M6:3156 — عکس پنهان گشت و اندر غیب راند / تو گمان بردی که آن اختر نماند

Translation: The reflection vanished and moved into the unseen realm; You, however, imagined that star no longer existed.

Meaning: This verse speaks to the illusion of believing that by eliminating the reflection or outward manifestation of something, its original essence has also been destroyed, while the original remains in its place, only its shadow having disappeared. It serves as an example of the futility of trying to eradicate evil by fighting only its superficial symptoms.

This verse, appearing at the climax of the story of the lion and the rabbit's trick, is a profound deduction from Rumi's view of existence and the human psyche. Here, Rumi addresses one of our most critical perceptual dilemmas: mistaking the shadow for the original, and fighting with the manifestation instead of the root of truth.

The story unfolds as the clever rabbit leads the arrogant lion to a well, presenting the lion's own reflection in the water as another rival lion. The lion mistakes this 'reflection' (ʿaks) for the original and fights with its own delusion; by leaping into the well, it perishes. This verse precisely refers to the moment when the lion (or in Rumi's preceding example, someone who considers a star unlucky) casts 'soil' into the water to eliminate the reflection. "The reflection vanished and moved into the unseen realm; / You, however, imagined that star no longer existed." That is, the reflection disappeared, it joined the realm of the unseen, but it was only the reflection that became invisible; you mistakenly thought that the original star had also ceased to exist.

Rumi extracts several key points from this allegorical tale. First, it is a significant psychological lesson about 'projection'. We humans, in many pains and flaws that we perceive in others and fight over, are in fact seeing reflections of our 'own faults' and 'evils'. We do not attribute these evils to ourselves but project them onto others. These conflicts are, in reality, fighting with our own shadow; fighting with "that lion which plunged into the well." Rumi emphasizes that "that sin in him is of the same kind as your fault / You must wash away that trait from your own nature." If we wish to dry up the root of animosity and conflict, we must seek it within ourselves and cleanse ourselves, not the other. Others are our mirrors: "Your ugly nature revealed itself in him / For he was the mirror's surface for you."

Second, this verse reminds us that "this world is God's shadow, and one should not attack form or deem form to be true." The world of multiplicity is the world of forms and reflections. The essence of truth lies behind these forms, in the formless realm, the unseen world. Fighting with 'forms' and 'reflections' is a futile struggle, as the original remains in its place. If we seek to cure 'unluckiness' (nuhūs), we must look to the 'sky' (samāʾ, the higher realm), not to the 'water' (duniyā, the lower world). "That unlucky star is in the sky / To that very direction must its cure be aimed." We must "tie our heart to the placeless" to be free from these misfortunes, for the misfortune here, "is the reflection of the placeless misfortune."

Rumi, through this teaching, invites us to 'see the original' (asl-bīnī). "How long can a reflection last in sight? / Make seeing the original your practice, O crooked-sighted one." A human whose sight is distorted (kaj-nigar) sees only shadows and reflections and fights with them, while the true source of all things is elsewhere. Worldly bounties, even if "more than sand," are as impermanent as 'reflections' and will ultimately become 'inheritance' (mordeh-rīgg). But God's bounties are lasting and life-giving.

Ultimately, this verse and the surrounding couplets offer a clear message for 'self-knowledge' (khvishtan-shenāsī); one of the usūl usūl usūl ad-dīn in Rumi's view. Knowing oneself and purifying the inner being is the only way to be freed from conflict with the world and others. Only by seeing the original behind the reflections can we be liberated from illusion and the battle with shadows, and attain true peace.

Key takeaways

• Many faults we perceive in others, and consequently quarrel over, are in fact projections of our own flaws and evils.
• Fighting with 'forms' and 'reflections' (outward manifestations) is futile; one must seek the root of problems in the 'original' or the 'placeless realm'.
• This world is a shadow of absolute truth; one must not mistake the shadow for the original reality.
• Rumi invites us to 'see the original' (asl-bīnī) and engage in 'self-knowledge' (khvishtan-shenāsī) to be freed from illusory conflicts.
• Casting soil into water to dispel a star's reflection merely conceals the problem from view, rather than solving it.