For this week, I bring you this verse from Rumi’s Masnavi Volume 6 . The chapter is called Peace with in the Heart. Translated from Persian by Ibrahim Gamard (with gratitude for R. A. Nicholson’s 1934 British translation) .
The original verse in Persian :
az ko-jâ jôy-êm `ilm? az tark-é `ilm
az ko-jâ jôy-êm silm? az tark-é silm
If you read the above lines, the flow in couplet is flawless and rhythm perfect. The original verse didn’t even have the brackets of true and false, they were added while translating for ease of readers to differentiate between the two.
The words of Rumi are always soul deep, playing with few words and putting reader into utter confusion is his best game and he is not even willing to teach you wisdom so easily, Right? You need to sit back and keep wondering what he meant by his words, like a tricky homework from teacher.
Although one thing is always certain; he definitely meant something beyond our normal routine life offers to teach us.
How can we search true knowledge? : By abandoning false knowledge! But what is false knowledge? It could mean different things to different people, in world of information where we live today; we are blasted with data and information every microsecond of every minute of the events happening around the world and now it has become our habit to stay connected and keep checking.
If I talk about updates from Newspapers that I have subscribed to (unfortunately no better options available), some example of News:
A celebrity is getting divorced, or another is caught dating with someone! How a cruel murder was plotted, a minister slammed another minister on twitter? How an ex-wife avenged her ex-husband?
Do we need to know all of it? May be 1 % is the useful information and rest is all just crap.
Knowledge is awareness of facts; or possession of some skill .What could be false awareness and false skills? May be something which is not useful for us or others, abandoning such knowledge would magnify our view on more useful facts and skills that will benefit us and others. Instead of wasting our time on something insignificant, learning or acquiring a useful skill will give us true knowledge.
With the first jargon a bit solved, second one seems easy.
How can we seek true peace? : By abandoning false peace.
Peace is a quiet state or state with no conflicts, or absence of war between any two parties.
Let us take an example: There is a cruel king and his subjects. The subjects never protested to King for his ways of treating them but they are not happy, this is also a state of no conflict, there is no war, the King might think his kingdom is in peace, but we can easily say it is false peace. Both the parties are not happy and there is also a presence of fear in one of them. This could not continue for long, one day they will protest and yearn for true peace.
I feel it similarly, we are all cruel kings that don’t listen to our inner selves, we keep indulging in our desires that give us pleasures but momentarily, we are happy for some time but then unhappiness returns; we then chase for our next desire and so on! The conflict keeps rising until one of the self gives up. Which one gives up depends on what we choose! We become a seeker of true peace or a follower of false peace.
True peace for me is a state of no conflict between my outer and inner self. The moments of quietness of mind, tranquillity in heart and absence of fear from it are the moments of peace for me.
Ping back ->http://silverthreading.com/2016/02/03/writers-quote-wednesday-bewow-c-s-lewis/
Rumi always puts a twist on his words. I marvel at the meaning of “false and truth” in his day compared to the present. It does really make one think about how many versions of truth there really are in the world today. What some believe to be true, others do not. It is left up to us then, to determine that truth for ourselves. I love Rumi quotes! Thank you for your wonderful discussion, too. These quotes are all about what they mean to the person reading them! Well done! ❤
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Thanks Colleen for your feedback, I agree the versions of truth and false have ever been evolving and his thoughts always leave readers to their own interpretations 🙂 May be that is why he was a great poet, everyone can find something in his thoughts to connect with.
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I think so too. Amazing how timeless his words are! ❤️
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Very wise writing. Rumi is very wise man. 🙂
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Thanks Susan 🙂 Indeed a wise man.His work always force the reader to think and contemplate.
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Oh! I love Rumi quotes! I’ve always wondered, if his words are this amazing and thought provoking even after translation, how much more wonderful it’d be in its original form! First time seeing his original words. Thanks sana! And you explained it perfectly in just a few words. !
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I think the original sounds better 🙂 and thank you so much for your kind words my sister 🙂
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Indeed! Original is beautiful.
You’re most welcome 😊😊
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You broke it down so well. I truly agree with your post. Especially about abandoning the knowledge which is not even relevant to you.
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Thanks my Dear..I hope I did a bit of justice to the verse,
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🙂
You did.
It’s a very simple and genuine message. Stop wasting time over information that is of no real use to you and stop trying to convince yourself that it’s picnic weather when a storm is brewing up in the clouds. That’s not peace. That’s a warning.
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wow ! it hit right on the nail 🙂 Thanks again.
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I like the way you show both languages.. It was interesting to see that the interpreter truly did added the words ‘true’ and ‘false’. There are so many ways to read it as you showed–but one way that struck me was letting go of ‘falseness’ allows true knowledge to arise or be there.
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Very deep and thought provoking.
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Thank you Cathy 🙂 for the comment and following my blog as well.
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You’re welcome.
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I nominated you for an award! If you don’t do awards posts I’m sorry in advance but please do check out the other bloggers I nominated! https://justaladywithablog.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/the-blogger-recognition-award/
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Thank you so much for the nomination 🙂 will do it soon 🙂
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OH I love the quote! What a way to put it. We have to let go of the baggages in order to create space for the goodies. 🙂
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thanks again 🙂 yes indeed need to make a space for goodies ..
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I discovered Rumi accidentally, like so many wonderful things in my life. I like how you analyse his words and apply them to modern living.
have a lovely weekend,
Dagmar
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Thanks a lot Dagmar for your comment. I have learnt a lot about life from Rumi’s books, He is my invisible teacher 🙂
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O you who believe! Be upholders of justice, bearing witness for Allah alone, even against yourselves or your parents and relatives. Whether they are rich or poor, Allah is well able to look after them. Do not follow your own desires and deviate from the truth. If you twist or turn away, Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat an-Nisa’: 135)
Allah also reminds people not to sacrifice truth and honesty in moments of anger:
O you who believe! Show integrity for the sake of Allah, bearing witness with justice. Do not let hatred for a people incite you into not being just. Be just. That is closer to heedfulness. Have fear of Allah. Allah is aware of what you do. (Surat al-Ma’ida: 8)
Holy Quran
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