CBSE Class 8 · Hindi (Malhar, 2026-27)
मत बाँधो Mat Baandho (Do Not Bind)
Chapter summary, hard words and model exam answers for ICSE Class 10 Hindi.
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About the author
Mahadevi Verma (1907-1987), a renowned Hindi poet, was born in Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh. She began writing poetry from a young age. For children, she wrote poems such as 'Barahmasa', 'Aaj Khareedenge Hum Jwala' and 'Ab Yah Chidiya Kahan Rahegi'. She also wrote poignant prose works including Mera Parivar, Ateet ke Chalchitra, Smriti ki Rekhayen and Path ke Saathi. Nihar, Rashmi, Neerja, Sandhya Geet and Deepshikha are her celebrated poetry collections. She was honoured with the Jnanpith Award. A woman of many talents, Mahadevi Verma was also a painter.
Summary
कवयित्री कहती हैं कि सपनों के पंख मत काटो, उनकी उड़ान मत रोको। जैसे सुगंध हवा में उड़ जाती है और फिर लौटकर नहीं आती, और जैसे धूल में गिरा बीज कभी उड़ नहीं पाता - वैसे ही सपनों को भी उड़ने देना चाहिए। आग हमेशा धरती पर जलती है पर उसका धुआँ आकाश में मँडराता है। सपनों में दोनों तरह की गति होती है - वे उड़कर आँखों में (कल्पना में) आते हैं। कवयित्री कहती हैं कि सपनों के ऊपर उठने (आरोहण) को मत रोको और नीचे आने (अवरोहण, यानी सच होने) को मत बाँधो।
The poet begins the poem by demanding that the wings of dreams not be clipped and their motion not be bound. She offers three examples from nature - fragrance rises into the sky and never returns; a seed fallen into the dust can never soar into the sky; and fire always burns upon the earth while its smoke keeps drifting through the sky. Through these examples, the poet explains that everything has its own natural movement. She says dreams too must possess both kinds of motion - they rise up and return as vision to the eyes. Hence the poet urges that the rising (aarohan) of dreams must not be stopped, and their descent into reality (avarohan) must not be bound.
कवयित्री कहती हैं कि सपना मुक्त आकाश में विचरण करके तारों से मिल जाएगा, फिर बादलों से रंग और किरणों से चमक लेकर धरती पर लौट आएगा। जब सपना धरती पर लौटेगा, तो वह धरती को स्वर्ग जैसा सुंदर बनाने की कोई नई कला (शिल्प) सिखाएगा। इसलिए कवयित्री कहती हैं कि सपनों को आकाश तक जाने से मत रोको और उन्हें धरती से बाँधकर मत रखो - उन्हें पूरी आज़ादी दो।
The poet goes on to explain that the dream, wandering freely in the open sky, will merge with the stars, then return to earth carrying colour from the clouds and radiance from the sunbeams. She says that when the dream returns to earth this way, it will teach the land a new craft for building heaven. Hence the poet repeatedly urges that dreams must not be stopped from reaching the sky and must not be tethered to the earth - they must be given complete freedom. The poem closes by repeating its opening lines, reinforcing this plea for the freedom of dreams.
Hard words & meanings
| सौरभ | सुगंध, खुशबू (fragrance) |
| नभ / गगन | आकाश (the sky) |
| धूम | धुआँ (smoke) |
| आरोहण | ऊपर की ओर चढ़ना या जाना (ascending, rising upward) |
| अवरोहण | ऊपर से नीचे की ओर आना या उतरना (descending, coming downward) |
| मुक्त | स्वतंत्र, आज़ाद (free, liberated) |
| विचरण करना | इधर-उधर स्वतंत्र रूप से घूमना (to wander or roam freely) |
| दीप्ति | चमक, प्रकाश (radiance, brightness) |
| शिल्प | हाथ से कोई चीज़ बनाने का हुनर या कला, कारीगरी (a craft or skill of making something by hand) |
| भू | धरती, पृथ्वी (the earth) |
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