.intended, desired 5.breath, life 6.traveler/seeker 7.step, foot 8.destination, path to the destination
This flows from the thought that the central goal is merger with the universal spirit; that this life represents separation from that soul and is therefore an obstacle to getting to the destination. As soon as breath leaves the body, the seeker is on the path to his/her destination.
4
unn ki teGh1-e naaz2 ne iss ke bhi tukRe kar diye
shikva3-e jaur-o-jafa4 kuchh kah5 diya kuchh dil meN hai
1.sword 2.coquetry 3.complaint 4.tyranny and oppression 5.speak, say
In poetic convention, the beloved is always tyrannical and oppressive towards her lover. She also weilds a sword of coquetry. The poet/lover has a long list of complaints about he has been treated. But because of her coquetry, he is able to say/express only some of it and the rest remains in his heart. Thus, her sword of coquetry managed to cut his complaints also in pieces.
5
chaara-gar1 ko DhoonDne2 ki ab zaroorat3 hi nahiN
voh chhuri4 Khud chaara-gar1 hai jo rag5-e bismil6 meN hai
1.healer 2.searching 3.necessity 4.knife 5.(jugular) vein 6.sacrificial animal
In this case the poet/lover himself is the sacrificial animal. It is not necessary to look for a healer, he says, because the knife on his jugular vein is itself the healer i.e., it will cure him of this life; he will get salvation upon dying.
6
voh vafaa1 to chhoR baiThe the jafaa2 bhi chhoR di
dil bhi mushkil3 meN hai meri jaan bhi mushkil meN hai
1.fidelity, keeping promises 2.torment 3.difficulty
It is traditional that the beloved is never true to her word. She had given up fidelity a long time ago and now she has stopped torturing the lover. The lover always values the tyranny he receives at the hands of the beloved, because it is a gift from her and it shows that she cares for him. Now that she is ignoring him, it is worse than being tortured so both his heart and his life are caught in a bind.
7
voh safar1 kya josh2 jis ko zindagi ta’e3 kar sake
rah-navardi4 ka mazaa5 to doori6-e manzil7 meN hai
1.journey 2.pen-name of the poet 3.traverse, completed 4.wandering 5.pleasure 6.distance 7.destination
What kind of a journey is it O josh, that can be completed within a lifetime. The real pleasure of wandering along the path is the long distance to the destination i.e., never reaching the destination. Said jaikrishn chaudhry habiib …
voh bhi kya mazay ki thi zindagi jo safar safar meN guzar ga’ii
nahiN manziloN meN voh dilkashi, mujhe phir safar ki talaash hai
