The book entitled The Literary World of Rumi- A Critical Appreciation was published by Authors Press, New Delhi, India, 2025. It is edited by P.V. Laxmiprasad, a scholar, author, columnist in various national and international newspapers and editor of 43 books. The present volume explores the life and works of Mohammad Jalal-Ad-Din, popularly known as Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet who celebrated spirituality in his quest for God. His works would stand for universal emotion, love, historical events, human trauma/ mind, the condition of faith and doubt. Rumi’s poetry influenced not only Persian literature but also the literary tradition of the Ottoman Turkish, Pashto, Chagatai, Kurdish, Urdu, and Bengali languages, respectively. Rumi’s works mainly reflect a broader push and pull between religious spirituality and institutionalized faith to make humans realize their potential to perform their daily duties to lead a quality life and spread human values around the entire world. He is a symbol of the unifying force in a civilization, and his poetry speaks solace to heavy hearts and worried brains to overcome their agony towards tranquillity.

This critical anthology throws light on different aspects of his poetry. There are twelve scholarly papers in this volume. The contributors worked on Rumi’s works with comparison with other famous writers, speakers, and social reformers in India, not only in India, with other countries. Firstly, Dr Anusha. U. R. presented an article as “The Human Mind as the ‘Dervish’ Rumi’s poetry”, which celebrates spirituality in the quest for God and the role of the human mind in the discursive practices of spirituality. In her paper, she highlighted Rumi’s poetry as a discursive practice that depends upon the meaning conferred and constructed out of the interrelationship between social practices and the potential of the human mind for deciphering symbolic significance. The writer says that the word “Dervish” means in Persian a ‘doorway’ or a spiritual seeker, who stands for a strong devotion, service, spiritual ecstasy and the prayerful state of trance, which mediates between the material world and the spiritual. Secondly, we find the second chapter ‘Echoing Orientalism: A study of Various Influences of Rumi in Kerala’ is written by Dr Jyotsna Krishnan, who explores the various translations of Rumi’s works in the Malayalam language states that Malayalam literature is looking at the translated works with a cultural backdrop and some huge translations from different cultures. Dr Krishnan logically designed her paper on how Rumi’s poems are written in the language of Malayalam and the influence of its philosophy in the land of Kerala through a consensual way of creating cultural hybridity. She points out that there are several studies related to the influence of Rumi related to Malayalam Literature, for instance, Raisa Adwings’s work entitled’ An Analysis of Figurative Language in the Selected Poems of Jalauddin Rumi’, which critically analyses about ten poems of Rumi, including personification, allegory, simile metaphor is analyzed critically. Another prominent writer of Kerala, Nityachaitanya Yati, calls Rumi “hridayathinte spandana thalalayam” (rhythm of the heart). Besides, Dr Krishnan speaks about the philosophy of Sufism, which has a greater impact on Kerala society, characterized by cognitive dissonance between Islamic fundamentalism and philosophical intersubjectivity. Especially, the youth of Kerala got a sound influence of the beliefs and way of living of Sufism through the translated poems of Rumi.

The third chapter,” Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi and the Lasting Impact of his Wisdom”, is written by Renu Dhotre, who explores the significance of Rumi’s selected poems and quotes from three books, ‘The Essential Rumi, translated by Coleman Bark, ‘The Mystical Poems of Rumi, translated by A.J. Arberry, and Rumi- Swallowing the Sun by Franklin D. Lews, these works are delving into their spiritual, philosophical, and emotional depths. Not only are these highlighted by the writer, but Rumi’s mystical concepts are also profoundly explored in this chapter. The scholar has brought Rumi’s poetry a continuous force to inspire and transform readers around the globe, thanks to his teachings, grounded in Sufi mysticism, which encourage individuals to transcend the limitations of the ego, embrace the transformative power of love, and seek unity with the divine. She quoted that Rumi’s wisdom remains a beacon of light, guiding individuals toward inner peace, self-discovery, and a deeper connection with the divine. In the fourth chapter, Anju S Nair’s Manifestation of the Life Divine: Ruminations on Rumi explores the intensity of love of the divine through verses that come from the heart and soul of the mystic who has experienced divine love, bliss and the immanence of God, by seeing with the eyes, understanding with the mind and sensing with the heart. Nair has brought a comparison with the Indian Philosopher Sri Aurobindo’s quotes, as “the super mental manifestation upon earth and he says that the divine life will reject nothing capable of divinization. In addition, Nair has highlighted Rumi’s sound and silence in his poetic sense, a rhythmic succession of tones in the poem,’ The Whisper of the Wind’, the scholar has brought a beautiful stanza as follows;

The wind carries a whisper,
A message from the divine,
Each gust, a breadth of love,
Each breeze, a sacred sign – (Lines 1-4)

Besides these, Nair says in her paper that Rumi’s poetic perception is characterized by the interplay of mind and spirit, and his poetry reveals the truths of life and philosophy.

In the fifth chapter, there are four stories like “The Lover Who was Nothing”, “The Tree of Eternal Life”, “Elephant in the Dark”, and “Giving up a Kingdom”, which are incorporated as The Representation of the Self in Some Selected Stories of Rumi, by Purabi Gosswami. In this chapter, she emphasized the idea that individuality and the Self are always inclusive in the spiritual world of mysticism. She describes the Sufi philosophy and its role in spreading Islam globally. Gosswami has brought a comparison of Rumi’s philosophy with René Descartes' ideas of the self, Kant’s ideas of transcendentalism, and Wittgenstein’s ideas too. She points out that the idea of self was analyzed in relation to God. In this perspective, she has merged the above four stories of Rumi in her chapter to discuss the idea of self or individuality. In the first two stories,” The Lover Who was Nothing” and “The Tree of Eternal Life”, explore the ideas of self and individuality.

The first one gave a synchronic analysis of the self, where the notion of self was shown in the idea of love and lovers. The second one provided a diachronic analysis of the self, where the person was advised not to look around but look within to discover ultimate identity. These stories should speak about the horizontal or vertical analysis of trust to discover the oneness in God of all beings. Flowingly, the other two stories, “Elephant in the Dark”, and “Giving up a Kingdom” would show how ignorance could be a veil hindering the divine revelation. The writer narrated that ignorance is not the same as Maya in Hindu philosophy, but the whole world is an illusion, and the person needs to think extremely externally to see the ultimate reality. At the end of the chapter, Gossawami incorporated that Rumi’s idea of individuality is informed by his theological, metaphysical and psychological awareness to know about the truth that there was no independent self-excluding God.

The sixth chapter deals with the titled Noetic Reflections: Discovering Rumi’s 'The Garden of the Soul”, is done by Mary Josephine Jerrina, who discusses exclusively on soul, which reveals Rumi’s mastery in transforming complex spiritual truths into accessible living imagery and also this chapter delves Rumi’s metaphor of the garden, as symbol of the soul, which explores the themes of growth, and love. Jerrina interprets that the insights of Rumi’s timeless wisdom remain relevant even in today’s generation. According to Rumi’s philosophy, Mysticism means a connection between the individual and the divine, and it aims to bridge the gap between the finite self and the infinite self. The word ‘Noetic’ is a Greek word, noesis, which means inner knowing or intuitive insights.

In the seventh chapter, the title,” Oneness of the Philosophy of Rumi, Bhagavad Gita, and Paulo Coelho”, explores how the philosophical thoughts of Rumi, the Bhagavad Gita, and Paulo Coelho are the same. The writer of this paper, Dr D. Vijay Lakshmi, has studied the spirituality of Rumi, Coelho and the Bhagavad Gita in depth to highlight the commonalities in particularly in their emphasis on self- realization, interconnectedness, and spiritual growth of individuals in their lives, to get the essence of the soul. Not only is this highlighted by the writer, but the comparison quotes from Rumi’s quotes, Coelho’s quotes and also verses of the Gita. In her paper, she points out that the quest for enlightenment, which comes out of the manifestation of the oneness of God and focuses on symbols, metaphors and spiritual growth of Rumi, Coelho, and Arjuna in the Gita. Besides these, the writer has brought Paulo Coelho’s four pillars for finding one’s personality as follows: 1. belief in the Soul of the world, 2. listening to the voice of the heart, 3. being faithful to one’s dreams, and finally, surrendering oneself to the universe. According to the writer, these three represent the journey of self-reslization, which transcendence from the mind’s chatter to the soul’s whispers, attuning oneself to the everlasting truths that guide humans’ life harmoniously.

Chapter eight title, A Metaphysical Bent of Mind of Rumy Descends a Spacious Ambience for Elucidating Philosophical Idea: A Critique of His Select Poems”, dwells upon the fullness of creative powers, stylistics and embellishments of the poetic art of Rumi. The writer of the paper is Dr Lilly Arul Sharmila, who interprets Rumi’s teacher, Konya, who was a spiritual leader and stood for Islamic authority in Persia. She talks about Rumi’s quotes, how they influenced human lives and won the hearts of many from all walks of life. Moreover, Rumi is called the cornerstone of Persian Literature and a great mystic philosopher, a saint, and a famous Sufi in the Persian language. The writer says that Rumi’s preaching foregrounds the truth of serving as a reminder about the formless being by which all forms come into living. She highlighted the major works include ‘Mesuji’, Diva-I Kabir, ‘Mecktubat’, letters, ‘Mecalls’, Seven Semons’, Fehima Fihi and love poetry in her article. Her paper aims at a massive recovery from the setbacks; man should not be ignorant of spiritual gifts, which potentially grant one to be transformed by the renewing of the mind to prove that man is good, perfect and acceptable.

The ninth chapter deals with’ Mysticism in Rumi’s Short Stories’, is written by Dr R. Shanti, who embraces Rumi’s short stories are like,” In The Angel of Death”, “Fly who Thought she was a sailor”, “Merchant and Parrot, “The Wise Madman”, “A Thief at Hand”, “God will not Punish Me”, “Moses and the Shepherd”,” Elephant in the Dark” etc., are embedded with a message to purify human’s actions, feelings and emotions and directly presents the right perspective towards life and attaining Godhead. In addition to the writer, who presents all of Rumi’s short stories, those stories are a spiritual message to the upkeep of the soul, and his spiritual perspective is universal. Therefore, Rumi continues to resonate, shaping literary traditions across generations, and he transcends cultural boundaries, inspiring universal readers. The writer speaks about the positive vibes of Rumi’s influence on the generation of writers, poets and readers, and his thoughts and philosophy provide an insight into human experiences of human emotions.

Chapter ten,” Through love, thorns become roses”: Reading Rumi’s Select Love Poems from Underhill’s notion of Mysticism, is composed by Dr Pradip Mondal, who highlighted the beautiful and thought-provoking quotes of Rumi in his article. The writer quoted that Rumi’s love has a deep yearning of human beings to form a relationship with the Divine and the reply of God to one’s earnest prayers. He says that one should have a sound faith in the Beloved one has so longed for. But this 21^st century is the “lost generation” with a lot of episodes of calumny, cruelty, and catastrophe in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Palestine. The writer points out that during this hard turmoil, we only need love to end this narrative of hatred. Unless we people can nurture divine love in ourselves, as the Sufi poet Rumi had shown us through his timeless poetry, we will not be able to awaken the cynical and narrow-minded humanity who are destroying the peace of this planet. Finally, the author has compared Rumi’s poetry with W.B. Yeats, as quoted that “this world is on the threshold of an apocalyptic revelation and we hope that a new Sun of love will rise soon, dispelling the darkness of hatred”.

The eleventh chapter deals with the title, titled” Universal Wisdom in Mystic World: A Comparative Study of Rumi and Swami Vivekananda”, written by Dr Mahammad Ghouse Shaik. The writer has brought two famous personalities, whose writings have been shaping millions of people in the right way of living and living harmoniously as well as courageously. The scholar has compared Vivekananda’s wonderful quotes with Rumi’s philosophical quotes, both of them giving much importance to human life, and their works preached serenity, sound relationships among people, and inspired several minds to bring tranquility in society. This chapter explores Rumi’s quotes and their spiritual, philosophical, and emotional depths, besides Swami Vivekananda’s works, encompassing speeches, writings, and letters centered on spirituality. Both of them have given importance to self-realization, service to humanity, and religious harmony, and have not encouraged hatred among people. Former President of India, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who was inspired by one of Rumi’s quotes, is” You are not meant for crawling, so don’t. You have wings. Learn to use them and fly”, which led him to title his biography “Wings of Fire”, not only this quote can we find in this chapter, there are thirty-five beautiful quotes to get sort of motivation to lead a better life. The writer has brought a wonderful comparison between these two towering spiritual personalities and concluded that Rumi, rooted in Islamic mysticism, encompasses love, divine union, and the inward journey of the soul through poetry and Vivekananda, who stands for Vedantic philosophy, rational spirituality, and the service of humanity as a path to the divine. Besides, both shared a common goal, i.e. awakening the divine potential within every human being and fostering unity beyond dogma. Finally, their legacies continue to inspire seekers around the world toward inner transformation and universal harmony.

The final chapter of the book deals with “Reflections on Body and Soul: A Parallel Study of the Bhagavad Gita and Rumi’s Poetry”, written by R. Karthika Devi, who interpreted Rumi’s poetry with the Bhagavad Gita and she speaks about the all religions and their differences of opinions in different ideas are one in their perspectives toward certain values of life such as love, truth, etc., She speaks that every religious text has shed considerable light on the role of body, and spirit in leading human life in a meaningful way. In this chapter, the writer has brought a comparison of Rumi with the American transcendentalist Walt Whitman’s quote,” I am the poet of the body, I am the poet of the soul”. The writer says that this kind of higher–level relationship between mind and soul has not been encouraged by Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Whereas Rumi shared a similar view regarding body and soul, and though the soul is given a superior portion. Rumi is called a great Sufi saint because of his extreme contributions to the welfare of the state, not only in his native land but also in the entire world. His works can inspire and motivate people to lead a harmonious life.

 Dr P.V. Laxmiprasad has brought all these scholarly articles in this volume to enlighten the readers to know the contributions of Rumi’s works. His expertise as a literary critic and editor shines through in this comprehensive analysis, making it a valuable contribution to the field of literature. Hence, this critical anthology is best apt to the scholars of comparative literature, religious studies and mysticism and educators, who seek multi-angled studies of Rumi and finally to general readers interested in Sufism, cultural philosophy and poetic introspection. (Kashmir Age,4).

Works Cited

1. Laxmiprasad P.V.,” The Literary World of Rumi: A Critical Appreciation”, Authors Press, New Delhi, 2025.
2. Sethi Rupali. “Exploring an Intellectually Stimulating World of Rumi”, Kashmir Age Newspaper, Thursday, 14 August 2025.