M6:324 — بنده باش و بر زمین رو چون سمند / چون جنازه نه که بر گردن برند

Translation: Be a servant, and walk the earth like a swift steed; Not like a corpse that people carry on their shoulders. Meaning: Rumi, in this couplet, urges humanity to be self-reliant and active, never becoming a burden on others. He likens those who impose themselves on society to lifeless corpses carried by others.

Mowlana, in this couplet from the sixth book of the Masnavi, issues a profound existential command with a resolute and uncompromising tone. He implores us to "Be a servant, and walk the earth like a swift steed," which I interpret as a call to humility (servitude) coupled with dynamism, agility, and power, much like a vigorous horse that covers its own path. My emphasis here is that this humility is intrinsically interwoven with individual activity and capability.

Conversely, Mowlana, with a distinct tone of reproach, presents the other side of the coin: "Not like a corpse that people carry on their shoulders." For me, this image of a corpse is a deep and multi-layered metaphor. On one level, it refers to an individual devoid of personal will, motionless and dependent on others. However, Mowlana himself explicitly expands this metaphor, identifying it as a representation of tyrannical rulers who, with all their lifelessness and inaction, impose themselves as a heavy burden on the people, weighing down nations. He denigrates and diminishes such individuals, for they have reduced life to being a burden on others. This state of being 'corpse-like' encompasses not only the passively indigent but also the despotic powerful who impose their very existence upon the nation's shoulders.

I have previously noted that Mowlana criticizes 'idleness' or kāheli. However, this kāheli must be properly understood. One type of kāheli, according to Mowlana, is the focused concentration on a primary task, discarding secondary ones, which he deems desirable. But another type, alluded to here, is actual laziness, shirking responsibility, and becoming a burden on others. This couplet specifically critiques this second, negative form of kāheli and dependency.

This perspective on self-reliance and non-solicitation is rooted in deeper teachings that Mowlana quotes from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH): "The Prophet said: If you desire Paradise from God, ask for nothing from anyone." This implies that if you seek Paradise, you should ask for nothing from anyone—not merely illicit requests, but even legitimate ones. This has an exoteric meaning of not asking from fellow humans. However, Mowlana, in the third book of the Masnavi, alludes to a more esoteric and profound meaning: not even asking from God, which he calls the 'Station of Contentment' (maqām-e reza). In this station, divine saints are so surrendered to divine decree that their tongues are 'tied from prayer,' for whatever comes from the Beloved is good, and seeking to alter circumstances is considered a form of discontent and disbelief in destiny. Therefore, if one, at the highest stage of spiritual journey, asks for nothing even from God, it is certainly not permissible to ask anything from humans and become a burden on them. This couplet, in essence, embodies the practical culmination of this ultimate self-reliance and non-solicitation.

Key takeaways

• Do not burden others; be self-reliant and independent.
• Live actively and agilely, not passively and motionless like a corpse.
• Mowlana cites tyrannical rulers as prime examples of 'corpses on people's shoulders.'
• Inaction and imposing one's burden on others constitute a form of existential degradation.
• This self-reliance stems from the high spiritual station of reza (contentment with divine decree), which transcends even asking from God.