M6:3153 — می‌زند بر آب استارهٔ سنی / خاک تو بر عکس اختر می‌زنی

Translation: A shining star casts its reflection on the water, yet you cast dirt upon its image, deeming it ill-omened. Meaning: This verse critiques our tendency to attack reflections or perceived external flaws, rather than confronting the true source of an issue or correcting our own distorted perception.

Mowlana, following the tale of the lion and the rabbit where the lion is deceived by its own reflection in the well, addresses a fundamental human error in confronting reality. This verse fits precisely into that interpretive context. I believe this simile of casting dirt upon the reflection of a shining star in water speaks to a deep misunderstanding and a misguided reaction on our part as human beings.

Imagine a bright, beautiful star twinkling in the sky, its image cast upon the calm surface of the water. Someone observes this reflection, but instead of grasping the grandeur of the actual star, they mistakenly believe this image in the water is itself an inauspicious, ill-omened star that has come to darken their fortune. And to ward off this ill omen, what do they do? They cast dirt into the water. It is clear that by this act, the star in the sky neither disappears nor does its inauspiciousness—if it even possesses any—vanish. The only thing that happens is that the person no longer even sees that image; the water becomes muddied and loses its mirror-like quality. This action not only fails to solve the problem but also deprives the individual of observing reality, however reflected.

This narrative serves as a clear example of 'projection' (faraafkani) in psychology. We often perceive faults and sufferings in others as shadows and reflections of our own existential shortcomings and vices, which we then attribute to the other. Instead of looking inward and rectifying ourselves, we wage war against our external 'image.' This is precisely like the lion in the story who, instead of recognizing himself in the water, fought with the 'other lion' and brought about his own demise.

Mowlana here warns us that this world, everything we see in it, is a shadow and a reflection of absolute truth. The attributes of divine wrath and beauty, and even the evils that manifest in humans, have a root beyond these worldly forms. Our mistake, as 'distorted perceivers,' is to attack the 'reflection' instead of seeing the 'origin.' If we suffer, if we see a flaw in another, we must first ask ourselves whether this suffering and flaw are not akin to our own sins and undesirable traits. We should regard others as mirrors of ourselves. When we see our own ugliness in the mirror of another, instead of breaking the mirror, we should strive to reform ourselves.

Even if one believes in the influence of auspicious and inauspicious stars—which Mowlana himself did not believe in and transcended—the solution is still not to cast dirt into the water. The remedy must be directed toward the 'origin,' not the 'reflection.' One must turn the heart towards the 'Placeless' (bī-sū); towards that source from which all these fortunes and misfortunes, if they exist, emanate. 'How long can a reflection endure in sight? Practice seeing the origin, O distorted perceiver!' This world, full of forms and reflections, is transient and unstable. True insight is that which moves beyond all these 'reflections' and reaches the 'origin.' This is Mowlana's fundamental message for self-knowledge and knowledge of God.

Key takeaways

• Attacking reflections and effects is not a solution; it merely blinds our perception.
• What we perceive as flaws in others is often a projection of our own internal shortcomings.
• Others serve as mirrors to our being; through observing them, we should know and rectify ourselves.
• Seeking the 'origin' over the 'reflection' in understanding existence and self is the key to insight.
• Instead of fighting the apparent 'form,' one must turn the heart towards the 'Placeless' (bī-sū) and the true source.