Word Meaning
कस
kas / kis
hipronoun
Meaning
Whom; which person (oblique form of who).
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, 'kas' (also vocalized as 'kis') functions as the oblique interrogative pronoun meaning 'whom'. In this couplet, it questions who remains to receive the speaker's loyalty when the heart itself is broken or vanished. It conveys existential futility and the absence of any true recipient for devotion.
Etymology
From Sanskrit 'कस्य' (kasya) through Prakrit, developing into Apabhramsha and Old Hindustani/Urdu 'कस' / 'किस'.
Usage
Often employed rhetorically in ghazals to express helplessness and the pointlessness of complaining to anyone.
Examples
To whom should one recount the grief of the heart?
Whom shall we complain to in this desolate world?
Synonyms
किसकिसेकाहू
Related Words
कौनकिसकोकिसे