Word Meaning
बंजर
banjar
hiadjective
Meaning
Barren, infertile, or uncultivated land.
Detailed Meaning
Literally denotes land that is infertile, sterile, or unfit for cultivation. In this couplet by Mir, it functions as a melancholic metaphor for the desolate, wounded heart, which the poet claims as his sole proprietary estate. The imagery contrasts customary fertile inheritances with the speaker's proud possession of pure grief.
Etymology
From Sanskrit वन्ध्या (vandhyā, 'barren') through Prakrit.
Usage
In classical ghazal, it is commonly paired with 'ज़मीन' to symbolize emotional sterility, solitude, or a heart devastated by unrequited love.
Examples
The barren land of the heart bore only thorns of longing.
No bloom can grow upon the banjar soil of grief.
Synonyms
ऊसरग़ैर-मज़रूआबे-समर
Related Words
ज़मीनवीरानसहराख़िज़ाँ