Lire› Livre 2› Le soufi conseille au serviteur de prendre soin de la bête, et l'impatience du serviteur› Verset 163
M2:163 — چونک شکر گام کرد و ره برید / لاجرم زان گام در کامی رسید
M2:163
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By gratefully following the initial, external signs of the path, the spiritual seeker inevitably reaches the ultimate goal they desire.
This couplet concludes a metaphor comparing the spiritual path to a hunt. The seeker is a hunter, and the Divine reality is a musk deer. At first, the hunter must diligently follow the deer's footprints (gām), which represent the external forms of religious practice and the guidance of a teacher. Rumi says the seeker should be grateful for these initial traces, as they are the necessary first step.
However, by faithfully following these external signs, the seeker eventually catches the scent of the deer's musk gland (nāf). This scent represents direct, intuitive experience—an inner knowing that transcends the need for external proofs. The couplet states that this progression is inevitable (lājaram): sincere effort in following the tracks will always lead to the desired goal (kām), which is this direct perception of the Beloved.
The verse emphasizes that the initial, often laborious, stages of the path are not an end in themselves but a means to a more profound, intuitive connection. Gratitude for the 'footprints' is what allows the seeker to 'cut the distance short' and arrive at the 'desire'—the fragrant presence of the Divine itself.
- شکر گام
- Lit. 'thanks for the footstep/track'. In this context, it means being grateful for the initial, external signs and guidance on the spiritual path, and diligently following them.
- ره برید
- Lit. 'he cut the road'. An idiom for traversing a distance, often quickly. Here it implies making progress on the spiritual journey.
- لاجرم
- Inevitably, without a doubt, necessarily. An Arabic loanword emphasizing the certainty of the outcome if the condition (following the tracks) is met.
- کام
- Desire, wish, goal, the palate. Here it signifies the ultimate object of the seeker's longing. Rumi creates a pun with 'gām' (footstep), suggesting that the 'step' itself leads to the 'desire'.
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