M6:645 — مطرب ایشان را سوی مستی کشید / باز مستی از دم مطرب چشید

Translation: The minstrel drew them towards intoxication, / And then, intoxication itself tasted from the minstrel's breath. Meaning: This couplet describes the reciprocal and fluid relationship between the spiritual guide (minstrel) and the seeker (intoxicated one): sometimes the minstrel initiates the state of drunkenness, and sometimes an existing state of intoxication draws the seeker towards the minstrel's inspiration to attain a higher spiritual plane.

In this couplet and the verses that follow, Mawlana delves into the essence of spiritual intoxication (masti) and the role of the minstrel (motreb), a reality far transcending physical inebriation and material entertainers. Here, he introduces two distinct categories of seekers of masti and gnosis. One group is drawn towards spiritual intoxication by the motreb, who acts as their guide or spiritual master. These individuals are like those who, in search of a gulp of wine, turn to a minstrel to find inner joy and ecstasy. This is not a minstrel of the body, but a minstrel of the soul; akin to a philosopher who, by unveiling a truth, intoxicates a person, or the Buddha's smile upon enlightenment, which reveals his inner intoxication and has inebriated thousands to this day.

The second group, however, consists of those who are already intoxicated even before the minstrel draws them. This pre-existing masti itself compels them to seek the motreb. That is to say, their own intoxication leads them to the minstrel, so that from his dam — his spiritual breath and melodic instrument — they may taste a new flavor and attain a fresh perfection. This is not born of a need to initiate masti, but rather to deepen and direct their existing state of intoxication. Mawlana states: "naql-o qūwat-e mast ān būd" (it was the accompaniment and sustenance of the intoxicated). As you know, in wine-drinking, naql (accompanying food) is consumed with wine to mitigate its bitterness and double its pleasure. Here, the "minstrel's breath" serves as that naql for the intoxicated; it is nourishment for an already-intoxicated soul, ensuring its masti is not only preserved but strengthened, advancing from one level of power to another.

I have often reiterated that intoxication is not solely a product of wine. In Hafiz's poetry, we find lines like: "I am intoxicated by the spell of your eyes, and he by the scent of your locks," or Sa'di's saying: "Leave me to remain bewildered, my gaze fixed on the cup-bearer." These illustrate that the sources of intoxication are numerous and varied, many having no connection to physical wine. Mawlana here strives to articulate this very diversity; how the soul, through various means, can achieve this spiritual ecstasy and rapture.

It is for this reason that Mawlana, in subsequent verses, explicitly differentiates these two types of intoxication: "Ān sharāb-e ḥaqq ba-dān motreb bord / Vīn sharāb-e tan az īn motreb cherad" (Divine wine leads one to that divine minstrel / While bodily wine seeks sustenance from this minstrel). Divine wine calls for a divine minstrel, and bodily wine seeks a bodily minstrel. Although we label both as "intoxication," the difference is profound, like heaven and earth. "Ishtibāhī hast lafẓī dar bayān / Līk khud kū āsmān tā rismān" (There is a verbal similarity in expression / But where is heaven compared to a rope?). This "verbal similarity" refers to superficial homonymy that conceals deeply divergent inner meanings. Bodies may appear similar, but their essences are like jars, one filled with the water of life, the other with the poison of death. "Pas zi naqsh-e lafẓhā-ye Masnavi / Surati zāl ast o hādī ma’navī" (Thus, from the form of the Masnavi's words / The outer form is a grandmother, but the meaning is a spiritual guide). This precise distinction demonstrates that in the realm of meaning, nothing is as it seems, and superficial reason is constantly susceptible to the fallacy of homonymy. The true minstrel is one who not only creates intoxication but also nourishes and perfects it.

Key takeaways

• Intoxication (masti) in the Masnavi has two forms: physical (animalistic) and spiritual (human/gnostic).
• The relationship between the minstrel (spiritual guide) and masti (the seeker) is reciprocal: sometimes the minstrel initiates the state of intoxication, and sometimes pre-existing masti draws the seeker to the minstrel for further perfection.
• The "minstrel's breath" (dam-e motreb) serves as "nourishment and sustenance" for already-intoxicated seekers; it is a means to feed, deepen, and guide their inner intoxication.
• Mawlana distinguishes between "divine wine" and "bodily wine," and consequently between "divine minstrel" and "bodily minstrel," even though both are nominally called "intoxication."
• Many errors in understanding spiritual truths stem from "homonymy" (ishtirāk-e lafẓī), where the identical outward form of words conceals their disparate inner meanings.
• The true minstrel is one who not only ignites intoxication but also nourishes and advances it towards perfection and gnosis.