Word Meaning
यक-मुश्त
yak-musht
Meaning
A single handful; all at once or in a lump sum.
Detailed Meaning
Literally meaning 'a single fistful' or 'one handful', it denotes something small, concentrated, or taken all together. In Ghalib's couplet, it appears in the construct 'yak-musht-e-khaak' (a single handful of dust), illustrating how the vastness of the desert shrinks to mere insignificance before the overwhelming intensity of passion. It also commonly conveys the sense of a lump-sum or collective whole in broader usage.
Etymology
Persian: 'yak' (one) + 'musht' (fist, handful).
Usage
In classical poetry, it is frequently linked with 'ख़ाक' (dust) or 'पर' (feathers) to emphasize the fragility, insignificance, or mortality of earthly existence.
Examples
Reduced to a handful of dust in the desert.
He cleared the entire dues in one single sum.