1/23: zindagi

mere humnafas, mere humnava

mujhe dost ban ke dagha na de

main hoon dard-e-ishq se jaan-ba-lab

mujhe zindagi ki dua na de

oh my companion, my soulmate

deceive me not posing as a friend

i am already dying from the pain of love

don't curse me more with prayer for life

Theme:Love, Passion and Longing (88)

2/23: zindagi

mujh ko meri shikast ki

dohri saza mili

tujh se bichhaD ke

zindagi duniya se ja mili

i was doubly punished

for my abject defeat

after separating from you

i had to go live with the world

Theme:Loneliness, Solitude & Grief (92)

3/23: zindagi

dil mein jo mohabbat ki

raushni nahin hoti

itni khoobsurat

ye zindagi nahin hoti

if there is no

light of love in the heart

life does not turn out

to be so beautiful

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

4/23: zindagi

bahut haseen sahi

sohbaten gulon ki, magar

wo zindagi hai jo

kaanton ke darmiyan guzre

the company of flowers

is indeed beautiful

but that is life which

happens amid thorns

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

5/23: zindagi

le de ke apne paas

faqat ek nazar toh hai

kyun dekhe zindagi ko

kisi ki nazar se hum

all we have

is a viewpoint

why should we see life

from anyone else’s perspective

Theme:Hopes, Aspirations & Dreams (33)

6/23: zindagi

ujaale apni yaadon ke

hamaare saath rahne do

na jaane kis gali mein

zindagi ki shaam ho jaaye

let our bright memories

continue to stay with us

as who knows where

life’s evening might fall

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

7/23: zindagi

zindagi yuunhi bahut kam hai

mohabbat ke liye

ruuTh kar vaqt ganvaane ki

zaroorat kya hai

as it is, life is

too short for loving

why get upset and

waste it all away

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

8/23: zindagi

kam se kam maut se

aisi mujhe ummeed nahin

zindagi tu ne to dhoke pe

diya hai dhoka

of death, at least,

i don’t expect this

oh life, you have only

cheated me, again and again

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

9/23: zindagi

zindagi jab bhi tere

bazm mein laati hai hamen

yeh zameen chaand se behtar

nazar aati hai hamen

when life brings me to

your gathering

this earth looks to me

more beautiful than the moon

Theme:Friends, Family & Community (108)

10/23: zindagi

yahi seekha hai

meine zindagi se

ke naadaani hai

behtar aagahi se

i have learnt

this much from life

that ignorance is

better than awareness

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

11/23: zindagi

zindagi kam paDhe

pardesi ka khat hai 'ibrat'

ye kisi tarah paDha jaye

na samjha jaye

life is like a little-read letter

of a foreigner, 'ibrat'

however you read it,

you can't make sense of it

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

12/23: zindagi

zindagi ka yahi

taqaaza hai

shaam to subha mein

badalte raho

this is only demand

of life

keep turning every evening

into a dawn

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

13/23: zindagi

gharaz ki kaaT diye

zindagi ke din aye dost

vo teri yaad mein ho

ya tujhe bhulaane mein

the days of my life

were thus spent, my dear

either in remembering you

or in an effort to forget

Theme:Heart, Mind & Memory (58)

14/23: zindagi

milta to bahut kuch hai

is zindagi mein

magar, hum ginti usi ki karte hai

jo haasil na ho saka

we go get a lot

in our life

but, we keep count only

of what we couldn’t

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

15/23: zindagi

dhoop mein niklo

ghaTaon mein naha kar dekho

zindagi kya hai

kitabon ko haTa kar dekho

get out into the sun

take a bath in the clouds

figure out life

by first closing the book

Theme:Grit, Resilience & Courage (36)

16/23: zindagi

hoshwalon ko khabar kya

bekhudi kya cheez hai

ishq ki jaye phir samajhiye

zindagi kya cheez hai

how can sane people know

what ecstasy is all about

love and figure out

what life is all about

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

17/23: zindagi

kahaan ke ishq-o-mohabbat

kidhar ke hijr-o-visaal

abhi to log taraste hain

zindagi ke liye

where this love and passion

where this separation and union

right now, people just

long for life

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

18/23: zindagi

bahut qareeb hai 'muztar'

woh zindagi ka nizaam

nazar na aayega jab

koi bismil-o-qaatil

it is very near, muztar,

that system and order of life

when you will not see

any murderers or victims

Theme:Oppression, Rebellion & Freedom (38)

19/23: zindagi

aye gham-e-zindagi

na ho naaraaz

mujh ko aadat hai

muskuraane ki

oh sorrow of life

don’t be angry

it is my habit

to smile

Theme:Miscellany (44)

20/23: zindagi

ye maana zindagi

hai chaar din ki

bahut hote hain, yaaro,

chaar din bhi

it is true that life is

just four days long

even these four days, friends,

are too many

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

21/23: zindagi

zindagi yuun hui

basar tanha

qaafila saath

aur safar tanha

life transpired

spent alone

moving with the caravan

but traveling alone

Theme:Quest, Journey & Destination (44)

22/23: zindagi

zindagi shaayad

isii ka naam hai

duuriyaan majbuuriyaan

tanhaaiyaan

life perhaps

is just this

distances, compulsions

loneliness

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)

23/23: zindagi

chalaa jaata huun

hansta khelta mauj-e-hawaadis se

agar aasaniyaan hon

zindagi dushwar ho jaaye

i go along laughing and playing

with waves of adversity

if life were to be all easy

how painful it would be

Theme:Life, Living & Dying (104)