As narrated by HH Shri Bhola Nathji (1902-1992) a great spiritual
luminary of his time, whose message was that of Divine Love, and who was
revered by people of all faiths. Considered the living epitome of
Sufism and an equally great exponent of the Hindu Vendanta, given the
title of Vedanta Bhushan, HH Shri Bhola Nathji often narrated stories of
the great mystics of the past.
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Shams Tabrez (1185–1248) and Maulana Rumi (1207 – 1273)
The tale dealt with these two renowned Sufis of their time who lived in
ancient Persia. Sufis were a sect of Muslims who believed in pure
spiritual truths cutting across boundaries of race and religion; and
Divine Love was their mainstay of philosophy.
Shams Tabrez was an
enlightened soul, but illiterate and unsophisticated, and Maulana Rumi
one of the most learned of philosophers and poets of his time, who had
written hundreds of books in Persian poetry on spiritual philosophy
One Day,Shams Tabrez followed him into his house. The place was filled with hundreds of books on religion and philosophy.
"What is all this?" Shams Tabrez asked, pointing to the books.
"This is that, of which you know nothing!" said Maulana Rumi to the illiterate Shams Tabrez.
Suddenly Shams Tabrez picked up as many books as he could, and threw them into a tank of water below the house.
"What have you done, Shams!" the startled Maulana asked, "These are
handwritten and may never be written again! They are not available
anywhere else!"
Maulana Rumi called out to his servants and asked them to save whatever they could, of the books.
"So this is all that you call knowledge!" said Shams Tabrez, "if these
books are gone you have nothing left! Wait! There is no need to call the
servants! I will bring them out for you!"
And saying this, Shams Tabrez turned towards the water tank, and said: "Books! Come out!"
And much to the astonishment of Maulana Rumi, the books came flying out
of the tank and landed high and dry in his library, with not a single
word obliterated.
"What strange power is this!" said the amazed Maulana Rumi.
"This is that, of which you know nothing!" said Shams Tabrez.
And saying this Shams Tabrez left Maulana Rumi’s house.
A spiritual transformation came over the Maulana. A spiritual quest
developed within him. He had to know of the divine secrets known to
Shams Tabrez. He searched the city until he found Shams Tabrez sitting
alone in a graveyard.
He begged to be made his disciple and be given enlightenment.
But spiritual attainment had tests of its own.
Shams Tabrez said to Maulana Rumi:
"All right, then, if you wish to become my disciple and serve me, then bring two bottles of wine for me!"
The Maulana was struck dumb. It was he who had passed the fatwaa, the
edict, in the city, banning wine. Hundreds had been sent to prison by
him for disobeying his law of prohibition. But it was a spiritual test
for him. His Master, Murshid, was trying to test his spirit of
sacrifice.
Undeterred by the fact that the man he had accepted
as his Murshid wanted wine, he went out in search of it, and procured it
from an illegal wine-making shop. He hid the bottles in his cloak and
proceeded on his way.
He had hoped to please both, man and God.
No one would know he was carrying wine, and his Murshid would be pleased
to know he had carried out his orders.
But the fates decreed otherwise.
In a crowded thoroughfare, at the cross-roads, the bottles slipped from his cloak and shattered to pieces on the ground.
The public gathered around him: "Take the culprit to Maulana Rumi!" they said.
Their astonishment knew no bounds when they discovered that the man they had caught was none other than Maulana Rumi himself!
Maulana Rumi was disgusted with himself. He had tried to deceive God.
He returned to the wine-shop and purchased two more bottles and carried
them in the streets in full public view.
Word reached the King-the Baadshaah, that Maulana Rumi had taken to drink. The king was puzzled, but took no action.
And it was thus, that Maulana Rumi passed the spiritual test laid out for him by his Murshid.
He had to sacrifice all notions of honour or dishonour, name and fame.
He had to crush his ego to nothingness, and rise above himself to serve
his Murshid with a Spirit of Sacrifice. And once he had done this, God
realisation, or enlightenment was his. Pure intellectual knowledge had
not been enough.
Persian:
Baa yaar kase dast dar aagosh na kard
Taa tarke zaro seemo dilo hosh na kard
Thou canst not embrace the Beloved with thy hands,
Until thou hast sacrificed thy gold, thy silver, and thy heart.
And Maulana Rumi said in Persian:
"Shumaa eemaan nigaah daared mohkam ai Mussalmaanaa
Ke maulaanaye Rumi khud Mussalmaan boodo kaafir shud
"O thou orthodox believers! Remain thou in thy rites and rituals!
Maulana Rumi was a Muslim too, until he became an unbeliever!"
"Maulaanaa taa maulaaye Rum na shud
Taa ghulaame aastaane Shams Tabrezi na shud"
"Maulaana Rumi became not a Maulaanaa-a Great One-
Until he became the slave of Shams Tabrez."
When Maulana Rumi came before Shams Tabrez with the two bottles of wine
in his hands, Shams Tabrez was pleased. His disciple-mureed-had passed
the test.
He took the bottles from Maulana Rumi and dashed them
to pieces on the ground, one on either side of Maulana Rumi, and he
said:
"The first one dashes to pieces your worldly pride, and the second one dashes to pieces your spiritual pride!"
As Shri Nathji explained:
“Real desire for God-realisation brings one to a spiritual guide, but
the goal of enlightenment can only be attained through sacrifice, and
through the effacement of one’s ego, in a spirit of total self-surrender
before the Will of God.
“Book knowledge remains a thing of the
material world and is quite different from divine knowledge, which one
acquires through perseverance and faith alone.”
