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Mansions: the realm of pre-existence from which the Independent Prophet and the Dependent/Lesser Prophets appear.
1)
In the following passage from Gleanings CXXIX:
"Say: Step out of Thy holy chamber, O Maid of Heaven" -- the pre-existent Dependent Prophet summoned to appear on earth.
"I am the Maid of heaven, the Offspring begotten by the Spirit of Baha.
My habitation is the Mansion of His Name, the All-Glorious." -- I am a Prophet, the Dependent Prophet of Bahá'u'lláh, whose habitation
is the Mansion of His Name. Similar to how Bahá'u'lláh referred to the
Jafar as-Sadiq, the Sixth Imam,
as 'son' of Muhammad in the Kitab-i-Iqan, i.e. his Dependent Prophet: 'Thus hath Sádiq, son
of Muhammad, spoken: "God verily will test them and sift them"'.
Say: Step out of Thy holy chamber, O Maid of Heaven, inmate of the
Exalted Paradise! Drape thyself in whatever manner pleaseth Thee in the
silken Vesture of Immortality, and put on, in the name of the
All-Glorious, the broidered Robe of Light. Hear, then, the sweet, the
wondrous accent of the Voice that cometh from the Throne of Thy Lord,
the Inaccessible, the Most High. Unveil Thy face, and manifest the
beauty of the black-eyed Damsel, and suffer not the servants of God to
be deprived of the light of Thy shining countenance. Grieve not if Thou
hearest the sighs of the dwellers of the earth, or the voice of the
lamentation of the denizens of heaven. Leave them to perish on the dust
of extinction. Let them be reduced to nothingness, inasmuch as the
flame of hatred hath been kindled within their breasts. Intone, then,
before the face of the peoples of earth and heaven, and in a most
melodious voice, the anthem of praise, for a remembrance of Him Who is
the King of the names and attributes of God. Thus have We decreed Thy destiny. Well able are We to achieve Our purpose.
Beware that Thou divest not Thyself, Thou Who art the Essence of
Purity, of Thy robe of effulgent glory. Nay, enrich Thyself
increasingly, in the kingdom of creation, with the incorruptible
vestures of Thy God, that the beauteous image of the Almighty may be
reflected through Thee in all created things and the grace of Thy Lord
be infused in the plenitude of its power into the entire creation.
If Thou smellest from any one the smell of the love of Thy Lord, offer
up Thyself for him, for We have created Thee to this end, and have
covenanted with Thee, from time immemorial, and in the
presence of the congregation of Our well-favored ones, for this very
purpose. Be not impatient if the blind in heart hurl down the shafts of
their idle fancies upon Thee. Leave them to themselves, for they follow
the promptings of the evil ones.
Cry out before the gaze of the dwellers of heaven and of earth: I
am the Maid of heaven, the Offspring begotten by the Spirit of Baha. My
habitation is the Mansion of His Name, the All-Glorious. Before
the Concourse on high I was adorned with the ornament of His names. I
was wrapt within the veil of an inviolable security, and lay hidden
from the eyes of men. Methinks that I heard a Voice of divine and
incomparable sweetness, proceeding from the right hand of the God of
Mercy, and lo, the whole Paradise stirred and trembled before Me, in
its longing to hear its accents, and gaze on the beauty of Him that
uttered them. Thus have We revealed in this luminous Tablet, and in the
sweetest of languages, the verses which the Tongue of Eternity was
moved to utter in the Qayyúmu'l-Asmá'.
-- Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 282
2)
Brides of inner meaning, the Dependent Prophets of Baha'u'llah, appearing from their mystic mansions.
By God! This Bird of Heaven, now dwelling upon the dust, can, besides
these melodies, utter a myriad songs, and is able, apart from these
utterances, to unfold innumerable mysteries. Every single note of its
unpronounced utterances is immeasurably exalted above all that hath
already been revealed, and immensely glorified beyond that which hath
streamed from this Pen. Let the future disclose the hour when the
Brides of inner meaning will, as decreed by the Will of God, hasten
forth, unveiled, out of their mystic mansions, and manifest themselves
in the ancient realm of being. Nothing whatsoever is possible without
His permission; no power can endure save through His power, and there
is none other God but He. His is the world of creation, and His the
Cause of God. All proclaim His Revelation, and all unfold the mysteries
of His Spirit.
We have already in the foregoing pages assigned two stations unto each
of the Luminaries arising from the Daysprings of eternal holiness. One
of these stations, the station of essential unity, We have already
explained. "No distinction do We make between any of them."[1] The
other is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of
creation and to the limitations thereof. In this respect, each
Manifestation of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely
prescribed mission, a predestined Revelation, and specially designated
limitations. Each one of them is known by a different name, is
characterized by a special attribute, fulfills a definite Mission, and
is entrusted with a particular Revelation. Even as He saith: "Some of
the Apostles We have caused to excel the others. To some God hath
spoken, some He hath raised and exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We
gave manifest signs, and We strengthened Him with the Holy Spirit."[2]
[1 Qur'án 2:136.]
[2 Qur'án 2:253.]
-- Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 175
3)
The Maid of heaven (Prophet) appears on earth from her Her mystic mansion.
77. O SON OF JUSTICE!
In the night-season the beauty of the immortal
Being hath repaired from the emerald height of fidelity unto the
Sadratu'l-Muntaha, and wept with such a weeping that the concourse on
high and the dwellers of the realms above wailed at His lamenting.
Whereupon there was asked, Why the wailing and weeping? He made reply:
As bidden I waited expectant upon the hill of faithfulness, yet inhaled
not from them that dwell on earth the fragrance of fidelity. Then
summoned to return I beheld, and lo! certain doves of holiness were
sore tried within the claws of the dogs of earth. Thereupon the Maid of heaven
hastened forth unveiled and resplendent from Her mystic mansion, and
asked of their names, and all were told but one. And when urged, the
first letter thereof was uttered, whereupon the dwellers of the
celestial chambers rushed forth out of their habitation of glory. And
whilst the second letter was pronounced they fell down, one and all,
upon the dust. At that moment a voice was heard from the inmost shrine:
"Thus far and no farther." Verily We bear witness to that which they
have done and now are doing.
-- Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words
32. Persian No. 77
This great name is the Greatest Name. The Blessed Beauty is intended.
What we have today are the meanings of two of the letters of the
Greatest Name. They are: B and H.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet – translated from the Persian)
4)
Baha'u'llah, the Independent
Prophet, summons her/his Dependent Prophet (referred to using the
symbolic term, "handmaiden") to appear on earth, from the mansions of
eternity.
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
Thereupon she [the Maid of Heaven, Baha'u'llah] summoned unto herself one maiden from her handmaidens,
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
And commanded her: "Descend into space from the mansions of eternity,
- Bahá'u'lláh, Tablet of the Holy Mariner (Arabic).
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