Word Meaning

जाला

jaala

hinoun, masculine

Meaning

Cobweb, spider's web, or fine net.

Detailed Meaning

In classical Urdu poetry, 'jaala' signifies a spider's web, often used as a metaphor for ruin, abandonment, or extreme fragility. In this couplet, it serves to diminish the grandeur of the moonlit sheet, rendering it as insubstantial and frail as a cobweb before the superior luminescence of the beloved. It emphasizes how worldly wonders pale into insignificance in the presence of true beauty.

Etymology

Sanskrit जाल (jāla - net, web), developing through Prakrit into Hindustani जाला (jālā).

Usage

Commonly invoked in the ghazal to paint a picture of desolate ruins or to contrast extreme fragility with overwhelming majesty.

Examples

A fragile cobweb hanging in the ruined doorway

Caught like a moth within an intricate web

Synonyms

जालमकड़ी का जालदाम

Related Words

मकड़ीतारबुनना
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