Word Meaning
खोद
khod
Meaning
To dig, excavate, carve, or chisel through stone or earth.
Detailed Meaning
Refers to digging, hewing, or chiseling through solid rock or earth. In the couplet, it depicts the legend of Farhad (the 'Kohkan' or mountain-cutter) laboriously cutting through Mount Bisutun with his pickaxe to win his beloved Shirin. The act serves as an enduring metaphor in Urdu poetry for supreme physical sacrifice and toil undertaken in love.
Etymology
Sanskrit root क्षोद् (kṣud, 'to strike, pound, crush') via Prakrit, giving Hindustani खोदना (khodnā).
Usage
Frequently used in classical ghazal alongside Farhad, Mount Bisutun, and the mattock (tesha) to represent tireless, unrequited devotion.
Examples
After digging the mountain, the lover found rest in death.
He spent a lifetime digging the bedrock with an axe.