Word Meaning
बे-ख़ुदान
be-khudaan
Meaning
Those who are beside themselves, enraptured, or unconscious of self.
Detailed Meaning
This word is the Persian plural of 'be-khud', referring to those who have lost awareness of themselves due to mystical ecstasy, love, or profound sorrow. In Ghalib's verse, it characterizes people fixed and silenced like painted figures in a portrait gallery, completely detached from bodily consciousness. It suggests reaching a stage of numbness and trance from which returning to ordinary wakefulness is no longer possible.
Etymology
Persian: 'be-' (prefix meaning without) + 'khud' (self) + '-ān' (animate plural suffix).
Usage
In classical ghazal, it is frequently employed in Persian genitive (izafat) constructions to describe a fellowship of enraptured lovers divorced from mundane reality.
Examples
Do not seek worldly prudence among the assembly of the enraptured.
The self-lost sat motionless, like portraits on a silent wall.