Word Meaning
कसरत-आराइ
kasrat-ārā'ī
Meaning
Display or manifestation of plurality and multiplicity from a singular source.
Detailed Meaning
In Sufi metaphysics and classical Urdu poetry, 'kasrat-ārā'ī' refers to the outward display or embellishment of plurality arising out of divine Unity (wahdat). In this couplet, it signifies how multiplying forms out of the single ultimate reality becomes an act of chasing illusions. The poet laments that this obsession with countless conceptual forms has reduced him to an idolater of mere fancies.
Etymology
Arabic 'kasrat' (multiplicity, abundance) + Persian 'ārā'ī' (adorning, embellishing, from ārāstan).
Usage
Used in philosophical and mystical ghazals to contrast the illusory multiplicity of the created world with divine oneness.
Examples
The spectacle of multiplicity in the mirror of unity
Engrossed in the display of worldly forms