Word Meaning
बे-गुनह
be-gunah
Meaning
Innocent, faultless, guiltless; without having committed any crime.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu verse, 'be-gunah' describes someone who is completely blameless, yet unjustly suffers punishment or violence at the hands of the beloved or fate. In the quoted couplet, it serves to highlight the tragic plight of the devoted lover, who was slaughtered despite committing no wrong worthy of execution. The poet uses this poetic abbreviation of 'be-gunah' primarily to fit the metrical requirements of the meter.
Etymology
Persian: compound of the privative prefix 'be-' (without) and 'gunah' (sin, fault, crime).
Usage
Frequently deployed in the ghazal tradition to contrast the lover's utter harmlessness with the beloved's merciless tyranny.
Examples
Killed while being entirely without sin
Suffering torment despite an innocent heart