M1:3105 — باز هستی جهان حس و رنگ / تنگ‌تر آمد که زندانیست تنگ

Translation: Again, the existence of the world of sense and color / Has become tighter, for it is a constricted prison. Meaning: This verse asserts that the material world, perceived through our senses, is the most confining and limited plane of existence, akin to a narrow prison for the soul.

This verse continues Rumi's ontological hierarchy, categorizing the planes of existence from adam (non-being) down to ḥiss-o rang (sense and color). Previously, he introduced the world of khayāl (imagination) as more constricted than adam; now, it is the turn of the world of sense and color, which occupies an even lower and more limited rank. Rumi decisively declares it the tightest stage of existence, a veritable prison for the soul.

I have often stated that Rumi distinguishes three primary worlds based on their spaciousness and vastness. First, the ʿālam-e adam, the realm of pure abstracts and formlessness, which in Eastern mystic thought, particularly Buddhism, signifies the highest mode of existence – Sohrab Sepehri’s 'Nowhere-land' (هیچستان) that holds a hidden city within. This world is the most expansive and unbound, free from the constraints of form and multiplicity. Next comes the ʿālam-e khayāl, which is tighter than adam and can itself be a source of sorrows and particular attachments. In this verse, Rumi explicitly asserts that 'Again, the existence of the world of sense and color has become tighter, for it is a constricted prison.' This means that once we pass from the world of imagination to the realm of perceptibles and material forms, we encounter a double constriction. This stage is the most limited and prison-like part of existence, as it traps the soul within the confines of body, time, and space.

This understanding of the planes of existence is entirely consistent with Rumi’s famous evolutionary outlook, 'I died to mineral and became a plant...' (M3:3901-3906). The soul, in its ascending journey, passes through mineral, plant, and animal stages to reach the human state. But even this is not the end. It must break free from the prison of humanity to ascend to the world of angels, which is the khayāl-e munfaṣil (separate imagination) and formless realm. And even from there, it must go further to become adam. This 'becoming adam' is not annihilation but liberation from the bondage of forms and the attainment of absolute formlessness, which, in Rumi’s words, adam itself, like an organ, tells us, 'Verily, unto Him we return.'

As seen in the metaphor of the vase and the stream, our particular imaginations and limited determinations are like the water in a vase that must be released into the boundless stream and ocean of existence. When the water from the vase pours into the stream, neither does the vase constrain the water, nor does the water remain confined; it merges into the stream and becomes one with it. The form of the vase perishes, and the essence of the water finds perpetuity. This parable profoundly illuminates the meaning of liberation from the 'tightness of the prison of sense and color.' The soul, too, through traversing these stages, breaks free from formal limitations and returns to its vast and unconditioned origin. Therefore, this verse is not an expression of despair but an invitation to liberate oneself from the constriction of this material prison and ascend to higher realms, which are the boundless promise of infinitude and freedom.

Key takeaways

• The world of sense and color (the material realm) is the tightest and most constricted plane of existence, serving as a prison for the soul.
• Rumi delineates a hierarchy of existent worlds, commencing from the 'world of non-being' (most expansive) down to the 'world of sense and color' (most confining).
• The soul's ascent through mineral, plant, animal, and human stages signifies a gradual liberation from these constrictions, moving towards formlessness and spaciousness.
• The ultimate goal in this journey is to attain 'non-being' (adam), which is not nothingness but the zenith of liberation from the bonds of form and the achievement of absolute existence.
• This verse serves as an invitation to break free from material limitations and open one's vision to broader spiritual realms.