The Aura of Platonic Love – By: Kashif Kaifee
Though abstract yet seemingly tangible, Love makes its presence everywhere. We strongly feel the aroma of love from the world of literature to the world of common populace.
Almost every individual out there, has a strong subjective opinion about love, yet the literary definition definitely has its own perk. Sufis, philosophers, rationalists, surrealists and existentialists have very strongly defined the essence of love. We will try to elaborate love from Sufis’ perspective, even though the philosophy of love has been very parallel in the realms of western philosophy and oriental Sufism.
Dr. Allama M. Iqbal has tried to connect ‘love’ with ‘self-hood’ in most of his versifications. In one of his couplets he says,
“Apne Mann Mei Doob Kar, Paa Jaa Soragh e Zindagi Tu Agar Mera Nahi Banta Na Ban, Apna Tau Bann”
The contextual interpretations of Dr. Iqbal leads us to self-discovery which is the apex for the recognition of love.
Platonic-love – named after Plato, an intellectual disciple of Socrates. Plato devoted his life for the dissemination of his mentor’s works. Platonic-love is the discovery of the right route to ‘Desire’, which leads us to the transcendent reality of God.
Plato connects ‘love’ with well-lived life. Accordingly, “what is good is same as what is beautiful. A happy life is the outcome of our desire to love and to love is appreciating what appeals to our hearts and minds”. Thus for him ‘love’ is the amalgamation of Burning Desire, Aesthetics and Virtue.
The Indo-Persian concept of sufistic love is very interesting. We get sufficient proof of such love connected with one’s own-self. We cannot discover love until we discover ourselves. Baba Farid Uddin Attar- a Persian sufi, wrote an allegorical poem titled as “Mantaq al-Tayr” (the conference of birds), where he has revealed many secrets of sacred un-requited love.
Baba Farid’s concept of un-promised nature of love is kind of more ethereal and eternal. He considers love as cosmic entity having its roots in every creation. His notion of love cuddles with tragedies everywhere and never gets a happily-ever-after ending.
Baba Farid’s concept of love diminishes the silhouettes between sufferings and joys. True love to him is always an un-promised ending with both pains and gains. True love to him is living a life of a double edged sword. His love is the name of desirous lover always deserted at the end. His love is like to be on a thorn bleeding you constantly, yet rests in our bosom during the journey of Desire, Aesthetics and Virtue. As Shelley has aptly said, “I fall upon the thorns of life I bleed”.
In the allegorical representation we come across birds searching for their leader for the sake of true guidance to spend their life soulfully and peacefully. The birds had to leave their belongings and place. They had to suffer in the long journey of love to get to the light-house. Many had to flee the journey in the beginning having lost faith and hope while others fled in the midst due to the fear of sufferings. Yet, only those met the ending who hadn’t given-in. Those meeting the end were obviously the ones who suffered and endured pains of the harsh journey and held the rope of faith with passion. Obviously they were true lovers who accepted the bet of an un-awarded ending.
Their journey is definitely a guiding foot-print for seeking platonic-love. For un-requited love, ‘Risk’ becomes an en-evitable thing of the journey. Without taking risk of ‘nothingness in return’, no platonic-love can be sought and met.
Baba Farid conveys a sacred message that “True lovers never give-up what they own” through the allegorical representation. We have to surrender ourselves if we seek love. We must loss our physical selves for the sake of finding some heavenly true selves. We have always ‘Risk’ with us in the journey, risking our every moment towards the un-promised ending. The silhouettes of the ending may be vague but for the sake of a single minute union with our beloved, a lover has to keep the masts of the ship high and high during the whole journey.
If there is a willful submission, no ways can lead the lover to turn away from the path. As Rumi has rightly said, “what you seek is seeking you”. Suffering is a manifestation in love. Pain is achievement. Desire and Aesthetics act as a soul for the journey towards beloved. And Risk is an inevitable initiation. Love, love and love and expect nothing in return.
Kashif Kaifee
Mphil English literature
Ex faculty English UOCH, UOP
