M6:2185 — هین سخن‌خا نوبت لب‌خایی است / گر بگویی خلق را رسوایی است

Translation: O talker of words, it is now the turn for lip-biting; If you speak, it will be a disgrace for the people.

Meaning: Mowlana, addressing himself, states that there are moments when silence is imperative. Speaking certain truths, due to the audience's lack of preparedness, could lead to their downfall or shame.

This verse is a direct address from Mowlana to himself—an internal command for silence. He, who calls himself a "sokhan-kha" (سخن‌خا), one who is constantly "chewing words" and speaking, suddenly issues an order for "lab-khayi" (لب‌خایی). "Lab-khayi," literally "lip-biting," is an idiom for keeping silent and holding one's tongue. This is not out of inability but out of wisdom and expediency.

I have always emphasized that Mowlana's silence, as evident in his takhalluṣ (pen-name) of "Khamoosh," is not born of incapacity, but of abundance and completeness. There are several reasons for it: sometimes it is due to the sheer volume of what needs to be said, as he states: "I am silent due to the abundance of my words"; sometimes it is because "points are as sharp as steel swords," and there is a fear of harming the listener's ear; and sometimes it is because certain truths are fundamentally unsayable, much like what Wittgenstein argues about the "unsayable": "What one cannot speak about, one must pass over in silence." This verse, too, refers to such a station.

Why "disgrace"? Sometimes, expressing certain truths, due to the audience's unpreparedness or limited capacity, leads to misunderstanding, denial, or even attacks against the speaker. But Mowlana goes further here, stating, "it will be a disgrace for the people." This means the utterance itself harms the people, compromises their honor, or exposes them to sin or suffering for which they are not ready. This is akin to the story of Moses and Khidr, where Khidr performs actions incomprehensible to Moses; had Moses not been privy to the hidden wisdom, he might have succumbed to judgment and denial.

This silence is an avoidance of "hammering cold iron," as Mowlana says elsewhere in the Masnavi. One should not perform a fruitless or harmful act. When the human spirit is liberated from bodily attachments, and the "soul is freed and roams in the meadow," it attains insights that may be indigestible for the "people" who are still entangled in the animalistic "jān" and sensory perceptions. Here, silence itself becomes the zenith of eloquence and wisdom. This "lab-khayi" is not born of fear, but of safeguarding truth and protecting the listener. A word, if spoken, would lead to collapse and disgrace rather than elevation. Therefore, holding one's tongue in this station is an act of service and compassion.

Key takeaways

• "Lip-biting" or silence, in this context, stems from profound wisdom, not weakness.
• Expressing certain truths can bring "disgrace" and harm to an unprepared audience.
• Mowlana, addressing himself, commands silence when faced with the audience's lack of readiness.
• Silence at this station is an act of compassion and safeguarding truth, not an evasion of responsibility.
• The verse underscores the concept of "unsayables" in mysticism and philosophy.