Word Meaning
तस्मा
tasma
Meaning
A leather strap, thong, or sinew connecting severed skin or flesh.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denoting a leather strap, cord, or thong, in anatomical and poetic contexts 'tasma' refers to the thin sinew or remnant strip of skin holding severed parts together. In this couplet, it illustrates a blow so devastating that not even a single fiber or connection was left intact between bone and skin. It conveys absolute severance, ruin, or the complete absence of any bond.
Etymology
Persian (تسمه / tasma), meaning a strip, strap, or thong of leather.
Usage
In classical ghazal imagery, 'tasma' is commonly used in contexts of slaughter or sacrifice to evoke the barest thread of flesh or life tethering the lover to survival.
Examples
tasma-e-jaan (the slender thread of life)
kasa jo tasma-e-zulf (the bound thong of tresses)