For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.
Recitation
shujaa’at KhaaN
krishn bihari noor
سزا ہی نہیں ۔ کرشن بہاری نورؔ
۱
زندگی سے بڑی سزا ہی نہیں
اور کیا جرم ہے پتا ہی نہیں
۲
اتنے حصوں میں بٹ گیا ہوں میں
میرے حصے میں کچھ بچا ہی نہیں
۳
زندگی، موت تیری منزل ہے
دوسرا کوئی راستہ ہی نہیں
۴
سچ گھٹے یا بڑھے تو سچ نہ رہے
جھوٹ کی کوئی اِنتہا ہی نہیں
۵
زندگی اب بتا کہاں جائیں
زہر بازار میں ملا ہی نہیں
۶
دھن کے ہاتھوں بِکے ہیں سب قانون
اب کسی جُرم کی سزا ہی نہیں
۷
جس کے کارن فساد ہوتے ہیں
اُس کا کوئی اتا پتا ہی نہیں
۸
کیسے اوتار کیسے پیغمبر
ایسا لگتا ہے اب خدا ہی نہیں
۹
چاہے سونے کے فریم میں جڑ دو
آئینہ جھوٹ بولتا ہی نہیں
۱۰
اپنی رچناؤں میں وہ زندہ ہے
نورؔ سنسار سے گیا ہی نہیں
सज़ा ही नहीं – क्रिष्ण बेहारी नूर
१
ज़िंदगी से बढी सज़ा हि नहीं
और क्या जुर्म है पता हि नहीं
२
इतने हिस्सों में बट गया हूँ मैं
मेरे हिस्से में कुछ बचा हि नहीं
३
ज़िंदगी, मौत तेरी मंज़िल है
दूसरा कोई रास्ता हि नहीं
४
सच घटे या बढ़े तो सच न रहे
झूट की कोई इंतहा हि नहीं
५
ज़िंदगी अब बता कहाँ जाएँ
ज़हर बाज़ार में मिला हि नहीं
६
धन के हाथौं बिके हैं सब क़ानून
अब किसी जुर्म की सज़ा हि नहीं
७
जिस के कारन फ़साद होते हैं
उस का कोई अता-पता हि नहीं
८
कैसे अवतार कैसे पैग़म्बर
ऐसा लगता है अब ख़ुदा हि नहीं
९
चाहे सोने के फ़्रेम में जढ दो
आईना झूट बोलता हि नहीं
१०
अपनी रचनाओं में वो ज़िंदा है
नूर संसार से गया हि नहीं
Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. kishan bihari noor (1926 – 2003), was born and grew up in lucknow. In a lot of his work he gracefully reaches across communal lines. He also was a great lover of urdu. This is one of series of Ghazal linked to “zindagi kya hai” under the Theme Index. It veers between fatalism and dynamism for she’r to she’r.
1
zindagi se baRi sazaa1 hi nahiN
aur kya jurm2 hai pataa hi nahiN 1.punishment 2.crime, transgression
It might seem that the poet views life as a punishment. Compare this with the dynamism of life expressed by josh malihabadi and renewal of life expressed by ali sardar jafri. Not only is life a punishment, but the punishment seems to be unjustified since we do not know what the sin/crime/transgression was for which we are being punished. This seems to me to be a particularly pessimistic view of life. The poet redeems himself later in the Ghazal.
2
itne hissoN1 meN buT2 gayaa huuN maiN
mere hisse meN kuchh bachaa hi nahiN 1.parts 2.distributed, divided
The poet has shown great sensitivity to the communal divide. Here he is probably speaking of and for all mankind. Humanity been divided into many segments. We belong to this or the other. There is none left that claim basic humanity.
3
zindagi, maut1 teri manzil2 hai
doosra koi raasta hi nahiN 1.death 2.destination
O Life, Death is your destination. There is no other way. I have difficulty reconciling myself to the pessimistic interpretation that is placed on this, like intepreting life to be useless. There can be no question that Death is the end of life, but it does not have to involve giving up of dynamism and fatalistically accepting the end. Life can be a process with destination after destination as in iqbal’s ‘sitaaroN se aage jahaaN aur bhi haiN’.
4
such1 ghaTe yaa baRhe to such na rahe
jhuuT ki koi intehaa2 hi nahiN 1.Truth 2.limits, boundaries
If truth increases or decreases i.e., if Truth is stretched/modified, it does not remain Truth. On the other hand, there are no bounds to lying. Lies can take on any shape or size depending on the ‘hidden agenda’ of the perpetrator.
5
zindagi, ab bataa kahaaN jaa’eN
zahr1 baazaar meN milaa hi nahiN 1.poison
It sounds like the poet is so tired of life that he wants to kill himself but cannot find poison. It is frustrating (to me) that ash’aar like this take away the beauty of other dynamic ash’aar in the Ghazal.
6
dhan1 ke haathoN bike2 haiN sub qaanoon3
ab kisi jurm4 ki saza5 hi nahiN 1.wealth 2.sold 3.laws 4.crime 5.punishment
All laws have been sold at the hands of the wealthy. Now it is open season for them. They cannot be punished for any crime.
7
jis ke kaaran1 fasaad2 hote haiN
us kaa koi ataa-pataa3 hi nahiN 1.reason, cause 2.violence, destruction, riots 3.trace of whereabouts
This could be that the one who instigates riots disappears from the scene to save himself from the consequences. It could also mean that many riots take place in the name of religion or god. But there is no trace of such a god.
8
kaise autaar1 kaise paiGhambar2
aisaa lagtaa hai ab Khuda hi nahiN 1.(divine) incarnations 2.messengers (of god)
What kind of divine incarnations are these, what kinds of messengers of god. It seems that they claim exclusivity and divide. There is no longer any universal divinity.
9
chaahe sone ke frame meN jaR1 do
aa’ina jhuuT boltaa hi nahiN 1.embed, frame
Mirror is often used as an analogy for the heart/conscience and it is supposed to reflect the true/inner self. However much you may frame it in gold, the mirror never lies … it will reflect truth.
10
apni rachnaaoN1 meN vo zinda hai
noor2 sansaar3 se gayaa hi nahiN 1.creations (as in works of art/literature) 2.pen-name of the poet 3.world
A beautiful statement about his legacy. This is much more dynamic than saying, ‘zindagi se baRi saza hi nahiN’. noor lives in his verse. He never left this world.
kishan bihari noor (1926 – 2003), was born and grew up in lucknow. In a lot of his work he gracefully reaches across communal lines. He also was a great lover of urdu. This is one of series of Ghazal linked to “zindagi kya hai” under the Theme Index. It veers between fatalism and dynamism for she’r to she’r.
1
zindagi se baRi sazaa1 hi nahiN
aur kya jurm2 hai pataa hi nahiN
1.punishment 2.crime, transgression
It might seem that the poet views life as a punishment. Compare this with the dynamism of life expressed by josh malihabadi and renewal of life expressed by ali sardar jafri. Not only is life a punishment, but the punishment seems to be unjustified since we do not know what the sin/crime/transgression was for which we are being punished. This seems to me to be a particularly pessimistic view of life. The poet redeems himself later in the Ghazal.
2
itne hissoN1 meN buT2 gayaa huuN maiN
mere hisse meN kuchh bachaa hi nahiN
1.parts 2.distributed, divided
The poet has shown great sensitivity to the communal divide. Here he is probably speaking of and for all mankind. Humanity been divided into many segments. We belong to this or the other. There is none left that claim basic humanity.
3
zindagi, maut1 teri manzil2 hai
doosra koi raasta hi nahiN
1.death 2.destination
O Life, Death is your destination. There is no other way. I have difficulty reconciling myself to the pessimistic interpretation that is placed on this, like intepreting life to be useless. There can be no question that Death is the end of life, but it does not have to involve giving up of dynamism and fatalistically accepting the end. Life can be a process with destination after destination as in iqbal’s ‘sitaaroN se aage jahaaN aur bhi haiN’.
4
such1 ghaTe yaa baRhe to such na rahe
jhuuT ki koi intehaa2 hi nahiN
1.Truth 2.limits, boundaries
If truth increases or decreases i.e., if Truth is stretched/modified, it does not remain Truth. On the other hand, there are no bounds to lying. Lies can take on any shape or size depending on the ‘hidden agenda’ of the perpetrator.
5
zindagi, ab bataa kahaaN jaa’eN
zahr1 baazaar meN milaa hi nahiN
1.poison
It sounds like the poet is so tired of life that he wants to kill himself but cannot find poison. It is frustrating (to me) that ash’aar like this take away the beauty of other dynamic ash’aar in the Ghazal.
6
dhan1 ke haathoN bike2 haiN sub qaanoon3
ab kisi jurm4 ki saza5 hi nahiN
1.wealth 2.sold 3.laws 4.crime 5.punishment
All laws have been sold at the hands of the wealthy. Now it is open season for them. They cannot be punished for any crime.
7
jis ke kaaran1 fasaad2 hote haiN
us kaa koi ataa-pataa3 hi nahiN
1.reason, cause 2.violence, destruction, riots 3.trace of whereabouts
This could be that the one who instigates riots disappears from the scene to save himself from the consequences. It could also mean that many riots take place in the name of religion or god. But there is no trace of such a god.
8
kaise autaar1 kaise paiGhambar2
aisaa lagtaa hai ab Khuda hi nahiN
1.(divine) incarnations 2.messengers (of god)
What kind of divine incarnations are these, what kinds of messengers of god. It seems that they claim exclusivity and divide. There is no longer any universal divinity.
9
chaahe sone ke frame meN jaR1 do
aa’ina jhuuT boltaa hi nahiN
1.embed, frame
Mirror is often used as an analogy for the heart/conscience and it is supposed to reflect the true/inner self. However much you may frame it in gold, the mirror never lies … it will reflect truth.
10
apni rachnaaoN1 meN vo zinda hai
noor2 sansaar3 se gayaa hi nahiN
1.creations (as in works of art/literature) 2.pen-name of the poet 3.world
A beautiful statement about his legacy. This is much more dynamic than saying, ‘zindagi se baRi saza hi nahiN’. noor lives in his verse. He never left this world.
This a delightful, insightful poem, or verse. But a ghazal? It’s a stretch. Yes, genres are important. Why? Convention.
This is a quaint ghazal that reinforces facts of life in simple but eloquent Urdu. The commentary from Shahed Bhai is excellent.