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 Book Two, Section 111 of the Masnavi, the Sheikh reveals to the imitative seeker that the elusive 'Tree of Life' he exhaustively searched for is not a physical entity in India, but a metaphor for divine knowledge (*'Ilm*) and the attributes of God. The seeker's failure stemmed from his fixation on the literal form (*surat*) of the story rather than its inner meaning (*ma'ni*). Through this explanation, Rumi emphasizes that true spiritual nourishment and immortality are attained by seeking divine wisdom and understanding the essence behind names, rather than chasing literal interpretations.

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## Original content
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بود شیخی عالمی قطبی کریم 
اندر آن منزل که آیس شد ندیم
گفت من نومید پیش او روم 
ز آستان او براه اندر شوم
تا دعای او بود همراه من 
چونک نومیدم من از دلخواه من
رفت پیش شیخ با چشم پر آب 
اشک می‌بارید مانند سحاب
گفت شیخا وقت رحم و رقتست 
ناامیدم وقت لطف این ساعتست
گفت واگو کز چه نومیدیستت 
چیست مطلوب تو رو با چیستت
گفت شاهنشاه کردم اختیار 
از برای جستن یک شاخسار
که درختی هست نادر در جهات 
میوهٔ او مایهٔ آب حیات
سالها جستم ندیدم یک نشان 
جز که طنز و تسخر این سرخوشان
شیخ خندید و بگفتش ای سلیم 
این درخت علم باشد در علیم
بس بلند و بس شگرف و بس بسیط 
آب حیوانی ز دریای محیط
تو بصورت رفته‌ای ای بی‌خبر 
زان ز شاخ معنیی بی بار و بر
گه درختش نام شد گه آفتاب 
گاه بحرش نام گشت و گه سحاب
آن یکی کش صد هزار آثار خاست 
کمترین آثار او عمر بقاست
گرچه فردست او اثر دارد هزار 
آن یکی را نام شاید بی‌شمار
آن یکی شخصی ترا باشد پدر 
در حق شخصی دگر باشد پسر
در حق دیگر بود قهر و عدو 
در حق دیگر بود لطف و نکو
صد هزاران نام و او یک آدمی 
صاحب هر وصفش از وصفی عمی
هر که جوید نام گر صاحب ثقه‌ست 
همچو تو نومید و اندر تفرقه‌ست
تو چه بر چفسی برین نام درخت 
تا بمانی تلخ‌کام و شوربخت
در گذر از نام و بنگر در صفات 
تا صفاتت ره نماید سوی ذات
اختلاف خلق از نام اوفتاد 
چون بمعنی رفت آرام اوفتاد

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## English translation
There was a sheikh, a learned man, a noble pole,
In that place where the companion had become despairing.

He said, "In despair I will go before him;
From his threshold I will take to the road,

So that his prayer may be my companion,
Since I despair of my heart's desire."

He went before the sheikh with eyes full of water,
Tears raining down like a cloud.

He said, "Sheikh, this is the time for mercy and tenderness;
I am hopeless; this moment is the time for kindness."

He said, "Tell me, from what does your despair arise?
What is your object? Come, what is your face turned toward?"

He said, "I chose the King of Kings
For the sake of seeking a single branch,

For there is a tree, rare in all regions,
Whose fruit is the source of the Water of Life.

For years I searched and found not one sign,
Except the jeering and mockery of these self-satisfied people."

The sheikh laughed and said to him, "O simple one,
This tree is knowledge in the Knower.

Most lofty, most marvelous, most vast,
A water of life from the encircling sea.

You have gone toward form, O unaware one;
For that reason you are fruitless and barren of the branch of meaning.

At times its name has been tree, at times sun;
At times its name has become sea, at times cloud.

That One from whom a hundred thousand effects arose,
The least of whose effects is abiding life,

Though He is single, He has a thousand effects;
For that One, numberless names are fitting.

One and the same person may be your father;
With respect to another person he may be a son.

With respect to another he may be wrath and enemy;
With respect to another he may be kindness and good.

A hundred thousand names, yet he is one human being;
Whoever owns one description is blind to another description of him.

Whoever seeks the name, even if he is reliable,
Is like you: despairing and scattered.

Why do you cling to this name, tree,
So that you remain bitter-tasted and ill-fortuned?

Pass beyond the name and look at the attributes,
So that the attributes may guide you toward the Essence.

The disagreement of creatures arose from the name;
When they went to the meaning, peace arose."

دفتر دوم - بخش ۱۱۱ - شرح کردن شیخ سر آن درخت با آن طالب مقلد / Book Two - Section 111 - The Sheikh Explaining the Secret of That Tree to That Imitative Seeker

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