पटक

Meaning

To strike violently, dash against, or beat (especially the head in grief).

Detailed Meaning

In Urdu and Hindi poetics, the verb 'paṭaknā' (here used as the conjunctive participle 'paṭak ke') means to dash or strike violently against a hard surface. In this couplet, 'sar ko paṭak ke' expresses the ultimate frenzy of despair and helpless lamentation, where the lover beats their head against the ground or wall until death. It conveys the tragic, unnoticed agony endured in secret behind the beloved's wall.

Etymology

Sanskrit origin (onomatopoeic/Deshya root *paṭṭ- / paṭaka, via Prakrit paṭṭa/paṭakka into Hindi/Urdu paṭaknā).

Usage

In ghazal traditions, the motif of beating or dashing the head ('sar paṭaknā') is a standard trope symbolizing the lover's frantic despair and fatal grief.

Examples

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Related Words