In Section 62 of Book One, Rumi interrupts the narrative of the hare's deceit to introduce a profound philosophical metaphor: the Ocean of Universal Intellect (دریای عقل) versus outward Form (صورت).

Rumi compares human forms to bowls floating on the surface of the sea. As long as the bowl is not filled with water, it floats, but once filled, it drowns in the ocean. This symbolizes how our physical forms and worldly identities keep us separate from the Divine Intellect; yet, when we are overwhelmed and "filled" by it, the illusion of separation vanishes.

He further explains that the true Intellect is hidden, while the physical world is manifest, likening our outward forms to mere waves or moisture originating from that vast ocean. This concept emphasizes the limitation of relying solely on superficial forms and urges the seeker to perceive the hidden, boundless source of meaning and existence.

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## Original content
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در شدن خرگوش بس تاخیر کرد 
مکر را با خویشتن تقریر کرد
در ره آمد بعد تاخیر دراز 
تا به گوش شیر گوید یک دو راز
تا چه عالمهاست در سودای عقل 
تا چه با پهناست این دریای عقل
صورت ما اندرین بحر عذاب 
می‌دود چون کاسه‌ها بر روی آب
تا نشد پر بر سر دریا چو طشت 
چونک پر شد طشت در وی غرق گشت
عقل پنهانست و ظاهر عالمی 
صورت ما موج یا از وی نمی
هر چه صورت می وسیلت سازدش 
زان وسیلت بحر دور اندازدش
تا نبیند دل دهندهٔ راز را 
تا نبیند تیر دورانداز را
اسپ خود را یاوه داند وز ستیز 
می‌دواند اسپ خود در راه تیز
اسپ خود را یاوه داند آن جواد 
و اسپ خود او را کشان کرده چو باد
در فغان و جست و جو آن خیره‌سر 
هر طرف پرسان و جویان در بدر
کانک دزدید اسپ ما را کو و کیست 
این که زیر ران تست ای خواجه چیست
آری این اسپست لیک این اسپ کو 
با خود آی ای شهسوار اسپ‌جو
جان ز پیدایی و نزدیکیست گم 
چون شکم پر آب و لب خشکی چو خم
کی ببینی سرخ و سبز و فور را 
تا نبینی پیش ازین سه نور را
لیک چون در رنگ گم شد هوش تو 
شد ز نور آن رنگها روپوش تو
چونک شب آن رنگها مستور بود 
پس بدیدی دید رنگ از نور بود
نیست دید رنگ بی‌نور برون 
همچنین رنگ خیال اندرون
این برون از آفتاب و از سها 
واندرون از عکس انوار علا
نور نور چشم خود نور دلست 
نور چشم از نور دلها حاصلست
باز نور نور دل نور خداست 
کو ز نور عقل و حس پاک و جداست
شب نبد نور و ندیدی رنگها 
پس به ضد نور پیدا شد ترا
دیدن نورست آنگه دید رنگ 
وین به ضد نور دانی بی‌درنگ
رنج و غم را حق پی آن آفرید 
تا بدین ضد خوش‌دلی آید پدید
پس نهانیها بضد پیدا شود 
چونک حق را نیست ضد پنهان بود
که نظر پر نور بود آنگه برنگ 
ضد به ضد پیدا بود چون روم و زنگ
پس به ضد نور دانستی تو نور 
ضد ضد را می‌نماید در صدور
نور حق را نیست ضدی در وجود 
تا به ضد او را توان پیدا نمود
لاجرم ابصار ما لا تدرکه 
و هو یدرک بین تو از موسی و که
صورت از معنی چو شیر از بیشه دان 
یا چو آواز و سخن ز اندیشه دان
این سخن و آواز از اندیشه خاست 
تو ندانی بحر اندیشه کجاست
لیک چون موج سخن دیدی لطیف 
بحر آن دانی که باشد هم شریف
چون ز دانش موج اندیشه بتاخت 
از سخن و آواز او صورت بساخت
از سخن صورت بزاد و باز مرد 
موج خود را باز اندر بحر برد
صورت از بی‌صورتی آمد برون 
باز شد که انا الیه راجعون
پس ترا هر لحظه مرگ و رجعتیست 
مصطفی فرمود دنیا ساعتیست
فکر ما تیریست از هو در هوا 
در هوا کی پاید آید تا خدا
هر نفس نو می‌شود دنیا و ما 
بی‌خبر از نو شدن اندر بقا
عمر همچون جوی نو نو می‌رسد 
مستمری می‌نماید در جسد
آن ز تیزی مستمر شکل آمده‌ست 
چون شرر کش تیز جنبانی بدست
شاخ آتش را بجنبانی بساز 
در نظر آتش نماید بس دراز
این درازی مدت از تیزی صنع 
می‌نماید سرعت‌انگیزی صنع
طالب این سِرّ اگر علامه‌ایست 
نک حسام‌الدین که سامی نامه‌ایست

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## English translation
The hare delayed greatly in going; he rehearsed the stratagem to himself. After the long delay he came along the road, to tell one or two secrets into the lion's ear. What worlds there are in the thought and passion of intellect; how broad is this sea of intellect. Our form runs in this sea of torment like bowls on the surface of water. Until it is filled, a basin floats atop the sea; when the basin is filled, it sinks in it. Intellect is hidden, and a world is manifest; our form is its wave, or a little moisture from it. Whatever the form makes into a means, by that means the sea throws it far away, so that the heart may not see the Giver of the secret, so that it may not see the far-shooting archer. He thinks his own horse is lost and, from obstinacy, drives his horse swiftly on the road. That noble rider thinks his horse is lost, while his own horse is carrying him like the wind. In lament and search, that bewildered one asks everywhere, door to door: 'Who has stolen our horse, and where and who is he?' 'What is this beneath your thigh, sir?' 'Yes, this is a horse, but where is that horse?' Come to yourself, O horseman seeking a horse. The soul is lost through its plainness and nearness, like a belly full of water and lips dry as a jar. How can you see red, green, and russet unless, before these three, you see light? But when your awareness is lost in color, those colors become your veil from the light. Since those colors were hidden at night, you then saw that seeing color comes from light. There is no seeing color without outward light; so too with the color of inward imagination. The outward is from the sun and Suha; the inward from the reflection of the highest lights. The light of the light of your eye is the light of the heart; the eye's light is obtained from the light of hearts. Again, the light of the light of the heart is God's light, which is pure and apart from the light of intellect and sense. At night there was no light, and you did not see the colors; so through its opposite, light became evident to you. Seeing light comes first, then seeing color; you know this at once by the opposite of light. God created pain and grief for this reason: so that through this opposite gladness of heart might appear. Thus hidden things appear through their opposites; since God has no opposite, He remains hidden. For sight was full of light, then looked to color; opposite is manifest through opposite, like Rum and Zang. Thus you knew light through the opposite of light; an opposite displays its opposite in appearances. God's light has no opposite in existence by which He could be made manifest through an opposite. Therefore 'our sights do not perceive Him, and He perceives'; understand this from Moses and the mountain. Know form as coming from meaning as a lion from the forest, or as voice and speech from thought. This speech and voice arose from thought; you do not know where the sea of thought is. But when you saw the subtle wave of speech, you know that its sea too is noble. When the wave of thought surged from knowledge, it made form from speech and voice. Form was born from speech and died again; the wave carried itself back into the sea. Form came out of formlessness and returned, saying, 'Indeed, to Him we return.' Thus at every moment you have a death and a return; Mustafa said, 'The world is an hour.' Our thought is an arrow from Hu into the air; how can it remain in the air? It comes back to God. Every breath the world and we are renewed, unaware of renewal within continuance. Life, like a stream, arrives ever new; it appears continuous in the body. From speed it has taken on a continuous shape, like a spark that you move swiftly in your hand. If you skillfully wave a firebrand, to sight the fire appears very long. This length of duration appears from the swiftness of making; it shows the speed-arousing power of making. If the seeker of this secret is a great scholar, behold Husam al-Din, who is a lofty book.

دفتر اول - بخش ۶۲ - هم در بیان مکر خرگوش / Book One - Section 62 - Also in Explaining the Hare's Deceit

A central philosophical theme in Rumi's Masnavi is the dichotomy between outward form (Surat) and inner meaning (Ma'ni). In the tale of the hare's deceit, Rumi explicitly warns that words and names can act as traps ('لفظها و نامها چون دامهاست') that lead to a scarcity of true meaning ('قحط معنی'). This concept emphasizes that focusing solely on sweet words or superficial appearances is like sand soaking up the water of life. It serves as a prerequisite for understanding Rumi's subsequent assertions that physical forms are mere waves on the hidden ocean of the universal intellect (Aql).

The Deception of Words and Forms (Surat vs. Ma'ni) in the Masnavi

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Ganjoor

## Original content
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شیر اندر آتش و در خشم و شور 
دید کان خرگوش می‌آید ز دور
می‌دود بی‌دهشت و گستاخ او 
خشمگین و تند و تیز و ترش‌رو
کز شکسته آمدن تهمت بود 
وز دلیری دفع هر ریبت بود
چون رسید او پیشتر نزدیک صف 
بانگ بر زد شیرهای ای ناخلف
من که پیلان را ز هم بدریده‌ام 
من که گوش شیر نر مالیده‌ام
نیم خرگوشی که باشد که چنین 
امر ما را افکند او بر زمین
ترک خواب غفلت خرگوش کن 
غرهٔ این شیر ای خرگوش کن

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## English translation
The lion, in fire, rage, and tumult, saw that the hare was coming from afar. He was running without fear and boldly, angry, quick, sharp, and sour-faced; for coming in a broken, dejected manner would be cause for suspicion, while boldness drives away every doubt. When he came farther forward, near the ranks, the lion cried out, "Ho, you base one! I, who have torn elephants apart; I, who have rubbed the ear of a male lion, what is a half-hare, that he should throw my command to the ground like this? Abandon the hare's sleep of heedlessness! Hear the roar of this lion, O hare!"

دفتر اول - بخش ۶۳ - رسیدن خرگوش به شیر / Book One - Section 63 - The Hare Reaching the Lion

The Ocean of Intellect and Floating Forms in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the distinction between outward form (*surat*) and inner spiritual meaning (*ma'na*) is a foundational hermeneutical concept. In Book 2, Section 7, Rumi warns the listener against getting lost in the literal narrative or external appearance of a tale. He uses the metaphors of walnuts and raisins (*jowz o maviz*) to represent the transient physical body or outward form, urging the spiritual seeker to pass beyond these surface level details. Similarly, he likens the literal plot of a story to chaff (*kah*) and the hidden spiritual truth to the grain (*daneh*), instructing readers to 'separate the grain from the chaff' (*az kah joda kon daneh ra*). Through these metaphors, Rumi argues that attachment to the literal form of stories, religious rituals, or the physical world hinders intellectual and spiritual progression toward divine reality.

The Metaphor of Grain and Chaff, Walnut and Raisin (Form vs. Meaning) in the Masnavi

In the conclusion to the tale of the tree of immortality in Book 2 of Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, a wise sheikh reveals to the despairing seeker that the miraculous tree he sought is not a physical plant, but a metaphor for divine knowledge. The sheikh explains that the seeker failed because he pursued the literal 'form' and the mere 'name' of the tree, remaining entirely ignorant of its spiritual 'meaning.' Rumi uses this revelation to articulate a profound epistemological principle: a single divine reality can manifest under countless names, such as a tree, the sun, a cloud, or the sea. Fixating on superficial labels creates division, confusion, and fruitless searching. To illustrate this, the sheikh notes that one man can be simultaneously called a father, a son, or an enemy depending on the observer's perspective. Rumi concludes that seekers must look past limiting names to perceive the underlying attributes, which ultimately guide the soul toward the divine Essence, asserting that 'the disagreement of creatures arose from the name; when they went to the meaning, peace arose.'

The Illusion of Names and the Unity of Meaning in the Masnavi

In the *Masnavi*, Rumi uses the story of four men (a Persian, an Arab, a Turk, and a Greek) disputing over grapes to illustrate the conflict between superficial names (forms) and underlying reality (meaning).

### Key Themes of the Metaphor:
1. **Form vs. Meaning (Surah vs. Ma'na):** The four men fight because each knows the grape only by its name in his own language (*angoor*, *inab*, *uzum*, and *istafil*). They fail to realize that they all desire the exact same physical reality. This represents how people fight over theological and linguistic labels while seeking the same Divine Truth.
2. **The Role of the Spiritual Guide (The Master of Secrets):** Rumi notes that a 'man of secrets' (a spiritual guide or prophet) who knows 'a hundred languages' could easily resolve their conflict. This guide possesses universal wisdom and can translate sectarian differences into a unified understanding of the ultimate essence.
3. **Ignorance as the Root of Conflict:** The physical fight symboliz...

The Metaphor of the Dispute Over Grapes: Form vs. Meaning in the Masnavi

In the *Masnavi*, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi frequently employs the dichotomy of the **kernel** or **pulp** (*maghz*) and the **shell** or **peel** (*pust*) to illustrate the relationship between inner spiritual meaning (*ma'na*) and outer form (*surat*).

### The Core Metaphor
* **The Shell (*Pust*):** Represents external forms, ritualistic observance, literal interpretations of scripture, and superficial knowledge.
* **The Kernel (*Maghz*):** Represents spiritual realization, divine love, inner truth, and direct experience of the Divine.

### Application to Quranic Memorization
In Book Three (Section 52), Rumi explains why few of the Prophet's companions (*Sahaba*) were full memorizers (*hafiz*) of the literal words of the Quran. He asserts that as their inner being became filled with the 'kernel' of divine meaning, their attachment to the outer 'shell' of form decreased. Just as a ripening walnut or almond grows its kernel and sheds or thins its shell, the spiritually mature individ...

The Metaphor of Kernel and Shell in Rumi's Masnavi

In the Masnavi, the 'Language of State' (Zaban-e Hal) refers to the non-verbal communication of an entity's inner reality or condition, which conveys truth more profoundly than spoken words. In Book 2, Section 108, Rumi illustrates this concept using analogies such as the silent, expressive interaction between a candle and a moth, the existential meaning of pieces on a chessboard, and a grammarian's standard sentence structure ('Zayd struck Amr'). Through these examples, Rumi demonstrates that outward forms and grammatical rules are merely vessels for deeper meaning (Ma'ni). Learners are urged to 'take the wheat and reject the measure'—meaning one should perceive the spiritual state and extract the true essence directly, rather than being confined by literal expressions and surface-level forms.

The Concept of 'Language of State' (Zaban-e Hal) in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the distinction between human perception and divine nomenclature is a profound theological concept, illustrated through God teaching the 'Names' to Adam. Rumi asserts that human beings assign names based on an entity's outward, superficial aspect or its temporary worldly state. In stark contrast, God names every entity based on its 'hidden secret' and its ultimate, final destiny. To demonstrate this, Rumi contrasts human and divine perspectives: what humans called Moses' mere 'rod,' the Creator already knew as a 'dragon'; what society saw as an 'idol-worshipper' in Umar, God had already named a 'believer' in pre-eternity. This concept emphasizes that true reality is defined by God's foreknowledge of an entity's final end, not by its current borrowed form. Furthermore, Rumi notes that even Adam's vast, divine knowledge of these true names was momentarily eclipsed when divine decree (qaza) arrived, demonstrating that all intellect remains subordinate to God's supreme will.

Divine Nomenclature and Ultimate Reality in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the vizier's plot culminates in a catastrophic civil war among the Christians. Armed with the contradictory scrolls secretly provided by the vizier, the amirs each claim rightful succession and clash violently, resulting in a massive slaughter. Rumi uses this gruesome destruction of physical bodies to introduce a profound philosophical reflection on the distinction between outward form (the physical body) and inner meaning (the soul). He compares physical death to breaking open a walnut or a pomegranate: the outer shell is destroyed, revealing whether the inside holds a sweet, enduring kernel or is merely rotten and hollow. To further emphasize the peril of possessing outward form without inner spiritual reality, Rumi employs the metaphor of a wooden sword. He argues that a soul lacking true spiritual "meaning" is like a wooden sword hidden in a scabbard. It may appear formidable while sheathed, but once drawn in the critical battle of life or death, it is exposed as useless and fit only for burning. Consequently, Rumi advises seekers to acquire a genuine "diamond sword" through association with authentic spiritual masters.

The Metaphor of the Wooden Sword and Spiritual Authenticity in the Masnavi

In the Masnavi, Rumi frequently contrasts imposing outward physical forms with a lack of inner substance or courage. A prime example is the metaphor of the empty drum, which makes a loud, intimidating noise but is completely hollow inside. This theme is vividly illustrated in Section 90 through the story of a physically huge but cowardly man who likens himself to an empty drum, as well as in the subsequent Section 91 through the tale of a heavily armed rider who is easily frightened despite his fearsome appearance. These intertwined parables serve to teach learners to look past superficial, intimidating forms and recognize that true strength, courage, and spiritual meaning (ma'ni) reside solely within.

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