Word Meaning
सौदा
saudaa
Meaning
A bargain, transaction, trade, or purchase.
Detailed Meaning
In classical poetry, 'sauda' primarily refers to commerce, a trade, or a pact made between buyer and seller. In this couplet, it represents the transaction of love and surrender with the Saqi, where worldly faith and heart are offered as currency. Urdu poets often exploit the word to invoke commercial imagery within the tavern or marketplace of devotion.
Etymology
From Persian saudā (سودا), meaning marketing, trade, or trafficking (distinct from the Arabic homophone sawdā' meaning black bile, melancholy, or frenzy).
Usage
Ghazal poets frequently employ 'sauda' in subtle wordplay, juxtaposing its Persian commercial meaning (bargain) against its Arabic homophone (madness or obsessive passion).
Examples
A costly bargain struck in the bazaar of love.
Making a trade of the heart and faith.