In M. Wardrop’s view, “The reference has not been traced [within Plato’s works]” (The Man in the Panther’s Skin, A Romantic Epic by Shot’ha Rust’haveli, a Close Rendering from the Georgian Attempted by M. S. Wardrop, Tbilisi, 1966 /Reprinted from the Original English Edition, London, 1912/, pg. 180, note 4).

According to K. Kekelidze, appealing to the authority of Plato Rustaveli probably has in mind the wise men or philosophers in general (History of the Ancient Georgian Literature, vol. II, Tbilisi, 1975, pg. 171).

K. Kekelidze’s above interpretation of the passage under consideration (791, 3-4) was followed by Al. Baramidze (Shota Rustaveli, Tbilisi, 1975, pg. 171).

In Sh. Nutsubidze’s view, in this phrase (791, 3-4) we find the priority of the flesh over the soul, which points to the materialistic trends in Rustaveli’s poem, and the mentioning of Plato can be regarded as “literary fiction” (Rustaveli’s Oeuvre (in Russian), Tbilisi, 1958, pp. 91, 96, 102).

According to V. Nozadze, the lines 791, 3-4 can be explained taking into account Plato’s anthropological teaching on soul, according to which after descending to the earth and going into the body, the soul gives it life. However, the soul itself only resembles to a celestial idea and isn’t entirely identical to it. Therefore, the soul may be depraved and distorted as a result of the evil influence of the body: “falsehood and hypocrisy and so on, first of all, damage the flesh [i.e. the body, - Z.Kh.], and then - the soul; thus, the flesh corrupts the soul” (The God in “The Man in the Panther Skin”, Paris, 1963 (in Georgian), pg. 338-339).

In P. Ingorokva’s view, the passage under consideration (791, 3-4) originates from the Georgian collection of apothegms - “The Wisdom of Philosopher Plato in Extracts”, which is available from the Georgian manuscripts of XVI century; according to one of the apothegms, “envy, falsehood and two-facedness are the main causes of all misfortunes” (The Literary Heritage of Rustavelian Epoch, Rustaveli’s Anniversary Collection, pg. 1-80, Tbilisi, 1938).

P. Ingorokva’s above interpretation of the passage under consideration (791, 3-4) was followed by I. Lolashvili (The Teachings and Wisdom of Philosophers, with Research and Dictionary, Tbilisi, 1969, pg. 73).

According to N. Natadze, the lines 791, 3-4 ”is not a direct quotation of any of the works  […] of Plato; however, in his "Phaedo" Plato discusses in detail the issue of immortality of the soul, and the principle of the Day of Atonement – the idea, that the fate of the soul after man’s death is determined by our behavior in this life – had been introduced to the philosophy by Plato, as well (“Theaetetus”, “Republic”). Thus, in the lines 791, 3-4 Rustaveli correctly mentions Plato: under ‘harming the flesh’ the earthly misfortune is meant; falsehood will bring misfortune in earthly life” (The Man in the Panther Skin, School Edition with Dictionary and Commentary, Edited by N. Natadze, Tbilisi, 1974, pg. 527 = 2006, pg. 474).

In E. Khintibidze’s view, this Rustavelian passage (791, 3-4) does reflect some Platonic conception, but it does not stem from the Georgian collection of apothegms - “The Wisdom of Philosopher Plato in Extracts”, because the apothegm reveals only one part of the whole conception of Plato, found in the lines 791, 3-4; while the other, more significant part of the conception –“falsehood and hypocrisy harm the flesh and then the soul” – remains unrevealed. Thus, the expression itself - found in the apothegm - originates from “The Man in the Panther skin”, namely from the line 792, 1 of the poem (“As falsehood is the main cause of all misfortunes […]”), which follows immediately the passage under consideration (791, 3-4); and generally, all other apothegms of the collection, too, only slightly resemble various Platonic concepts, not depicting them exactly (World Outlook Issues in “The Man in the  Panther Skin”, Tbilisi, 1975, pg. 347-348).

In I. Megrelidze’s view, this Rustavelian passage (791, 3-4) preserves some thesis of Plato, which has not come down to us; thus, it probably existed in the book, which has since been lost as well, or it was circulated only orally (Instead of Epilogue, in the book: M. Gogiberidze, Selected Philosophical Writings, vol. IV, Tbilisi, 1978, pg. 348).

In L. Alexidze’s view, Plato’s conception expressed in his 7^th Letter  - “[…] which burden the wrong-doer must of necessity drag after him both while he moves about on earth and when he has gone beneath the earth again on a journey that is unhonored and in all ways utterly miserable” (335 b-c; see: Plato, Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 7 translated by R. G. Bury, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1966), i.e., injustice is harmful not only in the other world but in this world too – resembles the lines 791, 3-4, as Rustavelian “harming the flesh” means harming a person already in his/her lifetime, and “then the soul” – harming the soul after death (Falsehood and Hypocrisy Harm the Flesh and then the Soul, Tsiskari, 1990, 8, pg. 106-112).

According to R. Tvaradze, Plato’s opinion expressed in “Gorgias” (“Falsehood causes injury of the soul”, 524 d - 525 a) and the “Laws” (“Deceitful person will spend his old age in loneliness”, V, 730 c), resembles 791, 3-4 (Plato in Georgian Thought, in the book: Looking Back, Tbilisi, 1997, pg. 446-465).

In B. Bregvadze’s view, in accordance with the medieval European tradition, Rustaveli refers in the lines 791, 3-4 to the opinion of Plato through “the prism of Neoplatonism”: “according to ‘Platonic and Neoplatonic anthropology and psychology’, ’the flesh’, i.e., ‘the body’ […] is nothing  but a unity of the soul and body […]. All kinds of affections have a direct impact on ’the flesh’ or ‘body’, in which the dominance of low feelings (including ‘falsehood and hypocrisy’) and coarse instincts primarily harm ‘the flesh’, i.e., the mixture of the body and unintelligent part of the soul […]. However, even the intelligent or thinking, supreme part of the soul - the true ruler of person’s just soul - is not completely free from an impact of the affections, but this impact, if I may say so, is indirect, secondary (hence “harming the flesh and [only] afterwards the soul”). Thus, the passage under consideration depicts a whole conception, not just one expression of Plato” (Plato and Rustaveli, in the book: Plato, “Parmenides”, Translation, Preface with Appendices, and Commentary, Tbilisi, 2002, pg. 374, 377, 386).

According to E. Khintibidze, this is the correct assumption that the thesis found in the lines 791, 3-4 depicts not only one expression of Plato, but his whole conception. However, this conception could hardly be construed as Plato’s anthropological theory of soul; the thesis depicted in the lines 791, 3-4 includes certain ethical concepts, which require us to understand the conception under consideration as the ethical teaching of Plato (see “The Republic”). In particular, “according to Rustaveli, falsehood, as an ethical flaw, harms man first in this worldly life - in his corporeal existence, and later - in the heavenly abode - it harms the person’s immortal soul, separated from the body”. The final sections of Plato's "The Republic" (X, 613 a - 621 d) include exactly the same type of conception and reasoning, as in Rustavelian passage under consideration; in particular, according to Plato, the unjust man will be punished, both in this world […] as well as in the other one, […] whereas the just man “will finally prove good, both in life and in death”, […] and thanks to justice, “both here and in that journey of a thousand years […] we shall fare well” (Plato, Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vols. 5 & 6 translated by Paul Shorey, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1969).  The above conception can also be found in other works of Plato, but in a more concise form and thus, without detailed reasoning. However, in contrast to those works, “The Republic” also includes several sections that fully and unambiguously correspond to the ethical teaching of Plato, found in the passage 791, 3-4 of Rustaveli’s poem. In particular, “in considering the nature of injustice - which is regarded as one of the ethical flaws, arising actually from the lies - whole sections in “The Republic” (II, 382 a – c) are intended to examine the essence of the falsehood”. According to Plato, the falsehood is actually the major ethical flaw, which, thus, “is something that no one willingly accepts, but it is there above all that everyone fears it”, […] it “is what all men would least of all accept, and […] they loathe it most of all”, […] it, “then, is hated not only by gods but by men” (Plato, Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vols. 5 & 6 translated by Paul Shorey, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1969, 382 a - c; cf.: “As falsehood is the main cause of all misfortunes, why should I doom my best friend, deceiving him!”, “The Man in the Panther Skin”, 792, 1-2). At the same time, “Plato's ethical conception - depicted by Rustaveli - is fully consistent with the Christian faith. Rustaveli refers only to that part of Plato’s teaching, which is acceptable for Christian theology. […] However, the thesis - declared by Rustaveli - that an ethical flaw will be judged not only in the other world but in this world too, […] is not emphasized so categorically in Biblical Christian doctrine; though the latter is not contrary to it. Whereas, with Plato this thesis […] is proclaimed categorically. This is why Rustaveli relies on the authority of Plato” (Reference to Plato in The Man in the  Panther Skin and its World View Purport, in the book: The World View Of Rustaveli’s “Vepkhistqaosani” - “The Man in the Panther Skin”, Tbilisi, 2009, pg. 474-496).

In accordance with the principle that is characteristic of Rustaveli, the thesis of Plato from the standpoint of terminology is cited in the so-called free interpretation, namely - in a somewhat modified form: the overall concept - "justice" / "injustice" is concretized in its extreme manifestation, which, in the words of Plato himself, is "falsehood" or "hypocrisy." [Z.Kh.]