M6:1786 — چون حشیشی پا به گل بر پشته‌ای / گرچه از باد هوس سرگشته‌ای

Translation: Like a weed with its foot stuck in mud upon a mound, Though by the wind of desire you are bewildered. Meaning: This verse describes someone who, despite being rooted in a fixed, earthly position, is tossed aimlessly by internal desires, preventing any true spiritual progress or stability.

This verse continues Mevlana's sharp and profound admonition to seekers who have lived long lives but have failed to ripen in the 'oven of time.' As I have often stated in my lectures, Mevlana, speaking through the persona of the judge (who is himself), addresses someone who has witnessed 'justice and judgment' for years yet remains 'more raw than the unseen'—meaning, they are still unseasoned and inexperienced.

The imagery here is powerfully evocative: 'Like a weed with its foot stuck in mud upon a mound.' A weed, a common plant, with its root embedded in the mud of a hillock or mound. What does this signify? It means you are trapped in a static, earthy, perhaps even insignificant condition. You have taken root, but not a root for ascension and elevation; rather, for stagnation. This symbolizes a kind of 'unwilling inertia'—a state of forced persistence in a lowly position.

However, this 'foot-stuck-in-mud' state does not imply tranquility. The second hemistich immediately corrects this impression: 'Though by the wind of desire you are bewildered.' This means that even as your foot is mired in the mud, preventing physical movement, the 'wind of desire' pulls you in every direction. Internally, you are agitated, bewildered, and aimless. This image reveals an internal contradiction: outwardly stable, yet inwardly restless and caught by the currents of lustful urges. You neither progress nor achieve peace. You are neither like a deep-rooted tree that stands firm and reaches for the heavens, nor like a light-souled bird soaring freely. Instead, you are stuck, fixed in a base state, yet unstable in will and purpose.

Mevlana likens this condition to the Israelites in the 'Tīh' (wilderness)—a people who wandered for forty years, neither reaching their destination nor finding rest. Why? Because they refused to abandon their 'love for the calf'—meaning, their hearts were devoted to base worldly and carnal desires. This verse serves as a warning to us: beware lest we spend our lives in such bewilderment and stagnation, 'with our feet stuck in mud upon a mound,' swayed by the winds of desire, without moving towards our true destination. Maturity and gnosis are attained by abandoning this 'calf-love' and liberating oneself from the bewilderment of desires.

Key takeaways

• The verse depicts 'unwilling inertia' and 'internal instability': an individual rooted in the earth yet captivated by desires.
• This is Mevlana's admonition to those who have lived long but remain spiritually and intellectually immature.
• 'Foot stuck in mud' symbolizes stagnation in a lowly state, while 'bewildered by the wind of desire' indicates inner turmoil and lack of purpose.
• The verse alludes to the story of Moses' people in the 'Tīh' (wilderness), who were hindered by their attachment to the 'calf' (symbol of worldliness).
• Mevlana emphasizes that spiritual ripening and progress require liberation from carnal desires and the discovery of one's true destination.