Word Meaning
ख़ुद-आरा
khud-ārā
Meaning
Self-adorning, decorating oneself, or enamored with one's own beauty.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning 'self-decorating', it describes one who is preoccupied with adorning their own appearance, often while gazing into a mirror. In this couplet, it qualifies the beloved's eyelashes ('saf-e-mizhgaan-e-khud-aara') as a self-admiring army issuing forth from the shallow surface of the mirror to assail hearts.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'khud' (self) and 'ārā' (present stem of 'ārāstan', to adorn or decorate).
Usage
In ghazal poetry, it commonly evokes the aloof beloved admiring their own reflection, blissfully indifferent to the suffering lover.
Examples
The self-adorning beauty gazed long into the mirror.
A self-adorning glance that captures every wandering heart.