Asrar-e-Khudi post 2

Link to the poem: https://ganjoor.net/iqbal/asrar-khodi/sh3
Total couplets: 40
Total completion: 15.2% (133/874 couplets)


 The second part of the poem begins. The title of this part states that the system of the universe and life originates from and is sustained by Khudi. Iqbal says existence is one of the phenomena of Khudi, and that whatever we behold owes its existence to "asrar-e-khudi": the mysteries of Khudi. Apparently, every being—animate or inanimate—has Khudi latent in itself, and whenever that Khudi is awakened, hundreds of worlds are born. Khudi has the power to create hundreds of worlds and set up boundaries for its realms, demarcating itself. Now, since the realms of Khudi are defined, the non-Khudi realms it inadvertently creates by its demarcation are also, in a sense, coalesced and connected with Khudi. Thus, all essence of the universe, Khudi and Non-Khudi, owes its origin to Khudi. Reynold Nicholson translates this couplet deftly: "A hundred worlds are hidden in its essence: Self-affirmation brings Not-self (Non-Khudi) to light."

 The couplets following are very intriguing and thrilling to read. Khudi sows the seed of hostility, considering itself an alien and an adversary. It divides itself and rears adversaries for itself, similar to how a virus divides and multiplies. But why is Khudi dividing itself? Iqbal, the expounder of the concept of Khudi, answers: Khudi challenges itself to test its own power. This self-deception of Khudi is the originator of life. The actual verse is:
خود فریبی های او عین حیات.
The word عین is placed remarkably diligently here. It could mean either the spring, origin, fountain, or essence of life, or it could mean it is the exact epitome of reality. Furthermore, the second line of the couplet is:
همچو گل از خون وضو عین حیات.
Flowers are very often likened to the eyes of the beloved, made to cry tears of dew, or sometimes blood, in poetry. So it may very well be possible that the عین in the first line could mean "eye" too. How brilliantly deployed! All the meanings of the word are used simultaneously, seamlessly, and perfectly.

 The logic advances very subtly. Khudi, in essence, repeatedly undergoes trial and error to shape and perfect a being's spirituality. The reason why hundreds of gardens are curated but only one flower is ever chosen; the reason a hundred laments arise but only one is ever propagated; the reason why there are infinite moons abundant in the universe; the reason why one feeling is expressed in a thousand different ways—all are the by-products of this trial and error. Khudi's objective was to obtain the one perfect sample suited to its needs, and spirituality's perfection justifies this extravagant, wasteful behaviour. The buttressing validation is given by history: were it not for Shirin's beauty, Farhad would not have suffered voluntarily; and were it not for musk, the mass killing of the musk deer would have been unjustified. The incessant burning of the moth is its fate; the candle is just the means to burn.

 Subsequently, the flames of Khudi engulfed a hundred Ibrahims just so the lamp of Muhammad might be kindled. My mind unconsciously wanders off to the theory of human evolution. I remember hearing someone quote Hazrat Ali's saying once that there were many Adams before the creation of Prophet Adam himself—this is something I want to research when I have spare time, but for now we will accept it uncompromisingly. Based on this corollary, the argument of trial and error justifying Khudi's existence—which itself is dormant, and physical existence itself owes its existence to it—is corroborated by the evolution theory. Returning to our discourse, Khudi disguises itself for its purpose of progress. It is sometimes the doer and sometimes the done, sometimes the cause and sometimes the action. Again, Khudi is proved to be all-pervasive. Anyway, changing the topic, it is the fate of the moth to burn, as noted earlier in this paragraph. But why is the moth preordained to burn in the first place? If everything could be predecided, why the trial and error? Moreover, if Khudi is present in everyone and everything, is Khudi present in God too? Perhaps Khudi magnified uncontrollably and originated God? Is Khudi present in Shaitan? What makes Khudi different from the Brahman and Atman belief in Hinduism? It is past midnight over here, and these sort of philosophical questions arise involuntarily, haha.

 Khudi starts to personify now: it can glow, ignite, jump, fly, breathe, and so on. It is older than the creation of the heavens. Night originates due to Khudi's slumber, and day from its awakening. It divided up its conflagration to create sparks, and taught the wise ones to worship these fragments instead of the collective fire. It further split itself up and created deserts from its dishevelment, then got bored and amalgamated to create mountain ranges. This is why every speck of dust bears the traces of Khudi. Thus, Iqbal proves everything originated from Khudi, and all life is obliged to it. Khudi is further directly proportional to the robustness of life.

 It is not poetry if there is no discourse about wine. Iqbal talks about wine too now. Wine's Khudi is incapacitated and therefore formless. It takes the shape of whatever the goblet's shape is. And that goblet owes its circulation to our hands, so it all boils back down to us. Iqbal then presents an analogy. When the mountain—a symbol of firmness—loses its Khudi, it crumbles and turns into sand, then complains about river floods. On the other hand, the wave preserves its Khudi and individuality, riding at the top of the ocean. It merges with the collective Khudi of the ocean and sustains itself. However, its Khudi is distinct from the rest of the water and does not mix with other waves.

 The last interesting part I found is that Iqbal calls gravity Khudi. The moon revolves around the Earth since Earth's Khudi is stronger than the moon's, and the Sun's is stronger than Earth's. Iqbal was no layman; he was well aware of cosmology and metaphysics. I find this comical and absurd, but I also realize the depth of what he is trying to convey. It is hard to accept that, however. When I read the title of this section, I lowkey expected some scientific derivation, proof from other books, or something like that establishing Khudi. Maybe that's just because I am a math and physics nerd, and everything is derived systematically there.