M6:4125 — از هوا شد سوی بالا او بسی / لیک بر گردون نپرد کرکسی

Translation: He rose high into the air many times; / But a vulture cannot fly to the celestial sphere. Meaning: This verse highlights the futility of relying on physical means and self-will to reach transcendent truths. One who believes material instruments can access the spiritual realm is mistaken, as a vulture (a symbol for physical tools) can never ascend to the celestial sphere (the world of the unseen).

This verse unveils a fundamental error that occurs on the path of truth-seekers, or those who merely deem themselves so. Here, Rumi, through the narrative of Nimrod—who, according to legends, sent his throne heavenward with vultures to find Abraham's God—challenges this misguided understanding. The 'heavy-souled' and 'stubborn-natured' Nimrod, in his arrogance and self-will, presumes that with animalistic and physical means, he can grasp the mystery of existence and divine truth. Rumi unequivocally states that no matter how high he ascends, this material vulture will never find a way to the 'gardon,' the celestial spheres.

I have often stated that this verse is not merely a critique of Nimrod and his self-reliance, but a direct indictment of any materialistic endeavor to comprehend transcendent reality. Just as Nimrod sought Abraham's God in the heavens, we encounter scientists today who journey to space and declare they found no God, or physiologists who assert they will not believe in the soul until they see it under their scalpel. These are all instances of 'He rose high into the air many times; / But a vulture cannot fly to the celestial sphere.' They seek something where it does not exist, akin to Mulla Nasreddin searching for his lost money in the illuminated street because it was bright there, even though he lost it in his dark house. The truth is, our access to physical tools should not delude us into thinking that everything that exists must be discoverable by these same instruments.

In the broader context of the Masnavi, this verse highlights the importance of the 'Pir-e Rashad' (master of guidance). Nimrod, without a 'Pir,' is essentially without a 'ladder to heaven.' He constructs his ladder from animalistic tools, not from the seasoned guidance of one who has truly traversed this spiritual journey. The spiritual, intellectual, and heartfelt journey differs from a spatial one. Our hearts can travel east and west without 'provisions or conveyance'; in dreams, we can wander through the most distant cities. The journey to God is of the same nature: not by vultures, not by rockets, but by heart, intellect, and the guidance of a 'Pir' who has already walked this path. This is the 'condition of surrender' that Rumi emphasizes, in contrast to the self-will and 'reckless venture' demonstrated by Nimrod. One must understand that in spiritual matters, a guide and a master are necessary, and a mercantile intellect, which seeks apparent profit and loss, is not designed to discern ultimate felicity and the metaphysical path. Self-will and 'hawa' (desire/ego) lead humans astray and cause 'eghterāb' (alienation)—a estrangement from the true self, which transcends the earthly body.

Key takeaways

• Existential truth cannot be grasped by material instruments or outward senses.
• Self-will and reliance on physical capabilities are misleading and futile in the quest for unseen realities.
• The journey towards God is a spiritual, intellectual, and heartfelt one, not a spatial or physical movement.
• Rumi, by criticizing Nimrod, rejects the materialistic viewpoint that seeks God or the soul through scientific means and then denies their existence upon failing to find them.
• For spiritual ascent, akin to a ladder to heaven, we require the guidance of a 'Pir-e Rashad' (master of guidance), not baseless endeavors.
• On this path, one should not seek a 'Pir-e Gardoon' (one who is merely old in age), but rather a 'Pir-e Rashad' (one who has matured through the path of growth and guidance).