And here is another dervish with a lion painted Padareth.
If a bear represents nafs over which the dervish has gained controlled what does lion represent?
Ranjit Hoskote says:
In Indian Sufism, there is often a symbolic equivalence between ‘qalandar’ (questor) & ‘haidar’ (lion). Idries Shah writes that ‘qalb al-nimr’, the ‘heart of the lion’ indicated a step in the initiatory process of the Sufi. And, of course, Imam Ali was Asadullah, the Lion of God.
Dervesh and Lion
![](https://ranasafvi.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/WhatsApp-Image-2023-03-28-at-8.19.07-AM.jpeg)