Word Meaning
क़बा
qabā
Meaning
A long gown, robe, tunic, or loose outer garment.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'qabā' refers to a long, tailored tunic or overgarment worn over inner clothes. In the given couplet, the poet contrasts or pairs the vestment of existence ('jāma-e hastī') with tearing or fashioning it like a loose robe or shroud of dust, signifying discarding life in the ecstasy of self-annihilation. It often appears in metaphors of tearing clothes ('chāk-e qabā') in madness or divine love.
Etymology
Arabic (قباء, qabā')
Usage
In ghazal aesthetics, 'qaba' is frequently associated with the tearing of garments (chak-e qaba) caused by the frenzy of love or mystic ecstasy.
Examples
chāk-e qabā (the torn robe of frenzy)
tang thī merī qabā (my cloak was too tight for this heart)