M6:3757 — چونک گم شد جمله جمله یافتند / از کم آمد سوی کل بشتافتند

Translation: When all was lost, they found all; From becoming less, they hastened towards the Whole. Meaning: This verse signifies that by letting go of one's individual self and embracing humility, one achieves union with the entirety of existence and finds ultimate completeness.

This verse, undoubtedly, encapsulates one of the deepest teachings of the Masnavi; it signifies the ascent from form (soorat) to formlessness (bi-soorat), and from multiplicity to unity. Here, Rumi explicitly, and with a tone that is both mystical and subtly playful, reveals the path to union with the Whole. When he states, “When all was lost, they found all,” this is a profound paradox that only the initiated can grasp. To “lose all” means to surrender the self, to abandon attachments, forms, affiliations, and everything with which the ego identifies. This is the act of “becoming nothing” – the same “nothingness” Rumi alluded to earlier through the metaphor of an “empty bowl” and “digging holes.” One must empty oneself, not fill oneself. One must become “nothing,” just as Khaqani poetically stated, “If nothingness casts a shadow, I am that shadow of nothing.” This act of self-effacement, of embracing humility and “becoming less,” is the prerequisite for receiving divine grace. This voluntary formlessness is the condition for the emergence of true forms and sacred meanings in the heart. But what is the outcome of this “losing”? “They found all.” This means that by letting go of fleeting details and forms, the entirety of existence – the pure, absolute, formless Reality – is revealed to the seeker. This is precisely the point I addressed concerning tanzih (transcendence) versus tashbih (analogy); the journey from form to formlessness, from that which is clothed to that which is naked and unveiled. When one strips away these garments from existence, one draws closer to absolute Truth. The phrase “From becoming less, they hastened towards the Whole” confirms and elaborates on the first hemistich. “Becoming less” implies humility, self-abasement, self-diminishment, and the negation of one’s independent existence. The seeker relinquishes the individual self, the imperfect, self-reliant being, and it is here that their journey towards the “Whole” begins. This is not merely a journey towards an external perfection but an embrace of that Whole. Just as a drop, by joining the ocean, becomes the ocean itself; the form-endowed drop merges with the formless ocean and itself becomes formless. This movement, without question, is deeply connected to the concept of felicity I discussed at the end of the session. All human beings, whether righteous or corrupt, ultimately move towards felicity and that ultimate Whole. Their paths, however, differ; a mystic who has practiced this “losing” and “becoming less” during their earthly life has shortened their path and reaches the goal sooner. They have, before death, cast aside the veils of form and experienced formlessness. Others, however, may reach this ultimate state only after enduring many struggles and trials in the afterlife. The essential point is that the journey is one of transcending the self and uniting with the Whole, and this verse outlines that map with astonishing conciseness.

Key takeaways

• Losing oneself and abandoning forms is the path to finding the entirety of existence.
• Humility, self-diminishment, and the negation of independent being are prerequisites for union with the Absolute.
• By letting go of the individual self, the seeker hastens towards the Whole, much like a drop merging with and becoming the ocean.
• This “becoming nothing” is a voluntary formlessness, essential for receiving divine grace and the emergence of sacred meanings.
• The verse outlines the map to ultimate felicity, where all human beings, sooner or later, reach their destined goal.