Word Meaning
आतिश-दस्ती
ātish-dastī
Meaning
Fiery dexterity, destructive burning power, or scorching effect of the hand.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound formed from 'ātish' (fire) and 'dastī' (hand-action/dexterity), signifying the fiery force or destructive heat of a hand. In this couplet, it describes the fierce, scorching effect of the eyelashes ('panja-e-mizhgān', the paw/claw of lashes) which evaporates and burns pearly tears to dust. It serves as an exaggerated metaphor for the intense, consuming heat of grief and visual longing.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'ātish' (fire) and 'dastī' (hand-related power/activity, from 'dast').
Usage
Used in classical Urdu ghazal as an imaginative compound to depict destructive passion or the scorching cruelty of a gesture.
Examples
The blazing fury of his touch left everything in ashes.
Beware the fiery dexterity of the beloved's glance.