M6:3668 — از یکی چون سیر گشتی تو تمام / سرد شد اندر دلت پنجه طعام

Translation: When you are entirely sated by one thing, Fifty other dishes grow cold in your heart. Meaning: This verse uses the metaphor of food to explain that true satiation from a single reality renders all apparent multiplicity unappealing, revealing the underlying unity behind diverse forms.

This verse is one of those instances where Rumi, through tangible metaphors, unveils the profoundest truths of existence. He states that once a person is sated by one kind of food, fifty other dishes, however delicious, grow cold in their heart, losing all appeal. This is a simple, everyday experience, yet Rumi leverages it to articulate a foundational principle in mysticism and ontology.

The point Rumi raises here is that of unity within multiplicity. He had previously stated: “If there are a hundred books, there is but one door / If there are a hundred directions, the intention is but one mihrab.” This verse, in the same vein, advances the insight that “all edibles are one in their essence.” That is to say, the ultimate purpose of all foods is to relieve hunger and bring about satiety. Once this purpose is fulfilled by one of them, the function of all the others is complete. There is no longer any need for them.

In essence, Rumi wishes to convey that the multiplicity and diversity of what we perceive often stems from the imperfection of our vision and insight, rather than from the reality of the objects themselves. He likens this to someone who is ahwal (cross-eyed); that is, double-visioned. He says: “In hunger, then, you were cross-eyed / For you saw one thing as a hundred thousand.” Hunger (majaʿat) is a state where one perceives a single thing as a hundred thousand. But once sated, this spiritual “cross-eyedness” vanishes, and the single truth is revealed.

This perception of unity, which results from inner satiety and the fulfillment of an inner need, has a deep connection with the concept of the nafs-i mutmaʾinnah (the tranquil soul). As I have explained in previous sessions, the tranquil soul is a station where inner multiplicities and conflicts cease, as if it were a single entity at peace and harmony with itself. In that station, there is no longer the multiplicity-creating drive of the nafs-i ammarah nor the self-reproach of the nafs-i lawwamah; rather, it is an inner unity that harmonizes with the outer unity of the world.

Thus, the heart’s growing cold towards “fifty dishes” is not an aversion to pleasures, but rather stems from being saturated by a singular truth. This is a practical and experiential tawhid (unity); a unity that flows not only in belief but also in human experience and taste, saving one from wandering in multiplicities and leading to the tranquility of unity. This is the precious commodity the Mathnawi sells us: liberation from double-vision and attainment of unity-vision.

Key takeaways

• All multiplicities, in their ultimate essence, revert to a singular unity.
• Complete satiety from one truth leads to indifference towards all numerous appearances.
• In hunger and need, one perceives a single truth as multiple; this signifies spiritual 'cross-eyedness.'
• Unity-vision is the tranquil state of the nafs-i mutmaʾinnah, liberated from the conflict of multiplicities.