M6:2196 — گاو بشتابد ز بیم زخم سخت / نه برای بردن گردون و رخت

Translation: The cow rushes out of fear of a harsh wound, Not to carry the cart and its load. Meaning: This verse suggests that beings sometimes act not out of noble intentions or higher goals, but solely to escape suffering and preserve themselves. Yet, these actions inadvertently result in a service to the world and others.

This verse is a testament to Mawlana's profound insight into the order of existence and the flow of divine will in the world, what I have termed the 'inversion of reality.' It means that truth sometimes operates in a way that ostensibly differs from our expectations. What Mawlana articulates here is a deep sociological and psychological principle: our actions, even if stemming from entirely personal and selfish motives, can have vast and positive consequences for the entire cosmic order.

Mawlana provides the example of the cart-pulling cow: an animal drawing a wagon or cart. To prevent the tired animal from stopping, the drover spurs it with wounds and goads. This cow rushes forward, not out of willingness or the intention to help its owner, nor to deliver a load to its destination, but solely and exclusively out of fear of a harsh wound. The cow's only goal is to escape pain and suffering. Yet, the outcome of this flight from suffering is the pulling of the load and the turning of the wheels of existence.

This is, in essence, a reiteration of the point Mawlana had made earlier in the narrative of the tyrannical kings: 'God makes a ship of a king / So that he, out of his own greed, may strike at the ranks.' That king, too, goes to war not for the welfare of his subjects, but to consolidate his own power. Yet, the result of this greed is security and stability for the people. This resonates with the Quranic verse, 'And if God had not repelled some people by means of others, cloisters and churches and synagogues and mosques, in which the name of God is much remembered, would have been demolished.' God sets tyrants against each other, not through His direct will acting in competition with natural causes, but through human avarice and power-seeking itself. This struggle, though it has its harms, also yields benefits for others. The cow operates in the same manner; through its personal intention, it performs an act that benefits the collective.

I call this the 'reform of the world through self-interest.' Mawlana extends this idea to shopkeepers: 'Likewise, every merchant in their shop / Strives for themselves, not the world's reform / Yet the world is thereby reformed.' No shopkeeper opens their store with the intention of 'reforming the world'; each seeks their own personal profit. But it is precisely this pursuit of individual gain by millions that sustains the economic system and keeps the world thriving. Thus, we must understand that many universal benefits arise from small, particular intentions, without the agent having such an aim. This speaks to the profundity of divine wisdom, which orchestrates general good even from the depths of selfishness and fear. Pain and suffering (waja') also serve as tools in the hand of divine providence, so that beneficial outcomes may follow.

Key takeaways

• Our actions, even when driven by personal and selfish motives, can have collective and positive consequences.
• The order of existence is designed such that public good arises from individual desires and conflicts.
• The outcome of an action (pulling the cart) is entirely separate from the agent's intention (the cow); the purpose emanates from divine providence.
• This verse illustrates one form of 'inversion' or 'indirect management' in the cosmic order.
• Fear and suffering (fear of a harsh wound) can become a catalyst leading to beneficial outcomes.