Word Meaning
करगसों
kargason
Meaning
Vultures (plural oblique); carrion eaters symbolizing base or degraded individuals.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Persian and Urdu poetry, 'kargas' refers to a vulture, an animal traditionally associated with feeding on carrion and lacking nobility. In this couplet by Iqbal, the plural oblique form denotes an inferior, compromising environment that stultifies greatness. It highlights how a majestic falcon, if reared among scavenger vultures, fails to realize its soaring regal destiny.
Etymology
Persian (کرگس, kargas), meaning vulture.
Usage
Most famously used in Iqbal's philosophical verse as the stark counter-symbol to the noble, high-aspiring falcon (shaheen).
Examples
Raised among vultures, the falcon forgot the majesty of high flight.
The domain of vultures cannot sustain a sovereign soul.