Word Meaning
ना-ख़ुश-अंदेशी
nā-khush-andeshī
Meaning
Pessimism, morbid or ill-boding reflection, and gloomy contemplation.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian compound denoting morbid, defeatist, or destructive reflection. In Iqbal's couplet, it critiques the paralyzing and life-denying pessimism propagated by scholastic theologians, reclusive mystics, and decadent poets, which spiritually wrecks the nation's vessel. It signifies thought that breeds only despair rather than vibrant, constructive action.
Etymology
Persian: composed of the negative prefix 'nā-' + 'khvush' (pleasant, good) + 'andīshī' (thinking, pondering, from 'andīshīdan').
Usage
In Urdu philosophical poetry, especially in Iqbal, the term functions as a critique of decadent intellectualism and morbid defeatism that paralyzes moral action.
Examples
Her mind remained trapped in gloomy pessimism.
The habit of ill-boding thought destroys all action.