For word meanings and explanatory discussion in English click on the tabs marked “Roman” or “Notes”.

https://urdushahkar.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/kgm-mujhe-eKhtiyaar-hota-audio.mp3

Recitation

مجھے  اختیار  ہوتا  ۔  کرشن  گوپال  مغمومؔ

۱

اگر  اپنے  دل  پہ  کچھ  بھی،  مجھے  اختیار  ہوتا

مرا  درد  میری  صورت،  سے  نہ  آشکار  ہوتا

۲

تری  زلفِ  عنبریں  سے،  جو  کہیں  دو  چار  ہوتا

مرا  ہر  نَفَس  یقیناً  نَفَسِ  بہار  ہوتا

۳

کبھی  اپنی  رو  میں  یوں  بھی،  میں  ترانہ  بار  ہوتا

یہ  جہاں  جہاں  نہ  ہوتا،  کوئی  نغمہ  زار  ہوتا

۴

مرے  سازِ  دل  کے  پردے،  کبھی  جھنجھنا  نہ  اُٹھتے

مری  ہر  اُمیدِ  دل  کا،  نہ  اگر  فشار  ہوتا

۵

ہے  بہار  اور  وحشت،  میں  کوئی  تو  ربط  ورنہ

گُل  و  لالہ  کا  نہ  دامن،  کبھی  تار  تار  ہوتا

۶

وہ  مرے  سوا  کسی  کو،  نہ  کبھی  نظر  میں  لاتے

مجھے  ایسا  عشق  ہوتا،  مجھے  اِتنا  پیار  ہوتا

۷

مجھے  سر  پہ  خود  بٹھاتے،  مرے  راستے  کے  کانٹے

مرا  ہمسفر  جو  کوئی  گلِ  نو  بہار  ہوتا

۸

تری  رحمتوں  کا  منشا،  مرے  دل  نے  خوب  پایا

نہ  گناہگار  ہوتا،  تو  گناہگار  ہوتا

۹

مرے  سازِ  دل  سے  آتیں،  تری  دل  نشیں  نوائیں

مرا  شاہکار  یعنی،  ترا  شاہکار  ہوتا

۱۰

مرے  دل  کی  دھڑکنیں  بھی،  مرا  ساتھ  چھوڑ  جاتیں

مری  بے  قراریوں  کو  جو  کبھی  قرار  ہوتا

۱۱

جو  اِدھر  بھڑک  رہی  تھی،  وہی  آگ  اُدھر  سُلگتی

نہ  مجھے  قرار  ہوتا،  نہ  اُنہیں  قرار  ہوتا

۱۲

میں  نظر  سے  دور  مغمومؔ،  اُنہیں  ایک  پل  نہ  رکھتا

جو  ذرا  بھی  اپنے  دل  پر،  مجھے  اختیار  ہوتا

मुझे एख़्तियार होता – क्रिष्ण गोपाल मग़्मूम

१

अगर अपने दिल पे कुछ भी, मुझे एख़्तियार होता

मेरा दर्द मेरी सूरत, से न आश्कार होता

२

तेरी ज़ुल्फ़-ए अम्बरीं से, जो कहीं दो चार होता

मेरा हर नफ़स यक़ीनन, नफ़स-ए बहार होता

३

कभी अपनी रौ में यूं भी, मैं तराना-बार होता

ये जहां जहां न होता, कोई नग़्मा-ज़ार होता

४

मेरे साज़-ए दिल के परदे कभी झुंजुना न उठते

मेरी हर उमीद-ए दिल का, न अगर फ़िशार होता

५

है बहार और वहशत, में कोई तो रब्त वरना

गुल ओ लाला का न दामन, कभी तार तार होता

६

वो मेरे सिवा किसी को, न कभी नज़र में लाते

मुझे ऐसा इश्क़ होता, मुझे इतना प्यार होता

७

मुझे सर पे ख़ुद बिठाते, मेरे रास्ते के कांटे

मेरा हमसफ़र जो कोई, गुल-ए नौ-बहार होता

८

तेरी रहमतौं का मंशा, मेरे दिल ने ख़ूब पाया

ना गुनाहगार होता, तो गुनाहगार होता

९

मेरे साज़-ए दिल से आतीं, तेरी दिल-नशीं नवाएं

मेरा शाहकार यानी, तेरा शाहकार होता

१०

मेरे दिल की धढकनें भी मेरा साथ छोढ जातीं

मेरी बे-क़रारियौं को, जो कभी क़रार होता

११

जो इधर भढक रही थी, वही आग उधर सुलगती

न मुझे क़रार होता, न उन्हें क़रार होता

१२

मैं नज़र से दूर मग़्मूम, उन्हें एक पल न रखता

जो ज़रा भी अपने दिल पर, मुझे एख़्तियार होता

Click here for background and on any passage for word meanings and explanatory discussion. krishn gopal baava maGhmum (1916-xxxx), aTak district (now in pakistan). His father was a scholar of urdu and faarsi and grandfather (tulsidas) was also an urdu shaa’er. Ill-treatment by his stepmother drove him to seclusion and reading. All the books at home including religious texts were in urdu. He read up all of them and learnt to write too. Interest in shaa’eri started from childhood. In college he was class fellow of jagan nath azad and through him became a disciple of tilok chand mahroom. Continued education including Public Service Commission exam. Worked for the government of panjab and later haryana, retiring in 1974. At least 10 collections of his shaa’eri including Ghazal, rubaaii and nazm. This is one composed in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘visaal-e yaar hota’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.

krishn gopal baava maGhmum (1916-xxxx), aTak district (now in pakistan).  His father was a scholar of urdu and faarsi and grandfather (tulsidas) was also an urdu shaa’er.  Ill-treatment by his stepmother drove him to seclusion and reading.  All the books at home including religious texts were in urdu.  He read up all of them and learnt to write too.  Interest in shaa’eri started from childhood.  In college he was class fellow of jagan nath azad and through him became a disciple of tilok chand mahroom.  Continued education including Public Service Commission exam.  Worked for the government of panjab and later haryana, retiring in 1974.  At least 10 collections of his shaa’eri including Ghazal, rubaaii and nazm.  This is one composed in the zamin of Ghalib’s ‘visaal-e yaar hota’ and is linked to Ghalib naqsh-e qadam.

1.control, authority 2.face, looks 3.evident, visible

If I had had any control over my heart, then my pain (of love) would not have been evident from my face/appearance.  The implication is that he has no control over his heart/love and everyone can see that he is suffering.

1.hair 2.amber, fragrant 3.come face to face with 4.breath 5.certainly 6.spring blooms

do-chaar hona is an expression literally meaning eyes looking into eyes (two making four).  It is used to mean encounter or come face to face with.  Thus, if my breath were ever to encounter the fragrance of your hair, then every breath of mine would be fragrant like spring blooms.

1.flow, trend 2.song-raining, singing 3.world 4.song garden

If ever in my flow, I were to keep singing, then this world would not have been like it is, it would have been a garden of songs.

1.musical instrument 2.musical segment, movement 3.reverberate 4.hope, desire 5.break, tear

The music of my heart would never have risen with reverberation, unless the hopes and aspirations of my heart had not been torn apart i.e., it is the pain of dashed hopes, unrequited love that motivates the songs of his heart-his poetry.

1.spring 2.madness, intense p[assion 3.connection, relationship 4.otherwise 5.rose 6.tulip 7.hem of the garment 8.shredded

The shedding of the petals of the rose and the tulip is described as the shredding of the hem of the garment and this is attributed to the intensity of passion like majnuN shredding his collar and his garments.  Thus, there must be a connection between spring (when rose and tulip bloom) and madness.  Otherwise, they would not have shred their garment.

1.except for 2.nazar meN laana think of someone/something as worthwhile

This is either an expression of a deeply felt desire or an ‘if-then’ statement.  The voh in the first misra refers to the beloved.  I wish that I had such pure and intense love that the beloved would never even have looked at anyone else – or – if I had had an intense and pure love, then the beloved would not have considered anyone else worth her while.

1.sar pe biThaana to take very good care of, to regard highly 2.companion 3.rose 4.newly blossomed

Normally thorns along the path would prick and cause the feet to bleed.  But if the beloved (gul-e nau-bahaar newly blossomed rose) had been his companion, then the thorns along the way themselves would have taken good care of him.

1.kindness, forgiveness 2.intent, purpose 3.very well 4.sinner

I very well understand the purpose of your benevolence.  I would have been a sinner, had I not sinned i.e., by not sinning I would have defeated the purpose of your benevolence.  panDit anand narain mulla writes …

1.musical instrument, music 2.heart capturing 3.sounds 4.masterpiece

The music of my heart would have been the heart-capturing sound of your singing.  In other words, your masterpiece would have been my masterpiece.  This also can be interpreted as an expression of a wish or an if-then statement.

1.beating, pulsations 2.restlessness 3.peace of mind, comfort

Restlessness in pain of love is an essential part of the lover’s life.  If his restlessness were ever to be changed into comfort/peace then his heart would stop beating.

1.flare up 2.burn 3.tranquility, peace

That which flares up here, if the same fire were to burn there, then neither would I have had any peace of mind, nor would she i.e., if the same fire of love were burning in both hearts, then neither the beloved nor the lover would have had any peace of mind.

1.sight 2.pen-name 3.moment 4.even a little 5.control

O maGhmoom, I would not have let her out of my sight even for a moment, if I had had even a little control over my heart i.e., the lover has no control over his heart and if were to see the beloved, he would go stark raving mad.  Since he has no such control, he does not keep her within sight.

The post mujhe eKhtiyaar hota-krishn gopal maGhmum appeared first on UrduShahkar.