KarunaIntermediate

माँ का दुःख

Maa Ka Dukh

1 min read 4 versesMotherhood Sorrow Grief

4 verses · ~1 min

कितना प्रामाणिक था उसका दुःख लड़की को दान में देते वक्त जैसे वही उसकी अंतिम पूँजी हो

लड़की अभी सयानी नहीं थी अभी इतनी भोली सरल थी कि उसे सुख का आभास होता था लेकिन दुःख बाँचना नहीं आता था पाठिका थी वह धुँधले प्रकाश की कुछ तुकों और लयबद्ध पंक्तियों की

माँ ने कहा पानी में झाँककर अपने चेहरे में मत रीझना आग रोटियाँ सेंकने के लिए है जलने के लिए नहीं वस्त्र और आभूषण शब्दिक भ्रमों की तरह बंधन हैं स्त्री-जीवन के

माँ ने कहा लड़की होना पर लड़की जैसी मत दिखाई देना।

इति

Rasa: Karuna
Stanzas: 4
Lines: 17
Reading time: ~1 min
Form: Free verse
Metre: free verse
Rhyme: none

The poem breathes an atmosphere of profound, heavy-hearted sorrow and maternal dread, anchored in the agonizing traditional ritual of a daughter's departure. Visually, a painting of this scene would capture a tearful mother handing over her painfully young, innocent daughter—who still only understands happiness in fragments—surrounded by the dim, ambiguous light of a domestic threshold. Symbolic elements woven into the canvas would include a mirror reflecting a fleeting, dangerous vanity, a kitchen hearth with flames meant solely for sustenance rather than destruction, and gleaming ornaments that subtly double as chains of female bondage. The overall artistic and emotional tone is one of tragic foreboding and protective anguish, balancing the bitter reality of societal expectations with a mother's desperate final warnings to preserve her child's soul.

माँ का दुःख (Maa Ka Dukh), by Rituraj runs to 17 lines across 4 stanzas, set as Four free-verse stanzas.. Its governing rasa is Karuna, shaded by Shanta. The metre is free verse. Rhyme falls as none.

It belongs to the 1940 · 2021 span of Rituraj's working life, and keeps the plain, spoken register that period is known for.

Read it for विवाह के समय पुत्री की विदाई का यथार्थवादी दुःख and स्त्री जीवन के सामाजिक छलावे के प्रति सचेत करना. 2 words in it carry older or regional senses, so the poem rewards a second pass.

The verse is hung beside Decking the Bride: Bathed in a warm, intimate glow, the painting evokes a serene and tender atmosphere of quiet anticipation and sisterly devotion. At its center, a young bride stands amidst female companions who lovingly tend to her…

Words worth pausing on

प्रामाणिक: वास्तविक या सिद्ध
बाँचना: पढ़ना या समझना

Threads

Motherhood Sorrow Grief

The Poet

ऋतुराज

Rituraj

1940 · 2021

While many modern writers focused on grand political narratives or complex urban themes, Rituraj deliberately turned his attention to the quiet and often overlooked corners of ordinary existence. Born in 1940 in Rajasthan, he spent over three decades teaching English literature. However, he chose Hindi as the medium to express the profound tragedies and daily struggles of the Indian heartland. He lived mostly in Bundi, far from the glittering literary circles of major metropolitan cities. From there, he developed a voice that is exceptionally attentive to those living on the margins of society. In his famous poem Kanyadaan, he examines the complex anxiety of a mother giving away her daughter with piercing, understated realism. He avoided heavy ornamentation and artificial rhetoric. His poetry simply affirms the quiet resilience of everyday people. He passed away in 2024, leaving behind a body of work that forces readers to confront the deep ironies hidden in plain sight.