M6:4138 — باز سلطانم گشم نیکوپیم / فارغ از مردارم و کرکس نیم

Translation: bāz soltānam kasham niku payam fāregh az mordāram-o karkas nīm

Again, I am my own sultan, I step nobly; Free from carrion, I am no vulture.

Meaning: This verse asserts the speaker's recovery of their intrinsic spiritual sovereignty and their liberation from base worldly attachments. The poet declares his soul is freed from petty material pursuits, having returned to its inner kingship.

This beyt, situated within the narrative of the love-struck prince in Book 6 of the Masnavi, serves as a potent declaration of spiritual autonomy and a return to the authentic self. Here, Rumi paints a vivid picture of salvation and self-reclamation.

1. Return to Inner Sovereignty: "Again, I am my own sultan, I step nobly." The adverb "again" (bāz) at the beginning of the beyt is critically important. It signifies that this inner sultanate is not a newly acquired status but rather a recovery of a forgotten or lost truth. Humanity, in its essence, is sovereign, yet this sovereignty is often obscured by worldly dust and its attachments. Now, through the journey of spiritual striving and the overcoming of worldly snares and reproaches, the individual has returned to their inner kingship. This return is accompanied by "stepping nobly" (nīku payam), indicating deliberate, firm, and correct steps on the path. This "noble stepping" is itself a sign of the seeker's wisdom and alertness, not blind or undirected movements. It echoes Rumi's emphasis on the necessity of a "rightly guiding master" (Pīr-i Rashād), a guide who illuminates the path and prevents one from "blindly spurring the horse" (bar ʿamyā davānī asb rā), a phrase Rumi uses shortly after this beyt. The partial intellect (aql-i juzwī) is described as "like a lesser ape, its feather connected to carrion-eating" (kēhtarak-sān āmad muqal / farr-i ō bā jīfah-khwārī muttasal), whereas the intellect of the abdāl (spiritual substitutes) "flies like Gabriel's wing to the shadow of the Lote-tree" (ʿaql-i abdālān chū parr-i Jibrīl / mī-parrad tā zill-i Sidrah mīl mīl). This achievement of inner sovereignty is the fruit of such a flight of the intellect of the abdals.

2. Freedom from Base Attachments (Carrion and Vulture): "Free from carrion, I am no vulture." This second half of the beyt decisively clarifies the nature of this sovereignty. "Carrion" (mordār) here is a metaphor for the world and its base attachments, which are the sole sustenance of "vultures" (karkasān). A vulture is an animal that feeds on carcasses and dead flesh, belonging to the class of carrion-eaters. Through this simile, Rumi distances his soul from ignoble and material desires, declaring that he is not only free from this carrion but fundamentally not of the species of vultures that would seek such sustenance. This liberation is not merely an abstention from vulture-like actions, but a complete transformation of the vulture-like nature itself. The worldly vultures are akin to the aql-i juzwī (partial intellect), which, like Nimrod, sought to see Abraham's God but whose wings broke midway, causing them to fall. These are the ones who experience the plight of "the prey is near and you have cast your arrow far" (ṣayd nazdīk-o tū dūr andākhtah), for their gaze is fixed on "carrion" and not on their "true origin" (aṣl-i khwīsh).

This beyt stands in stark contrast to the partial intellect whose "feather is connected to carrion-eating." That intellect cannot fly and free itself from material pursuits. However, one who has become their own "sultan" is liberated from this vulture-like nature and carrion-seeking. This liberation brings with it a tranquility and a particular kind of joy that resonates with the concept of jalāʾ al-aḥzān (polishing of griefs) in the Masnavi. Rumi invites the reader to turn away from the short flight and inevitable fall of vultures and to entrust themselves to the Pīr-i Rashād, whose "one feather is better than a hundred vultures" (yak parr-i man behtar az ṣad karkas-ast). The "I" here speaks on behalf of the perfected mystic who can guide others.

Key takeaways

• Humanity's true essence is inner sovereignty, often obscured by worldly attachments, which must be 're-discovered'.
• Spiritual journeying demands 'noble' and measured steps, guided by a 'rightly guiding master' (Pīr-i Rashād).
• Freedom from worldly 'carrion' and a 'vulture-like' nature is essential for reclaiming one's sovereign station.
• The 'partial intellect' (aql-i juzwī) and worldliness impede spiritual flight; only the 'intellect of the abdals' can ascend.