Word Meaning
मश्ग़ला
mashghala
Meaning
An occupation, pastime, diversion, or engagement that keeps someone occupied.
Detailed Meaning
In classical Urdu poetry, mashghala refers to any activity, hobby, or engagement that consumes time and occupies the mind. In this couplet, weeping and grieving are wryly depicted as an essential daily occupation or distraction without which the lover's dreary life cannot be spent. It highlights how suffering becomes a constant ritual that anchors existence.
Etymology
Arabic (مشغلة), from the triconsonantal root sh-gh-l (ش-غ-ل), meaning 'to occupy or engage'; entered Urdu via Persian.
Usage
In ghazal poetry, suffering, love, or tears are often ironically framed as the poet-lover's sole 'mashghala' (pastime) to ward off the numbness of existence.
Examples
Finding a sorrowful occupation in sleepless nights
Weeping was his only pastime