M6:275 — چونک خاتون کرد در گوش این کلام / روز دیگر رفت نزدیک غلام

Translation: When the lady (khātūn) heard these words, / The next day, she went near the young man (gholām). Meaning: This couplet marks the beginning of the khātūn's action: following her husband's instructions, she approaches the young man under the guise of compassion to uncover the secret of his ailing heart.

This couplet precisely marks the commencement of the plan devised by the master (khwāja) to uncover the secret behind the young man's (gholām's) illness. The master instructs his wife, the khātūn, to approach the gholām in private. Why? So that, by assuming a motherly role—'You be a mother to him / Perhaps he will reveal his sorrow to you'—she might extract the secret of his ailing heart. Here, Rumi subtly reveals the true nature of this action: outwardly compassionate, yet inwardly deceptive. The khātūn, upon hearing these words and the master's counsel, promptly goes to the gholām the very next day.

As I have frequently emphasized, Rumi sharply distinguishes between ailments of the heart and those of the body, unequivocally stating: 'The remedy for the body is futile for the sorrow of the heart.' This couplet, and the subsequent unfolding of the narrative, serves as a vivid illustration of attempting to cure 'sorrow of the heart' with a 'remedy for the body.' The khātūn, rather than acting as a true spiritual physician, plays the role of a social psychologist, endeavoring through physical proximity and comforting words to unravel a secret rooted in deep spiritual affliction. This is an attempt to penetrate a human being's inner sanctuary using external, social tools, a method that Rumi deems incorrect and ultimately fruitless. This act by the khātūn, though seemingly born of affection—as Rumi later describes: 'Then that lady (sitī) combed his hair / With two hundred kindnesses and coquetries and reconciliations'—is fundamentally a move from the world of externals to grasp the secrets of the inner world, a flawed approach in Rumi's view.

Key takeaways

• This couplet initiates a deceptive plan to uncover the gholām's heart-secret.
• The master prompts the khātūn to adopt a motherly role to penetrate the gholām's privacy.
• Rumi repeatedly emphasizes that 'bodily remedies are futile for heart-sorrow,' a principle illustrated here.
• From Rumi's perspective, attempting to cure spiritual pain with an external, social approach is ineffective and misguided.