Word Meaning
प्यासा
pyaasa
Meaning
Thirsty; craving; metaphorically bloodthirsty or longing intensely.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denoting one in need of drink, in poetic idiom it often suggests extreme deprivation, longing, or lethal hostility. In this couplet, it appears in the sense of bloodthirst ('लोहू का प्यासा'), representing a tormenting force or cruelty aimed at the speaker's life. It dramatizes the lover's suffering against the beloved's merciless surroundings.
Etymology
Derived from Sanskrit पिपासु (pipāsu) / पिपासा (pipāsā), through Prakrit पिआस (piāsa) into Hindustani.
Usage
In classical ghazal, the motif is widely employed either to denote romantic and spiritual yearning or paired with 'lohu'/'khoon' to indicate fatal tyranny.
Examples
A thirsty soul wandering by the shore
Thirsty for blood like a cruel hunter