Word Meaning
कुश्तगान
kushtagān
Meaning
Those slain or killed; victims, martyrs (specifically of love or passion).
Detailed Meaning
It is the Persian plural of 'kushta', denoting individuals who have been slain or sacrificed. In classical ghazals, it typically metaphorizes lovers annihilated by longing or martyred by the beloved's allure. In Ghalib's couplet, 'kushtagān-e shauq' portrays the moths consumed by yearning for the candle, whose glass shade serves as their shroud.
Etymology
Persian: plural form of 'kushta' (کشتہ, slain), past participle of the infinitive 'kushtan' (کشتن, to kill), combined with the animate plural suffix '-ān' (ـان).
Usage
In the Urdu ghazal tradition, 'kushtagan' regularly invokes the motif of self-sacrificing lovers or moths utterly consumed by the flame of desire.
Examples
Tears flow at the resting place of the martyrs of love.
Those slain by longing found peace only in extinction.