In Chapter 8, Poem 57 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the poet portrays the ego as the primary obstacle to experiencing the Divine. He expresses that despite undergoing rigorous spiritual purification by love and weeping streams of tears, the seeker will not perceive even a "scent" of the Beloved as long as any trace of selfhood remains. Complete spiritual realization demands total self-annihilation (fana), symbolized by losing one's "head and feet" and surrendering entirely to the force of divine love.