Rumi's Seven Advices

Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi is the universal mystic whose work 'The Mathnawi' is regarded as the Persian Quran. His words and timeless message reached the people through several translations and now has a devoted audience.

In one of his poems, Maulana Rumi seeks to distill his teachings into seven advices. These are:

1. In generosity and helping others...
Be like the river.

2. In compassion and grace...
Be like the sun.

3. In concealing other's faults...
Be like the night.

4. In anger and fury
Be like the dead.

5. In modesty and humility...
Be like the soil

6. In tolerance...
Be like the ocean.

7. Either appear as you are or...
Be as you appear.

The simplicity, yet profoundness of these verses show that that these feelings are borne out of deep introspection and experience, not mere observation. The choice of similes encompass the essence of the qualities that one should aspire;

1. Generosity and Helpfulness - Be like the river which gives water to all, and all its produce from that water (fish etc.) to the world. It helps transporting silt throughout its journey. It always flows, for stagnancy is death. And finally, it does all this with the sole objective of being able to meet its source - the sea. Hence, generosity should be unconditional, all Comppervading and laid as a tribute at the door of the beloved for after all that IS the source of all giving.

2. Compassion and Grace - Compassion is the ability to understand and empathise with others troubles and grace is the ability to relive their pain without their asking for it. In this, be like th sun, for it thoroughly understands us - it is just that distance which does not burn up or freeze the earth, it recognises that man needs rest and hence makes way for night - and is fully grace - giving to all without their even needing to ask for it. It gets taken for granted, but it doesn't reduce its grace which flows to all. In a way, the sun personifies the love of God - deep understanding of our needs and abundant grace, even without asking.

3. Conceal others' faults - The night is not just the absence of light - it is a cloak which covers the world and allows it to rest. It is the peace which allows man to prepare himself for another day. Be like the night in concealing others' faults - don't just avoid mentioning it, rather cloak it with the quietness, serenity and peace which would make that fault even hidden from you. Allow the person to grow without the baggage of his faults and let him prepare for a new day, with your blessed concealment of his faults. This is preparation for the Lord to conceal our faults on the day of judgment.

4. Avoid Anger - In this Rumi provides a reverse similie - in anger and fury, he says, be like the dead. That is, do not respond, be unaffected by it and remain in your state of bliss for nothing that that person does can hurt you. This is the philosophy of being in the world, but remaining unaffected by worldly things. True life comes only when you are so dead - absorbed in your situation and hence unable to react to the temporal demands of the world.

5. Be modest and humble - Soil gives life. It nourishes, feeds and helps plants grow which eventually become our food. Yet, despite its signifcant role, it is perfectly happy to be below your feet. This is the annihilation of the ego. An egoless person does not have to be 'modest' - he does not fin any reason to be 'proud'. Whenever you think that you have achieved something, look at the soil and ask yourself - have I done more than the soil does? So what permits me to be at any level higher than the soil? Perhaps this is the message we are taught when soil is spread on our graves after death. Find this death in your lifetime; and you will have everlasting life.

6. Be tolerant - This is the quality of balance. An ocean is constantly moving, shaking, experiencing waves and storms all the time. Yet, it maintains a sense of calmness and balance. you are intolerant, look at the ocean and learn how this sense of balance leads to calmness and serenity within - just like the ocean floor.

7. Be what you are - This is the last message from Rumi and perhaps the most important. In fact even if the other six had not been there, this seventh one would have sufficed. This quality is about truth and integrity. Its about being honest to everyone, more so to yourself. It says 'Either appear as you are... Or be as you appear'. Man is caught up in trying to be like what others want to see him as. We are constantly changing masks losing our true self in the many faces that we wear. This largely arises from fear - fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of not being loved. If you can rise above these fears, you will be your own authentic self. And if you cannot do that, then atleast be what you appear to be - either way, be integrated!

The Gayatri Mantra

I am surprised to note the similarities between the 'Gayatri Mantra' and the first Chapter (Surah Fatiha) of the Quran. Despite its allusion and common understanding of reference to the 'Sun God', the Gayatra Mantra is an ode to the 'divine light'. This is perhaps why allama Iqbal also traslated it to Urdu by the name 'Aftaab'.

Unfortunately lost to each other by religious divides, both the Gayatri Mantra and Surah Fatiha are, in fact, an assertion of and complete submission to divinity. Note the following comparative translation:

GAYATRI MANTRA (Vedas)
We meditate on the glory of the Creator;
Who has created the Universe;
Who is worthy of Worship;
Who is the embodiment of Knowledge and Light;
Who is the remover of all Sin and Ignorance;
May He enlighten our Intellect.

A sufi exposition of the Gayatri Mantra is here.

SURAH FATIHA (Quran)
Praise be to Allah
Lord of the Worlds, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgement!
You alone we worship,
and to You alone we look for help.
Guide us to the straight path,
The Path of those upon whom You bestowed favours,
not those who have invited Your wrath, nor those who have gone astray.

An explanation of the Surah Fatiha is here

What is surprising is that these commonalities among the spiritual paths have been lost in the haze of 'organised' religion. There have been some efforts by interfaith scholars like Maulana Naved Usmani who wrote the celebrated 'Agar Ab bhi na jaage to', which claimed that references in the the Quran to prophets include Lord Krishna and Rama. It also said that Vedas could be the divinely revealed books to Prophet Noah. The book also identified the similarity between Gayatri Mantra and Surah Fatiha as well as other aspects of these religions. Read an article about this here. The hindi version of the book is available here.

Wikipedia article on Gayatri Mantra is here and Surah Fatiha is here

A rendition of Gayatri Mantra is here and of Surah Fatiha is here

Dance Of Love, Not Terror

Istanbul: Framed by the evening light filtering through the crystal-shaped stained glass panes close to the ceiling, eight musicians take position — the Mutrip ensemble — in the makeshift Sema chamber, some standing, others sitting, with their flutes and drums. The chanters clear their throats and an audience of about 50 foreign tourists patiently waits in anticipation, seated in a semicircle on plastic chairs. The chanting begins to the accompaniment of music

Silently, five Mevlevi dervishes or semazen enter single file, wearing costumes that symbolise the death of ego. The hirka or black cloak represents its tomb and the sikke, the slender, tapering earth-coloured headdress, is its tombstone. Beneath the cloak is the tenure, a fullskirted long white gown depicting the shroud held in place with a black cummerbund.

Walking in circles and bowing to each other in acknowledgement of the centre of Divine Truth within the heart of each, the dervishes take their place on sheepskin mats on the floor to the chanting of the Naat-I-Sherif, composed by Itri in praise of the prophet Muhammad. The drumbeat represents the Divine command, “Be”. The flute represents the soul given to universe.

Slowly, the dervishes rise from the floor, and casting off the black robes, they fold their arms across their chest with hands hugging their shoulders, and walk slowly. Then, they begin to turn. The position of the arms signifies the Unity of God. As the semazen rotate, they also revolve around the centre of the room, like the earth rotates on its axis as it revolves around the sun.

As the whirling gains momentum, slowly, the arms are unfurled from across their chests and gravitate upward as though in total surrender, head inclined at an angle to the right, eyes half-closed, intoxicated with love. The graceful movement of the arms — one palm turned upward, receiving from God, and the other face downward, giving to all — is captivating. One is torn between focusing on the ecstatic, trance-like facial expression and the evocative symbolism of the arms that seem to say, “We keep nothing to ourselves”.

The whirling is now so swift you can no longer distinguish figure from movement, space from time, reality from unreality, or present from past. Then they slow down. This was the first cycle of the Sema, when the dervishes are viewing all the worlds, the way to reach the grandeur and majesty of God. The lovers are freed from doubt and testify their faith in the Unity of God. They now slow down, much like a top that loses momentum. But instead of coming to a standstill or collapsing on the floor, the gopi-like semazen, lovers of the Divine, resume whirling in a second cycle. The whole existence is dissolved within this Divine Unity.

During the third cycle the lovers cleanse themselves and reach the level of maturity. In the fourth cycle they arrive at the junction of non-existence within Divine Existence. With only the sound of the flute — so reminiscent of Krishna in Brindavan surrounded by adoring gopis — the spiritual exposition ends with a reading from the Qur’an.

Coming out of the railway waiting roomcum-mystical paradise, enchanted by the dervishes, one could ‘hear’ Mevlevi Jalaluddin Rumi’s words resound across Platform No. 1 as a train (the Orient Express?) comes charging in: “If you entered the Sema you will leave both worlds:/ the world of the Sema is outside both worlds”.
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The above article is by Narayani Ganesh, on her trip to Istanbul. Sub-titled 'Exploring the other side of Islam', it appeared in the Times of India on Saturday 7.7.2007