Word Meaning
बतलाओ
batlaao
Meaning
tell; explain; point out or make known (imperative form).
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetry, 'batlaao' is an imperative form of the verb 'batlaana', meaning to state, explain, or inform. In Ghalib's celebrated couplet, it expresses a sense of helpless wonder or irony, asking an onlooker or interlocutor to advise how one could possibly define oneself. It conveys both an appeal for an answer and a rhetorical emphasis on the poet's ineffable state.
Etymology
Hindustani colloquial derivative of Sanskrit 'वार्ता' (vārtā, news/talk) via Prakrit 'वत्त' (vatta), related to 'बात' (bāt) and the causative-intensive verb suffix.
Usage
Commonly used in ghazal poetry as an intimate or colloquial imperative to address a third party, confidant, or the beloved directly.
Examples
Tell me the path that leads to the beloved.
Tell someone, what reply should be given to them?