Word Meaning
कारख़ाना
kār-ḳhāna
Meaning
A workshop or factory; metaphorically, the phenomenal world or arena of illusion.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denoting a workshop, manufactory, or house of labor, the term is frequently elevated in Persian and Urdu poetry to describe the grand machinery of existence. In this couplet by Mir Taqi Mir, 'tawahhum ka kār-ḳhāna' designates the world as an illusionary factory where belief alone fabricates reality. It suggests that external reality has no intrinsic substance beyond the constructs of the observing mind.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'kār' (work, deed) and 'khāna' (house, place).
Usage
In classical ghazal tradition, poets use 'kār-ḳhāna' to evoke the cosmic apparatus or the illusory nature of worldly existence.
Examples
The workshop of existence is built entirely upon illusion.
What purpose has the artisan in this vast workshop?