Word Meaning
जानता
jaanta
Meaning
Knowing; aware of; having intellectual understanding or awareness.
Detailed Meaning
In this couplet, 'जानता' indicates conscious knowledge and intellectual awareness of religious piety and its promised spiritual rewards. The speaker explicitly acknowledges that he knows the virtue of devotion, yet highlights the paradox that his inner inclination remains indifferent to it. It underscores the perpetual split between rational understanding and emotional compulsion.
Etymology
From Sanskrit root 'ज्ञा' (jñā, to know), evolving via Prakrit 'जाणइ' (jāṇaï) into Hindi-Urdu 'जानना' (jānnā).
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, it frequently establishes an ironic tension between conscious, rational knowledge and uncontrollable desire or indifference.
Examples
I know well that passion leads only to sorrow.
Knowing the fragile nature of life, one still falls in love.