M6:2051 — اشتهای گول‌گردی آمدت / یا ملولی وطن غالب شدت

Translation: Has the desire for aimless wandering (gool-gardi) come upon you? Or has the weariness of home (maluli-e vatan) overcome you?

Meaning: These lines are spoken by the Sheikh's wife, who scornfully asks the dervish if his journey is motivated merely by idle wandering or by a pervasive boredom with his homeland.

These verses are uttered by the wife of Sheikh Abul Hasan Kharraqani, addressing the dervish from Taleqan who has undertaken a long journey to visit the Sheikh. Her tone is sharp, sardonic, and dismissive, as she questions the dervish's arduous pilgrimage. The phrase "Has the desire for aimless wandering (gool-gardi) come upon you?" is, for Mowlana, synonymous with asking if the dervish's impulse is merely one of vagrancy and lack of purpose. The Sheikh's wife implies that this journey is not born of spiritual yearning but of idleness and lack of direction. She then continues with a contemptuous query: "Or has the weariness of home (maluli-e vatan) overcome you?" In other words, has he grown so bored with his own abode that he has embarked on this aimless path merely to escape that ennui?

I interpret this as Mowlana presenting the wife's words as sheer scorn and vitriol—a torrent of "navfarjām o fohsh o damdameh" (futile talk, curses, and bluster). The dervish, having endured such a difficult journey, expects a warm, spiritual reception, but instead encounters the Sheikh's wife's harshness and sarcasm. She dismisses his quest as either a fruitless ramble or an escape from personal boredom. This seemingly mundane, even hostile, interaction serves as a profound test for the dervish—a crucible for the sincerity of his intentions. It is here that Mowlana, with his unique artistry, subtly offers a critique of some self-proclaimed Sufis of his era, suggesting that many of their so-called spiritual journeys might have originated not from genuine seeking but from such "gool-gardi" or "maluli-e vatan."

Key takeaways

• This verse critiques superficial and non-spiritual motivations behind mystical journeys.
• Aimless wandering (gool-gardi) and boredom with one's homeland (maluli-e vatan) are presented as false motives for travel.
• The Sheikh's wife's harsh reaction acts as a test of the seeker's sincerity: is he truly seeking truth or merely escaping himself?
• Mowlana, even within narratives, subtly critiques false claimants of spiritual paths.