Word Meaning
अंधा
andha
Meaning
Blind, sightless; metaphorically dried-up, dark, or devoid of light.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denoting a lack of vision, 'andha' here operates as a rich poetic personification linked with the idiom 'andha kuan' (a dry, abandoned well). In the couplet, the well where Yusuf was cast is depicted as sharing in the grief of separation, losing its sight or drying up just as the prophet Yaqoob went blind from continuous weeping. It serves as an evocative hyperbole to convey all-encompassing sorrow.
Etymology
Sanskrit 'andha' (अन्ध), which evolved through Prakrit into modern Indo-Aryan languages including Hindi and Urdu.
Usage
In classical ghazal poetry, blindness is frequently associated with the weeping lover or Jacob's loss of sight, while an 'andha kuan' represents profound desolation.
Examples
Even the blind well wept in the darkness of grief
The inner eye went blind from ceaseless weeping