M6:624 — اژدهایی ناپدید دلربا / عقل هم‌چون کوه را او کهربا

Translation: It is an invisible, heart-stealing dragon; It draws reason, which is like a mountain, as amber draws straw (or, as a magnet draws iron).

Meaning: Love is depicted as a powerful, hidden, and enchanting force that effortlessly captivates and overwhelms even the strongest and most steadfast human reason.

Here, we encounter one of the deepest descriptions of love in the Mathnawi. Following an invitation to the 'street of the sleepless' (kūy-e bīkhwābān)—the realm of sacrificing lovers who 'like moths, are slain for union'—Mawlana reaches the pinnacle of this depiction. Love is a sea in which the ships of lovers' souls drown, and simultaneously, a dragon that devours them.

I understand this to mean that this aždehā (dragon) is no ordinary dragon; it is 'invisible' (nāpadīd), not appearing to the outer senses, yet 'heart-stealing' (delrobā), meaning it seduces and carries away the inner being. This paradox is inherent in the nature of love: it is both terrifying and enchanting. In my interpretation, when we say love has devoured lovers, this is a metaphorical expression whose true meaning is the consumption of their reason (ʿaql) and free will (ekhtiyār). The first gift a lover presents to the Beloved is their free will, and the second is their reason. As Mawlana himself states elsewhere: 'They ask, what is love? Say: the relinquishing of free will; whoever has not escaped free will, possesses no free will [in the realm of love].'

This verse clearly demonstrates that reason, however great and steadfast—'like a mountain'—offers no resistance to the magnetism of love. It becomes like straw that kahrabā (amber, or iron to a magnet) sweeps away. This act of being swallowed, of being captivated, is in Mawlana's worldview not a flaw, but a sign of perfection and sacrifice on the path to the Beloved. The lover must sacrifice their reason and free will at this threshold to attain higher stations. This acceptance of being consumed is not out of weakness, but out of faith and recognition of love's unrivaled power.

To emphasize the singularity and peerlessness of love, Mawlana introduces the analogy of the ʿaṭṭār (perfumer). He states that any perfumer who becomes aware of the 'fragrance of love' will pour all their ṭablehās (perfume containers) into a flowing stream. Why? Because in the face of love's incomparable scent, all worldly fragrances become worthless and insignificant. This is the very point Mawlana underscores at the end, adapting a Quranic verse: 'Lam yakun ḥaqqan lahu kufuwan aḥad'—meaning love has no equal or peer, and all other claimants must yield the field. This beyt, in essence, declares the absolute sovereignty of love over the domain of reason and knowledge, serving as a gateway to a world where reason serves the heart, and free will is sacrificed at the feet of love.

Key takeaways

• Love is a hidden, enchanting force that overcomes and draws reason to itself, no matter how formidable it seems.
• The sacrifice of one's reason and free will are the invaluable gifts a lover offers to the Beloved.
• Reason, even if as steadfast as a mountain, surrenders to love's magnetic, amber-like pull.
• This 'devouring' or 'drowning' in love is not a sign of weakness, but rather a mark of perfection and the elevated station of the lover.
• Love is singular and unrivaled; its scent is so potent that all worldly fragrances become worthless in its presence.