M6:1134 — هم برون افکن هر آنچ افکندنیست / در میا با آن که این مجلس سنیست

Translation: Cast out all that is to be cast out, Enter not with that, for this is an exalted (sunnī) assembly.

Meaning: Discard all superfluous burdens, impurities, and worldly attachments before entering this august and sacred gathering, as such a noble assembly demands spiritual lightness and purity.

Mowlana, much like a skilled physician, prescribes a method for purifying the self that is not about surgical eradication, but rather about skillful management and nurturing. This verse culminates a story Mowlana recounts about a 'backward-moving' horse, one that proceeds by retreating. In the tale, the protagonist asks a prince what use such a stubborn horse could be, only to be told that if it moves backward, one need only turn its tail towards the destination to reach it. This parable forms the core of Mowlana's perspective on the lower self and its desires: one must not uproot and destroy instincts and inclinations, as some Sufis or proponents of Buddhist 'negation of desire' (nays-e tamannā) advocate. This approach, in Mowlana's view, is often impossible and a form of oppression against the soul.

Instead, one must alter the 'object' of these desires. A worldly desire, when guided with wisdom and discipline, can be transformed into a 'desire for the hereafter' (shahvat-e ʿoqbahī); meaning, the same inclination can be redirected towards eternity and enduring realities. This theory of Mowlana's echoes the concept of 'sublimation' (tasʿīd) in Freudian psychoanalysis, where lower, more earthy energies are elevated and channeled towards nobler aims. He states: "When you restrain its hunger for bread / That very desire will rise from noble intellect" (چون ببندی شهوتش را از رغیف / سر کند آن شهوت از عقل شریف); meaning, when the energy devoted to gluttony is controlled, this same energy will incline towards and elevate the intellect. It's like pruning a tree: by cutting away superfluous branches, the productive branches gain more vigor.

Following this discourse, the unseen voice from the preceding narrative directly commands: "Cast out all that is to be cast out / Enter not with that, for this is an exalted (sunnī) assembly." To 'cast out' (burūn afkan) here means to shed all superfluous burdens and attachments—from impure and defiled garments to heavy physical loads, redundant worldly goods, and even 'corrupt imaginings.' This assembly is a 'majlis-e sunnī,' an assembly Mowlana describes as 'radiant and high-ranked,' alluding to the divine sanctuary, the realm of meaning, or the higher stages of mystical journey. Entry into such an assembly demands spiritual lightness and purity of soul. It is a place where one must be one's 'absolute self,' without any veil or addition, to become a worthy guest at this divine feast. This is an invitation to a profound existential purification, enabling the human being to prepare for an encounter with ultimate truth.

Key takeaways

• Tame and reform your lower self; do not eradicate it.
• Transmute worldly desires and inclinations towards the eternal and the hereafter.
• Sublimate the energy of baser urges towards higher intellectual and spiritual aims.
• Entry into the divine sanctuary or higher stages of spiritual journey requires lightness of being, purity, and shedding all attachments and impurities.
• The 'exalted assembly' (majlis-e sunnī) symbolizes the radiant and high-ranked presence of the Divine, accessible only to the pure and liberated.