M6:2029 — بحر وحدانی‌ست جفت و زوج نیست / گوهر و ماهیش غیر موج نیست

Translation: This Sea is One, it has no mate or pair; Its pearl and fish are nothing but its wave. Meaning: This verse describes the Sea of Being as absolutely unified and without partner, asserting that all apparent multiplicities within it are merely transient manifestations of its singular, underlying essence.

For Mawlana, the sea is a profound symbol, representing the 'Higher Realm' and indeed 'the entirety of existence.' This is not the sea found on a geographical map; it is an altogether different sea, transcending the material world. Water, for the ancients, was a simple element, and this very simplicity testified to the simplicity and unity of Being. Mawlana invites us to become divers in this sea, not mere grammarians or analytical thinkers. He declares, 'Here, effacement (maḥw) is needed, not grammar (naḥw); if you are effaced, then fearlessly swim in the water.' The sea is a keeper of secrets, revealing them only to its 'divers' and skilled swimmers—those who possess the courage to 'cast their heart into the sea' and 'surrender their heart to annihilation.'

This specific beyt emphatically underscores the 'oneness' (waḥdānī) of this sea. It signifies that this sea is unified, whole, and its principal attribute is absolute unity. 'It is not fragmented, not multi-partite, not divisible.' The phrase 'it has no mate or pair' further solidifies this meaning; in this realm, numbers and multiplicity, and consequently opposition and duality, have no place. The material world is the realm of 'numbers and opposites,' but the world of that Sea is made of a singular 'element' that cannot contain numbers or opposites.

Mawlana then reaches the pinnacle of his expression: 'Its pearl and fish are nothing but its wave.' Here, he states that everything imaginable within this sea—from pearls and fish to a thousand other manifestations—are all, in essence, the sea itself, appearing in the form of waves. The wave is not separate from the sea; it does not become two with the sea, nor is it distinct. It is the sea itself, which at times creates waves, at times ebbs and flows, and takes on various forms. This undulation, this apparent multiplicity, is identical with unity. Sheikh Attar beautifully articulated this paradox: 'This is a unity, yet it comes in repetition.'

This relationship serves as a powerful analogy for Being, or the Necessary Existent, and its creations: akin to a thinker contemplating thoughts. Their thoughts originate from their being, are the very emanation of their consciousness, and are not separate from them. We are the waves on this Sea of Existence; manifestations of It that are one with Its Being, without being distinct or dual. This insight illuminates the profound depth of mystical tawhid (unity); a tawhid that perceives every particle as a manifestation of the same singular Truth, returning all multiplicity to its unique Origin.

Key takeaways

• The sea in the Masnavi symbolizes the unity of being (wahdat al-wujud) and the realm of meaning, not a mere geographical entity.
• The absolute oneness of this sea implies the negation of any duality, multiplicity, or opposition within it, in contrast to the material world.
• Any apparent multiplicity observed within the Sea of Unity (like pearls and fish) is merely a manifestation of the waves of that single Truth, not something separate or distinct.
• The principle that 'the wave is not other than the sea' indicates that all creation and manifestations are identical with the Creator's Being, without duality.
• The Masnavi urges the reader to learn 'effacement' (maḥw) and dive into the sea of meaning, rather than 'grammar' (naḥw, superficial analysis), to grasp the secrets of this unity.