M6:1124 — هم‌چو شاخی که ببری از درخت / سر کند قوت ز شاخ نیک‌بخت

Translation: Just like a branch that you prune from a tree, / Strength then courses into the auspicious branch. Meaning: This verse illustrates how by removing unproductive or superfluous parts, the inherent energy and vitality are redirected to the useful and fruitful elements.

I interpret this verse as central to a crucial discussion by Mowlana, where he offers a strategy for taming and utilizing one's psychic forces, rather than eradicating them. From this perspective, Mowlana stands in opposition to certain Sufi approaches that advocate for the complete uprooting of carnal desires and anger, or to viewpoints such as Buddhism (as I've articulated in my lectures), which propose absolute negation of desire as the path to liberation from suffering.

In the story of the 'backward-going horse', Mowlana illustrates that a horse that moves in reverse should not be killed or discarded. Instead, its tail should be oriented towards the destination, thereby employing it for one's intended purpose. This verse, "Just like a branch that you prune from a tree, / Strength then courses into the auspicious branch," precisely complements this idea, offering an agricultural and horticultural metaphor.

Here, Mowlana refers to the act of pruning a tree. Just as a gardener cuts off superfluous and unproductive branches to prevent the tree's vitality and sap from being wasted, so too must the soul be pruned. When we remove barren branches from a tree, its vital forces are withdrawn from them and directed towards the branches destined to bear fruit or to grow more healthily. This act not only causes no harm to the tree but strengthens it, leading to greater fertility and perfection.

In psychology, this concept can be likened to 'sublimation', a term also discussed by Freud. Instead of suppressing or eradicating desires and instincts, which often leads to destructive outcomes, Mowlana suggests that these energies should be elevated and channeled into higher, more constructive avenues. If gluttony (the 'desire for bread') is curbed, its underlying energy re-emerges from the 'noble intellect' and gravitates towards rational and spiritual inclinations.

Thus, this verse imparts a profound lesson in self-purification and moral cultivation: we should not treat our inner faculties with harshness, tyranny, or surgical removal. Rather, with the discerning eye of a physician and a gardener, we should strive to reform and redirect them, so that every element, even that which appears to be harmful, can be utilized in a constructive path. This is the wisdom of employing everything that exists, rather than denying or eliminating it.

Key takeaways

• The verse uses the metaphor of pruning a tree to redirect vital energy towards productive branches.
• Mowlana, contrary to complete negation of instincts, emphasizes the 're-direction' of psychic energies.
• This idea stands in contrast to the 'uprooting' of desires and anger advocated by some Sufis or Buddhists.
• The psychological concept of sublimation aligns with the wisdom embedded in this verse.
• One should approach inner faculties with a 'medical and horticultural' perspective, not 'surgical and oppressive' force.