Word Meaning
पढ़ाया
padhaaya
Meaning
Taught or instructed; caused to learn or read.
Detailed Meaning
In this couplet, 'padhaaya' signifies the imparting of emotional and spiritual wisdom rather than formal academic learning. The speaker gratefully notes that his teacher nurtured only love during his formative youth. It evokes the traditional trope of the school of love (maktab-e-ishq), where conventional books are replaced by passionate devotion.
Etymology
Sanskrit 'pathayati' (पाठयति, causative of pathati / पठति, to read/recite), evolving through Prakrit into Hindustani padhaanaa.
Usage
In classical Urdu poetry, it frequently appears in contexts contrasting the dry book-learning of the ascetic with the profound lessons learned in the school of love.
Examples
He taught me the lesson of fidelity.
Who taught the heart this alphabet of sorrow?