M6:2272 — خاکها پر کرده دامن می‌کشند / تا کنند این چشمه‌ها را خشک‌بند

Translation: They pull their skirts, having filled them with dirt, So that they may block these springs dry. Meaning: Rumi observes that a faction of humanity, through heedlessness or misguidance, actively tries to obstruct the springs of divine mercy and truth by filling them with the worthless dust of worldly concerns.

This couplet presents a stark, yet profound, image of a segment of humanity that not only distances itself from the springs of divine mercy but also actively seeks to deprive others of them. I have often emphasized that Rumi posits two forms of life in this world: one steeped in suffering without true gain, and the other, a life of treasure unburdened by suffering. Regrettably, the majority choose the former. They are not merely oblivious to genuine treasures; they embark on a war against the vital springs of mercy and truth, using skirts full of trivial worldly attachments and worthless dirt to dry them up and block their flow.

As I’ve repeatedly stated, Rumi believes that seeking anything other than God is a form of self-diminishment. He declares: “To ask for aught but God from God, / Seems increase, but is utterly to subtract.” People delude themselves into thinking that accumulating worldly wealth, power, or status adds to their being. In reality, they become progressively thinner and more worn. The “dirt” that fills their skirts and is dragged towards these springs is nothing but these secondary desires and other-than-God preoccupations. These are the self-imposed veils that blind humanity and obscure truth from themselves.

However, Rumi, with his characteristic depth of insight, asserts the futility of such efforts. These are “springs aided by the sea” (cheshmeh-hā daryā madad). They draw sustenance from the boundless ocean of divine mercy and truth, and thus, can never be filled or dried up by mere handfuls of dirt. Their flow is eternal. The spring of mercy, though it may become “forbidden” (ḥarām)—meaning inaccessible—to the ignorant and heedless, never ceases its intrinsic gushing. This is a crucial point: the problem is not with the spring; it is with those who have deprived themselves of it.

Indeed, in subsequent verses, Rumi even lets the spring declare: “But it says, ‘I am closed to you, / Without you, I am eternally connected.’” This means, “I have shut my path to you, but I continue my being and flow for all eternity, whether you exist or not.” This spring symbolizes divine grace, gnosis, love, and truth—entities that cannot be obstructed by worldly machinations. It demonstrates that truth, while it may be temporarily obscured, is never destroyed and will always find its way to receptive hearts.

This situation is precisely what Rumi terms an “inverted nature” (ṭabʿ-i maʿkūs); people who, instead of pure water, consume dirt. Instead of associating with prophets and saints, they have made dragons their pillows. This inversion of the spiritual palate is a calamity brought upon humanity by heedlessness, depriving them of true blessings.

Key takeaways

• The attempt to obstruct springs of divine mercy and truth stems from human heedlessness and misguidance.
• The 'dirt' symbolizes worldly attachments and secondary desires that impede the perception of truth.
• Springs of truth are sustained by the boundless ocean of divine mercy and never dry up, even if some deprive themselves.
• The flow of truth and divine grace is eternal, independent of human presence or absence.
• This represents the 'inverted nature' of people whose spiritual palate is distorted, preferring dirt over pure water.