Elements of Love in Rumi’s Mathnawi Manawi with Reference to the Story of ‘The King and the Handmaiden’
Keywords:
'Mathnawi Manawi', Rumi, ishk-e- majazi, ishq-e-haqiqi, divine love, salik, The king, the handmaiden and the goldsmith of SamarcandAbstract
One of the major themes that serve as the chief motifs in works of Persian Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi is love. For Rumi, love is beyond mere physical attraction and fulfilling the carnal desires. The concept of love in works of Rumi transcends from 'ishk-e- majazi' to 'ishk-e-haqiqi'. By 'ishk-e-haqiqi', Rumi means the divine love, the ultimate ‘makam’ (stage) of the soul. This paper is based on the story of 'The King and the Handmaiden' from book I of Mathnawi Manawi. For Rumi, love is a motif of divine journey. The soul restlessly strives for this love in many stories of Rumi. The ultimate aim of this paper is to analyse the elements of love with reference to the mentioned story of Mathnawi Manawi.
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References
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