M6:3702 — اندر آن قلعهٔ خوش ذات الصور / پنج در در بحر و پنجی سوی بر

Translation: Within that pleasing castle, repository of forms, Five doors face the sea, and five face the land.

Meaning: Mowlana describes a castle, akin to the imaginal world, possessing ten doors: half open to the perceptible, material realm, and the other half to the inner, supra-natural dimension.

Mowlana, in this verse, embarks on a vivid description of the Qalʿa-ye Dhāt al-Suwar, which he himself characterizes as a "castle full of forms and designs." The most salient feature of this castle is its ten doors: five of which are "to the sea" (dar baḥr) and five "to the land" (sūy-e bar). This imagery of doors is key to grasping the function and very nature of this castle.

I interpret these doors as follows: The five doors facing "the land" (bar) refer to the world of senses, colors, and fragrances—that is, the perceptible, material realm, which is apprehended through our five external senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch). These are what the ancients termed the ḥawās-i khamsa-ye zāhira (five outer senses).

Conversely, the five doors facing "the sea" (baḥr) allude to the "secret-seeking inner sense" (ḥiss-e bāṭin-e rāz-jū); this signifies a world beyond nature, perceived through our internal senses. These internal senses, which philosophers and mystics of old referred to as the ḥawās-i khamsa-ye bāṭina (five inner senses), encompass internal cognitive faculties such as memory, imagination, common sense, and the like. These inner powers guide us toward a realm transcending the mere appearance of things.

This castle is, in essence, a barzakh, an isthmus or intermediary realm between the world of nature and the purely supra-natural world. Should you ask Shaykh Shihāb al-Dīn Suhrawardī, he would undoubtedly assert that this castle is none other than the ʿālam-i khiyāl-i munfaṣil (the detached imaginal world). In this imaginal realm, "form" (ṣūrat) exists, and "magnitude" (miqdār) is present, but "matter" (mādda) is entirely absent. This is the world where Suhrawardī's illuminating parables, such as The Crimson Archangel or The Chant of Gabriel's Wing, are entirely set and derive their meaning. Through this precise description, Mowlana guides the reader into a middle world where imaginal forms, with their presence and dimension, pave the way for the apprehension of inner meanings.

Immediately following this verse, Mowlana initiates a profound discussion on ṣūrat va bī-ṣūratī (form and formlessness), which stands as one of his most pivotal intellectual themes. He states that "form emerged from formlessness" (ṣūrat az bī-ṣūratī āmad barūn), implying that the universe was not initially a realm of forms, but rather a realm of "meanings" (maʿānī). Forms, in essence, are garments adorning formless meanings. This Qalʿa-ye Dhāt al-Suwar, with all its designs and embellishments, is itself an manifestation of this very principle: that forms step forth into existence from the domain of formlessness, and then ultimately return to that same formlessness. Thus, this verse is not merely a simple description; it is a prelude to one of the most profound ontological and epistemological discussions within the Masnavi.

Key takeaways

• The Qalʿa-ye Dhāt al-Suwar (Castle of Forms) symbolizes the ʿālam-i khiyāl-i munfaṣil (imaginal world), an interworld between the material and supra-natural realms.
• This castle features ten doors: five connecting to the perceptible world (external senses) and five to the inner world (internal senses).
• The detached imaginal world possesses form and magnitude but is devoid of matter.
• The concept of this castle sets the stage for Mowlana's profound discourse on "form emerging from formlessness."