M1:2074 — هوشیاری زان جهانست و چو آن / غالب آید پست گردد این جهان

Translation: Awareness is from that [other] world; and when that / Dominates, this [phenomenal] world is subverted. Meaning: This verse states that true awareness, originating from the spiritual realm, is so potent that its full dominance would fundamentally transform or even dismantle the very foundations of our material, phenomenal world.

This verse presents one of Mowlana's most profound insights into the nature of existence; an insight I term the 'second-order perspective.' Here, Mowlana is not offering ethical advice in the manner of a 'first-order perspective,' admonishing us to 'be aware' or 'avoid heedlessness.' No. He speaks from the vantage point of the Creator and absolute Observer, from beyond the cosmos, as if God Himself is gazing upon humanity and the world, describing the very mechanism of existence. In this view, the discourse is on how the world is managed, not on how it should be.

I have previously stated that the pillar of this world is heedlessness (ghaflat). If the veils were lifted and the truth of life were revealed to all as it truly is, no one would continue to live as we know it, or at least, this material life would cease to be. Precisely this theme is echoed in the preceding verse: 'Thus, the pillar of this world is heedlessness itself / Awareness is an affliction for this world.' Now, in the verse under discussion, Mowlana powerfully continues this thought, stating that 'Awareness is from that world; and when that / Dominates, this world is subverted.'

'That world' (ān jahān) here refers to the realm of the unseen (ghayb), the world of meaning, and the divine sacred domain. 'This world' (īn jahān) is our familiar, material, phenomenal world, where greed, envy, competition, and all human motivations operate. From Mowlana's perspective, if the complete awareness and absolute insight from 'that world' were to 'dominate' 'this world'—meaning, if humans truly and fully became aware of the reality of their own existence and the cosmos—this world would be 'subverted' (past gardad). This 'subversion' does not mean annihilation, but rather the collapse of its systems and relationships. There would be no more greed or envy, no more competition, and consequently, the foundations upon which material civilization is built would crumble. Humans would find no reason to continue their worldly pursuits.

This is precisely why Mowlana continues in subsequent verses: 'Only a small trickle from that world arrives / So that greed and envy may not depart from this world.' This implies that only a limited amount of awareness and consciousness from the unseen realm trickles into this world, precisely so that greed and envy (and other traits essential for this world's current functioning) are not entirely eradicated. If more were to trickle, meaning: 'When more trickles from the unseen / Neither virtue nor vice would remain in this world.' Neither merit nor fault would endure, because the very basis of moral action and its evaluation would be transformed. Humans, in their ultimate awareness, would completely abandon worldly life.

This perspective resembles the distinction between ethics (which tells humans what to do and what not to do) and the philosophy of ethics (which explains the nature and essence of ethics). Mowlana, here, articulates a 'philosophy of existence' that describes the world as founded on heedlessness and limited awareness, precisely so that its phenomenal order can persist. This is not a commandment, but a description of a state; a description of an ontological reality.

Key takeaways

• Our material world is founded upon 'heedlessness' (ghaflat) and limited awareness.
• Absolute 'awareness' (hoshyārī) from the unseen realm, if it were to fully dominate, would dismantle the foundations of this world.
• Mowlana's aim here is to describe the mechanism of existence (a second-order perspective), not to offer ethical advice (a first-order perspective).
• Only a 'trickle' of divine awareness reaches this world, allowing humans to continue their worldly pursuits.
• If full awareness prevailed, earthly greed, envy, and competition would cease, and the world as we know it would no longer exist.