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Books, Gulistan

Proverbial Gulistan: Fool’s Pleasure

“Praise pleases the fool!“

 

Link to Chester Beatty Digital Collections 

Oration (non dramatic)

تَرکيب

Decomposition of the sentence:

 

واژه

Terminologies

أحْمَقْ

‘Ahmaq: Hamiqa, Hamuqa, Humq (Arabic) to be stupid, silly or foolish.

را

Rā: A two-letter sign/word which indicates what is before it as object of the sentence.

Zaid hit Bakr Rā: Rā here indicates what is before it namely Bakr is the object  that indeed Zaid hit him.

This type of object is called Maf’oul-e Sarih or Direct Object.

در زبان فارسی آن را «علامت مفعول صریح » دانسته اند. در نهج الادب چنین آمده است :«برای معانی گوناگون آید اول «را»ی علامت مفعول که برای اظهار مفعولیت ماقبل خود آید; چنانکه در این قول : «زید بکر را زد.»

سِتایِشْ

Sitāyish: To praise, to thank, mention in good terms, congratulatory praise and adoration. Pahlavi origin.

اسم مصدر از ستاییدن و ستودن . پهلوی «ستایشن ». (حاشیه برهان قاطع چ معین ). دعا و ثنا و شکر نعمت و مدح و نیکویی گفتن و ستودن و آفرین .

خوشْ

Khush: Good, happy.

خوب، نیک . – شاد، شادمان

آيَدْ

Āyad: Commencing, happening, to appear, to assume or becoming. By itself means to arrive, as an add-on the annexation indicates commencement of some act e.g.

خوشْ آيَدْ

indicates “feeling good”, the foolish feels good when praised. 


(مص ل .) 1 – رسیدن، فرا – رسیدن . 2 – آغاز کردن، شروع کردن . 3 – سر زدن، واقع شدن . 4 – گذشتن، سپری شدن . 5 – اصابت کردن، رسیدن . 6 – گنجیدن . 7 – پدیدار گشتن، پیدا شدن . 8 – شدن، گردیدن . 9 – فرض کردن . 10 – برآمدن، مقابله

 

Acknowledgements

With thanks to Moya Carey, Curator of Islamic Collections, Chester Beatty, Dublin

© 2019-2002,  Dara O Shayda

License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

 

 

Books, Gulistan

Gulistan: 13:f. 4r, Chester Beatty Persian Collection

Link to Chester Beatty Digital Collections

Oration (non dramatic)

The author (Sa’di) in his own voice, mentions of a trip with a friend in some rural agricultural region, they spent the night and the excerpt narrates the following morning when he first conceived the idea of writing a book called Gulistan:

(next) Morning the thought of returning (to the city) overwhelmed the (urge for) staying, and I saw him bunching flowers, Basil, Hyacinth and wild fragrant herbs; determined to return.

I said: The flower of the meadows, as you are surely aware, does not last and the promise of the meadow (to last forever) is never fulfilled! And the wise sages advised “Avoid attachment to what does not last”.

He then asked: What now to do?

I replied: I shall author a book called Gulistan (Colorful Meadows) a pleasurable promenade and a delightful display for audiences, that no autumn gales could savage its leaves.

What use a tray of flowers for you

Instead take a leaf from my Gulistan

The  flower might last five or six days

Yet this Gulistan unfailingly verdant

Coda

Gulistan is a collection of events and personalities that were met during Sa’di’s long journeys.  True nature of men and women and peoples are made patent in front of the eye of his heart, and most plain his own character within. He recorded these precious findings on pages of this book called the Colorful Meadows! The foul or inappropriate conduct or defects of personalities are still fragrant flowers blooming midst the leaves of Gulistan, for Sa’di all human endeavour is precious and vernal.

How could defective conduct be precious? Since he quotes Luqman giving reason for being so learned wise: What defect of others I had observed I avoided, and what good I adopted.

Moreover Sa’di observes the defect of his own Self when chided sleepers, whilst busy in worship himself, and his father’s gentle correction wishing that he was also asleep as not to backbite! To Sa’di faults of others could easily be his faults as well, given the fertile circumstances.

واژه

Terminologies

ستان

Stān: end-suffix(پسوند) indicating place of aggregation or accumulation or portal of something (its noun) e.g. Kurdistan

کرد+ستان

Geographic place for Kurdish people or

دادستان

Courthouse , for Dād (داد) meaning Justice and Dād-e-Stān means place for the justice and many other such usages.

* (فعل امر) امر به این معنی هم هست یعنی بستان و بگیر. (برهان ). امر به ستاندن . (رشیدی ) (آنندراج ).
* ‘ستان ، ستان ; (پسوند) جای انبوهی چیزها چون گلستان و هندوستان و نیستان و نرگسستان و سیستان . (آنندراج ) (غیاث ). در ترکیبات مفهوم محل ، ناحیه ، شهر، جهان ومانند آنها دهد. این پسوند برای ساختن اسماء مکان واسماء زمان (فقط در زمستان و تابستان ) بکار رود. پارسی باستان و اوستا «ستانه » (جا، محل )، پهلوی «ستان » ، ارمنی عاریتی و دخیل «ستن » ، هندی باستان «ستهنه » (جا، محل ) و «ستهانه » از ریشه «ستا» (در اوستاو پارسی باستان بمعنی ستادن و ایستادن ).

بستان  بوستان

Bustan:  Place for fragrant flowers, herbs and fruits, or any place for good scents. For (بو) reads as Boo namely scent, there

بو+ستان

stands for place for fragrant scents. Arabicized (معرب) namely a loan word into the Arabic pl. بساتین  .

گلستان

گل+ستان

Gulistan: Place for growing and caring for colorful flowers namely meadows.  It seems there is connotation for caretakers managing these meadows (Translator’s note and needs further verification).

گلزار و گلستان را گویند و مخفف بوستان هم هست . (برهان ). بالضم معرب بوستان (از منتخب ) در سراج اللغات نوشته که : لفظ فارسی است مرکب از کلمه بست بالضم که بمعنی گلزار و جاییکه میوه خوشبو در آن باشد و الف و نون زائد مثل شاد و شادان . (غیاث ). بمعنی گلزار و باغ که آن را گلستان نیز گویند و بستان مخفف بوستان است و آن جایی را گویند که بوی گل و ریاحین در آنجا بسیار باشد. (انجمن آرا).

ضمیران

Dhaimrān: Wild grown fragrant herbs. Persians would read that Zaimrān.

ضومران . ضومیران . (ابن البیطار). ضمیران . ریحان دشتی . نوعی از ریحان . نوعی است از ریحان دشتی .

بهجة  بهجت

Bahja-t: Pleasant colors inducing beatitude in the viewer. Original word from Qur’an

27:60. وَأَنزَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ السَّمَاء مَاء فَأَنبَتْنَا بِهِ حَدَائِقَ ذَاتَ بَهْجَةٍ

…  and (who) sends down (prepares) for you water from the skies? For it is by this means that We cause gardens of beauty to grow…

نزهت  نزهة

Nuzha-t, Nazha-t: Pleasure ride, promenade. Arabic for being distanced, in particular distanced from defect and unpleasantness, to be pure and good.

دوری . (منتهی الارب ). بعد. (ازاقرب الموارد). گویند: هو بنزهة من الماء; ای ببعد.(منتهی الارب ).* اسم است از تنزه . گویند: ارض ذات نزهة. (از اقرب الموارد). ج ، نُزَه .* دوری از ناخوشی و پژمانی . (منتهی الارب ) (ناظم الاطباء).* دوری از عیب و زشتی . بی عیبی . پاکیزگی . نکوئی . (آنندراج از کشف اللغات و صراح و لطائف و منتخب اللغات ).* تفرج و گردش درسبزه زارها و بساتین و باغ ها. (ناظم الاطباء). نزهت . 

آهنگ

Āhang: To will with volition.

قصد. عزم . عزیمت . عمد. (ادیب نطنزی ). تعمد. نیت . بسیج . تامیم . استواء. اندیشه . توجه به . برفتن بسوی . حرد. نحو. اراده:
خسرو غازی آهنگ بخارا دارد
زده از غزنین تاجیحون تاژ و خرگاه .

بهرامی .

نوا، لحن . 4 – فحوی، مفاد. 5 – سان، گونه، روش . 6 – قطعة موسیقی . 7 – هر صدای موزون . 8 – میزان تغییر چیزی در طول زمان، روند

بامداد

Bāmdād: Dawn, morning, sunrise to midday.

داده بام . آفریده فروغ . بخشیده روشنائی . داده صبح .* بام . گاه صبح
وقت طلوع فجر. پیش از طلوع آفتاب
از طلوع فجر تا ظهر را هم بامداد گویند.(فرهنگ نظام )
بامداد بمعنی داده و بخشیده و آفریده فروغ است

بقا

Baqā: To last to persist.

وفا

Wafā: to be loyal with devotion and to honor covenants and promises.

تصنيف

Tasnif: to author and compose text or book.

تطاول

Tatāwul: Tyranny cruelty.

طبق

Tabaq: Wide shallow pan/tray usually made of metal or wood to carry food items

ورق

Waraq: Leaf of any plant or page of a book or a loose page of some text. Poets used the double meaning as metaphor to call their pages leaves.

References

https://archive.org/details/GulistanESadiBaManiEVazhahaVaSharhEBaithaVaJumlahaEDushvarVaBarkhiNuktahaEDastooriOAdabiFarsi/page/n59

https://archive.org/details/GulistanSaadiShirziPersianTextEnglishTranslation/page/n5

Acknowledgements

With thanks to Moya Carey, Curator of Islamic Collections, Chester Beatty, Dublin

© 2019-2002,  Dara O. Shayda

License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Books, Gulistan

Gulistan: 33:f. 18r, Chester Beatty Persian Collection

Link to Chester Beatty Digital Collections

Oration (non dramatic)

Hikayat (Anecdote)

I remember when I was a lad, I was a devout worshipper in wee hours of the night, an avid abstinent ascetic.

One night, in the company of my father, did not sleep a wink, the Noble Qur’an at my side, meanwhile some people around us fast asleep.

“Not even one from these wakes up to pray a short morning prayer, and all in such heedless sleep that you might say they are not asleep indeed dead!” I said to father.

Father replied: “Dear precious child, my life, my spirit, would have been better if you had also slept, not backbiting people!”.

Sees not the boaster other than his own Self
A mere figment of imagination within himself

Yet if you are endowed with the eye of reality
You shan’t see anyone more helpless that your own Self

متَعَبّد

Mut’abbid: Devout Worshipper

شَبْ خيزْ

Shab Khiz: someone who stays up during the night till early hours of dawn
Shab means night and Khiz means rise

مولِع

Muli’: crazy or passionately fond of something or someone, avid perhaps fitting for this context

زُهْد

Zohd: asceticism, Zahid ascetic

پرهيز

Parhiz: abstinence

جان

Jaan: Spirit, life, some endeared as precious of as one’s life and spirit


ای جان پدر; ای فرزند عزیز من ، تو روح و روان من هستی . (ناظم الاطباء).
-آشنای جان ; آنکه یا آنچه جان به او انس دارد. مطبوع . مورد پسند. دل پذیر:
بی بوی تو کاشنای جان است
رنگی ز حیات جان مبینام .

خاقانی .

-آفت جان .
-از جان ; از صیمیم قلب:
من از جان بنده سلطان اویسم
اگرچه یادش از چاکر نباشد.

حافظ.

 

پردهٔ پندار

Parde-eh Pendar: Veil of Imagination, in this context a negative connotation of figment of imagination

چشم خدا بيني

Chashm-e Khoda Bini: The eye that sees like God, or the eye that sees what God sees, metaphor for seeing the reality of things

With thanks to Moya Carey, Curator of Islamic Collections, Chester Beatty, Dublin  

© 2019-2002,  Dara O. Shayda

License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

 

 

Books, Terminology

Categoreal Scheme vs. Axiomatic

Salaam to Dr. Choudhary and David and everyone

Axioms are used with a set of systemic objects e.g. predicates Booleans and inferences to compose larger and larger statements from smaller atomic finite set of Axioms, the latter as smallest atomic unit of truth. And then focus on examining if these larger and more complex statements are true or false.

Alfred North Whitehead studied the history of European philosophy, its achievements and failures, and endeavoured to replace the concept of axioms with something else, that did not require to be true or false.

Example in our times is the axiomatized theory of Evolution. It is now known the processes of evolution shaped life, therefore the theory of Evolution is proved to be correct. However it is also well known that not all processes of life were evolved, and there is a problem! The latter means theory of Evolution is  incorrect and therefore false i.e. disproved!

Then the proponents of theory of Evolution argue by all means possible, at times on thin ice, to refute the lack of evolved processes in life, to make sure the axiomatic theory of Evolution is 100% intact insofar as 100% truth, thus we plunge into classical European failure of philosophical thought which we all know as Dark Ages.

Categoreal Scheme does not require atomic statements i.e. axioms to be either true or false.

Categoreal Scheme provides a blueprint, for some entity, to be described in most general possible forms and ways.

An actual entity is then the instantiation of a particular category, which describes quite well to some gradation of competence.

The thinker of Categoreal Scheme ‘restricts‘ the thoughts to the encapsulated blueprint within the category and investigates which actual entities fit the blueprint of the category and which do not, as opposed to verify truth and veracity of statements.

Restriction of thoughts are then accompanied by imaginative leap which are something other than thoughts and rational, and thus imagine to expand the boundaries of mentation limited by the restriction of thoughts to the blueprint of the category.

Example: Category of Car:

i. Self-propelled

ii. Contains the energy for motion

iii. Has cavity and openings (doors) to carry load

iv. Roves on particular devices pressing against the ground (wheels)

Car is not true or false! Its blueprints are not concerned about truth.

However if we restrict our thoughts to this Category of Car we quickly notice that there are many instantiations of this category e.g. GMC truck, BMW and so on.

And yet we also discover that there are entities that do not exactly instatiate the category of car e.g. motorcycle or sail-boat. We need to find those misfits other Categoreal Schemes. Motorcycle or sail-boat does not make Category of Car false! BMW does not make the Category of Car true!

Example: Category of Evolution:

i. Every organism has a predecessor

ii. Every organism mutates to a new version slightly different

iii. Every organism mutates innovations due to environmental pressures

iv. Every organism loses innovations of iii if no longer required

v. ii – iv are gradual

We restrict our thoughts to viruses and clearly see them as instantiation of Category of Evolution. There is no truth or falsehood about the Category itself or about the virus, it is about instantiation and fitting the blueprint.

We loosen up the restrictions of our thoughts to plants and birds and see clearly that that they are instantiation of Category of Evolution.

However there is no truth or falsehood about any of it, God included. Category of Evolution does not make Category of God false, and vice-a-versa.

Then we restrict our thoughts to flowering plants and we find out that flowers do not fit the blueprint of the Category of Evolution!

This lack of instantiation does not have any truth or falsehood about the Category of Evolution. Perhaps flowering plants require a new Categoreal Scheme to fit better blueprints.

Imagination: Categoreal Scheme is free of meaning and application if the restriction of thoughts to its blueprint is not billowed at by the torrents of imagination! It is the very tumults of an imaginative mind that fuels the meaning and progress of Categoreal Scheme.

Alfred North Whitehead, may his voyage be eased and beautiful, innovated/promoted Categoreal Scheme to do away with absurd fallacies and even more absurd proofs! Hence Dark Ages which is upon us in so called modern times.

 

Dara

 

Books

Process and Reality: Alfred North Whitehead

2 Comments

Salaam to everyone

As a part of research and learning to study the recent post by Dr. Choudhary, I recommend that we also read Process and Reality:

http://files.lossofgenerality.com/Proc_reality.pdf

This in particular contains his concepts and definitions.

This work being one of the most profound achievements of Western thought, has gone completely forsaken, to the point that some American university faculties were telling me that there is almost an unspoken ban on this book for teaching and research.

We need to caution against reading and digesting RETAIL spirituality and philosophical thought i.e. reading materials sold in large quantities by American corporate publishers.

We need to read all works of all sorts by all authors to find the best of thoughts, not what board of directors of publishing companies in US consider as Western thought and philosophy.

I look forward to reading Dr. Choudary work and will make comments in coming days, much appreciate his sharing.

 

Dara