M6:237 — چونک از هستی خود او دور شد / منتهای کار او محمود بد

Translation: Once he became far from his own hastī (self-assertive being), His ultimate outcome was praiseworthy. Meaning: This verse suggests that when a person detaches from their ego-driven selfhood and its inherent anxieties, their spiritual journey culminates in a commendable and lauded state.

This verse, at its core, unveils one of Rumi's most profound insights into the human psyche. He asserts that all human beings, without exception, flee from their ikhtiyār (free will) and their very hastī (being). Crucially, this hastī is not mere existence; rather, it signifies the ego-driven khodī (selfhood) that boasts of its independence and self-sufficiency. It is this boastful hastī that becomes the root of our fundamental anxieties and suffering. Rumi explicitly states that people consciously recognize this hastī as a fakh (trap) and that fikr-o-dhikr-e ikhtiyārī (voluntary thought and remembrance), when confined to the ego, feels like dozakh (hell).

I have emphasized for years that humanity is born with four foundational anxieties: the anxiety of death, loneliness, meaninglessness, and freedom/responsibility. These are the existential concerns arising from our very being, and to escape them, we resort to various methods of fleeing "from selfhood into selflessness" (az khodī dar bī-khodī). Some take refuge in mastī (intoxication), others in excessive shoghl (preoccupation) to lose themselves and avoid self-reflection. All these, in Rumi's view, are illusory and superficial solutions that prevent us from confronting the truth of our own being.

However, Rumi's verse points to the path of true liberation: "Once he became far from his own hastī." Becoming distant from this boastful hastī – from self-centeredness and egoism – signifies the attainment of genuine bī-khodī (selflessness). This bī-khodī is not absolute non-existence or annihilation, but rather a liberation from that aspect of our being that is a trap and a source of suffering. This process entails reducing attachments and egoistic expectations; it involves living simply (sāde-zīstī) and with contentment (qanāʿat), and minimizing life's choices to mitigate the anxieties of responsibility and freedom.

The consequence of this distancing from hastī is that "His ultimate outcome was praiseworthy." This mahmood (praiseworthy) signifies the salvation and tranquility achieved through liberation from the shackles of the khodī. This contrasts sharply with those who seek escape in intoxication or work, only to drown in true bīkārī (idleness, emptiness). But the one who transcends their false hastī attains a genuine and purposeful life, which is deemed praiseworthy in the eyes of truth. This distancing is not an abandonment of life's arena, but an entry into its authentic field, free from self-made anxieties and illusions.

Key takeaways

• In Rumi's discourse, hastī refers to ego-centric self-assertion, not mere existence.
• The root of humanity's four fundamental anxieties (death, loneliness, meaninglessness, freedom) lies in this false hastī.
• People often flee these anxieties through mastī (intoxication) or shoghl (preoccupation), which are temporary and superficial escapes.
• The true path to liberation is to "become far from one's hastī," meaning freedom from egoism and achieving genuine bī-khodī (selflessness).
• This liberation leads to a "praiseworthy" outcome, unlike the idleness of those immersed in heedlessness.
• Distancing oneself from hastī implies living simply and reducing attachments to alleviate the anxieties of responsibility and freedom.