M6:2386 — راه شد هر یک پرد مانند باد / سوی آن کز یاد آن پر می‌گشاد

Translation: The way opened, each one flew like the wind, Towards that, from the memory of which they had opened their wings. Meaning: Once the path for return was laid open, each of the travelers soared with the swiftness of the wind towards their true origin and ultimate destination – that very place whose memory had perpetually opened the wings of their longing and resolve.

This verse marks a pivotal moment and resolution in Rumi's allegorical tale within the Masnavi – the story of the three travelers: the Jew, the Christian, and the Muslim. They meet in a caravanserai, discover a piece of halva, and engage in an internal and external struggle over who gets to eat it, based on the dreams they experience. After each traveler recounts their dream, the moment for actual flight arrives.

Rumi, with this seemingly simple couplet, not only concludes that anecdote but also imparts a fundamental principle of his worldview. As I have often noted, Rumi holds that 'Man is entirely thought and motive, the rest is but bone and root' (M1:1000, ī barādar tū hamē andīshē-ī / mā baqī khwud ustukhwān u rīshē-ī, where andīshē is understood as 'motive' or 'intention'). Here, this principle is beautifully illustrated: when the 'way opened,' flight began. But flight towards what? 'Towards that, from the memory of which they had opened their wings.' This 'memory' (yād) is the most crucial word in the verse.

This yād is the primordial recollection of union, the innate instinct to return to one's 'original source' (aṣl-i khwīsh). As Rumi declares in the fourth verse of the first book: 'Whoever remains far from their origin / Seeks again the time of reunion' (M1:4). This memory is the internal driving force of humanity, the very 'will' or 'intention' (irāda) embodied in the term 'murīd' (disciple, literally 'one who wills'), contrasted with a mere 'ṭālib-i ʿilm' (seeker of knowledge). The true seekers of the spiritual path are those driven by this innate will, not simply by intellectual pursuit.

The phrase 'The way opened' (rāh shud) refers to an external opportunity or a divine decree. A cage might break, or destiny might clear a path; however, such external liberation is futile if there is no internal 'opening of wings' spurred by yād. The flight described here is 'like the wind' (mānand-i bād) – light, free, instantaneous, and brimming with longing. This embodies Rumi's 'light-souledness' (sabuk-rūḥī), a spiritual buoyancy that I frequently highlight. This lightness stems from one's attachment to their original source, not from an escape from the burdens of existence.

This parable of the journey, like many in the Masnavi, likens the world to a 'caravanserai.' People, though they may come from East, West, or 'beyond' (different realms) and appear to be together in a single cage or caravanserai, internally, each is soaring according to their true nature. As Rumi states, 'People walk uniformly in the marketplace / Half are in delight, and half in pain,' (M6:2386's immediate context) this world is full of mixtures, but this mixing is temporary. When the 'King of Intellect' (shāh-i khirad) breaks the cage, or the 'way opens,' each bird will fly towards its true nest and ultimate destination. A human's ultimate destination is determined not by the appearance of their deeds, but by the essence of their intentions and their deepest longings – that primordial 'memory' of union that spreads the wings and smooths the path of flight.

Key takeaways

• One's ultimate destination is determined by their innermost motives and longings, not by their outward actions.
• This verse marks the climax of the Three Travelers' tale, symbolizing each soul's return to its spiritual 'origin.'
• The 'memory' (yād) of primordial union is the fundamental driving force for spiritual flight and the longing for reunion.
• An open path (external opportunity) is fruitless without the internal 'opening of wings' (readiness and will).
• This world is a temporary caravanserai where companionships are fleeting, and the ultimate destination is a return to one's existential source.