Divinity within All Beings
The birds set out to find a king for themselves. Exactly like the Israelites in the Old Testament, they ask the wisest of them -- the hoopoe -- to elect for them a king to rule them, but the hoopoe tells them that they don't need a king. Instead, he sends them on a quest to find this legendary higher being, the Simorgh bird. After completing all the trials, the birds who remain arrive at the Simorgh's dwelling place only to discover that he existed within them the entire time. The principles of his divinity are found within each one of the other birds, so they were all capable of ruling the entire time. The hoopoe is attempting to teach the other birds the truth which he knows; divinity exists within all life. Rather than rule over one another, they should focus on making themselves worthy to live without a master, to be their own masters.
Enlightenment
The hoopoe is considered the most enlightened of all the birds. After years of work, he has discovered some important secrets of the universe, but he keeps them to himself. When they ask his advice, he sends them on a transformative journey. By the end, only a few have succeeded. They learn his secret -- enlightenment. They have been totally changed by their experiences so that they now recognize the divinity within themselves. They don't need to rely upon other people to direct their actions; they just need to accept responsibility for making themselves informed and virtuous enough to recognize the divinity of all beings. At the end of their quest, the birds all discover a sense of unity amongst themselves, recognizing the divine in their fellow birds. They learn to say "namaste" -- greeting the divine in you. Like a Buddhist teacher, the hoopoe has turned their original question around on them. They are told to focus on themselves instead of looking to other people to solve their problems, so when they look in the water for the Simorgh they see themselves staring back. At last, they've found the illusive god.
Sacrifice
The hoopoe has learned his wisdom through years of hard work and suffering. He knows that these other birds have not earned easy answers, so he sends them on this quest. By facing seven trials, they each must prove their worth in order to be rewarded with a true answer. Those that have perseverance and understanding make it to the reward, the Simorgh's land. Only the few who survive all the trials learn the truth, after great personal sacrifice. They experience ego death and arrive at a transcendental answer; none of it matters. The only thing which they needed to know the entire time is that they have the answers within themselves, which will be explained when they arrive at a place of humility and peace.
Spiritual Classes
The birds exist within a spiritual and social hierarchy. Having recognized the second aspect, they decide that they must have a king to rule them, a leader to direct their actions. They all believe that they are inferior -- which they are -- and that they must always remain so. The truth which the hoopoe demonstrate to them is that anyone can step up into a higher class, but it requires an ultimate sacrifice, giving up one's ego. In the end, the true spiritual classes are revealed as the successful travelers achieve enlightenment. If their peers had continued on their journey, they too would have ascended the ladder, but they gave up, indicating the true nature of their positions. They choose to be the lower class because they are unwilling to sacrifice what is demanded of them in order to become enlightened beings.
