227 years of Mirza Ghalib: How the mystic poet rethought the concept of ‘man’ in his couplets

The fluidity of “Mysticism” makes it difficult to classify it as a category and the term can always be defined/redefined in ways that bring as many people as one wishes into its field. Mysticism encompasses a wide range of intellectual and existential experiences – spanning from self-inflicted suffering to the use of psychedelics, and from self-realization to its complete denial. Arriving at a single, unified definition of mysticism that fully captures its essence is nearly impossible. However, by examining the etymology of the word “mysticism”, we can gain some insight into this phenomenon.

The word is closely related to “mystery” and “myst”, suggesting a connection with hiddenness, ineffability, and that, which is beyond the capacity of human understanding. Mysticism involves an acknowledgment and surrender of the mystery at the core of life and the universe. A mystic is someone who recognises that, at its deepest level, life and existence are a mystery, and that spiritual enlightenment lies in embracing and participating in this mystery. While experiences, interpretations, and explanations follow, the starting point of all mystical endeavours is the realization and appreciation of the mysterious nature of creation. With this foundation, consider a few of Ghalib’s couplets:

“Keh sakhe kaun ki yeh jalwa...

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