Word Meaning
बेचते
bechte
Meaning
Selling or offering up; disposing of something in exchange.
Detailed Meaning
In this couplet, 'bechte' is the habitual present tense of the verb 'bechna' (to sell), used here to describe the sacrificial act of parting with one's head or life. Rather than a commercial sale, it portrays the lover's paradox where one's life is given away for nothing ('muft') as the established custom in the marketplace of love. It emphasizes total self-abnegation and contempt for worldly calculations of profit and loss.
Etymology
From Sanskrit विक्रयते (vikrīyate, 'is sold') via Prakrit विक्किणइ (vikkiṇaï), evolving into Hindustani बेचना (bechnā).
Usage
In ghazal poetry, commercial verbs like 'bechna' and 'kharidna' are frequently subverted to depict spiritual sacrifice and the costly, often ruinous bargains of passion.
Examples
They sell their heart for free in beauty's bazaar.
We sell our lives at the price of your sorrow.