Word Meaning
सरमाया
sarmāya
Meaning
Capital, stock, wealth, or the underlying substance of something.
Detailed Meaning
Beyond its common financial meaning of capital or principal wealth, classical poetry uses 'sarmāya' to signify the essential constituent or sole spiritual possession of a lover. In this couplet, it represents the foundational substance or core matter that generated the wound, revealed ironically to be nothing more than unsubstantial smoke.
Etymology
Persian: composed of 'sar' (head, primary) + 'māya' (substance, stock, wealth).
Usage
In the ghazal tradition, 'sarmāya' is almost universally inverted to describe spiritual or emotional assets such as grief, passion, and weeping rather than commercial riches.
Examples
the wealth of sorrow was his sole capital
the capital of life is spent in longing