Word Meaning
मस्त
mast
Meaning
Intoxicated, entranced, exuberant, oblivious to the world.
Detailed Meaning
In classical poetry, 'mast' describes someone intoxicated either literally by wine or metaphorically by divine love, beauty, or ecstasy. In this couplet, it addresses the wanderer who is deluded or bewitched, drifting about heedlessly and mistaking worldly illusions for reality. The state implies a detachment from sobriety and conventional reason.
Etymology
Persian (مست - mast), cognate with Sanskrit मत्तः (matta, intoxicated/delighted).
Usage
In the Urdu ghazal, 'mast' often represents the idealized mystical abandon of the Sufi or the lover, standing in contrast to the rigid sobriety of the ascetic.
Examples
Wandering carefree through the lanes, entranced by beauty.
The intoxicated eye reveals secrets of the tavern.