Word Meaning
ब-तमन्ना
ba-tamanna
Meaning
In desire of; with longing; yearning for.
Detailed Meaning
A Persian prepositional construct meaning 'in the longing for' or 'with desire'. In Ghalib's couplet, it describes the speaker's striving toward self-transcendence or mystical ecstasy (be-khudi), a state he can only helplessly yearn for due to paralyzing inertia. It underscores an acute tension between an intense spiritual aspiration and bodily or existential helplessness.
Etymology
Persian prefix 'ba-' (in, with, by) + Arabic 'tamannā' (wish, desire, longing).
Usage
Frequently prefixed with an izafat in classical ghazal to establish the emotional motive or longing driving the lover's condition.
Examples
In the desire of beholding you, the entire night passed.
His restless heart wandered purely in yearning for peace.