In Chapter 12, Poem 12 of Attar's Mokhtar Nameh, the speaker describes the intense sorrow and trepidation associated with the spiritual journey. The core message is that the heart cannot experience the 'nectar of divine unity' (توحید) while still afflicted by the 'scorpion of the ego' (نفس). This metaphor emphasizes that the poisonous and persistent nature of the lower self is the primary obstacle to achieving spiritual oneness with the Divine.