Word Meaning
ता-ब-ज़र्रा
tā-ba-zarra
Meaning
Down to the smallest speck, dust particle, or atom.
Detailed Meaning
This compound phrase signifies extending completely down to the most minute particle or atom. In Ghalib's couplet, it serves as the lower extreme paired with 'az-mehr' (from the sun), forming an expansive spectrum from the highest celestial luminary down to the lowliest particle. It implies that every level of existence, great or small, reflects the ultimate reality like a mirror.
Etymology
Persian compound formed from 'tā' (up to, until), the preposition 'ba' (to, at), and the Arabic-origin noun 'zarra' (atom, speck, particle).
Usage
In classical Urdu ghazal, this phrase is commonly contrasted with sublime entities like the sun ('mehr') to express a cosmic, all-encompassing scale from the grandest to the humblest.
Examples
From the supreme sun down to every minute speck
Revealing divine splendour from heaven down to a dust particle