M6:3146 — آن مقلد سخرهٔ خرگوش شد / از خیال خویشتن پر جوش شد

Translation: That imitator became the rabbit's toy; from its own fancy it boiled over. Meaning: This verse describes a lion, blinded by its own inflated self-image and false assumptions, who falls prey to the clever rabbit's trick.

I believe that in this verse and the story of the Lion and the Rabbit, Mawlana offers a profound lesson in existential psychology. The Lion is here termed a muqallid (imitator), not in the sense of blindly following another, but rather of imitating—or rather, blindly adhering to—its own conceits and delusions of grandeur. It sees its own reflection in the well and mistakes it for another lion; this is precisely the false fancy that makes it the rabbit's toy. Continuing this narrative, Mawlana introduces a pivotal point that transcends individual psychology: "Many a suffering, many a fault that you see in others, is your own, and you then attribute it to them." This is psychological projection, where we perceive our inner flaws in another and then contend with that perceived external fault. The Lion fought its own reflection, meaning it was in conflict with itself, not an external rival. Thus, its roaring and "boiling over" (پر جوش شدن) stemmed not from the reality of an enemy, but from its khayāl-i khīshtan (its own fancy); from the bloatedness of its self-perception, its belief that it was an unrivaled hero who could tolerate no competition. This is where narcissism and pride, instead of insight, take the helm, plunging one into the well of deception. Mawlana expands this truth, stating that even when we harbor resentment towards an enemy, much of that animosity is a reflection of our own shortcomings. "That enmity in him is a reflection of God / derived from the attributes of wrath. And that sin in him is of the same kind as your own crime / you must wash that disposition from your own nature." The enmity we perceive in another may be a manifestation of God's attribute of wrath (Qahr) casting its shadow in this world, but concurrently, it is intensely akin to "your own crimes"—related to the unpleasant dispositions we possess within ourselves. We must cleanse ourselves of these undesirable traits, rather than merely attacking others. In other words, others serve as a "mirror's surface" for us. "Your ugly disposition appeared to you in him / for he was a mirror's surface to you." When we see our own ugliness in the mirror of another, we should not strike the mirror and shatter it, but rather strive to mend ourselves. This approach restrains one from battling shadows and illusions, guiding them instead towards perceiving the aṣl (essence, root) of self and world. "How long can a reflection last in sight? / Make the seeing of the origin your practice, O distorted observer."

Key takeaways

• The lion in the story was an imitator of its own fancies, not a follower of reality; this self-deception was the root of its downfall.
• Many faults we perceive in others are projections of our own shortcomings. Others serve as mirrors to our inner state.
• Anger and malice arising from one's "own fancy" prevent true understanding and the perception of the "origin" of things.
• To eradicate enmity, one must rectify inner flaws, rather than attacking mere reflections.
• Pride and wrath, like distorted lenses, reveal a world full of imperfections and rivals that are often mere illusions.