Paragraph 212

Inasmuch as it hath been clearly shown that only those who are initiated into the divine mysteries can comprehend the melodies uttered by the Bird of Heaven, it is therefore incumbent upon every one to seek enlightenment from the illumined in heart and from the Treasuries of divine mysteries regarding the intricacies of God’s Faith and the abstruse allusions in the utterances of the Daysprings of Holiness. Thus will these mysteries be unraveled, not by the aid of acquired learning, but solely through the assistance of God and the outpourings of His grace. “Ask ye, therefore, of them that have the custody of the Scriptures, if ye know it not.”

One last paragraph before we get into the attributes of the True Seeker, and then embark on the proofs Baha'u''llah offers for the Station of the Bab.

It's interesting here because He reminds us that only specific individuals can "comprehend the melodies uttered by the Bird of Heaven". What are we to understand by that? Who are these people who are "initiated" into those mysteries? Are they only the Manifestations? And if that is the case, then what are we to do when the Manifestation no longer walks the earth?

Clearly this is not the case. As Baha'u'llah has not yet revealed His own station, and is still explaining all these things for our benefit, then anyone can be this sort of teacher. After all, the Apostles did it, as did the other saints and holy ones throughout the ages. Now, to be clear, He is not talking about the revelation of sacred Text, but the explanation of it. So how are we to recognize the "illumined in heart" from whom we should seek guidance?

This is where it begins to make more sense and becomes applicable to anyone reading this book.

Obviously this "certain man" whom Baha'u'llah has been talking about is not one of these. You only need to look at his character to recognize that. Earlier, in paragraph 89, He quoted from the Qur'an, “Our Cause is sorely trying, highly perplexing; none can bear it except a favorite of heaven, or an inspired Prophet, or he whose faith God hath tested.” And as He pointed out, the first two are beyond our control, but the third is one that the Babis of the day were actually facing. It seems that He will be guiding us to that third station with His description of the True Seeker.

It is worth noting that there is so much that is hidden or obscure in these teachings. He refers to "those who are initiated", implying that they are a small group of people who share this perspective. He refers to this as "the divine mysteries". He even alludes to the mythical "language of birds" by saying that these people can understand "the melodies uttered by the Bird of Heaven". Throughout this paragraph He reiterates there is a secret contained within these verses.

Then He reminds us that those who are there, those few and precious souls who can share this information with the seeker, do not get their learning from any school. It is not granted to us by a teacher in a university, nor by a priest or cleric telling us that we understand. It is granted by God alone.

This is where the next series of paragraphs come into play. When He describes for us the attributes of the True Seeker, He is also informing us of the state of being of the one who will be able to comprehend these allusive statements.

Part One of this book revolved around the concept of detachment, for without that as a starting point, nothing else matters. If we are too attached to our limited understanding, then we will never be open enough to receive these new teachings.

Part Two began with reminding us of our position in the hierarchy of creation, and our utter dependence upon the Manifestations. He then went into great detail explaining the role and position of these Manifestations, and why we should be looking to them for guidance. Then, in paragraph 199, He tells us "enlightenment should be sought from the Trustees of the depositories of Knowledge", while reminding us here that these are not necessarily those with a degree. He wants to ensure that we do not seek guidance from those who are lost, that we can recognize someone who is a good source of guidance.

From here, He will help us achieve the most effective stance for searching, giving us many details of what a True Seeker looks like, presumably in the hope that we will adopt that stance ourselves. Then, and only then, does He go into the numerous proofs of the station of the Bab.