M6:4142 — آن چه گوید آن فلاطون زمان / هین هوا بگذار و رو بر وفق آن

Translation: Whatever that Plato of the age says, heed it; / Hark, abandon desire and proceed in accordance with it. Meaning: This couplet emphasizes the necessity of following a spiritual guide (the "Plato of the age") and forsaking personal desires to reach one's spiritual destination.

Let me first clarify the term "Plato of the age" (Falatun-e Zaman). Rumi himself, as I've noted, immediately glosses this as "that sage" (an 'aqil). Who is this sage? None other than the spiritual "master" or "guide" (ustad or pir) whose necessity in the spiritual journey (sulook) is undeniable; as Rumi himself states elsewhere, "Let there be no guide, no master, no commander-in-chief, but the pir." This pir is not an old man in years, but a sage ripe in their spiritual journey, one who has traversed the path and attained the goal. Rumi draws a powerful analogy, comparing our "partial intellect" ('aql-e juzvi) to the vultures of Nimrod. Nimrod, perched on a throne, harnessed vultures to carry him to the heavens, hoping to behold the God of Abraham. Yet, midway, their wings would break, and they would plummet. Our partial intellect is similarly limited; in its yearning for the Divine, it falls short mid-journey. This is why Rumi warns us: "Leave the vulture behind, for I shall be your hawk; / One feather of mine is better than a hundred vultures'." This means that the guide, the master, possesses stronger wings that can carry us to our destination. Rumi reiterates this point in the tale of the urban merchant and the rural shopkeeper. The merchant, intending to visit the shopkeeper's rural home, became lost without a guide, and a two-day journey stretched into months. "Whoever travels the path without a guide, / A two-day journey becomes a year-long one." Our short lives, if lived without a guide or master, may well end without reaching the destination. Therefore, we must find our "Plato of the age" and accept their leadership. But what is the condition for such obedience? "Hark, abandon desire and proceed in accordance with it." Here, "desire" (hawa) refers to carnal inclinations, personal wishes, and self-centeredness. This is precisely the "risk-taking" or "courageous adventure" (khatar kardan-e 'asheqaneh) I have referred to elsewhere. The lover, to reach the Beloved, sacrifices their most precious possessions: life, honor, well-being, and even their partial intellect. This abandoning of hawa and embarking on a perilous path is the essence of this lover's risk-taking. We must release all that we know of ourselves and cling to, so that the guide's wing may carry us. It is here that submission and surrender to the "Plato of the age" gains its meaning, and only through this submission can true union be achieved, freeing us from becoming "carrion and not a vulture."

Key takeaways

• The "Plato of the age" symbolizes the spiritual master or pir who guides the seeker.
• Human partial intellect, like Nimrod's vultures, is weak and broken-winged in reaching the Divine.
• Following a spiritual master provides a stronger wing for soaring towards the spiritual destination.
• Abandoning 'hawa' (personal desires and ego) is a fundamental condition for accepting the guide's leadership.
• The spiritual journey without a guide is a long and perilous path that often fails to reach its goal.
• Loving risk-taking and sacrificing one's desires are essential for surrendering to the "Plato of the age."