Word Meaning
कासा-लैस
kāsa-lais
Meaning
A bowl-licker; a parasite, flatterer, or hanger-on living off leftovers.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning one who licks the bowl clean, it denotes a beggar, sycophant, or parasite who survives on scraps and patronage. In classical poetry, it is used pejoratively to depict the humiliation of submitting to an unworthy or shallow benefactor. In this couplet, it underscores the indignity of turning into a dependent of something as petty and hollow as a bubble.
Etymology
Persian compound of 'kāsa' (bowl/cup) and 'līs' (present stem of līsīdan, to lick).
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, it is employed as a sharp derogatory term to condemn sycophancy, worldly dependence, and the loss of spiritual self-respect.
Examples
Refusing to survive as a mere parasite at another's table.
A self-respecting soul never stoops to being a sycophant.