Word Meaning
उठाता
uṭhātā
Meaning
Lifts, raises, or carries (specifically a corpse or bier).
Detailed Meaning
The word generally means to lift, raise, or endure. In this couplet, it serves as a tragic contrast to being evicted ('mehfil se utha dena') in life, specifically signifying the act of lifting a lover's dead body or bier ('janaza uthana') for the final rites. The speaker questions who among those indifferent companions will bother to carry him to his grave.
Etymology
From Sanskrit उत्थापयति (utthāpayati, 'causes to stand/raise') through Prakrit to Hindustani उठाना (uṭhānā).
Usage
Classical ghazal poets frequently play upon the multiple meanings of 'uthaana' to contrast physical displacement, emotional endurance, and the funeral procession.
Examples
kaun uthata hai janaza mera
gham-e-hasti ka bojh uthana