M6:3886 — هر سه در یک فکر و یک سودا ندیم / هر سه از یک رنج و یک علت سقیم

Translation: All three, in one thought and one sawdā (love-melancholy), were companions; All three, from one suffering and one cause, were ailing. Meaning:* These two lines depict the shared predicament of the three princes, caught in a singular love-melancholy, whose common suffering had left them all ailing and debilitated. They are united in this thought and pain.

These two verses, embedded within the narrative of the three princes captivated by the image of a Chinese princess, offer a vivid depiction of profound and singular empathy. Rumi, in these lines, clearly illustrates how a shared inner experience—a common sawdā—can liberate individuals from the shackles of individuality and lead them to an existential unity, even if this unity is forged in suffering and illness.

The term sawdā here, as I have frequently elaborated, does not merely signify transaction or commerce; rather, it refers to a 'melancholy' that springs from love. This sawdā is a state that completely engulfs the lover's thoughts and soul, pulling them out of their ordinary disposition. The three princes not only share in this melancholic love but are also nadīm (companions) to one another in this journey. This shared suffering and shared sawdā deliver them from their inner solitude, establishing a deep bond between them.

The fact that they are saqīm (ailing) from 'one suffering and one cause' is also a key point. The cause of their ailment is singular: the very love born from the image of that princess. This shared illness is not a weakness but a sign of the profound penetration of that love into their souls. This suffering is the 'green sorrow' I have referred to elsewhere in my interpretations of Rumi; a suffering that does not lead to despair but, within the context of love, holds the potential for growth and transcendence. Through this imagery, Rumi invites us to understand that on the path of gnosis and love, shared experiences (even in grief and sorrow) can serve as a bridge for connecting souls. This is a unity of state (waḥdat-i ḥāl); a state that is common not only in appearance but also in the depths of thought and sawdā. This is the very beginning of 'effacement' (maḥw) into one another, before the effacement into the Beloved occurs. All of these are allusions to the inner and spiritual architecture that Rumi cultivates throughout the Masnavi, an architecture that speaks of the hidden connections between hearts.

Key takeaways

• In Rumi's discourse, sawdā signifies the melancholy arising from love, not merely commerce.
• Shared empathy and companionship in amorous suffering alleviate loneliness and forge deep bonds.
• A common illness and suffering on the path of love indicate its profound penetration, not weakness.
• This amorous suffering is a 'green sorrow' that leads to transcendence, not despair.
• Unity of state in thought and sawdā is the initial step towards effacement in the Beloved and the bonding of souls.