Word Meaning
बोला
bolā
Meaning
Spoken; uttered; to speak (here expressing physical inability to utter words).
Detailed Meaning
In this couplet, 'bolā' functions as the past participle of 'bolnā' (to speak) within an archaic impersonal or passive construction ('bolā jāe hai', modern 'bolā jātā hai'). It highlights the lover's utter exhaustion and physical debility, which renders him completely incapable of speech. Paired with 'pūchā jāe hai', it establishes a tragic deadlock of communication between the suspicious beloved and the feeble lover.
Etymology
From Sanskrit bolayati (causing to sound) via Prakrit into Old Hindi / Hindavi.
Usage
In classical ghazal, the construction 'bolā jāe hai' is an archaic present-passive idiom emphasizing helplessness or incapacity to speak.
Examples
Not a word could be spoken before the beloved.
The sorrow of the heart could never be spoken aloud.
