जुल्लाब

Meaning

A purgative or laxative; severe looseness of the bowels caused by fear.

Detailed Meaning

In traditional medicine (Unani), 'jullab' refers to a purgative, laxative drink or medicine that cleanses the bowels. In humorous or satirical classical poetry, having 'jullab lag jaana' metaphorically depicts intense terror making a person lose bowel control. In this couplet, the preacher (wa'iz) is satirized as being so utterly terrified by the arrival of the intoxicated lovers that he suffers sudden bouts of diarrhea.

Etymology

Arabic (जल्लाब/जुल्लाब - jullāb), originally adapted from Persian 'gul-āb' (rosewater), which later evolved in Arabic medicine to mean a purgative or sweetened purging draught.

Usage

In ghazal poetry, it is rarely used in serious love lyrics and is primarily invoked for satirical, earthy, or humorous degradation of the pious orthodox figures like the wa'iz or nasih.

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