Word Meaning
मेहरबानी
mehrbānī
Meaning
Kindness, benevolence, favor, or grace (often used ironically in Urdu poetry).
Detailed Meaning
In Urdu poetics, 'mehrbānī' denotes kindness, compassion, or a benevolent favor. In this couplet, it is used with exquisite irony (tajāhul-e-ārifāna / shikvā) to attribute the speaker's grief, sorrow, and afflictions to the beloved's supposed generosity. The apparent praise actually serves to accentuate the cruelty or indifference of the beloved.
Etymology
Persian (mihrbānī, derived from 'mihr' meaning affection/love + agentive suffix '-bān' + abstract noun suffix '-ī').
Usage
In classical ghazal tradition, it is frequently used with poetic irony to disguise a lover's reproach as gratitude for pain inflicted by the beloved.
Examples
All this torment is merely your benevolence.
Do not show me such kindness that leads to ruin.