Word Meaning
जानें
jāneñ
Meaning
To know, understand, or perceive (subjunctive or honorific/plural form).
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu grammar, 'जानें' is the subjunctive or plural/honorific third-person form of the verb 'जानना' (to know). In this couplet, it appears in a rhetorical question ('क्या जानें' / what would they know) underscoring the ignorance of critics who reprove the lover without ever having endured the agony of separation themselves. It signifies the inability of ordinary observers to comprehend the profound depths of passion and sorrow.
Etymology
Sanskrit 'ज्ञा' (jñā, to know) / Prakrit 'जाणइ' (jāṇaï) into Hindavi/Urdu 'जानना'.
Usage
In classical ghazal, the rhetorical phrase 'क्या जानें' is frequently used to highlight the insensitivity or ignorance of the beloved, rivals, or moralizers toward the lover's suffering.
Examples
what would the healthy know of the pain of the sick
let him know or not, the story has been told