In Section 49 of Jami's Haft Awrang, a sage withdraws from people and takes shelter in a cave, safe from plunderers, eating nothing but the leaves of plants. Like a silkworm that feeds on foliage and spins a thread from its own substance, the sage produces a spiritual 'thread' by which a group of sincere seekers become bound in the fetters of devotion (eradat), protected from harm. The king of the age descends from his throne of honor and comes to the cave with a breast full of need; so enchanted is he by the sage's presence that the reins of self-control slip from his hand, and he professes that the recluse is his very life and eternal existence. The parable teaches that true spiritual authority, rooted in ascetic withdrawal and contentment, exerts a drawing power over hearts that even worldly kings cannot resist, inverting the ordinary hierarchy between temporal and spiritual power.