The Loss of Self and in the Footsteps of Divine Love
These excerpts selected from Mevlânâ Celaleddin Rûmî’s Divan-ı Kebir are a deep reflection of the desire to merge with divine love by transcending the boundaries of human self. At the point where the eye is lost, transgresses its limits, Mevlânâ expresses his effort to find truth by losing himself. This is a necessity for breaking away from the nafs-i emmared and ascending to the nefsi nefsiyye; because true love is an experience lived not with the ego of the self, but with one’s essence. Mevlânâ’s ‘learning to turn without a dress like the moon’ symbolizes purification and turning towards God, while ‘armoring myself from myself like a fish’ is the key to escaping worldly limitations and swimming in the divine ocean. In this process, drinking the blood of the heart aims to mature by experiencing pains and reaching a universal understanding; thus, Mevlânâ embarks on a journey into the depths of existence.
The Secret of Loyalty and the Source of Beauty
Loyalty in Mevlana’s poetry is a reflection of divine love. The impossibility of being a master of loyalty actually emphasizes the necessity of absolute surrender; because true loyalty expresses limitless and selfless love. When Mevlânâ says you are beautiful, it signifies not only physical beauty but also the perfection and excellence reflected by divine love. Finding the source of beauty is possible only through discovering the truth within oneself; for according to Mevlânâ, the real beauty is the light that illuminates the path to God. Viewed from this perspective, ‘give me water so I may thirst for you’ is a joy of divine love and a desire to dive into the depths of existence.
The Ecstasy of Love and an Existence Beyond Being
The love in Mevlânâ’s poetry is not just an individual feeling but also a universal energy. The fire moving the heart like mercury expresses the transformative power of love and how it draws humans into love. This ecstatic state leads Mevlânâ to stand in imaginary mihrabs, seek causes, and find rulership to ease the pain of separation. ‘I have been cut like a water wheel for the water of life’ symbolizes a continuous process of transformation and purification by divine love, while the light of the sun and moon illuminates Mevlânâ’s inner world. Mevlânâ transcends the boundaries of existence and finds a homeland in a ‘realm of nowhere’; thus, love frees him from worldly limitations and leads him to a divine existence. During this process, Shamsu-Tebrizi’s guidance helps Mevlânâ find the path of truth and enables him to spread his universal message to the world; thus, Mevlana’s understanding of love guides humanity towards integration with divine love and reaching an existence beyond the self.