M6:291 — آدمی فربه شود از راه گوش / جانور فربه شود از حلق و نوش

Translation: A human is nourished and fattened through the ear; whereas an animal is nourished and fattened through the throat and consumption. Meaning: This verse highlights the fundamental difference in the sustenance and growth of humans and animals: humans are nourished in their soul by meanings and virtuous speech, while animals require physical sustenance for their growth.

This verse draws a profound distinction between human beings and other living creatures, once again seeking the essence of humanity not in its physicality, but in the realm of meaning and spiritual perception. Here, Rumi employs "fərbah shavad" (becomes nourished/fat) not in the sense of a material increase in weight, but rather as growth, flourishing, and existential vitality. We, as humans, are nourished through our ears; that is, by listening to wholesome words, good counsel, enlightening discourse, and pleasant thoughts, our souls are nurtured and brought to rapture. This spiritual nourishment affects our outward appearance, making us cheerful and smiling, and also imbues our inner being with robustness and capability. In contrast, animals are nourished through their throats by eating and drinking. Their survival depends on physical sustenance, and their growth is contingent upon grass and water. This distinction is precisely what distances Rumi from materialism, allowing him to explore the true domain of human existence within the realm of perception and meaning. The ear, in this context, is not merely a sensory organ but a gateway to the human soul and intellect; it is a channel through which knowledge, sweet thoughts, and even hopeful promises (as in the story of the slave in the Masnavi who became plump and rosy-faced with the promise of marriage) find their way inward and transform human existence. As Rumi himself states in another verse: "Sweet thought makes a man fat." This 'fatness' does not simply signify physical fattening, but rather an internal fullness and contentment that springs from good words and lofty meanings. Therefore, our ears can not only be a source of nourishment and growth, but if they receive improper and hurtful words, they can also cause spiritual thinness, wilting, and weakness. This verse aligns with Rumi's opening thought in the Masnavi, "Listen to this reed"; he invites us to listen, for he knows that listening is the sole true path to achieving the flourishing and perfection inherent in human nature. By listening correctly, a human returns to their origin, and their soul becomes abundant and rich from this return.

Key takeaways

• True human nourishment is spiritual, attained through the ear by listening to virtuous meanings and thoughts.
• This verse draws a fundamental distinction between human and animal growth and flourishing.
• "Fattening" here is a metaphor for existential vitality, strength, and inner contentment, not physical mass.
• The ear serves as a gateway to the soul, capable of nurturing it with good words or diminishing it with harmful discourse.
• Concepts like honor, dignity, and pleasant thoughts are the true agents of human existential nourishment and flourishing.