M6:2382 — چون گشاده شد ره و بگشاد بند / بسکلند و هر یکی جایی روند

Translation: When the path was opened and the bonds were loosened, They would break away and each would go their own way. Meaning: This verse signifies that once obstacles are removed and the path to freedom is clear, every being, driven by its inner nature and longing, will proceed towards its true destination.

This verse presents a profound image of our world and the destiny of its inhabitants, as Rumi depicts it in the story of the three travelers and their halva. The world, I contend, is akin to a caravanserai: a temporary station where human beings, irrespective of their true origins or ultimate destinations, find themselves gathered. Like travelers from East and West, from beyond, compelled to shelter together against snow and storm, we too pass our days in this vast and wondrous realm, for a fleeting while united.

Yet, this companionship, this mingling, is merely superficial and circumstantial. Rumi, by stating that “crow, owl, and hawk are thrown into one cage” or that “the pure and the prayerless are joined in prison,” teaches us that this world is a jail that houses both the pure and the impure, the righteous and the heedless. This admixture is divine decree for this stage of existence. But one day, “when the path was opened and the bonds were loosened,” this cage will break, and its birds, each according to its purpose and ultimate return (ma'ad), will take flight.

The crucial point here is to grasp the distinction between appearance and reality. People walk in the marketplace looking alike, seemingly without difference, but “some are in joy and some in pain.” It is here that Rumi delves into the depths of human existential psychology, asserting that our path and destiny are shaped by our inner andīsheh. Not andīsheh merely as thought or imagination, but andīsheh as “motivation” and “aspiration.” As I have often remarked, “Brother, you are entirely your andīsheh; the rest is but bone and sinew.” This andīsheh is the inner drive and longing that determines our course.

Thus, this liberation from bonds is not the end of separation, but the beginning of another: a departure from an accidental gathering and a return to a true communion. Each pursues that which has been the object of their “tears and sighs” and their longing. Ultimately, our destination is defined by our inner desire and yearning. This is not predetermination; rather, it is the natural consequence of diverse wills and yearnings. Just as the body's elements return to their source after death, the soul, which is our essence, takes flight towards that which it longs for. This movement towards its own kind and its ultimate return is the result of a longing that has already unfolded its wings within us, ready to fly, even if, until that moment, we lacked the means or the way to soar.

Key takeaways

• The world is a temporary caravanserai where diverse souls are superficially mingled.
• Apparent unity gives way to true separation, as each soul moves towards its inherent spiritual destination.
• The 'bonds' of this world are restrictive; their loosening allows each individual to fly towards their true origin.
• Inner motivations and aspirations (longing), not external appearances, determine a person's ultimate path and destiny.
• This movement towards one's destination is natural and primordial, akin to the body's elements returning to their source.