M6:1480 — چشمها چون شد گذاره نور اوست / مغزها می‌بیند او در عین پوست

Translation: When the eyes become a passage for His light, / He sees the kernel (essence) even through the skin (outward form). Meaning: This verse indicates that when a mystic's perception is imbued with divine light, they no longer merely observe outward appearances but, aided by that light, gain insight into the inner reality and essence of things, discerning the hidden nature within the very visible form.

Mowlana, in this verse, which immediately follows his description of divine jadhba (attraction) and the counsel to "douse the lamp when the dawn breaks," speaks of a fundamental transformation of perception. I have repeatedly emphasized that jadhba and ʿishq (love) are, for Mowlana, the very root and foundation of spiritual journeying, not merely one of its stages. These lines describe precisely the outcome of that sudden and unpredictable jadhba which Mowlana refers to as "the bird of jadhba suddenly flies from its nest"; that is, a divine grace that descends upon the seeker without calculation, illuminating their eyes with a different light.

"When the eyes become a passage for His light": This means that the seeker's eyes no longer see with ordinary, limited human light. Instead, they become a conduit, a "passage," for the Light of Truth itself. It is the Light of Truth that shines and sees through the seeker's eyes. This is a form of the "divinization" of the faculty of perception. Just as I have said before, discussing the "reed," Mowlana identifies himself with the ney through which God's breath flows; the eye, in this station, becomes a reed for divine light. This aligns with Mowlana's broader concepts of bī-ṣūratī (formlessness) and rāz-shenāsī (secret-knowing). Light is colorless yet reveals all colors; now, this light resides in the seeker's eye, enabling them to perceive the "secret."

What is the consequence of such a transformation? "He sees the kernel (essence) even through the skin (outward form)." This is the peak of mystical insight. The seeker is no longer confined by the outward appearance, the "skin"; they perceive the essence, the "kernel" of reality, within that very appearance. This perspective is entirely different from our conventional gaze, which either sees only the "skin" and is oblivious to the "kernel," or opposes the "kernel" to the "skin." The mystic, however, sees the "kernel even through the skin." This implies that for them, outward form and inner reality become inseparable, or the inner manifests within the outer and is discernible by one who sees with the Light of Truth. This "seeing the kernel through the skin" is akin to the ability to see "the sun of eternity in a particle" and "the entire ocean in a drop," as stated in the following verse, which completes this imagery. This is a form of pan-theistic vision and the apprehension of unity within multiplicity, an emphasis Mowlana places throughout the Masnavi as the ultimate goal of the spiritual path.

Key takeaways

• Mystical insight involves seeing with divine light, not merely with physical eyes.
• Divine jadhba prepares the seeker's heart and eyes for deeper apprehension of realities.
• The transformation of perception means seeing the essence and core of things, not in opposition to the outward form, but "within" it.
• This vision removes the veils of superficiality, allowing truth to be observed in every minute and grand thing.
• Seeing the "kernel within the skin" represents the mystic's pinnacle of unitary vision, where inner and outer become inseparable for them.