Word Meaning
फोड़ना
phoṛnā
hiverb
Meaning
To break, smash, crack, or burst open.
Detailed Meaning
In Hindustani, 'phoṛnā' means to fracture, break, or shatter something. In classical poetry, it is most often used in the idiom 'sar phoṛnā' (to smash one's head), expressing frantic despair or intense madness in love. In Ghalib's verse, it evokes the tragic image of the frenzied lover battering his head against the beloved's wall.
Etymology
From Sanskrit स्फोटयति (sphoṭayati), through Prakrit into Hindustani.
Usage
Frequently occurs in ghazals as part of the motif 'sar phoṛnā', symbolizing the helpless lover's self-destructive torment at the threshold or wall of the beloved.
Examples
sar phoṛnā (to smash one's head in despair)
to break against a stone wall
Synonyms
तोड़नाविदीर्ण करनापटकना
Related Words
सरदीवारजुनूँशोरीदा