रगों में गर्दिश-ए-ख़ूँ है अगर तो क्या हासिल
हयात सोज़-ए-जिगर के सिवा कुछ और नहीं
— Allama Iqbal
Meaning
If there is a raging current of blood in your veins, what gain is there other than the burning agony of the heart's life?
Explanation
This profound couplet challenges the very definition of life. Allama Iqbal suggests that simply having physical life—the mere flow of blood in our veins—is insufficient. The true essence, the real 'gain' in existence, is found in the intense, passionate burning of the soul (saz-e-jigar). It speaks to a life lived with deep emotion, passion, and spiritual fervor, rather than just biological survival.