The Teachings of Kirpal Singh

THE HOLY PATH
THE TEACHINGS OF
KIRPAL SINGH
The Complete Set of Fve Books Combned n One Volume
Compiled and selected from the writings of Kirpal Singh by Ruth Seader
RUHANI SATSANG DIVINE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL
THE HOLY PATH

THE HOLY PATH
ABOUT KIRPAL SINGH:

Consdered by many people who met hm n the East and n the West to have been a lvng example of a true Sant of Sprtualty, Krpal Sngh was born n a rural settng n Sayyad Kasran n the Punjab (then n Inda, now n Pakstan) on February 6, 1894. He followed the career of a cvl servant n the government of Inda, and retred on hs own penson n 1947. Followng nstructons from hs Master (Sawan Sngh J Maharaj, 1858-1948), he founded and drected RUHANI SATSANG. He was Commssoned by God and authorzed by hs Master to carry forward the sprtual work of contactng sncere seekers after God wth the WORD (or NAAM). He contnued n that capacty untl he left the earth plane on August 21, 1974. Elected four tmes, consecutvely, as Presdent of the World Fellowshp of Relgons, he upheld the truth that, though the varous relgons are dfferent schools of thought, the Am of all relgons s One and the Same. Krpal Sngh vsted the major ctes n the Unted States on the occasons of each of hs three world tours: n 1955, n 1963-64, and agan n 1972, stayng n ths country for three months or more, each tme. From hs ntense study at the feet of Sawan Sngh J Maharaj and from hs own personal nner experences of a sprtual nature, Krpal Sngh was emnently qualfed to convey to sncere people everywhere the mportance of self knowledge and God realzaton.

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I have written books without any copyrightno rights reserved because it is a Gift of God, given by God, as much as sunlight; other gifts of God are also free. from a talk by Krpal Sngh, wth the author of a book after a talk to students of relgon at Santa Clara Unversty, San Jose, Calforna on November 16, 1972. Asde from punctuaton and captalzaton correctons, no changes have been made to the text of ths book. It s exactly the same as what was approved by Master Krpal Sngh.
Ths Edton publshed n 2009 by: RUHANI SATSANG DIVINE SCIENCE OF THE SOUL 250 H Street, #50 Blane, WA 98230-4018 USA www.RuhanSatsangUSA.org Tel: 1(888) 530-1555 ISBN # 978-0-942735-33-8
Prnted n the Unted States by Prnt Graphcs Pros (949) 859-3845
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Krpal Sngh (1894-1974)
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Sawan Sngh (1858-1948)
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Dedicated to the Almighty God working through all Masters who have come and Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj at whose lotus feet the author imbibed sweet elixir of Holy Naam the Word
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Sant Krpal Sngh passed on from ths earth n 1974. As such, He s no longer takng on new people to gude out of ths world and back to God. He left many books that explan, as much as can be n a worldly language, the meanng of lfe. The books and the Ruhan Satsang web-ste http://www. RuhanSatsangUSA.org are mantaned to help str an nterest n God and to help people know what to look for n ther search for the way back home. When asked about a successor, we can only offer ths quote from the Master: Today there is a great awakening beginning. Some have got the answer, some have not, but the search to solve the mystery of life has been born all over the world. The day that question arises in the mind is the greatest day of ones life, for once it is born, it does not succumb until it is satisfied. So, make your life an example of the teachings you follow live up to them. If you have a strong desire to get it, then God Himself will make the arrangements for you.
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Preface
hen our beloved Master Sant Krpal Sngh J graced our shores wth Hs bengn presence n 1972, fve manuscrpts contanng a categorzed complaton of Masters wrtngs were gven to Hm n Phladelpha for Hs approval wth the request that possbly some addtons should be added to them from the tour. In Sant Ban Ashram some two weeks later, t seemed to me that Master should not read the books now, but wat for the revsons and addtons. I went to the Master to see f the books could be returned. Master was sttng on Hs bed n the beautful house the dear ones had lovngly bult for Hm at the ashram. The fve books were on Hs nght table. I found that Master had already read the books; I was qute surprsed. Wth Hs busy schedule n New York, Boston and at Sant Ban, when dd He fnd tme? He told me that the three books should be prnted. I sad, Master, there are fve books. Master looked at me wth a surprsed yet playful expresson and sad questonngly, Fve books, let me see. Wth that, He took each of the fve books, one by one, and started countng slowly one... two... three... four... fve... Master looked at each book very long and hard, wth Hs full and concentrated attenton. I realzed that Master was chargng each book, the words of whch were already charged as they came from prevously
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prnted dscourses. He counted them once, and then recounted them, slowly and carefully. He shook Hs head and sad, Yes, there are fve books, addng, These books wll help many people. Later, on three separate occasons, Master agan sad three books and I sad, No Master, there are fve books. After two years there came the realzaton that the fve manuscrpts would best be released and prnted n three volumes: Book I: The Holy Path; Book II: Diary/Meditation; Book III: New Life in the World/New Life in God. The lesson: when the Master takes fve books n Hs holy hands and says, three books, you know t for certan as you gaze on the fve books that there are really three books there. The Master s always rght. RUTH SEADER
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Table of Contents
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. Mans Plght: Attachment to the World .................3 At the Mercy of the Mnd and Senses ...................7 The Way Out: Guru, The Greatest Gft of God ...15 Apra-Vdya and Para-Vdya ................................30 The Holy Path: Surat Shabd Yoga .......................32 Intaton: The Awakenng ...................................34 Medtaton: All Is Wthn .....................................41 Satsang: To St In Hs Presence ...........................42 Prayer: Your Dalogue Wth God ........................50 The Commtment: Responsblty of Intaton ...55 Self Evaluaton: The New Drecton ...................60 Obedence ............................................................64 Testng The Dscple ............................................72 Tme Factor s a Necessty...................................73 Karma: The Wheel That Bnds ............................75 Turnng From The Path .......................................83 To Invoke Hs Grace ............................................88 BOOK ONE
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SELF-INTROSPECTION
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Importance of Keepng the Dary .......................99 Self-Introspecton and Man-Makng ................101 Attachment ........................................................108 The Importance of Beng Self-Centered...........109 Change Your Ways............................................ 113 Tme Factor ....................................................... 118 The Need For Prayer and Effort ....................... 119 Purfcaton ......................................................122 How To Do Your Dary.....................................124 Ahmsa ..............................................................129 Truthfulness ......................................................137 Chastty: Brahmcharya .....................................139 Love For All......................................................153 Det....................................................................159 Drugs .................................................................163 Selfless Servce: Physcal .................................164 Selfless Servce: Fnancal ................................169 Sprtual Practces: Medtaton .........................171 Concentraton of Sprt Current ........................175
BOOK TWO
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MEDITATION
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. The Importance of Medtaton ..........................183 The Change of Drecton ..................................188 The Need for a Guru .........................................190 Shabd ................................................................192 Benefts of Communon wth Naam ................198 Helpng Factors .................................................207 Regularty..........................................................213 Create New Habts ............................................216 Sprtual Background Plays a Part ....................219 Tme Element for Development .......................220 Patence and Perseverance ................................222 Smran ...............................................................223 Wthdrawal: Rsng Above Body Conscousness .........................................225 Guru Dev: Radant Form of the Master ...........228 Dffcultes n Medtaton .................................231 How to Overcome Inaccuraces n Medtaton .....................................................241 Dangers and Ptfalls on the Way ......................244 Dry Spells .........................................................247 Retardng Factors ..............................................249 Mnd: Defnton ...............................................251
BOOK THREE
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21. 22. 23. 24. 25.
Intellect .............................................................252 Attrbutes of Mnd ............................................254 Obstacles of the Mnd .......................................257 Befrend of the Mnd ........................................264 Stllng the Mnd ...............................................268 BOOK FOUR
THE NEW LIFE IN THE WORLD

1. True Lvng. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Worldly Attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Stay n the World: An Inner Detachment s Needed . . . . . . . . . . . 4. True Lvng: to World and to God . . . . . . . . . . 5. Rght Thoughts, Rght Actons. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Famly. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Marrage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8. On Rasng Chldren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9. Protecton to Famly and Frends . . . . . . . . . . . 10. Det . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. Sckness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12. Adversty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13. Morbdty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14. Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15. A Dscplned Lfe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16. Assocaton wth People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277 282 287 289 293 302 307 313 315 315 320 322 326 327 328 330
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17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rches, Responsblty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gfts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Relgon and Rtual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mracles and Yogc Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sprtual Healng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Other Yogc Powers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Astrology, Rencarnaton Investgatons, I Chng . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . On Mltary Servce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Correspondence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hearng Shabd Before Intaton . . . . . . . . . . . Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . It s a Noble Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BOOK FIVE
333 335 336 337 340 341 344 347 350 351 352 353 353 354 354 355
THE NEW LIFE IN GOD

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smran . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . God's Grace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367 385 396 400 402
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6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.
Prayer and Grattude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Humlty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Devoton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Impedments to Devoton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Words of the Master. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Physcal Presence of the Master . . . . . . . . Receptvty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lve n God's Wll: Become a Conscous Co-Worker of the Dvne Plan. . . . . 14. Self-Surrender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15. From Master's Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References Book One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References Book Two . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References Book Three . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References Book Four. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . References Book Fve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Books and Booklets by Krpal Sngh . . . . . . . .
404 404 409 412 416 421 423 434 444 452 459 461 463 465 467 471
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THE HOLY PATH

BOOK ONE
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MANS PLIGHT:THE HOLY PATH THE WORLD ATTACHMENT TO
The Holy Path

O ALL TRUE MASTERS say that realzng God s a smple matterWhat s there to realzng the Lord? Just uproot the attenton from here and plant t there. It s smply a matter of wthdrawng and gatherng together the scattered attenton.1 The whole thng depends upon your attenton, or surat as t s called, whch s the outward expresson of your soul. Wherever you keep t engaged or attached, those very thoughts wll always be reverberatng wthn you. We have to make the best use of thngs of course, but we are not to become attached to them. If we can only attach our soul to somethng hgher wthn us, we would be alrght. But, f our attenton s dverted through the outgong facultes so much so that t becomes dentfed wth the outer thngs, what s the result? You cannot wthdraw your attenton from them. It s a queston of the attenton or surat, whether you keep t engaged to the outsde thngs or nvert and attach t to your Overself. So for that, you must see where you are drven away through the outgong facultes of seeng, hearng, smellng, taste and touch. These are the fve outgong facultes workng through the fve physcal outlets. Unless these are wthdrawn
Mans Plight: Attachment to the World
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from outsde, you wll not be able to have some awareness of your own self or be able to contact the Hgher Self or God wthn you, whch s Lght and Sound Prncple.2 Whatever you do whether for one day, two days, ten days, a month or two naturally becomes a habt. Habt s strengthened nto nature. If you want to go to one place, and you are attached somewhere else, your mnd wll go one way whle your feet wll go the other way. You know what s needed? God s wthn you, but unless you wthdraw from outsde, how can you contact Hm? If you are attached to outsde thngs you cannot wthdraw from outsde. If you leave ths buldng you are the same. When you leave ths body you are not changed. You are what you are now. After leavng the body you cannot become a learned man. 3 If you are attached here whle lvng n the world, your attenton wll stll be n the world even after leavng the body. Where wll you go? Where you are attached. Where should we attach ourself? The soul s a conscous entty; t should be attached to the Overself, whch s all Conscousness, even n lfe. Then whle remanng n the world you wont be attached to the world. You wll be n the world and yet out of t. When you leave the body, you wll go to the feet of the Lord.4 As long as we reman wth the body, the body s glorfed, but we are prsoners wthn t and reman so untl we are released by the Controllng Power.
MANS PLIGHT:THE HOLY PATHTO THE WORLD ATTACHMENT
And how can ths Power be experenced? It cannot be known by the senses, for whle the senses, mnd and ntellect are not stll, there s no experence. So God cannot be known by senses, mnd, ntellect, or even pranas. He can be experenced by the soul alone, when practcally, through self-analyss, the soul comes to know tself. By separatng matter from conscousness, we can learn what t s that controls all our facultes. You can say that we come to know the attenton, for wthout the attenton even the senses do not work. You wll have notced, for nstance, that f your attenton s fully focused on somethng, you wll not hear f anyone calls you.5 So we must have control over all our outgong facultes. We should be able to use them when we requre, not to be dragged outsde. It s for ths reason that the dares are ntended. You must know where you are attached. You are gven some contact wthn by the grace of God. You see the Lght of God wthn you, hear the Sound Prncple. When you turn your whole attenton to the Sound Current, t wll, lke a touchstone, drag you up. Even those who are gven a contact wth the Lord wthn wll lose t f they do not keep ther self-restrant. Only f you have some control over yourself, can you drect your attenton wherever you lke.6 So we are here to make the best use of all outward thngs, but not to be attached to them. We should make them a steppng stone to reach the Hgher Self. If you are addcted to or become dentfed wth any
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enjoyments outsde, so much so that you cannot even wthdraw from them, then how can you nvert and have that contact wthn you wth God, whch s gven at the tme of ntaton? So these outer facultes should be under our control. Whenever we lke, we should make the best use of them, but they should not drag us out.7 When you see for yourself that you are the ndweller of the physcal house and not the dwellng house tself, whch you tenacously beleved htherto, your angle of vson s altogether changed, and you begn to see everythng n a dfferent vson. You can understand ths more clearly from a sngle example. It s the reflecton of your own soul current when attached to anythng that gves you a feelng of pleasure or enjoyment. You are sttng n an opera house enjoyng the show, along wth others sttng around you. The play s on and everybody s mmersed n the so-called pleasure. All of a sudden a messenger comes to the hall and breaks the news to you that your son has accdentally fallen from the housetop and s lyng unconscous because of a severe shock. In spte of ths harrowng news the play s gong on as t was, but your attenton s dstracted and you are overtaken by sorrow and remorse on account of the great attachment to your dear son who has been hurt, wth the result that the same nce show whch so much engrossed your attenton s now nspd and vod of all pleasure. It shows that the pleasure was not nherent n the
AT THE MERCY OFHOLY MIND AND SENSES THE THE PATH
show but was just the reflecton of your own snglemnded attenton that you had bestowed upon t. Ths very prncple works everywhere and at all tmes. The Master knows t and sees t workng as vvdly as we see each other. Now He comes to our rescue and tells us to bnd our attenton wth somethng whch s of a permanent nature and enjoy everlastng happness or blss. All that we see wth the ad of our physcal eyes s n a perpetual flux and s constantly changng n form and color. 8 That whch we beleve s gvng us satsfacton s not true; t s merely that our attenton s there and the enjoyment comes from that, so happness s not n the thng but n ourselves. How can pure conscousness (the soul) get any happness out of matter?9
At the Mercy of the Mind and Senses
HE LORD s not separate from us and we are not separate from Hm, but, because of extroverson at the plane of senses, we have lost our dentty. What s requred s that we should dsengage our attenton from worldly pursuts and tap nsde as Emerson calls t. Ths s the act of recedng back. Ths does not mean that we should suppress our senses, but they should be channelzed n such a way so as to assst the sprt on the physcal plane as well as on the nner.10
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Mnd n ts present state s burdened wth a huge karmic load of past lves. It s enthralled by the outgong facultes of senses and s thus drven helplessly nto the mre of sense-gratfcaton. The alphabet of sprtual progress commences wth the control of mnd. It s sad that, unless mnd s stlled, we cannot have experence of Self-realzaton. The human body s just lke a charot wheren soul s the rder, mnd s the drver, ntellect s the rens, and senses are the powerful steeds runnng amuck n the mre of sensuous gratfcaton. It s for ths reason that for havng a retrace of the facts, the senses are to be dscplned, ntellect stlled, and mnd controlled so that the nner experence of the soul can be had. Mnd s accustomed to roam about externally through ages. Unless t s offered somethng more joyous wthn, t cannot be controlled. The four man attrbutes of mnd have to be dvnzed before any perceptble rght understandng of the subject can be arrved at. Just as at the present we are so greatly mpressed by the facts of externalty of lfe that we have lttle or no knowledge of hgher sprtual truths full of Dvne beattude, whch s gross gnorance; smlarly, unless we have frm convcton of ths lfe of the Beyond, there s no hope of our mnd takng the rght turn. It s only n the presence of the Lvng Master, who has full command and control of Hs mnd, that we fnd radant reflectons of nner stllness and equpose of the mnd. A Sant has exclamed aptly:
If you are firmly resolved to proceed to the Beloved Lord, you should put one foot on the mind and the other will enable you to reach the alley of the Friend.11 Self s the frend of self and self s the foe of self. The mnd, actng as a slave to the senses, runnng after the sense-objects, debases tself. As a reckless sower of the karmic seeds, t has, per force, to reap and garner an abundant harvest, n lfe after lfe, n an endless seres. The poor soul, n the lght and lfe of whch the mnd works, s hopelessly and helplessly relegated to the background, and the mnd assumes the supreme command of the ctadel of the body. What a pty! The prncess of the royal blood s swayed by the wles of a trckster who hmself s beng pleasurably duped by the sren songs of the senses and, s unwttngly dancng to ther tunes on the stage of mundane lfe. No wonder that t poses a menace to the securty and ntegrty of the soul, runnng a handcap race wth formdable, and at tmes, nsurmountable hurdles n the way. We have, therefore, to subdue ths nveterate foe before we can smoothly tread the sprtual path. To subdue the mnd by force s mpractcal. It has to be won over steadly by persuason and by gvng t some fore-taste of the real happness whch a Master Sant alone can do.12 Human mnd s so fashoned by Provdence that t does not lke to be captvated. It s ever restless unless t reaches ts true abode. It s an agent of the Negatve Power ted to each soul and wll not allow the latter to
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proceed to the True Home of the Father. The Masters nstruct us for tamng t for the hgher purpose of sprtual progress. As a matter of fact, mnd s helpless aganst the onslaught of senses, whch are n ther turn drven nto the jungle of gratfcaton. A careful analyss wll show that the lower categores of creaton, who are endowed wth one sense prevalng as uppermost, are done to death or lve ther whole lfe under captvty. For nstance, the moth s overwhelmngly fond of lght on account of ts sense of sght, whch takes ts precous lfe. A moth wll never hestate to burn tself on the burnng candle. Flower-fly s fond of smell and outer fragrance. It rushes on to the blossomng flowers and prefers to de n t than leave t. Fsh s the fastest creature and enjoys ts lfe n runnng waters. It has weakness of taste or lure of tongue. The fsh-catchers put some eatable on the rod and the fsh s caught helplessly on the hook and serves as eatable. Deer s one of the most nmble-footed anmals whch can rarely be overtaken by a horse, but t has a weakness for hearng. The hunters go to the wood and beat the drum n such an enchantng manner that, unaware, the deer s rresstbly drven near, and places ts head on the drum and loses ts freedom for lfetme. Elephant s one of the mghtest creatures but t has the weakness of lust whch provdes for a not very dffcult way of capturng t by dggng deep pts n the jungle and coverng them wth grass and bushes. An artfcal she-elephant, lke a decoy, s placed over t. The lustful anmal rushes towards t and s thrown
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nto the deep well, where t s kept for several days hungry and thrsty. When t s taken out, t s so weak and feeble that t s put under the ron goad for the entre lfe. From all ths, t s pretty clear that the souls whch are consdered as bound n lower forms of creaton are so much over-powered by one sense. Where les the safety of human souls who are endlessly entced by all the fve powerful senses of sght, smell, sound, taste, and touch? By sheer habt t has become mred, roamng the world over lke a wld elephant n a forest. Feedng fat on the lusts of the flesh, from moment to moment, t has grown out of all proportons. The sprtual dscplnes are rksome and gallng to t, for they mpose serous restrants on ts free movement. Ths s why the mnd does not relsh any dscplne, and plays all knds of trcks to evade them, posng at tmes as an honest broker pleadng on behalf of our frends and relatons and whsperng sermons on our dutes and oblgatons towards the world n vared aspects of lfe. Unless one s very vglant and s equpped wth a quck dscernment, one fals to see through ts pranks and falls an easy prey to them. It s the outstretched gracous hand of the Master whch helps us to wade through jungles of sensuous wlderness. Ethcal dscplne, f cultvated under the protectve gudance of the Master, s helpful for sprtual progress. Ethcs and sprtualty go hand n hand. The former s the sol and the latter the seed whch thrves and blooms n favorable crcumstances.13
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THE HOLY PATH
The human form, because of the soul wthn t, s the hghest n all creaton and s accepted as the form next to God. It s next to God, a part of God, havng the same nature, s tself a conscous entty, and yet wth all ths, t s full of msery. Havng ted tself to the mnd, the passons and attachments of the senses are draggng t from one place to another. The pleasures of the world control the senses, the senses control the mnd, and the mnd controls the ntellect. Ths process s called Kam (passonate desres and other appettes). Kam also means work, and f we put ths desre or drve nto reverse and become engaged n the opposte type of work, then we wll acheve the true peace of beng. A true Master always prays, Oh Lord, keep my ntellect n Your control. At present the whole system s wrong, for the horse should have been pullng the cart, but nstead the cart s n front. The soul should be gvng strength to the mnd as and how t wshes, but the mnd, ntellect, and senses are stealng the strength, wth the soul a helpless slave to them. It s all wrong. That s why Masters have advsed Know thyself, for t s the only way to cut the evl from the root. Have you been able to control your senses and make them do whatever you wsh, stoppng ther acton whenever you desre to? Have you reached that stage? A certan pece of machnery has an electrc motor whch s connected to the powerhouse. There are many sectons comprsng ths machne, and one can swtch off any secton n a second. Smlarly, we should be
12
n control of our beng, and be able to swtch off our whole machnery f we wsh to.14 God s wthn you, He s not to come from outsde. It s your I-hood or ego that stands n the way. Ths ego comes up when you are conscous of the body, whether physcal, astral, or causal. When you rse above the physcal body, the physcal I-hood s elmnated. When you rse above the astral body, you lose the astral I-hood. When you rse above the causal body, then you wll completely understand who you are. Your wll s the wll of the Lord. The Lords wll s wthn you. 15 When we come to ths world the greatest knowledge we can have s that only n the physcal form can we realze the Truth or God. How can we know God? He cannot be known through the senses, mnd, ntellect, or through the pranas (vtal ars). If God s to be realzed, only the soul can do t. When can the soul get ths experence of realzaton? When t has freed tself from the mnd and the senses.16 As long as we do not have an nner experence of the soul, we reman n utter darkness. Booksh knowledge becomes a headache as t draws the mnd out nto the world through the senses and makes us feel dentfed wth the senses by constant assocaton wth the world. On the contrary, self-knowledge satsfes the nnate cravng and hunger of the soul for peace and happness. All that we need learn s the Book of Man, for the greatest study of man s man.17
13
THE HOLY PATH
We frequently see the lfeless physcal forms beng taken to the crematon ground and have perhaps on occason lt the flame wth our own hands, but t has never occurred to us that we wll also de one day. Ths can also be attrbuted to the fact that, beng the reflecton of the Truth, we consder we are eternal and all happness. God s all blss. We also want all happness, and for ths reason we are constantly searchng for t. How long does our earthly joy last? For as long as our attenton, whch s happness, s attached to the source of t. It may be a good thng or a bad thng, but by puttng our attenton there we get some joy out of t, because essentally we are all blss ourselves. Why are we not fully aware of ths nnate nature? Because we have forgotten who we are. The start of all ths forgetfulness was the brth nto the physcal form. Ths body s the orgn of lluson. We are not the bodywe are the ndweller. The body s attractve because we (the soul) are enlvenng t. We are surrounded by the senses, and wth ad of the ntellect we attempt to thnk of a solutonbut f only we would awaken wthn ourselves. . . The whole world s asleep through attachment and forgetfulness; all s lluson. Beng dentfed wth the body, the soul loses tself n attachment more and more, creatng a new world for tselfa world of deluson, derved by seeng thngs n dfferent appearance than they actually are. We thnk that the body and all ts surroundngs are part of the Truthand ths s a deluson. Can we not observe that the body and ts condtons are never
14
THE WAY OUT: GURU, HOLY PATH THE THE GREATEST GIFT OF GOD
consstent? How can one who has become an mage of the body and s ndulgng n outer practces expect to rse above the body? There s only one soluton, and that s to search out one who has hmself escaped from the lluson; t s an mpossblty for us to free ourselves.18
The Way Out: Guru, the Greatest Gift of God

N GURU NANAKS Jap Ji Sahib, he tells us: There is One Reality, the Unmanifest
Manifested; Ever-Existent, He is Naam, the Creator, pervading all; Without fear, without enmity, the Timeless, The Unborn, Self-existent, complete within itself. Through the favor of His true servant, the Guru, He may be realized.19
The truest rches and the greatest gft of God s the Godman, the person who, havng realzed hmself, s establshed n hs Godhead. He s n a sense a polarzed God or pole from whch God manfests Hmself amongst Hs people. Lmtless and nfnte as God s, He s beyond comprehenson by fnte powers of percepton. He can, however, be apprehended n the Master somewhat as a vast sea can be apprehended at the beach wth bathng ghats, where sea waters gently flow n so bathers can have a safe dp.
15
THE HOLY PATH
As lke attracts lke, man must of necessty have man as hs teacher, for no one else can teach hm. The way to God, therefore, les through man. Some Godman alone can tell us of the Way out from the world and a Way n nto the Kngdom of God, now a lost provnce to manknd n general. The fall of man was brought about by man, and the regeneraton of man too s to be brought about by man. But there s a world of dfference between man and Man the latter beng God-n-man.20 When people see the Guru lvng lke an ordnary human beng, eatng, drnkng, etc., they become careless n thought and respect. You should always remember that a Masters lfe s two-n-one. He s the son of man, acceptng all as brothers, havng no ll thought for anyone, lvng lke a true human beng, sharng happness and msery wth others. He also suffers n the sadness of others, and sometmes sheds tears of sympathy too. But, as hs true Self, he leads the souls wthn and up. Those unfortunate people who consder hm merely a man reman at the level of man and lose the golden opportunty.21 The greatest prayer a person can therefore offer to God s that He may, n Hs unbounded mercy, establsh hs contact wth Hs prophets who may lead hm Godward. The Godman or the Prophet shows hm the waythe Grand Trunk Road that leads to God. It s nothng but the Sound Current or Sound Prncple, dfferently called by dfferent sages: the Word or the Holy Sprt by the Chrstans; Kalma, Bang-e-Asman
16
THE WAY OUT: GURU, THE GREATEST GIFT OF GOD THE HOLY PATH
or Nda-e-Arsh by the Mohammedans; Udgt, Akash Ban, Naad or Srut by the Hndus; and Shabd or Naam by the Skhs.22 Zoroaster calls t Sraosha and the Theosophsts The Voce of the Slence. Chrst speaks of t as The Voce of the Son of God. God overflows n the Guru and untes man wth the Word to reach back to hs true Home. Ths Sound Current s the means to salvaton. It s the Master Key that unlocks the Kngdom of Heaven. It bestows lfe eternal on man and restores hm once agan to the Garden of Eden from whch he was drven away by dsobedence to God. What greater boon can a man seek from God but restoraton to the Kngdom lost by hm? It marks the end of hs long exle through countless centures as He hals back the lost sheep to Hs fold. The Master s the knd shepherd who, out of compasson, does all ths for errng humanty. Such hgh souls hold a commsson from the Most Hgh.23 No longer s he an exle n the world but an nhertor of the Kngdom of God, establshed once more n hs natve Godhead. Ths s the true fulfllment of the covenant between God and man, and the true resurrecton or rsng from the dead as vouchsafed by the Son of God to man. Ths s the fulfllment of Gods Law and the purpose of human brth. Heren les the greatness of Mastersouls. They effect a reunon between man and God. The long-drawn perod of separaton comes to an end, and the lost chld s restored once agan to the Father. It marks the Grand Homecomng through
17
THE HOLY PATH
endless trals and trbulatons. The Savng Grace of God s strred by the Godman and the purpose of lfe s fulflled. Henceforth, the Son and the Father are not only reconcled but become one.24 It s a queston of graftnggraftng a branch of one tree nto another tree. What happens? The frut of the second tree, whle retanng the shape and color of ts own, acqures the taste and flavor of the other. Ths s exactly what happens when the Guru-power or lfempulse of the Guru works upon the dscple. Whle remanng as before, the dscple s now no longer hs prevous self, for he has been bought wth a ransom. To be one wth God (Fana-fil-allah) one has frst to be one wth the Godman (Fana-fil-sheikh). Ths s the easest way to reach God.25 We have as yet no experence of God, and have therefore no concepton of Hm nor of Hs powers. Our knowledge of Hm, however lttle t may be, s a secondary one derved from the study of books or heard from persons as gnorant of Hm as we are. In such a state we can contemplate nothng. But there may be a person who may have drect knowledge of God and be nwardly n tune wth the nfnte. There s a pecular charm n Hs company. Hs weghty words of wsdom at once snk deep nto the mnd. Hs utterances, charged wth Hs power, have a magnetc nfluence. One feels a knd of serenty and an nward calm n hs holy presence. He does not reason of God. He smply talks of Hm wth authorty, because he has a frst-hand knowledge of Hm and conscously lves
18
n Hm every moment of hs lfe. Such a person may be termed a Prophet, a Messah, or a Godman. The Gospel tells us that God speaks through Hs Prophets or the chosen ones. It s but a natural thng. Man alone can be a teacher of man, and for Gods scence we must have some Godman to teach us that. Sant Satguru s the pole from where Gods lght s reflected. From hm alone we can know of the path leadng to God; and he can be a sure gude who can be depended upon, n weal or woe, both here and hereafter. From what has been sad above, t naturally follows that Godman or Sant Satguru s the rght person to be approached n the frst place and to whom all our prayers should be addressed. Fath s the keynote of success n all our endeavors. We must, then, have frm and full fath n the competency of the Master. Wth love and humlty we must make an approach to Hm f we want to make a begnnng n the sprtual scence. We must pray to hm sncerely from the depth of our heart. We should thnk t fortunate ndeed f n Hs grace He accepts us for mpartng knowledge of self and knowledge of Godwhch n fact s the seed-knowledge from whch all knowledge sprngs.26 We should go to the Satguru and plead to Hm to take us out of hereHe has the love, and we are prsonersHe also has come as a prsoner, just for our sakesHe put on ths bag of flth, ths human form, just to release us. O Satguru, f you do not help us, then who can?
19
THE HOLY PATH
He who has left the house and s standng on the roof can catch hold of anothers hand and drag hm up. The powerful Guru drags the soul out. By gvng a boost, the complete Master gves an experence of rsng above the body conscousness. We need ths help, otherwse how would we rse above by ourselves? We get an nner contact and a taste of the Maha RasGreater Nectar whch wthdraws one completely from the outer attractons. So wth Naam, the mnd can be controlled. And to receve connecton wth Naam, one must go to the Satguru.27 How does one determne a Great Master? Swam J Maharaj, n Sar Bachan, has answered ths queston very beautfully. He exhorts that as and when you hear about a Sant or Master, just go to Hm and n deep humlty and reverence st near Hm. Just look nto hs eyes and forehead lke a chld wth deep receptvty. You wll feel an upward pull of the soul and dvne radaton from Hs eyes and forehead; besdes, f you have any questons n your heart, these wll be answered automatcally by Hs dscourse wthout your effort. Over and above all, the testng crteron for the Perfect Master s to have the conscous contact of holy Naam wthn, the lowest lnks of whch n the form of Dvne Lght and holy Sound Current must be had on ntaton. Agan he should be competent to afford gudance for hs ntates n the astral plane and must protect the soul at the tme of ther physcal death.28 . . . When you go to a God-realzed man wth
20
full sncerty and humlty, queston hm as much as you lke, and when you are satsfed take hs path and work for t. You should also remember that no true Master wll mpose hs wll on anyone, but he wll develop ones better understandng untl the subject has some appeal.29 Man hestates and fears to approach a Master Sant because hs lvng s tarnshed, maybe less n one and more n another. Never fear to go to a Master Sant because you are a snner. He s meant more for snners than for others. He has a remedy for every wound. Approach hm and through hm wll be found a way to become rd of sn. If one s far away, he can be contacted through correspondence. He has means and methods to meet every case. He s competent.30 Godmen come nto the world not to make any new laws, nor to destroy the laws as they exst, but only to uphold the unversal dvne law, unchangeable as t s. Ther message s one of hope, fulfllment, and redempton for those n search of the dvne n man and, as such, they consttute a great cementng force transcendng all denomnatonal creeds and faths and presentng a workable way out of theoretcal polemcs of the so-called relgous strongholds. They soar hgh nto the ethereal atmosphere of the sprt and lke a skylark establsh an abdng lnk between the mundane lfe on earth and the free and untarnshed sprtual haven. All relgons are thers and yet none bnds them, for they place before humanty what s essentally sublme n essence at the core of each.31
21
THE HOLY PATH
They do not come to establsh a new relgon and they preach from no partcular scrpt; from ther celestal abode they come wth a law pecular unto themselves, and ths s why the worldly people often fal to understand them. As for the strct trals and tests of ftness, t s gratfyng to know that these have been done away wth durng ths Kal Yuga (Iron Age); but whenever necessary they do put searchng questons to the asprants.32 The Master always speaks wth an authorty born of convcton for he has a frst-hand knowledge of everythng, whch comes from hs drect communon wth the Unversal Cause or Orgnal Source.33 Every word uttered by a Sant s pregnant wth unalterable truth whch les far beyond the human ken. They are the mouthpiece of God and whatever they utter comes to them from above, Though it may appear to be coming from mortal throats.34 Whoever has a sncere yearnng for the Lord wll most defntely get Hm. Many wll say, I want God, but they should analyze ther desre and see why they are wantng God. It wll be dscovered that they really want the health of ther chldren, wealth, name and fame, the removal of ther unhappness, or peace n the hereafter, and many other thngs. Everyone seeks solcted favors; no one really wants God and God alone. All cry out for worldly satsfacton, and God goes on grantng ther wshes. The Father Krpal
22
(Mercful) has ordered thus: Whatever a chld wants, he shall be gven. And he who truly desres the Lord and the Lord alonemost defntely he wll get hs hearts desre. Such sngle-ponted devoton s the deal condton for realzng the Lord. I do not want Swarg (heaven) or Vankunt (hgher heaven); I only want to repose in the lotus feet of my Guru. How can one reach God f one desres the fruts of ths world or the next? Comb your heart and fnd out f you truly want the Lord. True desre does exst, but t s very rare.35 The frst thng for man s to rse to Gods level. In the Godman, God s fully manfested. If we become Guruman, we rse to the level of God, and we begn to see the power and sprt of God n hm. We can nether vsualze God nor contemplate Hm, as He s formless. In the Guru, He assumes a form. Devoton to Guru then s devoton to God n hm. Guru, n fact, s not the body but the Godpower workng n and through that body. He s the human pole on whch the Dvne Power works and carres on the work of regeneraton. Ths power nether takes brth nor does t de. It eternally remans the same.36 You may call Hm by any name you lkeGuru, Sadhu, Mahatma, Master, or anythng else. When they asked Hazur what to call hm, he sad, Call me brother, or thnk of me as a teacher, or equal to your
23
THE HOLY PATH
father, but lve accordng to my advce; and when you reach the hgher regons and see there the glory of the Guru, you may say what s n your heart.37 To love, revere, and feel grateful to our fellowman s to love and revere God. So, too, the love for the vsble Master, our closest connectng lnk wth God, s n realty love for the Supreme Father. It has sprtualty as an end and s not dolatry. The atmosphere n whch such a genune Master moves s charged wth currents of peace and love whch affect those who come nto contact wth Hm. Even letters wrtten by or on behalf of Hm carry a current of ecstasy that nfluence the nnermost recesses of the heart. Guru precedes God.38 Thus God moves as an ordnary man n dsguse. As a man, externally, no one can recognze Hm except one who contacts the Master-Sant wthn. Ths s accordng to the dvne scence, .e., the laws he has lad down for mans use. Externally, f one takes a Master-Sant as an ordnary man, he can derve no beneft from Hm. If one accepts Hm as a superman, the beneft s much more. If one takes Hm as All-nAll, the beneft becomes a truly great blessng. When he contacts the Master wthn, he receves all and everythng.39 Master can know everythng about the person meetng hm. Yet he behaves n such a manner that the others may not feel embarrassed wth such an atttude, and tres to meet the humans on ther own level. He sees us just as we can see what there s n a glass bottlepckle or jam, but n hs sheer gracousness
24
tres to hde the facts, lest these actons are consdered as transgressons n the ethcal code. An ntate of the competent lvng Master carres the Radant Form of the Master at the eye-focus, whch can be detected and seen by the lvng Master.40 He s a law unto Hmself and can bestow hs dvne blessngs on any one of hs own choce. But the start should not be consdered as the end. It s a lfe-long struggle and strenuous effort of the dscple whch he or she s requred to undergo for the growth of hs or her nner sprtual llumnaton has to be taken care of. As a matter of fact, ever snce the dscple s granted the sacred boon of holy ntaton, he or she s granted a complete vsa for enterng the nner realms up to the true home of the Father. But there are very few who labor much and lead the lfe as enjoned by the Master and can progress wthn. Please refer to The Jap Ji stanza 33 n ths behalf where t has been explaned at length.41 You have no power to speak or be silent, No power to ask or to give, You have no power over life or death, No power over wealth or state for which you are ever restless. You have no power over spiritual awakening, No power to know the Truth, or to achieve your own salvation, Let him who thinks he has the power, try. 0 Nanak! none is high or low, but by His Will.42 JAP JI 33
25
THE HOLY PATH
Wthout a God-man the mystery of the soul s never realzed. It remans a sealed book. The ascent of the soul to the hghest regons s mpossble unless one s ushered nto those planes. Of course, one may be able to wthdraw the sprt current wthn the eyes from the body through Smran, or see some lght at tmes, but there s nothng to take or gude hm upward. Many were held n these elementary stages for ages and ages, and no help came to gude them up. Some have called ths stage the be-all and end-all, but they stll lnger at the outskrts of grosser matter and n the stronghold of the fner matter. It s here that the help of some competent body s needed to extrcate the devotees from the ron-hold of the subtle matter. That somebody should be the man who has gone through the dfferent stages of sprtual development and travelled to the Regon of Pure Sprt, the Sat Naam, far beyond the hold of matter.43 When a Guru ntates a dscple on ths path, he wll not leave hm untl he has taken hm to the lap of Sat Purush, God n Hs true form. After that the Sat Purush wll take hm to Alakh, Agam and Anam, stages of mperceptble, nconcevable and nameless God. A Gurus duty s very exactng. In truth, a Guru s God Hmself. In whchever pole God has manfested Hmself, that pole s known as Sadhu, Sant or Mahatma, or Master. He never says, I am the doer, but always refers to the wll of God.44 It s Gods law that nobody can reach Hm except through a Master Soul. Ths s what s gven out by almost all the Sants who came so far.45
26
Postve and Negatve Powers are the two phases of Absolute, dervng power from Hm. The functons of these powers are dverseone s for the nner recesson beyond the senses, whereas the other leads outward. A Master of the hghest order ntates the souls nto the mysteres of the beyond for proceedng back to the true home of the Father. Hs msson s purely sprtual, based on ethcal lvng. The Negatve Power s the controllng force of ths plane and demands adjustment of each farthng n accordance wth the law of karma. The ntates are advsed, n ther own sprtual nterest, to abde by the holy commandments to ncur the least karma, and by attunng themselves wth the holy Naam wthn to evade the load by reposng n Hs wll and pleasure. Every pleasure has ts prceths s the law of ths power. The sprtual asprants should regulate ther lves to strct sprtual dscplne, and pursue such a sublme pattern of lfe.46 You are n the custody of a true Master from the very day he gves ntaton. He becomes the very breath of the dscple. Baba Sawan Sngh J used to say that from the day the Master gves the blessngs of Naam, the Guru becomes the ndweller, along wth the soul. From that very moment, he starts formng the chld wth love and protecton, untl ultmately he takes hm nto the lap of the Oversoul. Untl that tme, he does not leave hm for one mnute.47 It s merely out of hs nnate compasson that he rears us wth hs own lfe-breaths of the dvnty n hm.48
27
THE HOLY PATH
It s true that the Master wnds up the karmas, but not just lke that; he adjusts them to further the manmakng of the dscples. He takes the chldren n hs charge, but he wll make them nto somethng worthwhle before takng them home. It s hs duty to clean them frst; nobody packs drty clothes away n storage. When people are ntated they rejoce and say, We have got a Master; we have got salvaton. When meetng the Satguru, you wll get salvaton f you obey hs words.49 The Guru may gve happness or msery, for he has to make a beautful form from a rough pece of stone and therefore has to wnd up all the karmas; but a true follower wll never complan, no matter what hardshps the Guru allows.50 The bonds or relatonshp between Master and dscple are the strongest n the world. Even death cannot sever them, for they are ted by the dvne and omnpotent wll of God. The Master remans wth the dscple wherever he may be. Death and dstance are mmateral n the relatonshp of the Master and the dscple. He s always by hs sde, here and hereafter.51 He who resgns hmself to the wll of the Master, places hmself under the Master, who hastens to awaken the dvnty n hm. He talks face to face wth hs devotee and gves hm counsel n tme of need. He molds the dscple nto the lkeness of God and makes hm a lvng temple of the Dvne Conscousness.52 Whosoevers mnd s stayed on Hm wth full fath He wll keep hm n perfect peace. There s hope for everybody. Master Power comes nto the world to save snners and to put them on the way back to God.
28
It s for you to reman devoted to Hm and keep Hs commandments. The rest s for Hm to do.53 The Guru bestows the lfe forcethe ncomparable gft. There are many knds of gfts, but the gft of Naam s above all others, and havng gven t, the Master then develops t wthn you, because he wants you to reach the same stage as hmself. He wants you to enjoy the blss that he enjoys. 54 So know that f you meet a true Guru, you have met the Lord. He s not only a Guru but a messenger from God, come to take you back to Hm. Go wherever he leads you. If you obey hm, you wll become what he s. If not, f your mnd steps n and nterferes, you wll not be able to get anywhere near hm. Those who have met a Perfect Master are greatly blessed.55 A true Guru wants nothng from hs chldren; he only feels grateful that another soul has become free and s returnng to ts own home. He has true love for the soul.56 No Perfect Sant has ever faled hs dscples. Realze fully, ths one wll not fal you. Thnk deeply upon ths rare prvlege; a dvne dspensaton has been granted to you. Master s not the body. He s the power functonng through the body, and he s usng hs body to teach and gude man.57 So the Master affrms wth convcton that ths place s not the place of permanent abode for your soul, but a halfway house for a lmted perod, assgned to you for the hgher purpose of sprtual perfecton. If you wll vew thngs from ths lofty vewpont, you wll
29
THE HOLY PATH
fnd that our lfe so far has been as futle as anythng. It s a matter of deep concern for each one of us, and we must assess the poston carefully before t gets too late n the day and we are forced to fght a losng game.58 Wthout the nstructon from the God-man the Word cannot be communed wth, but when ths communon s had, t leads the soul to the Lord, from whch the Word emanated and all our efforts have ther full reward. When you, through mmeasurable good fortune, fnd such a holy person, stck to hm tenacously wth all your mnd and all your soul, for you can realze through hm the object of your lfe self-realzaton and God-realzaton. Do not look to hs creed or color. Learn the scence of the Word from hm, and devote yourself heart and soul to the practce of the Word. Master s one wth the Word. The Word s n hm and ncarnates n the flesh to gve nstructons to manknd. Truly the Word s made flesh and dwells among us.59
Apra-Vidya and Para-Vidya
UTER TEACHINGS, whch we call Apra Vidya, are helpful, but one should not accept them blndly. Investgate the reasons why certan rtes are performedwhy the lamps are lghted and the bells are rung, and so on. If you contnue your nqures untl you fnd some real nformaton, your tme wll be well spent. To blndly perform rtuals may yeld
30
APRA-VIDYA AND PARA-VIDYA THE HOLY PATH
a lttle peace of mnd but they offer nothng vald. No matter what we do, unless we ncrease n awakenedness t wll amount to lttle. Learn to dfferentate. Inhert the truth and make the best use of the untruth. Go to one who s fully awake, who has full powers of dfferentaton. You may call hm by any name; some say Guru, or Sant, or Mahapurush, or Satpurush. Although all are man, yet Mahapurush s one who s awakenedtrue man. Satpurush s he who becomes one wth the Truth tself. We are all purush or conscous bengs, and we are all fortunate to have been gven the human form; t s a grand opportunty to realze the Lord. Apra Vdya s a term whch categorzes the outer practces: repetton of names, austertes, prayers, devotonal rtuals and customs, plgrmage, alms and donatons, scrpture study, songs of prase, etc.they are all connected wth the mnd and senses. We wll gan reward from these good actons, but n dong them ones doershp remans, and as long as we regard ourselves as the doers, we shall contnue to revolve around ths ntermnable cycle of brth and death. Whle the ego remans, both good and bad actons are bndng; as Lord Krshna sad . . . lke gold and ron shackles.60 Para Vdya s to connect the soul wth the Truth. Ego and attachment are consumed by the fre of Shabd; Gurumukh gets the everlastng lght. Ths Shabd can only be receved from the Guru. There s Ashabd, whch s the Wordless God, but when He
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THE HOLY PATH
expressed Hmself, that expresson s called Shabd or Word. Through the Shabd, creaton came nto beng, and through the Shabd, dssoluton occurs. Creaton, dssoluton, and agan creatont all happens by the power of the Shabd. And where s the Shabd? Shabd s the earth, Shabd the sky; through the Shabd the Lght came; Creaton came after the Shabd; O Nanak, the Shabd s n every beng. Shabd s also known as Naam, so we have: Naam s the nectar of lfe, t s the name of God, and n ths body does t resde. When can you see t? When the senses are controlled, the mnd s at a standstll and ntellect s calmthen the soul perceves n crystal clearness. It s the frst stage of realzng the Lord. Self-knowledge precedes Godknowledge, so when one knows who one s, by rsng above the senses, one then realzes why t s sad that self-knowledge s God-knowledge.61
The Holy Path: Surat Shabd Yoga
HE REFERENCES to Lght and Sound, say the Masters of the Surat Shabd Yoga, are not fguratve but lteral, referrng not to the outer llumnatons or sounds of ths world, but to nner transcendent ones. They teach that the transcendent Sound and Lght are the prmal manfestatons of God when He projects Hmself nto creaton. In Hs Nameless state He s nether lght nor darkness, nether sound nor slence, but when He assumes shape and form, Lght and Sound emerge as Hs prmary attrbutes.62
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THE HOLY PATH: SURAT SHABD YOGA THE HOLY PATH
When we say the Surat Shabd Yoga, communon of the soul wth Naam, s easy, we are usng the words relatvely. It s easer when compared wth other forms of yoga: karma yoga, jnana yoga, bhakti yoga, raj yoga, hatha yoga, the tradtonal ashtang yoga, all of whch call for stern and severe outer dscplnes, whch a common busy man n the worka-day world of today has nether the patence nor the tme nor strength nor the lesure to do wth all hs wts about hm. The Surat Shabd Yoga, on the other hand, can easly be practced by every one, man or woman, young or old, wth equal ease and faclty. It s because of ts naturalness and smplcty that t s often termed Sehaj Yoga.63 The course of Surat Shabd Yoga, as descrbed by Guru Nanak, s the most natural one. Even a chld can practce t wth ease. It s desgned by God Hmself and not by any human agency, and therefore, t admts no addton, alteraton, or modfcaton.64 You thnk the Holy Path s an extremely dffcult undertakng. Maybe so, but t s made easer by the gudance and grace of the Master. The benefts whch are to be derved from ths path are mmeasurably great. What, therefore, f a lttle physcal sacrfce s to be done to acheve ths, the great sprtual end?65 In the olden days, a man had to spend many years at the Gurus feet before he would be gven anythng. In these days, who can do ths? The Guru must now frst gve somethng, and then the dscple learns to purfy hs lfe. You wll be able to observe that the more the
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THE HOLY PATH
Kali Yuga (negatve age) ncreases ts force, the more grace does the Guru bestowto save any soul.66 The path s straght and narrow and dffcult, very dffcult and exactng, but for one who s truly wllng, every help s promsed, and he can attan the goal n ths very lfe; a goal that sets all other goals to shame, for besde t there are no goals at all but empty baubles and toys, at best half-way houses.67
T IS THE Word personfed or the Master Power that gves ntaton, and t does not matter where the Master s at the tme of ntaton. Regardless of whether the Master hmself s near at hand or far away overseas, the Master Power always works. In case of dstance, the authorzed representatve conveys the Intaton nstructons, generally n the mornng hours. At the tme of Intaton, the Master takes Hs seat at the Thrd Eye of the ntate and takes care of hm henceforth. The accepted asprants, who are sncere and receptve durng ntaton, do have a perceptve frst-hand nner sprtual experence (there s a dfference between the psychc and the sprtual) at whch tme the sprtual (thrd) eye s opened to see the Lght of God and the nner ear s opened to hear the Voce of Godthe Creatve Sound of the Beyond whch has a soothng and healng effect. Occasonally, an asprant may feel, for one reason or another, that the ntal experence was lackng.
Initiation: The Awakening
34
INITIATION:HOLYAWAKENING THE THE PATH
Ths could be due to over-exctement and nablty to dscern the more subtle type of experence granted such a person n lne wth hs background. However, n due tme, ths ndvdual receves a magnfed experence whch erases any feelng of lack should such stll exst. The Master Power, from the moment of Intaton, gudes and protects one even after the end of the world and beyond.68 The nstructon n the esoterc teachngs conssts of the exposton of Smran, Dhyan, and Bhajan; that s to say, repetton (mental wth the tongue of thought only) of the words whch are charged wth the power of the Master: concentraton or medtaton (fxng conscousness or gaze) at the center of the two eyebrows; and lnkng the sprt wth the savng lfelne wthn, ever reverberatng n the form of the perennal Sound Current, the very lfe-breath of the unverse, of whch the Master hmself s the lvng embodment. As soon as a devotee s able to transcend the physcal body, the Radant Form of the Master (Guru Dev) appears n the subtle plane and becomes a gudng force to the sprt on the journey nto hgher sprtual realms, brngng hm back to the True Home of hs Father. Henceforth the Master-sprt never leaves the soul but contnuously helps and drects, vsbly and nvsbly, drectly and ndrectly, n ths lfe and the lfe hereafter, as the occason may demand.69 Wth ntaton and sprtual sadhna or practce, one gradually becomes aware of hs shortcomngs and tres to weed them out, and the more he purfes
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THE HOLY PATH
hmself, the more he grows nto Dvne Lfe. As the scales begn to drop off, the true values of lfe become more and more apparent. The sprt gradually gets freed from the shackles of the world and s enabled to transcend the physcal body and make flghts nto the hgher regons. Hereafter, he walks not after the flesh but after the sprt. Lvng n the world, he s no longer of the world. He now delghts n the blss of hgher sprtual regons and not n the pleasures of the senses and sense-objects. The gft of Naam or Word comes only from a Master-soul who, by njectng hs own lfe-mpulse, befts an ntate for the sprtual journey. The measure and speed of advance, however, depends on the ndvduals own make-up, the ground on whch he stands, and the preparaton that he may have made n past ncarnatons. As each one has a dfferent background, each one has hs own startng pont. The seed s sown, but ts unfoldment, growth and development depends on the nature of the sol n whch t s planted.70 Each one however, as sad before, takes hs or her own tme for efflorescence and fructfcaton. The dormant sprtual facultes begn to qucken wth lfe and the ntate feels wthn hm a sort of fullness, a satety, a blessedness. Ths s a gft mpershable and ndestructble. It can nether be stolen nor washed away. The seed of sprtualty, once sown n the nnermost depths of the soul, must bear flowers and fruts n the fullness of tme. No power on earth can
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INITIATION: THE AWAKENING THE HOLY PATH
stand n the way of ts growth or stfle t n any way whatever. He who has once been ntated by a competent Master s assured, once and for all, hs lberaton from the bondage of mnd and matter; t s but a queston of tme. The seed of sprtualty sown n hm s bound to sprout and fructfy. The sprtualty when awakened and the sprtual experence ganed must develop, and the Master Power cannot rest contented untl the chld owned s reared and taken home to the house of the Father.71 Man has got hmself so enmeshed n mnd and the outgong facultes that hs release from them can only be brought about by struggle and perseverance. Hs plght s, n a way, smlar to that of a brd that has been kept n a cage for so many years. Even f you should open the door of the cage, the brd wll be loathe to fly out. Instead, t wll fly from one sde of the cage to the other, clngng wth ts talons to the wre mesh, but t does not wsh to be free and fly out through the open door of the cage. Smlarly, the soul has become so attached to the body and the outgong facultes that t clngs to outsde thngs and does not wsh to let go of them. It does not wsh to fly through the door that has been opened by the Master at the tme of Holy Intaton, at the threshold of whch the Radant Form of the Master s patently watng to receve the chld dscple. True dscpleshp does not start untl one has rsen above body conscousness.
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THE HOLY PATH
It s from ths pont that the dscple wll feel not only comfort, but wll begn to experence the joy and blss that awats hm n the Beyond. He wll have as hs companon the charmng Radant Form of the Master, who s ever at hand to mpart the gudance that s so necessary n order to avod the ptfalls on the way. Untl ths pont s reached the dscple s, as t were, on probaton, but such probaton that cannot be severed. It s durng ths probatonary perod that the soul wll feel some dscomfort. It has become so besmeared wth the drt of the senses that t has lost ts orgnal purty of heart and s not ft to be rased up out of the prson house of the body. Even though the door has been opened, the soul s so attached to the thngs of the outsde world that t does not wsh to be free. It s only when the soul begns to regan ts orgnal purty of heart and mnd that t can at last want to be free of the desres of the flesh and outward attachments. The lovng Master tres to avod all possble dscomfort for the chld dscple by explanng what are the vces to be avoded and the vrtues to be developed n order to regan ths purty.72 Unfortunately, more often than not, the words of the Master do not snk n, and lttle or no acton s taken by the dscple to amend hs ways. Therefore, the Master Power must take frmer measures to brng home to the dscple the mportance of the truths that have been explaned n words. Hence, the dscomfort that s sometmes felt by the dear ones n ther day-
38
to-day lvng. If mplct obedence would be gven to the commandments of the Master, all the dffcultes and dscomforts would vansh. If a chld gets tself so drty that the only way the mother can wash t clean s by usng a scrubbng brush, can t be sad that the chld wll feel comfortable durng the scrubbng process? It would only feel comfortable after the scrubbng has ceased and t s shnng clean and pure. God-realzed souls are always present n the world but n the past they were few, and even now they are very rare. Who then are the prvleged ones who get to meet them? Those whose hearts are true. Those wthout decet n the heart not only have the prvlege of the Lords own arrangements for meetng the Guru; wth a clean heart they are able to absorb the full beneft of that meetng. The best atttude of mnd s to sncerely serve n humlty, and n more and more humlty. Then the guru will come by Himself. God Hmself makes the soul hungryand then He feeds t. There s really no need to worry about anythng; smply be sncere and true to your own self. He has sent you to the rght place and He s the gver. It s a very subtle and exactng subject; what can I say about t? If a person thnks of hm as Guru outwardly, tremendous change wll take place. . .73 All the gfts of nature are free. Sprtualty s also a gft of God, not of man. Why should t be sold? It s not a marketable commodty. Knowledge s to be gven away free. Do we have to pay for the sun that shnes on all of us? Why then should we pay for
39
THE HOLY PATH
the knowledge of God? It s Gods gft, and t s to be dstrbuted free and freely. So no true Master wll ever accept anythng n return. He gves freely.74 Q. Please explain the importance of Initiation. A. Intaton by a perfect Lvng Master assures an escort n unknown realms by one who s Hmself a frequent traveller to those regons. He knows the presdng detes or powers of these planes, conducts the sprt step by step, counsels at every turn and twst of the path, cautons aganst lurkng dangers at each place, explanng n detal all that one desres to know. He s a teacher on all levels of exstence: a Guru on the earth-plane, a Guru Dev (astral radant form) n the astral worlds, and a Satguru n the purely sprtual regons. When everyone fals n ths very lfe, at one stage or another, Hs long and strong arm s always there to help us, both when we are here and when we qut the earth plane. He plots the sprt nto the beyond and stands by t, even before the judgement seat of God.75 The Gurus blessng s such that no matter how dsobedent a chld s, t wll never come under the rule of Yam Raj agan. What a concesson that s! When the soul realzes, the records of Dharam Raj (another name for the Lord of Death) are burnt. The back records of the ndvdual are transferred from the negatve power nto the hands of the postve powerthe Guru.76 Q. When the inner Guru is felt, that He is leading or guiding, is this the initiationthe inner initiation?
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Should initiation be sought? Or the Satguru be sought? A. Intaton from a Master on earth s requred. Even those who are beng guded by others, for further progress there have been cases n whch they send them back. Chrst and other Sants were asked when they were met nsde, What to do further? They drected them to the Master on earth. Ask them f they can drect you further, and I thnk they wll gude you that way. Its the same n so many cases; after all there s some government there, no lawlessness, you see.77 All those who are ntated nto the Mysteres of the Beyond by a Lvng Master were destned to become Hs dscples. It s not a queston of one choosng the path or the path choosng the dscple, but rather one of the dscples background.78 In the past, the subject was very vague, for Masters agreed to gve the experence only after long years of study, when one was fully prepared. Today, t can be seen mmedately what sprtualty s. What a magnfcent blessng!79
OD IS FOUND not n books, as only statements about Hm are gven n them. Nor can He be found n temples made of stone by the hand of man. In these we gather together only to pray to God or
Meditation: All is Within
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THE HOLY PATH
to thank Hm for all that He has gven. He resdes wthn you. The body s the true temple of God. When you have understood ths, then where do you go to fnd Hm? Frst wthn your own self. Wthdraw from outsde, wthdraw from the mnd and outgong facultes, and come up to the seat of the soul at the back of the eyes.80 Once you are able to rse above body conscousness you enter nto an awareness of the hgher order, whch les behnd the reach of all phlosophes and psychologes, for then you are on your way to the Causeless Cause, the Mother of all Causes, knowng whch everythng else becomes known of tself, lke an open book. Ths then s the alpha and omega of the relgon of soul, whch begns where all relgous phlosophes and polemcs end. Here all thnkng, plannng, magnng and fantasy, as mentoned n your dares, fall off lke autumn leaves.81 The whole of ths lfes purpose s to become stllto wthdraw from outer envronments and to concentrate. You have great strength n you; you are the chld of a lon.82
Satsang: To Sit in His Presence
T IS A RARE prvlege to gather together n Hs name to nvoke Hs gracous mercy and to mbbe the sacred teachngs.83
Satsang s the central theme of the sacred teachngs and I always mpress upon the dear ones here and abroad not to mss t, as t s durng these precous
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SATSANG: TO SIT IN PATH THE HOLY HIS PRESENCE
moments when you are near the fountan-head of blss and mmortalty, that you grasp the true mport of the teachngs and assmlate the rare vrtues of Godlness by sttng n the charged atmosphere whch s flled wth Hs lovng lfe-mpulses. Satsang s the sacred arena where sprtual stalwarts are bult. It s the pool of nectar whch grants blssful God-ntoxcaton and all dfferences of caste, creed, or country snk down to ther lowest ebb.84 So your purpose n comng to Satsang s to mbbe the love of God, to st n Hs sweet remembrance, to unte wth Hm. All thngs past and future, all rrelevant matters can be dealt wth n your own place of resdence. Come, but come wth the very best of ntentons. Brng the remembrance of the Lord wth you and take t wth you when you leave. Do not lsten to others conversaton and do not talk to anyone unless t be about the Truth. You wll thereby gan full beneft from Satsangotherwse the years wll pass by wthout any real advancement.85 Even though you may not understand what s sad, yet f you st wth full attenton, you wll proft by t. If your thoughts are somewhere else, not only wll you lose, but other people wll also be affected by the mpure atmosphere you are creatng, for thoughts are lvng and possess great power. Regard the Satsang as a place of purty; do not talk or thnk of anythng but God, and whosoever attends wll be blessed by the uplftng atmosphere. We do not go to Satsang to meet our frends or to socalze.86
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THE HOLY PATH
Ths place s a sanctuary, as you say. Sanctuary means what?a place of sanctty. That should reman as a place of sanctty, not as a place of mrth and joy. Make t a pont that those who come from outsde come n all devoton and all nspraton. Dont make t a place of mrth and joy. Lovelove s strong you see. When you enter, enter n obedence to the Master; then what wll happen? The atmosphere wll be charged. Whenever youll enter you wll have peace of mnd; otherwse the atmosphere wll not be charged. Ths place, as you were told the other day, should be a place where there should be medtaton and no sleepng. Also no mrth or joy, mnd that; come n awe and sanctty. If you wll do t, n a month or two the place wll be charged.87 The easest, the shortest, and the smplest way to get greater beneft s to lose yourself completely n the holy presence of a Sant Satguru. Ths n fact s the sgnfcance of Satsang. Swam J says, 0 Soul, be fully absorbed n Satsang at least ths day. What then s full or complete absorpton s the queston. It means that whle n the company of a Sant, one should forget not only the place where he s sttng but become wholly oblvous of the very surroundng n whch he s and dssolve hs very beng, losng all conscousness except of the holy presence of the Master. Ths blankng of oneself s called absorpton. The more one emptes hmself of hs worldlness and pettness, the more he wll be flled wth the dvne grace emanatng from the
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dvne presence before hm. Ths s the secret of a successful Satsang. Excuse me when I say that t s seldom that we get a Satsang or company of a truly perfect Master, for such hghly advanced soulssouls one wth the Lordare very rare ndeed. They are not easly avalable and recognzable; and f, by some mghty good luck, we do come across a Godman, we do not know how to derve the fullest beneft from hs company or Satsang. The way to make the most of such a rare opportunty and derve the maxmum beneft s that one should try to come to the place of Satsang as early as possble and st slently n a prayerful mood, blankng the mnd of all the worldly thoughts n the august presence of the Master, nwardly absorbng hs words of wsdom. If by sttng close to fre we feel warmth, and the proxmty of a glacer gves a cold shver, there s no reason why one should not be affected by the dvne aura of a Master-sant whose radaton has an unmagnably long range.88 At Satsang there s a great chargng, but you must be connected to t; t s no good just sttng there. Furthermore, your attenton should be on the Master alone; even f you are thousands of mles from hm physcally, you can stll enjoy Satsang. Naturally, there s more beneft n beng completely attentve when near hs physcal presence, for you wll get a drect chargng; but no matter where you are, you wll stll have help f you are receptve. Some people ask, what s the actual effect of Satsang? Well, f you te a wld horse to a stake he wll naturally make a run
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THE HOLY PATH
for t, but when he reaches the end of the tether he wll be brought up wth a jerk. He may try to run away several tmes but wll always be pulled up by the tether. Satsang has some effect lke ths on the mnd, and after repeatng a few tmes the nclnaton to run away grows less, untl t eventually learns to stll tself. Satsang also cleanses the bad smells whch come from the habts of lust, anger, greed, etc., that s, f the person s receptve. He becomes somethng dfferent.89 In Satsang the flow of mercy is pouring into you, so get the fullest beneft from t. Weed out all mperfectons, one by one; that s why I have told you to keep a dary. When the sol s weeded, t s ready for the seed to be sown, then the true growth can begn. If small pebbles and rocks are not removed, the seed may sprout, but t wll not bear frut.90 When you go to a realzed soul to get rght understandng, go wth all humlty, put asde your vews. What you know, you know. Whle you are wth hm, try to understand what he s sayng. Consder the level he s speakng from, and then compare your own knowledge. Many would hestate to go to hm for prde of ther own knowledge. The man of promnent worldly poston wll not go, for he s ntoxcated wth hs own power; and a rch man wll not go, for he s lost n prde of wealth. Remember, a God-realzed person cannot be bought wth money, mpressed by power, pushed by force. When you go to hm, put asde your own deasafter all, no one can rob you of them!
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We make the mstake of measurng what he s tryng to say wth what we already know: We have heard that before; So and so sad thatetc. Brothers, he wll say all ths and more, for he must speak on mans level for fuller comprehenson, and wll quote many truths that others have sad, that the seeker may fnd hs way more easly. But the fact remans, f the seeker wants to receve, he must stll hs ntellect for a whle, and st n all humlty.91 I am glad you have a better apprecaton of the value of the Satsang meetngs, whch are always nsprng, helpful and benefcal, as Masters love and grace s radated n abundance theren, and all those present receve the lfe mpulses from the Master Power workng overhead. In group meetngs the entre congregaton assmlates the overflowng grace of the Master, and occasonally the Radant Presence of the Master s experenced by the audence. Such meetngs have a deep nsprng sgnfcance and, therefore, should be chershed n all lovng devoton.92 Satsang s the name we gve to the company of an awakened soul. A Satguru makes a Satsang.93 Where would you go to realze God? Into a Satsang, where the Teacher, Sant or Master has hmself realzed the Truth and s competent to mpart ths wsdom to those present. Actually, Satsang s the medcne for that dsease and pan whch comes from gnorance of the truth, from searchng for the answer to: Is there a God and how does one realze Hm?94 Hazur Sawan Sngh J used to say that Satsangs
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THE HOLY PATH
served a very useful purpose as a protectve hedge around the feld of Smran and Bhajan, so that these vtal and lfe-gvng processes contnue to develop and thrve, n spte of the otherwse busy lfe n the famly, n socety, n your respectve avocatons, and the lke.95 The frst thng the Negatve Power does when he wants to keep control over a soul s to stop hm dong Bhajan and Smran. The ndvdual fnds that there s always somethng to lure hm away from hs medtaton. Ths s hs frst method, and secondly he slps that queston nto the mnd: Why go to the Guru or the Satsang? What s the use of t? Satsang s the very place where a turnng pont can be effected and an awareness of wrongdong and wrong lvng s acheved, so he wll try to persuade us not to go there. If you have the strength to gnore hm, he wll then suggest that you just go and bow down and then leave. He wll place all knds of doubts n the mnd, and nstead of the fullest beneft from the Satsang, the person returns home wth nothng but dssatsfacton or the bad effects of gosspng and back btng from other waverng ndvduals. These are two very powerful weapons that the Negatve Power s constantly weldng.96 Smlar s the case wth attendng Satsang regularly. We can develop ths habt by regularly gong to see the Master and attendng hs dscourses full of Dvne Knowledge. It s often notced that persons wth very poor sprtual background tend to grow sprtually by
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SATSANG:THE SIT IN PATH TO HOLY HIS PRESENCE
benefttng from the radaton of the Master-Power n the charged atmosphere.97 O brothers, keep connecton wth the Satsang, and all your wrongs wll be rghted. Even your earthly lfe wll be a success.98 The very physcal body s blessed when one sts n the Satsang.99 Satsang serves as a protectve hedge around the holy seed of sprtualty where one enjoys dvne radaton and gets clarty of vson. Mssng of Satsang for devotng tme for medtatons s not advsable.100 Q. Would you discuss the handling of small children at Satsang and meditation gatherings? A. I thnk for that you can detal somebody who can st outsde wth two or three of the chldren. They should sacrfce ther tme for the good of others or mothers should keep them quetany of the two thngs.101 Satsang s of the Master and every ntate s also part of the Satsang and can contrbute to the general atmosphere of the Satsang by settng an example n lvng up to the teachngs of the Master. Chrst sad, Let my words abde n you, and you abde n me. The words of the Master are the Master, and the Master cannot be separated from Hs words.102 The mportance of attendng Satsangs or sprtual gatherngs cannot be over emphaszed.103 To attend Satsang s lke havng a protectve hedge around your medtaton; t also ncreases the
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THE HOLY PATH
ncentve to medtate. Attend the Satsang even f your tme s lmted. Cancel some other appontment n order to do so, f necessary, for the benefts of Satsang are nvaluable. . . Attend the Satsang and have the advantage of a protectve hedge around your medtaton. I once asked Hazur Maharaj, What are your orders regardng Satsang? He told me, If you are very sck n your bed but you can move, then attend Satsang. Just note that he dd not say that f you have the strength to walk, then attend Satsang. From ths sngle nstance, one can see how mportant t s. Leave hundreds of urgent works to attend the Satsangs.104
RAYER IS THE master-key that unlocks the Kngdom of Heaven. Prayer can be defned as an angushed cry of the soul n dstress or helplessness, to a Power fuller and greater than tself for relef and comfort. It s, n the generc and commonly accepted sense, an nvocaton to God or Godman (a lvng Master) competent enough to grant solace and peace to a mnd tortured by the problems of lfe and lfes surroundngs.105 The nstnct of love cannot come nto play unless one sees the beloved. As long as we do not see God or the glory of God, we cannot have any fath n the exstence of God and wthout ths, all prayers go n
Prayer: Your Dialogue With God
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THE DIALOGUE PRAYER: YOUR HOLY PATH WITH GOD
van. But Guru or Godman s the abode of Gods Lght and s a radatng center of the same. We can pray wth equal effcacy to the Master who s at one wth God. Connected as He s wth the Power-house behnd Hm, the Master s equally competent to grant our desres and fulfll our wshes.106 We must go n prayer unto God or a Godman and, after beng able to commune wth Hm, we should depend on Hm alone and not on any other power; for He alone s capable of drawng one out from the mghty swrls and eddyng pools of mnd and matter, and of applyng a healng balm to the lacerated hearts torn by wld desres and temptatons. He s the strength of the weak, the sheet anchor n the storm and stress of lfe, and a haven of safety for the homeless. Hs glance of Grace soothes the broken hearts.107 All the relgons are n agreement on the pont that prayer at the seat of the soul wells out all the latent powers of the Godhead wthn, and one can acheve sprtual beattude through t. It s a connectng lnk between the Creator and Hs creaton, between God and man. It s a supportng staff n the hands of a sprtual asprant, and a plgrm soul cannot do wthout t from the begnnng to the end of the journey, for t saves one from many a ptfall on the way and transforms the mnd through and through untl t shnes forth and begns to reflect the Lght of the soul.108 We generally pray when we are n dstress and trouble, but when we escape therefrom we begn
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thnkng that we wrought lberaton by our own efforts and thereafter do not feel the need for prayer. We must guard aganst such serous ptfalls. Prayer, n fact, s needed at every step. When n dffculty we must pray to escape therefrom. In dstress, when all else fals, the thought of the Omnpotent Father gves solace to the mnd. When success be n sght, then pray that you may not get elated and puffed up, and ask for Gods Grace and bounty, for wthout these we can never succeed. After the fulfllment of our desres or rddance from dffcultes, we must render thanks to the Almghty for Hs favors. When God s the Lovng Father and we cannot do wthout Hm at all, prayer must become a part of our very beng.109 How many people n the world truly pray to God for the sake of God? The Skhs have a prayer: To be with the Gurumukh, to have the company of a Sadhu, to have the intoxication of the Naam; This is the true affinity in which Thy Name is remembered in the heart. They pray also: Nanaks servant wants only this happiness; Give me the company of a Sant. Mdst the ever-changng phenomena of the world there s but one unchangeable permanence and that s God and God-n-acton (the Holy Sprt, Kalma, Naam or Word), responsble for the creaton, sustenance
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PRAYER: YOUR DIALOGUE WITH GOD THE HOLY PATH
and dssoluton of countless unverses. Why then should we not long for, ask for, and pray for that mpershable lfe prncple, so that we too may have Lfe Everlastng and come to our eternal hertage, the everlastng Godhood whch s our brthrght. Our natve home s n Sach Khand. Ages upon ages have gone by snce we parted from the Father, and we are stll n exle n ths world. We must then yearn for a reunon wth the beloved, separated as we are from Hm for myrads of ages.110 Last, but not least, prayer opens our eyes to realty and enables us to see thngs n ther true perspectve. It gves new values to lfe and gradually transports an ndvdual nto a New World and ntates hm nto a New Order.111 Wth a lfe of prayer a person eventually rses nto cosmc awareness and sees the hdden hand of God workng out Hs wll and Hs purpose, whch otherwse reman a sealed book too subtle for the average man to perce through and peep nto. The more ths nner contact s establshed, the more Godhead s mbbed by the sprt. Only when a complete dentfcaton comes about does one become a conscous co-worker wth Hm.112 We cannot wn God ether by flattery or by van repettons, nor does He stand to gan or lose anythng whether we offer prayers or not. Compassonate as He s, Hs grace s always at work n each and all alke, for we cannot lve wthout t. We can, however, attract that grace to our advantage by becomng a ft
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receptacle for t. Humlty and fath purfy the mnd and make t a fttng nstrument for Gods grace. These two ads help n nvertng the lotus of the mnd whch, at present, s attuned wth the senses. Unless we are able to turn ts drecton upwards, Gods grace cannot drectly flow nto t. Prayers, humble and sncere, help n establshng a harmony between mans mnd and Gods grace. All that s requred s a lovng and pure heart attuned to Hs grace and the latter s automatcally attracted to t. Prayer has n t a great dynamc force. It strengthens and prepares a person to face and fght the battle of lfe fearlessly and successfully. It s, n fact, the only panacea for all types of lls. It s the key that unlocks the Kngdom of Heaven.113 Prayer must arse from the depths of the soul. It should not be a van repetton of empty words wth lttle meanng. What we pray for we must really wsh for, not only ntellectually, but from the very core of our beng. It must churn the very soul to ts depths, and the musc of prayer should come out and tngle from the very nerves, tssues and fbers of the entre frame makng us unmndful of everythng else besde the sweet musc of the soul.114 The secret of successful prayer les not so much n the words we use, nor n the tme we devote to t, nor n the effort that we put nto t, as t les n the concentrated attenton that one may gve t at the seat of the soul so as to make t soulful. The most natural form for a frutful prayer s the yearnng of a soul
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THE COMMITMENT: RESPONSIBILITY OF INITIATION THE HOLY PATH
wthout the agency of words, oral or mental, wth the tongue of thought. A prayer lke ths generates and releases such a fund of sprtual energy that all the cosmc powers are attracted and combne together, shapng out thngs as well as possble. A true prayer s one contnuous process ndependent of form, tme, and place, and leads ultmately to perfect equpose and no desre whatsoever. Ths, then, s the clmax of a genune prayer, and here prayer tself ceases to be a prayer and becomes a state of beng, as one gradually rses, frst, nto cosmc conscousness, and then, nto super conscousness, wth the dvne wll fully revealed unto hm. Ths s the be-all and endall of prayer.115 Where all human efforts fal, prayer succeeds.116
The Commitment: Responsibility of Initiation
HE MASTER HAS to do hs job and the ntates ther own: to push on wth full confdence n the Master. There are too many leaners on dealstc magnaton among the ntates and too few who practce. The medtaton perod should not be one of pretty emotonal feelngs only. The ntates should surrender ther all to the Master and be wllng to de and gve up ther lfe for God. Learn to de so that you may begn to lve. The Master knows how to deal best wth t. Ours s to act well n the lvng present, as enjoned by the Master. If we act up to hs
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commandments, he wll never forsake us tll the end of the world. But we feel, on the contrary, that after the Intaton we are absolved from all oblgatons, and are free to do what we may by smply puttng our trust n Hs Grace. Ths atttude s a great stumblng block on the path and retards all real progress. It does not pay n the least to purposely close our eyes n self-complacency to the stern realty of the stuaton that places rghts and oblgatons n equal proporton on each and every ndvdual. We cannot pck and choose as we may lke. We must, therefore, guard aganst such a frustrated mentalty and have to work our way ourselves, for there are no short shrfts n the scence of the sprt. It s a long and laborous process of unfoldment for the sprt and we have, of necessty, to take care of the hgher values of lfe at each step f we are keen n our search for Truth. It s a steep path whch, f we have to tread wthout stumblng, we must tread wth our heart forever fxed on the goal and on the steps mmedately before us, for there s no tme to look behnd; t can only make us shudder and tremble. Ignorance s the only dsease from whch the soul suffers. It can only be cured by knowledge and the knowledge s the acton of the soul and s perfect wthout the senses, though on the physcal plane t cannot do wthout the servce of the senses. True knowledge only dawns on the supramental plane where physcal senses can be of no aval. But untl that stage of drect communon wth the Radant Form of the Master s attaned, one has to take care n everythng, for the path s slppery
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and strewn over wth hdden traps that may at any moment catch the unwary plgrm on the path. Once one slps, the golden opportunty s lost and one does not know when one may be able to get a human brth once agan. When we lay too much stress on the means, vz., vegetaran det and karmas, we should lay stll more emphass on nverson and wthdrawal from the senses and put n more tme for that purpose.117 Consder the parable of the seed gven by Chrst. The seed was sown. Some seed fell on the road; some fell n the thorny hedges; some fell on the rocks; and some seeds fell on the qute clear land whch had been dvested of all foregn matter. That seed whch had fallen on the hard open ground or the road s eaten away by sparrows; the seed that was thrown on the rocks grows, but there s no depth of sol beneath such seeds and, lttle by lttle, such growth fades away; and naturally, those seeds whch fell n the thorny hedges wll grow, but they cannot fully growthey are retarded; and any seed whch fell n the qute prepared land wll grow abundantly. If you put n one seed of anythng, that one wll gve you hundreds of seeds lke that. For nstance, you put one mango n the ground and that wll gve a tree whch wll gve you hundreds of mangoes. So there s abundance n nature. Ths parable, then, shows what? The seed s the contact wth the Lght and Sound Prncple, whch s the expresson of Word or Naam n the hearts of the ntates. For those who smply take t, the Negatve Powers use t up because they never put n tme for that, although they are gven the seedthe seed s
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sown n thembut as they do not put n tme at all, and they dont care, after Intaton the seed s lost. Concernng those seeds whch fell on the rocks and beneath whch there s lttle or no underlyng sol, after Intaton that seed should be fed by Satsangs; for f those seeds are not watered by Satsangs, you see, naturally they fade awaythey also dont grow they come for a few days, then leave t. So that s why I tell the people, LEAVE HUNDREDS OF URGENT WORKS TO ATTEND THE SATSANGS. Those seeds that fell n the thorny hedges wont grow there encumbered by the dstractng thoughts and other knds of hedges; they are just lke those who have too many rons n the fre, they have no tme to attend to these thngs; they say they have no tme. Such people also dont grow. Only such a seed whch has fallen on the qute prepared land grows frut n abundance. So you wll fnd that the purpose of ths dary, whch I always enjon to be kept, s to weed out all mperfecton from the sol of the heart. Those who keep the dary regularly, naturally they progress. If they are not progressng, there s somethng wrong somewhere, whch s explaned to you by just referrng to ths parable gven by Chrst.118 Sprtualty, beng the hghest goal n lfe, s also the most dffcult; only those who are really n search of the Truth should venture forth to travel on ths path.119 The Master unites us in a true relationship, which can never be broken. Ths relatonshp s wth God
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Hmself, who s manfested n the human form. It s such a relatonshp that can never be sundered, even after death, not to speak of durng lfe. But we, wth our poor understandng, assert ourselves wth prde, ego, and low habts, desrng to be recognzed. Consequently, we succeed only n heapng more msery upon our heads. What s the use of attendng Satsang for so long f you are not gong to change the old unwanted habts? Dry land can become green agan by gvng t water, but of what use s land that s watered, yet remans dead? Your attendance has become mere routneyou cannot get salvaton by roteyou wll not get t, you wll not get t.120 If you knew there was some treasure hdden somewhere, wouldnt you lke to dg t out? If a thef came across an unguarded house wth no one to see hs actons, do you thnk he would sleep n the nght? So many say that God s wthn us, but even then sleep wthout carng. Why dont they dg out the Truth? Even f one meets someone who can help to brng out ths Truth, and some understandng s gven, even then one does not care to do the dggng. How unfortunate s he! What can we call such an unfortunate person? If he were not conscous of the thng t would be a dfferent matter, but f someone has been shown a lttle of that treasure nsde, and even then one gnores t, then what s to be done? The usual excuse gven s, I have no tme, s t not? Do you want someone else to dg out the treasure for you?121 If Gods mercy has been gven, and the Masters
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mercy s over ones head, then why does t not show forth? Many people are puzzled by ths. The reason s that the soul s not showng any mercy unto tself. Gods mercy gave us ths human form, and through t also the yearnng for Hm began. Furthermore, he brought the seeker to the feet of a Godman n whom He was manfested. The Godmans mercy was bestowed when he gave the contact nsde. If you, the soul, do not have mercy upon yourself, then what can be done? My Master used to say, The doctor gave you the medcne, but you dd not take t, so how can the cure be effected? Wthout the souls mercy, the seed wll not fructfy. It s true that the seed has been planted and wll never be destroyed, but the person wll have to come agan to the world, even though he may not retrogress below the human form. Make the best use of the grand opportunty before you. A great part of your lfe s already spent. Much has gone, a lttle s left; n the remanng tme, do your work." You have been separated from Hm for lfe upon lfe upon lfe, and the Father s anxous that Hs chldren should now return to the fold.122
Self Evaluation: The New Direction
F ONLY THE THOUGHT remaned uppermost n mnd: Who am I? Where am I gong? Ths could change the very pattern of our lfe.123 You can drect your own destny 124 . . . You are advsed to draw a thck curtan over the past and just forget everythng
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SELF EVALUATION: THEPATH DIRECTION THE HOLY NEW
whch has snce passed as no amount of repentance or resentment can do t. You must start a new pattern of lfe. 125 Ths nvaluable gudance s wrtten n the sacred books, but sadly t remans there, or t penetrates only to ntellectual level. We have to take the knowledge and lve up to t, only then does t become a part of lfe. The nght s a jungledo your work n the daytme and then beneft from the nght. The true purpose of havng a human form s to make daly progress toward the great goal, so st down each day and see where you are. The meanng of keepng a dary s of the utmost mportance, but very few fully understand t. Remove those thngs whch are obstructng your progressweed out the mperfectons, one by one. A strong man revels n hs strength and the weaker man wonders how he got t. When a wrestler walks abroad, people turn to stare and remark on hs strength. He has not acheved that overnght, but through many nghts of hard exercsng. As the renuncate leaves everythng and goes to the woods, you can st down nghtly n your own home, forgettng the world and freeng yourself from all entanglements.126 If you wll take one step, He wll come down hundreds of steps to greet you.127 No matter what your past has beenstop now! Vew the facts and start afresh. Stand stll and become tranqul, or you wll not succeed.128 The queston, once agan, s of earnestness. Do we really need God? Sometmes, we do ask for
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God. Even our ntellect also, at tmes, feels the need for God. But does our mnd want God? Ths s the crux of the problem. We ask for thngs wth mental reservatonsonly f they are of any use to us on the physcal plane. On the other hand, the mnd s entrely dyed n the color of the world. It has no tme to thnk of anythng else. Mnd has a great potental n t. What the mnd wants, t fervently prays for t. At tmes, t even cres for t. God comes n only as the means for the satsfacton of ts worldly desres. And day and nght one thnks of nothng else. Ths s the actual condton of our mnd. You can search t for yourself. Do you sncerely wsh for God? No. We want Hm only as a means to an endthe end beng physcal pleasures and comforts. Otherwse, God has no meanng for us. It s a queston of demand and supply. If we actually wsh for God, the law of nature comes to our ad. Where there s fre, oxygen comes to ts ad. All that we need s to put our tongue, ntellect and mnd on one level. Such an atttude ncreases the mnd force. Where the mnd force s strong, nothng can stand n our way. We must be true to our self and then whatever may be wshed shall be fulflled.129 So decde from today onward, you seedecde what s your am n lfe. We are adrft, amlessly adrft; the result s we are just startng ths way, some days ahead, some days back. Some days we proceed; some days we recede. We dg so many dtches n the earth, some fve feet, some seven feet, some four feet.
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SELF EVALUATION: THEPATH DIRECTION THE HOLY NEW
Water nowhere! Now all of you see the way clear before you? Then do t! Start from today; what s past s past, dont care for the past. Just dont dream of the future, too. When you are put on the way, youll reach the goal. And what s that you have to contact? Lght and Sound wthn you. Lke the electrc lfts, when you st down, that current s there, thats all. So, as I submtted before: sprtualty s not dffcult; t s we who have made t dffcult, thats all. Smply follow t. Smple lfe and hgh thnkng.130 The human form s the kng of all the speces and s the hghest rung n the ladder of creaton, for n ths form God has placed the power of dfferentaton through whch one can defne truth from untruth and so acheve that whch can be done n no other form.131 It does not matter f you could not lve up to the holy commandments tll now. Your sacred aspratons for mprovement are laudable. Thus far and no more should be the motto. If you wll follow ths golden prncple of lfe, you wll certanly change n due course. Slow but steady paces shorten the journey. One step n the rght drecton under the protectve gudance of the Master Power wll set the ball rollng. You should please note that every pleasure has ts prce and every sufferng has ts equvalent compensaton.132
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Obedience: If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments

If I may only please Him tis pilgrimage enough; If not, nothingno rites or toils avail: Whichever way I look, I find that in His creation, None has won salvation without His grace Regardless of Karmas you can discover untold spiritual riches within yourself: If you but abide by the teachings of your Master. My Master has taught me one lesson: He is the Lord of everything, may I never forget Him.133 JAP J: 6 F YOU OBEY the Master lterally, then He wll make you master of your own home.134 Naturally the chld who heeds hs fathers slghtest wsh wll enjoy hs pleasure. Whoever nssts on hs own deas and does not want to obey, doubtless he wll also get the Masters love, but the nner key wll not be entrusted to hm.135 Make up your mnd whether you would lke to conform to the dctates of your mnd or to the Commandments of the Master. The choce les n your own hands; you are free to choose; no one else can make the choce for you. The world may condemn you who choose the Masters way.
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However, you need not worry because you have taken up the rght way.136 We should explot those qualtes whch wll assst us to jon back to God, and dscard all trats whch are lable to lead us away from Hm. It s not dffcult to realze the Lord, but t s most dffcult to become a mana true human beng. One hundred tmes and more we bow our heads and say yes, yes, I wll do t, but n acton we do just as we please. Ths ndcates that as yet we do not truly understand the sprtual path. If you have not as yet changed your old habts, then do so at once. Make a start now. To have bad thoughts for others, to take sdes n enmty, lke a lawyer crtczng the lves of your fellow bengs would you not expect the fre to flare up wthn you? The Guru sees all events wth a dfferent eye, for every man sees from hs own level. If you have accepted someone as beng superor to you, then obey hm. 137 By merely lookng at a Master you wll not get salvaton; remember that. Just by seeng the Guru salvaton does not come, f you do not love the Satgurus words. Do whatever the Master says: follow hs advce, obey hm and become receptve to hm, for the soul gans strength through receptvty. The work whch may seem mpossble just now wll become easy. All sns are burned away n the company of a true Master, and from a true Master you can receve the precous gft of Naam. The Satguru s so powerful that not only the dscple gets the beneft, but those who love the dscple wll also gan Hs protecton. Ths has been proved by hstorc sprtual record.138
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There s less hope for those who pay obesance to the body of the Master, as compared wth those who pay obedence to the words whch he utters. For them, emancpaton s defnte, sure and certan. We should obey and pay respect to the words that the Master utters. Then we are sure to go back to the home of our Father. Those who only pay obesance to the Master outwardly and do not lve up to what the Master says, there s yet tme. The tme factor s a necessty.139 To abde by the teachngs of the Master s just lke treadng a razors edge. The more you walk on the edge of a razor, the more t wll cut your feet. What does ths mean? The more you abde by the teachngs of the Master, by the sayngs of the Master, the more you have to tear up your old name and fame, what you are, whether hgh or low. You have to care only for the Master.140 So the frst dffcult thng on the way to devoton to the Master s that you must abde by what he says, rrespectve of whether the world prases you or not. It may be possble that he says somethng that does not appeal to your ntellect, but what s your duty? When the offcer n the feld orders fre what wll the solder do? He must fre. The Master wll never say anythng whch s not becomng. It may be that you do not understand what he says at the tme, but he has some noble purpose behnd t for your betterment. That s why t s very dffcult to follow the orders of the Master.140a The ABC starts from where?when you obey the orders of the Master. What does the Master say? He
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says, Keep your lfe pureFor a whle, leave off from outsde and ntrovert wthnRse above body conscousnessCome nto contact wth the God nto Expresson Power, the Lght and Sound Prncple wthn youThen rse above the astral and causal bodes. You wll realze what s meant by I and my Father are One. You can then rse further nto the Super Conscous state. Ths s the ultmate goal.141 So brothers, obey my drecton, do your medtaton even f t be a lttle; ncrease whatever experence you have been gven. See nto each acton of your daly lfe, and keep a dary. Do not leave off your Bhajan and Smran. There s a remedy for mstakes, but there s no remedy for dsobeyng, and the road s long for such people. Those who have Naam wll defntely reach God, but t wll be a long journey for whosoever dsobeys the nstructons. You have to do t whether n one brth, two or four, so why not now? Remember that the dscple who always has hs face turned toward the Guru, draws the Gurus attenton. If you keep someone n your heart, you wll resde n thers.142 All creaton s n Gods control, just as a powerhouse controls all other machnery. He who s n charge of the powerhouse wll tell you that not a sngle pece of machnery can move wthout hs orders. Those workng under hm say, Be careful not to dsobey hs orders, otherwse a lmb mght get chopped off n the machnery. Hs wshes are lke standng orders and cannot be erased. So God s called by the names Shabd
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or Naam or Word. That whch we term the Controllng Power s Hs wsh or order, or you can call t the wll of God. Through the Shabd all happness s acqured, and through love of the True Naam. Soul s a part of God, just as t s a part of the Shabd. When the soul becomes one wth God, t becomes full of blss. If ye long for eternal happness, surrender thyself to God. Go under the protecton of that Power whch s perpetually vbratng.143 One wll go on comng and gong untl one surrenders ones whole beng to the Guru; and ths means lvng n accordance wth hs wshes, thnkng as he advocates. The keeper of the ntellect s the Guru. Maulana Rum Sahb prays to God, sayng, This intellect will turn my face from You; Keep your control on it, and I am savedotherwise I am lost. It does not take much tme to spol the mlk! The ntellect s lke that. If your mnd obeys the Guru one hundred percent, you wll know then who the God s. Dont let your ntellect nterfere n the slghtest fracton wth what you know s rght. He who s wllng to obey hm wthout a queston wll receve the treasure. Naams perpetual song, precous jewel of the Lord, s n the Sadhus keepng. You can also say that God has handed over Hs treasure to the Master. Then? The Guru places t before hm who takes hs words as truth. To fnd a Guru who can do ths s the heght of good fortune. Wthout good fortune, the Satguru s not met.144 If one has found a true Master who s attuned to
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the Lord and s Hs mouthpece, and obeys Hm n all thngs completely and absolutely, he wll surely destroy the hydra-headed serpent of the ego and reach hs heavenly home one day. There wll be moments n the course of such love when one, judgng from ones own lmted understandng, doubts the valdty of the Masters nstructons, but such moments are only tests to make our self-surrender more complete and more secure, and he who passes through these tests successfully, wll one day radate wth the glory of God.145 To obey and to surrender oneself are two dfferent thngs. Beng obedent to the Gurus wshes does not mean you have surrendered yourself, although he who has surrendered s naturally obedent. But f you have surrendered you wll not thnk of why and what, you wll just do what he says. I have given Myself unto Your reckoning, so do what You will. When Hazrat Ibrahms slave was asked where he would lke to sleep, what clothes he would lke to wear, the slave repled, Sr, you have bought me, whatever you wsh I wll do. Ths s what surrender means. It s a very dffcult step to take, for hundreds of doubts enter the mnd.146 If you ever come to know what a Guru s, then there s nothng left to learn. The Guru teaches ths wth love, wth persuasonafter all, they are hs chldren! If a chld s covered wth flth, he cannot kll t. Under the nfluence of the mnd, the manmukh has lttle understandng; he does not obey the Guru,
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he does not lve for the Gurus pleasure, but he s concerned wth hs own wll. The reason? He has lttle or no connecton wth the Shabd. When a person gets the connecton, he should keep t ntact and not break t! Only then wll all the vrtues come, wthout effort. The precous attrbute of true humlty wll grow n hs heart. Just lstenng to the Shabd s a treasure of all vrtues.147 For how long will you try to deceive your Guru? Now recognize what He is. Hdng the true facts, you thnk, What does the Guru know? What we want to do s correct. You get hold of an dea and place t above all else, consderng everyone else to be wrongeven f your Guru tells you somethng dfferent. How long wll you keep ths up? Make no mstake, he watches our every acton, for the Guru Power s resdng wthn our very beng. But we foolshly thnk that he s not present to see us, so we can do anythng and he wll not know. He entreats us to try to realze what a Guru s. The Guru s not the physcal formhe s not the human pole but s the all-omnpotent power of God whch has manfested theren. It s accepted that God s everywhere and sees everythng. Gve full attenton to learn what the Guru s, and then come to know t.148 From today, become a worthy skhworthy even to be called a guruskh, the beloved dscple of the Guru. You can do ths f you obey the Masters words.
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You wll not do t? You wll have to do tf not n ths brth, then n the next. Oh brothers, what s the use of comng agan and agan? Why not do t now? If this birth goes, it will not come again in your hands, and the precious life is wasted.149 We may have been gven human brth many tmes, but prde and ego klled us agan and agan, runng all our good work and causng us to return to the same scene tme and agan. In the past t was our runaton, and t s wnnng the present also. Do not obey your mndobey the words of the Guru, whch wll brng you great joy, whereas obedence to the mnd wll gve you unendng dstressthe mnd ever gave brth to trouble. Wash anger away wth love, just as your Guru does. If you refuse to understand, then nothng can be done.150 You wll just have to contnue payng up for your mstakes.151 If the Gurus ntaton s followed by absolute obedence to hs wshes, all sns wll be washed away forever, along wth all the mseres of the worldly lfe.152 Why do Masters come and what s ther work? They release the soul from mnd and senses and connect t wth Naam. They come only for ths purpose, though they go through many dffcultes and work hard. Go to the Satguru and obey hm. The words of a complete Master, I tie on my heart. Te hs words close to you they should not enter from one ear and leave from the otherte them securely n your heart.153 If one s sprtually developed n lfe, he or she remans so n after-lfe, but f one s not so developed,
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how can he develop after death? We have a golden opportunty now n the human body wheren we can develop to any degree of perfecton and can become detached from the thngs of ths world. When one has developed overwhelmngly n love and devoton for the Master and has advanced sprtually so much so that he or she has become detached from worldly thngs, he need not return to earthly lfe, but wll proceed onward n the Inner Planes wth the gudance of the Master-Power resdng wth hm. If only the ntates would do and act as they are told, surely they wll rse up nto the regons of Lght and Supreme Joy and meet the Radant and charmng Master face to face. It may seem dffcult, but t s a practcal possblty and s wthn the reach of everyone wth the grace of the Master. Everythng that s holy, lovely and good s hard, but the rewards are supremely superb.154 Every ntate of a competent Master s destned to reach hs True Eternal Home. The speed s accelerated when the dscple obeys the words of the Master. In ths way great progress s made here and now.155 He s not to be won by words, but by deedif you love me, keep my commandments.156 If we scrupulously act up to hs nstructons, he wll make us a Sant lke hmself n due course.157
Testing the Disciple
HE MASTERS TEST the dscples agan and agan to see how much the dscple can sacrfce, how much lovng devoton he has, and to what extent
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TIME FACTOR IS APATH THE HOLY NECESSITY
he stll remans under the nfluences of mnd. He who sacrfces everythng for the sake of hs Guru has acheved all.158
Time Factor is a Necessity
AHATMAS ARE NOT made n one day. Rome was not bult n a day. Man s n the make. . . . You must not be skeptcal about your nner progress as t s beyond the ken of human comprehenson to gauge the nner growth. The dvne love of the Master s just lke a spark of flame whch reduces everythng to ashes n good tme.159
In the Gurban t s wrtten that purty of thoughts and perseverance are needed. Do you want to become somethng worthwhle or dont you? Hearng such words, an nterest s awakened, but the work cannot be accomplshed n one day. A chld, learnng to read, reads a few lnes and promptly forgets them. He must read them agan and agan, but after much strugglng wth learnng, he one day may be able to wrte a book. Every Sant has hs past, and every snner a future. The people who are lke us today can become somethng tomorrow. For ths, true gudance s requred from one who has seen, not anyone else. The second requrement s mplct obedence to ones Guru. The Masters words are not just words alone, but are the Master Hmself! Added to ths, perseverance s necessary.160
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Those who are now better stuated may have been lke you some tme back, or even worse off. They persevered and dd the rght thng. It gave them strength and power. You can do lkewse. It s just a matter of startng anew. START RIGHT NOW. The Master s anxous to see you progress. He wants hs ntates to rse to sublme heghts and have ther bowls flled to the brm wth the nectar of Godconscousness. But the bowls must frst be empted of the rubbsh that they contan n order to make room for the nectar to be put n. Seek only that company whch s helpful to you. Dscard all others lovngly and unprovokngly. You wll surely make progress. But remember one thng Rome was not bult n a day. It requred a huge effort n tol from hundreds and thousands of people for a very long tme. Your dscplne may not have to be as severe, but you cannot have what you want so easly. You must work for t. But be sure that wth a lttle work you wll get better results. The Master wants you all to develop love and humlty. These must be lved wth tolerance. Sprtual Scence s very defnte, and whoever, even the vlest of the vle, follows t, s changed for the better. If some people who have been put on the way are not changed for the better, t s purely ther own fault and not that the Scence s wrong. Ths s the most perfect way gven out by all the Masters who came n the past. Our day-to-day lfe should be a lvng testmony of what we profess. Ths
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s the long and the short of the whole thng. Everyone must learn t and the sooner, the better. Reformers are wanted, not of others, but of themselves. It s better to see ones own faults and try to remove them than to pck holes n others.161
Karma: The Wheel That Binds
ACH THOUGHT, each word, and each deed has to be accounted and compensated for n Nature. Every cause has an effect and every acton brngs about a reacton. Uproot the cause and the effect dsappears. Ths has been done by the Masters who have transcended these laws, but all others are bound by the bonds of karma, whch s the root cause of physcal exstence and the clever devce of nature to mantan ths exstence. The law of karma sees to t that we are pad an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, n the shape of joy or sufferng. It s the goadng whp n the hdden hands of nature. The mnd contracts karma, puts a coverng on the soul and rules the body through the organs and the senses. Although t s the soul that mparts strength to the mnd, the latter has assumed soveregnty and s governng the soul nstead. Control of the mnd, therefore, s the frst step to Sprtualty. Vctory over the mnd s vctory over the world. Even accomplshed Yogs and Mystcs who can transcend to hgh sprtual realms are not left untouched by the hand of karma. Sants classfy karmas nto three dstnct groups, as follows:
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I. SANCHIT (stored): Good or bad deeds that stand to our account as earned and contracted n all prevous bodes of the order of Creaton, countng from the day of the frst appearance of lfe on earth. Alas! Man knows nothng about them or ther extent. II. PRARABDHA (fate or destiny): The result and effect of whch has brought man nto hs present body and has to be pad off n ths lfe. The reactons of these karmas come to us unexpectedly and unperceved and we have no control over them whatsoever. Good or bad, we have to tolerate or bear ths karma, laughng or weepng, as t happens to sut us. III. KRIYAMAN (account of our actions and deeds in the present body): Ths s dstnct from the above mentoned two groups, as here man s free to do exactly as he pleases, wthn certan lmts. Knowngly or unknowngly, deeds commtted and comng under ths headng bear frut. The result of some of these we reap before we de, and the resdue s transferred to the Sancht storehouse. Karma s the cause of rebrth, and each brth s n turn followed by death. Thus the cycle of enjoyment and sufferng, whch are concomtants of brth and death, contnues. As you thnk, so you become, s an unalterable law of nature, owng to whch ths Unverse exsts. No amount of ntegrty or genus can absolve a man so long as there s the slghtest trace of karma. Ignorance of the law s no excuse, and though there may be some concesson or relaxaton wth man-made laws under specal crcumstances, there s no such allowance
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KARMA: THE HOLY PATH BINDS THE WHEEL THAT
made for ths n natures laws. Prayer, confesson and atonement may gve temporary mental relef, but they cannot overcome karma. All karma must be wped out completely before permanent salvaton can be had.162 Smlarly, the phlosophy of karma too, has a specfc place n the system of sprtual scence. But t should on no account be made to nduce morbdty and breed a sprt of frustraton among the ntates and non-ntates. Man s the maker of hs own destny. Though we cannot alter the past, yet we can forge the future as best we may. Thus far and no further s the deadlne whch the Master draws for each one of us, and t should on no account be transgressed.163 It s our past karmc evoluton whch moves us around under Hs dvne wll. We are bound wthn certan lmts on account of past karma and free wthn certan lmts. We can make the best use of free karmas to change our course to proceed on our sprtual way.164 Now that our fate has brought us here, how can we make the best of the human lfe? We should not sow any more seeds. Whatever happens n lfe due to past actons should be borne wth cheerfulness. Happness and unhappness wll come, but one should never be dsheartened. The great sprtual leaders also go through smlar experences, but wthout sufferng the pnchng effects. My Master used to say, You cannot clear up all the thorns whch you yourself have spread n your path, but you can wear heavy
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boots for protecton. The task of savng ourselves from the reactons n store for us should be serously consdered, for only n the human form do we have any chance of renderng them nactve. The Sants who comeforgve me, but they also leave the body at death. They also get rches or poverty, but they always avod those actons whch wll cause reacton.165 He who is of one color enjoys perpetual freedom; He has no fight with anyone. He has rght understandng; he has full awareness of the oneness of all lfe. He remans unaffected through each passng phase, whle the rpples on the surface of the ocean of lfe come and go. He works endlessly, trelessly n ths feld of actonyet s above the effects of acton. The meanng of the words neh-karma s to do the actons yet reman actonless, so those who cannot see the true facts cannot become neh-karma. Only by seeng the acton of the Lord n everythng can one attan ths state. He s neh-karma who s connected wth the Shabd.166 When one has become the conscous co-worker of the dvne plan, all past actons, sancht karmas (those n store) are erasedfnshed. If the person who was tastng the actons s not there, then who s there to taste them and be responsble? When there s I-hood, one must receve the results of ones actons. A man may state, I am not the doer, but wthn the folds of hs heart he cannot beleve ths and contnues
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to consder he s dong everythng, thereby holdng responsblty for hs actons and the reactons to follow. If he becomes the conscous co-worker of the dvne plan and knows that he does only that whch God wlls, how can he be burdened by any acton?167 To be neh-karma then should be our deal n lfe and ths means salvaton.168 We are at the mercy of our actons, and whatever we do sets up an acton-reacton. Good actons brng good reactons; bad actons, bad reactons. In the Gurbani (sayngs of the Skh Gurus) t s wrtten, Do not blame others, but blame your own past actons. Brothers, do not blame anyone. You got ths human form as a result of your prarabdha karmas (destny, governng ths lfes pattern); t s the good frut of your past. Whatever you have to gve and take from the past lves must be accounted for now. You have to take from some people and gve to others. Sometmes when gvng somethng to a certan person, such warmth of love swells up from wthn the heart, and yet another occason one gves wth hatred and reluctance. Ths s reacton from the past. Someone s rch, another poor. Some are masters, others servants. In all, there are sx thngs over whch man has no control: lfe, death, poverty, rches, honor and dshonor. These are all beyond our control.169 Good actons wll no doubt brng ther reward, but you wll stll be a prsoner. Perhaps some wll go nto a Class A prson, some Class B, some Class C. Some mght get the pleasures of the other worlds. Heaven and
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hell wll come agan and agan, for ths crcle cannot be broken unless one gets out of the lluson.170 We come nto the world only to settle our old accounts of gve and take. All our relatonshpsfather and son, husband and wfe, mother and daughter, brother and sster, and vce versaare the result of past karmc reactons. It s sad that the pen of destny moves n accordance wth our deeds. What we sow we must reap. We come wth fate wrt n our forehead: even the body tself s the result of our karmas and t s rghtly sad to be Karman sharir. It s the destny that casts our mold. Wthout body there can be no deeds and wthout deeds there can be no body. It therefore behooves us to pass our days happly and ungrudgngly, gve what we have to and what we must, for there s no escape from t. We have, of course, to be careful not to create new relatonshps and sow fresh seeds. Ths s the only way to get out of the abysmal depths of the karmc ocean.171 To expect that after ntaton the affars of the world would so change that btter thngs wll never come your way s a mstaken dea. Ups and downs do come here as a result of the reactons of ones own dongs. They have to be faced and squared up. If we were to run away from them, the debts wll reman unlqudated.172 We have been joned to our famly and relatves through Gods wll and the prarabdha karmas, and we should accept the condtons joyfully. Only he who truly knows wllngly pays hs way through lfe. Who knows how many dffcultes are due to our unpad debts?173 If you have sucked
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anyones blood now, n the next brth he sucks your blood. On the surface t may seem to be, he s dong wrong to me, he s a tyrant, he s cruel, but who knows what s the reacton of the past?174 I am sorry for your personal affars when you feel hurt and confused. The present earth lfe s chefly based on the reacton of past karma whch determnes pan and pleasure, health and sckness, honor and gnomny. However, a well planned and dscplned lfe based on sprtual beattude goes a long way n offerng new vstas of peace and harmony. Ups and downs are the normal features of earth lfe and should be consdered n the sprt of ther beng passng phases. The golden prncple of acceptng the weals and woes of lfe n a sprt of mental stablty and equlbrum, beng n our best sprtual nterests, should be followed cheerfully. An ntates lfe, just lke a bank gong nto lqudaton when each farthng s to be squared up and pad off, s for releasng the soul from past karmc debts. If you wll accept all events n ths sprt of rght understandng, you shall be more postve, happy and cheerful. The decrees of heaven are subject to no error. Yet dvne dspensaton s nvarably flavored wth mercy. A sprtually developed person would surmount all dffcultes of materal lfe by mergng hs or her wll n that of the Lord.175 When Masters come they do not dsturb the prarabdha karmas, although n one way they do: they start gvng food to the soul. To feed the physcal form
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we have to eat and drnk. To strengthen the ntellect we read, wrte and thnk. All these words are food for the ntellect. The soul s fed only wth the Bread of Lfe, whch s the experence of the Beyond. Wth such food the soul becomes very strong, and though unhappness and sorrow may come, t wll not have so much effect. If there s a thorny road to travel and one puts on heavy boots, then one wll not feel the thorns. Say there are ten people, and they get beaten up physcally. One of them s very weak, and after a slght beatng he collapses. The others admt they were beaten up, but dd not feel t so much. Smlarly, f the soul s strong, happness or unhappness may come, but wll not have any drastc effects.176 Q. Can we overcome past karmic impressions? A. Karmc reactons whch are n frut you cannot; just have strong boots on to save you from the pnchng effects of the thorns. For as man has to de, he wll de, he must de. So karmc reactons of the past whch are n frut, they cannot be stopped, but you can have such a poston where they wont pnch you.177 Q. Is there any way we can know if our actions are paying off an old debt or if were starting something new? A. Rse up to the causal plane, not before.178 Q. If an initiate because of his karma has to come back again, how soon will that be?
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A. If he s ntated by a competent Masterfrst queston; and f he s followng Hs commandments, lvng up to what He says; regular n hs devoton to practces, sees Lght and also hears the Sound Prncple, so much so that he has cut off all desres from outsdesuch a one s not to return at all. He wll progress further later on. And those who have done lttle or nothng, then they wll have to come back, but not below man body. Agan they wll get further gudance and go up. And those who have got very strong love for the Master, so much so that all ther desres have been burnt away, such a soul wont return, theyll progress from there onward. 179 No ntate can take the karmc load of others. It s only for the gracous Master Power workng on the human pole of the Lvng Master who can lqudate karmc debts under Hs dvne wll, and none else.180
HE WAYS of MASTERS are often msunderstood through lack of sprtual growth.181 If, havng got the double blessng of the human form and the Satguru, you throw away the chance by dsobeyng hm, what wll happen? Those who lve on anothers earnngs go under the law of gve and take or lluson; f you offend or harm anyone, you reap the reacton of that and under the same law you wll be born there where the offended person s born, that the account may be accurately balanced. Wherever your attention
Turning from the Path
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is, there will you reside. Who knows when you wll agan get the human form? Fre consumes even green wood as well as the dry, and everyone must go sometme. If you spend your days losng everythng but savng the nvaluable treasure gven to you, then your work here wll be successful.182 There are varous factors whch lead to doubts and skeptcsm when the dear ones leave the path or go astray. The chef beng lack of steadfastness and mplct obedence for the commandments. The stress on ntal experence s gven smply for testng the competency and genuneness of the Master as to whether one can have frst-hand nner experence of Holy Naam on Intaton. If one has the experence, may be less to start wth, more can be expected by regular practce n due course. Perfect dscpleshp s a rare blessng whch evolves n very few who not only work assduously for ther sprtual progress but surrender ther all at the holy feet of the Master. It s perhaps much easer to medtate regularly, abde by the detary regulatons and observe other outer dscplnes, but to nculcate a sense of complete selfsurrender s most dffcult.183 Dsobedence results n beng consumed perpetually n the fre of senses, not only n ths lfe, but hereafter also.184 Remember, he who breaks the wall of the Gurus orders wll never realze the nner knowledge. He may get a lttle nner experence and help, but he wll never become perfect. 185 You were asked to develop these further by gvng regular tme to medtaton wth love and devoton, whch are the keynotes for success on the
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dvne way. In not lvng up to these nstructons, you lost a chance to secure the Masters gudance, whch s needed at every step. Thus n obeyng the dctates of ones own mnd, f one fnds fault wth the scence of nature, you can see for yourself how far t s justfable. The mnd has to be settled on the way. So many of the cases of falure n medtaton are due to want of accuracy n the method, lack of love and devoton, not followng the proper det, mxng n other methods or exercses. All of the lapses come from the dscple. Ths s the way of beng born anew and to enter the Kngdom of God. Learn to de so that you may begn to lve s what Chrst taught as well as all other Masters. You are fortunate to be put on the way to God.186 The Lord, sttng at the human pole, makes t possble for the soul to overcome all negatveness. In the Gurbani t s asked, What s the Negatve Power?I can kck t out or remove t altogether and replace t. The records contanng the words of the great Masters have an authortatve truth n them, for only the Masters (or anyone else on whom they may shower grace) see the true state of affars. The Negatve Power has no standng, unless wth the approval of the Postve; but we are msguded, foolsh people who sometmes allow ourselves to be drawn away from the true Guruforgve me, but ths happens. No matter what dffcultes come, no matter what your condton may be, never leave hold of the
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Gurus handfor your own sake. It s a natural law that you wll go to the stage whch your Master has reached.187 To forget the Master s to lose hs protecton, thereby gvng an opportunty to the Negatve Power to pn you down. Nevertheless, the Master Power s not gong to forsake you n mdstream, He has mghty protectng hands. The seed of sprtualty sown by Hm at the tme of ntaton must germnate sooner or later. None can destroy ths seed. But f you do not prepare the sol conducve to ts germnaton now, you wll have to be reborn, undoubtedly as a human beng, to accomplsh the task, for the seed sown by a competent Master must germnate and sprout fully. But why delay and prolong your torture?188 Why not put n tme, grow now, and fnsh ths returnng? You come nto contact wth the Lght and Sound Prncple wthn and by progressng you are ntoxcated wth that. That has more blss n t. We get more enchantment and blss nsde, and naturally we are wthdrawn from the outsde thngs. Such a soul can never return, and lves n and s kept n the Beyond after the death of the physcal body. Such souls have to progress there too, but ths takes a longer tme as compared wth the tme t takes n the physcal body. So t s always better to develop here, the more you can, the most you can, so that you can straghtaway go to that hgher plane to whch you have developed here. So tell them all that I wsh them to progress. They have gotten, by the grace of God, frst-hand experence at the tme of Intaton. If anythng goes
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wrong, t s due to the result of these thngs as I have explaned.189 What makes one stray from the golden Grand Trunk Road of Sprtualty after fndng the Godman and havng sacred Intaton from hm? It s the ego n humans whch debars them from sprtual llumnaton. It can be annhlated only by stern sprtual dscplne and a sacred schedule of holy medtatons together wth deep reverental humlty. Sometmes uncongenal envronments do affect the sprtual progress of the dear ntates, who should always pray for rght understandng and dvne grace.190 Wthout doubt, there s none equal to the Guru. He who starts seeng another as equal to hs Master, HIS SOUL BECOMES AN ADULTERESS.191 Q. An associate made up her mind to leave the Path. Why does this happen? A. Because she s under the control of the mnd; she s led away by the mnd. When you come to a Master, as Chrst sad, Satan wat. If you say t s alrght to let Satan come forwardthen you must delay your progress.192 You reach home wth the Master, not wth the mnd, whch wll lead you away from the Path, from the Master. It wll fnd fault wth Hm: many thngs whch are truly speakng your own faults, the colored spectacles you see through. And those who consder that they have become somethng, they are also led away by mnd, you see. Mnd, as I told you, s a very
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wly frend. It wll always try to lead you away from the Path, from your Master, from God. So mnd s a dscple of the Negatve Power, you see. It s workng to take you away from the Path, from God.193
To Invoke His Grace

The lowly became high through Gods grace, And through His grace the sinking stone was made to swim across. NLY GODS GRACE made ths snkng stone swm across, so there s hope for everybody. There s a great wealth to be ganed through Gurubhaktidevoton to the Guru. You have to earn your reward through usng whatever he gves you to start wth. So the frst step should be through Gurubhakt. One whole lifetime of Gurubhakti is required, And in the next life you will get Naam. The third brings salvation, And the fourth takes you to your True Home. If you do Gurubhakt n one brth, n the next you wll get Naam, the thrd wll brng salvaton, and n the fourth you wll arrve n Sach Khand, your true home. All these stages can be had even n one span of manbody, wth the grace of the Guru. All Masters, have sung the prases of Gurubhakt.194 He tells us that God loves anyone who tres to adopt
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Hs own attrbutes; so we should fnd out what they are, and also nculcate them nto our beng. If there s a vacancy n a certan offce, and the man n charge has good talent n handwrtng, he wll naturally be more attracted to those applcatons whch have been wrtten n a good hand. So f we desre the Lords pleasure, we should adopt Hs attrbutes. But how can we know what they are, when no one has seen Hm? We can only observe Hs attrbutes as they are demonstrated n the Guru, who s the Word made fleshGod manfested n human form. Whatever Gods attrbutes are, the Guru wll have them. By lovng the Guru, and placng all our attenton on Hm, we can mbbe all vrtues, and those vrtues wll then manfest n us. As a man thnks, so he becomes. If one goes on thnkng of some depraved person who has broken away from God and all thngs God-lke, one wll become lke that n a short space of tme. The Lords love s nnate n whomsoever He has manfested Hmself. Gods attributes can be seen when you see the Guru.195 So we should go to the Master wth very clean hearts, wth love for Hm, wth all due deference for Hm. Then naturally, He wll gve Hs own Self to you. So ths s how we can develop love for the Master, for the God n hm. The attrbutes that He has developed n hm, you should try to develop n you. What are they? He wants love, no show, strct obedence to what he says. Once he says somethng, obey hm. Obey hm lterally.
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Whle developng these thngs you wll all the tme be havng the sweet remembrance of the Master wthn and also outwardly. It s for the Master to see what he has to gve. He has come only to gve lfe. He has no other busness. He s Lfe, Lght and Love. He can gve you these qualtes only when you have become receptve and there s nothng that stands between you and Hm. The attrbutes of God are reflected n Hm. If you just adopt those attrbutes n your own lfe, then you wll be loved by the Master and by the God n Hm. As Chrst sad, Those who love me, wll be loved by my Father, and whom my Father loves, I manfest myself to Hm. All Masters have sad the same thng.196 Your lovng and humble supplcatons to the Master are noteworthy. Such-lke prayer, comng from the depths of the heart, does nvoke the dvne grace and mercy. It s only when one realzes hs nsgnfcance and helplessness that God extends more grace to the chld dscple. The true dscple s one who mplctly obeys the Masters commandments.197 Everyone s a precous personalty and must have hs due reward. Everyone has been endowed wth great potentaltes whch can be developed by makng proper use of Masters grace.198 True is the Lord, true His Holy Word; His love has been described as infinite. Men pray to Him for gifts, which He grants untiringly. When all is His,
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What can we offer at His feet? What can we say to win His love? At the ambrosial hour of the early dawn, Be you in communion with the Divine Word And meditate on His Glory. Our birth is the fruit of our actions; But salvation comes only from His Grace. 0 Nanak, know the True One immanent in all.199
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SELF-INTROSPECTION
BOOK TWO
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Rome 1972
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Preface
from Seven Paths to Perfection
TINY SEED contans a mghty oak n ts heart whch can blossom forth nto fullness by proper nourshment and protecton. All young and tender saplngs do need hand-waterng, perodcal weedng, fertlzng and protectve hedgng aganst the stray waysde cattle so that the saplngs are not harmed. In due course of tme the tree grows nto full maturty, provdng shade and shelter to the waysde travelers and becomng a source of help and nspraton to others. Exactly n the same manner, the Holy Seed of ntaton thrves best n a rch and fertle sol formed of hgh ethcal values and lovng compasson. A dvne str by the Lvng Master of the soul n man s a happy start for the long sprtual journey ahead. Seekers have been therefore advsed to do selfntrospecton whch helps n developng fertlty and n germnatng the dvnty to full bloom. The seven basc requstes enumerated n the prescrbed selfntrospectve dary* ad mmeasurably n coverng the entre feld of ethcs, and help a lot to nvoke the Dvne Mercy. KIRPAL SINGH *see followng page
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DIARY TO BE MAINTAINED FOR SELF-INTROSPECTION FOR THE MONTH OF ______________________________ INITIATED ____________
Send to: HIS HOLINESS SANT KIRPAL SINGH JI MAHARAJ - SAWAN ASHRAM GUR MANDI, DELHI 7, INDIA
OBSERVE (1) How far are you withdrawn from the body? (2) What you see inside.
FAILURES
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 RESULTS AT END OF MONTH
(1) AHIMSA (Non-Violence)
In thought
In word
In deed
(2) TRUTHFULNESS
In thought
In word
In deed
(3) CHASTITY
In thought
In word (3) What you hear inside.
In deed
In thought
In word
(4) LOVE FOR ALL HATRED FOR NONE, IRRESPECTIVE OF POSITION, WEALTH OR LEARNING
In deed
THE HOLY PATH
At the end of the day each ntate s requested to recall the number of falures n thought, word and deed, n the varous columns of the self-ntrospecton dary whch s shown below.
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(5) DIET
TOTAL
(6) SELFLESS SERVICE Physically
(4) Any difficulty you have in meditation.
Financially
TOTAL
7. SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (Time devoted in) 1. Repetiton of names 2. Connecting Sound Current
TOTAL
NAME____________________________________ ADDRESS_________________________________________
HELPFUL FACTORS: Service before self Attend Satsangs Love for the Master Implicit obedience to His commandments Self-control & Discipline Humility Sincerity & Longing
IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING THE DIARY THE HOLY PATH
Self-Introspecton
Importance of Keeping the Diary

F WE COULD learn to obey and keep the dary, we would become gods and goddesses.1
It may be that he knows hs condton; he reads, he thnks, he attends Satsang, he makes resolutons, but always falls back nto the old habts agan and agan. Ths s why I have advsed keepng a daly sprtual dary. It s a method of self-ntrospecton whch I have ntroduced after much deep thought on the subject. If you would only keep t . . . even send t to me blank! How many months would you go on sendng t blank? The beneft of ths s a moral uplftmentths s a very sweet way of explanng t. Wth tme, methods change. In olden days, clothes were washed by thrashng them aganst rocks, and nowadays we have got to the stage of dry cleanng, wthout the use of water. Masters have used many ways through the ages, tryng to nduce an awareness n men of ther way of lfe. Those who are not followng ths scence correctly never keep dares.2
Sprtual dares have been prescrbed after careful thought, and wth deep purpose. Daly selfntrospecton must be kept up, and through ths you wll be able to see for yourself how far you are comng out of the senses nfluence. Wth the Satgurus mercy one gets a lttle connecton wth the Lght
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SELF-INTROSPECTION THE HOLY PATH
and Sound Prncple, but f the lfe s not kept pure and chaste, the curtan of darkness wll obscure the Lght agan. You must be regular n your medtaton to mantan the Lght; there are mportant reasons behnd the keepng of dares.3 The dary s meant for ones personal use and helps to brng out many of the hdden underlyng weaknesses to the surface so that one may begn to see them and try to remove them one by one, and wth ther removal, lfe becomes pleasant and sprtual progress s accelerated.4 The dary s planned to be a personal thng for the nformaton of the Master and a helpful and sweet remnder for the ntate not to deflect from the rght Path, and also to help hm to progress from day to day by mprovng, and f there s no mprovement, to ponder and reflect why ths s so. It s a very useful thng.5 Intates have been gven self-ntrospecton dares whch they should mantan regularly and scrupulously. By ths means they wll be, at least, rememberng the Masters enjonders durng the day. If they dont keep the dares they wll smply forget to act up to what they have been told ... so ths s one good of keepng a dary.6 The dares show how much tme you put n and how many places your heart s attached to outer thngs n one form or the other. Devoton requres purty of heart. Purty of heart requres that no other thought should strke n your heart other than of the
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SELF-INTROSPECTION AND MAN-MAKING THE HOLY PATH
One whom you love. If there s no other thought n your heart for anybody else and t s vacant from outward attachments, then God s there. Devoton starts when you detach your heart from the outward thngs and attach t to God or to the God-n-man. Ths s developed by comng nto constant contact wth Hm. The ABC starts by regularty of devoton to your sprtual practces.7 So those who are not keepng dares must mantan them. I always agan and agan press ths pont. Those who are not mantanng dares wll fal constantly. In due course of tme, ther whole heart wll be attached to the world. Outwardly they mght appear to be very devoted, but they are really devoted to the world.8 Those who do not mantan the dary wll lose valuable ground n makng steady sprtual progress. In tme, they wll cease to apply themselves to ther sprtual practces, and n consequence the vrtues stressed on the dary form wll be observed less and less.9 If some of the dear ones desre to mantan dary for self-ntrospecton (before ntaton) such lke dear ones wll eventually beneft from the Holy Path.10
Self-Introspection and Man-Making
HERE ARE bascally two stages to be gone through before the strugglng dscple rses above body conscousness and begns to enjoy the sprtual
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dscplnes and to frmly tread the Path of Sprtualty. The frst stage s where the dscple has lttle or no knowledge of self-ntrospecton and s n a state of abysmal gnorance. The second stage s when the dscple begns to realze that he has nnumerable faults and falngs whch must be corrected before he can hope to rse above body conscousness, at whch state ths Path really begns. Ths second stage, whch s for most a long drawnout struggle wth lower tendences of the mnd, s known as man makng. Sprtualty, or rsng from the lower realms of exstence to hgher realms of untold blss and harmony, s not dffcult. It s the man makng whch s dffcult. There s no specfc tme lmt for ths second stage. It all depends upon the dscples apttude for self-dscplne, obedence to the commandments of the Master, and developng a love for Hm. It s the self-assertve ego whch s the last obstacle to be conquered, and ths cannot be done untl the soul begns to come nto ts own, has some glmmerngs of ts true nature, whch has the result of developng n the dscple a natural humlty. Ths s not to be confused wth an atttude of servlty, mnd you. True humlty has strength but s nevertheless not self-assertve. Although the gracous Master Power s ever at hand to help the dscple n ths struggle, t s somethng whch the dscple must go through hmself. Nobody else can do ths for hm. You have been put on the way and have been gven some captal to start wth, whch stll exsts wth you. A seed has been planted n you whch one day must surely
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fructfy, and you have as your constant companon the Master n Hs subtle form of Lght and Sound. He s also qute capable of manfestng to you n Hs charmng radant form when you have learnt to rse above body conscousness. It s not reasonable to expect to attan to the hgher planes wthout frst perfectng yourself to a great degree. As n worldly studes, n whch t s not unusual to spend twenty years or more to obtan the necessary qualfcatons to ft yourself for a career, so even greater s the tme and effort that must be put n by the dscple before he can be made a ft vessel to receve the truths of hs own soul and of God. It s a very odd outlook that some have: to expect self and God-realzaton n a short tme and wth lttle labor, whle the same people are wllng to tol for years to obtan the pot of porrdge that s all ths world has to offer.11 In no other expresson but the human form can a soul realze God. 12 The gods and goddesses are anxous to get the human form, and t means only that the human form s the hghest n all creaton due to ts great sprtual possbltes.13 I would stress the mportance of self-ntrospecton, for whch the mantenance of the dary has been prescrbed. A keen vgl and careful lvng s an essental helpng factor for nner progress. A dscplned lfe by havng complete control over the senses, whch feed the mnd, whch n turn overpowers the soul, should be chershed. The nner dvne lnks
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of Lght and Sound are most helpful for controllng the senses. If you wll follow these dvne prncples, the nner change of lfe wll follow automatcally. Truth s above all, but hgher stll s true lvng.14 Adopt a rghteous way of lfe and be content. You may have certan desres, but stop there; dont ncrease them. Then reconsder the desres and where they wll take you. What les ahead and what wll you take wth you? We are hurryng, scurryng through lfe; we are not even conscous of what we are dong most of the tme. So the Guru advses us to handle all our affars wth tranqul serenty.15 When one undertakes to reach a certan goal n any feld of human actvty, t s necessary to take stock of ones progress from tme to tme. It s only through such stock-takng that one can become conscous of ones short-comngs and errors, eradcate and uproot them and plan out future progress. Havng put our shoulders to the wheel of the Great Masters Cause, t s necessary that we should, n lke manner, revew our actvty and achevement from tme to tme. Wthout such self-analyss and self-crtcsm, no real advancement s possble, and t was to encourage ths practce and make t a daly habt that, n the case of ndvdual ntates, I nssted (and contnue to nsst) that they mantan a daly record of ther thoughts, words, and deeds, and of the perod of medtaton. What s necessary for us as ndvdual ntates s even more necessary for us as members of a large movement.16
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One must frst thnk of the result before dong or even contemplatng any deed.17 Fear of God s the begnnng of wsdom, and a danger foreseen s half-avoded. One who s forewarned s forearmed.18 Everythng wll be gven to you n due course of tme f you follow Hs behests and lve up to what He says. Every day you are gven tasks whch are ntended to help your sprtual growth. Unfortunately, most people look for a very specal assgnment to be gven to them by the Master personally before they accept t as a task from the Master. They do not see that ther day-to-day dealngs and behavor wth other people n ther work, the responsbltes they have to assume n ther other mundane dutes and how well they fulfll them, are all tasks gven by the Master. If you watch closely your reacton to stuatons that confront you n lfe, you cannot but be aware of how much you have grown sprtually. Ths s the most mportant part of sprtualty as far as the dscple s concerned. He must frst complete hs course n MAN-MAKING wth full honors before he can be gven hgher tasks to carry out.19 Every thought, every word, and every deed, good or bad, leaves an ndelble mprnt on the mnd and has to be accounted for. Hence the necessty for rght thoughts, rght aspratons, and rght conduct, all of whch consttute the hedge around the tender saplng of sprtualty.20 What consttutes desre? All conceptons n the
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mnd are desres. So, be desreless. You wll have notced that when an obstacle blocks the achevement of ones desre, anger arses. Then there s prde I must have ths (or do ths), otherwse I wll be belttled n the eyes of others. One can accept prde as beng the bass of all sns, for t turns nto I-hood. He recommends us to leave off perversty, or stop beng obstnate. Always be sure to lsten to the other persons pont of vewyou may fnd that what he s sayng s correct. Perversty just bnds a person more; there s no room for expanson. Dogmatc knowledge of books, for nstance, whch mght be rght or wrong, should be dscarded. It goes wthout sayng that all attachments should be broken awayyou must fnsh up the gve and takeyou must leave the body and all ts envronments. If an obstacle comes between you and your desre, t grows even stronger. Just put a large rock n the mddle of a fast flowng stream and you wll create two thngs: froth and nose. When a man s angry he cannot speak softly, and fnally he froths at the mouth. If you do get the thng you desre, t turns nto attachment. There s only one cure for all ths: Only after seeng your true self can you realze the Lord.21 Mllonares wll leave ther mllons behnd, those who have mud huts wll leave them, ths body dd not come wth you and wll not accompany you when you return. Yes, you wll take your actons wth you.22 Is anythng else requred to become reunted wth the Lord? Sadachar (rghteous lvng) s most essen-
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tal. The mnd that s runnng amuck n bad outer nfluences must be brought to heel; only then can any real progress be acheved. Our greatest obstacle s that the soul s under the mnds control, and mnd n turn s under the senses control. So release from ths bondage s hastened by lvng rghteously.23 We receve mpressons from outsde through the eyes, ears, the tongue, by smellng, and by touch. So we must have self-restrant. Such a man only can progress from day to day by regularty, and also by self-ntrospecton. Ths s most mportant. Your very soul, the outer expresson of whch s called attenton or surat, f engaged outsde, makes t mpossble for you to see wthn.24 Wth all ths rght understandng, what develops? Rght thought, and furthermore, rght speech, and out of that rght actons wll follow.25 If you can do ths; f you can conquer the self and surrender t at the Feet of the Master; f you can learn to see Hm workng through all thngs; f you can accept the fact of your own lmted vson; f you can undertake a ceaseless and zealous watch over your thoughts and deeds, weedng out all evls and mperfectonsthen you shall not only wn salvaton yourselves but enable others to do lkewse. Your example shall shne lke a torch n the darkness, and men, even those who may frst oppose you, wll turn to you for gudance and help. You wll fnd a new sense of peace surgng through you, a peace that does not depend on the
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absence of outer dsturbances, but s an nner state of mnd that stands unshaken even n the most tempestuous stuatons. And ths same qualty shall enter not only your ndvdual lves but the larger lfe of the great sprtual movement of whch you are a part.26
Attachment
HE HUMAN BODY s the temple of God. In order to attan super-conscousness, one has to wthdraw from all the physcal attachments. So long as we reman dentfed wth external objects, we cannot assume a subtle form.27 All Masters say that when you have got a man-body, the hghest thng s to attach yourself to God. Wherever you wll be attached, there you wll go. You have been comng to the world agan and agan. The reason s because you are not attached to God, otherwse you would have gone to God. So keep your dares and elmnate all foregn thoughts from your heart. Our heart s at present dvded. It should have no other thought except of Hm to Whom you want to be devoted.28 So generally, what do we do? We get somethng to start wth and frtter t away by beng attached to outsde. The father wll be pleased wth the chld who has made the best use of what has been gven to hm. If he becomes an honest man to be reled on, he wll be gven more and more. We fnd people who say, We were very well off before, but not now. But why not now? We have made beggars out of our own selves. So we have to be careful. Self-ntrospecton s most
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THE HOLY PATH SELF-CONTROL
necessary. Those who do not keep t, ther captal wll be dwndled away.29 Now you see how mportant t s to mantan selfrestrant. Make use of somethng when you want t. Now you are dragged rresstbly to outsde thngs. You have to lve n the world qute detached. When you want to use one faculty, use t. When you want to leave t, leave t. It s not so wth you now. For that purpose, you are gven a contact wth the Lght and Sound Prncple wthn you. When you get more blss there, your outward attachments wll be cut off.30 A man who s really detached from the world s not affected by t. Renuncaton truly les n the fact that we are not ted to the world, to anythng outsde. A man who has got love wthn hm love of God s attached to God so much that all other thngs leave hs mnd, he s not attracted by anythng else.31 A heart that s not attached to the world never thnks of worldly thngs. One who does not show falures under the dfferent headngs and who has a pure heart, then God must st n t. He s already there, but He wll become manfest.32
Self-Control and the Importance of Being Self-Centered
O THE IMPORTANT THING s to frst learn to handle your outer envronment, consstng of your domestc and/or workng lfe. We are to be judged by our actons and not by our words. It s
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from the abundance of our heart that all actons result, whether physcal, emotonal or ntellectual. The mnd s an ndex and reflectng mrror and t truly depcts ones nner state. A measure of success of how well you are succeedng n handlng your outer envronment wll be a gradual awareness that you are becomng the master of your own thoughts. It s to acheve ths success that I ntroduced the self-ntrospectve dares. How many really keep ther dares properly? Very few, f any, I am sorry to say. If the dares were to be taken advantage of, you would see a change n your behavor, your mode of thnkng, and consequently you would progress sprtually by leaps and bounds. The purpose of the dary s to reflect your own nner state, so that you know where you stand. It s a tool, whch f used properly, wll chsel you nto a receptacle ft for the manfestaton of the Master wthn you. You should put just as much devoton and attenton nto keepng your dary as you put nto your medtatons.33 Unfortunately, few, f any, have any dea of what keepng the dary really means. As tme passes, ther entres become a mere matter of form, and the whole purpose behnd keepng the dary s lost. We are asked to mantan the dary n thought, word, and deed. How many of us really do so? The majorty just react n thought, word, and deed to the stmulus of the moment; n other words, nstnctvely. The truth of the matter s that we must become conscously aware of every thought that passes through the mnd; we must wegh our words before we speak and not speak dle words
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THE HOLY PATH SELF-CONTROL
as a mere reacton to the stuaton that confronts us. If we are able to make some progress n ths regard, then we wll be far on the way to controllng our self. Ths, n essence, s the practce of Raja Yoga. Only when we have advanced far n the practce of lvng the lfe demanded of us (as mpled n the keepng of the dary), wll we become ft enough to reap the fruts of the practces of the Surat Shabd Yoga.34 One can gauge hs or her sprtual progress by the measure of conscious control that he or she has over hs or her thought patterns. One who has n some measure acheved ths control wll not be swayed or upset by outer condtons, stresses and strans that hs envronment may place on hm. If one cannot rise above, be in full control of, and handle with ease the circumstances of his outer environment, he will never be able to succeed in the way of Spirituality.35 To gan control of ones beng, to brng ones whole lfe under that perfect control, to help oneself to cut away from outer attractons, requres selfntrospecton. Start by conscously controllng a small fracton of your lfe. You wll be able to succeed f you are also enjoyng a lttle nner ntoxcaton of Naam. All Masters say there s no success wthout medtaton.36 It s we who gve power to the mnd. It s we who gve power to the outgong facultes. It s we who see good or bad outsde. If we become self-centered, we may make the best use of our outgong facultes however we lke.37 Unless you become self-centered,
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you cannot avod the nfluence of others.38 We derve effects from outsde; and wherever our attenton goes, we are affected by the radaton of those wth whom we come n contact. If they are pure, thats all rght. If not, you get ther radaton.39 Vctory over the mnd s vctory over the world. You have been granted the yardstck for measurng your sprtual attanments n the form of an ntrospectve dary, and you can surely judge thngs for yourself and see how far you have advanced on the Path.40 Man-makng precedes sprtualty. Unless and untl you become the master of all the fve senses, apprecable nner progress cannot be made.41 Control all Kama (desire), anger, greed, attachment; This play is loved by the Lord. Kam attacks through the eyes, anger through the ears. Attachments come through embracng. Rse above all these, and you wll gan connecton wth the Truth.42 The recurrng falures n varous columns of the dary show that you reman too much engrossed n worldly affars, whch should be reduced by keepng yourself mmersed n the dvne grace. Slence, soltude and serenty should be cultvated by lvng a lfe full of sprtual dscplne as enjoned by the Master. You can cut short unnecessary engagements and wld pursuts by keepng your sprtual goal n the forefront. A well regulated lfe earns rch dvdends.43 Every acton has a reacton. Every act of omsson or commsson has an approprate penalty. We cannot escape from sn as long as we consder ourselves as
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CHANGE YOUR WAYS THE HOLY PATH
born of the flesh, for flesh s the root cause of all evls n the world. Untl a sprt learns to leave the sensual plane at wll, enjoyments and dstractons do thrve lke a bay tree.44 Every day brngs n a new lfe full of vast opportuntes. You must not apprehend any fears whatsoever, and nstead try to harness your facultes for attanng the goal of sprtual perfecton. Take and accept lfe wth all ts vssctudes n easy terms of joy and bouyancy. Just face the stuaton bravely wth mental equpose and stablty. The tree of lfe reared n storms yelds more of cool shade and rch frut. Falures should serve as steppng-stones to success. It s persstent effort whch overcomes all dffcultes.45
MAN, t s the tme now to dscard your old dsreputable habts and adopt new ones. Habts are formed by repeatedly dong the same thngs, so we should frst unravel all the bad actons: les, hypocrsy, cheatng, crtcsm of others, enmty, avarce, malce, backbtng, and varous others. If you do not ntend to change these ways, what s the use of attendng Satsang? Your steps are forward, but your mind is retrogressing. Satsang s the means of makng us nto somethng beautful, but not by merely repeatng Gods name. Change your habts now nto good ones, for habt turns nto nature wth tme. Cast away all negatve thoughts, and nstll postve ones n ther place. If a person does wrong,
Change Your Ways
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forgve hm, and he n turn should forgve your msdeeds. In the Koran, t s wrtten, Even God has no thought for him who has no inclination to change. How can we expect other people to show excellent examples? If we ourselves would change, the whole world would change wth us. It s a message for all. One of the worst habts s that of crtczng others. All vrtues exercsed n rghteous lvng are good, but that of ahimsa-parmo-dharam (non-volence of thought) s the hghest. It can become a daly habt, for t les nherent wthn us all, and although other thoughts are there, yet conscously or unconscously t s workng and wll rse to the surface one day. That s why you are told frequently n Satsang that the past s past, forgve and forget, and do not make a foundaton of bad thoughts or there wll undoubtedly be reactons. You wll be the loser, for agan you wll revolve on the cycle of brths and deaths. So wth love the Masters encourage ther chldren to change ther habts whle there s stll tme.46 Man s a conscous beng and has been gven the faculty of dscrmnatng rght from wrong. Where man falls short n ths dscrmnatory ablty, he has the golden opportunty of approachng some Master who can gve gudance and rght understandng on the subtle ponts of hs behavor and actons. The sacred books that have been wrtten by the Master cover every facet of Sprtualty and should be studed wth a vew to clarfy how one should act n daly lfe. Other
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lterature has also been ssued on the same subject, and the booklet enttled Seven Paths to Perfection should be carefully read by you for the purpose of knowng the ennoblng vrtues to be developed, as opposed to the falures to be avoded, whch are gven on the dary form. You may take the vrtues gven n ths booklet and the falures to be avoded, as gven on the dary forms, to be your blueprnt for lvng; the rest s up to you. Ths blueprnt can be successfully appled to any stuaton that may arse n lfe and as such, there s no need to wrte to the Master on every stuaton when a lttle self-honesty and applcaton of common sense wll show you the rght course of acton.47 You should know t for certan that you are dvne n all respects and are the master of your destny whch s full of hgher potentaltes. You are smply to make exerton to change for the better, and frmly stck to your resolutons. All else s to follow of tself, as the Gracous Master Power s at your sde to extend all feasble help, grace and protecton.48 The more one aspres to weed out the mperfectons by daly ntrospecton, the more serene blss and grace come from above. Patence and selflessness are ennoblng vrtues. Rght understandng s the bass of all happness.49 You should not worry about past or new karmas. If at every moment you are conscously watchng your behavor, a calm consderaton wll replace a blnd nstnctve reacton to certan stuatons n lfe where the choce les between commttng a lapse n behavor or avodng t.50
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You should guard aganst the fve deadly sns of desre, anger, greed, nfatuaton and vanty, and develop nstead the vrtues of truth, chastty, nonnjury, unversal love, and selfless servce. 51 The paths leadng to worldly enrchment and to God le far apart. One can take ether of the two, as one may lke. The mnd s a sngle entty lnkng the body wth the soul at one end and the body wth the world and worldly rches at the other. Thus one has of necessty to choose between the two alternatves. Once the de s cast, one has perforce to apply oneself steadly to reach the goal whatever t be.52 In short, the sncere and conscentous asprant wll reorent hs entre mode of lfe n eatng and drnkng, thnkng, actng, feelng, etc. He wll gradually weed out of hs mnd all rrelevant and unhealthy desres untl he gradually attans the state of purty and smplcty that marks the chld.53 Make a wave of receptvty from heart to heart ths s the way to realze the Lord. Become even a lttle receptve and the Master n you wll restran you when you are n danger of gong wrong.54 The dear ones should have ther lves well dscplned and carefully regulated n the larger nterests of ther sprtual progress. One thng at a tme and that too wth sngle-mnded attenton and devoton. That s keepng the house n order. A knd thought wll attract all the kndness of the unverse, and contrarly, a vcous dea wll create a vcous crcle by acceptng all vce n the unverse. A mango saplng
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wll attract all the sweetness of the sol, whereas f a pepper seed s sown a lttle apart t wll attract all ts btterness; both the plants wll floursh wth the varyng elements of Mother Nature, yet on the same sol. One s full of all sweetness and the other of all btterness. That s the Eternal Law. Human heart s the sol n whch good and bad thoughts are the seeds whch, when sown carefully, are sure to be grown gradually by honest and correct cultvaton. You are to choose the best vrtues for acceptance and nculcatng n your lfe, when you can expect a bumper crop n due course. You are free to some extent and can beneft from ths lmted lberty by hard work, rght lvng and regulated dscplne. Just learn to mplant lofty deas n your subconscous mnd and feed them wth the waters of self-confdence, determnaton, dlgence and adaptablty. Stck to your guns. Never stoop low, never and stll never. Stand aloof wth your sublme prncples of lfe whch wll stand by you n the hour of need.55 Hence t s that mystcs of all tradtons have been untrng n ther stress of the need for absolute selfsurrender. It was ths cross of sacrfce of the self, the ego, of whch Jesus spoke when he exhorted hs dscples to bear ther cross daly. For n every lttle act, word, or thought, the ego s seekng to domnate us, and f the seeker s to trumph over t, he must be prepared to crucfy t every moment.56 To fall n sn s manly, but to reman there s devlsh. One falls often, no doubt, but one becomes
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a good rder only after many a fall. But dont le down and reman wherever you fall; that s bad. In the Koran t s wrtten that God wll not change any people who have no thought to change themselves. Where there s a wll, there s a way. Keep your am before you always, and work for t; then you wll be sure of success.57 Success n sprtualty s not the dffcult task whch most of us take t to be or make t to be; but t does requre patent self-purfcaton, a watchful ntrospecton, a careful weedng out of all undesrable elements present, and a prunng of outspreadng ramfcatons; and above all, tmely tendng and nurturng of the tender sprtual saplng as t sprouts from the sol of the human mnd. Ths work hangs on the shoulders of every one of you, and I am sure that you are fully alve to your responsbltes and oblgatons n ths behalf.58 Untl one can love, obey, and transform ones lfe, the gft of the Master remans as a seed locked away n a steel vault that cannot sprout and grow to fruton.59
Time Factor
IND IS A SLAVE to habt, and s forcbly led astray by t. Fnd for yourself what habts are obstacles n the way of truth. Get rd of them by and by and fll ther place by good ones. For nstance, anger should gve way to calmness and avarce to
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contentment, and so on. By contnued applcaton, mnd wll gve up bad habts. But note that mere theory of a thng does not help, unless a thng s actually done. Mnd s very powerful. At the tme of delberaton t makes promses but does not care to fulfll them when the occason arses. To control t s not the work of haste; t requres years of patent perseverance. So long as t does not take pleasure n the nternal musc, t must fly out to worldly pleasure. Apply your mnd wth love and keen nterest to the sprtual exercses wthout any false apprehensons. One day you wll get complete control over your mnd and senses and fnd t s a great blessng.60 But the tme fac tor s a necessty, patence s a necessty,
perseverance s a necessty. It wll not happen n one day. 61
The Need for Prayer and Effort
RAYER AND EFFORT go cheek by jowl. We pray to God for what? For the success of our endeavors. Should we wsh for a thng, we must try for t, and alongsde our efforts to acheve t pray that God may grant t. Prayer s just the last weapon and a sure one that comes to our ad. Where all human efforts fail, prayer succeeds. As a brd cannot fly on one wng only, nor a charot move on one wheel, so effort and prayer must go together f we want success n all our ventures. One of them by tself can acheve nothng. As long as a person s not fully Dvnzed, or n other words does not become a conscous co-
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worker wth the Supreme Power by understandng Hs Wll, he cannot do wthout endeavor, for God helps those who help themselves. A mere prayer wthout endeavor seldom bears frut. Just take the nstance of a boy who s late for school. If he were to st down on the roadsde to pray, he would be runnng aganst tme. If he wants to gan tme, he must run and t s possble that even f he be late hs teacher may forgve hm because of the effort he has made to reach there n tme. To have a rulng passon for an objectve and to work hard for achevng the same s the rght type of prayer n the truest sense of the word. Effort should be combned wth prayer, for mere lp servce to reach the goal wll not help much. In all sncerty one should pray and ndeed the very strvng for a thng wth heart and soul s the greatest prayer and s bound to fructfy. In all trals and trbulatons one must try to rd hmself of hs wearness, and pray to God that He may help hm n hs endeavors. Ths s the only rght atttude. If, n spte of ths, you fal n your endeavors, then take that falure as comng from God for your good.62 The Master-Power overhead s always aware of Hs chldrens needs and yearnngs, and He acts n ther best nterests. All errors must be weeded out one by one, and when the chld-dscple s dong hs or her best to eradcate these errors, all necessary help comes from wthn. Ths effort may take a long tme, but t must and wll come about, and much earler for those who
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are lovngly and fathfully devoted to the Master.63 A mere confesson of sns and shortcomngs n prayer does not aval anythng. If we thnk that by mere confesson our sns can be washed off and we can once agan ndulge n them freely, we are wrong. Such an atttude, far from beng a savng force, keeps us perpetually down n sns. Redempton s the gft that comes ether from God or the Godman who specfcally comes for the beneft of snners. Our job s just to understand hs commandments and to keep them scrupulously, leavng the rest to hm.64 Apart from the work of returnng the lost souls to ther Source through jonng them back to God, the Masters have no other purpose n the world.65 A keen desire to improve spiritually coupled with earnest efforts brngs n radcal change n the thought pattern of the ntate and the entre lfe undergoes change for the better. You should be more steady, humble, and polte n your dealngs.66 The lovng dscple s always prayerful and repentant for hs or her trespasses and lapses commtted conscously or unconscously durng the day.67 Beg from the Lord and the Guru ther Dvne Vson, complete self-surrender, and the gft of Naam. Pray also to be saved from the evl tendences of the mnd and the senses. Beng Omnpotent, He s capable of grantng us all these boons. Besdes ths, the seekers may pray for the gft of happly resgnng to Hs sweet Wll. We have no good qualtes n us. Beng gnorant and of low mental calber, we are not well versed
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n relgous ceremones, etc. Therefore, oh Beloved! have mercy on us. Bestow on us the capacty to sng Thy prases and to reman happy n whatever be Thy Wll.68
Purification: Repentance, Forgiveness, and Abstention
URIFICATION: Purty of body, mnd and soul s the most mportant factor n wnnng the love of the Lord. It may be consdered n three dfferent stagesRepentance, Forgveness and Abstenton.
REPENTANCE: Nothng under heaven s perfect, and each one of us has hs own weaknesses. Sn has come to man as a hertage from Adam. Mnd n man s the agent of the Negatve Power, and t msses no opportunty to tempt man aganst God. In daly lfe we slp at every step. Our best resolves turn nto ary nothngs when temptatons assal us. Unaded, we cannot possbly escape from the cunnng wles, subtle snares and wld clutches of Kal or the Lord of Tme, .e., the mnd. It s only the savng arm of the Master that can protect us and rd us of ts terrble onslaughts. But every tme that we fall a prey to temptatons, we must realze our weakness and sncerely repent for what we have done. FORGIVENESS: Repentance, though good n tself, cannot alter the past. Each act of omsson or commsson leaves ts ndelble mpressons upon the mnd and sngles us out for ts reacton
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or frut. In ths way countless Karmc mpressons go on accumulatng day n and day out, makng addtons to our Sanchit Karmas (a vast store-house of unfructified actions). Nobody can escape from this tremendous load whch has a far-reachng effect, extendng sometmes to hundreds of lves and over. Is there no remedy, then, to burn away the powder magazne before t blows us up? The Sants tell us that there s a way and a sure one ndeed. Prayer for forgveness s a postve weapon n the hands of a snner. There s hope for everybody ncludng the snners. Sants come nto the world to save the snners and the lost. An assocaton wth a Master-soul goes a long way n lqudatng the karmc account. Whle He forgves n Hs Savng Grace our daly lapses, He at the same tme enjons abstenton from repetton of the same. So far and no further, s ther admonton. Go and sn no more, was the usual advce wth Chrst and Master Sawan Sngh too, who used to advse hs dscples to make a halt wherever they were and to sn no more. The past actons can be washed off, provded we refran from sowng any more of the dragons teeth. ABSTENTION: Whle repentance and forgveness help us n escapng the effect of Kryaman or dayto-day acts, we have yet to guard aganst future repettons. No purfcatory process can help us through unless we put a stop to the ncessant round of the karmc wheel, whch gans momentum from our every act.
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At tmes a magstrate may award a lesser penalty for a crme but that may not ennoble the crmnal. In the dspensaton of the Master, there s always the stern admonton whch s so necessary an element n keepng a person on hs guard. Lke a mastersculptor, he has to chsel hard to brng shape and form out of a formless pece of stone. In bref, t s necessary that we must frst of all mold our lfe accordng to the nstructons of the Master, and feel a genune delght n thnkng of Hm. Secondly, we must understand Hs Wll and pray for those thngs that are to Hs lkng; and thrdly, we must learn to accept smlngly Hs decrees whatever they be. Last, but not least, love s the sol on whch lfe thrves the most. Lover gves and never takes favors. If one tres to lve a Godly lfe, all Gods favors automatcally flow down to hm. One who loves God need not ask for any favor. It s enough for us to dedcate our very lfe to Hm and become Hs bound slaves. It s up to Hm to treat us as He wshes. To lve n Hs Holy Presence s ts own reward and there can be no reward greater and rcher than ths.69
How to Do Your Diary
HEN AT THE END of the day, you recall your falures n thought, word and deed, n whch drecton wll your mnd be turned? Naturally, t wll go to the One who has asked you to keep t. So keepng
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the dary s also remembrance of the Master; you are sayng somethng to Hm. If you remember Hm then He remembers you, and n tme you wll develop receptvty to Hm wherever you may be. There can be no true sprtual progress wthout receptvty, and the daly mantenance of the dary wth full attenton and a true yearnng to be freed from the lapses whch are recorded theren goes a long way to developng ths receptvty. In the Chrstan relgon, I understand that those who wsh may make a confesson of ther lapses before a prest. They may go once a month or weekly, but generally not more often than once a week. But by keepng the dares, you are makng a confesson every day. Let your confessons be honestly and openly recorded n the varous columns, so that you know where you stand and can take rectfyng acton. The best and easest way to cure your lls s to yearn to be free of them and, as mentoned above, to have sweet remembrance of the Master at the tme you are fllng n your dary. Last and just as mportant as the foregong, keepng the dary should not be allowed to stagnate nto a mere recordng of falures, whch tends to become mechancal f done wth lttle or no attenton. The true purpose of puttng these falures down n front of you s to make yourself aware of them so that they may be weeded out. To weed them out, t s not suffcent to cut off one or two branches; you must uproot the cause. Once you become aware of a falure, you should be
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able to trace t to a certan stuaton, and ths stuaton wll help you to dentfy the cause of the weakness n you whch has to be elmnated. By and by, the very cause of the falure wll drop off by tself.70 Now as to the lapses or departures from the rght way, as you call them; the mnd, as you know, works n subtle waystoo subtle for an ordnary man to detect and then to detect rghtly and n tme before the mschef s done. It s from the abundance of heart that all actons, oral as well as physcal, proceed. We have, therefore, to be mentally alert about our thought-waves, so as to be able n tme to mark ther ebb and flow and then by-pass them by the process of concentraton, forgettng all about the mnd and the mental states, ncludng even the pure mnd essence whch gossamer-lke envelops the soul.... It s the memory of our experences n the dstant past and n the lvng present that constantly and rresstbly follows us at our heels, and snce we have not yet learned to keep aloof and above them, the lapses occur n spte of us. The enumeraton process s just the frst step to be cognzant of our dongs, whch we are lkely to overlook n our self-rghteous assertveness.... Thoughts are to be watched whch precede actons. It s a slow yet steady process of gradual mprovement for whch an all-out effort s necessary. A well dscplned and sprtually regulated lfe s very much essental.71 The Lord s not an nnocent chld to beleve anythng you wsh; He sees the true condton of your lfe, nwardly and outwardly.72
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Personal awareness of the transgressons of the holy commandments, and mmedate confesson by way of nner repentance are all helpful measures for nner growth and receptvty. However, recallng and countng such lapses at the close of the day, and jottng them down on the dary forms, has ts own beneft when you regret such deeds and feel nspred to work for mprovement.73 Prde and ego do not let us progresswhen we make mstakes we wll not admt them.74 The dary forms are dvded nto seven categores. The first six categories deal with the failures to observe the vrtues ndcated by the headng of these categores, whle category number seven s a record of the tme spent n sprtual practces. In the frst sx categores, you are to enter the number of tmes that you fal to observe the vrtues ndcated, n thought, word, and deed. For example, f you fal n Non-volence n thought, word, and deed four tmes n one day, you are to enter ths fgure n the column provded under the day on whch the falures occurred.75 It s not necessary to wrte a confesson to the Master every tme you commt a msdemeanor. The Master Power s qute aware of the lapses of Hs dscples and wshes only that they become aware of these lapses and not repeat them. Let your confessons be honestly and openly recorded n the varous columns on the self-ntrospecton dary. Ths s the sublme prncple behnd the correct use of the dary form.76
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If all ntates gve a proper study to the books and Crcular Letters and also attend the Satsang, there should be no need for them to wrte to the Master wth any queston or problem, the soluton of whch already les at hand. All ntates should understand that to wrte to me on any problem or queston but delays the answer, whch could otherwse be known wthn a short tme by followng the advce gven above. In my Crcular of June 13, [1969] I advsed the ntate who had some problem or queston to whch he requred an answer, to st quetly n a receptve mood, thereby attunng hmself to the gracous Master Power wthn hm. Then he would surely receve hs answer and have full confdence as to what course of acton he should take. If any ntate feels that he must have some outer gudance on the Teachngs, he should dscuss hs questons and/or problems wth the Group Leader or Representatve of hs area. However, there s one very mportant pont that must be born n mnd by all, whether ntates, Group Leaders, or Representatves. Ths s that Group Leaders and Representatves are there purely for the purpose of gvng out the theoretcal sde of the Teachngs and arrangng facltes whereby the ntates of ther group or area can meet together for Satsang. Group Leaders and Representatves are not to be used as crutches for the ntates to lean upon. Nor should the ntates look to them for any purpose but to help them n understandng the Teachngs. In other words, ntates
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should not look to them for sprtual gudance n any shape or form, as ths s the functon of the Master. If an ntate looks to a Group Leader or Representatve for sprtual gudance, he automatcally places a blockage n between hmself and the Master, and hs sprtual progress wll suffer n consequence.77 The dary forms should be a true reflecton of your own nner state. The falures made should be as an open self-confesson of the shortcomngs whch stand between you and the Master. Smlarly, devotng regular tme to the Sprtual Practces s an ndcaton of the postve growth. If you lve up to the sublme purpose behnd the keepng of the dary, you wll progress from day to day, and acheve your goal n ths lfetme.78
Ahimsa
HIMSA OR NON-INJURY to all lvng creatures, and more so to fellow bengs, by thoughts, words and deedsthe njuncton n ths behalf beng: Injure not a human heart for t s the seat of God.79 It s an ennoblng vrtue that brngs each one to par wth hs or her fellow bengs and ultmately leads to the prncple of the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God. The cultvaton of ths vrtue demands a broad development of toleraton towards all, rrespectve of ther shortcomngs and falures. To radate the grand prncple of the Famly of Man on the dvne ground of lovng and compassonate desre for the well-beng of all costs very lttle but
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counts very much. A heart full of dvne compasson s the abode of all vrtues.80 I would lke to mpress upon you partcularly to gve up thnkng ll of others. Whle you do not make the enemy your frend, you wll have no peace wthn. Your sleep state wll be full of restless dreams. If anyone thnks or speaks of you n an aggressve way, do not follow hs example, otherwse hs thoughts wll react upon you. If a wave of water hts a hard surface, t wll bounce back, but f t strkes somethng reslent, t wll be absorbed, lke the acton of a sponge, and there wll be no volent reacton. One curse s gven but on ts return becomes many. If t s not returned, then? It was one, and remaned one. Agan, we remember Fard Sahb sayng, The whole world is sounding, and you are also dancing with it. It s better, wth a cool head, to try and read between the lnes to dscover why the person s actng so antagonstcally, and then take acton accordngly. You wll save yourself from degradaton ths way. To thnk or speak of a person badly, to tell les or cheat, to be hypocrtcal, ndulgng n backbtng and other llbecomng tratsthese are all degradng to the soul. Keep your hearts pure, and as God s n everyone, try to see only the best n all. Whatever dutes have been gven to you by God, perform them wth love, and f others are shrkng ther dutes, appeal to them wth love, and pray for ther better understandng. Then, leave them to the Lord. If we always remember that the God we worshp s n all men, we would not even allow a sngle brother to go hungry. 81
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Jesus always preached the two cardnal vrtues: (1) Love Thy Neghbor as Thyself and (2) Love Thne Enemes. Does that mean that t s out of tmdty or weakness that one should love and forbear ones enemes? No, there s somethng moral and dvne that les at the root of such an atttude.82 So, love the snner but hate the sn.83 Purty manly les n not thnkng evl of others, n thought, word and deed.84 If you thnk good of others, you wll radate good. If you purfy your mnd, you wll purfy the mnds of others.85 Never hurt anybody. We hurt others by thnkng ll of them. We thnk ll of others, we scheme. Ths s wrong, as thoughts are very potent. When you thnk ll of others that reacts to them lke a telegraphc wre. You may not be tellng anybody anythng but f you thnk of them, radaton s there.86 When one thnks evl thoughts or commts an evl deed, t strengthens the forces of evl. Those who desre to belong to God should feed the sacred fre wth the fuel of pure thoughts, good words and noble deeds. Ths wll burn away all else except God and Master.87 If you have any bad thoughts for anyone, stop them, and f anyone has wttngly or unwttngly harmed you, forgve and forget. There s no other cure. If you cannot forgve the msdemeanors of others, your progress wll stop, for forgveness and justce are dfferent. Forget justce, and develop the vrtue of forgveness. Keep your heart clear; do not
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thnk badly of anyone, even f they have delberately harmed you.88 Any tme you feel overtaken wth unlovng thoughts towards anybody, you should resort to the Smran of names and thnk of the Master. You should develop the Chrst-lke atttude.89 So the foremost thng s not to thnk evl, speak evl, or hear evl of others.90 If you wll cast out evl thoughts about others, all are frendly.91 There s no evl n the world. If t appears to be evl, t s due to the smoky or colored glasses that you are wearng on your heart or mnd. You wll fnd that f you thnk n the way that I have just told you, then naturally you wll have respect and love for all, even for your enemes. They mght thnk otherwse of you, but f you have thrashed out every evl thought wthn you for everybody, you wll see wth that angle of vson, whch the Master gves you, that t s all the manfestaton of God; then naturally, everybody wll be beautful. You wll see ths beauty even n your enemy: A perverted vew s only on account of smoky glasses.92 Become the seer, and see the Lord at work n everythng.93 We should learn to forgve and forget whch s a golden prncple of lfe for attanng peace and harmony, so very much helpful for havng a calm and contemplatve mood, whch, n turn, wll bless us wth successful medtatons. He who forgves s twce blessed. Takng revenge s cowardce, but forgvng
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the lapses of others s an act of vrtuous noblty. The ntates are advsed to take the stock of ther karma every day before retrng, to see whether durng the course of ther workng day, they have ncurred anybodys dspleasure or have wronged anybody. If so, they should repent and pray for Dvne Grace. Smlarly, f others have n one way or the other done any harm to them, that should be forgven n the name of the Master. There s a very good example n the Bble, where t s sad that before one stands for prayer, he should forgve the lapses or shortcomngs of hs brother who has wronged hm, so that the Father n Heaven may condone hs shortcomngs. Evdently, we must nculcate such a sense of forgveness by daly practce. We must forgve all who have wronged us before we depart from ths earth-plane, whch wll be helpful for our souls progress on the nner planes.94 If someone makes a mstake, forgve hm. But people prefer justce to forgveness. Remember ths, that wth justce, the heart s never cleansed. Outwardly a person may be emphatc that he forgves; but n hs heart he wants to strke out at the offender and cut the very roots of hm. If you have no compasson n the mnd, how can you honestly say you forgve?95 To forgive and forget s what one must practce n thoughts, n words, and n deeds, so that they may become a part and parcel of daly lvng from day to day. Love knows no crtcsm, no mposton, no boastng, no reflecton on others shortcomngs, but works n a constructve way to cement all n one lovng fold of the Master. Love beautfes everythng.96
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We must all learn to look wthn and not wthout. It s far easer to see a mote n anothers eye than to see a beam n ones own.97 We must reform ourselves before we can reform others, but unfortunately we are always anxous to reform others. We should weed out all mperfectons one by one by self-ntrospecton and ths wll brng peace all around. Love beautfes everythng, and f we learn to love everyone, all our mperfectons can be washed away, especally by lovng knd words.98 Knd words mbued wth humlty dont cost anythng. If you have that atttude n lfe, I thnk nnety percent of your troubles wll be avoded.99 The place where fre burns becomes heated frst and then transmts ts heat to the atmosphere around. So s the case wth fre or anger. An magned or supposed wrong keeps ranklng n the mnd lke a thorn. When one cannot bear ts ntensty, one bursts forth nto flames of hatred and contempt (begns abusng rght and left), loses hs balance of mnd, and, lke a canker, keeps emttng a malgn odor that vrtually goes on pollutng the atmosphere around. Most of the njures and wrongs are the outcome of our own process of thnkng, and such thoughts breed countless others, multplyng n geometrcal proporton. We can get out of ths vcous crcle only by changng our atttude toward lfe. Why sacrfce our natural equanmty for mere trfles, for passng bubbles and vapory nothngs that are thngs of no consequence? Instead of broodng over these supposed and magned wrongs t would be better by far to contemplate on the hgher aspects
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of lfe, the dvnty wthn and the dvnty wthout, for ths world s verly of the dvne and dvnty resdes theren.100 You wll gradually have greater control over your feelngs and emotons, such as vanty, greed and lust, and develop nstead vrtues of humlty, contentment, chastty and love. You wll gve up your habt of judgng others and start adjustng yourself to ther weaknesses and short-comngs, ether by overlookng or affordng constructve help to them. By ths adjustment, you wll brng much sunshne and happness for yourself as well as for all those around you. If you thnk wth a calm and cool mnd, you wll realze most of us have not become perfect as yet.101 In ths vast creaton everyone s gfted wth an ndvdual percepton. The heredty, the envronment and the teachngs nculcated, all combne to make one what he s. We cannot blame anyone for thnkng dfferently n hs own way. Everyone has hs own temperament and hs own way of thnkng. They must dffer and they do dffer vehemently. There s no help for t. It s, on the other hand, the sgn of sentent lfe. We must not, therefore, on that account cross swords wth them. Even f n ther gnorance they, at tmes, may talk ll of the sprtual teachngs and use harsh words, they cannot help t. But that should not dsturb the true seekers after Truth. We must be polte and gentle and even humble n our conduct. Bandyng of words does not help. We may try to remove msunderstandngs, f any, sweetly and
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gently, but not n an antagonstc sprt. It s advsed that ndvdual persons (ncludng representatves, group leaders and other old and new ntates) should not enter nto any sort of dscussons or dsputes wth any relgous bodes, crcles, faths or sects, etc. If any such bodes do enter nto such thngs, they may be drected to refer to the Master for an approprate reply.102 A close vew of the problem would show that ordnarly we are nether worred nor rrtated when everythng goes n accordance wth our wshes. No sooner do we fancy that our nterests are thwarted or feelngs are njured, than a chan of reactons starts, resultng n volence n thought, word or deed, accordng to ones physcal, mental or moral make-up.103 We am to realze God, that God whch s n all bengs, whom all worshp as One, though He may be gven many dfferent names. He s the great Controllng Power whch keeps all souls n the body; when He wthdraws, we also must leave. When a person truly understands these facts, how can the queston of hatred for others arse? Whom wll one hate? Out of rght understandng, true thoughts and actons develop and follow naturally. God s n everyonef you know that someone s unhappy or n need, go and help them. If they are hungry or thrsty, share whatever you have. Because of God, do servce to Hs chldren. Ths does not mean bondage, but rather t s a helpng factor. Bondage les n forgettng Hm and tyng oneself to the world and ts envronments.104
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Where there s compasson, there s relgon. Where there s greed, there s sn. Where there s anger, there s negaton. Where there s forgveness, there s the Lord Hmself.105
Truthfuless
O CROWN all these vrtues, come truth and good lvng. One should n the frst nstance be true to ones self. The trouble wth most of us s that our mnd, tongue, and actons do not move n unson. We have one thng n the mnd, another on our tongue and stll another on our hands. To thne own self be true, and t must follow as nght the day, thou canst not then be false to any man (Shakespeare). You are n the body; God, the controllng power, s also n the body. If you are true to your own self, you have to fear none.106 One who does not deceve the God n hmself wll surely not deceve others ether. Before we can deceve others, we frst deceve ourselves, and t means that we do not beleve n Hs Omnpresence, otherwse we would not do these thngs.107 Truth s the greatest of all vrtues; true lvng s greater stll. We must try to lead a neat and clean lfe n the temple of the Holy Ghost and not defle t by falsehood and lusts of the flesh, thus turnng t nto a money changers den of the devl.108 So one should mbbe frst the vrtues of Truth. Les, cheatng, decet, hypocrsy, showng somethng dfferent on the face from whatever s n the heart
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these thngs ncrease the corrupton nsde. Keep these facts n mnd, for he who has no ll wll aganst anyone wll say what s true. Hs tongue wll be sweet because he has no ntenton to hurt anyones feelngs, but rather speaks frankly for the sake of rght understandng. Who speaks the truth wthout fear? Ether an establshed enemy or a true frend, although the enemy may make a mountan out of a molehll because hs ntentons are dshonorable and he exaggerates. A true frend wll never broadcast ones shortcomngs, but wth love wll try to explan where you are gong wrong, wth your nterests at heart. Imbbe the vrtues of truth, and wth love encourage better understandng n others. And what s more mportant, do not fal n your own good ntentons and prncples because of hearsay or rumors. Some tongues are led by selfsh motves wth lttle respect for truth. There s a purpose behnd everythng, whch may be obvous or hdden. Do not, therefore, be a puppet to the tunes played by others; you wll do harm to yourself.109 When a person tells one le, then one hundred more les must be told subsequently to cover up that one.110 Truth does not mean smply speakng truth but t s a rghteous mode of lfe. Truth s above all, but hgher stll s true lvng. Our actons should be exemplary so that they show and denote that we belong to a noble school of thought, based on Truth, Pety and Love.111 As God s Truth, we must practce
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Truth n all our dealngs. If Truth resdes n every heart, t must manfest tself n lfe and acton.112 Remember that actons speak louder than words. If you cultvate the habt of speakng truth, people around you wll act lkewse. Thoughts are more potent than words and even stronger than acton.113 The Truth of Truths resdes n the nnermost recesses of the human soul and needs to be dug out, unearthed, and freely practced n all our dealngs. The True Sound-Prncple s the source of all lfe and t s only by contactng It on the Dvne Ground that we become truly truthful and our lfe can be molded on the pattern of Truth. By practcng Truth and lvng n Truth, one gets clothed n the love of the Lord and freely extends love to all and sundry.114
Chastity: Brahmcharya
RAHMCHARYA or lfe of Chastty: It ncludes contnence n thoughts, words, and deeds. We must not cast covetous eyes on others nor entertan mpure thoughts wthn, for Chastty s lfe and sexualty s death. If we want to tread the Path of Lfe Eternal, we must be chaste and clean both wthn and wthout.115
You should please note that mnd s the nert force yet drven and channelzed by ntellect when the sense organs are made to functon for gratfcaton. It s the nner urge of the mnd lyng latent whch arouses the ntellect to seek enjoyment n sense
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objects, and unless the reservor of ths subconscous mnd s depleted of carnal desres and passons, by prolonged dscplne and medtatons, t s dffcult to overcome the lower pulls. Desre s the root cause of all sufferng. Lstenng to the Holy Sound Current wth rapt attenton and practcng prolonged medtatons on dvne lght shall bless you by rddng you of these desres. Self control leads to true happness. Lke a brd, desre fnds a place whle perchng n the senses, sezng the thoughts, pollutng the ntellgence, fnally brngng run to the sprtual asprant n the mre of degradaton. A pleasure whch s btter at the begnnng but sweet at the end s worth our chershng. You should try to mbbe these truths n all earnestness to arrve at defnte conclusons for adaptablty.116 The fake allurements of sensual gratfcaton usually end n frustraton. Carnal desres are seldom satated by ndulgence. Sprtual dscplne and renuncaton of stumblng mpedments by careful consderaton, preceded by repentance, s helpful for sprtual progress. Infatuaton breeds ndulgence, whereas abstnence and renuncaton brng n serenty and sobrety. You should know t for certan that mnd s a very useful servant but a very bad master. It s the good grace of the Master that the chld-dscple s remnded by the gracous Master Power workng overhead to follow the rght course, and those who abde by Hs nstructons are blessed wth success n evadng the temptaton, and ths monkey mnd cooperates wth them for ther sprtual progress.
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Contrarly, those who fall a prey to the allurements and do not heed the dvne counsel are hurled down nto the abyss of degradaton, and the same mnd runs wld n that drecton. So you understand the basc necessty of followng the sacred mpulse from the gracous Master Power n entertanng sublme thoughts.117 Through passon the soul can fall very low. The seat of the soul s hgh, between the eyebrows. And the seat of passon? Well, everyone knows where that s.118 Lust attacks us eghty percent through the eyes, fourteen percent through the ears, and the remanng sx percent manly through touch. So how to mantan chastty? Thats the pont. You have just to control your attenton. The mnd and outgong facultes derve ther power from the soul, and the outward expresson of the soul s the attenton. So f our attenton s rveted at the center of the soul n the body and we make the best use of the outgong facultes, we wll not be affected by what we see or hear. You mght be lookng at somebody but you need not be dong so wth your full conscousness, even wth your open eyes. Somebody mght be relatng long stores of vcous thngs to you. If you control your attenton, even wth your open ears you wont hear.119 When you look nto the eyes of somebody who drags you up and helps you to forget your body, that s a crteron of what love s. That s why I always advse, Dont look nto the eyes of others except the
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Masters. Ths s the way n whch lust attacks us. We are attacked by lust through the eyes. If you look nto the eyes of others who are mbued wth lust or other lower thngs, you wll have the same effect by radaton. Look only nto the eyes of a God-manfested man and you wll be beneftted.120 An mpersonal devated approach or slght relaxaton n the observance of ethcal code of moralty n accordance wth the sacred tenets of the Holy Path s lkely to cause harm. Normal assocaton and company breeds attachment. But when ths s flavored wth dvne fragrance and relshed n the Name of the Master, ths s bound to have much deeper mpact. Opposte sex has much stronghold amongst one another when the charm and attracton nvolved s too much to be ressted. Ths results n gradual nfatuaton and bondage. A slght slp can cause much havoc when the dear ones are hurled down n the abyss of sensual gratfcaton. Dvne love and sex are qute opposng poles. Sex s not only snful but a serous mpedment on the Holy Path. It s by long cultvaton that one can expect some degree of success n lvng a clean, chaste lfe. Ths aspect of lfe should please be kept n vew by the senor members of Satsang when they can gude the young buds n ther larger nterests of sprtual progress.121 By the observance of Brahmcharya (celbacy), we not only preserve the vtal flud of lfe (whch s an nvaluable asset n the physcal body and can n no way be underrated) but t postvely helps one n
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attunng to the Dvnty, already woven nto the very pattern of our lfe but lost n the mghty swrl of the world. The lost strands of the lfe-gvng threadsthe Holy Lght and Audble Lfe Streamas manfested by the Master, cannot be held for any length of tme unless we are frmly embedded n the lfe of chastty. A vacant mnd s the devls workshop, and hence constant repetton of the Charged Words and remembrance of the Master are counseled. These act as powerful ads and help n anchorng the mnd and keepng t steadfast n the otherwse tumultuous sea of lfe. It should be clearly understood that no amount of ntellectual attanments or sophstcated reasonng can stand by you n an hour of tortuous agony, except the gracous protecton of the Master. Agan, rpe fruts retan ther freshness so long as they reman on the branches, but when once plucked can only be preserved ether n honey or n some hghgrade refrgerators. The personal aura of the Gracous Master s the embalmng honey, and Hs lovng protecton, the nvaluable cold storage, where one may fnd hope for lberaton from ths ancent malady. The lves dedcated to the holy cause of God have left behnd records of ther precous experences whch show n abundance that there s hope for everybody provded one s earnest n hs or her endeavors, and provded above all, there s proper gudance and help from a truly competent Master-soul. As every Sant has a past so has every snner a future, but nothng can be accomplshed wthout the Grace of the Masterpower overhead. The chld-dscple has, of course, to
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keep hmself busy and occuped n somethng useful or at least n repeatng the sacred Charged Names mentally, shunnng bad company and uncongenal envronmentlke study of obscene lterature and artand by avodng lookng nto the eyes of others, partcularly of the opposte sex, and n strctly takng vegetaran det, conservatvely cooked and n strct moderaton. These are some of the helpng factors whch, f pursued steadfastly, can brng n sure results n due course of tme wth the grace of the Masterpower overhead.122 One wll not suppress all sexual desres, for represson can only breed neuross and prepare the way for downfall, but he wll be ever seekng to sublmate t. He wll understand that natures purpose n ths nstnct s to preserve the race and wll channel t so as to fulfll that purpose, never makng t an end n tself, a source of physcal pleasure, for when t becomes that, t turns nto a drug that anesthetzes the sprt and begns to defeat natures purpose of procreaton by encouragng the nventon and use of contraceptves.123 Besdes, s t psychologcally possble for the human mnd to detach tself completely from ts normal feld of experence wthout frst anchorng tself n another and hgher one? It s a unversal characterstc of man that he seeks knshp wth somethng other than hmself. Ths s the law of hs lfe and source of all hs great achevements. The chld s bound to hs toys, and the adult to famly and socety. As n the case of a chld, you may not wthout harm deprve hm of hs playthngs untl he has outgrown them
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psychologcally. Lkewse to expect the sadhak to gve up hs socal and famly attachments wthout frst outgrowng them by dscoverng somethng greater and larger, s to cut at the root of lfe. It wll not brng progress but regresson, for the man who undertakes t as an enforced dscplne only succeeds n repressng hs natural desres. The result s not the enhancement of conscousness but ts numbng and atrophy, not detachment but ndfference.124 Contnence s a vrtue to be observed for success n all the spheres of lfe, be they mundane or sprtual. A clean and chaste lfe s a fertle sol wheren the Holy Seed of Sprtualty thrves the best. It conssts of restrant n thought, word and deed, as n each case the poson s njected nto the depths of the mnd and multples wth the accumulated mpurtes of countless ages. To cultvate chastty s an uphll task that requres a long-drawn struggle through lfesomethng very strenuous ndeed. Fortunate are those who practce celbacy because they are n a far better poston to follow the Path Godwards than those who are wallowng n the mserable mre of self-ndulgence. A normal temperate marred lfe as enjoned by scrptures s, however, no bar to sprtualty.125 The Masters do lead an deal marred lfe and when they take up such a role, they stop such a course. So, marred lfe s no bar to sprtualty f led n accordance wth the scrptures. The partners n lfe are advsed n ther best sprtual nterests to observe chastty by
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leadng a moderate lfe by mutual cooperaton. The check marks on the dary forms are essental for the people seekng mprovement gradually. One learns by self-ntrospecton and careful lvng. The dear ones are not forbdden to marry or have homes. But, they should have deal famly lfe flavored wth the dvne grace of the Master Power. The young before marrage should be asked to lead chaste lves, as chastty s lfe and sexualty s death. A lamp burns splenddly when t has ol wthn, but f all the ol s leaked away, how can there be lght?126 It would not be advsable to lve together as husband and wfe by the ntates unless they are legally marred. It amounts to adultery.127 You wll apprecate that n close assocaton t s not possble to curb sensual desres and observe a lfe of contnence and self-restrant, whch n turn wll affect your sprtual progress. If a man comes out of a tavern whle readng the Bble, what do you thnk the people at large wll thnk of that?128 Procreaton s only one nsgnfcant aspect of marred lfe. From the tme of concepton untl a chld s fed on mothers mlk there should be absolutely no self-ndulgence. Thus, once concepton takes place, there would be a break of two or more years n sexual relatons. Ths s what the scrptures prescrbe. If one has just two or three chldren on ths pattern, he s regarded as a chaste person.129 Marred lfe s no bar to sprtualty, f lved accordng to the ethcal code lad down n the scrptures.
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Just n a sweet lovng way nduce your wfe to prolong the perods of abstnence to acheve the hgher purpose of lfe and ultmately come up to the standard as prescrbed by the scrptures. I hope she wll be helpng you n the matter. A chaste lfe n husband and wfe s a source of health, vgor and energy to them.130 You should contnue to meet wth your oblgatons towards your husband n as detached a manner as s possble. The relatonshp between husband and wfe s sacred and nothng should be allowed to come n between. Your lovng patence and cooperaton wll help hm to awaken to the hgher expresson of lfe n due course. My best wshes are wth hm.131 Chastty s lfe and sexualty s death. Whle I sympathze wth you n your present stuaton wth your husband, you should contnue to meet wth your oblgatons n as detached a manner as s possble. You should nform hm on your own behalf n a lovng manner that the vtal flud whch he loses each tme s extremely harmful, not only for hs sprtual and mental health, but also to hs physcal health. If, however, he cannot stop all at once, he should n hs own nterests try to practce more self restrant. Wth your lovng help and cooperaton he wll be successful n ths and to some extent safeguard hs physcal health. Your advce to make use of the soul was approprate. The body s the temple of God and should be made a fttng nstrument to manfest the God n man and not be degraded to the practce of sensual pleasure.132
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Unfortunately, very few people have the rght understandng as to the mportance of mantanng the chastty of lfe. It s because man s not chaste that he s under the domnaton of other vces such as anger, greed and attachment. If he were to control hs sensual appette, the other vces would gradually drop away. So chastty s the key not only to the sprtual lfe but also to success n every other feld of endeavor. The pty of t s that the very people who could help ther fellow man, such as doctors and the clergy, are themselves n the grp of sexualty and are hardly lkely to recommend the practce of that whch they themselves are a prey to.133 If you always thnk of the body, naturally you wll thnk of the opposte sex. Chrst sad that husbands should love ther wves as Chrst loved the Church. Even husbands and wves should not thnk of one another as a man and a woman. They may have one duty of begettng chldren but that s not everythng. It s manly to have a companon n lfe for the purpose that both of them should reach God.134 Semen s the essence of our body. It s the drvng force, a vtal flud. The more of t we have n our body, the more healthy we wll be. One who practces celbacy s great and courageous enough to face hundreds of people sngle-handed. If such a man has sprtual understandng, he s a great soul ndeed. Those who are defcent n ths essental vrtue are ncapable of any worthwhle progress. In the Shastras (Hndu scrptures) t s stated that to waste even
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a drop of semen s equal to death and to conserve t s lfe. Guru Nanak has also sad: Whosoever loses semen, loses everythng.135 Q. Does loss of life fluid in sleep retard progress? A. It does affect sprtual progress. You should avod lookng nto the eyes of the other sex and resort to the Simran of charged names all along your vacant moments, or lovng remembrance of the Master, or lstenng to the holy Sound Current f t has become audble. Such a schedule wll be helpful for the eradcaton of carnal desres. Besdes, you should take your food much earler before retrng for sleep, so that t s well dgested. As also the hands, feet, and face, and also lower porton of the rectum, should be washed wth cold water before gong to sleep.136 Also, you should say some prayer before retrng and sweetly keep repeatng the sacred charged names and rememberng the Master. If you sleep n ths relaxed mood, no further dsturbances wll overcome you n ths way, wth Hs grace and protecton. Thoughts create mpressons n the mnd, whch seek release n sleep when the attenton slps down nto the body. These should be recorded on the dary forms.137 After all, we have to commune wth the Truth whch s already wthn us. For becomng a Satsang (one who s lnked wth the Truth) you have to cease to be a mansangi (one who s lnked wth the senses). So we have to do away wth our assocaton wth sensual pleasures to obtan the ultmate Truth. 138 Who can rse above body conscousness? One who
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s unatttached and s not engrossed n sensual pleasures can do t. Only such a person can easly tap nsde. Ethcal and chaste lfe s, therefore, very essental. Even f the Master by hs own grace lfts someone whose lfe s not pure, above body conscousness, the latter wll not be able to wthstand t. It s crystal clear that there are two man obstacles n the way: passonate desres and anger. To lead a chaste lfe s not enough. We have to overcome all desres. In anger the soul flows out. Self-ndulgence and anger lead to varous other vces. Unless these two enemes are dscplned frst, othersgreed, attachment and egotsmcannot be controlled. One who succeeds n conquerng all these fve enemes s free from sufferng. The senses derve ther power from the mnd and the mnd from the soul. If our attenton s concentrated at the seat of the soul, the senses become powerless.139 It s only an alert and conscous person who can cultvate chastty and can attan hgher conscousness. By practcng chastty one gradually rses nto cosmc conscousness. When conscousness dawns wthn, one s not troubled by the sensual theveswe are beng robbed by the fve deadly passons. In the absence of chastty and forgveness, a thck wall of darkness comes over the soul and we are not our own. Chrst has descrbed ths state as death of the soul. What s death of the soul? It s the bedmmng of the Lght-conscousness n us. Attachment to materal comforts lowers our conscousness. Conscousness ncreases wth ncreasng awareness. Where does
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ths awareness come from? It comes by cultvatng compasson and chastty. See how mportant these vrtues are, but we do not pay attenton to them. We have already been blessed wth hs grace and also wth the captal of holy Naam. Is t not our duty then to safeguard our captal? We should keep hs commandments nstead of dong mere lp-servce to hm.140 One who has found a Master, but has not become hs mouthpece (Gurumukh), has not yet freed hmself from lusts of the flesh. After havng found a Master, one must develop receptvty towards hm. Who s a Gurumukh? One who has no wsh of hs own and lves n the wll of the Master. Such a person s automatcally releved of all sorts of passons. As the Master s an embodment of chastty, chastty radates from Hm and penetrates nto the dscple the moment he thnks of Hm. He s full of compasson and forgves all. Only a Gurumukh can escape from all knds of ndulgences snce he abdes n the Word of the Master.141 Be true to Hm Who s dwellng wthn you. If you practce the two vrtueschastty and forgveness you wll fnd that, wthout much effort, you wll attan hgher conscousness, complete awakenng and a perfect peace of mnd. Thus, you wll begn to radate peace, harmony and tranqulty to those around you.142 Who are we? We have the God n us. We are all mcrogods. It s only because of our (souls) outflow at the plane of the mnd and senses that we have become
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degenerated. If we wthdraw from sensual pleasures and dvert our attenton towards our controllng power, we would surely become ts mouth-pece.143 You may go on medtatng all through your lfe, but unless you practce chastty and forgveness, t wll not bear any frut.144 Chastty and forgveness are the two basc and noble vrtues of all. If we acqure these vrtues, we wll be successful n our medtaton.145 Now let us lsten to what Sant Kabr has to say about purty of lfe: When chastty and forgveness sprout n ones heart, the nvsble Lord becomes vsble. Wthout chastty one cannot reach Hm. Empty words are of no aval.146 From ths day forth, we should resolve to lead a pous and dscplned lfe. We should have regular self-ntrospecton by keepng a dary. You have just to become chaste, and you wll fnd that you have developed supernatural powers of percepton and foreknowledge of world events. And f such a chaste lfe s dyed n the color of sprtualty, then the great capabltes of a person can well be magned. As such, purty of heart and chaste lfe are the man prerequstes of sprtual progress.147 Even f the person s able to fnd a perfect Sant who can gve the dscple a frst-hand sprtual experence, progress on the sprtual way s mpossble unless we practce chastty and forgveness. We should, therefore, forget the past and start leadng a clean lfe from now on.148 A celbate can reach hs real Goal wthout makng much effort. One who practces both forgveness and chastty has
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nothng to worry about and wll realze God.149 Chastty s the man source of all vrtues. It s rare to come across a really chaste person. Nearness to such a pure soul produces a soothng effect, and even hs reflecton causes an awakenng. It s not an exaggeraton. By vrtue of ethcal lfe, the body of a celbate s charged wth the dvne grace, tranqulty and fragrance. Chastty s thus a great blessng. Chastty brngs all the treasures of the three worlds (physcal, astral and causal).150 As you thnk, so you become. If your mnd constantly dwells on a chaste person, you wll unconscously attract and mbbe chastty.151 Desre s the root cause of all our dsturbances and sufferng. You wll become desreless by regularly lstenng to the holy Sound Current for some tme. It s consdered the tred panacea for that. It s the mergence of the soul n the Holy Shabd whch grants such neffable blss and harmony that the roots of desre are crppled for good.152
Love for All

LOVE BEGETS LOVE
OVE IS THE panacea for most of the lls of the world. It s the core of all other vrtues. Where there s love, there s peace. Love, and all the blessngs shall be added unto thee, s the central dea of the teachngs of Chrst. The entre edfce of Chrstanty s founded on the twn prncples of
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Love thy God wth all thy soul, wth all thy mnd and wth all thy mght, and Love thy neghbor as thyself. God s love and so s the human soul, beng a spark from the same essence. St. John says: He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for God s love, and, He who loveth God loveth hs brothers also. Guru Gobnd Sngh lkewse lad emphass on the prme need of love: Verly I say unto thee that God reveals Hmself only to those who love.154 Lovng and selfless servce to humanty s the corner-stone of all relgous phlosophes, and no man can make any progress on the sprtual path wthout cultvatng love wthn hm. The seed of sprtualty, that the Master so lovngly sows n the ard sol of our hearts, has to be nurtured wth the waters of love, f quck results are desred. We must transform the desert of our heart nto a vertable garden of love full of lovely blossoms and luscous fruts. From our heart should sprng an eternal fountan of love, so that whosoever comes n contact wth t s drenched wth love to the very core of hs heart.155 How can love be created? Frst, a desre s created wthn by hearng about tand then, by seeng a perfect Master. Masters are overflowng cups of the ntoxcated love of God, so by just seeng them the love starts awakenng n us too. However, f they also gve the connecton wth the Lord wthn, then one can be assured that he s on the True Path back to God.156 One can accept prde as beng the bass of all sns,
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for t turns nto I-hood.157 False prde of worldly possesson or pelf, assumed superorty because of sprtual knowledge or ntellectual attanments, vanty of earthly thngs and status may turn astray the mnd of the sprtual asprant, yet n course of tme all these vansh nto thn ar. On the other hand, a heart full of reverental humlty s a ft receptacle for Hs Grace, a receptacle whch when flled to overflowng runneth over on ts own to others. For a humble person no sacrfce s too great n the larger nterests of sprtual development, whereas a proud person would endlessly awat and even mss the chance when offered. Tme and tde wat for no man. Human brth s a prceless asset granted by Provdence n the ascendng scale of evoluton, and ts hghest object s sprtual perfecton, for whch all of us are here. Fortunate are those who are spotted, sngled out and ntated nto the Mysteres of the Beyond, and are lnked wth the Dvne attrbutes of Holy Lght and Celestal Sound. It s now up to us to make hay whle the sun shnes.158 Love s nnate n our soul. It radates and should come n contact wth the Overself, called God or Paramatma. Instead of contactng our soul wth God, we have contacted t wth ensouled bodes, and ths s called attachment. Love s that whch overflows wthn and you forget yourself. Ths s a crteron to dfferentate love from attachment. 159 If love keeps you n the body, attached to the body, that s not love, but s called attachment. Ths s the very fne dfference between the two.160
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Love one another for the sake of the Master. If you love for the sake of the man concerned, ths wll stand n the way of your love for the Master.161 So love God and, as God resdes n every heart, love all for the sake of the soul and the Controllng Power that keeps the soul n the body, not the body tself. Then you are saved. If you serve others from the same level, then that s the servce of God.162 One lesson that we can derve from ths s that f we are devoted to God or to the God-n-man, then we must love each other. Ths s but natural. But any love whch s colored wth your personal nterest or selfsh motves makes you narrow-mnded. You would lke that the person whom you love should be loved by you and nobody else. But f you have true love for God, then naturally all who love God wll be loved by you. Ths s the vast dfference between the two.163 So the dfference between true love and lust s that true love cannot be broken even after leavng the body. Ths love s developed n the body but absorbed n the soul, not n the body and ts envronments. So ths s called true love or charty. The other s called lust or attachment and there s a vast dfference between the two. Love of God makes us free, makes us all joy, all happness, all blss. Lust or attachment enslaves us, t makes us very narrow-mnded. In the worldly way, f you love somebody, you wll be envous f another person shares that love, but those who love God wll also be loved by you, because they love God. So the love of God gves you love for all the
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world over. Love of the outsde thngs wll only make you narrow-mnded, close-fsted, and the result s one lves for God, the other lves for the world.164 To meet wth your own wshes s no love, n the true sense of the word. That love gves you bondage and slavery. 165 Love s a negaton of selfshness and wll only pck up good n another, rejectng other thngs. Humlty would mean servce to be done n a humble way for the sake of servce regardless of the poston or even recognton. 166 Trustworthness and tolerance brng lovng cooperaton, and selfless efforts bless the chld-dscple wth reverent humlty whch s the most helpful factor on the Holy Path.167 There s only one remedy for all dscord and nharmony and that s Love. He who has not mastered ts secret can never hope to be receved n the court of the Lord. It s the begnnng and the end of Sprtualty. He who understands Love and ts true nature, and who lves and moves by ts lght, shall, as two added to two make four, attan the Lord.168 Whle we are walkng on the path of rghteousness, we dscover that we are far from beng perfect. Perfecton comes slowly and requres the hand of tme. It does not matter to what fath one belongs, so long as we love God and our fellow-men, for our passport to the Kngdom of God s the love we have n our hearts. If we are students of psychology or metaphyscs and are well versed n the laws of mnd, and lack love and compasson for our fellowmen, we are outsde the Kngdom of God. It s what
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we are that opens the door of our soul to God and makes us Hs channel of blessng to help others. Some people hope for a heaven n far dstant skes, but heaven s a state of conscousness n ths lfe. If we aspre to lve and love dvnely, we are already ctzens of the heaven to come n the hereafter. For the Kngdom of God s a state of conscousness wheren we worshp God wth all our heart, and wth all our mnd, and wth all our strength, and love our neghbor as ourselves. Relgon s, therefore, a matter between soul and God, and all other forms of worshp and relgous observatons are n van unless we enthrone Dvne love n our hearts. It s the temple of the heart n whch we always keep the Lght of Truth and Love burnng.169 We have been put on the way to God because of our love for God.170 Learn ye, therefore, to love all creatures as yourself. Lve n and for the love of all and the Lord of Love shall reward you manfold n return for the sake of hs own Dvne Love. That s Hs Law, eternal and mmutable. Try to cultvate a lovng and a lvng fath n Hs Goodness and nothng shall stand n your way on the Path.171
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THE HOLY PATH DIET
Diet
HAT WE EAT goes to consttute the body and the mnd. Sound mnd n a sound body s a well-known aphorsm. We can have nether one nor the other wth unwholesome det. A strctly vegetaran det consstng of vegetables and fruts, both fresh and dred, cereals, dary products lke mlk, cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, etc. s essental for all asprants for Truth. We must therefore avod meat, meat juces, fsh, fowl, eggs both fertle and unfertle, or anythng contanng any of these ngredents n any form or n any degree. Every acton has a reacton and flesheatng nvolves contractng fresh Karmas and thus helps to keep the nexorable Karmc wheel n moton, for we have to reap what we sow. We cannot have roses f we sow thstles. The above prohbtons apply equally to all knds of alcoholc drnks, ntoxcants, opates and narcotc drugs, as they tend to dull our conscousness and make us morbd. The body s the temple of the lvng God and t must therefore be kept scrupulously clean. Any prospectve canddate for Intaton should therefore try the vegetaran det for at least three to sx months, to ensure that he or she can adhere to t when put on the Path.172 The observance of strct detary regulatons s very essental for steady progress on the holy Path and any transgresson s lable to affect your progress.
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These rules should never be volated even for the consderaton of guests.173 These are very small thngs but they have much effect. So a smple det, a strct vegetaran det wth no spces, should be adhered to. Eat only as much as you need, and leave the table stll a lttle hungry. These are the thngs to be followed whch wll make you actve n all your affars, whether n medtaton, physcal work or anythng else.174 The soul, as I have sad before, s eternal, all wsdom and blss. If t s all wsdom and full of blss, then how s t possble for t to have any unhappness n ths world? For how long wll t enjoy the outer tastes? We thnk that we are enjoyng the enjoyments, but n fact the enjoyments are enjoyng us. The god of food once went to Lord Vshnu [part of the trune Lord of Creaton: Brahma, Vshnu, and Shva: the Creator, Sustaner and Destroyer, respectvely] and complaned. The people are eatng me up brutally, wthout any sympathy for me! Lord Vshnu sad, All rght, f anyone eats you beyond hs needs, then you eat hm up. Just thnk; what s the cause of all dsease? Indgeston. We enjoy, and enjoy, and enjoy untl we are no longer capable of enjoyng anythng. Then the enjoyments start enjoyng us.175 Let half of the stomach be full wth food, one fourth wth water and let one fourth reman vacant, so that dgeston wll not be dffcult. The more your stomach s clear, the more concentraton you wll have. If your stomach s upset,
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THE HOLY PATH DIET
then naturally you cannot st, you cannot concentrate. So to help you n your medtatons, the stomach should be set. No over-feedng should be ndulged n. Eat when you really feel hungry, not everytme puttng n somethng. Two meals a day are enough, though you may have a lttle breakfast n the mornng. Sometmes the Masters say that those who would lke to progress more should have only one meal a day.176 If your food s regularzed you wll rse up punctually n the mornng. 177 Let the stomach reman partly empty. If you put more food n t than can be dgested, naturally the thngs whch are not dgested wll create dsease. Eat as much as you can dgest. Gve some rest to your poor stomach. It takes at least four to fve hours to dgest anythng. If you eat too much too often your stomach wll revolt.178 Eatng habts can be corrected by careful lvng. You can mprove by gradual adaptaton and moderaton.179 It s very necessary to dstngush clearly the ends from the means. To lay too much stress on the means s lkely to make us gradually forget our objectve and to become fosslzed. Once we know, for example, that abstnence from all knds of meat det and sprtous lquors helps us on the sprtual Path, t s enough that we avod them. But to take t as an end n tself s to mss the goal.180 You should be careful for your health as t s equally mportant to be ft and healthy for meetng wth your mundane and sprtual oblgatons. Physcal body must not be dened adequate nourshment.181
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Your dog should not be fed on meat as t wll contract Karmc debt for you. It can lve on vegetaran det all rght, just as you have swtched over.182 The ntates should, as a matter of prncple, be very cautous n ther food artcles, especally when they have to dne at frends. It s so smple to nqure humbly and dscreetly beforehand, and tell your frends that the prohbted food artcles are not allowed by your Sprtual Doctor.183 All prohbted foods and drnks should be scrupulously eschewed, even n the face of medcal advce, as none of these can lengthen the scheduled lfespan nor are, n fact, conducve to nourshment. It s certanly a wrong noton that flesh or eggs gve extra vgour or strength; on the contrary, these thngs flare up the carnal appettes whch n the long run result n gross dsspaton of energy.184 If one adheres to a strct vegetaran det, that wll help a good deal n havng normal lfe, but does not necessarly result n better tempers, controlled sex lfe or detachment from gross thoughts, desres and actons, worldly ambtons, possessveness, lust or greed. Kabr says, If you leave hearth and home and retre to a secluded place and lve on pure vegetaran det, even then the mnd does not leave off ts base habts. Alongsde such essental and postve ads, we must relgously devote regular tme to the sprtual practces of contactng the Lght and Sound so as to cut down the ramfcatons of mnd, whch s so very necessary for self-realzaton and God-realzaton.185
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THE DRUGS HOLY PATH
Drugs
T IS AMUSING to note about the Utopates (LSD, Marjuana, etc.) for producng hallucnatons. You may please note that sprtualty s the scence of the soul, and the soul s a conscous entty n the body. The way back to God as offered by the Masters s one of developng nner conscousness wth the ad of Holy Naam (the Word). All suchlke outer ads resultng n temporary hallucnatons, as stated by you, are certanly a mockery for the dvne grace. You can well understand the vast dfference between havng a conscous and wde-awake approach for proceedng wthn and that whch makes recourse to these outer ads whch are no less than opates creatng sensatonal vbratons. You wll recall that the observance of a strct det by avodng all flesh food, ntoxcants and opates, s a basc essental for nner sprtual progress, for attanng a refned state of mnd. We have to develop conscousness, the dvne attrbute of soul, and for the achevement of (nner) conscousness, nner and outer pety and chastty are very much needed. The drugs are equally harmful, and should be avoded, whch dull the bran and cloud the mnd wth vague feelngs of dstrust and confuson. You are advsed to convey ths pece of rght understandng to all the dear ones who are on the Holy Path and to others who seek your counsel n ths behalf.186
Do those who take drugs such as LSD and have certain experiencesare they valid experiences?
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No, no, they are hallucnatons. Thats the death of the soul, you follow me? The conscousness s lessened, naturally they wll have to go to the lower planes. That s all ths ntoxcaton starts, t s stll more death to the soul. It s deteroraton. Defntely gong down to beastlhood. Even a snake s conscous but there are dfferent degrees. Mans conscousness s more. If you use suchlke thngs your conscousness s affected. You wll have to go to the lower planes.187 I apprecate your knd sentments for your frends when you wsh them to progress sprtually. The socalled sprtual experences had under the spell of drugs are msleadng, and are rather lkely to affect your nner progress. Sprtualty s a research nto the realms of realtythe conscousness.188 Drugs, opates and ntoxcants should not be partaken as these wll not only affect your health adversely but shall be detrmental for your sprtual progress. You should please leave off all such drugs and learn to lve wthout ther use.189 It s the result of druggng whch has resulted n ths setback when you are to suffer from serous pans.190
Selfless Service: Physical
ISHKAM SEVA or Selfless Servce to all lvng creatures n sorrow and dstress: If one lmb of the body s n torture, the other lmbs can have no rest. Servce before self should therefore be our motto n lfe.191 Servce s consdered an ornament to a beautful person that adorns and elevates hs or her
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soul to become a clean vessel for Hs grace. Servce of any type granted at the Holy Feet of the Master s benefcal and should be chershed as whatever one does must brng ts frut n accordance wth the Law of Karma. The secret of selfless servce s to deny a reward or recognton of any type, and on the contrary consder ones self as a humble nstrument n the Dvne hands whch are the sustaners and protectors of all. All credt goes to the Master, yet the meda of love are blessed wth the superb Dvne ntoxcaton whch s of supreme magntude.192 Selfless Servce for the Holy Cause of the Master should serve as a beacon lght for nner progress. It should not be a source of prde or fake ego whch defntely become stumblng mpedments and hurdles on the Path Dvne.193 Selfless servce s a great vrtue and accordngly means some extra labor and sacrfce. It s the manfestaton of love and goodness. Mnd and body become sanctfed through selfless servce, provded t s undertaken wthout ego or vanty. Love knows servce and sacrfce. A humble person knows best how to serve the holy cause, under the protectve gudance of the Lvng Master. The clmax of selfless servce s the annhlaton of the ego, consderng oneself to be a humble servant of the Lord/Master, entrusted wth certan dutes to be carred out through hm or her and deemng t to be a fortune of the hghest order.194 The lttle self or ego wthn has to be elmnated by dssolvng t nto servce of humanty. For all are chldren of one God, no
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matter how and where stuated, or n what nhbtons and lmtatons of one knd or another they mght be lvng. You may have to face heavy odds, for t s an uphll task, but all adverse wnds blow over. If one s able to efface oneself for a hgher cause, ths n tself provdes a sheld and a buckler to the true crusader, and helps n overcomng the seemngly nsurmountable obstacles. The tougher the struggle, the brghter shnes the metal wthn. Ths helps to lberate the fner nstncts, untl one has rsen to a great sprtual stature, towerng lke a beacon lght, sheddng rays of hope and encouragement to the lone and weary traveler, shpwrecked on the stormy and strfe-rdden sea of lfe.195 No one can be sad to have been born for hmself alone, for none can be an sland unto hmself. To serve the needy, sck and starvng, s also a sdelne, more effectve than mere preachng. Servce before self strs and kndles embers of sympathy, kndness and love. These vrtues have a great purfyng effect, and clean a person of all hs dross, and enttle hm to the hghest knowledge of dvnty. Pleasure tastes well after servce, s a well known adage.196 Selfless servce s a great reward n tself.197 The more one serves slently, unostentatously, wth love and humlty n a smlng, eager and sprtual mood, the more quckly does he earn the pleasure of the Master.198 When you serve others, you are servng Hm.199 Selfless servce s done n two ways. The frst s
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SELFLESS SERVICE: PHYSICAL THE HOLY PATH
physcal servce. If somebody s sck, go and serve hm. Shall I see somebody n need, hungry, naked, poor fellow? The Masters have always been for the poor, for the needy, to console them, to rase them up to the level of every man.200 If you attend a sck person or stand by an afflcted one, you serve the Dvne Cause. Certanly you do not and cannot take away the sckness or afflcton, but surely you can help n assuagng the sufferngs by your kndly words and deeds. Every sweet word uttered or helpng hand extended to those n dstress goes a long way n purfyng the mnd and the body. A lovng heart s a ft receptacle for the Dvne Grace, for God s Love.201 What does servce to Satguru mean? Mere lpservce, sayng Ram, Ram, or merely puttng ones head on Hs feet s no servce. It s a mockery. But he who takes hs Guru as the ever-present Power of God wthn hm, lves n awe of that, and knows that Power has constant observaton over all hs thoughts and acton, wll he ever sn? Furthermore, he wll hold heartfelt respect for hs Satgurus wordsSatgurus words are the Satguru. Ths knd of devoted servce wll acheve salvaton.202 If we come to a Satguru, we should do our very best to serve hmdo somethng toward earnng ths rare gft he gves.203 Pride, force, or strength of intellect availeth nothing; only serve the Sadhu. You wll get nothng by gvng orders, offerng cash, or tryng to force the ssue; you can only receve by true servce
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to the Master, the manfested God n man the Word made flesh.204 Servce done to sncere seekers of the dvne Path s of far greater value than any other servce. Helpful ways nclude, among other thngs, dstrbutons of alms to the really ndgent and the needy, gvng sweets to those engaged n extraordnarly arduous pursuts n naccessble places, nursng the sck, and helpng the afflcted ones. All these qualtes are great ads n the Path and should be encouraged and cultvated by assduous practce by all means possble. One should not, however, rest content wth them alone, but one must push ahead wth the help of these purfyng processes, on the way to freedom as enjoned by the Master.205 Insofar as you can, try to do no njury to anyone. Be good to all and you wll be at peace wth yourself and be a radatng center of lovng grace around you. The prayers of others to whom you may have done good wll help you. The good thoughts of others wll swarm around you wth a benedcton. The very dea of dong good wll frst affect you and wll draw all good vbratons from the surroundng atmosphere.206 A true man s one who s truthful, leads a lfe of contnence, radates love to all others for the sake of God resdng n them, and knows gvng, gvng, and always gvng. We never lose anythng when we gve. When you gve love, do you fnd that you have less love n your heart? On the contrary, you are conscous of an ever greater power of lovng, but no one can be
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convnced of these thngs tll he has appled them n a practcal way. An ounce of practce s worth tons of theores.207 So by sharng wth others, our self expands. At the very moment of gvng you feel a lttle joy wthn. That s the compensaton you get, drect. But whenever you gve, dont gve wth the hope that you wll have a return. Gve for the sake of sharng wth others. Sometmes we gve for the reward that we wll get n heaven. Ths s not the way; selfless gvng s what s needed.208 Understand the meanng and the purpose of knowledge, n one sngle thought, s service to all creaton: men, beasts and brds, etc. The meanng of true lfe s servce and sacrfce. So long as you want, frst and foremost, to be blessed yourselves and you expect others to mnster to you, you wll reman strangers to the way of sprtualty. When you wll wsh others to be blessed, you wll begn to speed on your way back to God.209
Selfless Service: Financial
O THE GENERAL rule s to earn your own lvelhood honestly, n whch nobodys blood s squeezed, n whch undue thngs have not been usurped by you. God sees what you are dong. The other rule s that your earnngs should be to mantan yourselves, and share wth others.210 Some part of your earnngs must be gven away for the good of others. Hstory shows that one-tenth of ther ncome used to be gven away by the old Chrstans, Hndus
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and others. Why? Because some part of our ncome mght be due to our not havng done our duty very honestly, even for half an hour or ten mnutes. Suppose for example, you are pad for sx hours work and you have not put n sx hours for the job but have wasted half an hour. So whatever you have been pad for n that half hour s not yours. It has not been earned by you. Ths has been the custom wth all Masters.211 But offerngs should be free and voluntary and should not be nspred by any thought of reward or be the outcome of mpostons from wthout, for then nstead of beng a source of lberaton, they become the source of bondage. Agan, charty should not be msplaced but t should be gven to allevate the sufferngs of the dstressed n the world.212 The noblest servce one can render n ths world s to help people tread on ther way to ther True Eternal Home. No fnancal servce would be too great for assstng such a noble cause. But t should always be lovng and spontaneous no compulson, no taxaton, no mpostons.213 So the Guru wll love Hs dscples, because t s He Who has gven brth to them n the nner way. As He loves us, so should we love all. He wont let anybody suffer, and you should not let anybody suffer. You must share wth others.214 Unless the rches secured by far means are utlzed wsely and well, one s lkely to go astray and become egocentrc and a slave to hs ll-gotten wealth and s unknowngly caught
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SPIRITUAL PRACTICES: MEDITATION THE HOLY PATH
n the golden chans that keep hm n bondage. 215 So by gvng away, you dont lose. At the end of the year, you wll see that money has been saved n some other way, by freedom from sckness or any other troubles that arse generally and whch nvolve expendture. Our Master used to say, All rght, you gve away one-tenth and at the end of the year just count. The very money you have gven has been saved where you had no sckness.216
PIRITUAL PRACTICES form an essental part n the sprtual asprants lfe and should, therefore, be a daly must. The repetton of the Fve Sacred Charged Names, conveyed at the tme of Holy Intaton, orally or mentally, s not a dffcult task and carres a deep meanng. Although t looks so smple and easy at the outset, to obtan profcency n t one needs extra love and forttude. You wll apprecate that the Holy Names carry the Lfe Impulse of the Master, whch works wonders n wthdrawng the sensory currents from the body level up to the eye-focus, thus preparng the soul for the eventual nner journey on to the regons of blss and harmony. Certan hours for medtaton should, therefore, be fxed, set apart and pursued regularly and earnestly, for each such repast brngs n nourshment to the soul, and one s led wthn to the Dvne Lght whch dspels the Darkness of Ignorance. It s lke purfy-
Spiritual Practices: Meditation
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ng the receptve vessel every day for recevng the Dvne Grace. Daly medtatons clear the gross dross that one gets at the sensuous level. The second mportant part of medtaton s lstenng to the Holy Sound Current, the Audble Lfe Stream comng from the rght sde. It s equally an mportant aspect of the sprtual practces and should not be gnored or lost sght of. After ntaton, t s the dscples duty to enrch hs sprtual experences from day to day, and he can certanly extend hs feld wth the Grace of the Master to any length he may lke, openng up new vstas of sublme glory and beattude. In short, self ntrospecton helps n cuttng the branches and prunng all that s undesrable, whle medtaton (sprtual practces) strkes at the very stem of the tree of worldly lfe.217 God s everywhere, but He s not manfested everywhere. Why? Because our soulthat spark of the All Conscousnesss under the control of mnd and senses, and through ts sojourn n creaton has become the mage of the body and the mage of the world, thereby forgettng ts true self. It must just know tself, then t can have the experence of the Overself; f t does not rse above body conscousness, how can God be manfested? Do you understand ths?218 He resdes wthn you. The body s the true Temple of God. When you have understood ths, then where do you go to fnd Hm? Frst wthn your own Self. Wthdraw from outsde. Wthdraw from the mnd
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and outgong facultes and come up to the seat of the soul at the back of the eyes. When you concentrate there, your nner eye wll be opened to see God wthn you.219 The Master exhorts us to realze Hm n our souls, to rse n Hm, losng all sense of the lttle ego n the lvng temples of our bodes. The Kngdom of God s wthn us. We have to recognze the Inner Man as the mage of God, the physcal body as the temple of God, the tabernacle of the Holy Ghost, n whch the Lord makes Hs appearance. In these lvng temples we have to attune our souls wth God and lve n closer communon wth Hm. 220 Many do say that they are soula conscous enttyndweller of the human formbut have they come to prove t and thereby know t n truth? Ths s my watch, I can place t here. These are my spectacles, I can take them off and put them here. I can take off my clothes, whenever I wsh to. But can I become separate from my body? Can I take my body off? It s a queston of how to rse above by self-analyss; and who can gve a demonstraton of ths scentfc method? By the Gurus grace, you come to know yourself. Only then can t happen, and not before. When you know yourself, then lke knows the lke, and God realzaton s the next step. So God cannot be known by the senses, ntellect, or pranasonly soul can experence the Lord, and ths can happen only after t has come to know tself.221 To know our Self s not a matter of feelngs,
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emotons or drawng nferences. It s really one of rsng above body conscousness by self-analyss to know, practcally, who we are. When we know our Self and come n contact wth all-conscous God, that s the Bread and Water of Lfe for the soul. All worldly nformaton and outer scencesthe lbrares are full of them. If our bran becomes full of them, well, t s not bread to the soul. It s bread and water for the ntellect to grow on. So the Bread and Water of Lfe for the soul s the conscous contact wth God or the Overself.222 These thngs are to be understood and then lved. By speakng about bread, your hunger cannot be appeased, but you must have bread to eat. That s why Chrst sad, I am the Bread of Lfe. Ths Bread of Lfe has come down from Heaven. Whoever partaketh of t shall have everlastng lfe. Partaketh of tHe s the Bread of Lfe, of course. He also says, Eat me and drnk me. What to eat? He s Word made flesh. The more you come n contact wth and devour that Word, the Lght and Sound wthn you, the more you wll be eatng of the Bread of Lfe.223 All mperfectons wll leave you, just as when you st by a fre, all cold leaves you. By hearng the Sound Current you become the abode of all vrtues. By hearng, you can determne the drecton n whch you have to go. By seeng, your nner eye s opened to see where you are gong. Pty t s that we gve lttle tme to these thngs and only waste away our tme n trflng thngs, I would say.224 So put n more
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tme, please, to your practces. Develop love for God wthn you. You wll be blessed. You wll have made the best use of your lfe.225
HE DEVELOPMENT of the elementary powers of sprt s, therefore, most necessary. It s the concentraton of ths sprt current whch plays the greatest part n the achevement. If t s appled to the physcal body, one gans strength. If t dwells upon the ntellect, one develops great mental powers. In the same way, f sprt s made the object of concentratonsprtual lfe nevtably follows and supreme blss s attaned. There s an unseen nerve that connects all these centers whch s called Sushumna Nari or Shah-rag. It s through ths that the sprt current passes from the lowest regon to that of the hghest regon of Truth. The concentraton of the sprt, then, s the openng process, so that the sprt may progress to hgher regons. Untl all outgong facultes are self-centered or nwardly focused, the sprt does not gan strength enough to go up. There are ten outgong facultes or Indryas: fve are the grosseyes, ears, nose, tongue and skn through whch the fve othersthe subtle Indryasof sght, audton, smell, taste and touch keep man attached to the outer world. It would thus appear that t s the constant thought of these facultes whch externalzes man.
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We constantly thnk of the world through three man sources. Frst, we have the eyes that vsualze the outward phenomena and brng them wthn the mental gaze. Through the eyes we gather n no less than 83 per cent of our mpressons from outsde. The second source s that of the ears whch pull our attenton to outward sounds and remnd us of thngs n the objectve world. Through the ears we get 14 per cent of our outer mpressons. The thrd source s that of the tongue (palate) whch, through taste and speech, keeps the memory of the outward world always fresh. The remanng three per cent of the outward mpressons are receved through the nose and the rest of the sense organs. It s through these three man facultes that man remans constantly n touch wth the outer world and s ever engaged ether n recevng mpressons from wthout or mpressng others wth hs own thoughts. The energy of the mnd s thus draned away, leavng one bankrupt. The Master tells us not to exhaust our energy. We must accumulate and preserve our energy, so that we may be able to rend asunder the varous sheaths of matter whch encase the self wthn us. The sprt or soul s attached to the objectve world outsde on account of objectve mpressons. Unless the outgong facultes are controlled and the sprt s freed from the bondage of lfe, t cannot rse above body conscousness. The three facultes of speech or taste, sght and audton cause a constant outflow of energy through ther respectve sense organs. For the depersonalzaton of the soul, t s necessary to
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CONCENTRATION OF SPIRIT CURRENT THE HOLY PATH
channelze our energy nwards and upwards through the processes of nverson and self-analyss.226 These organs of tongue, eyes and ears, etc., are at work n the physcal frame whle one s n a wakeful state and they work lkewse n the astral plane when one s n a dream state. The facultes of these organs get enhanced and become powerful f one were to restrct ther outward flow. It s then that one gans strength to fathom the subjectve world, for wthout the quckenng lfe-mpulse of the soul they le dormant.227
USES OF THE THREE RESTRAINTS AND THEIR PROCESS:
The three restrants are to be exercsed by tranng the facultes to work nwards. The frst restrant, that of speech, conssts n dong Smran or the constant repetton of the Names of the Lord wth the tongue of thought. The agency of lps and tongue s not needed. The second restrant refers to the faculty of sght, and conssts n contemplaton of the sprtual patterns wthn, whch open out n full effulgence. When you fx your nner gaze just mdway between and behnd the two eye-brows (the seat of the soul n man), you see your own lght nsde. That lght s yours and s already there, and you have to fx your nner gaze on t. Where there s the WordHoly Naamthere s lght; where there s sound, there s refulgence, for the two are nseparable. The lght patterns are of fve knds correspondng to the fve dfferent knds of
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sounds, whch are seen and heard as the sprt ascends upwards nto the fve dfferent planes. The Monduk Upanshad speaks of these as the fve fres n the head.228 It does not mean that we are to neglect the use of these organs n relaton to the outer world. But these are to be so traned that they may become postve ads n the way of sprtual development, thus conveyng a twofold beneft. The tranng s meant to make the mnd self-centered and prevent ts stuff from needlessly flowng outsde. The frst process, Smran, forms the bass of sprtual pursut. It has to be contnued tll the goal s reached. The second and thrd, Dhyan and Bhajan, follow of themselves one after the other.229 These three restrants help n concentraton to the hghest degree. The frst, Smran of the charged words gven by the Master, brngs back the mnd from outsde and wthdraws the sprt from the body to the seat of the soul n the body. Ths s frst snkng from the crcumference of our beng to the center of our beng. Ths also keeps remndng us of the hghest deal set up before man, whch s self-knowledge and Godknowledge. The second processDhyanalso helps n concentraton and fastens the soul nsde. The last processBhajan or lstenng to the sprtual musc n mancarres the soul nto the beyond, to the source from whence the lfe-current or Sound Prncple of the Holy Naam or the eternal song emanates.230
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At Sawan Ashram n Inda
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THE HOLY PATH
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THE HOLY PATH
MEDITATION
BOOK THREE
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THE HOLY PATH
Oh man! Thou hast come into the world to make a profitable business of dealing with the merchandise of Naam which never fails. But alas, thou art engaged in fruitless and bewildering things of life. The night of earthly life is nearing its end. Those who do not reach the shore now, how can they cross when dead? Hari Naam is the essence of all religions. All religions are deeply rooted in the Naam. Verily, verily, the true study is the study of Naam, which is the Bread of Life. He who knows how to die while living drinks Amrit, the Water of Life, which gives everlasting life. Therefore, learn to die while living at the feet of a living Master. My Master, Baba Sawan Singh, instilled in me that we do really live when we are in contact with Naam, the Word, which can be given by one who is Word made flesh living on earth. Without that, there is no life. Very great and all powerful is the Naam, controlling us in the body. We cannot live without its shelter even for a moment. Time and tide wait for no man; please do hurry before it is too late. July 17, 1970
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THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION THE HOLY PATH
Medtaton
The Importance of Meditation
HENEVER THE MIND has clear understandng and s nclned toward God, then quckly st down for medtatondo not wat for tomorrow, do not wat even a few hours, or hs mood wll change, and agan he wll cheat you out of the beneft. No matter what you are dong, when mnd and soul are one, st n medtaton at once. Who knows what wll happen n the next mnute? Such an deal mood s rare and valuable; there should be no delayng to take advantage.1 The Lght of lfe s n you; ndeed you lve by that very Lght whether you realze t or not. Each one of you has had an experence of that Holy Lght. Now you must lve n constant contact wth the Holy Lght. It s uncreated and shadowless, eternally the same and peerless. The whole creaton came nto beng by the same Lght, and that very Lght s shnng n every heart. All are Dvne n nature, and relgon s the expresson of Dvnty already exstng n man. The Lght of Lfe must be made manfest n exstence. Be ye a wtness to the Lght of Lfe, not only wthn yourself but n others as well, for the same Lght shneth everywhere and there s no place where t s not. Once you dscover ths Lght and learn to lve by t, your whole exstence wll be changed. Love wll
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THE HOLY PATH MEDITATION
permeate your very beng, and t wll burst forth from the very pores of your body, transmutng all dross nto sterlng gold. Love, you must know, s both the means and the goal of lfe. Love, Lght and Lfe are but dfferent facets of the One Dvnty. Try to become a channel for the Dvne, and the Dvnty wll then flow through you. Ths s not somethng mpossble, but t s the very acme of all human endeavors. In ths world of matter one has of necessty to deal wth matter. We have to make the most of the materal rament and the materal world gven to us. It serves a great purpose n the Dvne Plan of Evoluton. Matter s the ladder by whch means the sprt has to rse above body-conscousness and move nto the realm beyondthe realm of Sprtualtyts natve habtat. Learn to make the most of the means gven to you, and surely as day follows nght, the vctory shall be yours. A true Chrstan ought to take up hs Cross daly. The Cross represents the physcal body standng wth outstretched arms. You have to rse above body-conscousness. You have to be reborn nto the Kngdom of God. The dscple must know how to de daly so as to be able to enjoy lfe eternal, beyond tme and space.2 Smran and Dhyan (medtaton) flood the sprt wth the waters of lfe. Sprt comes to ts own, rses n ts latent Godhood and, lke a tumultuous mountan stream, rushes headlong toward the ocean of lfe whch s ts perennal source, and merges theren, losng ts separate dentty.3
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A True Master s not a mere human beng, but has become One wth God, and as such, contans n Hmself the powers of all the gods and goddesses. He s vertably the Word made flesh and blood. The one lesson that such a Master teaches hs dscples s to medtate always upon the Lord, the Creator of everythng, and never forget Hm.4 Be the worshpper of the Lvng Lghtbecome a slave to t. Do not attach yourself to anythng else, for everythng s changeable.5 The Masters say, Stop where you are! Look at your condton! It s all through the lack of medtaton, and the only cure s to jon the soul back to the Lord. Even a lttle ntoxcaton derved from steady daly practce wll start to erase the taste for outer pleasures. These outer attractons are makng t extremely dffcult for the mnd to wthdraw and go nward. If we start to enjoy nner sweetness . . . When that sweetness comes, this other flavor is not to the liking. Naturally, the sweeter taste wll render others nspd.6 The cause of all our dstress can be traced to the fact that we have not been drenched n the true color of Naam.7 But f the soul does not learn to leave the body at wll, and has not derved ntoxcaton from beng drenched n the color of Naam, no amount of speech or acton wll acheve success on the sprtual path. Remember ths fact, for t s clear and smple.8 Lsten! Open your ears and lsten! He who has made hs medtaton has made everythng. He whose medtaton s not made wll enjoy no meanng n hs
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lfes achevements. There s great purpose behnd ths emphass on the mportance of medtaton. If your daly lfe s not under control, try to brng t n control, or gve more tme to medtaton and you wll be able to gan control qucker. He who becomes the conscous co-worker of the Dvne plan wll fnd that hs rghteous lfe s made. Whatever he does wll be performed rghteously; he wll not be able to act otherwse. The reason behnd your falure s that you have not truly loved your Master, but have merely made a show n varous ways, physcally and fnancally, or by lp-servce. There s no one who has sacrfced hs mnd to the Guru. Wthout gvng up the mnd, there s no success.9 When wll you actually experence the fact that you and He are not separate and not dfferent? When you separate yourself from matter by self-analyss. You can try by feelngs, or through nferences, but both are subject to errorseeng s above all. When can one see oneself or the soul n ts natve clarty? Control the senses, stll the mnd and ntellect: then the soul s seen n all ts glory. He who knows hmself and knows he s the mouthpece of Godthat God s workng through hmhe s free from lluson. Great power arses from such a condton.10 Do your Bhajan and Smran; release the soul from mnd and senses. Bhajan and Smran are food for the souldo not gve food to the body wthout frst gvng food to the soul.11 Learn how to leave the body at wll and transcend
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nto the upper regons. If so, we wll beneft n two ways. Frst, we wll know how to leave the body, as we have learned to do so daly, and when death comes there wll be no pan and no fear. Secondly, by travelng frequently n the hgher regons and returnng to the earth at wll, the fear of our unknown destnaton wll vansh, and we wll develop an unwaverng convcton about the true lfe; ts mystery wll be revealed. It s no use watng for death to dscover the facts of lfe.12 The Masters come, lft up ther hands, and shout to the world, Oh brothers, do your medtaton for wthout t you cannot be free.13 The precous moments of earth-lfe spent n sprtual practces count credtably toward ones eventual emancpaton from the Wheel. Be regularly and lovngly devoted to your holy medtatons, as that s the central pvot around whch the whole sacred teachng revolves, and theren an all-round development of the soul s granted.14 The meanng of medtaton s to concentrate or medtate upon one thng, so much so that all other thngs are forgotten.15 Maulana Rum says that compared to the vastness of the worlds wthn, ths world s not even the extent of an atom. What a magnfcent abundance of lfe there s wthn us!16 A lttle knowledge s dangerous. Frst see what s n your own home, the physcal house. Go nto the folds of the holy books and see what s gven there. The same knowledge that I am gvng you s gven
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theren, but for the need of a self-realzed man we do not understand what s wrtten.17 The gem of knowledge s that Sound whch reverberates, and whosoever enters nsde wll fnd t. Everythng s n ths house. Nothng s outsde. The untold treasure of Dvnty les hdden wthn, yet we search for t wthout, and so all our efforts go n van. Whosoever searches outwardly wll lose hmself n lluson.18
EOPLE shrk gong wthn. It s dffcult, no doubt, but the Path les wthn. What s the use of wanderng outsde? A travel of one nch wthn s better than a trp around the globe. The mnd, however, does not wsh to be mprsoned, although t s to ts advantage. In ts outward (tendences) t dsspates tself, and gans n power only when t goes wthn. On account of bad habt, t clngs to the external thngs. The dol worshp, whether the dol s of stone or paper, s the nventon of mnd.19 The world s a mere nothnga place full of lluson and wrongdongvalueless wth no vrtue, a place where the darkest deeds are carred out. What s there here that can hold any real value for ether the soul or the mnd? Make t understand these realtes, for at present, t s strongly attached to all the falseness of the world, and t smply has to turn and face the truth to become attached to somethng hgher. If the soul does not leave the senses, how can t transcend the body? If t does not transcend the body, how can t realze
The Change of Direction
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THE CHANGE OF PATH THE HOLY DIRECTION
what t s? It s a straghtforward matter requrng no specal phlosophy to understand. Where the worlds phlosophes end, there relgon truly starts.20 So long as the heart s the focus, the mnd contnues generatng thoughtswool-gatherngand the ndvdual s mpressonable to crcumstances. When the focus of attenton has been rased to the eyes, and the mnd has entered wthn, then the mnd ceases generatng thoughts and s runnng wthn nstead of outsde. The ndvdual then s necessarly unaffected by external crcumstances or changes.21 The mnd often exerted hs strength, almost wrestlerlke, and sad, I wll not do ths! But agan and agan he was tempted and overcome by the senses. We all make strong resolutons, but when t comes to keepng them we fall down. Swam J s qute openly revealng our own condtonthese are our very own cres of angush, and the promses we make to change tomorrowthat tomorrow, whch s n the Negatve Powers hands, and never comes. Everyone s n the same boat and cryng out the same cry; so look wthn yourselves and see what you are dong wth your precous lves. Why not start the good work now? The mnd s very wse, t s no nsgnfcant thng. Lke a magstrate, hs thoughts are wse, and he observes that wth all hs efforts there s stll no freedom, only defeat. Some people are dragged n passon, some are roasted alve n the fre of attachment, some are caught n the nets of ego and prde, stffly and proudly struttng ther way through
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lfe. The whole world s n ths terrble condton. I want to leave all enjoyments; Just seeing them I am helpless. There s so much attracton n the outer enjoyments that the mnd gnores ts wsdom and s rendered too helpless to fght. When a cat sees a mouse, t cannot resst t. So what happens? We say, Let us enjoy now and face whatever the consequences when they come. We are usually aware of our folles to some extent, but too late.22 Mnd s no small thng and s not easy to conquer, but we should start by changng ts drecton. Whle ts face remans turned toward the worldly thngs, the soul wll be worldly, but f t turns around and faces the soul, the soul wll become sprtual. We must turn round.23 When you are fully convnced that the fountanhead of peace and harmony s wthn and that you have the key and the means to tap wthn, you should not let the precous moments pass wthout dervng maxmum sprtual beneft. You are simply to decide and then act.24
The Need for a Guru
LL THE INSTANCES known to hstory show that no one has ever progressed to the hghest conscous self-awareness wthout the help of a Master. It s rather a fundamental law that no one can snap or perce through the nner vel wthout the
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THETHE HOLY PATH NEED FOR A GURU
actve help and gudance of a Master Soul. If anybody can do t by hmself or herself, let hm or her try and see f he or she can do t. When one does not hestate n learnng a thng whch one does not know n ths world, why should one have any qualms n ones search for somethng that belongs entrely to sprtual worlds wthn. Even f as a result of some reactons of past lves, one may have some experence of hs own, he wll stll requre Someone to gude hm to further progress on the Path. All those who have been put on the Way should, therefore, carry on ther medtatons lovngly and devotedly so that they may progress wthn, from day to day, and enjoy the sweet nternal blss.25 Outsde experences dffer n varous countres, but nner experence never. He may be defned as one brmmng wth Sprtualty and above the lfe of the senses. He has freed Hmself from varous sheaths of grosser and fner matter, and He has seen the All Truthful wth Hs sprtual eye. He s competent to develop the sprtual possbltes lyng dormant n man. He s charged by God Hmself wth the Magnetc Force. He s the mouthpece of the Eternal. He has n Hm the Refulgent Lght of the Infnte, and He s competent to lght the lamps of others.26 So t s only by the grace of a true Master that one can be guded away from the dark edge of these powerful sensesfor a whle. With indescribable strength the mighty Guru pulls the attention. And nsde s the Ever-Exstent Lord, descrbed as Naam.27
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Shabd
HERE WAS great beauty n the Shabd. It had a musc that was beyond any musc created by man and whch drew the soul towards Itself. It was forever callng the sprt towards ts Dvne Home, and though t was not heard by ordnary men, yet those who had developed, through practce and the grace of Satguru, the capacty of nner hearng, could hear ts melody every mnute of the day, now growng stronger as the mnd focused tself at one pont, now dmmng and fadng away as ones thoughts scattered n varous drectons and attenton was dsspated. It was Shabd that was the true anchor of the seeker. It was the conscous power that had brought everythng nto creaton and t was also ones real masterthe Shabd Gurufor the Satguru n Hs human form was Its physcal manfestaton.28 Shabd brngs n untold blessngs. It s the powerhouse of all energy or force n whatsoever form, from pranas down to electrcty and magnetsm. Every form of lfe s the manfestaton of Shabd. All that s, s of Shabd, and nothng s that s not of Shabd lfe-current pulsatng n and out of space. Those who commune wth Shabd, and lve n and by Shabd, are verly the chldren of the Supreme One, the lfe of lfe and the lght of lght. Shabd s the very Bread of Lfe whch comes down from Heaven for all those who hunger after rghteousness, and the very Water of Lfe for those who thrst after Self-knowledge and God-knowledge. True love, wsdom and power
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THE SHABD HOLY PATH
are the greatest gfts that one gets by baskng n the sunshne of Heavens Lght.29 Surat and Shabd are naturally related to each other. Shabd s characterzed by Lght and Sound prncples, wherewth the mnd gets stlled and the sprt, freed from the clutches of the mnd, s rresstbly drawn by the Shabd and s taken to her natve homestead from where the Sound Current s emanatng. On the other hand, those who take up practces nvolvng Pranas cannot go beyond the fronters of Prana whch extend to the mental or astral heaven (Chidakash). But a Shabd yogn can go freely, openly and honorably to wherever he lkes, because Shabd pervades everywhere wthout ever any lmtatons, and reach the true home of hs Father.30 The partcular sounds that have an upward pull are fve n number, as stated by the varous sants, and may be apprehended through ther Grace and contacted n ther company. Such sounds carry wth them the effect of the sprtual planes from whch they proceed and n turn produce the same effect on hm who comes n contact wth them. They have ther own heavenly melodes, the rapturous strans of whch depersonalzes the soul by freeng t from the chans of mundane lfe. Whoever comes near the fre gets warmth, no matter whether he does so of hs own accord or not. So the Holy Naam or the Dvne Song cannot but nfluence you when you come n contact wth t, whether you wll t or not, and are n tme or out of tme. The
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Power of God cannot but nfluence you, should you get n touch wth It. The outer musc has a marvelous effect on all lvng bengs. It shakes off the grevous burden of the oppressve sorrow and unrest, under whch one ncessantly groans, and drves away all thoughts. It washes away the drt of everyday lfe by ts melodous tunes and captvates the soul. It wthdraws the mnd from the tumultuous hubbub of the objectve worlds. It concentrates the mnd naturally, wthout havng recourse to any fabrcated methods. Musc, ndeed, has ever been the art of sants.31 These sprtual sounds are ads on the sprtual path. A competent Master, at the tme of ntaton, gves full nstructons on how to dfferentate between them from plane to plane, as well as how to catch hold of them on the onward march to the hghest sprtual realm. Heren then les the need for a Master Soul, for He s the nsprer of Har Naamthe Dvne Word, n the depths of ones soul. Wthout Hm, the Eternal Song ever remans a shrouded mystery wth no access thereto. As Musc personfed, He s competent to manfest t, make t audble, and thus lead one to the seat of the Almghty.32 If one could dscover ths audble lfe-stream wthn oneself, f one could dscover ts lower reaches, one could use t as a pathway leadng to ts source. The currents mght at certan ponts enter gorges and rapds, but, nevertheless, they are the surest way on the upward journey. Be a range however unscaleable,
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THE SHABD HOLY PATH
the waters wll have cut a path and carved a passage, and he who wll aval hmself of ther gudance would never fal to fnd a way. And snce ths Naam or Word current sprngs from the Anaam or the Wordless, he who holds frmly to It wll nevtably reach the startng pont, transcendng plane after plane of varyng relatvty untl he arrves at the very source of name and form, thence to merge nto That whch has no name or form.33 Ever snce the chld-dscple s led to the Lvng Master and s lnked wth the Holy Naam wthn, the ncessant flow of grace and protecton s extended n abundance. The fathful and the lovng develop receptvty and assmlate the same to enrch ther lves, and they become a source of nspraton to others. The celestal manfestatons wthn are the result of the grace of the Master and n no way may be clamed as ones personal effort or endeavor, however good they may seem to be. Yet t s of great mportance to strctly abde by Hs commandments, thus nvokng Hs mercy and blessng. It s not the nner experence whch determnes the sprtual progress, but the basc personal atttude of serene lvng of the chld-dscple, whch proves hs or her worth. Truth s above all, yet hgher stll s true lvng. A man s best known by the company he keeps and by hs actons. The sprtual development s steady, contnuous, unabated, harmonous and ceaseless from the moment one s lnked wth the Holy Naam. The gaps of hushng slence creatng an ntense longng and pangs of separaton for the Master and Holy Naam wthn the
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nnermost recesses of the heart are happy preludes for a bg leap forward. The cumulatve efforts of the sncere devotee wll one day open the flood gates of celestal glory, much to hs or her gratutous joy.34 Wthout the stablzng force of Naam the soul remans dffused n the world, subject to the constant agtaton of the mnd. Passon and anger have the same results. If an obstacle comes between us and our desre, whether apparent or concealed, then anger arses, followed by envy, crtcsm, backbtng, enmty, petty squabblng and other thngswe drft from one bad habt to another. And all ths s due to lack of substantal medtaton. Even f a lttle was done wth deep sncerty, some ntoxcaton would be enjoyed. When this Nectar comes, other wine seems tasteless. Havng tasted the real Nectar of Lfe, one wll leave a thousand tasks to st and enjoy t. Every free mnute wll be put to use; one wll readjust ones lfe to make more and more tme for medtaton. When people are asked why they do not medtate, ther excuse s that they have no tme. Forgve me, but there s never any tme for ths precous work, although the true dscple s always ready and wllng to attend to the worldly pursuts. We are not fathful to our Bhajan because we have not had enough nner experence of Naam.35 There s no way wthout the Shabd to leave ths pot of clay; and t les wthn each beng. When the connecton to Naam s made, t then must be ncreased. It s the treasure of the two worlds: physcal
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and sprtual. When you meet the Sant, brothers, value the True Naam; this treasure of life remains here and hereafter. It s potent n both phases of lfe.36 Wth repetton or Smran, you can acheve sngle-ponted concentraton, and wth concentrated attenton Dhyanyou wll come to a standstll; but Shabd s the only power to take you up nto the Beyond.37 Wth knd thoughts I wsh you to engage wth all your mnd and soul n the servce of the holy Word, and the holy Word wll take care of you.38 Servce of the holy Word smply means that you commune wth or tune yourself to the holy Sound Current whch s the lfe of our lfe, the very frst prncple of Godhood or God-n-acton, as t has to be contacted, absorbed n and commngled wth. A dp nto t s a dp nto the Ocean of All Conscousness, and t purfes the soul of myrads of karmc mpressons lodged n the mnd throughout the countless ages. Ths, then, s the servce to the holy Word or the Holy Ghost whch manfests as the Dvne Lght and Dvne Sound.39 The soveregn and the most potent remedy to wash the mnd clean, say all the Masters, s by communon wth the holy Wordthe God-n-acton power creatng and sustanng all that s vsble and nvsble. To be n tune wth the musc of the soul s to cut asunder, and to sunder forever, the knots whch at present bnd the materal body wth the conscous soul, mprsoned n the body wth countless fetters. Guru Nanak says n the Jap Ji: When the hands, feet and the body are besmeared, they are washed wth
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water; when the clothes get drty and polluted, they are cleansed by soap; when ones mnd gets defled by sn, t can be purfed only by communon wth the Word.40 The holy Sound Current, growng more powerful at tmes, denotes Hs constant protecton to you and an nvtaton for proceedng ahead wthn under Hs gudance. You should lsten to t so devotedly that your entre self s merged n t, and let t transport you nto the Beyond to taste the hgher Blss.41 Bhajan s mperatve to rght lvng, for the true meanng of Bhajan s to go wthn and rejon the Lordnothng more or less.42 Whoever sts before a God-realzed person n all sncerty, n Hs company wll come to understand what the Shabd s, and what s the true gan from the Guru.43
Benefits of Communion with Naam
OU WILL apprecate that when attenton s completely rveted wthn at ths thnkng center, and all the stray thoughts are controlled by mental repetton of the charged Names, an overwhelmng nner warmng comes of tself from above. Ths multples n abundance, and then nculcates a gradually accelerated devoton for the holy medtatons. A well tlled and ncely ploughed feld wll brng forth a rch harvest when watered wth the waters of lovng devoton and humble supplcaton.44
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BENEFITS OF COMMUNION WITH NAAM THE HOLY PATH
Naam keeps the mnd and body n a state of equpose. Peace regns supreme n ts devotee; the ramfcatons of mnd are done away wth forever. All lusts cease to have ther hold on the mnd. The bran gets a soothng balm. It puts an end to wasteful hurry, and wth t go all nervous tensons and mental strans and stress. Naam gves one mmunty from all bodly and worldly pans and troubles. By wthdrawng the attenton wthn, the mnd s stlled and the soul s freed of all mental conflcts. Even the sense of egotsm tselfthe most ancent maladyloses tself nto ary nothng, and wth t, the perpetual dance of comng n and gong out of the world comes to an end. The process of transmgraton of the soul s but the natural concomtant of the self-assertve wll or egosm. Guru Nanak says: Whenever one asserts the lttle ego, I, as dong thngs, one assumes the unendng role of an ever-actve agent responsble for hs actons, and s caught n the ntrcate net of transmgraton. The elmnaton of egosm s, then, the only remedy for lberaton from the unendng cycle of brths and deaths. It s a clear test of the sprtual current dffused n the world. All labor undergone for total self-effacement s an effort n the rght drecton. It s called dsmprsonment of the soul from the facts of lfe, or dsenfranchsement from all that s worldly. In a word, the secret les n depersonalzng the soul of all that s personal n t, for then one strkes at the root of all evl. The many recpes for ths losng of
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the I-conscousness, whch flood the world today, fal to gan for us the goal of lberaton. For, wth such methods, the ego feeds tself, and grows from strength to strength, and s not effaced. Unless one becomes a conscous co-worker wth the Dvne Plan, he cannot become selfless.45 The Sound Current, Soul and Master are all one. Your growng nterest n ts lstenng brngs you nearer to the fountanhead of ths blss. It feeds the soul and strps the mnd of ts age-old dross. Past karma s wped out by ts rapturous lstenng wth the grace of the Master. The ntates are nvarably stressed the mportance of lstenng to ths Dvne Sound so as to be free from the reacton of present karma, whch they have to contract whle meetng wth ther legtmate dutes, n accordance wth ther fate-karma.46 The load of karmc debt gets lghter by lstenng to the holy Sound Current, even f t s n ts lowest lnks, for t holds the keel of ones barque steady on the stormy sea of lfe, and saves t from runnng aground among shoals, sandbanks, and submerged rocks. But one must strve to catch hgher Sounds, for t s the latter that exert a powerful pull upon the soul, by followng whch one s led to eventual lberaton. These hgher sounds can, by lovng devoton and practce, be easly dfferentated and communed wth by the grace of the Master Power whch s ever ready to extend all feasble help to the asprants on the Path.47 Desre s the root cause of all dsturbance and
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sufferng. You wll become desreless by regular lstenng to the holy Sound Current for some tme. It s consdered the tred panacea for that. It s the mergence of the soul n the Holy Shabd whch grants such neffable blss and harmony that the roots of desre are crppled for good.48 . . . Be sweetly absorbed nto the hearng of the Sound Current. It cleans the mnd, purfes the heart, and elevates the soul.49 Those who medtate on Naam not only succeed sprtually but n worldly attanment also.50 When the soul gets a connecton wth the Greater Conscousness t gans strength and refreshment. If one removes the attenton from the body and goes up, the body gets perfect rest. The law s that f one gets true sleep for just a few mnutes, t s enough. For those who travel on ths Path, reducton n sleep s a very frequent occurrence.51 One never feels ll after medtaton. The result of sweet and accurate medtaton s the reverse: one feels peaceful and serene. The tme that s at our dsposal now s very precous. Lest one regrets havng wasted t, t s better to use t to ts fullest extent. To such people, nner help comes as oxygen comes to help fre.52 The holy Naam s the panacea for all llsphyscal, mental, and sprtual. Medcnes do help for refnng the physcal body, but a harmonous lfe full of sublme pety s only possble by regular and fathful medtaton.53 Those who have access wthn can read ther fate easly. It s an open book to them.54 It s durng the
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sublme moments of medtaton when the chlddscple s attuned wth the Infnte to beneft from the ncessant flow of dvne Grace, and t s then that the rare boons of rght understandng come n ncreasng measure.55 So long as we are covered by mnd and matter we cannot see realty. When you have thrown off these coverngs you wll be able to read others correctly at a glance. Every ndvdual s workng under the nfluence of mnd and s blnd. Mnd s the snake n our body whch btes us always. Under ts nfluence we do actons, and our actons are the cause of our endless struggle here causng brths and deaths. Ths snake-mnd s charmed when t catches the Word. It s attracted by the sweet Sound of the Word, hearng whch t s rendered motonless, and the soul s released from ts bondage. Nanak says there s no other way to conquer mnd except by the practce of Sound Current. And so long as mnd s not conquered there s no gettng n. The mnd functons through ego. The soul s free when mnd tastes the Word and no other taste satsfes the mnd for any length of tme, and otherwse, sooner or later, the mnd gets dssatsfed and begns to look for somethng else. Only when the Word has been tasted, the mnd fnds complete satsfacton.56 There s an nstance n Lord Krshnas lfe when he jumped nto the Rver Jumna. There he saw a huge snake wth a thousand heads. How dd he control and overcome that snake? By playng the flute. The mnd
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can only be controlled wth the nner Sound; there s no other way. Outer thngs may stll t for a whle, but they can never control t. Many holy men n the past have lost everythng through the mnd. By contact wth the Word and the company of the Word made flesh, the power of the mnd can gradually be overcome. If you st at the feet of a perfect Master, you wll enjoy the beneft of the radaton, for hs attenton s under hs own control. There you wll become absorbed n the stllness and forget the world for a whle.57 True renuncaton wthn comes through communon wth the Shabd alone. Nature, wth all her evanescent charms, ceases to have attracton for the renouncer. By renouncng everythng, one penetrates nto the allpervadng sprt. Hs attachment to matter s ended. Thus, no more brths and deaths awat hm. Hereafter the lfe of the senses and the glamour of the world fascnates hm not on hs way to the Lord. Detachment n attachment s also attaned only wth the ad of Shabd. Whatever he does, he does wth the sense of duty wth no attachment to the frut thereof. The root cause of msery les n the fact of ones attachment. We are caught by whatever we do n our nablty to detach ourselves from everythng. We must reserve the power to reman detached from all thngs, however precous they may be, or however much one may yearn for them.58 When once the lfe-stream becomes audble, one never feels lonely; for he hears ts reverberatons
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wherever he may be, at home or abroad. The Voce of God keeps remndng hm of the true home of hs Father. The practce of the Sound Prncple rds one of all troubles and afflctons, the fve deadly passons, the lusts of the flesh and of the mnd, leavng the soul n prstne transparency, detached from all that s of the world and worldly. Shabd s the supportng staff both n the journey of ths lfe and of the lfe hereafter. Wth the experence of transcendence beyond the confnes of the body, he becomes fearless of death, and when the allotted span of worldly exstence comes to an end he throws off, once and for all, the mortal cols of the flesh as easly and happly as one does hs old and worn-out garments, and s freed from the cycle of brths and deaths, and goes openly and honorably to hs home n heaven. The practce of and the communon wth the Word brngs n the heavens lght, and one feels dvnely blessed. It gves ntutve knowledge of the self and of God, and one experences wthn hmself the ntegral realzaton of the soul as one common lfe prncple extendng everywhere, n and around hm, wthout any barrers and lmtatons of tme and spacefor all lfe s one, from eternty to eternty, rrespectve of so many forms and patterns through whch t may manfest. The moment one rses nto the Tmeless, he hmself becomes tmeless. Ths, n fact, s true medtaton and true devoton leadng to the true love of God and Hs creaton, hs own self expandng and concdng wth that of hs Creator.59
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By communion with the Word, one can attain the status of a Siddha, a Pir, a Sura, or a Nath; By communion with the Word, one can understand the mysteries of the earth, the supporting bull and the heavens; By communion with the Word, the earthly regions, the heavenly plateaux and the nether worlds stand revealed; By communion with the Word, we can escape unscathed through the portals of Death; 0 Nanak, His devotees live in perpetual ecstacy, for the Word washes away all sin and sorrow.60 By communion with the Word, one can attain the powers of Shiva, Brahma and Indra; By communion with the Word, one can win esteem from all irrespective of ones past; By communion with the Word, one can have yogic insight with the mysteries of life and self all revealed; By communion with the Word, one can acquire the true import of the Shastras, Smritis and Vedas; O Nanak, His devotees live in perpetual ecstacy, for the Word washes away all sin and sorrow.61 By communion with the Word, one becomes the abode of Truth, contentment and true knowledge: By communion with the Word, one gets the fruit of ablution at sixty-eight pilgrimages;
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By communion with the Word, one wins the honour of the learned; By communion with the Word, one attains the state of Sehaj; 0 Nanak, His devotees live in perpetual ecstacy, for the Word washes away all sin and sorrow.62 By communion with the Word, one becomes the abode of all virtues; By communion with the Word, one becomes a Sheikh, a Pir and a true spiritual king; By communion with the Word, the spiritually blind find their way to Realization; By communion with the Word, one crosses beyond the Limitless Ocean of illusionary Matter; 0 Nanak, His devotees live in perpetual ecstacy, for the Word washes away all sin and sorrow.63
Siddha: A man endowed wth super-natural powers. Pir: A Muslm dvne or a sprtual teacher. Sura: Gods. Nath: Yognan adept n yoga. Supporting bull: (dhaul), t s the fabled bull, supposed to be supportng the earths and heavens. Shastras: The phlosophcal treatses of the Hndus. Vedas: The earlest books of human thought. Sehaj: Ths term refers to the state, when the turmol of the physcal, astral and causal worlds wth all ther enchanted panorama, are transcended and the Great Prncple of Lfe s seen wthn.64
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HELPING FACTORS THE HOLY PATH
OU WOULD have true knowledge f you transcend the sense knowledge. Enter the nner slence, and ths slence wll become vocal. Wth longng n your eyes enter wthn from wthout. Ths s the central message of every True Master. In your own house you wll see Hm. Therefore, I would request that you gaze longngly nto your heart, wth slence n your heart, wth slence n your soul, and wth no thought of ths world or the next. The grace of God wll descend on you, and the gaze wll grow nto a glmpse, and He wll reveal Hmself to you, and you wll see Hm wthn yourself.65 You wll please apprecate that t s the constant thought of worldly pursuts whch has been the cause of present human brth, and for attanng lberaton from the cycle of brth and death the very thought pattern s to be revolutonzed by replacng t wth dvne thoughts. Lovng remembrance of the Master and repetton of names serve as very helpful factors for havng the wthdrawal of sensory currents from the body below, when the nner process of contemplaton on the dvne lghts and eventually the charmng Radant Form of the Master commences.66 Sttng n sweet remembrance of the Master s exactly what the words mply. There s no technology nvolved n t. It s smple enougha feelng of deepseated love naturally created wthn or a longng. The quet soltude of a place can be helpful to medtaton.
Helping Factors
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Servce to the beloved Master s one of the potental factors that help to cleanse the vessel of a person, and t s a powerful ad n gettng wthn. To go wthn s the frst and foremost duty of a dscple, and ths can be acheved through the grace of the Master, whch n turn, s hastened by the dscple lvng a lfe of love, servce, and medtaton, for they are lnked and co-related to each other.67 Wherever you are, you can at best serve the Master, and the best servce whch earns Hs pleasure s sncere medtatons. An example s better than precept. Ths s the best dedcaton and has ts own unrvaled reward.68 You should try to forget all about your mnd and Iness. It s smply your harpng on t and feedng ts ego by constantly thnkng about t whch dsturbs you. You must know that regular medtatons replace the vcous qualtes of the mnd wth vrtuous ones and gradually culmnate n rsng above vce and vrtue both. Go placdly amd the nose and haste, and remember what serene peace and harmony awats you wthn durng medtatons. Such an attempt shall bless you wth profound joy and blss. Nurture strength of sprt to sheld you n all spheres of lfe. Never feel dsturbed wth magnngs.69 You must know t for certan that the lfe of an ntate s fully controlled by the gracous Master Power for hs sprtual progress. Those who relsh to medtate regularly and nculcate a keen sense of self-abnegaton by surrenderng ther wll to that of the Dvne Wll of the Master enjoy perpetual blss
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and harmony. Whatsoever comes to your count s a blessng n dsguse and should be accepted cheerfully. AVOID HURRY AND WORRY. Instead, just learn to do one thng at a tme and that too wth sngle-mnded attenton and devoton. All blss and joy les n the concentrated attenton at the eye focus, and f you wll develop ths technque your entre lfe wll be changed and dyed n the color of dvnty, wth the grace of the Master. 70 You need not dwell much on your personal character or mpurtes of mnd. It amounts to self-pty. You wll please apprecate that by waterng the seedlng at the roots, the plant thrves most and blooms n abundance. The holy Naam s the tred panacea for lls of mnd. Although t s a very happy augury to be conscous of ones shortcomngs, undue apprehenson sometmes breeds morbdty whch hampers progress. The conscous contacts wth dvnty wthn revolutonzes the thought pattern of the chld-dscple, and he sees everythng n much clearer percepton. Slow and steady wns the race. Your job s to be mplctly obedent and humbly dedcated. It s for Hm to reward you for your efforts. Patence s the noblest vrtue, but s the frut of very long cultvaton. Just learn to lve n the lvng present and wth undvded attenton and devoton. You should tran your mnd n such a manner that when you do anythng requred of you, there s no hurry, compulson or resentment from your sde. You wll fnd that t wll be helpful to you n all your spheres of lfe ncludng medtatons.71
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Depresson and despar breed n egostc hearts. If you wll nculcate a keen sense of humlty by selfabnegaton and effacement, you wll enjoy more neffable blss and harmony. Humlty s the sheet anchor wth the dear ones. It s an adoraton of the Sants who work n ths physcal plane by keepng ther dvnty hdden from the publc gaze. How safe and sublme t s to work humbly on behalf of the Master by rollng on all credt to Hm. You are a personal testmony of the sacred truth that when you work for the Master for channelzng the dvne grace, how gracously you are compensated. The golden prncple of attrbutng all success to the Master Power and falure towards your own personal weaknesses to be overcome gradually, should be followed lovngly. Ego s a human element. It s annhlated very slowly by medtatng on Sound Current and Lght Prncples. Gradually t wll dawn upon you that you are a doll n the hands of dvne powers dancng to Hs bd.72 Complete surrender to Hs Wll and Pleasure s the surest and safest way for nner nverson and the journey on to the realms of pure blss and unalloyed harmony.73 It s qute natural and logcal, just as one goes up n an electrc elevator unaded and wthout effort, smlarly the soul currents are wthdrawn to the eyecenter.74 Wth a calm mnd st n exercses. Trkut s n the mnd range. When the attenton catches and follows the Sound Current the mnd s dormant and out of acton; at all other tmes, when the attenton s off the current, the mnd gets the upper hand.75 You
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need not struggle for stayng at the eye focus when you wthdraw quckly. You have smply to relax fully, repose joyously, and resgn to the dvne wll and pleasure of the Master, and go nto the Beyond. The nnermost deep slence of the heart, coupled wth a burnng angush of the soul, wll nvoke more dvne grace.76 You must slence your thoughts durng medtaton. The slencng of the ntellect s the last nal n the coffn. You should not wsh to have one thng or another. Smply st at the door and wat. The sublme slence s best and easly acheved by lovngly and humbly reposng n the gracous Master Power to grant and bless whatever s deemed ft. That bengn power s ncessantly wth you and s qute aware of your earnest efforts. But so long as you are conscous of your actons you stand n your own way, and when you lovngly elmnate yourself, He wll manfest to you n the form of celestal manfestatons of Dvne Lght and holy Sound Current. It s somethng lke nvtng someone to enter the room whle you are blockng the way by standng n the doorway. He or she s not to presuppose thngs or vsualze results, for those wll follow of ther own accord. We have but to st n lovng remembrance, wth steady gaze fxed n between and behnd the two eyebrows, and do mental repetton of the Fve Holy Words, wthout any exerton or stran on the eyes or on the forehead. Ours s to be an atttude of passvty, for the Doer s one and only One: the Master, who s the best judge for the tme and measure and manner of each step on the path.78
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The medtaton practces should be an easy, natural, and enjoyable process, wheren you could st for extended hours. So please try to avod such fathshakes as wll dstract your thoughts from the Path untl you have progressed suffcently and grown strong wthn, so as to become mmune to recevng unhelpful mpulses, and be able to radate your own lovng thoughts and mpulses. Ths s a perod where one has to be very vglant. So please carry on n fath and regularty. The Master Power s over your head extendng all feasble help.79 So when you st n medtaton, forget the world, and let the Guru alone be before you and you before hmthere should be nothng else. When our Muslm brothers st for prayer, they spread a prayer-mat n front of them to remnd them that there s nothng between God and the devotee. St for practce n ths way and you wll not even be aware that you are wthdrawng. Ths s the true way to realze Godto travel across the ocean of lfe.80 Some succeed n performng ther sprtual dscplnes n the prescrbed manner n a short perod, others do not for want of the conscous control of the mnd and the outgong facultes. Ths s why t has always been stressed to weed out all undesrable trats and habts and to replace them by the opposte ennoblng vrtues; and for ths, the mantenance of the monthly self-ntrospecton dary s mandatory. The more you progress n man-makng, the more your mnd and senses wll come under your conscous
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control.81 The more you wll try to eradcate the weaknesses n you and lovngly attend to Smran, Dhyan and Bhajan, the rcher wll be the extent of your experences wthn.82 Purty of lfe s essental for frutful medtatons.83 When the mnd needs no other thng except the Master, He Who s always wthn draws the vel asde and appears. So t s a queston of developng an ntense desre for Hm. Ths desre s aroused by medtaton and by sweetly rememberng Hm n ones heart to the excluson of all other thngs.84
Regularity
O BE AN INITIATE s not enough. One has to be devoted regularly to medtaton and develop from day to day. Lack of sprtual progress and remanng away from contacts where such nner progress s lkely to be nourshed s apt to brng about a negatve atttude under uncongenal nfluence.85
Hazur Baba Sawan Sngh J sad: . . . no matter n what crcumstances one fnds hmself and what new problems one s facng, a devotee should not mss hs Bhajan. He may gve only ffteen mnutes or even fve mnutes to t daly, but he should be on t wthout a break.86 Sprtual medtatons are the food for the soul and should not be mssed. A day put off backs your progress consderably. These practces should please, therefore, be performed fathfully, regularly, and sweetly. They are desgned as a frst step to
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take your soul up above your body nwardly to the Radant Form of the Master, who wll then gude you and take you further up, step by step, tll your goal s reached. Thus you wll see the dfference between the rtuals performed wthn the doman of the body and senses, and those that take you above the body conscousness.87 Sprtual nhertance counts greatly for everybodys nner progress, yet earnest and persstent efforts, put n under the protectve gudance of the Lvng Master, never go n van, and n due course of tme brng n much frut, and that too n abundance. You should know t for certan that everythng s beng recorded behnd the vel, and the gracous Master Power s fully aware of your nnermost aspratons. 88 Each bt lad up for sprtual dscplne counts credtably toward your nner progress. The cumulatve result of your devoton wll brng forth very good results n due course and at the proper tme, wth the grace of the Master.89 You should always he on your Holy Path rrespectve of worldly gans or losses. You wll apprecate that, after all, everythng s to be left behnd at the fnal hour of death, and only the Holy Naam wll accompany us nto the Beyond. You know very well the supreme mportance of regular medtatons. The more you are developed whle lvng here, the more of the nner journey s covered n the Beyond. Know t for certan that you are here n ths mortal world only for enjoyng the rare blss of Holy Naam. God
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and Master (God n man) frst, all else secondary.90 Try to do one thng at a tme. If you exercse dscplne n all of your affars, your progress wll not be retarded by any amount of extra responsbltes you may have. Try to put n regular hours undsturbed by any thoughts of the materal thngs about you.91 Profcency demands persstent and earnest efforts.92 When He gves you somethng, ncrease t through daly medtatons. We do not lke to do t and say we havent got the tme, but remember you have to de for yourself; no one else wll do t for you.93 It s sad that those who do not do Bhajan wll never be free from msery, lethargy wll constantly torment them. They are always lazy. When does ths procrastnaton come and when does t go? For the negatve work he s all attentveness; whle watng on the Naam, he slumbers. To gratfy the senses, he s wde awake and readyeven at mdnght. But for Bhajan . . . not now, we wll see tomorrow. Ths s manly due to hs regular assocaton wth outer enjoyments; he has nclnaton toward them. He has done lttle or no Bhajan to speak of, has not drunk deep enough to enjoy ts sweet nectar, and therefore feels dsnclned. Wth lethargy, procrastnaton becomes the thef of tme . . . Not just now, wat awhle ... we wll do t tonght, no, tomorrow mornng ... let us just fnsh ths work, and then . . . The tragc result? If you put off the moment, the other moment whch one magnes wll be more opportune, wll never come. If one becomes lazy, then lazness
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wll nduce sleep. If your medtaton s not frutful, how wll you know what s nsde? Even when at ntaton, through the mercy of the Master, somethng s seen wthn, yet a man wll start thnkng t s all magnaton. Ths s how the mnd hoodwnks us, wth the result that the soul recedes nto the enjoyments and scatters ts attenton. 94 Whatever the matter, however preoccuped wth outer dutes, the dscple must fnd some tme every day, be t ever so lttle, for Bhajan. Only through mantanng the lnk wth Shabd can anythng be ganed, and once a dscple has strengthened the lnk through constant practce, the nner musc flows n ncessantly at all hours of the day, becomng a claroncall forever nvtng wthn and deftly lftng hm lke a slken robe from off the thorns of earthly desres.95 Get the full beneft of medtaton, and ncrease t day by day. The more you ncrease t, the nearer wll you advance toward your goal. If you refuse, the day wll come when you wll be flled wth regret for the lost opportunty. It s all a very smple matter of fact, and outer show of respect wll acheve nothng. Learn to obey mplctlyths s the secret n a nutshell.96
Create New Habits
IND, lke fre, s a very good servant but a bad master. It has got one of the best attrbutes whch can be harnessed for sprtual beneft. It relshes to run nto ts grooves of habt, and f you wll do some acts regularly at the fxed hour every day for
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CREATE NEW PATH THE HOLY HABITS
some days contnuously, you wll fnd that a habt s formed, and t fnds pleasure n dong the same thng automatcally. So when the mnd s dverted towards sprtual practces, by undertakng medtatons at the apponted hours for some tme regularly, you wll fnd that the same mnd whch resents nverson wll relsh t, wth the grace of the Master. The dvne manfestatons granted by the Master are superbly charmng to entrap t, when t wll leave asde ts vcous attrbutes.97 Grow the nals of regularty. An army wthout a commander wll end up n chaos, so we must command our lves wth regularty. If you are employed somewhere, you go there daly at the proper tme wthout any trouble, and for medtaton we should adopt the same atttude and st daly at the regular tme. Sadly, we are adrft; sometmes we st, sometmes we dont. If we were truly regular, we would fnd that f we should happen to have a day wthout medtaton, we would feel ll at ease, as though we had mssed somethng. If possble, there should be a room n the home set asde for Gods remembrance aloneyou would fnd that the very atmosphere of that room would remnd you of Hm.98 The very early mornng hours are best suted for medtaton, as all thoughts subsde durng the nghts rest and the food has been dgested.99 Rse early every day and do your medtaton. Rise before sunrise, and repeat the Naam; All negative effects will be mitigated, 0 Nanak.
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Early mornng s the most benefcal tme for medtaton. Supreme oneness of thought upon the True Naam is had at the ambrosial small hours before dawn. So rse early and shake off all feelng of sloth. Go nto the remembrance of Hm even f you are lyng downeven at nght, or when restng. Go to sleep wth the same thought, so that the very remembrance of Hm wll be the very beat of your pulse. When you arse n the mornng, be awakenedhave a bath or wake yourself by any means, but be really awake when you st down for medtaton. Wth these habts, even n sleep your medtaton wll contnue, and when awake, even then you wll have that medtatve atttude all day.100 The quet soltude of a place can be helpful to medtatons. Servce to and for the beloved Master s one of the potental factors that helps to cleanse the vessel of a dscple and ads n gong wthn. To go wthn s the most mportant part of the sacred teachngs, and ths can be acheved only through the grace of the Master, whch n turn s hastened by ones lvng a lfe of love, servce and medtaton. Thus they are lnked and co-related to each other.101 No one s nearer to you than your Master. There s no need to run to mountans, though quet surroundngs do help n peaceful medtaton.102 If you have nose n your own place, you may fnd some monastery or church nearby where you can have more peace and quet to carry on your medtatons.103
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SPIRITUAL BACKGROUND PLAYS A PART THE HOLY PATH
In the future we should learn a lesson and not destroy the purty of our surroundngs by our snful actons especally those places meant for medtaton. Swam Vvekananda sad that f we repent the sns we commt n the worldly places, God wll forgve us, but He wll never forgve the sns whch are commtted n holy places. So when you go to a sacred place, keep your thoughts pure and turned toward God alone.104 The Lght and Sound are so effcacous that f absorbngly attended to, the mnd wll be stlled. You may say some prayer before your medtaton creatng an aura whch would serve as hemmng all around you, and you wll feel the presence of the Master to your great joy. Please remember that mnd tself s nert and takes lfe from sprt, whch, when attuned to the nner manfestatons, becomes calm.105
Spiritual Background Plays a Part
PIRITUAL evoluton s somethng personal and each one brngs wth hm or her past background to progress, all under the protectve gudance of the Lvng Master.106 All s dependent upon the background, the earnestness, the love and devoton that a person wll put nto the sprtual practces. The dvne treasures are for all, whether rch or poor. Masters lovng help accelerates progress.107 Is the nature and extent of our spiritual growth or advancement beyond the tenth door determined by our past lives? Yesn a way t s determned. A man
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s n the makng. One who passed prmary class wll get admsson to the next grade. One who has just been put on the way wll take hs or her own tme. However, there s no hard and fast rule about t. The one who has been put on the way progresses more by regular devoton of tme to medtatons wth full fath than one wth a dfferent background who s not regular n hs medtatons.108 It s ncorrect to thnk that sprtual progress cannot be had for at least fve years. Those who are not ready are nether led to the gracous Lvng Master nor are they ntated nto the Mysteres of the Beyond. Those who are ntated get some experence of Lght and Sound to start wth. However, progress does vary accordng to the past background, and because of ths some may progress rapdly and others lag behnd. But there s sure hope for everybody. It s a smple yet arduous schedule whch s made much easer by the grace of the Master.109 Even f He gves a lttle at the begnnng, then there s hope for much more; and whatever He gves, protect t wth your lfe.110
Time Element for Development
NCE ONE meets a competent Satguru, one learns the complete nner way and launches on the sprtual journey, Baba J would say. There s then only the lqudaton of gve and take that lmts the souls flght. The soul s not then pure enough to catch the Dvne Shabd and must be frst freed of all karmc reactons. The Satguru must free t from the
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TIME ELEMENT FOR DEVELOPMENT THE HOLY PATH
chan of karmas n ths lfe tself so as to safe-guard aganst the necessty of takng further brths for ther repayment.111 You need not feel skeptc over your restrcted nner progress, but try to be more accurate and earnest. It s nner longng of the soul and ntense lovng devoton whch blesses the chld dscple wth frutful medtatons. You wll grow gradually n due course.112 There should be no clutchng on your part to have one thng or the other. Smply st n an atttude of humble supplcaton, havng full confdence n the competency of the Master to grant you that whch s n your best nterests at the tme. It s up to Hm to gve and not for us to demand.113 Matter and mnd are subject to change, but there s no change n sprt. Mnd s not such a thng that can be swtched off and on at wll. It cannot be taken away from ts routne course, n spte of ones best efforts, n a day, or a month, or a year. It s a lfes struggle. Those who have conducted ths struggle, or are engaged n struggle, understand what t s to struggle wth the mnd. Look at the coarseness of the mnd. It s son, daughter, wfe, husband, parent, wealth and property, attachment, greed, lust, anger, prde, and what not. It s attached to the outsde world wth ropes, double ropes, trple ropes, and many-fold ropes. It has been held by these chans so long that t does not feel the rksomeness of these chans. To the caged brd the captvty s the normal run of lfe.114
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You should not be skeptcal about your nner progress, as such an atttude mpedes progress. Please rest assured that everythng s beng recorded carefully behnd the vel, and all your earnest efforts stand to your credt sprtually. Thought s the keynote to success. It s the thought pattern of the ntate whch s changed gradually when he or she feels overall protecton and gudance from the Master Power n all spheres of lfe.115 Everythng that comes to you n the dvne dspensaton s nvarably rght for your sprtual progress.116
HE SECRET to success on the Path s practce, more practce and stll more practce.117 Your complant that the mnd wanders durng exercses s the complant made by almost every practtoner n the early stages. The mnd feels pleasure n roamng at large and does not lke to gve up ts lberty untl t has attaned to hgher pleasure n exchange for ts present enjoyments. But constant practce wll force t to gve up ts former habts.118 Just see how smple and easy t looks, but t requres much perseverance and steadfastness for attanng profcency on the Path. You are smply to mantan a reverental slence wthn for enjoyng the full fruts of the Dvne Grace whch wll manfest tself n great abundance. Please note that f you call at the door of some rch man and awat regularly for some days contnuously, he wll one day surely ask you the
Patience and Perseverance
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THESIMRAN HOLY PATH
purpose of your daly calls on hm. It s but a worldly example, and f you mentally wat at the celestal door of the Dvnty, accurately and wth frm patence and all humlty, dont you thnk that He wll respond to your supplcatons? Most surely He wll. You just wat patently and see wthn.119 So I wsh for you to tread the Path havng full fath and confdence n the Master, and above all, be grateful that you have been accepted for Intaton n ths dffcult age we are lvng n. Persevere, persevere, and persevere agan. Perseverance combned wth full fath n the gracous Master Power workng overhead wll one day remove all obstacles, and your chershed goal wll be acheved.120 But the tme factor s a necessty, patence s a necessty, perseverance s a necessty. It wll not happen n one day.121
Simran
IMRAN of the basc names of God has an nevtable nfluence on the mnd. It leads to Dhyan, makng the sprt forgetful of the world and worldly objects. In medtaton nothng but concentrated Smran remans, and from the great and deep slence of the heart (Hrday Kamal of the Sants; .e., the Dvne Ground behnd the eyebrows) there ssues forth a ceaseless Sound Current, whch helps n pullng the sprt up, leadng to the wthdrawal from the body (wthout, of course, breakng the slver cord) and gudes the sprt n ts journey nto varous sprt realms. The lumnous form of the Master
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always remans wth the sprt, helpng and gudng t at every step. Ths Sound Prncple s the lnk between God and Man, and n ths way an ndssoluble bond and relatonshp s establshed between the Creator and Hs creaton.122 The repetton of names at ntervals has a sgnfcance as stated above. It s a safeguard aganst the untoward and mpedng factors whch beset the Path, and helps the sensory currents from the body below to wthdraw to the eye center wthout any stran on the part of the chld-dscple. The attenton should be rveted penetratngly nto the mddle of what you see before you. If the repetton of the names mentally s done constantly, the attenton wll be dvded. The gaze should be fxed constantly, and repetton done at ntervals, smply to guard aganst any negatve effect and help the process of wthdrawal from the body.123 The basc names of God have the power to dspel the forces of darkness that may meet and assal a sprt on ts onward journey. Smran of these names helps the soul both n the physcal plane and supra-physcal plane, one after the other. Hence t s mperatve that Smran be done of such names as the Master Soul enjons, for they are charged wth a tremendous sprtual power whch negatve powers can hardly put up wth, and from whch they flee as from an enchanter drven. Immortal and everlastng as these words of the Master are, they bestow lfe everlastng to the soul n whch they snk and take root. 124 The sacred charged words carry the lfe mpulse
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WITHDRAWAL: RISING ABOVE THE HOLY PATH
of the Master, and ther repetton, wth deep fath and sngle-mnded devoton, feed the soul wth gradual conscousness, and leave behnd ndelble mpressons over t. Even f you fal to see anythng wthn durng your medtatons, you should resort to fathful Smran, whch wll be lke tllng the sol, to be prepared for the bumper crop of Sprtualty, whch wll be watered well wth the gracous mercy of the Master, and the Holy Seed of Intaton wll fructfy n due course.125 As soon as mnd begns to roam away, stop t by Smran (repetton).126 Be strong n your Smran; t wll remove all dffcultes. You wll become bold and fearless. You wll see wthn so many rvers and mountansyou wll cross them by flyng over them. Smran wll enable you to fly over them.127
Withdrawal: Rising Above Body Consciousness
HE ABC STARTS where all phlosophes end. It s a matter of seeng, of rsng above body conscousness, of experencng for ones self.128 The hghest am s to rse nto God conscousness. That wll come only when you know yourself, who you are. You are not the man-body, you are dwellng n the man-body, the hghest rung n all creaton. We have to make the best use of t and that s: how we can be out of t. For ths purpose, Masters always advse us to rse above body conscousness. Learn to de so that you may begn to lve. You wll have
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the rght spectacles to see through f you do ths. Everythng wll appear n ts rght perspectve. Ths s why all Masters have sad: Know thy Self! The wthdrawal of sensory currents from the body below, wth the ad of repetton of the charged names or lstenng to the holy Sound Current as comng from the rght sde, s the normal feature of medtatons. You may understand t more clearly: suppose there s a roof wth a hundred stars and unless you cross all the hundred steps, you cannot reach the top, even f you reach the nnety-nnth. You are under the roof and not on ts top. As you approach nearer to the roof, you have more and more lght. Smlarly, the wthdrawal of the sensory currents up to the eye-focus demands complete cessaton of outgong facultes and focusng the nner attenton at the center between and behnd the two eyebrows. The sacred process s to be undertaken n a state of effortless effort. If you are completely rveted wthn at the eye-center and are not watchng the process of wthdrawal, you wll fnd that you wll be completely wthdrawn wth lttle or no effort on your part, wthout any feelng, just as a har s taken out of butter. When you are wthdrawn completely or even partally, you may see nto the mddle of what you see n front of you, and the ntellect should be stlled for the tme beng when the nner vson wll open.129 If you do your practces accurately, you wll rse above body conscousness. The body s not you. You wll begn to have experence of the Beyond. You
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have to leave the body. Ths fate awats everybody and there s no excepton to the rule. But wth all that, we are afrad of death. Death s only a change, just as the sun sets on one sde of the world and rses on the other. Smlarly, we leave ths physcal world and rse nto the Beyond. Ths s a practcal queston, and f somebody gves you a demonstraton of rsng above body conscousness, you should develop t from day to day.130 If you just have that angle of vson by rsng above body conscousness, you wll always be conscous n knowng that ths s not your home. The Home of the soul s the Home of our Father. We are fortunate n havng the manbody n whch we can go back to the Home of our True Father. Ths cannot be done n the lower orders of creaton. The man who learns to de, to leave the body at wll, gets everlastng lfe, never to return. All glory and beauty le wthn you. The astral planes are more beautful than the physcal one. The causal plane s stll more beautful, and the sprtual planes beyond are the most beautful of all. Those who have experence of the Beyond would naturally lke to go there, but they are bound. Even the Masters are playng ther role. They want to go back, but they are bound by order. They have to carry on. In medtaton, when you rse above body conscousness, the body gets complete rest, and your conscousness ncreases. When you resume the body, t s recharged and gets a fresh lease on lfe.131 You are fortunate to have been taught how to
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take up your cross daly so as to rse above bodyconscousness and be reborn nto the Kngdom of God whch s wthn you. Learn to stay longer n the Beyond and enjoy the blss of the Kngdom of God wthn you.132
Guru Dev: Radiant Form of the Master
NCE THE MIND has been brought under control and t no longer doubts and wavers, Then the Radant Form of the Master appears wthn. There s no dfference between t and the physcal form. It s lke a reflecton n a clear mrror. So long as the glass s not clear, nothng can be seen reflected.
The mnd was ndeed a glass, whch when sulled by the muck-flow of worldly attachments blurred and hd everythng, but the moment ths flm was cleansed, t maged the Unversal n tself.133 The term Guru Dev, therefore, sgnfes the selflumnous form of the Master, whch s free from and far above hs physcal body, and whch the sprt actually perceves wth ts nner subtle Lght. When the sprt comes face to face wth the astral Master, all doubts vansh and ts labors get the crownng regardthe summum bonum of lfe. Ths subtle form, dsengaged from the bodly form of the Guru, s termed Guru Dev. It s self-lumnous and lustrous wth Lght extendng over mles and mles. Satguru or the Master of Truth s the Power of Truth or God that works through both Guru and Guru
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GURU DEV: RADIANT FORM OF THE MASTER THE HOLY PATH
Dev. Wth roots frmly embedded n Sat, or Truth, he drectly derves hs nspraton from the eternal and unchangeable permanence, Sat, hence s known as Satguru. Guru Dev meets and greets the sprt as t crosses the border lyng between the physcal and subtle regons by passng through the stars, the sun and the moon, spoken of n the Vedas as Devan and Ptran Margs (Paths). Ths astral form s exactly lke the physcal form of the Master, but much more beautful, lumnous, and magnetc. Guru Nanak refers to ths llumnated path, thus: The Luminous Form of the Master is wondrously enrapturing and enchanting. Only a Perfect Master can manifest this to a spirit. Ths lustrous form of the Master always accompanes a sprt n the varous planes, endng wth Sach Khand or the Home of Truth. When Hs lumnous form descends to the focus of the eyes, a devotee has nothng more to strve for. Heren les the devoton of the devotee. Half hs success has been acheved, and hereafter the Masters astral form takes over the charge of the sprt wth full responsblty for leadng t to the fnal goal. Even the Sants also adore ths form and derve ecstatc delght from t. The manfestaton of Guru Dev depends purely on the grace of God and ones specal merts n ones progress on the sprtual path.134
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There s hardly any need to magne or vsualze the Masters Form whle engaged n Simran. Any such attempt s lkely to scatter the attenton. Then there s another danger n dong so. What form you conjure up wll be a make-beleve, a projecton of your mnd, and not realty. When one s ntated the Master resdes n the ntate for all tme. What s already nsde wll automatcally come nto vew when you get n there fully and completely, though t may take qute some tme to adjust yourself to the new surroundngs, unknown before. God manfests of Hmself more fully n some human form n whch He s workng wthout any vsualzaton.135 It s really a happy day for an ntate to meet hs or her Radant Master wthn. The enjonng by the Master of regular medtatons and stressng the need for lvng a lfe of love and purty are ntended to make the way clear for the ntates. It s not ther efforts alone that wll brng them success n ther uphll task, but the lovng and wllng surrender and fathful repose wth whch they st and obey the commands.136 Once the soul had won access to the Master n hs Radant Form wthn, ts major task was over. The rest was a matter of tme. It could, of course, be taken drectly to hgher planes by the Satguru, but he worked out the progress gradually otherwse, as was the case wth an nsstent Pundt, the shock and stran of t would be too great.137 When you jon the Master nsde, you wll be able to perceve all thngs, from the begnnng to eternty.138 The Master
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DIFFICULTIES IN MEDITATION THE HOLY PATH
talks wth Hs dscple face to face n all the planes and gves hm wse counsel n tmes of need.139 A dscple should never be content untl he or she contacts the Master wthn, face to face, n Hs Lumnous Form and talks to Hm as one ordnarly does wthout. You should gather up all your thoughts to gan ths end as early as possble, for then alone all your worres wll come to an end.140
Why is it so difficult to hear Shabd?
Difficulties in Meditation
HABD s reverberatng n all Unverses seen or unseen. The human soul and Holy Shabd are of the same Dvne Essence. Those who develop ther Inner Conscousness by regular, fathful and accurate medtatons can lsten to ths Heavenly Melody any tme they choose to do so. The novces do feel some trouble n focusng ther attenton at the eye center and controllng ther vbratons and thoughts carefully. Besdes, those who speak much and waste ther precous energy n dle and loose talk cannot lsten to ths Heavenly Melody. It s the nner sngle-mnded devoton and attenton whch grants ths rapturous lstenng. Practce undertaken wth perseverance and steadfastness nvokes Dvne Grace, and the ntate can lsten to the holy Shabd Dhun.141 It s the scattered attenton of the ntate whch does not allow hm to hear the holy Sound Current. Besdes, the over-whelmng attachment to worldly
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pleasures and sense gratfcaton stand n the way. The Lvng Master s Love Personfed, and as such, lovng devoton to Hm s the factor whch makes for better nner contact of the Audble Lfe Stream. It s rather the tendency of human mnd whch does not relsh beng chaned, and as such, t requres some dscplne to be observed for havng an nner conscous contact of the celestal melody. At the outset t s ndeed dffcult, but by regular practce the soul feels an nnate affnty wth the Sound Current when nner blss s experenced wth the grace of the Master.142 Q. Why does one put off practicing Shabd when it is so very essential for spiritual progress? A. Human mnd s fashoned as such by Provdence that t resents slence and stllness at ts centerback between the two eyes. It s an agent of the Negatve Power attached to each human soul and relshes externalty. It does not relsh ntroverson. Besdes, t s fond of sensuous pleasures, whch cannot be eschewed easly. It s the gracous protecton of the Lvng Master that He grants the conscous contact of ths Heavenly Melody, yet the Satsangs do not pay proper heed to ths most mportant aspect of sprtual dscplne. It may be added that the dear ones who are engrossed in the pursuit of gross pleasures of flesh and matter seldom take to the Holy Path, and f perchance some of them may happen to be led to the Master and be granted Intaton, due to some past karmc evoluton, they do not relsh ths sprtual dscplne.
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Human body s just lke a rado set wheren these Dvne Melodes are beng receved by all lvng. The Lvng Master s the One who can repar our damaged sets and grant us the knob and wave-length at whch ths Heavenly Song can be heard. Regularty and steadfastness, coupled wth untrng selfless servce n a sprt of dedcaton, are the chef helpng factors for practcng ths sprtual dscplne. Mnd has a varyng set of trcks to unloose on the ntate for evadng ths lstenng. Sometmes t poses as a frend to coax the dscple by puttng forth famly oblgatons, etc., and the dear one s caught n the noose of attachment. At other tmes t stands up n tough fght lke a formdable foe. Besdes, the temptatons of worldly pleasures keep the mnd constantly swngng and waverng. The only pont where t can fnd rest s at the eye center, the seat of the soul. The puttng off of practcng Shabd s an age-old malady of the human mnd for whch dvne grace of the Master s most essental.143 You are advsed to hold fast to your medtatons wth relgous regularty even f you feel confused on mundane affars or overtaken by your mnd. Please note that these are the trcks of the negatve power whch keep the dear ones snared n outer confuson and results n the wastage of precous tme at your dsposal. Catch tme by the forelock, and never relax your mnd to be ndulgent n gloom or sadness. It s durng these moments of sheer blss and harmony when your soul s charged wth dvne mpulses
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and new vstas of rght understandng open for your gratutous joy.144 At present every soul has, on account of constant association with mind, acquired a tendency to flow downward and outward through the outgong facultes. It s because of ths, that she cannot catch the Sound Current (the Elxr of Lfe) wthn. A cup turned upsde down may for ages reman n the ran but not a drop wll fall nto t. But f t s turned arght, t wll get flled up n one or two showers. Exactly s t the case wth the soul. As soon as the Master Soul gves her a contact wth the lfe-gvng Sound Current by turnng t arght through the wthdrawal of the sensory current, the lotus-lke cup of the sprt gets more and more water of Immortalty, untl she gets drenched through and through and s saved forever. Mnd, you know, s ever after pleasures of one knd or another. But the pleasures of ths world are all transtory and have always some stng at the bottom. Our sncerest laughter wth some pan s fraught, says an Englsh poet. Ths renegade of the mnd can only be subdued f some nternal pleasure of rapturous strans of the Dvne Musc the Words gven to t n leu of the external ones. When mnd tastes the sweet Elxr, t s dverted from the worldly enjoyments and s subdued. The soul becomes free.145 You have mentoned regardng your ntrospecton daresthat when others are progressng on the Way, why should t not be so n your case. Medtaton s a
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matter of love and devoton; t s meant to cleanse the vessel of all nner drt and flth. Unknd thoughts, temptatons for revenge, a prde of learnng and knowledge, lurkng doubts and skeptcsm, dstrust of God and lack of fath n Hm are some of the formdable barrers that stand n the way and prevent Hs grace and blessng from flowng n. Medtaton done n an accurate way and wth regularty, gvng proper tme wth love and devoton, does brng good results and n abundance.146 What are the waves whch oscllate n the ocean of the mnd? Ths happens because the senses are bolng over. From the eyes alone, 83 per cent of all mpressons enter our beng, and 14 per cent through the ears. The remanng three per cent enters through other sense organs. These mpressons through the senses are so severe that they are perpetually at bolng rate; so our frst lesson s to learn how to control the senses. When the senses are n control, only then wll the mnd be tranqul. When the mnd s stlled the ntellect also becomes stll, and the soul can have connecton wth the Oversoul. If you make three holes n a contaner, fll the contaner wth muddy water, and then force ar through these three holes, you wll see that the water wll churn and bubble. But f you put a lttle alum n that water, t wll become crystal clear and stll. So the alum of Naam wll cut through the drt of brth upon brth.147 Under the nfluence of the senses t s very hard to reach the gaggan (the seat of the soul n the body) or
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rse above body conscousness. If a man has even one strong desre, say that of lust, outwardly people may consder hm to be a great soul, yet nwardly he s dancng to the tune of that desre. Outwardly he may be mpressng people n many ways, but nwardly he s dggng deeper that very pt nto whch he has fallen. Drectly or ndrectly he s drftng away from the Truth, and whatever he has learned has become null and vod. So I humbly repeat that to become a human beng s very dffcult, whereas t s not dffcult to realze the Lord. But the attenton must persuade the mnd to leave the senses and become profcent n the scence of rsng above nto the Beyond. When the senses are won, the fve enemes wll not attack. The fve enemes are lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. Furthermore, f the ten senses are controlled, the Lght s manfest n that soul. Gods Lght wll fully manfest tself n that body wheren the fve gross and fve subtle senses are fully under control.148 Two very powerful forces are anger and lust. They rule over everythng. If the attenton dwells on lust, the soul falls very low; n anger the ego expands. The soul cannot be lnked wth Naam untl t wthdraws nwardly and rses above the senses. Our attenton has nstead become lke an mage of the mnd. We want to enjoy all the low, worldly thngs, yet we say we want the hghest thng of all, the Nectar of Lfe! It s all wronghow far do we thnk we can go? Do one thng at a tme; but do not reman under ths false mpresson. One Sant says, Where there s Naam, there s no kam (lust)where there s kam there s
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no Naam. Two cannot reman at oncelght and darkness. Most of our precous tme s wasted n ndulgence of jealouses, ego, scandal, crtczng, backbtng, possessveness, etc. There are other degradng ptfalls, but remember that lust and anger are the most powerful, and a soul under ther nfluence can never go very far wthn, for there s no tranqulty, serenty or oneness. He who has no lust and anger s the mage of God. Just thnk, the merest glance from such a person can stll the mnd, and the undesrable thngs leave ther hold for a whle. The words that come forth from ths rare personalty are charged wth hs nner tranqulty, so much so that men who hear them wll also enjoy a serene stllness. It follows that ar whch passes close to ce wll brng a refreshng coolness, and the ar whch passes near the fre wll gve warmth. So what-ever the nner condton of a person, so hs words wll be charged wth that atmosphere be t anger, lust, or a sweet tranqulty. Out of the abundance of hs heart, a man speaks. Everyone, lterate and llterate alke, s trapped n the powerful grp of these two most damagng trats. You have been asked to fully understand ths, perhaps a thousand tmes, and you stll do not understand the danger. Stll, when the mnd suggests somethng, you say: Yes Sr, whatever you say. Guru and God are very easly and quckly pushed asde. Very few people want to admt ther mstakes, and wth such condtons, salvaton s very far away. To become a human
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beng s most dffcult; to realze God s not at all dffcult. If only the soul would leave the senses and the mnd, and come up above the body conscousness, t would acheve somethng great. 149 The obstructon caused by petty thngs durng medtaton mght be attrbuted to your senstve nature. The reservor of the subconscous mnd s flled wth worldly thoughts, mpulses and nstncts nherted from past lves. Ths must be draned out completely before t can be flled wth love and devoton to the Lord-Master. Reverental humlty and self-abnegaton are ennoblng vrtues. The sprtual asprants grow n Dvne wsdom, gvng no credt to themselves, as they revel n the superb blss of Dvne ntoxcaton.150 Oftentmes ll health wll not permt proper medtatons. Such perods ntervene n the lqudaton of past karma, yet ther severty and duraton s toned down consderably wth the grace of the Master. You need not be skeptcal about your progress, and nstead be cheerful. You are dong your job and gvng regular tme to medtaton. Each bt lad for the sprtual edfce counts credtably and wll stand to your sde n the long run. Karmc lqudaton s ndeed a chef factor, for whch the lovng ntates are stressed the mportance of dscplned lfe full of lovng humlty and pety. You wll be blessed wth ncreasng grace from the Master-Power workng overhead.151
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It s a natural desre of an ntate to rse hgh n the nner planes and meet wthn the Radant and charmng Master and enjoy Hs grace and blessngs as well as the perfect peace and blss of those regons. Difficulties often block the Way. They must be overcome. You have a Strong One over your head. Take refuge n Hm! Why should a chld ever feel shy n wrtng to hs Father? Everyone who has learned to rde has experenced many a fall. To fall n sn s manly, but to reman there s devlsh. Please do not be dsheartened. Do avod uncongenal socety, and be regular and earnest n your medtaton. Do your best and leave the rest to the Power overhead, and do not worry. No amount of worry wll help you. Let Hm worry for you. You do your small part n humlty.152 In regard to your dffculty n concentraton whch you say has ncreased snce your ntaton, you wll be able to understand ths from a parable narrated for your calm consderaton. Mnd, s just lke a horse ted wth the fetters of matter and normally t domnates the sprt. Mnd, beng the agent of the Negatve Power, s qute satsfed so long as one contnues all efforts n ts doman, and does not resent stllness and concentraton. When the mnd s attuned wthn wth the holy Intaton from a Competent Master, the rope s cut asunder, and the soul s set free to travel back nto the realms of peace and harmony whch are beyond the scope of the Negatve Power.
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So the mpedng forces make a futle attempt to harbor the efforts of the sprtual asprant, lest the soul s completely dsencloaked from the bondage of mnd and matter. The factors wth whch you are confronted are the normal features of a sprtual asprant. They work as a blessng n dsguse when ones sncerty and nteg-rty are tested at every step, and one becomes more frm and resolute wth the grace of the Master. 153 You complan that durng medtaton thoughts of busness keep creepng nto your mnd. Ths s because you seem not to have developed a proper habt of dong medtaton correctly. I fnd that you have certan debts to clear, and that you must dscharge your dutes as a husband and as a father, and ths requres that you work hard n your busness. You should do ths earnestly. Work s worshp. But after a days hard work t s tme to draw a curtan. At that hour, maybe 8, 9, 10 or 11 at nght, you should forget your busness entrely consderng that you have handed t over to the charge of Someone else more competent and powerful. Then relax, and relax completely. And whatever tme you have, devote t wthout a break to the sprtual practces wth full fath and love and wth as much earnestness as you put nto your busness n an accurate way. Do not have any clutchngs. Let the Master Power that s constantly wth you, workng over your head, bless and grant what It consders best. You should have pleasure on your part, and leave the results to the Master overhead.154
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So what s meant by not dong the practces properly s smply another way of sayng that the one-ponted concentraton preludng complete wthdrawal to the eye focus has not yet been acheved by the dear ones. You are the ndweller of your own body but are not yet ts Master. Your servants, the mnd and fve senses, have usurped the throne on whch your soul should st. Untl they are dspossessed and placed n ther rghtful place as servants, they wll not allow you to wthdraw and go n. The Master wthn, lke any lovng father, s eagerly awatng the day when you shall have set your house n order. He only requres one opportunty to snatch you from the prsonhouse of the body, and lke an expert angler, once He has successfully hooked Hs fsh, He wll not allow t to escape untl He has t safely n Hs basket.155
How to Overcome Inaccuracies in Meditation
FIND THAT despte your best efforts, you are unable to have any perceptble nner experence. For locatng the dscrepancy and ts cause, you should please fnd out the followng:
1. Do you repeat the sacred charged Names orally? If so, t s to be replaced, though gradually and slowly, to the mental repetton. It may further be explaned thussuppose you met somebody some days earler and had a talk wth hm, and you want to recollect
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t now. You wll nether use the tongue nor speak agan, but mentally you wll have all the conversaton repeated. Ths s the true form of repetton or Smran. The fve holy Words are to be repeated mentally durng medtaton. 2. Do you reman conscous of the breathng process gong on n your body? If so, t s to be elmnated as the breathng process starts from the navel center and ends n the nasal center, and as such, you reman n the body durng your medtatons. Ths can be done by lookng sweetly and ntently wthn, back and behnd the two eyebrows, altogether oblvous of the body below or of the breathng gong on n the body. You wll agree that normally whle dong work all day, readng or wrtng, comng or gong, sttng or walkng, eatng or drnkng, or even whle talkng, we are never conscous of the breathng gong on. Smlarly, durng medtatons, you are not to be conscous of t. 3. Do you feel any numbness or stffness n your body durng Smran practce? If so, t s equally mportant to be elmnated as dscussed above. The sensory currents from the body below are gracously wthdrawn to the eye-focus, not by the sngle-handed efforts of the dscple only, but by the lovng grace of the Master Power workng overhead for proceedng wthn. You should not watch the wthdrawal process n the body, but keep your nner gaze constantly fxed nto the mddle of what you see wthn. The practce of Smran s ndeed a slow process, but when establshed
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wth the grace of the Master, one reaches the eyefocus wthout any specal effort. You wll agree that t s the lovng devoton and the angushed cry of the soul whch nvokes mercy and one gets attuned. 4. Do you slence your thoughts durng medtaton? Naturally, you wll say no. The slencng of the ntellect s the last nal n the coffn. How t may best be elmnated s explaned below: You should not have any clutchng tendency to have one thng or the other. Smply st at the door and wat. Ths sublme slence s best and easly acheved by lovngly and humbly reposng n the gracous Master Power to grant and bless you wth whatever It deems ft. That bengn Power s ncessantly wth you and s qute aware of your earnest efforts. But so long as you are conscous of your actons, you stand n your own way, and when you lovngly elmnate yourself, He wll manfest Hmself to you n the celestal manfestaton of Dvne Lght and holy Sound Current. It s somethng lke nvtng somebody to enter the room whle blockng the doorway by standng n t. From the above, I hope you wll be able to locate the fault and wll be able to remove t, wth the grace of the Master. I qute apprecate your yearnngs, but the fact remans that He, the Great wthn, wll surely bless you at the opportune moment when He consders t ft.156 What the Master tells you to do s not really dffcult f you could but comprehend the smplcty of t. He tells you to st n a poston most comfortable to you,
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one n whch you can st the longest wthout movng; that whle sttng n ths poston you are to reman wde awake wth your attenton drected at the seat of the soul behnd and between the two eyebrows; that you are to look sweetly and serenely nto the mddle of the darkness n front of you, repeatng the Smran of fve charged names slowly and at ntervals. 157 If the dear ones were to do ther sprtual practces correctly, wth due regard to self-ntrospecton, they would, as sure as two and two make four, rse above body conscousness and transcend nto the Beyond, where the Inner Master s patently watng to greet Hs chldren at the threshold of the astral plane. But because they are unable to do ths, even for a short whle, they erroneously beleve ther medtatons to be barren of all concrete results.158
Dangers and Pitfalls on the Way
HILE SITTING durng medtaton, one may forget the repetton of the fve holy Names. In such a case mnd and Kal (the Negatve Power) can deceve us. So, to be on guard, do not leave off repetton when wthdrawn or n a sttng. If the Form of the Master remans whle dong Smran, the dscple should lsten to and accept the words of the Master as true. Often f we fal to repeat the fve charged Words, the mnd comes up before us n the form of the Master to deceve or to mslead us. When the real Master appears to the dscple, He wll answer all questons asked of Hm. No deceptve form wll
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DANGERS AND PITFALLS ON THE WAY THE HOLY PATH
reman whle the dscple s dong Smran. If any reply s gven by the Master n dreams, that cannot all be true. The Masters Radant Form appears to the dscple whle he s n a conscous state, and He stands durng Smran. The Negatve Power at tmes may tell us thngs, but does not stand before the Fve Names. He may pretend to be our Master. Such words must not be reled upon.159 When the soul wthdraws, t traverses wth the astral body nto hgher regons and sees fgures. At that tme you should repeat the Fve Names. The fgures wll dsappear. Only such persons wll stand before you as Those from the Ffth Plane, and from These you wll derve some beneft. Soul traverses here and there and sees many events whch are transprng elsewhere. But we should not waste our tme n engagng ourselves n such thngs, as that wll retard our sprtual progress. If you are regular n puttng tme nto the sprtual practces, you wll go ahead and surely meet the Master wthn, face to face.160 As regards vson, when you rse above bodyconscousness, you may see vsons n the astral planes. Do not engage n lookng at them, but repeat the Fve Names. Sometmes you may see lons and snakes appear. These are not forms of the Master of Love. A snake at tmes represents the mnd. So do not pay any heed to t; t wll not harm you. Sometmes the fve passonslust, anger, greed, attachment and ego, leave us n the form of a lon or lttle chldren. These thngs cannot retard the progress of a soul
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who s dong Smran of the fve holy Names. 161 As regards voces comng to you, you should pay no heed to them. Please ask the one concerned to appear to you and talk. If he turns up, repeat the Fve Names. If he stands before repetton, only then lsten to hs voce. Generally, these voces come from the negatve and should not be gven any attenton.162 To cross the mental world s not so easy as t may seem to the untraned n the mysteres of the Beyond. It s the most delusve world where even the Mahatmas and the Rshs, wth all ther learnng and tapas, fal to hold on to ther own ground. What s there n that vast unverse (of the three worlds) whch Brahman would not lke to offer to these earnest souls who try to escape through hs domans and reach the True Home of ther Father? At every step, be t n the physcal world, the astral or the mental, he tres to block the way of the asprng souls. The great Prophets and Messahs and all others have gven ther experences of the ferce encounters that they had wth Satan, Mara, Ahrman, the evl sprtsAsuras, Demons and ther agents n countless ways, far or foul, whereby they try to obstruct the way, to wn over the seekers after Truth by assurances of worldly kngdoms and prncpaltes; and f they do not succumb to these temptatons, then by threats of volence by fre, thunder, earthquakes, heaven splttngs, cloud-bursts, lghtnngs and what have you. It s n predcaments lke these that one can only stand these trals when one has by hs sde hs Guru or Murshd, for the Guru Power then draws and absorbs the dscples soul nto Hmself and takes hm
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along the path of Rngng Radance. For each soul the Brahman stakes hs all, and does not yeld unless he s convnced that the seeker clngs to the protecton of the Master Power (Akal or Tmeless).163 Please do not bother about the negatve powers, and nstead dwell more on the dvne protecton of the Master Power by keepng yourself mmersed n the lovng remembrance of the Master. Love coupled wth nner humlty and self-effacement surmounts all such mpedments whatsoever.164
Dry Spells
AM GLAD to fnd that you are devotng some tme for your holy medtatons wth the grace of the Master. The casual spells of dryness or vague feelngs do ntervene as a result of reacton of past Karma, when the chld dscple should muster more of courage and determnaton n stckng to the sacred schedule or regularty. It may be ponted out for your nformaton that durng such perods the lovng protecton of the Master becomes more strong as you have felt wth Hs grace. The holy medtatons, when undertaken n a sprt of dedcaton to the Master, become more frutful wth Hs grace. Your earnest prayer for havng regularty s apprecated. You should stck to your resoluton carefully, rrespectve of mnds protests. You wll succeed wth Hs grace. Please note that the mnd relshes the grooves of habt havng formed out of ts ndulgence n acts of repettve nature through the senses. You are to
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change ts atttude from downward to upward, and all else wll come of tself. You are to lay the lne track carefully and the powerful engne wll run on t wth the same speed and velocty. Let your mnd be attuned to the holy Feet of the Masterthe Supreme Gude, and try your level best to abde by Hs Holy Commandments.165 The ntervenng dry spells n medtaton, whch the sprtual asprant fnds sometmes are a blessng n dsguse when the nner devoton s fostered for a hgher step. You need not worry about t, but nstead be earnestly devoted to your holy medtatons wth renewed zeal and vgor. The gracous Master Power wll be extendng all feasble help, grace and protecton.166 Man s so consttuted that he cannot for long reman at one level. He ether progresses or slps back. You may judge for yourselves whch way you are gong by seeng how far your mnd and senses are comng under your conscous control. Ths s acheved not only by ethcal lvng but also by the nner help and strength you get every tme you st for your medtatons. So, f no apparent nner headway s acheved, know t for sure that the ground s beng watered. Every tme you st, you are creatng a habt whch one day the mnd wll accept as n ts best nterest, as opposed to ts present habt of seekng enjoyment n outsde thngs. Habt strengthens nto nature, and ths s the reason for the present dffcultes experenced by the dear ones n ther routne medtatons. The habt of the mnd n runnng after outsde enjoyments has become natural
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to t. Therefore, t resents sttng n the quet. By creatng a new habt you wll, n tme, change the nature of the mnd from one seekng pleasure n thngs external to one thrstng for the blss and sweetness to be had from thngs nternal. 167
Retarding Factors
HE DIVULGING of nner experences to others, except the Master or more advanced dscples, affects one adversely and retards the nner progress. It has a sgnfcance. A rch man would lke to control hs hard earned rches lest t be notced by others, who would become jealous of hm. Smlarly, the sprtual treasures acheved by the devotee need extra care and vglance to be hdden from others so that the same may reman safe and wellguardedjust as a saplng s eaten away by a passng goat, but when t has grown nto a stalwart tree an elephant cannot uproot t. Agan, the adverse thoughts of others do affect the dscple. Moreover, others growng jealous wll not be able to gve hm or her proper gudance. The laws of the physcal plane demand that each must behave soberly and must not exhbt hs or her extraordnary qualtes whch relate to hgher planes, and as such the dscplned devotee s requred to cultvate tolerance and humlty. You can see that one narratng hs or her personal experences many a tme becomes elated, thus nvtes the ego to take the upper hand, and prde has ts fall as a result. On these basc grounds, the Sants made a Law to be strctly
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observed by one and all that the nner experences must not be dvulged, except to the Master who s competent to gve proper gudance on the Way.168 Moreover, one should be very cautous to avod fallng nto carnal enjoyments as that darkens the nner vson.169 At the tme of ntaton, you would have been warned and clearly told about the thngs that tend to help the progress n medtaton and the thngs that stand n the way and retard sprtual progress. They are recaptulated below for your gudance: Dsclosng nner experences to anyone other than the Master, neglect from abstanng from prohbted det (.e. all meat, fsh, fowl, eggs or ntoxcants), gaps and defaults n any part of medtaton, retard the progress. You could not keep wthn yourself the new joy and beauty that the Master had gven you and erred gravely n speakng about the same to_______. The reacton of _____s mnd caused doubts to creep nto your mnd. Be rest assured. The Master s always wth you from the tme of ntaton, seeng and reactng to everythng that an ntate does. St. Luke sad, Take heed that the Light which is within you is not darkened. So now agan wth love and devoton, pray to the Master Power wthn to open your way. He wll lsten. He s not away from you. Your medtatons wll agan become sweet. Great opportuntes wll open up.170
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MIND:HOLY PATH THE DEFINITION
IND-STUFF s made of a hghly rarefed matter of Satva substance n the elements. Gossamerlke t spreads n the body wth ts tentacles deeply rooted n the senses, workng through sense organs. Its base also goes far above, rooted as t s n the unversal or cosmc mnd chid-akash. It serves as a lnk between the materal body and the conscous sprt or soul n the body whch s enlvenng both the mnd and the body. Lke fre, t s a good servant but a bad master.171 So long as the soul s n the mnd zone t s a prsoner. It s engulfed by the mnd and s subject to t and has to obey the dctates of the mnd. The mnd and the soul combned, n ther turn, are locked up n formscausal, astral, and physcal successvely. The mnd feels shy of gong n and comng n touch wth the Sound Current, for there t loses ts dentty and freedom. Instead, t s prepared to go to the extent of sttng n trenches n the face of bullets to wn a bottom vctory, or wll gladly face the rsks of crossng the Atlantc to gan a name or establsh a record.172 What consttutes desre? All conceptons n the mnd are desres.173 At present, the mnd desres those thngs t cannot get. When t realzes the Truth, the whole of Nature wll be at ts beck and call.174 Mnd s nothng but a storehouse of karmic mpressons comng down from the begnnng of tme n an endless seres of ncarnatons. The body cannot
Mind: Definition
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but perform karmas, and karmas fashon the body and all that s of the body and bodly relatons. The entre world s a play of karmc mpressons stored n the mnd by the people of the world. Ths s why the world s termed as mano mai shrishti or creaton of the mnd.175 The mnd by tself s not conscous. It s the consciousness of the soul that the mind reflects.176 Anyone whose soul s under the mnds nfluence and control becomes an mage of the mnd, for he forgets hs true self. We call ths ego or I-hood, for one thnks I am everythng.177 God plus mnd s man, and man mnus mnd s God.178
What are the attributes of mind? IND HAS four facets or attrbutes: to wt, (1) Chit: It may be lkened to a lake n whch countless streams of mpressons are mperceptbly pourng n all the tme. (2) Manas: It s the thnkng faculty of the mnd whch cogtates over such mpressons as rse on to the surface of the lake n the form of rpples and waves just as the breeze of conscousness blows over the waters of the chit-lake and sets n moton an endless chan of thoughts one after the other. (3) Budhi or ntellect: It s the faculty of reason, ratocnaton, dscrmnaton, and fnally decson, after consderng the pros and cons as presented by the manas. It s the grand arbter that tres to solve the problems of lfe whch come before t. (4) Ahankar or ego: It s the self-assertve faculty
Intellect
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of the mnd, for t lkes to assume credt for all the acts done, and thus prepares a rch harvest of karmas that keep one movng up and down n the gant Wheel of Lfe.179 All actons leave an mpresson behnd whch dull mnds fal to decpher. Only when the mnd develops, and ths t does when we travel wthn and upwards, the memory revves and the record becomes ntellgble.180 Q. We have been taught in our Satsang that all thoughts that enter the mind during meditation register on the astral and take the form of karma for us. Would you please comment on this? A. The thoughts contnue feedng the mnd and regster mpressons n the Chtathe subconscous reservor of the mnd, and serve as seed karma to fructfy at a later stage. However, the thoughts enterng the mnd durng medtatons become more potent to bear frut at the earlest opportunty, and as such are consdered more volently harmful than those enterng the mnd n the normal wakng hours. It should be attrbuted to the nner concentraton durng medtatons when the mnd becomes comparatvely more sharp and one-ponted. The lstenng to the holy Sound Current as comng from the rght sde wth rapturous attenton and absorpton theren burns away these seeds of karmas and renders them nfructous to bear frut.181
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What part does intellect play on the Path?
Attributes of Mind
ERY LITTLE, where the practcal sde s concerned. But ths does not mean that ntellect s harmful to Sprtualty. If an ntellectual man comes on ths Path and really gves hmself up to the Masters Wll, and does what he s told, then there s no better dscple for ths Path than he, for there he has an advantage over an ordnary practcal man. And that advantage s he wll be able to gve out the Truth to others n many ways n a language made wth well thought-out words that wll convnce the ntellectualsts more easly than smple words uttered by a mere practcal man.182
Q. Does intellect play any part in Self and God realization? A. Yes, ntellect plays an mportant part n understandng the theory of the problem of Self-realzaton. Once the theory s grasped, there s not much left for the ntellect to do. Thereafter remans the practce, wth heart and soul, to acheve the Goal by a process of Self-analyss, for the Scence of the Self s essentally practcal.183 Q. Can we penetrate into the Beyond by intellect? A. No, ntellect s just one of the facultes of mnd, to wt, reasonng. The ntellect s earth-bound and so s reasonng based on ntellect. How can the less the greater comprehend or finite reason reach infinity.184
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ATTRIBUTES OF MIND THE HOLY PATH
Q. Can we be ever sure of God-realization intellectually? A. No. God-realzaton s not a subject of ntellect. It s a queston of actual experence, beyond the pole of knowledge. All our talk of God s but nferental and at the most a matter of feelngs and emotons all of whch are subject to error. But seeng the nscape (wth the nner eye opened) s belevng, and admts of no uncertanty and skeptcsm.185 I would advse you not to dwell too much on ratocnaton, for t tends to scatter the mnd. Ths thnkngself contnues to be wth us for qute a long tme, ts range extendng from the physcal to causal states, and untl all these states whch consttute the mnd zone are successfully crossed, t does not drop off.186 For sprtual progress, stllness of mnd and ntellect s most essental. Any unnecessary wrestlng wth the ntellect or free play of the mnd retards sprtual progress. Concentraton means the control of mental vbratons, and may be obtaned by attunng wthn to the Sound Current whch s the astral manfestaton of the Master Power always present wth you.187 Verbage s smply a vehcle of expresson when you try to put forth your nner-most feelngs seekng soluton for the confuson created by your mnd. Each queston carres a ratonal answer n ts bosom. The human ntellgence baffles at tmes at surface, but f you endeavor to delve deep nto the nnermost recesses of slence of the heart, you wll fnd neffable dvne blss gushes forth from the fount of Godhead. Dvnty
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dawns n deep slencethe seer becomes dumb and mute wth overwhelmng dvne ntoxcaton and relshes to absorb hs lttle self n Hmthe Lght and Sound Prncples. 188 Phlosophy deals wth theory, but mystcsm deals wth contact wth Realty, because phlosophy works on the ntellectual level, whereas mystcsm works on the level of the soul.189 At the level of the ntellect you may remember so many thngs about what the Master has sad and gven out. That has no lfe; you are talkng only at the level of the ntellect. So Lfe or Conscousness s somethng else than ntellectual wranglng or wrestlng.190 You may, however, know that thought s an expresson of soul beng an abstract attrbute granted to the humans for smooth workng n ths world. But you have to transcend ths realm of ntellect by stllng t, when the dvne revelatons of Lght and Sound Current wll recharge your soul wth dvnty and result n eventual mergence wth the Absolute.191 It s beyond the ken of human comprehenson to gauge the grandeur and lmtlessness of dvnty. Your questonng s wthn the doman of ntellect, whereas sprtualty dawns when the ntellect s slenced by lovng devoton and reverental humlty. It s durng the slent and sublme moments of holy medtaton when the chld dscple s nearer to the fountanhead of blss and harmony, and the rare boon of rght understandng s granted wth the grace of the Master. Regular feeds of Holy Naam wll manfest to
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you dvne glory n ts prstne beauty. The ntates are nvarably advsed to practce the dvne vrtues whch are helpful for regular progress on the Holy Path. It s a slow but sure process.192
ETWEEN GOD and sprt there s no other obstacle but that of a vel of the mnd. If ths vel were to stop flutterng n the breeze of desres, as t does at present, the sprt can take n drectly the Cosmc Energy from ts very source.193 The mnd may stand n between, but the soul knows what Guru s and what God s.194 In the temple of God, the mnd drags us downward, away from the Truth. It s because of the mnd that we cannot partake of that whch s nsde us. It drags us down lke a weght of ron. In turn, the senses are draggng the mnd, and the pleasures of the world are draggng the senses. If the attenton wthdraws from outer envronments, leaves the senses and calms the mnd, then only does t realze that t s soul. Have you understood ths? Our mnd s the barrer between soul and God.195 Q. Why does the mnd forget the Blss? A. Forgetfulness s the chef attrbute of human mnd. It s due to the gross Maya, or materalsm, that we forget the nner Blss and are overtaken by sensuous urges. When nner conscousness grows gradually, mnd forgets ts lower pulls and relshes
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nner Blss perpetually wth the grace of the Master. 196 Those who are led by ther mnd mpulses are known as manmukhs. Such persons cannot rse above the body conscousness. They do try from tme to tme but always keep ther mnds above the Master, wth the result that tme and agan they fall helplessly. If they could pn ther deep fath n the competence of the Master and rely less on ther own ntellectual reasonng, they could be blessed wth ths rare prvlege of nner nverson to enjoy the supreme blss. Such dear ones cannot acheve nner stllness and slence. The Master tres to make them understand n one way or the other, but they are so much flled and ntoxcated wth ther mental merchandse that they fal to comprehend the greatness and sublmty of the Holy Path. You wll please understand that mnd has ts varous grooves wheren t clngs fast. Bascally, when we try to st slent, only then wll we come to know where the shoe pnches. The alphabet of sprtualty commences wth nner slence, whch necessarly requres soltude and secluson. It s only durng these sacred moments of slence that we can understand the basc prncples of sprtualty and mbbe ther rght mport.197 The wles of the mnd are both very subtle and rsky. It often les n ambush and makes ts nroads when least expected. The ngraned evl propenstes, though nvsble, are very strong, and tme and agan they come to the surface to delver blows whch often
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prove fatal. The col strkes out lke lghtnng, wth such sharp and sudden twsts and turns that man by hmself s helpless n ts clutches. Here comes the need for the long and strong arm of the Master, whch stretches forth wth equal aglty to hs rescue.198 Heren the Master once agan remnds us that mnd s very wcked and trcky, for t wll not readly accept the gospel of the Guru, however reasonable t may be. Knowng full well that we cannot avod the decrees of heaven by any amount of wshful thnkng, the mnd contnues plannng and maneuverng otherwse. Our ntellect, fnte and lmted as t s, cannot possbly comprehend the subtle actvtes of the mnd, whch goes on thnkng endlessly. The only remedy for tamng the hydra-headed mnd s that of the Holy Naam. By contactng the all-audble Sound Current wthn and the heavens holy lght, t becomes docle and forgets all else around t. Ths s the soveregn remedy for all the lls of the world, a panacea that cures all dseases of the body and mnd. By admnsterng to t regular doses of the celestal musc emanatng from the Throne of God, the mnd gets rd of the lower propenstes and begns to enjoy and take delght n the hgher ravshng blss of dvne ntoxcaton, whch s the greatest gft of the Master. Never agree to the dctates of the mnd as t has a hundred and one ways to keep you stuck fast n the physcal body and the terrestral plane.199 The hand of the Negatve Power on your head wll not allow the mnd to obey you. He wll go on
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ncreasng the dualty to make t more and more dffcult and confusng. The Negatve wll not help you to overcome ths dualtyonly the Postve can do that. It s a marked dfference between the Powers.200 The Negatve Power puts two strong mpedments whch are encountered by the Intates of the Master. Frstly, the mnd wll always be doubtful about the effcacy of Holy Medtatons and one wll start mssng the medtatons, and get devoted to alternatve pursuts, substtutng them wth mere routne readngs of the scrptures and other sacred texts. Secondly, t wll brng forth an argument that there s no more need for hm or her to call on the Master, as Intaton per se s suffcent for proceedng on the Way back to the Home of the Father. Complacency retards nner progress. We are lvng on a plane whch s governed by the Negatve Power and where the nexorable Law of Karma works supreme. The mnd s the agent of ths Negatve Power, and n one way or the other, t wll entangle you to be kept ted to the many lmtatons of the body and worldly possessons. Such a skeptcal mnd wll, nstead of dong anythng useful, fnd fault wth the Master and Hs Path.201 Negatve Power has a vast domnon engulfng the frst three planes, and those who happen to fall prey to the allurements of ther mndsubtle and causal are caught n fner fetters or bondages. The Masters of the Hghest Order, who came n the past, have left behnd some useful treasures n the form of ther precous experences for our gudance so that we may safely tread n ther footsteps.202
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Through the lluson of the body you also become attached to materal objects, and the result s that wherever your attenton s, so you become that. You are under the nfluence of the mnd and senses, whch are feedng the senses through the outgong facultes, and the more you feed them the harder the mnd wll work and the more strength t wll get.203 Heren the Master conveys to us another sublme truth by tellng us that we have been caught n the spders web, havng prepared a vast net of attachments for bndng ourselves down n the mre of deluson and decepton. You wll apprecate that a spder weaves fne threads of ts own secretons and gets entangled theren. Smlarly, t s our own mnd whch has developed an unnecessary attachment wth the physcal body and ts alled relatons. Do you know what s the underlyng bass of Maya or deluson? Its roots le n the physcal body from where t sprngs and spreads around lke a ggantc Upas tree. We readly forget that we are ensouled bodes and not merely physcal bodes. It s the soul currents whch permeate through and through the physcal plane whereby t s enlvened, and they n turn, get ther sustenance from a hgher lfe prncple known as the Holy Naam or the Word. So long as that dvne power s workng n us we are alve, and as soon as that power s wthdrawn, the whole structure collapses lke a pack of cards, and t s then sad Dust thou art and unto dust returneth.204 It s better to guard the tendency of each other because the objectve mnd s very powerful n the
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physcal plane and t s mutual Satsang only whch checks out evl tendences. Socety of the people tends to scatter the mnd. Mnd s the most powerful, clever, and cunnng enemy, and to release the sprt from ts bondage t s necessary to break attachments from the allurng materal objects, whch are not ours and have been evolved by matter and Maya. Human nature s the same everywhere. The Pnd Mnd does not lke to be subdued because t has been free for so long and has become so much absorbed n ths outer world that t has not only forgotten the worlds wthn but has forgotten ts own sourcethe Brahmand Mnd. Instead of controllng the senses t s now subject to them and thus constantly wanders from one subject to another wthout anythng to rest upon. If by good luck t s comparatvely free from the anxetes of lfe and hears of the worlds wthn and occasonally has a pont glmpse of the mere outskrts of these worlds, then nstead of gong n and bearng mastery over them, t salas!held out by fame, the last nfrmty of noble mnds, as Mlton calls t. The fame and honor gven by people keep t out just as much as ears are held by sweet musc, and the eye s held by attractve objects. In the guse of dong good to others t deceves tself, and n gnorance knows not that the valuable tme s beng lost. Frst know thyself and then preach. It s not proper to teach of a thng when one has not the frst-hand knowledge of t.205 Step by step the Master s openng up new vstas of
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rght understandng by tellng us what the root cause of ths msconcepton s. He says that t s foolsh for the human mnd to be attached to outer fances, nfatuated by the colorful shell, and carng lttle for the sweet kernel wthn. The mnd may be lkened to a parastcal plant whch has no roots of ts own, but draws ts sustenance from the host tree to whch t tenacously holds. In exactly the same way, the mnd n tself has no separate exstence per se, but s a sheer projecton of ones mental make-up and s nextrcably mxed up wth the sense objects through the senses. It, at ts lowest level, s bound to the body, whle at ts other endthe hghest levelt s subtle enough to draw ts sustenance from the soul.206 You must not feel dsheartened and try to regan your nner happness by dong your very best and leavng the rest to the gracous Master Power workng overhead. Even the darkest cloud has a slver lnng somewhere. He s fully aware of your dstress and awatng most eagerly to receve you wthn n fathful medtatons. You are to be on the guard lest your subconscous mnd s fed wth thoughts of gloom and morbdty. It makes no dstncton between constructve and destructve thought mpulses. It works wth the materal you feed t through your thought mpulses. The subconscous mnd wll translate nto realty a thought drven by fear just as readly as a thought drven by courage or fath. Just as electrcty wll turn the wheels of ndustry and render useful servce f used constructvely or snuff out lfe f wrongly used. You are free to a great extent
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n ths respect to be receptve to the thought mpulses of fath, lovng devoton, humlty and self-surrender, whch wll n turn bless you wth peace and harmony. You must not dwell much on your confuson but meet every stuaton wth courage. My love and blessngs are wth you.207
Befriend the Mind
S THERE any good or helpful characterstc of mnd? Yes, mnd, lke Janus, has another face as well. If t s traned properly by gentle persuason and kndly words of advce, wth a lttle pattng now and then, t can be converted from a formdable foe nto a valuable frend and a helpng hand to the soul n ts search to brng about ths converson, and when t s done, one can have no better help-mate than the mnd. It has the capacty, chameleon-lke, to take on the color of the ground where t squats and that ndeed s a redeemng feature. When lvng on the crcumference of lfe, t expands outwards, downward; but rooted as t s n the Gaggan, t s not mpervous to the hgher and holer nfluences of a Master-Soul to whom t responds and He channelzes t the other way about.208 The mnd s undoubtedly our enemy and s too superor n strength to be annhlated. It s an nnovaton ntroduced by Swam J who tells us to make frends wth the mnd, whch s an agent of the Negatve Power and, n ts present state, an enemy of the soul. Instead of fghtng wth t rght and left
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and to no purpose, we may make the best use of the mnd n a frendly way. You know that mnd has a tendency to tread on much beaten tracks, that s, t creates grooves of habt and mechancally acts n a repettve manner. Just see for yourself, f you do somethng at a fxed tme and contnue dong so for a number of days at the same tme, a habt s formed, and after some tme t wll become part and parcel of your daly routne. So ths s the easest way of overpowerng ths powerful dot, nstead of fghtng wth t outrght n an unequal struggle. We can turn to our advantage ths weakness by devotng regular tme to the holy medtatons at the fxed tme wth relgous zeal and punctualty. It wll be seen that after some tme, the nner revelatons wll arm you wth somethng far superor, and the mnd tself, whch used to resent nverson, wll also start relshng the same and gradually gve up ts past pleasures. The Master gves us a postve approach for the soluton of ths rddle, whch s so easy and nterestng to solve by makng a frendly allance wth the mnd nstead of makng t an nveterate foe.209 Nothng can be ganed by cursng the mnd, for the mnd s no small thng; so the Masters advce s to befrend t.210 The mnds habt s to drag everythng downward, yet as your frend, even f t wants to hurt you, t wll not do so. Under such an arrangement he mght even cooperate wth you. If he desres food, then agree Yes, I wll gve you food, but frst let us do
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a lttle medtaton, then we wll have food. If you mmedately refuse the food, he wll be tormented wth the desre for t. He s lke a stubborn donkey; the more you restrct hm, the more stubborn he becomes. It s a very accurate defnton of the mnd. If you make a note n a book, do not read page so-and-so, t wll be the frst page people wll read; they wont be able to resst the temptaton! So make your mnd a companon; dont fght wth hm.211 The Satguru advses the soul to take the mnd along f t wants to return home. He never says to gnore the mnd, or leave t behnd, but that the soul should understand and make t agreeable. As long as man does not kll the physcal mnd and wthdraw from the sense level, he cannot proceed. One must leave all sense attractons and rse above body conscousness, otherwse t remans mpossble to go hgher and taste the Nectar of the Lord. Excessve eatng and drnkng, and frtterng away the attenton on worldly sghts, sounds and sensatonsall these are outer enjoyments whch deny one the blss of the nner enjoyments. Lord Buddha sad we should be desreless, for desre s but sense enjoyment. Only by steppng asde from all ths can one truly take a step ahead. If you can take the mnd wth you, t wll be easer, but f you forget yourself and your am n the mnds enjoyments you wll lose all desre to progress. Make t your companon, and make t understand the stuaton, for the mnd s unhappyso much so that at tmes t cres out n torment.212
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BEFRIEND THE MIND THE HOLY PATH
Make a frend of the mnd. It s our cruel enemy whch wll go on tormentng our lfe, but by makng frends wth t we take the frst step toward ganng the desred control. If one makes frends wth an enemy, he may not mmedately cease hs enmty, but t wll lessen the lengths of hs cruelty. In ths way there are chances of hs becomng stlled, durng whch tme you wll be more awakened.213 So t s possble to gan control over the mnd only n the company of a Satguru. He wll help you to befrend t and so make the path easer. Then t may start to lsten to you, whereas t usually does not. Many fnd ths dffculty n medtaton, and say that ther mnd does not allow them to medtate. Wth love, make t your companon. Love s such a magnfcent thng that t can control even the worst charactered person. No matter how much you may hate your ptful stuaton, yet hate wll only serve to ncrease the problem. You may throw all the flth out of a drty house, yet the smell of that wll spread and permeate not only the nteror of the house but the surroundngs too. The true soluton s to start washng wth the water of Love, and gradually the badness wll be washed away forever. If you are good to your enemy, hs enmty wll be softened somewhat.214 Because of ts vast area of rule, everyone s under the mnds control, so among those who practce medtaton, very few rse above even the frst regon. Even fewer rse above the second, and to rse above the thrd s really somethng rare.215
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Stilling the Mind
IND IS ACCUSTOMED from ages to hop about and lve on thngs of the outer world. The more t goes out the more t s scattered and the less peaceful t s. Peace comes from wthn and not from wthout. One must nvert wthn to get t. You have been gven the way for nverson and stayng on wthn to enjoy peace and blss n the Hgher Planes. Outer lfe and nner progress go hand n hand. No sprtual progress can be made wthout ethcal lvnggreat stress s, therefore, lad on the latter. You need not be frustrated. Everythng wll come n due tme by the Grace of the Master. Tme factor s necessary. Please do not be mpatent, but carry on your job steadfastly and lovngly wth fath n the Master Power. The nner experences wll ncrease from day to day. Work s worshp. Durng the day when you are busy n your worldly vocaton, please be fully devoted to t wth dlgence so that your mnd s fully absorbed n the work you do. Should, however, there be any moments when your mnd s free, those moments should be utlzed n repeatng the fve Holy Names, or sweetly thnkng of the Master, or lstenng to the Sound Current, f that has developed. All ths may seem dffcult n the begnnng, but slowly and slowly the mnd gets nto the habt, and soon t begns to lke and enjoy the medtatons and ths sort of truthful and straght lfe. The outer falngs are to be vewed wth a keen eye, and the falures are to be removed from day to day.216
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There s a sound of Truth vbratng wthna song whch s sung n every beng. There s a great attracton n hearng ths Sound, through whch all other attractons wll fade away, and the stage of senses wll be left behnd: one becomes free of them. Ths mouse-mnd has become heavy by drnkng the weght of Gods Name. The mnd can be weghted down by the mercury-lke qualty of the Naam, renderng t mpossble to run around loose or engage n ts ever constant oscllaton. There s no other means of controllng the mnd. The accounts of Lord Krshnas lfe state that he jumped nto the Rver Jumna and controlled the hydra-headed serpent there wth the sound of hs flute. Ths many-headed serpent s the mnd, whch has a thousand ways of nflctng ts poson, and wthout that Sound from the Beyond, t cannot be controlled or overcome. Outer ntellect and knowledge have no power over t, for though t may reman quet for a short tme, t wll then run away agan. If you cover a fre wth ashes, t would seem there s no fre at all, yet a strong breeze wll revve t and reveal the heat lyng beneath. However, f you throw water upon t, even a thousand tornadoes would fal to revve t.217 Brave s he who has control over hs mnd and senses, for the nward progress s n proporton to ths control. It s the repetton that brngs the mnd n and the Sound Current that pulls t up. Please try to stll the vbraton of the mnd, and when t stands collected n the eyes you wll pass on to the regons of lght.218
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But they could beneft stll further from mastery of the mnd f they could but learn the sacred technque of self-analyss and wthdrawal of the sensory currents from the body. Heren you wll certanly agree wth Swam J, who says that the human mnd s gravely foolsh n havng fallen prey to the outer sense enjoyments and s endlessly entangled n worry and msery. You know that the mnd, at present, resents nner slence and stllness, as t has a tendency to roam wthout for aeons and aeons wthout end. You can keep t engaged n outer pursuts for hours at a tme, but f you were to attempt nner slence and stllness, t would cry out and run rot, for then t behaves lke a small babe who, when locked n a dark cell, shreks, cres, and knocks to get out. Now, f the baby were provded wth some sweets to eat and toys to play wth, t would stop cryng. Exactly smlar s the case wth the human mnd. The Lvng Master, who holds the key nto the Beyond and provdes the chld dscple wth nner lnks of dvnty to carry hm nto hgher regons, gets a feelng of satsfacton. You know that the nner blss s supreme and unrvaled. There s nothng smlar to t on earth, but alas! the mnd s so much ntoxcated wth the lust for woman, wne, and wealth that t fals to vsualze and comprehend the greatness of the sprtual beattude wthn. But patent and persstent efforts for keepng the mnd stll wll gradually unlock the treasures of dvnty wthn you wth the Grace of
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the Master. Always be buoyant and fresh when you st for medtaton and wat patently, lke a lovng baby lookng up nto the eyes of the nursng mother.220 Mnd s enamoured of pleasures and runs after them whenever and wherever they can be found. It s stlled n the physcal presence of the Master. It s by Hs Dvne Radaton that the souls are attracted towards Hm, and the mnd whch gets conscousness from the soul s stlled for the tme beng. Tuls Sahb says: The attention or the outer expression of soul is controlled in the company of a Sadh. It is only then that the mind attains some stillness. But pleasures of the flesh are qute dfferent from true happness born of nner peace n the soul. If the mnd s provded wth the appetency to relsh somethng sublme, and gets an opportunty of dong so, t knows the value of real happness, wth the result that the sense pleasures lose all ther charm, and thereafter seem nspd and valueless.221 All dedcated work s worshp. Great s man and Provdence has blessed everyone wth untold energy and strength whch f properly harnessed can brng n desred results. Just learn to do one thng at a tme and that too wth sngle-mnded attenton and devoton. Ordnarly the suns rays do not burn, but when the same are passed through a convex lens, these become so powerful that they burn anythng placed n ther range. Smlar s the case wth concentrated attenton
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whch wll enable you to progress n every sphere of your lfe ncludng medtaton. Please be rest assured my love and blessngs are always wth you n all noble undertakngs and enterprses. In proporton to the loosenng of the unon of mnd wth matter, the unon of mnd wth soul strengthens. Carefully, therefore, examne the tendences of the mnd and study ts weaknesses, and try to overcome them. So long as there s drt n the mnd t cannot stay wthn. Its attachments draw t out. Whchever pan of the balance s loaded, that pan goes downwards. Mnd s our enemy, and lke an enemy ts movements should be watched. The whole worldman, anmal, brd, or nsectdances to the tune of the mnd. Every creature s beng tossed up and down by t. The only place when mnd dances s when t s brought before the Current. Only then t becomes helpless. It cannot be controlled by the study of scrptures nor by the performance of austertes; nether the solder, nor the warror, nor the conqueror, nor the moralst, have succeeded aganst t. He who ever succeeded aganst t dd so by catchng the Sound Current.223
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THE HOLY PATH
At Sawan Ashram n Inda
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THE NEW LIFE IN THE WORLD

BOOK FOUR
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THE HOLY PATH TRUE LIVING
The New Lfe n the World

True Living
IFE ON EARTH, as we have t, has a tremendous bearng n buldng the body and the mnd. We must, therefore, strve to smplfy lfe and learn to lve truly. It s true lvng on whch everythng else depends, even the search for the self and the Overself. The mportance of true lvng cannot be overemphaszed. It s rghtly sad: Truth is higher than everything, But higher still is true living. Smple lvng and hgh thnkng has ever been an deal wth the ancents and they always strove for t. We n the modern age have seldom pad much thought to t, though we profess t at tmes and pay lp-homage to t. Though t may appear hard to acheve the hghest type of lfe, yet t s worth our whle to see what t connotes, the ways and means that may be conducve to attanng t and to adoptng t for ourselves. In whatever we do, we should always place some objectve before us, ascertan the prncples nvolved theren, study the methods that may lead to the desred goal, and fnally make a perodcal survey, a thorough check-up, to fnd how much nearer we have come to the end n vew. In ths connecton, one has, of course,
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THE NEW LIFE IN THE WORLD THE HOLY PATH
to devote sngle-mnded attenton and make an honest endeavor from day to day before one can note an apprecable mprovement n hs lfe and conduct, both toward hmself and toward others around hm. What consttutes the lfe of man? one mght naturally ask. The aged one wth a lot of experence n lfe and fed up wth what he has seen and experenced of the world, turns to self-analyss of lfe. Does lfe consst only n eatng, drnkng, sleepng, havng chldren; fearng, frettng, and fghtng; snatchng, hoardng, and hatng; n mprsonng and subordnatng those that are nferor to us n strength, physcal or mental; and n kllng others and grabbng other peoples possessons? Must we pass our days n enjoyng the ll-gotten earthly gans wth no other achevements n the end but to de a mserable death, wth sorrow to self and those around us, the near and dear ones who helplessly stand by and mourn? Agan, what about the worldly attractonslands, buldngs, money, pets and other countless possessons whch, perforce, are to be left behnd aganst our wll? In the face of all these hard facts of experence, should the hoardng of worldly rches then be our sole amthe be-all and end-all of our exstenceor should we strve for somethng hgher and nobler, permanent and lastng, that may abde wth us here and hereafter? The reply s smple: the Almghty Power, the orgnal source and fountanhead of all lfe, our home of happness, peace eternal, and the means of
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our lberaton from fearful bondage of brths, deaths and karmas, should be the man objectve and the only thng worth cravng and achevng, for t s the summum bonum of lfe. 1 Q. To what extent is outer behavior indicative of inner spiritual growth? A. A keen sense of self-abnegaton and self-naughtng s the outward expresson of ones sprtual progress. It s not exhbted to hde our weaknesses but to actually make one feel n the heart of hearts that one s nothng but a mere tny cog n the vast machnery of Dvne purposes. One who becomes a conscous co-worker of the Dvne Plan never asserts but humbly descrbes n thrd person. He never despses anyone but always relshes to offer lovng help and assstance to others. He does not crtcze, but narrates the facts of lfe n a selfless manner for our sprtual beneft. He lves sncerely up to the Holy Commandments, rrespectve of the results. He does not yeld to the envronments, but adjusts hmself cheerfully, knowng t fully well that he s always under the Gracous Protecton of the Master-Power. He s never gloomy and n hs heart of hearts s always cheerful, even n the face of msfortunes. He does not blame others for ther shortcomngs but seeks to weed them out by careful lvng and adaptaton. He does not attrbute hs sprtual progress to hs own sngle-handed earnest endeavors but consders t as a Holy Gft from the Master. He s well-balanced n
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THE NEW LIFE IN PATHWORLD THE HOLY THE
falure and success. He can forgve and forget easly. He s seldom provocatve and s rather blessed wth a keen sense of lovng co-operaton for the sprtual welfare of others. He does not assert hs authorty nor clam any superorty over the less developed souls, but behaves lke a frend or brother and nwardly prays for ther redempton. He never feels burdened wth the worres of others and can offer sublme solutons wth much ease. He s ever compassonate n hs heart and wshes the welfare of all men, anmals, brds, or nsects. He s always full of deep grattude and seldom complans about hs dffcultes whatsoever. He s chaste and knd but hdes hs vrtues under the cloak of studed scence. He never boasts of hs valor or ntellgence but seeks to help others surrepttously. He dslkes lmelght. He shuns publcty and feels shy n large crowds. He does not lke actng and posng, but s always unassumng and natural n hs behavor. He can slence hs thoughts at wll by attunng wth the Holy Naam wthn and by turnng hs attenton to the Holy Feet of the Master. He s ever protected by Hm and s hourly fednay, rather, every moment s blessed wth the lovng lfe-mpulses from the Master Power. He knows fully well that ths physcal lfe s but a passng phase of the soul from the lower categores of creaton n the long drama of human exstence, and nothng materal wll accompany t nto the Beyond. He does not beleve n hoardng but tres to lve a
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frugal lfe full of contentment. He s not allured by the spell of hgh lvng but consders t as a strong fetter on the human soul. He does not ve wth the so-called affluent and rch people, but nwardly prays for ther sprtual lberaton from the wheel of brth and death. He does not lve for eatng but eats for lvng a lfe full of Dvne Blss and Harmony. He s not fond of gaudy dress but s satsfed wth the smple garments procured at reasonable prces. He does not shrk hard work but undertakes mghty jobs for the good of others at the cost of hs physcal endurance n a selfless manner. He does not demand reward for hs labors but consders the sacred dedcaton as a boon n tself. He wll seek to help others even at the cost of hs own sufferng. He s, n a nutshell, a rghteous man of good thoughts, good words and good deeds.2 Today, t s becomng more and more dffcult for an honest man to lve n the world. Vrtue s on the decrease and s to many the object of derson. Vce s on the ncrease and ts practce s even lauded as a vrtue. The moral fabrc of socety, whch s ts warp and woof, s becomng threadbare, and f ths process s allowed to contnue, the fabrc wll tear apart. Even art, whch n former years was a means used to educate people to a nobler way of lfe, has not escaped ths destructve process. In the theatre, cnema and televson meda, the flth and drt of perverted ntellect s spawned forth wthout let or hndrance. Even the most respected of all educatonal
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nsttutons, the unversty, s becomng forgetful of ts true functon, whch s to produce the hghest type of ctzen dedcated to the servce of hs fellow man. It s to counteract ths perncous process that Ruhan Satsang has establshed, both n Inda and abroad, tranng centers or study crcles where man can learn the true values of lfe, as taught from a sprtual standpont. In these centers the students are traned and guded by personal classes through correspondence and submsson of progress reports. The progress reports detal the success and falures that are experenced n the practcal applcaton of the prncples of true lvng whch are taught to the students by such classes.3 Intates should be guded by the teachngs of the Master only, n all phases of lfe, whether materal or sprtual. To allow other concepts to creep n s to sully Hs teachngs and confuse the ntates.4
Worldly Attachment
NES ATTENTION s hs sole legacy and estate of greatest prce, and too much external expanson s detrmental to ones sprtual nterests, as well as worldly ones. One should, therefore, endeavor to make the best use of all outer pursuts to acheve the ultmate goal of knowng ones self by practcal selfanalyss and knowng God.5 So love s nnate n our soul, and we are conscous bengs. If t s drected to all Conscousness, t s
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true love. That wll gve you freedom, all blss, and all joy. If t s attached to the worldly thngs, the physcal body, ts envronments, the enjoyments of outward facultes, then that s bondage and a sure way of comng agan and agan to the world where you are attached.6 When God meets you and gves you ntaton, somethng to start wth, He guards you aganst revelng n the outward enjoyments, n the low pursuts of lust, anger, and ther effects. These mpressons are receved through the outgong facultes, whch are open to the outsde world, and they are embedded nto the astral body. To gve an example, f you take a glass and cover t wth some wax, make some mpressons on the wax and then pour some acd over t, all those mpressons wll be embedded nto the glass. Smlarly, all mpressons from outsde are mpressed n our astral body through the physcal body and outgong facultes.7 The Master wants each of us to penetrate through the fleetng forms and patterns and pass on from the phenomena of Nature to Natures God. He warns us not to be msled by allurng attractons and wld enchantments spread out by Dame Nature through her evanescent charms and fleetng beautes. We should take them merely as sgnposts pontng to the Lord, the Eternal God that resdes wthn and pervades each of the ephemeral productons. He further wants us to summon up all our energes and press them nto servce, so as to make our bodes the lvng
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temples of the Dvne Muscthe Wordn our earthly sojourn.8 Attachment to the objects of the senses, the gorgeous dsplay of rches and wealth, the luxurant abundance and opulence, the lcentous sensualsm of ease and affluence: all these contrbute to the mbalance of the unsophstcated mnd. These are thorns and thstles that mar the beauty of the undsturbed state of mnd, whch s the sol best suted for the dawn of Dvnty. Every day, every hour and every passng mnute are leadng us more and more nto the bondage of sensuous worldly phenomena.9 Romantc lfe on the physcal plane appears charmng. It has ts attracton, but t s debasng. It leaves behnd horrble btterness and a dslke for lfe. Lfe on the hgher planes s more romantc and gves eternal peace and joyso why lose a hgher and purer thng for lower and debasng transtory thngs? One has, therefore, to stck to ones prncples and not volate the rules of purty and ethcs, and he who does ths, receves all the necessary help in his efforts and is greatly benefited.10 Those eyes whch are attracted to a beautful woman or man are defectve eyes, for that beauty s temporary and only for a few years. A thng whch sweetens your tongue cannot sweeten t forever; the sweetness lasts only for a few moments. If we take Master to be all sweetness, then nothng wll be sweeter to us. Instead of so many efforts to dg so many pts, put n all your efforts to dg a well so that you may be able to drnk the Water of Lfe. We have
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got to accumulate wealthwhat s ths wealth? It s the wealth of Naamthat very Power whch s gvng lfe to the whole unverse. Remember: God frst and world second. Lke a flute, be all vacant wthn so that the Master may make sweet musc of your lfe.11 Readng of books s a good thng, but ther purpose s that one should mould hs lfe so that the good about whch one reads becomes a part of hs lfe.12 Mere book knowledge or ntellectual development fals to awaken Sprtualty. Through book learnng the ntellect s certanly stuffed, but the sprt receves no food. Ths s why each one of us can speak fluently of sprtual matters, but actual lfe gves no evdence of t.13 Anythng whch s above the ntellect cannot be explanedt can be contacted only.14 Photographs should be kept only for remembrance and not for vsualzng. Dwellng on photographs wll, after some tme, brng the pcture before you whch wll nether speak nor move to gude you nsde. On the natural Path mnd has to be stlled. Everythng wll come naturally and unasked.15 You ask about musc. Musc s not necessarly bad for sprtual medtatons, as prayerful hymns sometmes prove benefcal n awakenng the nner mpulse. But outer musc feeds the mnd, whereas lstenng to the Holy Sound Current feeds the soul, wth whch t s surcharged, as It enables t to have regular flghts to the regons of the Beyond.16
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I note your nclnaton for golf and cards. The latter game s harmful, and you have done rght to dscontnue t. Golf s a good game so far as ts physcal refreshng aspects are concerned. It s a good physcal exercse, and f you can afford t, there s no objecton to your contnung wth t. You know gamblng or the lke s harmful. You wll apprecate that the mnd s already full of restless attrbutesso feedng t wth more of smlar dsturbng deas wll smply mean addng fuel to the fre.17 Speculaton or gamblng s a great sn and as such, sprtual asprants are warned not to ndulge n t, n the larger nterests of ther sprtual progress.18 Most of our attachments and actons n lfe are to pay off the karmc debts. Your gong to relatves agan and agan was one of them.19 One must not be led away by the world but look upon each object wth dscrmnaton. The entre world s ted wth the ropes of the love of parents, chldren, wfe and earthly relatons, and one must free oneself from ths slavery. Runnng away to the jungles was no soluton. It had to be an nner detachment, and ths nner detachment could only come through the love of a true Master. Hence the great value of Satsang, for t was only through assocaton wth Hm that one mbbed the true values of lfe, learnt of the delusons of Maya, and mbbed a love that dsplaced the love of the world. Peace and blessng radate from the person of a Sant and whoever came under Hs spell was freed from
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worldly tensons, ambtons and jealouses. He saw all creatures as of Hs own essence and knew all worldly gans to be a passng shadow. Such a man alone could cut through the meshes of Maya and reach out towards the worlds beyond.20 O Lord, we are your gnorant chldren. The Guru teaches us and makes us open nto awareness. Today you may do one thng, tomorrow somethng else; you are unstable and always wantng new thngs, from whch you go on desrng other new thngs. The Master always gves permsson for what you want, and remans wth you n all you do, but gradually contnues turnng you toward the Truth: that your nterest n It becomes more and more powerful. When He has your nterest well establshed, He wll make a new lfe for you and take you nto a new world.21
HOSE PERSONALITIES who are Truth personfed never advse the seekers to leave ther hearths and homes to take up vgl n the jungles and lonely places. Ths s not at all necessary. When you meet a complete Satguru, Competent is His method: Laughing, playing, eating, weaving, You will gain salvation by following Him. It s not a matter of leavng the condton wheren God has placed you; there s no need to change your
Stay in the World: An Inner Detachment is Needed
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locaton, but smply change your angle of vson. Bow down to the Satgurus words, not Hs body only, or you reman very far away from Hm and from your am.22 God s wthn you. The Guru or Master Power s wthn you. He s watng for you, but you are attached outsde. It does not mean that you should leave the world and go to the Hmalayas. We have to learn swmmng n water, not on dry land, and not only through ntellectual wrestlng. It s a tranng n whch you are gven somethng to start on wthn you. It s lke the needle of a compass whch always ponts to the north. It s to be done whle you are dong your work n the world. A true Master does not advse you to leave the world, but to reman n t and yet be not of t. A boat remans n the water and you may be rowng n the boat; otherwse, you wll be drowned. If the outward mpressons are overflowng wthn you, you wll be drowned n the water of the world and wll have to come back agan and agan.23 The seeker, who had found a true Gude and who had begun to develop the rght knd of love and fath n Hm, would naturally attempt to fashon hs lfe accordng to hs Satgurus Wll, and Baba J lad great emphass on the need to transform our lves. It was not necessary, he mantaned, to leave the world n order to pursue the nner path. What was needed for sprtual progress was nner detachment, and he who had surrendered hmself completely to hs Guru was free from all earthly tes. Some of hs dscples would
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at tmes express the desre for complete renuncaton, but he always kept such tendences n check: You say you wsh to gve up home and servce and devote yourself exclusvely to Bhajan. Home or servce or wealthare they really yours? Turn t over n your mnd. It s all a magcans game and the world s a dream. Then wherefore worry about clutchng and relnqushng?24 You are not the man-body, but are a conscous entty: you have got the ntellect but are a conscous beng. You have been gven ths man-body by the grace of God to enable you to go back to your Home. You are to reman here, pay off your debts, your gve and take, and fnd your way back to God.25
ABIR SAHIB says that all are human bengs, and ths s the tme to understand these noble thngs and awaken out of the slothfulness. Awake beloved, why sleep? The night has passed, why lose the day also? Ths s the tme to wake upto become more conscous. Gve unto Caesar that whch s Caesars, and remember that your soul belongs to God.26 You can make your home a lonely forest. Is not the nght a lonely forest? The dscples who spend ther nghts n sweet remembrance of the Lord become God themselves. If a man can control the dm hours from sunset to sunrse he becomes a true human beng.
True Living: to World and to God
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One Master has sad that n the nght, the Lords fragrance s gven outhe who remans awake receves ths precous gft. Do the worldly dutes n the daytme, and at nght consder that you are all alone, deep n the country. Ones dutes and socal oblgatons wth famly and frends should be performed wth pleasure, because God has joned you together for the sake of gve and take. But n the nght you can feel free from all ths and repose n Hs lap. It s not at all necessary to leave your home and famly for medtaton when you have the long lonely nghts. When you are wholly absorbed n some object, t s a true sanyas, cuttng off from all other thngs; and f we start from today, most defntely our lves wll change.27 We should cultvate true humlty, whch s nether servle nor assertve. These are the thngs that wll please the Master and make us receptve to the gracous Master Power workng overhead. If you lve a lfe of humlty and smplcty, you wll have peace of mnd. After all, what s there on earth that belongs to you? Why be attached to the vantes of the world when the treasures of dvnty le wthn you. If you lve for God, all thngs shall work out n your best nterests, not only sprtually but also materally. Ths s the fundamental law of God and can be realzed by all who practce true lvng. Another mportant aspect of the good lfe concerns outer behavor, whch should be natural to the socety nto whch one s born; no actng or posng s
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requred. There are some dear ones who beleve that they should adopt the outer symbols of dress and name that characterze the socety nto whch the Master was born, n the belef that ths s pleasng to Hm. The lfe of the sprt does not call for converson to outer modes of lvng n name, appearance or apparel. The Masters do not come to make or unmake socal orders. Ther msson s just to fulfll the law of God, whch s to redeem Hs lost chldren. They smply ask us to convert ourselves nwardly, to be poor n sprt and pure at heart.28 You need not worry about the opnons of others. Vews based upon ones own testmony are the best. Every person receves help accordng to hs ndvdual receptvty. All are on the way to Perfecton. All that each dear one has to do s carry on wth medtatons regularly, wth love, fath and devoton, and to develop from day to day. All necessary help s extended from the Master Power wthn and wthout.29 Just learn to lve n the lvng present, makng best use of tme at your dsposal. The precous moments of earth lfe spent n medtatons and honest work count much for nner sprtual progress.30 Wth contnued sprtual progress toward nner development, outer thngs become less dsturbng. Remember, events come and go. Inner development, as t progresses, wll gradually eclpse the physcal temptatons. One begns to do thngs n order to carry on wth the hgher deal always before hm or her, the fulfllment of whch becomes an all-absorbng
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vocaton n ones lfe. Such thngs as are conducve to hgher progress become joyful.31 Everyday and every hour convey thanks to the Masterthe God n Hm, Who has put you on the Wayand for all other gfts you enjoy. In ths way you wll be aware of the Master all the tme. Wthout Hm you can do nothng, and wth Hm you can do all thngs. The more tme you wll spend wth the Master, the smoother your everyday lfe wll become. 32 Try to develop wthn, and you wll see for yourself how the karmc crcle works. The why and the wherefore of all thngs wll become as broad daylght when you rse nto the causal plane.33 The possblty of future ncarnatons can be ruled out by gradual development of lovng devoton to the Master Power and averson for worldly possessons.34 If you sleep n remembrance of God, the very thought wll be crculatng n your bloodstream, and when you awaken, you wll arse n Hs sweet remembrance. They say that f ones early mornng hours are wasted n sleep, one des before lvng.35 So whatever labels are stuck on your physcal form, allow them to reman, and keep your own fath, language, symbols and customs. The soul, however, s of the same essence as God, and we are all Hs chldren. The soul, therefore, belongs to Godgve t to Hm.36 If you wll run Godward, all else wll follow of ts own accord.37 The greatest purpose of human lfe s
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RIGHT THOUGHTS, RIGHT ACTIONS THE HOLY PATH
that one should know ones self and know God, and all the rest s mere dsspaton.38 Master s Word made flesh. He is Light, Life and Love. If you lve and move n Hm, He wll be your very Life and gve you more Light and Love. Word s the Bread of Lfe and Water of Lfe. When you are hungry and thrsty, enter nto the nner stllness and receve amply of the same, whch gves Lfe Eternal. Ths s wthn you; none s barred from t. Forget the past, forget the futurerelax fully. Be stll; be alone to your own self, gvng yourself wholly to the Master. Light and Love wll be generated through you to all the world over.39
Right Thoughts, Right Actions
VERY THOUGHT, every word, and every deed, good or bad, leaves an ndelble mprnt on the mnd and has to be accounted for. Hence the necessty for rght thoughts, rght aspratons and rght conduct, all of whch consttute the hedge around the tender saplng of sprtualty.40 I wsh you to smplfy, smplfy, and smplfy. To be smple n all aspects of lfe s to accept Lfe.
Try to help all others wth a sprt of self-denal. Your self wll expand to cover all humanty and other creaton. Such an enterprse wll lead your soul on to God.
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Be pure n thought, word, and deed and love all. Love s the panacea for all lls of lfe. Be good and do good. These fve words contan n them the essence of all relgons of the world. My work shall be amply repad f you lve up to them.41 Man s what he thnks about all day long. One can only lve one moment at a tme. Emerson sad, There s no moment n eternty more mportant than ths moment. All real good or evl that may befall a man s from hmself. If a man lves n a good or bad way n the real present, he wll ensure the same n the future. If you have bad thoughts for others, you wll harm not them only but yourself as well, as thoughts are very potent.42 Nothng s good or bad n the world, but our thnkng makes t so. We, lke the one or the other of the seeds, draw upon mpulses from the atmosphere as suts our own mental make-up.43 The road to perfecton les n walkng rather than n talkng, and such a thng as judgng others or the Master, from ones own vewpont or understandng ganed so far, s hardly justfed or proper for anyone. All are on the road to Perfecton, and t s not wse for anyone to fnd fault wth others.44 Talkng s easy. Dong s dffcult. Nothng s ganed by talkng, but by dong one may progress on the Path.45 Too much talkng dsspates sprtual energy. You should try to control your speech by resortng to Smran of the Names slently. You wll be able to tde over the dffculty and mprove n due course. Thnk
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twce before you speak. Thnk out as to whether what you speak s true, knd and necessary.46 The Masters strong and protectve arms and Hs lovng vglant eyes are always on Hs fold. He s for ther progress. When outer dffcultes seem hard, Hs nner grace ncreases. If someone says somethng unpleasant about you, consder t calmly. If what has been sad s correct, partly or n the man, try to remove those defects, and thank the person for hs kndness n pontng out those truths. If, on the other hand, those thngs are ncorrect, accept the fact that the person s not fully nformed and has spoken through a msconcepton. Excuse hm for t and forget t. Should an opportunty occur to remove ths msunderstandng, remove t lovngly and wth an open heart. Ths wll hasten sprtual progress and help to clean the vessel whch s destned to be flled wth the ever-ready and over-flowng grace of the Master.47 So long as one has not attaned unversal conscousness, dfferences of opnon are bound to exst. But f one has understood ther cause, one wll not allow them to dsturb ones peace of mnd. Whatever the outer opposton, whatever the opnons of others, f one has surrendered oneself completely to ones love, then nothng can ever dsturb ones equanmty or obstruct ones sprtual course. He who s upset by what others have to say s wthout queston one who s stll controlled by the ego and has yet to conquer hs self. He has yet to learn the rudments of sprtualty.48
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So whenever anybody hurts your feelngs n word or deed, forgve. Forgveness s the only sweet water that wll wash away all drt. Justce wont do t, mnd that! If you want justce, then that wll react. Forgveness only washes away all drt. Forgve and forget, ths s the way to sprtualty.49 Good books are helpful but too much dwellng on such lke books results n bewlderment.50 An unbased and careful study of the sacred books publshed from here wll bless you wth more of rght understandng. These do not requre further nterpretaton. Howsoever, f you wll attempt to elaborate the subtle ponts dscussed n them, you shall have to be more receptve by elmnatng yourself totally and let the gracous Master Power work through you. Smooth channels do get most wth the nflow of dvne grace, and for dervng maxmum sprtual beneft you should be more self-abnegatng and humble.51 The ethcal and clean lfe s most essental, but wthout some degree of nner convcton, one would generally run the rsk of a lapse, under some severe stress and strenuous stran. Ths convcton and growth, n fullness of bloom, s necessary and the Master, through Hs sheer grace and kndness, helps to obtan t. Your welfare s as dear to me as Hs chld s to a lovng Father.52 Try to lve by the precept of the Master, and then alone your words can have weght wth your frends. You cannot preach of chastty wth lust n your heart and a leer n your eyes.53
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If there are those who do not understand or who do not wsh to understand the Truth, we must not feel rrtated wth them. They are all Gods chldren as we are, and must be won over by love and persuason.54 All ntates are on the Way. Some have developed more than others. So some may have more faults and falngs than the others. We have to hate the sn and love the snner.55 We should be happy n the happness of others and suffer n the sufferngs of others.56 If we have helped even one person by removng a lttle msery from hs day, we have done a great servce. Wth sweet words, wth knd sympathy, share the unhappy burden restng upon our poor fellow-bengs, or t spreads and grows as the days go by.57 It s ndeed a great servce to make a dreary chld fnd ts way to the Father, and contrarly t s the heght of sn and stupdty to prevent one gong the rght way and to msgude hm.58 You are begnnng to learn that thngs n lfe happen accordng to plan. That plan s a drect result of reactons of ones own actons. It s therefore stressed that one should act lovngly and sweetly so that further reacton s properly channelzed, sde by sde wth the lqudaton of Pralabdh (destny) karmas.59 You are advsed to be more calm, patent and tolerant n face of harshness. Such lke passng phases of trals and trbulatons come up as a reacton of past karma and as such should be treated n the lke manner.60
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It s true that laws of Nature are very rgd and any transgresson must be pad, though ther severty s, to a great extent, toned down at the feet of a Great Master. Each one has to earn and cleanse ones own vessel before t s flled wth blessngs of the Master. There are no wndfalls, although the labor bears more frut n the house of the Master. 61 Yes, the phlosophy of karma has a specfc place n the Scence of the Soul. But t should not nduce morbdty nor create a sense of frustraton among the ntates and non-ntates. Man s the maker of hs own destny. Though one cannot alter the past, he may forge the future.62 The past s dead and bured, and repentance, though good n tself, cannot cure or undo t, whle the future s chefly based on the reactons of the past karmas, and s affected to a great extent by what we are dong n the lvng present. So, f we care for lvng a nce, honorable, and honest lfe n the lvng present, abdng by the Holy Commandments of the sages and seers, there should be lttle to worry for the past and nothng to become anxous about for the future.63 We must, therefore, pay proper heed to the sowng and not to the harvestng, for the harvest wll come of ts own from the seeds sown. Guru Nanak has beautfully sad: It may be very well to worry about events and happenngs contrary to the dvne plan (whch, of course, can never be): and what s destned wll, of course, happen n spte of us. Learn the sacred technque of dong one thng at a tme and that, too, wth
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one-ponted, wholehearted, and undvded attenton. In ths way you wll accomplsh much more n less tme and wth far less effort. So the Master tells us that all we need to care for s our sprtual perfecton, and take the routne round of the fated karmas as superbly benefcal for soul emancpaton. In ths way we wll cultvate a state of perpetual resgnaton whch wll be helpful n holy medtatons.64 It s a happy thng to note that you have a domnant desre to better the world n whch you lve, and that you worry about the human race and let your salvaton take care of tself through good works and clean lvng. It s a very noble dea. But the practcal way of effectvely carryng t out s to frst grow nto a beautful flower yourself and then to emt fragrance and sweetness to all, as a matter of course.65 Servce before self s a very good thng. But very often one does not even know the true sgnfcance of servce and wth all hs well-meanng ntentons actually does dsservce, nstead of the much wanted servce of whch we so glbly talk. Untl we dscover the true Self wthn us, we cannot vsualze, much less actually realze n others the self-same Lfe-Impulse vbratng n the unverse. Ths s why emphass s lad n the frst nstance on Self-Knowledge, for t paves the way to God-knowledge, and when t dawns, one sees nothng but the Sprt of God workng n all harmony, n each creature. Servce to others now assumes qute a dfferent aspect, becomng a dedcaton to the Sprt of the unverse pervadng n
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and around you, because when one grasps the Human n hmself, he understands all manknd.66 Every ntate has to be put on the Way and wll one day reach hs True Home n Sach Khand. Those who work earnestly and lve accordng to the commandments of the Master wll progress quckly, whle others wll take more tme to reach ther goal. The journey home s a long one, but a pleasant one, and when one reaches the True Home, he may be selected as a Master. Ths s, of course, a commsson from God. Anybody, who after a lttle progress, consders that he has become a Master just harms hs or her own nterest. Ths s ego and should be avoded.67 It s most dffcult to please a Guru: he s above offerngs of money, property and worldly goods. You cannot have hs pleasure by demand, ether. Hs pleasure may be ganed through respectful attenton, obedence to hs wshes, devoton, and selfless servce to humanty.68 Grattude s a very rare vrtue. Because of frends and relatves, we even rsk our Gurus dspleasure; and ths s due to lack of grattude and fath.69 If the chld comes up one step, He comes down a mllon steps to pck up the chld. We are all laborers n the vneyard of the Lord. We should learn to apprecate the good n others. It helps us all around.70 These three thngs wll help you: to eat less, sleep less, and have mercy, forgveness and love. 71 Do
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not dwell upon past happenngs or try to recap-ture ther past pleasures, for n that way the mnd s fed surrepttously.72 Procrastnaton s the thef of tme.73 Aborton s unnatural acton and amounts to the takng of a lfe. It should not be encouraged for obvous reasons of karmc debts.74 So we are: To be just and friendly to everyone. To be sincere and to be true to ones self. To be good and to do good to others. To make others happy. To comfort the sick and the afflicted. To serve the poor and the needy. To love God and all His creation: man, animals, birds, reptiles, and also the least conscious. They are all members of the One family of God. There is one caste, one religion, and one God. There is only one castethe caste of humanity. There is only one religionthe religion of love. There is only one Dharmathe Dharma of Truth. There is only one Godthe Omnipresent. the Omniscient. the Omnipotent. There is one languagethe language of the heart.
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ET YOUR HOME be peaceful, as a peaceful home contrbutes much toward success n the sprtual practces. Even the bees wll fly around n a nosy home to dsturb the equlbrum of the mnd. I am glad you are progressng. I have love for you. Any father wll do all n hs power to see that hs chldren are at ease.76 If you have chldren, or father, mother, wfe, husband, see the Lght of God n them. He has unted you n ths relatonshp, not merely for an outer bond but to see and serve God n them. If you do so, there wll be no bondage n your relatonshps. Bondage occurs only when the I-hood steps n and the Lord s forgotten. So you can do all the worlds work, but lve lke a compass whose needle always ponts n one drecton. Keep your attenton on the Lord, for f the drecton changes, then? The Giver is forgotten, the gifts become loved, and miserable Man forgets the approaching death. Man s fully enwrapped n the worldhe s all me and mne, and wherever me and mne are, there rules Illuson. Me and mne have some bearng on ones lfe, but the Lord Hmself has arranged t, and when everythng s seen n the correct perspectve there wll be no bndng effects.77 I have led a householders lfe. You also should lve n the world, but there s no need to add to ts degradaton, and to your own. Women n the home should mantan t properly wth cleanlness and tdy habts, look after the chldren wth nterest, and serve
Family
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ther husbands whole-heartedly. Ths s also a dharma (prncple of rghteous lvng). To hm whose home s heaven, the whole world s heaven. How can anyone hope to realze the Lord f they declare they serve Hm and gnore the needs of others? Does t mean that we dslke God n some forms?78 I told the people n the West also, that every home should have a churcha temple, a gurudwara, or a mosquecall t what you wll; then mornng and evenng the whole famly, bg and small, should st down n remembrance of God. The chldrens lves wll change, and yours also. Example s always better than precept, and seeng you dong what s rght, the chldren wll copy you. We are n fact responsble for the comng generatons character, and f we wll not change, how can we expect that character to be decent and uprght? Stop for a whle, wherever you are, and revew your stuaton. Search for true meanngs hdden behnd all thngs, and make sure you have got the rght understandng.79 Please realze that t s your nner cravng and fondness that keeps you bound hand and foot, as t were, to your dear ones, and ths attachment or nfatuaton makes you worred and mserable at all tmes. You see, the very tes of affecton whch should be a source of happness become fetters of bondage, as you are always n the grp of fears whch, to say the least, are magnary and baseless. The heart, as you know, s the seat of the Lord God. It s an asset entrusted to us for a hgher purpose of lfe: vz., self-knowledge and God-knowledge.
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Where the heart goes, everythng follows on ts own. So heren the Master warns us aganst our attenton beng drected always towards our worldly relatonshps, whch always cause dstracton and dsturbance. You know very well that the mpedments whch stand n the way of the chld-dscple, and recklessly ntrude upon hm n the precous moments of holy medtatons, are the famly tes that drag us down, agan and agan, from the seat of the soul, the eye focus. We have, of course, to lve n the world, yet n a completely detached manner, just as a lotus flower, whch grows out of mre and yet holds ts head aloft and above the muddy pond, retans ts prstne purty. Smlarly, we are to attend to the mundane dutes entrusted to our care wthout beng concerned wth the worres and cares of our relatons, who, apart from us, are suffcently protected by the gracous Master Power. You can very well understand t by a smple example. A man travelng n a tran has a box besde hm on the berth. Now both the man and hs box are beng carred by the tran. If a person were to put the box on hs head, he would surely be a fool, for he would break hs neck for nothng. Ths s exactly the state of affars wth the worldly wse. We generally lack fath n the gracous Master Power and unnecessarly create problems for our bondage, as otherwse, everythng would progress smoothly n
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THE FAMILY HOLY PATH
the well-establshed dvne plan. You mght well have notced that dsturbed waters do not reflect. Always try to resgn your precous lttle self n favor of the gracous Master Power whle sttng n your Holy Medtatons, and thereby prepare a receptve ground for the nner dvne grace to descend wthn you and fll you n abundance.80 I am sorry for the famly dsrupton caused by a msunderstandng on the part of your dear mother and dear husband. Such thngs do happen sometmes for testng the ntegrty of sprtual asprants. I apprecate your calm atttude n the face of provocaton whch wll have a salutary effect on ther straned nerves. The golden prncple to be appled n such a stuaton s to leave the place and allow the atmosphere to become more favorable for weghng the sequences and consequences. A tumbler full of cold water when taken very often helps to brng down the temper and should be resorted to and astute slence be observed. Ths s a tred medcne for your gudance, whch may be communcated to both of them.81 As regards your atttude towards your dear parents, you may please note that your duty s to be humble, polte and sweet outwardly and at heart. Everybody s free to choose hs or her course of fath and acton, whch s chefly determned by past karmc evoluton. You should try to exhbt and nculcate more of lovng humlty whch wll be more effectve to prove your greatness and that of the Holy Path on whch you have been put. You do owe them some parental debt whch
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can best be repad by servce and lovng devoton. Please convey my love to them.82 The grown up chldren should deem t a rare fortune to serve ther aged parents n all sncerty and humlty, when they need much care.83 Q. If one has great love for relatives and wishes them the highest good in the world, can one pray to the Master that that person will get Initiation, or is it a destiny fixed before death which nothing can change? A. It s always benefcal sprtually for the ntates to radate compassonate feelngs for gudng the footsteps of ther beloved ones to the Master for holy Intaton. The destny of every person changes every moment by vrtuous or wcked deeds. The holy Path of the Masters s open to one and all. It may, however, be understood that t s due to the evoluton of some rare noble karma of past lves that the nner yearnng of the soul gets strong for sprtual enlghtenment, and those dear ones who beneft from such chances by puttng n extra effort, are put on the holy Path, whereas others smply drft and have to wat for some better future chance. There are nstances, though rare, when the sncere asprants have seen, and receved Intaton from the Master even wthout meetng hm physcally.84 God has unted you, some as brothers, some as ssters, mothers or fathers. It s God who has unted you, and you should behave n the proper way as a matter of devoton to Hm. Because God has done ths
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and because you love God, then pay off fully, as best you can. But all the same, you should be detached whle dong ths, just lke a nurse who looks after somebody elses chld. She nurses t, of course, but wth all that, she knows at the heart of hearts that t s not her chld. She does t for the sake of earnng a lvng. Smlarly, we should be n the world, pay off our debts, love those wth whom our debts le because God has unted us, but all the same reman n arcondtoned rooms. They wll only be ar-condtoned f we become self-centered.85 So you should please be a lovng and patent wfe and mother to your dear husband and chldren. Do nothng that wll upset them. Partcpate wth them n your famly lfe, whch should nclude sttng down to eat wth them at the dnner table. Be outwardly devoted to your mundane oblgatons n every way, but be nwardly and slently attached to God.86
Marriage
ARRIAGE MEANS to take a companon n lfe who wll keep one another together n weal or woe durng the earthly sojourn, and both of them meet the Lord. One duty may be of begettng chldren, for whch the scrptures lay down that ths power should be used for begettng the chldren, and rest from any such communon durng the concepton perod, and also thereafter when the chld s takng mlk of the mother. In ths way the chld, the mother, and the father wll all be healthy. Most of the dseases the people are sufferng
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wll be elmnated. The Sants say that f the chldren are to be gven brth, let them become ether Sants, a donor to all the poor and the server of the needy, or be valant ones who can protect the forlorn and the weak. The Sants do lead an deal marred lfe; and when they take up such a role, they stop such a course. So, marred lfe s no bar to sprtualty f led n accordance wth the scrptures. The partners n lfe are advsed n ther best sprtual nterests to observe chastty by leadng a moderate lfe by mutual cooperaton. The check marks on the dary forms are essental for the people seekng mprovement gradually. One learns by self-ntrospecton and careful lvng. The dear ones are not forbdden to marry or have homes. But they should have deal famly lfe flavored wth the dvne grace of the Master Power. The young ones before marrage should be asked to lead chaste lves, as chastty s lfe and sexualty s death. A lamp burns splenddly when t has ol wthn, but f all the ol s leaked away, how can there be lght? A lfe of selfrestrant goes to make body and bran strong. An mpersonal devated approach or slght relaxaton n the observance of ethcal code of moralty n accordance wth the sacred tenets of the holy Path s lkely to cause harm. Normal assocaton and company breeds attachment. But when ths s flavored wth dvne fragrance and relshed n the Name of the Master, ths s bound to have much deeper mpact. Opposte sex has much strong hold amongst one
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another when the charm results n gradual nfatuaton and bondage. A slght slp and attracton nvolved s too much to be ressted. Ths can cause much havoc when the dear ones are hurled down n the abyss of sensual gratfcaton. Dvne Love and sex are qute opposng poles. Sex s not only snful, but a serous mpedment on the holy Path. It s by long cultvaton when one can expect some degree of success n lvng a clean, chaste lfe. Ths aspect of lfe should please be kept n vew by the senor members of Satsang when they can gude the young buds n ther larger nterests of sprtual progress.87 The serene love between the partners of lfe starts from flesh and dissolves in the souls. It is an attachment for the achevement of some hgher goal of lfe and ultmate lberaton from the Wheel. It s rather a lfe full of sprtual beattude and dedcaton, servng as a sure sheet anchor aganst the njustces of socety.88 Both of you should serve as the two wheels of a carrage thereby travelng on the way back to God. My love and best wshes are wth you.89 Q. Please tell us something of the help which marriage partners might give one another when both are initiates in the matter of helping balance and harmonize the physical, mental and emotional fields of energy of individuals so as to increase their receptivity towards Shabd. This could be very inspiring for students yet to come as well as for those already begun.
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A. Marrage s a sacrament and a companon for lfe n weal or woe, durng ths earthly sojourn. It s a rare boon of the Master when both the partners n lfe happen to be ntates. Both of them should exhbt and nculcate a deep sense of lovng cooperaton and tolerance for the rghts of each other. The physcal, mental and emotonal felds of actvty should be kept under check and control lest these degrade the soul n pursut of carnal satsfacton. To fall in sin is manly but to remain therein is devilish. The vtal sex energy should be ratonally transmuted and sublmated by exercsng self-restrant and chastty. The procreaton of chldren s one of the legtmate functons of marred lfe. The scrptures prescrbe ths sacred purpose as and when such a necessty arses. The couple havng such dscplned lves wll be an asset for sprtual progress.90 It s due to the evoluton of past karma that persons wth varyng temperaments are brought together n the sacred bonds of holy matrmony for the lqudaton of ther gve and take. All efforts should be made for cementng the relatonshp. You should try and be more obedent and servceable to your husband. Lovng devoton and respect for each others sentments wll brng n more of rght understandng and harmony. You are both dear to me, and I wsh for you both to be happy together and help each other to know God and to fulfll the hghest am of mans lfe. My blessngs are wth you.91 It s ncorrect to thnk that you have marred a
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wrong person, as t s strctly n accordance wth the Dvne Plan that only destned people are marred to each other for the karmc reasons.92 Two people are brought together by the unseen Hand of God. Whom God untes, let no earthly power dsunte. You are one soul n two bodes.93 St. Paul sad, It s the unseen hand of God whch has joned wfe and husband, and gven the former to the latter and the latter to the former. Therefore, you should be careful that you love each other and have a pure and sprtual lfe. Let no earthly power separate one from the other who are unted by the unseen hand of God. We should not dream of dvorce. I note that you stll have love for each other. Love knows only of sacrfce and of gvngcannot your love for each other make you tolerant of each others vews to the maxmum extent and work jontly for your hgher am and deal of lfe?94 As regards your wfe, please treat her wth love and toleraton; when she wll slowly understand the true worth of hgher lfe, she wll begn to apprecate your acton on ths sde. Untl such tme there s no occason to feel bad-tempered. She speaks from her present level; when t s rased, she wll become more understandng; so she needs your love and ndulgence to brng her around. Hate does not make amends for a bad thng. It s love that corrects, so gve ncreasngly your love to her.95 It s due to the evoluton of some past karma that persons of varyng temperaments are blended together
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n the bonds of matrmony for the lqudaton of ther gve and take.96 The karmc debt of many an ntrcate nature s to be pad and t s proper that t should be pad whle n physcal frame so that there s no stop on the Way wthn. Sympathetc waves often draw the effects of the karma of ones partner n lfe. Moreover, wfes and husbands rght and wrong love goes a long way to help or retard each others progress n the sprtual uplft. Ths you wtness n daly lfe.97 You should be more obedent and servceable to your husband whch wll enable you to wn hm. Love and humlty surmounts all troubles whatsoever. Please convey my love to hm.98 I have noted your remarks n regard to your dear husband. He s so dear to me, and I wsh hm all sprtual success. Your atttude toward hm should be one of servce and kndness. You must not lose your temper, but be patent and consderate. All sprtual asprants should nculcate and exhbt rare tolerance and humlty n ther behavor, so that others may know that you belong to the Lvng Master. The balanced mnd never becomes rrtated or annoyed at the slghtest provocaton. One learns swmmng n water, and our daly lvng should be fashoned n such a manner that we make t a pont to learn somethng new every day. Patence, humlty and a sense of selfabnegaton are the ennoblng vrtues whch should fgure promnently n the lves of the ntates. You wll progress n ths feld n due course.99
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ON RAISING CHILDREN THE HOLY PATH
On Raising Children
HAVE NOTED about your lovely chldren . . . The rasng of chldren s a vrtuous duty. The young ones mtate ther parents, who should reflect peace, harmony and sobrety by leadng a dscplned lfe full of sprtual beattude. The assertve atttude of dearshows the greatness of hs soul. Self-asserton s the nnate attrbute of soul whch s all dvne n mnature scale. Ths knd sentment s mostly predomnant n promsng personaltes who nhert congenal envronments most helpful for ther sprtual progress. You need not worry over hs learnng late about dressng or talkng. So far as hs demands are concerned, these should be met wth lovngly as far as possble, as long as they are legtmate and wthn the scope of hs rasng. The young sentments should not n any way be njured. It s the unbounded love of the parents for the chldren whch makes them bold, brave and adventurous n ther lves. You must be an affectonate and bravely stern mother as far as your love and dscplne s concerned toward your chldren. Your good acton of sttng wth them regularly for lstenng to the Sound Current s apprecated, and wll be helpful for ther sprtual growth. Please convey my love to them.100a
You may please try to lavsh the thngs for her whch she s prone to steal. You wll fnd that when everythng s procured for her, the tendency to obtan them by stealng wll be overcome n due course. Smultaneously, you can ngran n her mnd that
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anythng and everythng she s desrous of havng wll be provded for her.100b Mothers affecton for the chld s nnate and should not be msconstrued as unchaste. Your recurrng desre to hug hm s a natural human nstnct. You should know that mothers love s an nner mpulse and goes a long way n the healthy breedng of the chld. Every soul comng to ths world relshes such lovng care and affecton whch create an nner sense of bravery and boldness. Your sacred nstncts are njected n the chld, whch wll enable hm to grow gradually, and the chld wll come out a healthy stalwart wth the grace of the Master.100c If the chldren make mstakes, appeal to ther fner nstncts, wth love and careful understandng. Losng ones temper, shoutng, and takng volent acton wll only confuse them; they wll not know what they have done wrong. Take tme to explan, even three or four tmes, and t wll eventually have effect.101 If you wsh to have one or two chldren, well and good, but look after them properly, and help them to become somethng good. Set a worthy example for them, and reman aware of the responsbltes of parenthood. Furthermore, the whole famly should st together and sng the prases of the Lord.102
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PROTECTION TOHOLY PATH FRIENDS THE FAMILY AND
RY TO REALIZE that God has concern for all Hs chldren and that He s Hmself lookng after all the dear ones n your famly. Try not to worry about them, and the more you are devoted to your medtatons, the more help you wll be to all of them.103 Master takes care of and extends protecton for all who are dear and near to the dscple and looks after ther best nterests.104 The relatves of ntated persons do get help from the Master Power n proporton to the love that the ntates have for the Master and ther relatves have for the ntates. Even the souls that have left the physcal plane get feasble help n the manner ndcated above.105 The near and dear relatons of the sncere ntates are granted feasble protecton n the Beyond, even f they had left much earler, before the ntates took Intaton.106
Protection to Family and Friends
Diet
UR FIRST and foremost problem, then, s food, for food condtons body as well as mnd. Right Type of Food Rightly Earned Rightly Taken
helps a lot n ths drecton.
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One must, therefore, earn hs daly bread by the sweat of hs brow, as the sayng goes, and should not depend on others earnngs. We must for our lvelhood engage n some honest and useful pursut, maybe physcal or mental, but t must be free from all gule, hypocrsy, ll wll and anmosty, for Karmc Law s nexorable n ts workng. Every acton leads to reacton and thus the endless seres rolls on ntermnably. Hence, the need for an honest lvng, howsoever poor t may be. You cannot have rches by honest avocaton. Rches grow by the groans of the poor and the downtrodden, the hewers of wood and the drawers of water, and thrve on the lfeblood of our fellow bengs. We ought not, therefore, run after rch foods and danty dshes, for these brng n ther tran much blood-suckng and are tanted wth the untold mseres of the lowly and n the long run make us mserable as well.107 Now, foods are of three knds: 1. SATVIK: Pure foods: mlk, butter, cheese, rce, lentls, pulses, grans, vegetables, fruts and nuts. 2. RAJSIK: Energzng foods: peppers, spces, condments, sour and btter thngs. 3. TAMSIK: Enervatng foods: stale foods, eggs, meat, fsh, fowl and wne, etc. Out of the above, we should always prefer satvk or pure foods. These do a lot of good. Agan, even of these, we must partake a lttle below the saturaton
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pont of the appette. When we get delcous foods, we are tempted to eat more than what s actually needed and the extra food taken, nstead of gvng extra health and energy, proves baneful. The food whch s not dgested properly and assmlated n the system causes colc pans and aches and n some cases even cholera, and one has to pay wth ones lfe tself. Do not overload the motor of your stomach, else you fall an easy prey to nausea. A surfet of even what s good does prove harmful at tmes. A moderaton n vctuals and vands helps n the growth of vtal powers n man.108 Fresh ar s the most essental part n our food. One must ntake long breaths, retan them a whle, and then exhale them out fully so as to cast out all the mpurtes of the body. Besdes, one must drnk a lot of pure water and take frut juces to flush the system through and through to make one clean. But avod all types of hot and soft drnks, sprtous lquors, and ntoxcants, for they render the mnd and ntellect morbd. Grans and fruts should form our normal and staple foods.109 The satvk food keeps the head and heart free from all types of mpurtes.110 The prohbted food flares up carnal desres.111 Q. Alcohol is not allowed to the initiates. Does it apply to such cases where it has to be administered under medical advice for the restoration of health? A. A certan percentage s generally there n most
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of the medcnal preparatons for ther mantenance, and there s no bar to the use of such medcnes. All homeopathc medcnes are prepared n alcohol. In both cases they have no ntoxcatng effect. But to take alcohol as such for the so-called reasons of health, even when prescrbed by medcal men as medcne, s prohbted, for every acton has a reacton, and no amount of alcohol can prolong lfe even by a jot or tttle when the sands of tme are runnng out. Do you thnk that alcohol can stop the process, and f not, why prolong the agony by admnsterng deleterous substances?112 Food, as you know, s made for man and not man for food. We have to make the best use of food lke all other thngs of lfe. One who s a slave of the palate cannot do anythng useful. By a rghteous control of the palate, we can control our entre physcal and mental systems. A smple det s more nourshng and wholesome and conducve to sprtual advancement than all the so-called delcaces whch the modern culnary art provdes. It wll always gve a comfortable feelng and serenty of mnd, help you to lve wthn your means, however lmted they may be, wthout extendng your hand before others.113 Shekh Saad, a great mystc poet of Shraz n Persa, always preached to dvde the stomach nto four compartments: two for fllng wth a lmted quantty of smple det, one for pure and clear water whle reservng one for the Lght of God.114 Lght evenng meals are very essental for a sprt-
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ual asprant. As regards sleepng, sx hours rest s more than suffcent for a normal and healthy person. 115 The more we lve a regulated lfe, the better our health wll be. All phases of lfe are touched upon by the Master to help people. If you have a smple det and eat only that much whch can be dgested, you wll be healthy. If you eat more than can be dgested, the result s that you cannot st, you cannot thnk clearly, you cannot devote tme, you feel lazy. So smple lvng, smple det and hgh thnkng s what s wanted. You should eat only what s really a necessty. Do not overfeed. Overfeedng wll make you lazy and slothful. You wll always be procrastnatng. You wll say, No, I wll do t later; let me rest. Ths s because the stomach s not well.116 It s the moral duty of the housewfe to cook the satvk food wth heart engrossed n sweet remembrance of the Lord. A food cooked lke ths, wth the mnd entrenched n the Beloved and the hands engaged n the work, becomes a manna from heaven and proves a blessng to those who partake of t. The great Master, Hazur Baba Sawan Sngh J Maharaj, often used to gve us an nstance of an Indan peasant wth hs hands on the plough but sngng paeans of soul-enthrallng songs to hs lady love. Such ndeed should be our atttude n these thngs.117
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Sickness
HE PHYSICAL alments come up as a result of reacton of past karma and have to be borne wlly nlly, yet much of the severty and duraton s toned down wth the lovng grace of the gracous Master Power workng overhead. The barest mnmum whch cannot be dspensed s to be passed through the gracous protecton of the Master.118
When Baba Sawan Sngh Js leg was fractured, Baba J revealed that t was the result of no mere accdent but of past karmas whose frut could not be avoded. But hs sufferng, f not wholly cancelled, had been mtgated through hs Satgurus ntercesson. Whatever sufferng has come to you, Baba J wrote, s only a ffth part; four parts have been condoned, and went on to add: Sufferng and troubles are blessngs n dsguse for they are ordaned by the Lord. If our beneft les n pan, He sends pan; f n pleasure, He sends pleasure. Pleasures and pans are tests of our strength, and f one does not waver or deflect, then the Almghty blesses such souls wth Naam. Whatever troubles befell hs dscples, Baba J told them to be of good cheer. The sooner ther accounts were cleared the better, and specal grace was thers n the hour of tral: Sckness and pleasures are the fruts of past actons. All those who are sck are extended
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THE HOLY PATH SICKNESS
specal grace. Let them, therefore, have no worry, but bear t wth equanmty. Durng sufferng, the mnd wanders not and turns to Bhajan readly n sorrow. So blessed are the perods of sckness when the mnd s turned towards Bhajan. Ths s a specal gft to Satsangs. So whenever sckness and pan afflct you, accept them as the Lords Wll and devote yourself to your sprtual exercses. So long as the surat s absorbed n the Shabd Dhun, pan wll not be felt ... Has t not been sad: Pleasure s the dsease and pan the remedy.119 Sants, when seemngly ll, are generally seen takng medcnal doses as may be prescrbed by the physcans, but actually They do not need such treatment. Ths They do just to keep up the worldly order of thngs. In ths way, they set an example to man to contnue hs worldly routne wsely and resort to proper treatment whenever necessary. It s, of course, expected of the dscples to resort to such medcnes as do not contan products of, or substances from, anmal sources; but some of the dscples who have an unshakeable fath n the bengn power of the Masterhealer wthn, usually avod the so-called remedal measures, and allow nature to work on ts own, for the healng power wthn s a part and parcel of the human system. The bodly dsorders as they come should be accepted and borne cheerfully, for they are generally the result of our own detetc errors and can be set rght by resort to proper hygenc measures and
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selectve foods. Hppocrates, the father of the medcal system, emphaszed that food should be taken as medcne. Even serous llness resultng from karmc reactons has to be tolerated wth patence wthout grumblng or btterness, because all karmc debts are to be pad and ther accounts squared here and now, and the speeder t s done, the better, nstead of keepng any outstandng balances to be pad hereafter. In the tme of Hazrat Man Mr, a great Muslm devout and mystc, t s sad that one of hs dscples, Abdullah, when down wth an alment, wthdrew hs sensory currents to the eye-focus and closed hmself safely n the ctadel of peace. Hs Master, Man Mr, when He vsted hm, pulled Abdullah down to the body conscousness and ordered hm to pay what was due from hm, for he could not ndefntely evade the payment by such tactcs.120
Adversity
KNOW IT for certan that every soul has certan personal problems whch he/she s anxous to brng to the notce of the Master, so as to seek Hs blessngs and gudance.
You should please note that the lfe-plan of each of us has already been drawn by the Great Planner, and what actually we see and come by s nothng but an unfoldment of the Dvne Plan, whch, f rghtly adjudged, s beng executed wth fne exacttude. But t should be taken as certan, that all thngs work to the good for those who love God; and snce you are all
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THE HOLY PATH ADVERSITY
drectly lnked wth the God-nto-Expresson Power wthn, you are under Hs Grace and not the Law, to the mnutest detal; and so severty, ntensty, and duraton of the trals and trbulatons of lfe, whatever they be, are sutably and gracefully mtgated, softened, and toned down by the Master Power. Just have more of deep fath n the Supreme Power wthn you, for undoubtedly It wll come to your ad, gude you arght, and eventually take you out of the seemngly mpossble stuatons, n such a sublme manner whch you cannot possbly magne.121 The physcal bodes of all are apt to undergo change and are lable to be nfluenced by det, clmatc condtons, seasons, age and the lke. The laws of Nature affect everyone to some degree accordng to the extent of ones knowledge of them, or whether he neglects or follows them. A devoted dscple lvng smply and cautously and reposng all trust n the Master Power need not feel concerned wth karmc stuatons even f they appear to be ntolerable at the tme. A lovng devoton to the Master has always cushoned the hardest of condtons. Medtaton s the most mportant thng and must not be neglected. Procrastnaton s the thef of tme. Mnd also s easelovng by nature and should not be let loose to allow any neglect n ones program of lfe. As much tme as possble should be devoted to ths sde.122 Dvne Wll works for the sprtual beneft of the dear ones, and fortunate are they who resgn n Hs favor and accept the weals and woes of earth lfe
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cheerfully, consderng them as helpful for ther sprtual progress. Every day brngs n untold chances of goodness and progress for a wse person to mold hm or her n the cast of dvnty. Reasonng s the help but reasonng the bar. Human ntellect s prone to error and doubt whch assal weak mnds. Holy Naam s the bread and water of lfe gven to you. These should be eaten and drunk lovngly and regularly for havng strength of soul. Any tme you happen to be obsessed wth negatve thnkng, just gve out fve charged names and thnk sweetly of the Master, and you wll be blessed wth nstantaneous protecton.123 Sometmes t so happens that somethng comes n our way whch we thnk not good, but that very thng whch appears before us s a remedy to set us rght, so that we may have somethng hgher. Man learns swmmng n water, not on dry land. When you develop that angle of vson, you wll have opened your eye to see thngs n the proper lght.124 Physcal troubles do crop up at tmes due to the reactons of past karmas, when the chld dscple s oblged to undergo a purfcaton process for eventual sprtual progress.125 Many good and necessary lessons are derved from adverstes.126 The storms of lfe, no matter how severe, must be faced, but wth complete trust n the Master Power workng overhead, and by tryng to be regular n medtaton and placng all hope n Hm. Ths lessens the severty of the storm and brngs hope and cheer. The storms are passng phases, they come and go.127
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THE HOLY PATH ADVERSITY
It s the essence of rght understandng to be contented wth whatever comes, as t s nvarably flavored wth dvne mercy and s for our sprtual beneft.128 Slent sufferng strengthens character and has much compensaton.129 I am sorry for your troubled affars whch domnate you and cause mental agony and dsturbance. The nexorable law of karma operates and much of the severty and duraton of the stran s toned down by the nterventon of the gracous Master Power. That s all that you can do, and dong so, you wll be fndng a new approach to your problems and wll be acceptng the results wth cheer, knowng t to be a passng phase.130 When the Lord wants to make a great poem of a mans lfe, He sends hm or her to the school of prvatons, worres and dffcultes, and all the tme He keeps extendng Hs protectve hand over hm or her to pass through unscathed.131 Man would do lttle for God f the devl were dead. A man lvng under the shadow of an mpendng calamty lves at hs best for he strves the hardest.132 Fear s not good and should be dscarded by gvng your worres over to the ever-present gracous Master Power workng overhead. Fear s always based on some unknown apprehenson, and one should look at t squarely and then t wll flee n no tme, as t s a result of your self-created frustraton.133 We should be constantly on the watch not to stum-
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ble and fall when obstacles come on the way. Even f you fall, never allow such fall to throw you off balance n any way; pck yourself up and contnue on your way wth patence and perseverance wth full trust n the Master workng over your head.134 Even f prayer may seem to fal to avert calamty, yet t has the power to take the stng out of t. Wth an nner transformaton there comes a change n the angle of vson, whch greatly affects the outlook on lfe. Everythng puts on a new mantle of color superbly Dvne.135 As soon as a person collects hmself and focuses hs attenton at the seat of the mnd, he strs up the mercy of God whch, n turn, flls hm wth a strength and forttude never experenced before. These enable hm to fnd a way out of the dffculty, whatever t may be.136
Morbidity
OU NEED NOT dwell much on your personal character or mpurtes of mnd. It amounts to self pty. Although t s a very happy augury to be conscous of ones shortcomngs, undue apprehenson sometmes breeds morbdty whch hampers nner progress.137 Any moment you feel depressed you should resort to the countng of manfold blessngs granted to you by the gracous Master Power.138 Depresson and despar breed n egostc hearts. Ego s a human element. It s annhlated very slowly
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THEPRAYER HOLY PATH
by medtatng on sound current and lght prncples. Gradually t wll dawn upon you that you are a doll n the hands of dvne power dancng to Hs bd.139
HE GRACIOUS Master Power workng overhead sets n moton all forces of nature to save the chld dscple under all crcumstances. An ntense yearnng, an mplorng and fervent prayer coupled wth sncere effort wll never fal you.140 The trouble wth us s that we do not know how to pray. We may n a case lke ths smply ask, O Lord! teach us how to pray.141 Snce all souls are of the same essence as of God and are correlated wth each other, one may as well pray for the beneft of others. Hgh souls always pray for the good of the entre humanty. They are not content wth the greatest good for the greatest number as s commonly sought by the leaders of socety. Ther prayers generally end wth the words: O God, do good unto all.142 It s a common experence that most of our prayers get no response. The reason for ths s not hard to fnd. We have not yet learned the Wll of God and how that Wll works entrely for our beneft. In our gnorance we very often pray for thngs that n the long run are lkely to do more harm than good, and no wonder that the lovng Father, n Hs boundless compasson for us, does not accept such prayers, and
Prayer
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they bear no frut, or else we would never be able to escape from sensual enjoyments.143 Spontaneity. A prayer, beng the cry of the soul n agony, s most beautful and most natural when t gushes forth spontaneously lke a sprng of cool water from the bowels of the Earth. It needs no embellshments of partcular words and pecular phrases. On the con-trary, such adornments mar the true beauty of free expresson, and very frequently the man of prayer s mperceptbly drawn n and mprsoned n the net of verbage. All ths makes a prayer artfcala product of delberate art dvorced from feelngs. Such prayers make us false to ourselves and are not at all bene-fcal. God s concerned wth genune emotons expressed n howsoever smple words and not wth set speeches, van repettons, ostentatous phraseology and learned expostulatons.144
A Disciplined Life
PPRECIABLE INNER PROGRESS cannot be made untl you learn to lead a well-regulated and dscplned lfe. A regular schedule of devoted medtatons, mornng and evenng, coupled wth weedng out of all lower desres and sensual mpulses, wll bless you wth nner strength and forttude to carry out your daly oblgatons and also ensure nner sprtual progress.145 The way to salvaton les not outsde; t s wthn.
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A THE HOLY PATH DISCIPLINED LIFE
Outer rtuals are of no aval and, though t s desrable to honor the memory of past Masters, to be lost n the worshp of ther samadhs, statues or pctures cannot be of any substantal use. One must hold up ther lves as a model and, lke them, concentrate upon the world wthn. Baba J hmself would spend weeks n Bhajan and Smran wth only short breaks for food. He always encouraged hs dscples to gve as much tme as possble to the sadhans he had taught. Constant remembrance of the Lord was the best protecton aganst attachment and Maya; and one should mantan the fve-fold Smran all the hours of the day.146 It s a path of love, dscplne and self-control. After the ntal sprtual experence gven at the tme of Intaton, the rest depends on relentless regular practce as enjoned by the Master. Daly practce wth lovng fath, n all sncerty and humlty, s the cornerstone round whch each dscple must turn, so as to make progress on the Path. Love for the Master means mplct obedence to Hs commandments.147 If, after all these means are appled, the dscple stll does not understand and progress, he uses yet other means to keep hm on the straght path. Forgve me, but when he pulls the rope, the soul wrthes n torment. When the chld does not obey and wastes hs lfe, the Master shakes hm hard, and though he mght be a hopeless case, the unceasng love of the Master wll nfuse a breeze of enthusasm nto hs heart eventually.148
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After ntaton by a Competent Master, the dscple s assured of gong on to hs True Home. Those who after ntaton fall back to sn and to an evl lfe and reman attached to the world, wll have to be ncarnated agan as a man or as a woman and then contnue ther progress on the Path. Those who have a deep love for and fath n the Master and are progressng and have gven up all attachment for the world, wll not be ncarnated as a man or woman. They are placed n the lower planes nsde where, wth the help of the Master, they may progress on and eventually reach ther True Home. Usually an ordnary ntate would take four brths to complete hs course, but t can be shortened even to one brth accordng to the dscples love and fath and obedence to the Master.149
Association with People
UESTION: Should I avoid if possible those who, because of their worldly ways and negative vibrations, cause me to sufferespecially prolonged contacts? A. A man s known by the company he keeps. It s the assocaton whch molds our character, and the sprtual asprants should be careful n keepng a keen vgl. The worldly-mnded people are usually engrossed n physcal and sensual pleasures and ther actvtes affect the sprtual asprant adversely. You should know that yours s the Way nto the Beyond, whereas the worldly wse have ther own ambtons of sense gratfcaton. You should carefully avod
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ASSOCIATION WITH PEOPLE THE HOLY PATH
uncongenal socety n the larger nterests of your sprtual progress. Even the readng of obscene lterature affects adversely, and as such, should be avoded scrupulously.150 It s always better to avod company of those who have a tendency to pull down ones genune sprtual desre.151 Those who are far away from God are lke cotton full of tangles. Wthout thread there s no cloth, so beware of those people n whom He has not manfested Hmself, for they wll fll you wth further doubts. Though one may be already seeng a lttle truth, through assocaton wth such people, doubt wll come and one wll begn to wonder about t. Kabr Sahb says, Run away from these people. If you desre some company, fnd a good and truthful personotherwse keep aloof and lead a lone lfe. Each persons company has a very bg nfluence, and n the company of hm whose attenton s wanderng, one wll be further adrft. The company of hm who s the controller of hs attenton wll brng an exceptonal stllness.152 The man whose astral body s qute clear of outward mpressons, wth no lust, attachment or hatred, but who s mbued wth the love of God, such a man, when you come nto Hs company, wll radate those qualtes to you. In the causal body are the mpressons of the past brths. When these are also cleared, that man s called a Sant, n the true sense of the word. The Masters always deprecate the love of the physcal body and outward attachments. If you have the
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company of, or thnk of someone whose astral body s not cleansed, who s not mbued wth the love of God or s mbued wth the outer attachments of loves and hatreds, the company of such a man wll gve you a lke radaton.153 So to develop ths love, we must frst obey Hs commandments; second, weed out all mperfectons; and thrd, devote tme to the sprtual practces. You should also have the company of somebody who just remnds you of your deal. Avod the company of all others n whose socety you are attached to the world or forget Hm. If you cannot have the company of those who can help you to remember Hm, then t s better to lve alone. Lve wth the Masters speakng through the books, through the scrptures. You wll be better off.154 Q. Are all initiates related spiritually? A. Yes, more than blood relatves, as they are destned to reach ther True Home to meet there n due course, where all wll become one wth the prmordal Source. Ths s a true relatonshp whch never breaks.155 The souls treadng the same Path naturally develop affnty for one another. Those who love one another are very dear to the Master. Ths mutual love should enable you to develop love for the Master and wll n no way ntervene between you.156
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THE HOLY PATH WORK
Work
LOSELY ASSOCIATED wth det are the means of lvelhood. There are no short-cuts n sprtualty. The end here does not justfy the means, as t may be construed to do anywhere else. Ignoble means to earn ones lvng do contamnate ones det, the very source of lfe tself. So an honest lvng by the sweat of ones brow s essental n ths lne. The lfe plant has therefore to be nurtured wth pure water to make t sound and healthy, a ft nstrument for the efflorescence of sprtualty.157 The Masters teachngs do not touch the socal structure of lfe, and therefore the thousand lttle dutes of every day lfe that one may have to do are not nterfered wth. Work should be done as a part of the duty s all that s stressed, and that one should not be fully submerged and attached n such work to the detrment of ones sprtual uplft. Work one must, and work one should. Work s worshp, but one should dedcate all to the Master and not be grossly attached to t. A nurse would do the work of rearng up a chld effcently and wth joy n return for the remuneraton she gets wthout any attachment. So should we do all the work. In ths way the performance of physcal dutes wll lqudate the gve and take smoothly. So you may do any honest work that may brng you more fnancal gan, subject to the condton that you are able thereby not to forget and gnore your medtatons. Whle you do your physcal dutes, let not your sprtual dutes suffer.158
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You must work earnestly for your lvelhood. Work s the grand cure for all malades and mseres that ever beset manknd. Work s worshp, and as such, all honest work should be honored and undertaken n a sprt of dedcaton.159 All honest work s good and t should not bore you. You may consder that you are smply dong your duty to your Master when you are dong work, for duty s worshp. Untl such tme, therefore, that you can fnd some other sutable work, you wll carry on wth your present work n the most cheerful way and not consder t boredom. You must support yourself and your famly by honest means. It s just a way of thnkng. Consder t to be Masters work and do t as your duty.160 It s good to work, and one should work wholeheartedly; and then forget t. To contnue concernng oneself wth countless petty matters wll frtter away the attenton. Ths only causes further enmeshng attachments, and wherever your thoughts are, there wll you resde.161 Devoton to God does not mean procrastnaton. The lover of God works harder than other people because love knows no burden. Out of love he serves everybody.162 So please develop the habt of puttng your heart and soul n the work before you, be t worldly affars or medtaton. The habt of dong one thng at a tme wll help you to progress nwardly from day to day.163
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RICHES, RESPONSIBILITY THE HOLY PATH
Work s worshp and as such, all honest work should be honored and accepted n ths sense. The usual fatgue and exhauston are the routne functons of the physcal body, yet you can relax completely by fxng your nner gaze at the eye-center, releasng the pent-up tensons by rollng down all your worres and cares on to the holy Feet of the Master wthn. You wll fnd a radcal change n your thought pattern and wll be greatly releved wth the grace of the Master.164 If somebody else s lookng after you and servng you, that wll be debted aganst you. You wll become bankrupt. If you have got money n your bank, thats all rght; otherwse, t wll go aganst you.165 If some sncere seeker after truth who was lvng on the earnngs of others came up to our Master, he was told to put n three hours medtaton for hmself and three hours more for those who served hm. Nobody serves you wthout wantng somethng n return. So our Master asked those who were served by others to put n double tme for ther medtatons to be successful n the way to reach God.166
Riches, Responsibility
ICHES per se are no obstacle n the way of sprtualty, for t s the common hertage of all, the rch and the poor alke, and nether of them can clam t as a specal gft for hmself. All that s requred for success on the Path s genune desre, honesty of purpose, a pure lvng, and a steadfast
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devoton to the cause. A rch man has, of course, to see that he does not use unfar means n amassng hs wealth and that he uses hs honestly acqured treasures n frutful pursuts and not on wasteful and ephemeral gans. He should always look upon hs rches as a sacred trust from God, wherewth to help the needy and the poor, the hungry and thrsty, the sck and the alng, for all such people have a clam on hm as human bengs and chldren of the same Father.167
Gifts
T IS DIFFICULT to go through lfe wthout gong through the motons of gve and take. It s ths very gve and take whch has to be worked out by the plgrm soul that brngs us back to ths world. There s no harm n acceptng small gfts from those wth whom you come nto contact n your busness or famly connectons, provded that you have been or are n a poston to do them some servce n a drect form. Lkewse, small gfts may be exchanged durng ths season of goodwll among a famly. However, t s not wse to accept gfts from acquantances, busness or otherwse, who are outsde your areas of mmedate contact wth whom you have no gve or take.168
The Law of Karma s mmutable and nexorable. The exchange of gfts amongst the satsangs wll result n mutual balancng and adjustment. It should be understood carefully that the karmc bndng les n the fact that any gft s gven or taken wth the
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THE DEATH HOLY PATH
nner ntenton of dong so, whereas f the gver gves n a sprt of selflessness as a dedcaton to the Master Power, and the other recevng the same receves n a sprt of grattude as a token of grace from the Master Power, both are releved of the burden nvolved.169
Death
ACH MAN has to cast off the mortal rament n a manner predestned and pre-ordaned by past karmas, vz., by dsease or accdent. Death cannot befall anyone before t s due. Then why worry? We may not know as to how we wll meet death, by dsease or by accdent, but one thng s certan: f the sweet remembrance of the Lord exsts at the tme, we wll have a peaceful death, as the Masters presence wll be overhead.170 Wherever our desire is, we shall go there. That s why a persons thought should be on God at the tme of death.171 The ntates of the Lvng Master have a rare prvlege for they are granted dvne protecton at the tme of ther fnal ext from the world. Such dscplned souls are at the last moment greeted by the Radant Form of the Master, who escorts them gracously nto the realms of unalloyed harmony and blss for further progress on the Path as may be necessary for each ndvdual. There are lvng nstances of such events when those leavng the earth plane for good bore testmony to the presence of the
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Master and made a happy transton, wth the kndly grace of the Master. Death s no bugbear; t s the name gven to a change whch comes when one leaves the coarse atmosphere of the earth and enters a fner one of Lght. Somethng lke the sun settng n one place and rsng n another. We have to leave the body one day, and at the very frst sttng, the Master rases the conscousness above the body and gves an experence of the Lght and Sound Prncple. Then, through daly practce, ths s ncreased. The fear of death wll leave. He who is afraid of birth and death should sit at the feet of a Perfect Master.172 Ths s another ndcaton of the value of Naam. So we should now begn to earn t: become the controller of who we are and what we are, and wth ths all fear of death wll go. A chld cres at brth, and when he leaves he should have good reason to rejoce.174 There s no court of tral after death for a lovehearted dscple. The Master s ALL!175 The major events of lfe are predestned. Your deep agony over the great loss your entre famly has suffered s natural. You should please be rest assured that the blood and near relatons of the ntates are granted feasble protecton and help n the Beyond. You need not noursh any feelngs of sadness n ths behalf, as such an atttude wll not only affect your sprtual progress, but wll cause dsturbance to the departed soul.176
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THE DEATH HOLY PATH
Yam Raj, the Lord of Death, s so strong that no one can overpower hm; but the Gurus Shabd s allpowerful and so those who are connected to the Guru have full protecton, and he cannot approach them. Ths shows somethng of the greatness of the Shabd. And yet Yam Raj was made by the same God Power. Why dd the Lord make hm? For Hs own work. But t has been seen that f a Satsang who has the real connecton wth Naam, n whom the Naam has manfested (has appeared), sts at the deathbed of any person, even a non-ntate, whle he remans there, the Lord of Death wll not come to clam that soul.177 Q. Can an ascended Master help His initiates who are still on the physical plane? A. Yes, a Competent Master s a Master to Hs ntates for all tme, and does not rest tll He takes the souls to the hghest pnnacle of blssful glory n Sach Khand. He s not a physcal beng only, but Word personfed, and on the hgher planes acts as a Gurudev and Satguru, whch terms would become meanngless f Hs actvtes were to be confned to the physcal plane. If t were so, how could He take charge of the souls of the ntates on death after Hs passng away? A Master, n essence, never des for the ntates. It s Hs troth to take them up to the True Home of Hs Father, and nwardly Hs Lght and Sound forms are permanently mplanted though He may have left the earth plane.178
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Religion and Ritual
HE OBSERVANCE of relgous practces, rtes and rtuals, keepng fasts and vgls, gong on plgrmages, etc., and dong breathng exercses are the elementary steps only whch go to create n you a desre for turnng to or meetng God. You have made the best use of them when you are put on the way back to God, whch s the scence of the Word or the Sound Current and s one for all humanty. A devotee of ths scence need not ndulge n the elementary steps. In short, all acts nvolvng physcal labor belong to the realm of the physcal world, whle we have to rse above the body and bodly conscousness to get contact wth the prmal manfestatons of the Godhead: Lght and Sound. You cannot pray God wth hands. God s Sprt and can only be worshped n sprt.179 I have no rtuals, no forms, nothng of the sort here no temple, no church, no mosquewhy? Because what I am tellng you s the hghest thng. Reman where you are; you are not to leave your relgons but to make the best use of them and see how far you have proceeded, advanced, progressed on the Way. So that s one of the reasons why I have got no church, temple, or anythng. I take them as elementary steps. People are stuck fast to them. They dont bear the fruts of performng the rtuals or methods of outward performances. Here we have got no forms; we do not care what label you are wearng or what school of thought you have belonged to. We never care for t;
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MIRACLES AND YOGIC POWERS THE HOLY PATH
we want just to enjoy that you are a man, you are a soul. The same God s wthn you. You must rse n that God-conscousness. Ths s the man purpose of Ruhan Satsang, what we are after here. Ths s what the world needs today.180
Miracles and Yogic Powers
HE SCIENCE of the lvng Masters s the most ancent and the most perfect scence the world has ever seen. It s the most natural and the easest to follow, and can be followed by men of all ages. Marred lfe, avocaton, caste and creed, socal and relgous belefs, poverty or llteracy, etc., are no bars. It s an nner scence of the soul and conssts n contactng the soul wth the Oversoul, wth the help and gudance of the sprtual adept, well-versed n the theory and the practce of Para Vidya or the Scence of the Beyond and capable of grantng some frst-hand sprtual experence at the very frst sttng. Nothng s to be taken on trust or make-beleve. Mracles, sprtual healngs, psychc phenomena, fortune-tellng, akashc records and worldly desres are all to be left asde, for these are postve hndrances on the Path. The entre energy s to be conserved for nternal progress. Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all things shall be added unto you. Ths s the hghest Truth that has been taught from
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hoary antquty by sages and seers snce the day of creaton. It s unalterable and shall reman so. God, Godway, and Godman can never suffer any change and shall ever reman eternal.181 Master Sants never show any mracles to a dscple except n rare cases due to specal crcumstances. Mracles are n accordance wth the laws of Nature but are nevertheless terrbly entanglng webs detrmental to the hghest deals of man n hs approach to Almghty God. It s a subject that an ordnary man would not care to study, for the smple reason that t requres mmense self-control and tranng of the mnd, wth restrctons that he would not lke to tolerate or pursue. The mraculous powers acheved after a lengthy perod of tme are nstrumental n dong both good and harm, and as they are utlzed more for harm than anythng else, they are termed as a dsease by all truly sprtual persons. The Masters are n possesson of Supreme Power but ther msson s sacred. A dscple whose nner vson has been opened sees any number of mracles at each step. To hestate to beleve n a Master wthout seeng mracles s as foolsh as our refusal to beleve that a certan person s a mult-mllonare unless he shows us hs money. He may have all hs money deposted n a bank and lke to spend t n the way that he chooses, wthout carng for publc applause or approval. Out of an audence of several thousands watchng a magcan perform hs trcks, only a very small number would thereby be nduced to learn the art. Those who are anxous to see mracles are not true seekers.182
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MIRACLES AND YOGIC POWERS THE HOLY PATH
Sants do not dsplay mracles, nor do they allow any of ther dscples to ndulge n such vanglorous and empty baubles.183 Makng propheses and performng mracles are smply collectons of mnd.184 Yogic Powers: The duty of a superntendent n a jal s to keep the prsoners n prson, to chasten, and to reform them. Smlarly, the am of the detes and dvne ncarnates (Avtaras) has always been to keep men ted to themselves by showerng the gfts of varous ridhis and sidhis on them. (Ths refers to the grantng of gfts, boons, favors, wealth, ease, and comfort n worldly vocatons and gvng superhuman powers for dong good or ll.) These lmted salvatons and comforts they grant to ther devotees are only up to the stage whch they themselves have attaned, and they may even permt nearness of sojourn n the varous regons wheren they presde. They cannot help n the brngng about of unon wth the Almghty because these subordnate powers are themselves deprved of ths hghest prvlege. The sidhis, or extraordnary powers referred to above, are yogc powers whch of themselves come to asprants after Truth wth a lttle sadhan (practce), but these are postve hndrances n the way to Godrealzaton, for one s generally tempted to ndulge n mracles lke thought-readng, foretellng, transvson, transpenetratons, wsh-fulfllng, sprtual healng, hypnotc trances, magnetc nfluences and the lke. These sidhis are of eght knds:
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Anma: To become nvsble to all external eyes. Mahma: To extend body to any sze. Garma: To make body as heavy as one wshes. Laghma: To make body as lght as one may lke. Prapt: To get anythng one lkes by mere wshng. Ishtwa: To attan all glores for the self. Prakayma: To be able to fulfll the wshes of others. Vashtwa: To brng others under nfluence and control.185
Spiritual Healing
PIRITUAL HEALING s prohbted by the Masters. It has reasons and deeper sgnfcance behnd t, whch ordnarly people gnore, consderng the face value of the profts accrued and attrbutng t as servce to the sufferng humanty. The nexorable Law of Karma s supreme and demands adjustment of each farthng. The human body s the hghest rung n creaton granted by Provdence for the sprtual perfecton of the soul durng ths ncarnaton. The soul n man, beng of the essence of God Hmself, has the same attrbutes as those of God, but havng been envroned by mnd and matter has lost ts true hertage. Soul n ts present state s gravely enmeshed by body and bodly attachments, whch are more or less the reacton of past karma, whch t has been contractng all through up to the present ncarnaton. The present earth lfe s a passng phase n the long journey of the soul from the lower categores of creaton on to the True Home of the
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SPIRITUAL HEALING THE HOLY PATH
Father. Physcal body s materal but the soul s sprtual, but when reacton of karma occurs, the man s bound to suffer pan and pleasure. Now the sufferngs demandng sprtual healng fall manly n the doman of physcal troubles, whch may nclude even mental agones such as nervous breakdown, etc. These beng the reactons of past karma must demand adjustment and, as such, are to be borne by the vctm. The healer, whosoever he may be, conductng ths servce takes the karma on hs head, to be borne by hm at a later stage. Besdes, the bt of sprtual attanment he has attaned n slencng hs mnd s dsspated n such gestures of a mracle healng. Moreover, ths process of healng s admnstered on weaker mnds whch usually fall a prey to ther sentments. What can ordnarly be cured by undergong a bt of sufferng and medcne s exchanged for sprtual dsspaton, and the debt remans standng, awatng adjustment at a later stage. Agan, ths sort of healng becomes professonal and at tmes encourages corrupton and msery. It not only nvtes malpractces, but brngs n more of mental agony and wretchedness n multpled form added wth nterest. Ths s a causal postponement of payment for a future date and adds strong fetters over the soul. Contrarly, the Masters advocate rght lvng and rght thnkng. A dscplned devotee of the Master s advsed to lead a pure, clean, chaste lfe, thereby pursung a sprtual goal under the protectve gudance. The mplct obedence for the detary regu-
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latons and leadng a smple truthful lfe leads to happness and joy. If, however, some sufferng due to the evolutons of past karma comes, ts severty and duraton s much toned down by the nterventon of gracous Master Power, lke a penny for a pound, or a needle prck for the gallows, and the dscplned chld dscple comes out unscathed wth the grace of the Master. The healng whch s sad to have been admnstered by Jesus or others was of a hgher qualty, as when you merge n the cosmc awareness and lose your dentty, you become so sprtual that even thnkng of a person or those touchng the hem of your garment wll get healed, as termed colloqually n the Bble. You have not to exert on your part to heal others. Yet above all, t s the fath whch cures, and the sncere ntates do not ndulge n these thngs and rather aspre ncessantly for the attanment of ther sprtual perfecton, whch s the hghest goal of earth lfe. The soul whch has to go far hgher to merge nto the Oversoul s retarded by engagng herself to lower pursuts. The ntates are, therefore, warned not to admnster ths sprtual healng n ther own larger nterests, whch would result n sprtual dsspaton and bankruptcy. It wll add strong fetters over the soul, and karmc debt wll be very heavy to be repad.186
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OTHER YOGIC PATH THE HOLY POWERS
Other Yogic Powers

EACHING YOGA s all rght; you may earn your money n any way you lke, but dont be your own subject of yoga. If you do, then you wll go the longer way. Our way can be done very quckly. That way would take at least hundreds of years to come nsde; you would have to take the longer way. If you want to take the longer way, all rght, do t. You may want to teach t, thats all rght, but dont do t your own self, thats all. If you want to go the longer way, very good, you may choose t f you lke. That s the longer way; t was ntroduced n the past ages. In the Golden Age man lved for one lac of years. People could put n 70,000 years, 80,000 years n that practce. Then came the Slver Age. In the Slver Age the age came down one tenth to 10,000 years. People could put n two or three thousand years n that way. Then came the Copper Age. Lfe was cut down to one-thrd. Even then you could put n two or three hundred years. Nowadays man does not lve 70 years. How can you follow those methods that were ntroduced n those years? We cannot lve up to that age. So Kabr and Guru Nanak ntroduced ths smple way that we doeven a chld can do t. It s the qucker way, you see. Have you read Crown of Life? I wrote ths book about the comparatve study of all yoga. There s one part that explans what you do, what you are teachng. There are other forms of yoga n t too. But our method s the quckest way
Q. Can I teach Yoga?
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through all the ages, for any man of any age. Now, s t clear to you?187 Q. Hatha Yoga groups have grown in popularity in this country. Could we have your comments on the value of such groups? A. So far as the physcal aspect of Hatha Yoga exercses s concerned, t s all rght to have a few smple and lght exercses for mantanng good health, but t does not seem advsable to go n for strenuous exercses nvolvng several other hazards of breathng, etc., whch are rather dagonally opposte to Surat Shabd Yoga. You wll please note that there s a world of dfference between soul and physcal body, and these are separate enttes. Besdes, chantng or too much outer sngng scatters the attenton, whch on the contrary requres ntroverson and nner slence.188 Baba J mantaned that relgous wranglngs and dsputes, the prde of caste (the Varnashram), of worshp, plgrmages, mere rectng of scrptures, worshpng those who were past and gone, and such other actons and dscplnes were all a great decepton and a trap set by Kal to keep the soul wthn the bondage of the realms of relatvty. In lke manner, the outer kryas or practces of tradtonal yoga pranayam and varous mudras and asanaswere neffectve for takng us to our real goal. He had at a very early age expermented wth many a yogc method, and whenever he pronounced on the subject, he spoke, not as one who bases hmself on academc learnng, but as one who has hmself
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practcally experenced what he says. Hs words carred convcton, for there was not a trace of prejudce n what he sad. He smply explaned that he hmself had explored all avenues and found the path of Sant Mat or Surat Shabd Yoga to be the hghest. He had a great deal to say about the wonderful mraculous powers that could be acqured through yogc sadhans; but hs one crteron was: dd they make one the master of ones mnd, freeng one from the tyranny of desre? If so, then there was nothng to be sad aganst them, but f not (as was usually the case), then they were hardly of any use. Whle n Murree n 1894, he, n response to many questons addressed to hm by Baba Sawan Sngh J, dwelt at length on the subject of comparatve yoga and concluded by demonstratng how Kabr and Nanak had assmlated the best from ther predecessors, how they had penetrated far hgher nto the Mystc Path, and how they had succeeded n developng a method for mergence wth the Formless Absolute that was wthn the reach of all.190 What was ths Scence of the Surat Shabd Yoga that represented the crown of mystc achevement? It was, sad Baba J, the path most economcal n effort and the one most rewardng for reachng back to the Prmal Source of all lfe and lght. Its secret lay n the nsght that f the soul was to merge back nto the pont from where t had descended, the way of ascent must be dentcal wth that of descent. The Nameless One when he had assumed Name and Form had projected hmself nto Shabd, Naam, Kalma, or the Word. It was ths sprtual current, whose prmary attrbutes
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were melody and effulgence, that was responsble for all creaton.191 As regards the Kundaln, you should not pay any attenton to that as t s fraught wth danger. You have been put on the Path, the Natural Way.192
Astrology, Reincarnation Investigations, I Ching
STROLOGY s a regular scence, but few there are who are really conversant wth t. Ths requres a clear mnd vson. Moreover, t affects those who are under the nfluence of the Stars; but those who transcend the starry sky, or are taken under the care of Masters who transcend the starry sky, the predctons n ther cases do not stand correct.193 Q. Is group investigation of reincarnation and karmic relationships advisable among initiates? A. You are kndly advsed to leave all such studes well alone and devote your precous tme n holy medtatons and the study of the sacred books of the Master. The holy Path of the Masters offers a drect conscous contact wth the dvnty wthn after rsng above body conscousness. Ths sublme prncple dfferentates the holy Path from all other schools of thought.194 The book I Ching has been seen. Stop altogether askng questons of ths book, as these are not only msleadng but fraught wth dre dangers. It s ncor-
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ON THE HOLY SERVICE MILITARY PATH
rect to understand that Master speaks through the book.195
On Military Service
VERY CITIZEN has an oblgaton to the country n whch he resdes. If that country s threatened by an nvader, then t s the duty of every man and woman, n accordance wth hs or her mental and physcal capacty, to protect the nnocent people of the country. For example, one could render servce n a non-combatant branch of the army such as the Medcal Corps whose prmary duty s to releve the sufferng of the wounded and the lke.
If a government, for any cause, orders a general con-scrpton of all able-boded men to the armed forces, there s lttle that can be done. If one can honestly be excused from mltary servce because of physcal dsablty or any other vald reason, then by all means ths may be done. All Sants and Masters have greatly deprecated not only wars but all forms of volence that brng sufferng to manknd. These condtons are brought about by man hmself, who, n hs gnorance of the fact that God resdes n every heart, wll not allow hs fellow men to lve n freedom and peace. All the dear ones who are oblged to fulfll ther duty to ther country should have full fath and courage n the gracous protecton and gudance beng extended to them by the Master Power workng overhead.196
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Baba Jamal Sngh (the Master of Hazur Baba Sawan Sngh) served n the army for 34 years and saw actve servce. I have wrtten a bography enttled Baba Jaimal SinghHis Life and Teachings whch may be referred to by the dear ones for an account of Hs lfe durng and after Hs actve army career. Smlarly, both Hazur Baba Sawan Sngh J and myself served the mltary n connecton wth the constructon and accounts work n the feld under fre.197
HE MASTER s always wth Hs chldren, who are all dear to Hm. Where more than one meet n Hs lovng remembrance, Hs grace takes a practcal shape, and happy and fortunate are those who are able to beneft from ths grace. 198 There wll be moments n the course of developng love for the Master when one, judgng from ones own lmted understandng, doubts the valdty of the Masters nstructons, but such moments are only tests to make our self-surrender more complete and more secure, and he who passes through these tests successfully, wll one day radate wth the glory of God.199 The Master-souls vson s correct: he does not dance to anyones tune. He can never see anythng naccurately, so naturally he wll never do anythng wrong, lke the depraved man wth hs smoky spec-
The Master
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tacles.200 Though the Masters know everythng, they do not dsclose what they know, but allow thngs to come out openly of ther own accord on the materal level.201 We sometmes consder the Guru to be less able than an ordnary man. Wth ths type of outlook, what can we hope to acheve n progress? The worldly thngs are more beloved; Guru and God are accepted casually for whatever can be derved through them materally. The atttude s one of tolerant duty, wth respects pad n a condescendng manner. Man always thnks he s the greatest of all, but f he really became great he would not be n ths blnd egostc state.202
A T
Correspondence
LL MAIL s dealt wth confdentally, and but for my personal correspondent who receves nstructons for draftng reples, nobody else reads the letters receved from the dear ones.203
Hearing Shabd Before Initiation
HERE ARE those who see the Lght, even before ntaton. Ths s good and s a reacton from the good karmas of past lvesbut to progress further nto the Beyond, correct gudance and protecton are necessary.204 Hearng of nner musc at ts lower lnks by a person s not somethng unusual. It gves some pleasure
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and joy to the hearer, but he does not know how to develop the process from stage to stage to reach ones True Eternal Home of everlastng Peace, Joy and Blss. Ths s not at all possble by ones own unaded efforts.205
Dreams
UESTION: What is the significance of an initiate having terrifying and vivid dreams?
A. Dreams are the outcome of past recollectons based on hearngs, seengs, readngs or dreadful thnkng. The terrfyng dreams generally are attrbuted to some dgestve dsorder; a bad stomach whch can be cured by smple medcaton. The vvd dreams denote clarty of nner vson when some people can recollect ther dreams very clearly, whereas others cannot recall them.206
Pets
HE PRESENCE of pets lke cats or dogs n the room durng medtatons s no harm provded these do not dsturb you to be there durng medtatons.207
Your dog should not be fed on meat, as t wll contract karmc debt for you. It can lve on vegetaran det all rght, just as you have swtched over.208 It s better to avod lookng n the eyes of others and ths ncludes anmals.209 In cagng brds and keepng pets collared, chaned and mprsoned, one wrongly takes t for granted that
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IT IS A NOBLE PATH THE HOLY SEARCH
these poor, dumb creatures have no court of law where they can lodge ther complant.209a
It is a Noble Search
O FIND OUR true selfdoes t mean that we are lost? If you ask me for the truth, I would say we are completely lost.210 The whole play of Sprtualty s wth the attenton. Where the attention is, there you are. Through puttng your attenton wholeheartedly on physcal exercses, wth a lttle tranng you can be a wrestler of powerful strength. Wth your attenton drected on scholastc subjects, you can become an ntellectual gant. If you put all your attenton on the Greater Attenton (God), you wll grow n sprtual stature. On the sprtual health depends the health of mnd and body both. Ths teachng s for all, but most of us are stll playng wth toys. We are disinterested with this dolls play when we see the true form of our Beloved. How beautful must the real thng be, f the mtaton s so attractve! But, unfortunately, whle the blnd lead the blnd, both contnue to fall nto the dtch. Ths s a very frank talk.211 Ths pure subjectthe study of the attenton, whch you can call Sprtualtys ever n exstence, but sad to state, we are not nterested n ths hgher knowledge. Our attenton s on the body, on sensual pleasures, and on ntellectual delberatons. Booksh knowledge s all wlderness; there s no way out. By
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readng the stores and anecdotes of the Masters, we can enter a state of pseudo-ntoxcaton, but frst we should see somethng of the Truth and then sng the Lords prases.212 If the soul s a conscous entty, then ts food must be somethng conscous, and the expresson of the Lord, whch s Lght and Sound, s the bread and water of lfe. And he who has t, can gve to others. My Beloved is everywhere, no place is without Him; Glorify that body in which He is manifested.213 The Master has the same physcal form as other men, but although he lves n the world, he remans aloof from ts effects. He s n perfect control of all hs facultes, and can rse above the body at wll. Or he can work n the bodly senses, at hs own choce. We see hs body on ths earth, but hs soul travels n all the spheres. Contrary to ths, we are ted to the body and cannot rse above t. Therefore, only n hs company and wth hs assstance can we have true realzaton. Yet, whle I utter these words, you wll not have true convcton unless you see for yourselves.214 The Naam has an ndescrbable ntoxcaton. Delightfully sweet is the beloved Naam. Also, Nanak is perpetually intoxicated with the Holy Naamday and night. Who gets t? Those who have merit from the distant past will get the gift of Naam to bring them near to God. Those chldren who God has decded are to return to Hm are connected to the Naam by the Satguru, and the Naam takes them back to whence t emanates. A Muslm fakr says, You have
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sacrificed the true mosque for the outer one. The outer mosques and temples are for those whose nner eye s not open to see the true Lght of God. He cannot be known through senses, mnd and ntellect, or through pranc practces (.e., practces nvolvng the motor current n the body)but only by self-analyss. When we acheve self-knowledge, then the Lfe Sustaner wll be met. The attachments will break, salvation will be given, and you will go home. You wll be released from all tes, and lvng n ths world, yet you wll be free.215 Dear frends, ths world s a sea whch we must swm across wth the ad and support of Gods nner Lght. It s really very clear and smple when one sees everythng from the rght angle of vson. And the defnte ndcaton that a Master s true, s when he lghts that flame wthn another.216 Most of the worlds populaton s n the dark; not knowng whence they came, to where they are gong, or what ther purpose s on earth. Bascally, all relgons ndcate that there s Lght and Sound; I have mentoned that Lord Krshna spoke of t. The Muslm fakrs also referred to t. It has been termed the Musc of the Spheres, Truth clothed n Lght, and the Unstruck Fre; Buddha called t Intrnsc Hearng. The teachng remans the same, though man forgets t; but the Masters come to revve the Truth agan and agan, and gve the rght understandng of true ntegraton. Some people want to know, What do we get out of ths? Apart from the beneft of becomng
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detached whle lvng n the world, we are told: Unhappiness will not touch us; The illusion will be revealed as mind and matter. What a wonderful blessng! He who becomes one wth the Unchangeable Permanence, lfe and death are the same to hm. Someone s born, someone deshe feels nether happness nor msery. Such elevated exstence comes through development of the nner beng. You cannot start to dg a well on becomng thrsty, for you wll de of thrst before reachng the water. The sprng of the everlastng nectar of lfe comes through the nner contact, and to drnk from ths sprng daly wll render neffectve all the pnchng consequences of worldly experences.217 It s sad, After meeting the Satguru, one knows. When s ths? When attachments and outer effects are finished. Is t possble to be free from attachments whle lvng n the body? If one s n full control of ones attenton, and can drect t at wll, then t s possble. If one daly rses above the body and journeys nto upper regons, how wll one reman attached to the world and ts envronments? Also, one wll work n the world wth a double zeal wthout that clngng nature to hnder.218 There are three knds of heat whch burn wthn man. One s adhibhutak, connected wth the physcal body. Another s adhidevik, through the outer, untoward happenngs. The thrd s adhiatmik, and that s when one gets a hgher contact wthn and one s then no longer dragged around by the mnd and senses. When death comes, one merely says, Lets go. A true dscple s
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thus ready for the change. When your condton has become lke ths, then you wll know that you have met the Satguru.219 Be grateful that you have got somethng at last even f t s after a long search. Only the power of the Naam can overcome the dffcultes of ths age.220 The clue les n the Gurus teachngs through whch you wll develop true love for God, wherever He has manfested Hmself. A small spark of fre can burn to ashes a huge ple of logs, and smlarly lfe upon lfes sns can be burned away through a small spark of Lght from the Satguru. On the very frst day of Intaton, he manfests the radance of Naam wthn the seeker, who then should take great care of t and value t. By repeating the Naam, the Light of millions of suns will be seen. Also, In the darkness, He came and lighted the Lamp. You receve the very thng that the true Master teaches, for the Lght s manfested n hm, and he gves a spark of that Lght. The Master placed a small share in my safekeeping. Guard that small share carefully. In the ages past, the Master would keep the dscple at hs feet untl he had become ready to receve the precous gft. These days, whch dscple has the patence and wll to learn? So, on the very frst day, the connecton s gven, and then t s up to the dscple what he makes of t. The value of Naam can never be estmatedalways remember ths. Keep a watch over your whole lfe each actonday by day, and through medtaton ncrease your nner progress.221
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Out of the abundance of the heart, a man speaks. Whatever s the state of mnd at the tme, so the speech wll have smlar effects on others. If the mnd s flled wth anger, lust, greed, etc., even though these thoughts be hdden behnd sweet words, yet the effect produced wll be drastc. The breeze whch passes through fre wll brng heat, and on the other hand, that whch passes through ce wll brng coolness.222 There s great chargng n the Masters words. Due to Hs elevated condton, there s a sweet fragrance radatng from Hm. If you vst a perfumery, though you may buy nothng, yet you wll freely enjoy the delghtful perfume permeatng the atmosphere. A Sants name s glorfed throughout the four corners of the earth. He may or may not declare Hmself, but Hs radaton s spread everywhere. O Nanak, the Gurumukh is a rarity. It s seldom one meets such a personalty, but the world s not wthout them. He s our true frend, meetng whom all doubts are erased and rght understandng establshed n our hearts. He who can do ths s a frend ndeed. Such people have always been hard to fnd, but when they do come, through radaton a flood of Sprtualty pervades the world.223 Today there s a great awakenng begnnng. Some have got the answer, some have not, but the search to solve the mystery of lfe has been born all over the world. The day that queston arses n the mnd s the greatest day of ones lfe, for once t s born t does not succumb untl t s satsfed.224
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Whoever approaches a Master wth full devoton and humlty wll get the rareness of the gft. After gettng the human form t s our heredtary rght to realze God. Of course, f we do not make the best use of our lfe, then who s to blame?225 It matters not to whch relgon you belongf the Lght s burnng wthn you, all s well. A true Master is one who brings everyone together. Wth rght understandng, man and man become one, for each has a soul, and that soul s of the same essence as that of God, the Lfe Sustaner of all thngs. If all men truly realzed ths, then who would hate hs fellow man, and who would cheat or take anothers goods? The polce and mltary forces would become superfluous, for mans very neghbor would be hs protector.226 My frends, no matter n whch town or country you lve, you should lve as true brothers and ssters of the one Father. The morals of all daughters and daughters-n-law, ther protecton and welfare, should be your concern, for n ths wll be your own famlys protecton. Lve n love for one another. If husband and wfe are happy, lovng, and loyal together, then no one and nothng can come between them. Smlarly, f the people of any country are one n each other, then no power or poltcs can dsturb ther peaceful lvng. All laws are for the lawless; f you are good, nothng touches you. Each one of you should make your lfe a model, and you wll see that the whole world wll have peace and happness. Lack
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of ths smple exst-ence s brngng unhappness everywhere.227 As long as the hgher contact s not made, the worlds msery wll not be resolved. As t stands, whatever a man sows, so shall he reap.228 Just see, only by talkng about these thngs so much peace enters our hearts. How much more happness wll we gan through true realzatonreceved through the radaton from a perfect Master. So, make your lfe an example of the teachngs you followlve up to them. If you have already got the connecton, take the utmost care of t, and value t. If you have a strong desre to get t, then God Hmself wll make the arrangements for you. When you get the contact wth the Holy Naam, remember t s the souls very food. Furthermore, ntrospect your daly thoughts and actons and see where you have reached. Many ages have passed by snce you were frst gven a human form, and many years have passed snce you joned some relgon; now consder, where have you got to? As long as nner contact s not establshed and practced daly, and you dont avod all that may lead you away from tthrough self-ntrospectonthen wherever you have reached up to now wll be hdden by a dark curtan, and your path of progress wll be obstructed.229
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London, September 1972
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Rome, December 1972
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THE HOLY PATH
THE NEW LIFE IN GOD

BOOK FIVE
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THE HOLY PATH LOVE
The New Lfe n God

Love
HAT IS THIS LOVE of whch all mystcs, Eastern and Western, have spoken so nsstently? Is t lke the love of the earth that we know? If you study the bonds of earthly love, you wll fnd that at some pont or another a trace of self-asserton s present n every case. Parent and chld, frend and frend, man and wfe; each s nvolved n a more or less strong drve for possesson. It s a love that can often rse to great heghts of self-sacrfce and yet t s a love that s not wholly selfless.
But the Love of whch the mystcs speak s a love that must be completely purfed of the self. If one has not attaned complete purfcaton n ths respect, ones love s stll not perfect and not truly acceptable n the eyes of the Lord. And so the love of mystcs s one n whch one completely and unreservedly surrenders ones self to ones love. The seeker who, havng found a true Master, has developed such absolute love for hm, steadly purfes hmself of all mperfectons and makes hmself a ft recpent of Dvne Grace. You may well ask why there s ths nsstent stress on complete self-surrender on the mystc path. The answer s smple: wthout ths absolute surrender of the last vestges of ego and selfhood, and wthout such complete absorpton
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n the object of ones love, one cannot attan that unwaverng concentraton of all ones facultes whch s the prerequste of all nner progress. Absolute love and self-surrender are only other aspects of complete and flawless concentraton. The moment the self enters nto the pcture and the queston of I-ness arses, the sngle-pontedness of concentraton s dsspated and nner advancement s made mpossble. Besdes, the goal of the sprtual asprant les far beyond the lmts of ndvdualty. Hs goal s unon wth the Absolute and such unon must necessarly be a denal of the lmts that separate us from each other. He who cannot rse above the ego, the faculty whch creates these very lmts, cannot hope to attan to that staton whch s the denal of all ndvdualty, and a realzaton of the oneness of all lfe.1 Love s nnate n our souls. God s love and our souls are the drops of the Ocean of all love, whch s also love personfed. But love knows attachment. The love of the soul whch should be attached to the Oversoul, or God, has been attached to the physcal thngs and outward enjoyments. That very love has been turned nto attachment. You go where? Where you are attached. That thng wthn your mnd s where you are attached, the love of whch you have got n your heart. If you have got love for worldly thngs, naturally you wll come agan and agan to the world. If you have got love for God or the Godn-man, then where wll you go? Where He wll go.
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If He s not gong round and round on the Wheel of Transmgraton, how wll you go? He comes from the Father and goes back to the Father. He comes wth a commsson to take souls back to God.2 Love for the world, outer attachments, to meet wth your own wshes or purposes s lust or attachment, not love. One prophet sad that love s lke a brdge to cross over the rver underneath. It s only for the purpose of crossng, not to reman on the brdge. So your love for the God-n-man s for crossng the brdge, to be attuned by Hs company, where naturally the love of God s radated. If you are attached to the physcal body and outward attachments, that s no love.3 It s sad that love can be found by just gvng the heart away to somebody and then to go around heartless. If your heart s taken away by somebody, then what s left to you? Only such a man can really realze what love s. The outer sgn of a man who loves s that he gves mplct obedence, complete self-surrender. He chershes what the Beloved or the Master wants. He always wants to please the Master, not to please hmself. Love s no busness. It s not grown n the felds, nor bought from any shop. It s already nnate n your soul, but can be flared up when you come across somebody who s overflowng wth love. We have got the man-body, n whch ths love can be developed. As I told you, love s already nnate n your soul. It just requres attachment to somebody.
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Instead of attachng our soul to the Overself or God, who s all Conscousness, we have attached t to the body, to the outgong facultes and the world outsde. Ths has been the reason of our comng back agan and agan to the world. If we have love for God, who s already controllng us n the body, then naturally where wll we go? We wll go to where God s, we are not to return to the world. Love is flared up only in the company of somebody who is already overflowing wth love. In Hs socety, we wll have the nfecton of love, the radaton of love. So who can follow ths way? He who can completely surrender hs body, mnd, and soul and also hs very fath. The Beloved s everythng to hm. He wll be ready to sacrfce everythng for the Beloved.4 Through gettng attached by love to the Guru, the darkness s dspelled; thousands of suns shne forth wth the repetton of Naam. Due to the dffcultes of Kal Yuga, ths blessng s beng gven freely. In the past, restrctons were mposed before connecton to Naam was gven. After many years of servce, the Master would then gve the frst part of the theory and so on. But the darker the age, the more mercy does the Master extend, and today everyone receves an experence from the very begnnng. Ths specal concesson s due to the bad condton of the world, whch s drftng speedly nto negatvty. A Master would use any means to save the souls from such a terrble fate, but f the soul receves the gft and then wastes twell, that s a tragc msfortune. 5
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What s love? Where s t? What does t want? How can t be developed? If you love somebody, he s always n your mnd. If you keep somebody always n your mnd, naturally you wll feel attracted to hm; when somebody comes to you and speaks of the Master, you take hm as your true relatve. So ths s a feat of love. The most practcal and competent way n whch you can develop t s just to st n the radaton of somebody who s overflowng wth the love and ntoxcaton of God. Ths s the quckest and most natural way of beng, what you say, nfected. You wll get nfected by the socety of the Master, who s overflowng wth the love of God. And what does t cost? It costs nothng. The Beloved wants that the lover should not look to anybody, not to hear anybody, not to thnk of anybody, except the Beloved. Ths s the feat of love. The man who has got such a love, why should he return to the world? He may return as a Teacher, as a Master, to brng back the chldren of God to Hs Home. But He wll never come as a prsoner, as the reacton of the past, beng attached to the world. So ths s the feat of love and what t gves us.6 Renuncaton truly les n the fact that we are not ted to the world, to anythng outsde. A man who has got love wthn hm, love of God, s attached to God so much that all other thngs leave hs mnd, he s not attracted by anythng else. For nstance, f such a man s sttng here, there may be hundreds of others sttng around hm, but he wll be wholly and solely absorbed n the Master. Ths s a feat of love. Love also knows
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sacrfce. The Masters say that those who would lke to play the game of love should come wth ther heads cut off and placed n ther palms as an offerng. Even then, they would not menton what they have done. God knows the very trend of our mnd, what les n our mnd. Ths s one fact that I show.7 So the man thng s to have love of God. The crteron of love for God s sweet remembrance of God. You never forget Hm, even whle eatng, sleepng, comng or gong. If that s developed, then naturally you wll go to God.8 We must constantly remember that our am s God. And we must not be concerned wth anythng that makes us forget Hm.9 Your attenton s dvded n so many ways. It s just lke a ppe that has so many holes. When the water flows through the ppe, t wll ooze out from each hole drop by drop. If you close all the holes except one, the water wll shoot forth. So f our love, whch s now dvded nto so many thngs, s wthdrawn from the outsde and only one avenue s left, to God or the God-n-man, naturally t wll shoot forth. Love s already nnate n our souls, t s smply dvded n so many thngs; n the body, n enjoyments, n chldren, for the name and fame of the world. If we just keep one hole open and drect our love there, naturally t wll be detached from the others. That wll work wonders.10 If you drect your attenton, whch s the outward expresson of your soul, wholly and solely to God or to the God-n-man, then you wont see Hs face,
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but you wll see the Lght emttng out of t. That s the crteron. Such a man s asleep from outsde and awakened from wthn. So we are attenton or surat, you see. Our attenton s the cause of all ths machnery gong on n the body. The premi or the lover s really awake wthn and asleep outsde. He s n the world yet out of t. Ths s the ultmate feat of love, whch s called charty. It s not lust, but love or charty, and s nnate n our own self. God s love and love s God, and that s part and parcel of our own selves. When that s wthdrawn from outsde by the concentraton of the attenton, then wherever t s drected, you wholly and solely are there. If you drect your attenton to the Master, you wll become what He s. Whatever s n Hm wll be transmtted to you, reflected n you. One Master sad that the Master who has become a Master was once a skh, or a follower. When a skh or follower s fully absorbed nto the Master, he becomes the Master, but frst he has to become a true skh, a true follower. When he s absorbed n Hm, he becomes the Master. When he speaks, t s the Master speakng n hm.11 Now the queston arses, how can the Master be pleased? There are two ways and the frst one s, whatever attrbutes He has got n Hs lfe should be adopted n our own lfe. We should copy, lve accordng to those qualfcatons whch we see n Hm. The qualfcatons n Hm are the qualfcatons of God on a mnature scale. God gves to everybody whom He created because naturally the Creator wll love Hs Creaton. So the Guru wll love Hs dscples
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because t s He who has gven brth to them n the nner way. As He loves us, so should we love all. He wont let anybody suffer and you should not let anybody suffer. You must share wth others. These are some of the qualfcatons that the Master has and are the attrbutes of God reflected n Hm. The second way s to just lve up to strctly, lterally, what He says.12 If the Master or anyone whom you love says stop, then stop there, dont take a further step. But do we keep Hs commandments? We dont; then where s our love?13 So to obey the Gurus commands s the frst and the last lesson on the path of Sprtualty. Those who do not obey, who show one thng on the face and feel somethng dfferent n the heart, wll never gan the Gurus pleasure.14 He says, All rght, devote regular tme to your medtatons. Weed out all mperfectons wthn you from day to day. We say that we have got no tme to keep the dares. We have not even started as yet, what to speak of love. Further, f we wsh to have thoughts of somebody, love of somebody, we shall always be thnkng of hm.15 Havng found a genune Master after resolvng all doubts, one must lve up to the deal of a perfect dscple. And what s t to be such a perfect dscple? It s to have full fath n the Satguru, never questonng hs wsdom and authorty. It s to be lost n hs love whle at work or at play, for such love alone can purfy the heart of the mperfect loves of the world. Further, gven such fath and love, one s to follow to
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the best of ones ablty hs njunctons: If you love me, follow my commandments. If a dscple develops those qualtes and surrenders hmself completely to the Satgurus Wll, he shall be freed from worldly desres, become an apt receptacle for the Shabd Dhun, and the Masters grace and generosty shall descend upon hm lke a flood that breaks open all nner gates and obstructons.16 So love s God and God s love. Whom should we love? We should love God. We are conscous enttes and we should love the human body where God s manfested. It s not for the human body that we love hm, but for the God manfest n the human body. That s blessed, because He s manfested there.17 If every day our love for God grows more and more and becomes more dear as compared to anythng else n the world, that s love for God.18 To speak of love s one thng; to have that love n your heart s somethng else.19 Love s the shortest cut to sprtual beattude. Love s the knd sentment of the Master whch, when properly nurtured by the dear ones by gradual assmlaton, weeds out all mperfectons and shortcomngs.20 It s very clear and smple: f you love God, you become what God s.21 Love s the gvng of your heart once and for all. It cannot be retaken and gven to somebody else.22 Where our love s, there we have to go.23 You should know that to love God we must lve for God and de for God.24
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Have you understood what s love? It s a subject of heart, not of head. A very learned man may be devod of heart. Love overrules head, but sometmes head stands n the way of love, of the heart.25 Those who yearn for t, get t.26 God s Love and Master s Love Personfed. He emts rays of love to be attuned to by those on the way as well as to others who are strugglng to fnd God. Happy and fortunate are those whose vessel s cleansed and are ready to receve the sweet Nectar of Masters Grace.27 The dear ones often ask, How can we develop love for you? You have all been gven the proof of ths path, so reman lnked wth t; for the more you are joned to that, the more wll the love flow out of that unon. Ths s the only thng lackng.28 The frst crteron to show whether you have got real love for the Master s: even f he calls you names, you wll be attracted to hm. The second s to have those qualfcatons whch are reflected n hm from God n your own lfe. These are smplcty and knd words mbued wth humlty. The thrd s to lve strctly up to what He says, not even carng for your own lfe. If you leave everythng to the Master, the Master has to take care of the chld.29 Ego s really a bg enemy on the Path aganst sprtual progress. The love for the Master s lke fre n the brck kln. If the fre s blown out rather than conserved, the brcks do not gan ther proper maturty, and so t s wth all sprtual matters. The
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ntates should conserve and keep veled ther love for ther Master so that they may progress quetly. 30 If we love somebody for the Masters sake, or for the sake of God, ths s a sgn that you are growng n love for your Beloved, for your Master. These are the foundaton stones, not love as yet, mnd that! Love s gvng away of your heart. The heart s one and when t s gven away to somebody, then what remans?31 Love one and all for the sake of the Master. If you love for the sake of the man concerned, ths wll stand n the way of your love for the Master. If you love the Master, then keep hs commandments.32 If you love somebody, then you wll also love those who go to hm. We crtcze, we sometmes fght, even wth those who are on the same Way as us. Then where s our love for the Master?33 The love of God-n-man s the love of God. He s overflowng wth the love and ntoxcaton of God. He s not bound to earth, but s sent here to gude the chld humanty to go back to Hs Home. If you love hm, where wll you go? You wll go where he goes. If he s not to return to the world, why should you return, how can you return?34 What s Love? Everybody says thatI love God, I love the Masterbut what s love? Love s the frut of a tree. It s the ultmate goal, whch develops and comes up wthn us. We should love God wth all our heart, wth all our soul, wth all our strength. Is the heart one or two? The heart s only one, and you can only gve t to somebody whom you love. If you gve
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away your heart to somebody, then what remans wth you? You wll thnk n the same way that He thnks, not n your own way. Ths s the ultmate goal. If your heart has already been gven to the God-nman, then nothng remans to be gven separately to God. So frst, our heart should be whole, not broken nto peces. When t s complete, only then can you gve t. Our Master was once gvng a talk, and He sad, All rght, f any of you can gve your heart, you can go straght to heaven. One man stood and sad, Well, I gve my heart. The Master asked hm, Have you controlled your heart? No, repled the man. Then how can you gve t? sad the Master. You can only gve somethng whch s under your control, that s n your possesson. The heart s led astray by the outgong facultes here, there and everywhere. Unless t s concentrated, how can you gve t? We have no control over our heart. It s dragged away n so many ways.35 The heart s gven only when you wthdraw t from all outsde thngs, and t s under your control.36 So there are steps leadng to ths and the frst step s, If you love me, keep my commandments. What are these commandments? Love thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy strength. The word heart s there. Wth all thy heart, not a heart that s cut nto peces, here, there, and everywhere. So let t be complete. 37 What does one who loves want? He always wants
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to see the Master. He loves everythng of the Master.38 If you have got real love for God n your heart, God wll come to you, He wll manfest to you. But generally, we want only worldly thngs, here and hereafter. Those who care for the love of God dont hanker after the worldly thngs nor the wealth of the other worlds. They dont even want emancpaton. They would lke to have only one thng. No heaven, no earthly thngs, no emancpaton, only to be wth God, thats all. If we have really got that hankerng n our heart, then naturally we must meet God. God wll come to us. If we take one step that way, He wll proceed one hundred steps to receve us. We have to decde what we want at our heart of hearts. Are we here only for the worldly thngs? Are we here only for the name and fame of the world? Are we here only to have thngs of the other world, or heaven? Are we really after emancpaton from brth and death? A real lover wants none of these thngs. He wants God and God alone. Ths s the hghest deal that we can acheve n the man-body, and n no other. So you have to decde, by an honest searchng of your heart, what you want. If you want God, then God wll meet you, sure and certan. If you want somethng else, you wll have t, thats all. You wll get nothng short of whatever you want. But why, when you go to a Kng, do you want ordnary pebbles and stones?39 When Baba Sawan Sngh J once wrote that he dd not even yearn for Sach Khand but only prayed that he had Love and fath at the Satgurus holy feet, Baba
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J was extremely pleased and repled that such selfsurrender was ndeed the hghest karni (dscplne) and assured hm that he who had such a love for the Master would certanly reach Sach Khand, and passng through the Alakh, Agam, Anam-Radhasoam, get merged n the Wonder Regon.40 Love s developed n the drect company of the Master or ndrectly when you become receptve, even from thousands of mles. The tme wll come when you wll say, Who s lvng n ths body? Am I? You wll forget yourself; you wll see the Master n there. When you fold your hands, they wll be the Masters hands, not yours. So love s the ultmate frut of the goal.41 When you grow n love for God or the God-nman (they are one and the same), naturally you wll hanker after Hm. You cannot forget Hm. You would lke to have the company of somebody who has frsthand experence of Hm or who has been wth Hm. Further, you would lke to be near Hm, as near as possble. If you are not there, but you hear someone who speaks of Hm, your heart becomes full and overflows through your eyes. Ths s a symptom that you are growng n love for Hm. These are the blossoms whch herald the appearance of the frut. If ran s expected, frst you wll have clouds. If there are no clouds, there wll be no ran. If there are no blossoms, there wll be no frut.42 Ultmately, when the frut comes, you are for the Master and the Master s for you. These are the
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steps and we have now to judge where we stand.43 The spontaneous flow of trcklng tears goes a long way n washng off the dross of the mnd, and fortunate s the eye that sheds these, for they leave unendng trals of ravshng blss and harmony.44 As flowers precede the fruts on a tree, smlarly, yearnng and angush of heart precede the comng of the Master wthn. Each tear shed n sweet remembrance of the Master brngs you closer to Hm. If you keep Hm n your mnd, naturally you are n Hs mnd.45 One cannot expect frut on the tree when even the flowers have not yet formed. Whosoever got Him, did so with tears; Could He be got with laughter and joy, none would be without Him. Through sobs whch rack the body, one receves the Lord. The water from the eyes washes away the sns of many lves; the accounts are washed clean. This separation has now become unbearable. When the seeker goes through ths, he s often advsed by others to cease the searchng and desrng for God, but Guru Amardas repled, Do not utter such words, for even n pan there s a sweetness. Then after cryng n van for so long, the soul becomes both desperate and helpless, and she appeals to the Masters: O Masters, you go to God daly, my voce cannot reach so far; take ths message and tell Hm, O Lord, she s pnng wth the separaton from You. She does not know the road whch leads to You, and
Without seeing the Beloved, sleep does not come;
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her voce does not reach You, so she s sendng ths message. Please tell Hm that Nght and day she s cryng wth flowng tears, and cannot exst anymore wthout the Belovedshe cannot fly for she has no wngs and does not know the Way. How can she reach You? Please tell Hm my condton. A true seeker reaches ths condton.46 Those who love God, love the Master, the God n Hm, of course. It s no matter of show. That very Power s wthn you and knows every act of yours, what you are dong and why. He knows the very trend of your thoughts. Love knows no show. Love knows servce and sacrfce. The outward symbol of love s a sweet tongue, mbued wth humlty. When you have developed that love, what should you do? You must have patence, perseverance, and go on wth t. Just like a moth which burns itself on the flame of a candle but never makes any sound. So those who want to love God should not care for ther name or fame, honor, ths or that thng. They should leave every greatness they have got physcally outsde, and lay down at Hs feet. If they lose ther lfe n sacrfce, even then they wont menton t. So ths s a very delcate queston, I would say. Those who have love for God, or the God-n-man, well, ths s a relaton between you and the God n Hm and nobody else. You have to develop t. For that you must have perseverance. It takes tme. The work of the servant s to do work, thats all. It s for the Master to see what He has to gve to hm.47
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The tongue of love s very sweet, and full of humlty. The sweet tongue of remembrance, mbued wth humlty, s the very bass of all vrtues. The tongue of a realized soul is filled with sweetness; his heart s brmmng over wth the nectar of love. Out of the abundance of hs heart, a man speaks, for the words are charged wth whatever les n the heart. Masters have love for everyone, and ther words are flled wth love, and so have a partcularly attractve qualty. If the parrot talks n a cage of love, he eats and drnks the Naam; hs soul leaves the body wthout effort, at wll. If you st n the Gurus company wth sngle-ponted attenton, and lsten to the Inner Sound regularly, your soul wll also wthdraw wthout effort. When people complan that ther mnd s not stlled, t s due to lack of love. The True Lord can be realzed through the Gurus bhakt, and wth ease He wll manfest.48 The body s lke a cage; but f the cage becomes one of love, the soul wll lve on the Truth, the Elxr of Lfe, by connecton wth the Naam. The world s a two-edged sword, cuttng n two whatever t falls upon, but when the sword of love descends, t bnds the two n one. The very crteron of love s to absorb oneself nto someone or somethng, so a lover s a true renouncer, renouncng all other thought, save of that whch he loves. He may be surrounded by thousands, but he s alone wth hs love. A man wthout love wll never realze the Lord, so make ths body a cage of love, and then talk. If no love s developed through outer practce, what s
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the use of t? Such practce s a mere performance of gymnastcs. Unless we remember Hm wth tears, t s a dry remembrance; the remembrance that comes from a heart overflowng wth love wll bear frut. The tenth Guru says, Hear ye all, I tell you the Truth: God s realzed by those who love. God is love, and the soul s a drop of that very Essence, and s there-fore also the mage of love. What knd of love has he who boasts of lovng the Lord but hates hs brothers? Shekh Fard says, If you desre to meet the Beloved, njure not any heart. A true devotee of God wll have no enmty toward any other beng. Shamas Tabrez says, Hundreds of years n prayer wll not make you a namazi (true worshper). He n whom there s no love awakened cannot fathom the secrets of the Lord. So lve n a cage of love f you want to realze God, and that love wll drag you toward Hm. Lfe wll become an agony, a yearnng, a restless, lonely msery wthout Hm, for love s a sea wthout a shore: there s no end to t, save n the allencompassng absorpton n Hm when you gve your whole lfe to Hm. How can ths love be developed? It s not grown n felds or sold n shops. There are only two ways to develop love. One way s to st besde one who s love, from whom you wll catch an nfecton of that love. From lfe, so s lfe created. A glmpse of love can be seen only n a true lovers eye. These thngs are mentoned n books, but words cannot really express what love s. The other way to develop love
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s through remembrance. If one loves someone, one cannot forget that person; hs face s always before the vson, n the heart, n the mnd, even vbratng n ones blood as t runs through the vens. One should remember Hm so much that one can never forget Hm, and that constant remembrance wll drag one to Hm. The overpowerng yearnng to meet the Lord grows nto a oneness, a blendng wth Hm.49
Simran
VERYONE OF US s constantly dwellng on one thng or another. Ths close assocaton leaves an mprnt n the human mnd whch n course of tme becomes ndelble enough and leads to complete dentfcaton of the subject wth the object; and hence t s sad, As you thnk so you become, or where the mnd s there you are also, no matter where the physcal self s. Ths beng the case, Sants take hold of a person from the lne of least resstance. As no one can do wthout Smran, the Sants try to set one type of Smran for another type. They substtute for Smran of the world and worldly relatons and objects, a Smran of Gods name, or Word. As the former leads to dstracton of the mnd, the latter pulls heavenward, leadng to peace of mnd and lberaton of the soul. Three to four hours n a day has been enjoned as the mnmum for Smran, and t may be gradually ncreased.
The Mahatmas are never wthout Smran even for a sngle moment. As t s altogether a mental process
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(for t s to be done by the tongue of thought), no amount of physcal and manual labor can nterfere wth t. In course of tme, lke the tck of a clock, t becomes automatc and ceaseless for all the twentyfour hours. Whle the hands are engaged n work, the mnd rests n the Lord.50 When anybody would complan to Hazur about nablty to stll the mnd, he would reply, Your Smran s not constant enough. And for the complant of not beng able to st for long n medtaton, the same reply was gven. Our real dffculty s that the worlds color has drowned us! If t could be bleached out then we would become clean and ready for a new fresh color to enlven us. A drty cloth must frst be washed clean before attemptng to dye t. Our heart and ntellect are staned wth that color comng from the level of mnd and senses. We are staned wth the actons of lfe, and added to ths are the stans of the pastbrth upon brth. Even f you put asde past lves and consder ths lfe alone . . . how many years have passed already? It mght be that through the mercy of some Master you were fortunate to be n Hs company and enjoy the beneft of a lttle of that Naam color, but even so t s sad that we must do Simran and serve the Satguru. We are dyed n the worldly color through dong the worlds smran, and t can only be washed out by dong the smran (remembrance) and dhyan (contemplaton) of the Lord. So you can say that the frst step s smran controlled thoughtand t should be constant, wth-
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out a break. Ths s the washng process, before the soul s ready to be drenched n the color of God. Wth true servce of mnd and body, n love and devoton, one should ncrease ones remembrance of the Lord untl there s nothng but constant sghng for Hm. Then there s ndcaton of awakenng. We sgh for worldly thngs, but t s rare to fnd someone who sghs n remembrance of the Lord. Smran s the frst step. Logcally, one wll be drenched n the color of the one n whose name the smran s done. If you keep someone n your heart, you wll resde n hs. If the dscple remembers the Guru, the Guru wll remember the dscple. And f there s remembrance on both sdes, that creates receptvty, and the Guru and dscple become one. Satguru protects the dscple wth Hs lfe. In such condtons, the dscple becomes suffused n the Gurus color. In the clear heart, the true knowledge becomes apparent. Naturally, those who do not do smran wll not be dyed n that color. When Masters feel so nclned, they reveal themselves somewhat and great wsdom comes forthfor our beneft, n whom the color of the Lord s not yet fast.51 The practce of Smran begns wth the repetton of the Masters objectve Names slowly wth a mental pose. At frst the practce s objectve, but n tme t becomes subjectve. Then the constant thought of the Lord contnues wthout cessaton. Once ths starts, the remembrance becomes automatc, contnuous and constant and one never forgets the Lord.52
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Master souls always do, and recommend, Smran of the hghest type, to wt, of the Orgnal or Basc Names of God, for these open up charmed casements and brng to vew vstas leadng to sprtual realms wthn the body. Such Names are charged wth and electrfed by the thought transference that usually accompanes them when communcated to an asprant by a Master Soul. As these are magnetzed, they have the power to attract and pull the sprt up to the planes to whch they relate. The engrafted words charged wth the Dvne Sprt of the Master very soon bear frut.53 By dong Smran of the world and ts envronments, they have so much taken possesson of us that we have become the world and ts envronments. We have to use the same methods so as to elmnate all worldly thoughts from wthn, by rememberng sweetly of the Lord n so many words devsed by the Sants so far. So there are two uses of Smran: one use s to wthdraw from the body by Smran of the electrfed words gven by a competent Master. The second s to drve out the world and ts thoughts from wthn us by the constant remembrance of the Lord n so many ways as prescrbed, the descrpton of whch has been gven above.54 Smran makes man ntrospectve and concentratve. Extraordnary powers nevtably follow as a result of the concentraton of mnd n the nner planes.55 The repetton of the charged Names s gven to the
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dscple as a weapon aganst all dangers. It acts also as a password to all sprtual planes, gves strength and sustenance to the body and mnd durng trouble and afflcton, and brngs the soul near the Master. It s nstrumental n achevng concentraton and mparts many other dverse powers. The fve charged Names gven by a true Master are electrfed words.56 Agan, these charmed words of the MasterBasc Names of Godhave the power to dspel the forces of darkness that may meet and assal a Sprt on ts onward journey. Smran of these names helps the soul both n the physcal plane and supra-physcal planes, one after another. Hence t s mperatve that Smran be done of such Names as the Master Soul enjons, for they are charged wth a tremendous sprtual power whch negatve powers can hardly put up wth and from whch they flee as from an enchanter drven. Immortal and everlastng as these words of the Master are, they bestow lfe everlastng to the soul n whch they snk and take root.57 You wll please apprecate that the sacred charged Words are hghly effcacous and carry the thought transference of the Master. And when one repeats them lovngly and mentally, the sensory currents from the body below are automatcally wthdrawn towards the eye-focus.58 In Smran les the seed that helps n the development of the soul.59 Sants gve a very smple defnton of sn as forgettng ones orgn (or God-head). Every thought, word or deed that keeps a man away from
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God s a vertable sn; on the other hand, whatever brngs man nearer to Hm s pous and holy. A Persan dvne, whle commentng on the nature of the world sad, World comes nto play only when one forgets the Lord. By constant remembrance of God, one whle lvng n the world among frends and relatons s yet not of the world.60 By concentraton at the blessed feet of the Master, by mplct fath n Hs nstructons, and by puttng them nto actual practce, we can attan a stage of perfect blss. There s no short cut but that of Smran as enjoned by the Master.61 To forget the Master s to lose Hs protecton, thereby gvng an opportunty to the negatve power to pn you down.62 We remember God only when we are hard pressed from every sde. It s afflcton and not affluence that turns us Godward. If one were not to forget God n prosperty, adversty would never come near hm. Hard tmes only come as a result of sns commtted when forgetful of the Lord. Smran (or constant remembrance of God) s a tonc for the soul. It makes the wll grow stronger from day to day. Troubles and trals, however severe, cannot cow hm down. Wth a smlng face he pulls through the storms of fate or destny unscathed. Smran s a panacea for all the lls of the world. It s a potent remedy and works wonders to remove worry where all human efforts fal. A man of Smran never has any worry or anxety. Smran, to be very effectve, must be constant and ceaseless.63
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A pauper collects hs money by beggng coppers and keeps countng the same day and nght. Whether sleepng or wakng, he s dreamng all the tme of hs lttle hoardng. We, too, should lke a pauper always keep an account of the Smran that we do and try to accumulate bt by bt the wealth of Naamnot forgettng t for a moment.64 It s very good that you commence and end the day wth repetton of the sacred Names. These sacred Names are charged wth the lfe mpulse of the Master and ther Smran (repetton) nvokes Hs mercy. To the best of your efforts you should resort to the repetton of charged Names all along your vacant moments and keep yourself mmersed n the lovng remembrance of the Master.65 If you do Smran for some tme and have sweet remembrance of the Master as the last thng n the nght before gong to sleep, the dreams wll, n due course, cease to afflct you.66 Prayer should be ceaseless, overflowng as a lovers passons are, forgettng not hs love even for the twnklng of an eye. When a man falls n love wth a woman, he carres her mage n hs mnd at all tmes whether sleepng or awake, sttng or standng. If one could carry with him the love of God like this, it would be grand indeed. Kabr goes on to explan how the sweet remembrance of God should be done. He gves another example of the same type. He says, Attend to the prayer as do the vllage mads, who move talkng wth
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the attenton always fxed on ptchers overhead. The daly routne of lfe, says Kabr, does not nterfere wth Smran. The vllage mads as they go to fetch water carry ptchers of water one above the other on ther heads; n spte of an unseen path, they keep jestng and talkng among themselves whle the ptchers reman steady on ther heads, as ther attenton s pertnently fxed on them. Smlarly, one need not forget Smran even n the mdst of the hustle and bustle of lfe and worldly oblgatons.67 Another example he gves: Love the prayer as the moth loves the lght. In ts flame doth burn tself, never turns asde. Lght s the very lfe of the moth. He loves t so passonately that he does not hestate to snge hmself to death, rather than avod t. Kabr Sahb therefore says that we must love Smran as the very breath of our lfe; whether rch or poor, healthy or sck, awake or asleep, lke a moth be ever ready to sacrfce our very self n our devoton to our deal. Agan He says: Lose yourself n the sweet remembrance as the keet doth bhrang, who for sooth loses tself to rse bhrang-lke. Bhrang (an nsect) after almost kllng a keet (another nsect) revvfes the latter to lfe by bestowng ts powerful attenton to t. The keet when charmed back to lfe s no longer a keet but becomes a bhrangbeng saturated wth the lfe mpulse of the latter. In just the same way Kabr says that one who does Smran and gets frmly engrafted theren wll
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have new brth and a new lfe qute dstnct from the old sensual lfe he has been lvng htherto.68 The more you drect your attenton and absorb yourself n the sweet remembrance of the Master, you wll develop receptvty and feel that Master s wthn you and you are n the Master. As St. Paul sad: It s I, not now I, but Chrst lves wthn me. The lover becomes the Beloved and the Beloved becomes the lover. All dfferences of mnd, body and soul are swept away.69 Ordnarly mnd should be fully devoted n the work one does, as work s worshp. But when mnd s vacant, t should not reman vacant, as a vacant mnd s the home of the devl. It should be kept busy ether n repeatng the fve Holy Names, or n sweet remembrance of the Master, or lstenng to the Sound Current f t has developed so much as to be audble and reverberatng all the tme.70 Whle dong any manual or mechancal work or n dle moments, you can contnue repeatng the fve Holy Names or recte some prayer lovngly all the tme and you wll feel new strength s enterng wthn you and that Someone s workng wth you, sharng much of your labor. Any nterval, however short, durng the day, may also be devoted to medtaton and that wll gve you freshness and real energy for your work.71 Thoughts are more potent than deeds. You can eschew negatve thoughts of worldlness and entertan Godly thoughts by cultvatng a keen sense of
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contnued lovng remembrance of the Master. You wll please apprecate that t s lke an armor wth the ntate aganst the onslaughts of mnd and matter, when you are merclessly exposed to ther attacks. It s the nborn ego whch dstracts the mnd from the receptvty of postve thoughts of goodness. The watch of thoughts comprses a vglant atttude of the mnd aganst the several vces known to you. It s a gradual process of replacement of vces wth ennoblng vrtues.72 Mnd has a vast sphere of actvty. It resents nner slence and absorpton wth the result that nstead of quetness, more of confuson ntrudes. You are requested to avod all thoughts whatsoever all along your daly chores, and try to keep your mnd enchaned whether wth the Smran of charged names, or lovng remembrance of the Master, or lstenng to the holy sound current as comng from the rght sde. Ths s the sublme soluton for all the troubles caused by the mnd. You wll fnd that such a sacred schedule wll have salutory effect on your regular holy medtatons, whch wll become more frutful wth ravshng blss and harmony.73 God s wth those who love Hm each and every moment; they are aware of Hm. If one truly loves someone, does not that person resde n ones heart? In that case, can one love any other? Ths constant lovng remembrance of a loved one comes after gettng to know hm, enjoyng some happness together, or lvng together n harmony; but what real love can
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one have for someone one has never seen, known, or lved wth? We cannot develop love by just sayng we love. So the Gurumukhs lfe s lved n constant remembrance. The new lfe starts from ntaton, and then he lves on remembrance, remembrance, remembrance whch ncreases that new lfet begns to surge wthn. As a person thnks, so does he become. It starts as a remembrance, but eventually the remembrance occurs by tselfthat means he has become that very remembrance. Only a person who has gven hs heart to another can know what t means to gve the heart. It s a practcal matter, for n true love there s ncessant remembrance of the loved oneperpetual. Gurumukhs remembrance is only onecontinuous. It contnues wthout pause or end, unlke us; we remember many tmes wth breaks n between. What knd of love s here today and gone tomorrowwth ths person one day and another the next? Love s only one. That s not love whch changes. And the truest love s that whch the soul receves through experence; that never changes.74 If you accept the Smran of Charged Names as the basc Names of God n the Master, then you wll be able to repeat them wth affecton, love and devoton.75 If you forget the Lord, then you are attached. You wll go where you are attached.76 A chld leaves the shelter of homestead to vst
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a far for a day wth hs parents. There s such a huge crowd of people there, but as long as the chld s holdng hs mothers hand he cannot be separated from her. Masters have sad, I do not ask you to renounce the world; I only ask you to remember the Lord n all you do. By quotng ths, I am not sayng that you should leave lfe n the world and take the road to the lonely forests. I mean that no matter where you are or what you are dong, you should not forget God. It s possble that the chld mght be nclned to leave hs mothers hand f he could, but f the mother s holdng hm frmly, how s t possble? You should dedcate your handsurrender t. If you have not seen God, then you can surrender yourself to one n whom God s manfesteda God-n-man. Wth such surrender to the God n hm, hs hand wll always be holdng you. You understand what I am sayng?77
Gods Grace
OW CAN a puny chld of clay, powerless as he s, constantly rdden by mnd and matter, entangled n the meshes of blnd nfatuaton and beset wth desres, anger, greed, attachment and egosm, escape unscathed by hmself and become a successful plgrm on the Path? In such a werd settng, all bafflng and bewlderng, wth no way out, God takes mercy on Hs creatures; He Hmself comes down n vle mans attre, to suffer woe so that Hs chldren may be
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blessed. But agan the same trouble confronts us. To understand the teachngs of the Master and strctly follow them from day to day, to confde n hm and to completely surrender ones self, body and soul, to hs wll, s not an easy thng to do. Unless God and Satguru both take pty on a jva, he cannot possbly see through to Realty and escape from bondage. We wth our lmted understandng cannot even lsten comprehendngly to the Masters words. But n the fullness of tme when t so pleases God, He brngs about a meetng between a jva and a Sant Satguru, who establshes hs contact wth Naamthe power of God or God n actonthe Prmal Sound Current, wherewth a jva s gradually led on and on untl he reaches the source and the fountanhead of Shabd or the Sound Current.78 It s through the grace of God alone that one s ntated.79 Those who serve not Truth wither away like a broken reed, O Nanak! Whom the Master blesses gets linked with Naam. With a special merit alone one meets a Satguru; and he brings about a union between Surat and Shabd. Meeting with a Master is a pure gift of God, and so is the union with Hari Nam (God). The Master s n the lkeness of God, though n physcal raments. He, too, s endowed wth the same
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attrbutes as God Hmself. He, too, comes to save the snners and admnster Hs Savng Grace among the rest.80 The savng grace comes through contact wth Naam, and contnuous chershng of Hs love and savng grace n turn helps the other way. Both grace and Naam work n recprocty and help n developng each other.81 The blessngs of the Supreme Lord are lmtless and do not at any tme suffer from scarcty, but one partakes of them only by extraordnary mert. A partcle of grace s enough to save a jva from the ceaseless cycle of transmgraton.82 Hs grace descends by acceptance of Hs bhana (wll) and recognton of Hs Hukam (commandment).83 Who understands the wll of the Master and follows t scrupulously? One n whom the grace of the Lord works.84 The panacea for all lls and the only way to wn Gods grace s perfect surrender n all humlty at the feet of the Master Soul. 85 It s only the Gurumukhs who get ths grace and not the manmukhs. 86 The grace of the Master s as lmtless as hs great-ness, so much so that he forgves even those who talk ll of hm and accepts them as hs very own. 87 The Masters grace s boundless. 88 The Kal Yuga s at ts heght and n full force, and therefore so s the Masters grace and mercy.89 We cannot wn God ether by flattery or by van repettons, nor does He stand to gan or lose anythng whether we offer prayers or not. Compassonate as He s, Hs grace s always at work n each and all
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alke for we cannot lve wthout It. We can, however, attract that Grace to our advantage by becomng a ft receptacle for It. Humlty and fath purfy the mnd and make t a ft nstrument for Gods Grace. These two ads help n nvertng the lotus of the mnd whch at present s attuned wth the senses. Unless we are able to turn ts drecton upward, Gods Grace cannot flow drectly nto t. Prayers, humble and sncere, help n establshng a harmony between mans mnd and Gods Grace. He needs no forensc arguments and legal acumen n defense of our deeds and needs. All that s requred s a pure and lovng heart attuned to Hs Grace and the latter s automatcally attracted to t.90 God s all Love, and we cannot ask Hm to be more lovng. He s omnscent, and we cannot by loud and strong prayers make Hm any wser. Perfecton cannot be made more perfect by our protestatons and prayers. We must learn to stand and wat as the classc poet Mlton puts t, and Hs Grace shall of ts own be attracted and flood our very beng.91 Dvne Grace s never slow. A good mother says not, Wll you? but gves. From among the asprants, they are gven the lons share of Dvne Fath n the Master who come wth downcast heads, heavy hearts and the shudderng angush of a lost soul, speechless wth anxetes, to unburden ther worres. Meekness s no weakness. It s a strong, cemented road of humlty whch leads to the Bengn Realty.92
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PERFECT MASTER, capable of mpartng the experence of nner Lght, s hard to fnd. Even f you fnd one, you cannot reach the Goal wthout purty of lfe and forgveness. If you follow and act on what I have just sad, you wll be lberated from the bondage of matter and mnd. These vrtues wll brng to you hgher conscousness and you wll develop fath n the exstence of God. After all, what s the purpose of worshp? It s to develop frm fath n the exstence of God. By self-ntrospecton, you can see what your condton s.93 So purty of thought, purty of det and purty of conduct are most essental. If our nner self s free from all blemshes, the dvne Lght and celestal Sound wll emerge n the slence of the heart. The very slence wll become vocal. Our medtaton s not successful because we have yet to come up to the necessary standard. Kabr says: If our heart s polluted, we shall be pushed out of the Kngdom of God.94 He s ever wth us and s showerng hs abundant grace. However, to realze Hm, t s essental to have a pure heart. Can you ever expect the Lord to manfest Hmself tll our heart s spotlessly clean? The Lord cannot be realzed so long as our heart remans lttered wth lust, anger, jealousy, recrmnaton, etc. Our soul les dormant and defled by these vces. Just as a magnet wll not attract a rust-covered ron, God
Purity
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wthn us wll also not pull the soul up tll t s free from all blemshes. In such a hopeless state only a competent Master can come to our rescue. Ths, n fact, s the greatness of a Master-soul. For example, f a loaded donkey s stuck up n mud, t cannot come out wth ts own efforts. Out of sheer compasson, someone else wll have to remove the load and then pull the donkey out of the mud. We are also loaded wth heaps of mpressons of the prevous numerous brths, and n addton, are further trapped n the dragnet of sensual pleasures. Therefore, hardly any dfference (exsts) between us as we are and the loaded donkey. We too, therefore, need a compassoned soul, who hmself s absolutely free, to unburden us and to pull us out of our msery; only then wll we be able to see the Realty. The greatness of such a Master soul s beyond any descrpton ndeed. Such a competent Master enables us to vsualze the Truth after freeng us from the effect of past mpressons and by brngng our attenton above bodly conscousness.95 To derve full beneft from the company of a Sant, you must be pure yourself.96 Those condtons consdered to be the result of the Negatve Power wll never touch us f we lead a pure lfe. The Negatve Power s a great judge and s very just n hs punshment. Hs pen wrtes accordng to our karmas. So what consttutes purty and goodness? A mnd whch s gven up wholly to God. All trouble and strfe wll thereby fnsh. When the mnd wthdraws from the Lord and attaches tself to somethng else,
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then whatever the person does takes hm further away from God. And the further he goes, the greater the sn. Ths s really the true defnton of sn. The Negatve Power says, I wll never punsh anyone f people become pure. So, n the courts of Sants, ths s the greatest teachng, the secret of all secrets: that God s won by hm who wll gve hs mnd.97
S A MATTER of fact, no one can know or fnd a true Master unless and untl the Master s pleased to reveal hs own dentty hmself to the nnermost satsfacton of one desrng to confrm hs fath n the Master. Ths s done accordng to the extent of ones receptvty, and to the degree that hs capacty to understand and hs love enttle hm. It depends wholly on the kndness and sweet mercy of God through a Master. Some are gven clues accordng to ther desres. The fath of some n ther Master s confrmed when a dscple s saved mraculously from some danger. A favorable response to the prayers made to the Master confrms fath n others. There are others who have book-knowledge and are satsfed by the examples of others, so they get confrmaton that way. Masters have the knowledge of measurng the capacty and range of everyones ntellect and bestow fath accordngly. Sants know the merts and evls of everyone but they never dsclose them.98 How fortunate s a chld who wll repose fully and surrender completely n the strong and protectve
Faith
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arms and lovng care of the Father! He then becomes carefree, leavng all the work to the Mercful and bengn Father, of workng out thngs as He deems best. Such a lfe becomes supremely sweet and all hs problems become easer and hs way becomes clear and smooth. The Master Power s constantly extendng all feasble help and blessngs. Let us fully repose our trust n hm. The fortunate ones do as the Master says, and receve all the necessary materal help, whch goes a long way to assuage the severty of the karmc debts. The dffcultes and troubles may come, but they pass off wthout leavng an ugly mark behnd. Please do not lose heart.99 He never fals Hs chldren.100 If you wll put yourself completely n the hands of God, surely He wll take care of you. One man went to the jungle for twelve years and hung hmself upsde down n a well by ron chans. A farmer came by and asked, What are you dong? Watng for God. The farmer sad, Oh, ths s what one must do to fnd God, and he quckly ran to make a rope out of grass. Although the rope was so weak, he hung hmself n a nearby well. In ten mnutes the farmer asked of the other, Has your God come yet? No. Oh, sad the farmer, mne has. What, sad the other, how can ths be after only ten mnutes? I have been here twelve years. The farmer had no ron chans but he put hs fath completely n God once he knew the way to God, not carng for hs lfe.101
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THE NEW LIFEPATH THE HOLY IN GOD
RAYER IS THE KEY that unlocks the Kngdom of Heaven. It pulls up the sluce gates and releases from wthn mmense power and resourcefulness.102 Prayer and grattude are akn. A grateful heart becomes the abode of all vrtues.103 Always seek Hs Dvne gudance by nvokng Hs mercy n humble supplcaton and nner ntense longng for Hs darshan.104 A dscplned lfe s an asset; make t a prncple to be always happy, cheerful and grateful.105 Mans only duty s to be ever grateful to God for Hs nnumerable gfts and blessngs.106
Prayer and Gratitude
Humility
LL THE MASTERS of the past and present say that, The Kngdom of God s for the humble of heart. So many of us, alas, are proud, van, n ego lost; and blnd to the wsdom, we do but wander from darkness to darkness. The God that rules mllons s the ego; enthrone on your heart the God of Love, and cease to wanderand what should be done to do so? Become as humble as ashes and dust. The world s full of the proud of purse or power or learnng. Whereas, we should be humble and smple and empty ourselves of all self that the Lord mght do wth us what He would.107 The truly humble are the truly happy. For want
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of humlty, men and women are leadng an unbearable, mserable lfe. All ths msery s from wthn. It s not a change n our crcumstances, but delverance from the thraldom of the self, the petty ego that sts a tyrant, robbng us of the blss that s our hertage as chldren of God. We are, as t were, n a cage of self-centeredness, and untl ths prson s opened by the key of humlty, the swan brd of the Soul s not free and cannot swm to the regons of radance and joy.108 When the lght of humlty dawns on the soul, the darkness of selfshness dsappears and the soul no longer lves for tself, but for God. The soul loses tself n God, lves n God, and s transformed nto Hm. Ths s the alchemy of humlty. It transforms the lowest nto the Hghest.109 St. Augustne sad the way to God s, Frst humlty, second humlty and thrd humlty. He who s proud of possessons or of learnng or of authorty wll not go to any Sant unless he s humble. Even f he goes to the Sant, but consders hmself superor to Hm, he wll not lsten to Hm. A glass whch s kept above a tumbler of water wll reman emptyuntl t s put below the tumbler. You know what you know; just lsten to what the other says. Perhaps we can learn somethng from hm. Yes, the branches of a frut-laden tree bend of ther own accord. Even so, the man who, losng hmself, fnds Godfnds Hm everywhere and n everyone bends before all, offers homage of hs heart to all.
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Ths s true humlty. It s not a forced sense of lowlness.110 Such a one lves n unty wth all. He s n others and others are n hm. It s the fake ego-self that gves rse to the sense of dscord and separaton. When the lluson of ego s broken, one feels, I am not apart from others, but others are parts of the OneGodThe Masterand all of us are engaged n the same servce of God. Each one of us s unque n hs own way. There s a dvne purpose behnd the lfe of everyone who comes nto the world; no one has been created for nothng. We have somethng to learn from everyone. Ths s the mystery of humlty. The truly humble person does not compare hmself wth others. He knows that none of us, however evolved, s perfect; none of us s complete n hmself. The humble person does not regard one as better than the other; he beleves n the dvnty of each. If one says and asserts that he s better than others, then he s not perfect as yet. It s only when one realzes hs nothngness that God comes and flls hm wth Hmself. Where man s, God s not; where man s not, God s! God cannot enter the heart of the self-seekng person. He who s full of hmself consders hmself as above others and so puts a lmt on hmself. God s wthout lmt. How can the lmtless enter the lmted?111 True humlty s freedom from all conscousness of self, whch ncludes freedom from the conscousness
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of humlty. The truly humble man never knows that he s humble.112 The humble man makes no fuss. He s at harmony wth hmself and others. He s gfted wth a wondrous feelng of peace. He feels safe and secure, lke a shp n harbor, unaffected by howlng storms and lashng waves. He has found refuge at the Lotus Feet of the Lord and the storms of changng crcumstances have no power over hm. He feels lght as ar. The burdens whch we carry all our lfethe burden of the self and ts desreshe has lad asde, and he s ever calm and serene. Havng gven up everythng, he has nothng to lose, and yet everythng belongs to hm, for he s of God, and God s n hm. Havng broken the bondage of desre, he s as happy wth a pece of dry bread as wth a sumptuous meal. In every stuaton and crcumstance of lfe, he blesses the Name of God. He who would be humble regards hmself as a student. He learns many new thngs, but what s more dffcult, he unlearns many thngs he has learned. A scholar came to a Sant and sad, O Seer of the Secret, tell me what I may do to lve the lfe dvne. And the Sant sad to hm, Go, unlearn what thou hast learnt and then return and st before me.113 He who would walk the way of humlty must renounce hs earler ways of lvng. He must gve up the opnons he has formed, the standards to whch he s accustomed. He must have a new outlook on lfe. The thngs the world would worshp are to hm of no value. Hs values are so dfferent from those of other
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men. Rich food, fne houses, costly dresses, postons of power and authorty, the applause of men, honors and ttles, no longer attract hm. He feels drawn to a lfe of smplcty. He s happy n lvng a hdden lfe n the Hdden Lord. He s dead to the world; he s alve n God. At tmes he actually behaves lke one dead. Yes, the truly humble man s, n that sense, the dead man. He has ded. God alone lves n hm. Hs self has been annhlated. Hs self has vanshed nto God, and only God remans. God works n hm and through hm, and God emts n hs eyes. God speaks n hs words. On hs feet, God walks the earth; and through hs hands gves Hs benedctons to all. Such men are the real strength of the worldts llumnaton and nspraton. To see them s to commune wth God, for God dwells n them. They are the lvng, movng Temples of the Lord. They are the ones who keep the world ntact, though they do not know t themselves. The whole earth depends on them wthout anyone beng aware of t. Ther hearts and mnds are n tune wth the Great Heart and Mnd of humanty. They are n complete accord wth all that lves. They gve ther love to all lvng bengs, as though they were the sons of the one sweet Mother. They have broken all fetters and entered nto the freedom of the chldren of God. God does ther wll because they have merged ther wlls n Hs. God fulflls ther least desre, for t s He Who desres all ther desres. They are the lttle savors of humanty.
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I wsh each one of you to follow the lesson of humlty, born of love and smplcty.114
Devotion
O IF YOU WANT your devoton, your love of God, to bear forth frut, then be wholly and solely devoted to One. Thnk of Hm, see Hm, hear about Hm and know Hm. Those who help us on the Way, we are thankful to them. Bhakt or devoton wll bear forth frut only when you are wholly and solely devoted to Hm, so much so that you forget yourself.115 God s One and He wants everyone to go to Hm all alone. One should not thnk even of the body n whch he s sttng, that he or the very Isht (object of devoton) s there.116 . . . Be wholly and solely devoted for a whle, do one thng at a tme. If you have such devoton, even f only for a few mnutes, t wll bear forth frut. If you st for hours and your attenton s dverted, dvded n so many thngs, such devoton wll not bear forth frut. Now see where you stand.117 The prayer whch comes from the heart and s expressed through the bran and mouth wll be heard. When you pray, you should go nto your closet and pray all alone. If you are fully confdent about your prayer and about the exstence of the One to whom you pray and Hs competency, and that prayer goes out of your heart, naturally t wll be answered.
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For example, there s a story about four dfferent types of devoton that wves have for ther husbands. The frst type s attached to other men, though outwardly she appears to be fully devoted to her husband. Truly speakng, wves and husbands should be as one soul workng n two bodes. We are lke the woman who was outwardly devoted to her husband but was always thnkng of others. We have no convcton, we are not devoted wholly and solely to God or the Master. Some wves are devoted, but they want somethng n return. That knd of devoton s second class. If she s not gven what she wants, she resents t. The thrd knd of wfe wll pray to her husband f she wants somethng, but whether he gves t or not, she remans devoted to hm. But the fourth and hghest type of devoted wfe wll thnk, Well, my husband knows my condton, he sees me daly and wll look after my needs. If I am acceptable to hm n these ragged clothes, then what more can I want! Ths s the hghest form of the devoted soul. Whether we are rch or poor, happy or n dstress, He sees our fate. We are all Hs chldren after all, s t not? So ths type s the hghest form of devoton.118 Kabr says, What s the crteron of a man who s devoted wholly and solely to God? If n a deep sleep state, the word of God or the Master comes out of hs mouth, then such a man s wholly and solely devoted to Hm. What would I offer to such a man? I would
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offer my flesh, my skn to make shoes for hs feet. You follow, whch form of devoton bears forth full frut? It s that whch s wholly and solely devoted to One. Our mnd s devoted to so many thngs. Such devoton wll not bear forth frut. If we want our devoton to bear forth frut from day to day, and that we should see ths frut n our lfetme, then our whole attenton should be rveted to the Feet of the Lord, or the Lord manfested n the God-n-man. The result wll be that f you love all the world for Hs sake, you wll not be attached to the world.119 So try to lve n the lvng present, forgettng the past and the futureand fll every moment of your lfe wth smple trust n Hm n all lovng devoton. He wll manfest n you when you choose and turn your face to Hm.120 The dscple reaches hs fnal Goal n proporton to hs own ntegrty, loyalty and devoton to Master.121 The more one gves weght to the Masters words, the more he grows n grace. True devoton to the Master conssts n acceptance of, and dong, what he commands. Guru Ramdas exhorts us that the thought of the Master should ever be a companon, no matter what we may be dong. The Master s hdden n hs words, and hs words are n fact the real Master.122 We should gve our obedence and devoton, and leave the rest of the work to hm.123
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Impediments to Devotion
IRST OF ALL, the lades and men should not always be thnkng of the opposte sex or read such novels, lovelorn novels I would say, whch gve lusty thoughts. When you do not always thnk of the Master, He s left asde and the other person of whom you are thnkng ntervenes, whether t s a man or a woman. What s the result? Your nner progress s stopped, because you are devoted somewhere else. So the lades and men should not read those books where lovelorn tales are gven. The lades should not thnk about the men nor the men thnk about the lades. Ths s the frst mpedment on the way. It does not mean that we should not love anybody. For the sake of the Master or God, we should love all who go to Hm.124 For the purpose of devoton you may love, but t should be for the sake of the Master. Otherwse, ths s one of the most effectve mpedments by whch men are drven away and ther attenton dverted from a hgher place to a lower one. Ths s one thng. The other thng s that f you are always readng about money and thnkng that such and such a person has become a mllonare, or lsten to talks about such thngs, you wll develop greed wthn you. Thrd, a man s known by the socety that he keeps. Dont have the socety of someone who has gven up to these two thngs, because by socety, you become
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that. Those thoughts wll always be reverberatng n your mnd. The fourth mpedment s that sometmes you thnk of your enemy or that such a man s aganst you. Ths always comes nto your mnd. Agan and agan you thnk of hm, and ths creates hatred wthn you. Sometmes for the sake of name and fame, we thnk that such and such a man s rsng n the world, that he s becomng known n the world, and you wonder why you are not. A man lke ths may have been devoted at frst. One by one, these thngs that I have mentoned stand n the way, and our devoton does not bear frut.125 Another mpedment s when somebody s devoted to you. There s one example that I wll gve you. Suppose that you have got Rs. 100.00 or $100.00 n your bank. Whoever thnks or looks to you wth all devoton sends n a debt bll aganst you. The one who s devoted wll want a return for that devoton, whether you have got the money n your bank or not. You wll become bankrupt, mnd that! Those who can gve somethng expect somethng n return. Nobody can gve even a glass of water to you wthout any purpose. If anybody gves you sweets or somethng (leave asde the queston of the MasterHe s a Selfless Worker), he wll expect somethng n return. Whether you want to gve t or not, that s debted aganst you. You follow me now? That s why all Masters say, Earn your own money, lve on your own earnngs and share wth others. There should be gve and take.
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Selfless work for the good of the cause s another thng. For that you should not want anythng n return. Only then wll t become selfless, not otherwse. If you want somethng done, you gve somethng.126 Sometmes we act and pose and we become that. Really you are not that, you are decevng your own self, the God n you frst, then you deceve others. For how long can ths contnue? The cat must be out of the bag eventually. So you should not thnk of the opposte sex, whether you are a man or a woman. If you always thnk of the body, naturally you wll thnk of the opposte sex. Chrst sad that husbands should love ther wves as Chrst loved the church. Even husband and wfe should not thnk of each other as a man and a woman. They may have one duty of begettng chldren but that s not everythng. It s manly to have a companon n lfe for the purpose that both of them should reach God. So frst, the men should not always thnk about the lades and the lades should not become too attached to the men. If you have to love one another, love for the sake of the Master, forgettng your sex. Second, f you have the socety of someone who s very wealthy and you are always n that socety, then you wll want that very thng for yourself. Greed wll develop wthn you. The thrd thng s that a man s known by the socety that he keeps. Socety develops ts own qualty quckly n us, no matter what sort of socety t s. The fourth thng s actng and posng and dong thngs for the sake of name and fame and competton.
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IMPEDIMENTS TOPATH THE HOLY DEVOTION
These are the thngs whch stand n the way of your devoton.127 If you have got a good companon, all the better; otherwse reman all alone wth your own self, wth the Master or the God wthn you. If you lve n ths way, your devoton or bhakt, even f done for a short tme, wll gve you more, a hundred tmes more results than the other way. In the other way, devoton s lost. Another mpedment s that those who are not belevers n God wll naturally develop some doubts too wthn you. So avod all these thngs. If you can get good company, where you can develop love for your Master or God, well and good; otherwse lve wth your own self. There s another thng that stands n our way that affects all, whether they are representatves, group leaders or anybody. That s when they say, I am bgger than the next fellow. They act and pose, they want to be the boss and naturally ths causes hatred and results n no progress. Ths atttude n due course becomes lke a church and an mposton. But Sant Mat, the Teachngs of the Masters, s colored through and through wth humlty, smplcty and love.128 So yesterday, I talked about the thngs, that f you follow them, wll brng more results n your devoton. Today, I have talked about what are the thngs that are mpedments on the way to devoton. These are thngs explaned and you have to follow them. The more you follow them, the more progress you wll have. Sometmes you progress and then all at once
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you feel barren. Why? It s because somethng else has ntervened, nterfered n the way. So we have to be very cautous. Thnk of God, or the God-n-man, n all your affars. Let the needle of your compass be ponted always to the north; then, you are safe. Love one another for the sake of the Master. If you love one another for the sake of the man concerned, ths wll stand n the way of our love for the Master. If you love the Master, then keep Hs commandments.129
The Words of The Master
HEN A PERSON comes to a Master, he must come wth an open-mnded outlook. Snce he knows that all hs actons htherto, ndvdual as well as socal, have not so far secured hm salvaton, he should bd goodbye to them and ask the Master for hs nstructons n the matter of sprtual practces. Havng obtaned hs nstructons, he must then follow them scrupulously, and that alone should consttute hs sole devoton. Whatever the Master ordans, that must be taken as Gospel truth, no matter whether t stands the test of mere human reason or not. Our ntellect and our reason, after all, are lmted and cannot reach the depths to whch the Master penetrates. He knows the why and wherefore of hs nstructons, and lke a fully responsble Feld Marshall ssues hs commands. We must therefore learn to obey hm mplctly lke a true solder, and do what he bds.130 We should try to carefully understand the Masters
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THE WORDS OF THE MASTER THE HOLY PATH
teachngs and what les behnd themnot waste tme n ntellectual wranglng and reasonng. When an offcer gves the orders to fre, the solder must fre, and the responsblty of the decson rests upon the offcer. So our duty s to obey, and de f necessary! As long as the condton of our mnd does not develop to ths knd of obedence, we wll not get the full beneft that the Naam has to offer us. The Guru s not gnorant of the pathways to sprtualty.131 Mere lp loyalty to the Master never pays. The Master wants full devoton to what he says, for theren les the ultmate good of the dscple.132 Persons who tme and agan meet the Master come to love hm more and more; and those who regard hs words as Truth become beloved of the Lord. Whatever the command of the Master may be, t must be followed wth unswervng zeal, so that you wll be able to take hold of the Shabd, whch wll lead you back to your natve home.133 Love of God means mplct obedence to Hm.134 The words of the Master cannot be detached from the Master. It s from the abundance of heart that the tongue speaks. The Master s embedded n the Word and hs words are expressons of what s n hm; that s, Word, Lfe-mpulse, and Power. How then can the two be separated from each other? Hs words undoubtedly perce through the hearts of the asprants and none other can know the sweet pangs from whch they suffer.135 It s absolutely necessary to serve the wll of the
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Master, for n dong so les the good of the dscple. Many people ndeed meet the Satguru, but that s not enough. For salvaton, one has to obey hm n thought, word and deed.136 He who obeys the Gurus every word wll realze the Lord. But we choose to modfy hs commandments to our own way of thnkng.137 Some people hear n one ear and t goes out through the other. Other people hear and gve out through ther mouth, that they know so much. Both of these thngs do not gve you any real beneft, unless that very thng forms a part and parcel of your lfe. The food that s dgested gves you strength; otherwse, t wll result n dseases, such as vanty and other thngs.138 We smply make an outer show of obeyng the Masters orders but do not lve up to them. Even n Hs absence, orders are orders. The very order s the Guru, s the Master. Those who pay obesance to the words of the Master are sure to be emancpated.139 Even f you obey the Masters words blndly, you wll beneft.140 He who obeys the Gurus wshes knows what God s. But do we obey? If only we would obey mplctly for sx months, we would see the magcal change n our condton. You can get salvaton n ths very lfe!141 Darshan, or havng a look at the Master, may gve you temporary peace and quetness of mnd, but the moment you go away the mnd begns to run rot agan, and regns supreme over body and soul. Thus, nothng but dong and performance count on the Path of the Masters. The Masters words snk deep nto the
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heart; one can hardly thnk of not followng hm.142 The Negatve Power comes n when we do not truly love, we do not obey, or we obey only so far as our mnd agrees. Ths s what s called the power of negatveness.143 It may be possble that He says somethng that does not appeal to your ntellect, but what s your duty? When the offcer n the feld orders, Fre, what wll the solder do? He must fre. The Master wll never say anythng whch s not becomng. It may be that you do not understand what He says at the tme, but He has some noble purpose behnd t for your betterment...144 Implct obedence and reverental humlty are two of the most helpful factors n sprtual progress.145 If there s a mound of flth, over whch a slken cloth s spread, do you mean to say that there wll be no odor from t? So we can deceve the world, but not the God wthn us. Take to your heart what s beng sad. See how far you have changed, or f you are the same man wth the same low nature. Outwardly you are makng obesance and payng homage, but the heart s not changed. What dd Chrst say? He sad, Change your hearts, for the Kngdom of God s at hand. Change your hearts, ths s what all Masters say. We dont lsten to ther words. We smply go on wth the outward thngs or do not seek further than the worldly thngs that we requre. How many are there here who have come only for Gods sake? If they have come for Gods sake they wll have Hm, sure and certan. If they have come for some other
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thng, then ... ? They wll have only that thng, not God.146 So t s sad that those eyes that do not see the Master should be taken out. Those ears that do not hear the voce of the Beloved, t would be better f they were deaf. That head s blessed that bows down to the feet of the Beloved. Guru Nanak and Shamas Tabrez sad that those arms should be broken that do not embrace the Master. So these are the feats of love. What does a lover want? Naturally to be near to the Master, the God n Hm of course. He wants to lsten to every word that the Master utters. He wll follow t at any cost. If ye love me, keep my commandments. These thngs follow as a matter of course, I would say. He who loves, wll follow what the Master says, whether he s n the Masters presence or away. The Master s Word personfed. Even f the dscple s thousands of mles away, he s stll beng watched, because the Master s the Word made manfest. Sometmes the Master also manfests physcally. So just meet wth the wshes of the Beloved. Ths s what love does. And what does t cost? It costs nothng. It asks only that you should have your whole attenton rveted on the Beloved. All other thngs wll follow naturally.147 The conduct of a dscplned ntate should reflect the greatness of hs vrtuous Master.148 To go to a great soul and not to follow hs teachng s to demean hm.149 If you act on what you are told, only one Satsang s suffcent for your salvaton.150
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The Physical Presence of The Master
OW THE QUESTION arses, how can we ncrease ths desre for God, or gve brth to t, f t s not yet awakened? By keepng the company wth hm who has what you want. If you wsh to be a wrestler, keep the company of a wrestler, or f you are nterested n learnng, then keep the company of a learned person. The radaton absorbed whlst n the company of a Sant wll brng untold beneft.151 The company of a person who s self-centered wll gve you the radaton of Hs lfe. Maulana Rum says, If you have the company of a Sant (Sants referred to n the scrptures are meant here, not the so-called masters wth whom the world s flooded today), and f you st by Hm for an hour, you wll have Hs radaton. You wll have more advancement and progress ths way than by puttng n hundreds of years of devoton.152 You can have Hs radaton where He s already manfest. Sttng close to the human body where God s manfest, even for a short tme, wll gve you qucker results. That s why Satsang, or the company of a Sant, s talked of very hghly n all scrptures. The process s quckened by radaton. The same God Power s wthn you but s not awakened. It wll be awakened at the tme of Intaton and further, t wll be gven a boost by the radaton of the Master. That s why t s sad that one lyrcal glance from a Sant that s radated to your soul from outsde can brng you up nto your own self and you wll see
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the Lght of God wthn you. So, one grace-pourng glance from a Master s suffcent for us. That wll gve a boost. That s what s meant by, Have the company of a Sant; the more you get the better. The more receptve you get by sttng near hm, the more beneft you derve. Smply to come and go wont do. It s receptvty that gves you substantal beneft. The more tme that you can spend n the company of a Sant, the better.153 The Gurus tongue s drenched wth the Lords nectar, and when t speaks a charged ntoxcaton radates forth; so wherever the Guru goes, he ntoxcates others. No matter how sweet may be the words of a lecture, f the person delverng t s not mbued wth the love of God, there wll be no sprtual effect. When the Gurus words are heard and put nto practce, all hunger leaves, and that chargng gves a tranqul and perfect peace. 154 Every word, every look, every move, every touch, even the aura of a Sant s endowed wth mercy, love and the grace of God. The atmosphere about Hm s charged.155 Indeed the personal aura of the Master has ts unrvaled and unque effect. No words can properly dscuss or descrbe ts grandeur.156 You are just to look at Hm, ntently, mnutely, penetratngly, forgettng everythng else. Receve mpressons, close your eyes and let those mpressons be mbedded n your heart.157
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REATH FOR BREATH, he remembers you. Wthout the Masters remembrance, love for hm cannot be born n the dscple. He sends out rays of love, and the dscple experences a strong pull toward hs Master. Ths s also a gft. Even f the dscple does not set hs attenton on the Master, the radaton goes on emttng, and the effect of ths s the makng of hm. If he becomes receptve, then the Master appears before hm.158 Receptvty s developed when all foregn thoughts are drven out. You reman and He remans. You are workng at the back of the eyes and the God-n-man s also workng there. The eyes are the wndows of the soul and He teaches others wthout any language, through the eyes.160 The lfe of one who s receptve wll become the abode of all good qualtes.161 The gracous Master Power s the constant and nearest companon of the ntate. He s fully aware of your nner prayers and adoraton.162 Master always holds the hands He takes. There s never a thought of loosenng that tght hold. Master Power wll never leave nor forsake the ntate untl the end of the world. He s a fathomless ocean of love ncarnate. Love knows only gvng. So He gves and gves. He contnually sends Hs grace to them. When the ntate sees the Masters nner glory and charm and lstens to the strans of Musc, he or she must respond, no
Receptivity
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matter what those who are gnorant may say. Ths s a gft of the Master.163 Moreover, when Master ntates someone, He resdes wth hm; He watches all of hs actons, gudes hm further where t s needed; especally those who turn ther faces to Hm. If you forget, He does not forget.164 See Hm present n every experence and remember He s always wth you, ready to assst whenever you turn your thoughts to Hm.165 I should also lke to say a few words about the numerous personal problems whch the dear ones refer to me for a soluton to ther dffcultes. Whle I am happy to gve the rght gudance, t should also be remembered that those ntated by me are looked after by the gracous Master Power workng overhead, Who s ever wth Hs chldren and can solve all of ther problems f they but put themselves n a receptve mood. In ths regard, an applcaton of sound common sense together wth a calm consderaton of the facts can work wonders n developng receptvty to the Master Power. Receptvty s the key whch can not only solve your materal dffcultes but can also unlock the Kngdom of Heaven wthn you.166 Hs words were lke soothng balm on ther raw wounds. The truth s that there s great power n the attenton, and when one s helpless and feels that there s no hope, one wll get full protecton and assstance by turnng ones face toward the Master. Whenever you feel lonely or lost, remember sweetly the Master and nvoke Hs help and f t s a tme that you can
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st n medtaton, do so wth love and devoton. The true way to God starts when you rse above bodyconscousness. There s no other way.167 I dd fnd a Frend for youa frend who s even now watng patently for you to turn to Hm. He s constantly by your sde lovng you, wantng to share your lfe, wantng your love, your thoughts and fath. It s you who have drawn a thck screen of varous thoughts n between you and your Frend. Try to remove ths screen, then you wll see a Frend watng wth outstretched arms to embrace you wth Love, to stand by you all through ths lfe and thereafter. Do not despar, you are much loved. If only you would shed your negatve atttude and be receptve, everythng would be yours. He s wth you always, extendng all feasble help. If we turn our face to Hm, He wll be constantly wth us, perceptbly and mperceptbly.168 Help and protecton s always extended by the Master to Hs followers. He looks after ther comforts n every way, both outer and nner. Even the effects of the reactons of the pastfrom the gallows to an ordnary pn prckso much concesson s gven. As the mother sacrfces everythng for the sake of her child, even so does the Master sacrifice everything for the sake of Hs chldren. The follower, n fact, does not dream of what the Master does for hm. He flls hs followers wth Hs own thought, wth Hs own lfe mpulses. When we remember Hm, He remembers us wth all Hs heart and soul. He s not the body.
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He s the Word personfed, the Word made flesh. To get the full beneft of the Master Power, the dscple must develop receptvty. It s mpossble to develop receptvty untl mplct obedence s gven to the commandments of the Master. When you pay heed to the Masters commandments, then that s a sgn that you are growng n love for Hm, and the more you grow n love for Hm, the more receptvty you wll develop. When you begn to develop ths receptvty, all dscomfort wll vansh and you wll truly begn to tread the Path n the frm assurance that you are on the rght way, together wth the lovng companonshp of one who wll demonstrate more and more Hs greatness and Hs power on each step of the way, untl you fnd that t s the very God Hmself who s your Gude and Mentor, who wll never leave you untl he has safely escorted you back to the true home of the Father.169 The more tme you have n drect contact, so much the better. If not, because t s not possble to have t 24 hours of the day, then develop receptvty by sttng n your rooms. If that s developed, then you can go anywhere and stll have t. So the Word s pervadng everywhere. It vbrates throughout the unverse and s especally concentrated n the Word made flesh. One vbraton from Hm also vbrates throughout the unverse. It s only a queston of becomng receptve to t, thats all. In that way t makes no dfference whether a man s sttng here or afar. It s a matter of becomng attentve, receptve to the Word or Shabda,
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whch pervades everywhere. Where t s manfest, that vbrates and that vbraton goes on throughout the world. You know who the Master truly s now? Such lke Masters are spoken of n all the scrptures.170 When you come to a place where a Master s sttng, you should forget everythng. Forget the envronment around you and who s sttng by you. Just be fully attentve to the eyes of the Master, whch s where Hs soul has ts play. You must become receptve to derve the full beneft of the company of a Sant. Those who come near the Master, and ther mnd s, what you say, tossng about from one place to another, and rpples are constantly arsng n the pond of ther mnd, cannot develop receptvty. They cannot receve the full beneft of radaton that comes from the Master through Hs whole body and especally through the eyes. Ths beneft you can derve even when sttng thousands of mles away. Through a rado, you hear what a man s sayng from a long dstance. Through a televson, you also see who s speakng. The Word s everywhere. Word or Naam or Shabda are all one and the same. So the vbraton of the man n whom the Word s manfest permeates through the whole world. Those who become receptve by stllng ther mind and intellect, derive full benefit. Kabir says, If the Master resdes thousands of mles across the seas and the dscple resdes ths sde, he should just drect hs attenton to the Master. The Word s everywhere; you have just to become receptve. When you become
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receptive, you will derive the full benefit of Satsang.171 What I am tellng you s a very delcate pont, of course. You may be lvng for years wth the Master and yet not develop Lfe. As you thnk, so you become. That Lfe becomes nfused n your lfe f you become receptve. You wll become One, no more two. That s why Sant Paul sad, It s I, not now I, but Chrst lves n me. Ths very thng has been gven out by almost all Masters, whether they came n Inda or abroad. Maulana Rum says, I am so much flled up wth my Master that I have forgotten what s my name, whether He s n me or I am n Hm. I cannot dfferentate. So ths s somethng whch comes to the fate of those who become receptve. He s all wsdom, grace, mercy and love. These qualtes can be developed n you by becomng receptve, not by word of mouth. By word of mouth, you wll understand at the level of the ntellect, but Lfe cannot be radated, nfused n you, unless you become receptve. You follow my pont?172 Master Power s always wth you, workng overhead, extendng all feasble love and protecton. A lovng father would not lke to see hs chld reman n the cradle forever, but would be happy to see the chld stand up and walk and wll surely offer hs hand to the chld n hs efforts to stand up and walk. 173 The road s very long, but he gves hs tme to each ndvdual; after all, he has great love for each and every onewhat can he do? 174 To expand our capactes for recevng progres-
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svely uprasng llumnaton may not always be easy; but the Master s patent n Hs Wsdom, and from out of Hs vast sprtualty, Hs assstance remans forever at hand untl we jon Hm n Sach Khand, the fnal ever-blssful Home of our true Sprtual Beng.175 Man has not to exert hmself, except n mouldng hmself ethcally and morally to that clmax of love, sncerty and humlty, whch wll produce the necessary state of receptvty n hm. Everythng else s n the hands of the Master.176 Please do not greve over your nablty to be more receptve to the dvne grace. Slow but steady wns the race. Fragrant flowers are fashoned nto farness delcately under Dvne Wll . . .177 When the Sound Current s strong, t remnds you that He s always wth you, workng overhead extendng Hs grace. Turn your face to Hm and beneft therefrom.178 You wll agree that t s the lovng devoton and the angushed cry of the soul, when the mercy s nvoked and one gets attuned.179 Who can teach you The Art of Lovng except Hm who s Love Personfed and s over-flowng wth the ntoxcatng Love of God and all creaton. There s no greater Love n all the world, than the Love of God and the Word made flesh. Whoever thnks of Hm, reads of Hm, talks of Hm and medtates on Hm, wll become lke unto Hm. Know that nothng should stand between you and your Master. The more you gve yourself n complete self surrender, the more
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you shall receve.180 How wonderful t s to surrender completely to one who s Competent and Lovng and to feel Hs lovng presence and grace workng n every sphere of lfe. The more one s able to develop receptvty by keepng Hs Commandments, the more he or she s able to feel, retan and enjoy Hs grace. The Masters grace s boundless.181 When the Word becomes manfested somewhere, and you become receptve to t, your mnd wll be stlled. You can reflect your own self n t, and can also reflect God wthn you. The only thng that stands n the way between God and you s the mnd. You are not to put n anythng from outsde. It s already there. When the turbulent waves of the mnd are stlled you can see your true face n t.182 You can only become receptve through love. The man who has love, even whle sttng wth thousands of people, stll remans all alone, because hs whole attenton s rveted on the Master, wth whom he s concerned. Ths s the way that you can develop receptvty.183 The dscples attenton should be drected toward hs Master. The speed of attenton s very fast. One can judge from the force of electrcty; the pranas or lfe currents have faster speed than electrc current, and the attenton s faster than pranas.184 Telepathy has now conclusvely proved how heartstrngs between ndvduals play n unson, rrespectve of dstance between the two. There s a tremendous power n thought vbratons and ther range s un-
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lmted. Thus, the sympathetc chords between the Master and the dscples carry slent messages of love to and fro between them wth a force that s unmagnable. Ths wonderful relatonshp one can establsh wth God. By beng n tune wth the Infnte, one can, by force of thought, do a lot of good to others, as at bottom all are embedded n the same sol, the Dvne ground.185 When a dscple remembers the Master, he experences wthn hm a soothng nfluence and a sort of Dvne ntoxcaton. Ths s known as telepathy or sympathetc communcaton from heart to heart from a dstance. In the same way we can, by tunng our attenton wth the Infnte, draw upon the great good of others. For ths purpose one has to unte hs self n the Dvne ground wheren all are embedded, and from there pass on the heavenly nfluence to the ndvdual or socety desred to be benefted. In ths atttude, one has not to place the desres of others before the Creator, but has smply to nvoke Hs lovng pleasure and awat Hs Grace to work out the desred result.186 We should always look up to the Master to gude us wthn, as nobody else can. It s, therefore, of great mportance that we should constantly be algned wth the Master and owe lastng allegance to Hm, and not allow anybody to come n between Hm and ourselves. All the brothers and ssters n fath should lovngly cooperate for ths hghest purpose of lfe, and n no way allow themselves to be dstracted by anybody, regardless of how hghly evolved or developed one
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may look. It s an undvded affectonate obedence whch strs the ocean of compasson and mercy wthn, and the gracous Master extends Hs kndly protecton and tmely help to the chld dscple, whether one knows t or not.187 There are Satsangs and near Satsangs. By near Satsangs I mean one who has come n closer touch wth the Guru. Ths teachng s the same for all chldren, but those who become receptve come closer to the Master; they get a specal protecton. Though hs protecton s extended to everyoneall are fed and eat the same breadyet the chld who s more hungry wll receve more food.188 So, receptvty s mportant for success n all phases of lfe, both mundane and sprtual, and t can be acheved by followng ths rght understandng. Frst, one must lead a God-lke lfe; second, the sprtual dares must be mantaned n the accurate way; and thrd, one must learn to develop receptvty. If you succeed n the frst two, the thrd wll follow of tself.189 Sprtually cannot be taught; t must be caught lke an nfecton whch s passed on to others who are receptve.190 When a dscple comes near a Master, the latters atmospherc nfluence s felt accordng to the degree of receptvty developed. When he or she has grasped the theory of the teachngs of the Sants, and has taken up the Way, t may be as an expermental measure at frst, and full convcton comes only when
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he or she sees wthn. The evdence of others can only gve nducement to take up the way, but frsthand experence s convncng, however small t may be.191 The Immaculate Naam s the constant companon of each ntate. The more a chld grows n awareness, the more he or she wll apprecate the sweet lovng help extended by the Master Power, the Immaculate Naam.192 Those who are put on the Way, each thng comes up to them to awaken a hgher outlook whereby the dscple may see the God Power workng through all. To such ones there are books n rvulets and sermons n stones.193 The Master always holds Hs dscples n the nnermost heart center. After all, they all are Hs chldren. He does not look at ther unworthness. He s there to make them worthy. He cannot leave themHs love s so great.194 Please learn to be receptve to Hs grace and feel Hs kndly presence, rdng wth you on the buses, chattng wth you n the street, sttng wth you n the park, by your offce desk, and accompanyng you every mornng to the offce, slowng down by the lly pond to check new flowers and walkng wth you n the evenng all the way back by the new moon. Master s always wth the dscple and never leaves hm or her untl the end of the world. The Father wll never dsown Hs chldren.195
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Live in Gods Will: Become a Conscious Co-Worker of the Divine Plan

None can describe the condition of one who has made Gods Will his own; Whoever tries to do so, must realize his folly. No supply of paper, pen or scribe can ever describe the state of such a one. O, great is the Power of the Word; But few there be that know it.196 JAP JI The Master sets before us the goal, whch s to attan complete oneness wth the Lordthe One Beng. We can reunte wth the Source from whch we once emanated, and regan our permanent abode n the Home of our Father, where joy and peace regn supreme beyond the reach of annhlaton and gnorance, beyond all mseres of the troubled ocean of lfe.197 There are three thngs requred of a Skh or the dscple n relaton to hs Master to enable hm to create receptvty of the Masters favor. He must sacrfce hs body, hs mnd and hs possessonsnay, even hs very lfe should be consecrated at the feet of the Master. It s not because the Master s covetous of any reward from Hs dscple, but that the dscple
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LIVE IN GODS WILL THE HOLY PATH RECEPTIVITY
should sacrfce all he holds dear n ths lfe. The Master does not accept a speck of t, but gves them back, all ntact, as a sacrfcal offerng. He nstructs the dscple not to defle hmself by msuse of hs possessons, but to make the best use of them to the beneft of hs brethren, the poor and the needy, the sck and the nfrm, so as to help n the harmonous development of all around hm. Let the dscple stand before hs Master wth hs all at Hs feet, but the Master would accept naught out of t. He would thus stand n full resgnaton, ready to receve the Grace of the Master and the begnnng of hs realzaton. He has to make hmself a vehcle for the Master, lke a rebeck or a lyre to be played upon, creatng sweet symphones of the Holy Naam. All socal connectons, all attachments to worldly possessons, all clngng to name and fame, all the physcal comforts, all the evl thoughts surgng n the mnd, are to be placed before the Master, to let Hm work Hs Wll through them.198 A dscple who follows the wll of the Master gets the Elxr of Lfe n hs own rght, and wns the Kngdom of God as hs brthrght.199 Please, my Lord, listen to my appeal: I wish only to be at thy Feet. To be at Hs Feet means to obey hmto surrender unto Hm. He would lke to dye you n the same color as hs own soul. In deep humlty he has sad I want to be at Your Feet. He s wearly acknowledgng hs defeat n the world; t s not a matter of force. It has
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also been sad that by force you cannot get, and by force you cannot gve. You can nether gan the nner knowledge by force, nor can you learn to leave the body at wll by force. Whoever feels that he can acheve anythng through force s welcome to try and see. All s n the Lords hands; f He wants to gve anythng, then you wll receve. He most defntely wll gve to one who wll surrender to Hs Feet. Dwell only on the understandng that the Guru has gven; mbbe the vrtues theren, and as you thnk, so you wll become. In ths way you wll absorb the radaton.200 He who becomes conscious of the Divine Plan is the True Man. In the true sense, the Lords man s one who becomes a conscous co-worker of the Dvne Plan. How does he recognze the Lords commands? By the Gurus blessing, he unravels himself. Also, through the Gurus blessing, he recognizes His commands by dying while living. At the tme of death the soul wthdraws from outer envronments and leaves the body. If ths can be done whle lvng, when the soul rses up she sees that Power at work, and retans the knowledge conscously. Unless that happens, one cannot truly know the Lords commands. When he knows Hs commands n truth, he becomes a man n the true sense of the word.201 When you become the conscous co-worker of the Dvne Plan, who s there to brng you back to the world? You may have been away from God for
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LIVE IN GODS WILL THE HOLY PATH
thousands of years, but once you meet a God-n-man, He gves you a contact wth God. If you develop t, then naturally your comng and gong s ended and you wll go back to your Home.202 God wants, love demands, every sacrfce from us. Who s the lover of God? It s He who can sacrfce everythng n the Name of God. Can we? Can we say that we have love for God? For trflng thngs we say that we have no tme to remember God. So love demands sacrfce of everythng, even of your lfe, what to speak of outer thngs.203 Dscpleshp truly conssts n unswervng devoton and resgnaton to the Wll and Pleasure of the Master. By complete resgnaton, all mental chatterng s thrown overboard and then there are no more cravngs or desres. The tumultuous hubbub of the lfe of the senses s replaced by calm and collected serenty born of resgnaton and true renuncaton. It s n these slent hours that the sprtual conscousness begns to dawn.204 This body, this wealth, this mind, I have given to the Master. It does not mean to gve the body lterallythat belongs to those wth whom you are connected, as a reacton of the past. The Master gudes your soul, so your soul should be surrendered to hm, not the body. By gvng the mnd, you should thnk as he wants you to thnk, and your wealth used for good causenot for msuse, or to harm the lves of others. Share wth others, and then eat. Thnk of everythng as beng the Gurus property gven n
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your safekeepng, and use t n a lke manner. If you do all ths, what happens? You receve Par Brahm (God beyond Brahmand).205 Self-surrender was the natural corollary of such fath and love, and Baba Js letters return nsstently to ths theme: Be not lost n yourself. Let ths thought be frmly and unshakeably fxed n your mnd: Body, mnd and wealth, nrat and surat, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feetyea all that s n the world s the Satgurus. I myself am nothng. Whatever you are dong, do t as Satgurus and always seek to do what s the best. Do not forget ths even for a moment, but take t as a hidayat, a commandment. (24th May, 1901) Never let the dea of mne-ness fnd a place n your heart. Even f you get the lordshp of Brahmand, do not regard that you have any share n t: I am only an agent. Everythng s the Satgurus. Let the Masters njuncton be ever n your mnd: I am nothng, I am nothng, I am nothng, and let the remembrance of the Lord be your constant thought and the form of the Satguru be maged n your heart always.206 (7th September, 1900)
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What the Lord consders best He s dong. Do not brng yourself nto the pcture. Lve by the words of the Master and contnue performng your earthly dutes. When the frut s rpe, t wll fall of ts own accord, wthout njury to tself or the bearng branch, and the rpe frut s held n great value. But f we pluck the unrpe frut forcbly from off the tree, the branch s njured and raw frut shrvels and s of lttle use. Meetng a competent Master s the fulfllment of human brth: ths s the frut of lfe. To lve by hs commandments ensures ts proper nurture. Daly Smran and Bhajan to the maxmum possble are ts best food and nourshment and mergence wth Shabd s ts rpenng and fallng off. (3rd March, 1899) Such was the progress of the soul. Its rpenng was a matter of steady growth. Supported by the words of the Master, nourshed by Bhajan, and borne on the Shabd Dhun, t transcended realm after realm untl t left all coverngs of mnd and matter behnd and reached Sach Khand. Ths was ts True Abode, the realm of pure sprt. From there mergng nto the Dvne t receded progressvely nto the Formless, untl, passng through the Alakh and Agam, t reached the Anam, the Nameless and Formless source of all that moves and has ts beng.207
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I qute apprecate your adoraton for the Master and your angush for mergence nto Hs Dvnty. Please relax so that the gracous Master Power engulfs you n Its splendor and glory. Let the ego be completely annhlated and you emerge out of and above the plane of dualty, forgettng all about your I-hood. Self-denal and abnegaton s another steppng stone to the clmax of Sprtualty. Be completely mmersed n the sweet glory of Hs remembrance, altogether oblvous of the past or future. Just resgn and surrender n favor of Hs Dvne Wll. The Nectar of Lfe needs a most transparent receptacle, to be poured nto, for dstrbutng to the thrsty chldren.208 The elmnaton of the ego s the only remedy for lberaton from the unendng cycle of brths and deaths. It s a clear test of those who have realzed at-one-ment wth the Everlastng Dvnty, the sprtual current dffused n the world. All labor undergone for total self-effacement s an effort n the rght drecton. The secret les n depersonalzng the soul of all that s personal. The many recpes for losng the I consciousness that flood the world today fail to gan for us the Goal of Lberaton. For wth such methods, the ego feeds tself and grows from strength to strength and s not effaced. Unless we become conscous co-workers wth the Dvne Plan, we cannot become selfless.209 God s wthn you; He s not to come from outsde. It s your I-hood or ego that stands n the way. Ths
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ego comes up when you are conscous of the body, whether physcal, astral or causal. When you rse above the physcal body, the physcal I-hood s elmnated. When you rse above the causal body, then you wll completely understand who you are. Your wll s the wll of the Lord. The Lords wll s wthn you.210 Ego s the self-assertve prncple n man that makes hm feel that I do ths, or I do that. When one rses above body conscousness and knows hmself and becomes a conscous co-worker of the Dvne Plan, and sees that he s not the doer but s a mere puppet n the hands of God, he wll cease to be responsble for hs actons and wll become Jivan Mukta, or a free soul. The ego n man s part of the grand deluson that he s laborng under. It wll cease to act or wll be nullfed only when a great degree of purty has been attaned by the dscple, n whch all of hs actons wll reflect the Master n hm. Lke Chrst, he wll proclam: I and my Father are One.211 There s no place wthout God, and t s the heght of lluson to consder that Hs creaton s separate from Hm. The whole world s Hs mage, f Man could only see It.212 The devoton of oneself to the practcal sde of the teachngs wll prove the effcacy of the means devsed by Nanak. A calm and supreme joy begn to regn over the mnd at the very outset. Wth the progress of tme and practce, sweet symphones are set afloat n the lvng temple of the human frame, and a
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world of Heavenly Lght s made effulgent. Ultmately, man s brought to face the Effulgent Sprt n ts full swng. It s only then that the unverse appears full of the Lord and that there s nothng of the world that s not the Word.213 The blessngs of Har Naam are too numerous to be recounted. One who becomes dyed n the color of the Word always chants the glores of God. All hs works automatcally take the rght shape at the rght moment. What he wshes must happen, for Nature herself s at hs beck and call. He s freed from all lls and all evls. He loses all thoughts of I-ness and my-ness and never becomes vanglorous. He rses above the pars of oppostes: rches and poverty, comforts and dscomforts, pleasure and pan, fame and obscurty, for he remans n a state serene and wth equpose. The poson of mnd and matter can have no effect on hm. Whle n the world, he s no longer of the world, but s unattached and carefree; he moves about wherever he lkes. The llusons and delusons of the world do not affect hm. He escapes the sway of Kal (Tme) for tme has no bondage for hm, nor has space any lmtatons nor causaton any spell. He gans lfe everlastng and once agan wns back the Kngdom of God, the Garden of Eden from which he was driven because of his first disobedience to God. He not only saves hs own soul but through the power of the Word saves the souls of many others who come n contact wth hmyes, the souls of hs ancestors and descendants as well.
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Blessed ndeed s a person who has the good fortune to come nto the fold of a Sant Satguru and thus gans the summum bonum of lfe.214 When once ths contact wth Naam s establshed, the Sadhak always feels the presence of the Hgher Power and the Power remans forever wth hm wherever he may beon the snowy mountan tops or n the burnng desert sands. Revelng n the greatness of that Power, he leaves all hs cares to Hm and becomes ndfferent to everythng around hm. He cheerfully accepts whatever comes hs way as comng from Hm for hs beneft alone. He conscously sees the Dvne Wll at work and smlngly surrenders hmself to t wth words of genune grattude on hs lps. He has no longer any wshes of hs own except what may be of God. Now he works as a mere nstrument movng lke an automaton under the nfluence of that Power. He sees all creatures, hgh and low, just as tny specks set n an orderly harmony n the mmense Unverse surroundng hm. He now dvnes a processon whch s orderly, an order whch s harmonous, obeyng a Wll nfntely above hm and yet nfntesmally careful of hm. In ths way s establshed a complete harmony between the soul of man and the soul of the Unverse. At every step he cres forth, Let thy Wll be done.215
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Self-Surrender
HE ESSENTIAL advantage n the feld of sprtualty s to be found not wthout but wthn. It les not n the absence of outer opposton but n ones nner capacty for complete self-surrender and love; and outward obstacles may n fact act as tests and stmul for the development of ths capacty. Ths ablty to conquer the ego and to submt oneself to the Hgher Wll s as rare n the East as n the West, and wherever t can be found, there you shall observe the true grandmark of sprtualty. It s ths capacty that you must cultvate and develop f you really wsh to make substantal progress n the sprtual feld. I repeat that the path s not easy. You must crucfy your ego and lay your selfhood at the altar of love for your Master. Rome was not bult n a day and the True Abode of the Lord s not to be attaned wth a few weeks labor. Most seekers want quck results. They want mracles and sudden transformatons. But the seed germnates rapdly only n thn sol and then wthers away. The seed that must grow nto the lfe-gvng tree must grow more slowly. The scence of sprtualty, as t has been taught by all Masters and as t has been gven to you, s a perfect scence. Its truth has been demonstrated by some ntal experence. The rest depends on your effort. The Dvne Grace s ever ready to pour tself nto the vessel, but the vessel must frst be ready.216 A lovng fath n, and a complete surrender to the Wll of God or to that of Hs elect, the God-man,
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SELF-SURRENDER THE HOLY PATH
consttute the basc prncples for the lfe of the seeker after Truth. The sages and the scrptures alke all tell us that whle lvng n the world, we should not conduct ourselves as f we are of the world, but mantan an atttude of self-abnegaton or total detachment from the world and all that s of the world. We should, therefore, lve lke a lotus leaf whch has ts roots n the mre below but rases ts head far above n the lght of the glorous sun shnng over the murky water, or lke a royal swan that sals majestcally on the surface of the water whch s ts natve habtat, and yet can fly hgh and dry f and when t chooses or feels the necessty to do so. Ths knd of dsnterested solaton or separaton from ones surroundngs and above all from hs lower self, the body, the mnd, and the mental world, comes only when one dssolves hs ego or the ndvdual wll nto the Wll of God or the Wll of hs Guru, the God-man, for then he acts lke a mere pantomme n a dumb show whch dances and plays at the wll of the wrepuller behnd the screen. Ths s called complete self-surrender whch slently craves for Not my wll but Thy Wll, O Lord. Such an atttude easly helps a person become Neh-karma. Whle apparently dong one thng or another, he s now not dong anythng on hs own but s carryng out the Wll of hs FatherGod or hs Dvne Preceptor, for he verly sees wthn Hm the Dvne Plan as t s, and he s just drftng along the Great Current of
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Lfe and fnds hmself a conscous nstrument n the nvsble hands drectng all hs movements. Self-surrender then, means surrenderng ones everythng to God or Hs Elect, the Preceptor (Godn-man), ncludng ones body, rches and hs very self (the thnkng mnd). It does not mean a state of total bankruptcy for an ndvdual, as some mght be prone to thnk. The great God and Hs Elect are the gver of all these thngs and do not stand n need of those very gfts whch they have already gven freely and n abundance to ther chldren for ther best and legtmate use. We, n gnorance, thnk of these as our own and adopt an atttude of aggressve possessveness, and try to grab them by all means far or foul, and then guard them jealously wth all our mght and man. Attached to these gfts and clutchng them fast, we forget the Great Gver Hmself and heren creeps mperceptbly the great deluson, the root cause of all our sufferngs. No doubt, these thngs havng come to us, are ours, but they have been gven to us temporarly as a sacred trust to be utlzed accordng to the Wll of the Donor, whch, of course, s all perfect and mmaculately clean wth no flaw n t. But as we lve n the realm of matter, we, wth all our worldly wts about us, cannot escape attachng to us the gross mpressons, allowng them to accumulate freely from day to day untl they form a grante wall around us, and we, losng clarty of percepton, become blnd to the realty and come to dentfy the self n us wth the pinda and pindi-manas (the body and the bodly mnd).217
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Truly sncere dscples of the Masters, and the Masters themselves, always consder that they have no ndvdual exstence of ther own apart from that of the God-n-man or of God. Such people read the past, the present and the future as an open book and do thngs n conformty wth the Dvne Plan. Ths leads one to the rresstble concluson that God helps those souls who do Hs Wll. But ths s only for men of frm fath and s not to be taken as a means of escape for ordnary ndvduals lvng always on the plane of the senses, for they are governed by the law that God helps those who help themselves. The qualty of self-surrender, wth whatever degree of fath, does bear ts own frut, and quckly, accordng to the level at whch t s practced. By gradual experence one learns of ts full value as he advances on the Path untl he reaches a stage when he altogether loses hs own ego n the Dvne Wll and thus hmself becomes Neh-karma, the crown and glory of all human exstence. A lovng fath n the nherent goodness of God, and complete self-surrender to the Dvne Wll, lead one on the hgh-road to sprtualty wthout any great contnung effort on the part of the asprant. These two thngs consttute the secret sesame and the magc key that flngs wde open the portals of the Kngdom of God that les wthn the temple of the human body, whch we all are. 218 If once we rse above body-conscousness, then we know what we are, and how best to utlze our gfts n the servce of God and Gods plan, and not
447
n snful actvtes born of carnal appettes, selfaggrandzement, or as a means for acqurng temporal power for personal beneft and gan. Ths was the great lesson whch the sage Ashtavakra gave to Raja Janak after gvng hm a practcal experence of the Realty. We have n fact to part wth nothng but egostc attachment to the treasure house of the heart, and ths makes us none the poorer, for t but attracts more of the love-laden gfts from the Supreme Father when He sees the wsdom of Hs chld, a prodgal son before but now grown wser. Ths s called surrenderng the lttle self wth all ts adjuncts of body, mnd and rches, for the sake of the hgher self (soul) accordng to the Dvne Wll, and becomng Neh-karma, the very goal of lfe.219 Surrender to the feet of the Master means to merge ones ndvdual wll n the wll of the Master, and to completely place oneself at hs mercy. It s the surest and easest way to escape from all cares and anxetes. It comes only when a dscple has complete fath and confdence n the competence of the Master. Ths type of self-surrender s lke that of a completely helpless patent who, trustng n the skll of a competent surgeon, places hs lfe n hs hands and quetly submts hmself to the knfe and lancet.220 In exactly the same way, the work of the Master does not consst n merely teachng the theory of Para Vdya (Scence of the Beyond), but t ncludes the practcal demonstraton of results of sprtual experments, and help and gudance through all the
448
dscples dffcultes. A true frend does not only gve theoretcal lessons n how to escape from mnd and matter; he helps n effectng the escape tself. Suppose, for nstance, that a person has to go abroad. He wll begn by makng nqures as to the varous means of transportaton avalable: land, sea or ar, as he may choose. After he makes hs choce he enters the plane, shp or tran, and relyng on the skll of the operator, takes hs seat comfortably wthout the least anxety. Should the shp flounder, or the plane be caught n a storm, t s the duty of the captan or plot to take every possble care to save the conveyance along wth the passengers for whom he s responsble. In exactly the same way, an asprant for sprtualty has, after careful nvestgaton, to decde frst about the sprtual worthness of a Master, and then to submt hmself wholly and solely to hs authorty and drecton wthout any mental reservatons whatever; for He alone knows the turns and twsts of the sprtual path and s n a poston to act as an unerrng gude. The term surrender, therefore, means that a dscple should have full confdence n the skll and competence of the Master, and scrupulously follow and act on hs nstructons whatever they may be, whether n conformty wth hs own reason or not for hs reason beng lmted may be faulty or fall far short of the depth or prove uncertan. It s not for hm to queston the proprety of the Masters commandments. He must learn, lke a sol-
449
der, to obey hs command wthout knowng the why and wherefore of thngs; for the Master knows what s best and most sutable n each case. One must, therefore, obey the Master lterally, and straghtway engage hmself n the sadhan or sprtual practce and dscplne as t may be lad down for hm. Ths s the only way to sprtual success; there s no other.221 When a dscple entrusts hs all to the Master, he becomes carefree and the Master has of necessty to take over the entre responsblty; just as a mother does for her chld who does not know what s good for hm. As the dscple develops n hs sadhan, he fts hmself to receve more grace from the Master. Under hs knd and bengn nfluence, the dscple begns to thrve from day to day, and all hs wshes are fulflled wthout the least trouble on hs part.222 Self-surrender s not an easy task. To accomplsh t, one has to recede back to the poston of an nnocent chld. It means an entre nvoluton, a complete metamorphoss, supplantng ones own ndvdualty. It s the path of self-abnegaton, whch not everyone can take. On the other hand, the path of sprtual dscplne s comparatvely easy. Self-effort can be tred by anyone n order to acheve sprtual advancement. It s, no doubt, a long and tortuous path, as compared wth the way of self-surrender, but one can, wth confdence n the Master, tread t frmly step by
450
step. If, however, a person s fortunate enough to take to self-surrender, he can have all the blessngs of the Master quckly; for he goes drectly nto hs lap and has nothng to do by hmself for hmself. He s then the Masters Elect, hs beloved son, the son of God Hmself. But very rarely even a really blessed soul may be able to acqure ths atttude.223 Wth surrender to a Satguru, the Lord takes a Jva under Hs own protecton and grants unto hm the blessngs of Sahaj (.e., eternal happness). All doubts and fears now dsappear and he comes to hs own real Self.224 Endless are His praises, endless the words of commendation; Endless His works and endless His gifts; Endless His vision, and endless His inspiration; Endless and beyond understanding is His purpose; Endless His creation and endless the ends thereof. Endless mens search in anguish for His limits, but His limits cannot be found. Endless He is and none can know His end; The more we say, the more He is. Exalted is the Lord, and exalted His abode; More exalted still His Holy Word.
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He who reaches His height, He alone may glimpse Him. O Nanak, He alone knows His greatness; And it is only His glance of Grace, can lift us to His height.225 JAP J1
From Masters Messages
RISE, AWAKE, and stop not tll the Goal s reached s the tme honored message comng down, as t does from eternty, and I repeat t today wth all the emphass at my command. Make hay whle the sun shnes. The Kngdom of God verly s at hand and the Power of God unmstakably beckons you to t. Aval yourself of the golden opportunty that God has gven you, for human brth s a rare prvlege and thrce blessed s man. Make the most of t, whle there s yet tme. Let not dssensons creep nto your thoughts and corrode your progress n any way. You are one of the fortunate chldren of Invncble Lght. Lve up to that sacred Truth. Master Power s always wth you and wll be extendng you all the love and grace.226 There s need to take stock today where we stand, how far we have traveled. Let us do so calmly but serously. The journey may be long but has to be completed. Lfe s runnng out; let not van pursuts deflect us from our Noble Path. The grace of the
452
FROM THE MASTERS MESSAGES THE HOLY PATH
Master s overwhelmng and s extendng far and wde. Through Hs grace the long and tedous journey back to our Eternal Home s cut short and rendered full of melodous charm. Hs Gracous Love s overflowng, and He s watng for you at the back door of your eyes to receve you. Ours s to nvert and st at the door. Let our steadfast devoton and whole-hearted fath n Hm stand n our good stead.227 Love s the Lght of Lfe. Ths love s developed the more you pray from your heart and not lps, the more you are n contact wth the Lght and Sound Prncple of God-n-Acton Power, the holy Naam or Word wth whch you have been gven a contact. Ths course of lfe wll develop true humlty of the heart, whch s the secret of growth n God, for the lack of whch you are easly offended, become suspcous, upset when others speak ll of you, have secret desre to be popular, become dctatoral n your talk and conduct, rrtable, artfcal, ostentatous, complcated n your lfe and unknd to all those around you and below you. The true superman s the great man, who serves God wth humble heart. He s humble, smple, straghtforward, gentle, knd and reverent to all. When we forget ths, we have quarrels and controverses n the name of the Holy Cause we represent. The great Skh Gurus sad: Chld-lke smplcty and unattachment brng one nearer to God. So dd Chrst say: Except ye be as little children, ye cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.228
453
Your duty s two-foldcorporal and sprtualas you have the body and the sprt. Both are ntertwned and nterlnked and need to be performed dlgently and lovngly wthout dampenng your enthusasm n any way. For to shrk ones duty s tmdty, to face t wth determnaton s manly, to take the results wth cheer s bravery and to adjust ones lfe accordng to ones envronments s nvgoratng and peaceful.229 You have only to do your duty wth love, fath and enthusasm, and rse nto conscous awareness of the Great Power wthn you. Now or never should be the motto. There are no wndfalls as a general rule. You have to work your way up. Everyone reachng the top step has ascended the steps below.230 How can your lfe be sublme? Set up some deal before you and work for that wth heart and soul.231 If you want to be happy, make others happy. If you want to be blessed, bless others. Those who njure others, are njured. Such s the Great Law.232 Blessed ndeed s the hour when the Tmeless comes nto Tme, the Formless assumes a Form and the Wordless becomes the Word, and the Word puts on the mantle of flesh to dwell amongst us. Verly ye are, essentally and potentally, the Tmeless, the Formless and the Wordless. The Word s n you and you lve n and by the Word, though you may for the tme beng be lvng on the plane of senses and unaware of your real dentty.233 There s sufferng n the world, and men and women
454
wander n darkness. In such a world let us go about gvng love and compasson to all. Let us serve the poor and broken ones, serve our brothers and ssters, serve brds and beasts and all creaton n whom s the breath of Lfe. Let us not waste energy n questons and controverses. Let us lght a few candles at the altar of sufferng humanty. Ths wll be acheved by havng rght understandng, vz., all manknd s one. The soul n all s the essence of God. We are members of the same famly of God. We are all brothers n God. When we learn that God resdes n every heart we should have respect and love for all. Ths realzaton must dawn on manknd.234 In slence we test ourselves to fnd weaknesses to be weeded out. We have to wrestle wth darkness and develop moral muscles and receve the message of the sprt. We must be, for some tme at least, alone wth God. When we enter more and more nto slence, our desres wll be elmnated, purty attaned and the body and the mnd sanctfed, and we taste the Elxr of Naam Dvne and know how sweet the Name s. In slence the heart llumnes; vel after vel s removed. In the heart shneth the Lght, and the very slence becomes vocal, gvng vent to the Musc of the Spheres reverberatng n all creaton. When the Lght s seen shnng wthn your heart and the Musc of the Spheres becomes audble, you behold the Lght n all that s outsde, you see the one Lght n all. Ths s the Unversal Vson that the One s n all and all are n One. Blessed s he, the man of Illumnaton, for
455
wherever he be, he dwelleth wth the One Eternal.235 To attan ths Goal, purfy your nature by lvng a good life. Manifest truth, purity, love, selflessness and rghteousness n your lfe and actvty. Gve up all hatred, eradcate egosm and anger. Eschew volence; pledge yourself to love, sncerty, humlty, forgveness and non-volence. Abandon war. Abandon lust for power. Let the Law of Love preval amongst you, whch should be radated to all natons and races. Let true relgon of heart be the rulng factor of your lves. Love God, Love all, serve all and have respect for all, as God s mmanent n every form. Preach the Gospel of oneness. Spread the message of oneness and lve a lfe of oneness. There wll be peace on earth. Ths s the Msson of my lfe and I pray t may be fulflled.236 God s love and the Master (God-man) s Love Personfed. When our soul comes n contact wth Hs over-flowng love, we are saturated wth Hs love through and through, whch washes away all drt of sns of the past and merges us nto oneness wth the Father.237 You are protected by the Master Power workng overhead. Depend on Hm. You wll have all the necessary nner help. The Master s watng for Hs dear chldren to come to Hm wthn. 238 I have great love for all of you. Indeed, f you knew how much I love you, you would dance for joy. You would become so ntoxcated by Hs love
456
that t would carry you straght nto the arms of your Beloved wthn.239 The love of the Master for you s boundless.240 Let your nner self be overflowng wth the Love of the Master so much so that all thoughts of yourself be lost n Hm.241 God-Master sees all and showers grace on all who do the Wll of Hs Father.242 I am n Inda but my heart s wth you all and I send my heartfelt love to each one of you.243
457
THE HOLY PATH
458
REFERENCES BOOK ONE THE HOLY PATH
The references to the books of Krpal Sngh can be found n the followng edtons: The Jap Jisecond edton (1964) The Crown of Lifethrd edton (1970) Spiritual Elixirsecond (one volume) edton (1988) Morning Talksffth edton (1988) The Wheel of Lifesecond edton (1986) Prayerthrd edton (1970) Baba Jaimal Singhfourth edton (1987) The Mystery of Deathfourth edton (1986) Godmansecond edton (1971) Seven Paths to Perfection BOOK ONE
32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62.
References
THE HOLY PATH

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1972, p. 5 Morning Talks, pp. 150-151, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 152, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 152, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, August 1972, p. 5 Morning Talks, pp. 152-153, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 151, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1973, p. 14: Crcular 27 p. 11 Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 10 Sat Sandesh, August 1969, p. 10 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 69-70, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 70-71, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 71, 72, 73, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, January 1970, p. 13 Morning Talks, pp. 60-61, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, January 1970, p. 7 Spiritual Elixir, p. 295, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1971, pp. 5-6 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 11 Prayer, p. 84 Sat Sandesh, September 1972, p. 20 Prayer, p. 85 Prayer, p. 86 Prayer, p. 87 Sat Sandesh, March 1969, p. 3 Prayer, pp. 40-41 Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 4 Spiritual Elixir, p. 24, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1970, p. 4 SantThe Master (crcular), p. 6 Sat Sandesh, December 1973, p.5 Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 19 Spiritual Elixir, p. 209, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 21 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, March 1969, p. 3 Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 16 Spiritual Elixir, p. 209, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 215, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 28, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 32-33, 88 ed. Jap Ji, pp. 117-118, 64 ed; p. 157, 72 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 202, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 13 Simran, p. 10 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 25 Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, May 1969, p. 3 Sat Sandesh, September, 1970, p. 15, Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 9 Spiritual Elixir, p. 208, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 217, 88 ed. Simran, pp. 3-4 Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, November 1971; p. 32 Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 19 Spiritual Elixir, p. 235, 88 Sat Sandesh, December 1973, p. 10 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 218-219, 88 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, pp. 5-6 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 5 Crown of Life, pp. 144-145
459
REFERENCES BOOK ONE THE HOLY PATH

63. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 15-16, 88 ed. 64. Simran, p. 10 65. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 57 66. Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 28 67. Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 23; Crcular 17, p. 4 68. Intaton Crcular 69. Naam or Word, p. 275 70. Naam or Word, p. 278 71. Naam or Word, p. 279 72. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 81 73. Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 11 74. Sat Sandesh, December 1969, p. 30 75. Spiritual Elixir, p. 52, 88 ed. 76. Sat Sandesh, July 1971, pp. 30-31 77. St. Petersburg Darshan, December 4, 1972 78. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 83 79. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 13 80. Morning Talks, p. 187, 88 ed. 81. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, back cover 82. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1972, p. 5 83. Spiritual Elixir, p. 109, 88 ed. 84. Sat Sandesh, July 1970, pp. 19-20; Crcular 22, pp. 2-3 85. Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 3 86. Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 4 87. Anahem Farewell Talk, November 1972 88. Sat Sandesh, July 1968, p. 11 89. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 5 90. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 11 91. Sat Sandesh, June 1972, p. 9 92. Spiritual Elixir, p. 87, 88 ed 93. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 5 94. Sat Sandesh, October 1970, p. 2 95. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 22 96. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 4 97. Spiritual Elixir, p. 74, 88 ed. 98. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 14 99. Sat Sandesh, July 1970, p. 20; Crcular 22, p. 3 100. Letter to an Intate 101. Santa Clara afternoon talk, November 17, 1972 102. Crcular 66, p. 2 103. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1970, p. 25 103a Sat Sandesh, November 1973, p. 14 104. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 22 105. Prayer, p. 1 106. Spiritual Elixir, p. 219, 88 ed. 107. Prayer, p. 14 108. Spiritual Elixir, p. 246, 88 ed. 109. Prayer, p. 66 110. Sat Sandesh, September 1972, pp. 18-19 111. Prayer, p. 58 112. Prayer, pp. 58-59 113. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 125-126, 88 ed. 114. Prayer, p. 43 115. Spiritual Elixir, p. 247, 88 ed. 116. Spiritual Elixir, p. 248, 88 ed. 117. Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 25; Crcular 3, p. 4 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 140a 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169. 170. 171. 172. 173. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 22 Selections of Letters From Master, p. 2 Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 4 Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, November 1970, p. 8 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1972, p. 9 Spiritual Elixir, p. 111, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 78 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, November 1970, p. 19; The Way of Love (Crcular), p. 2 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 23 Sat Sandesh, March 1969, p. 10 Cncnnat Talk, Vernon Manor, Nov. 4, 1972 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1972, p. 6 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 42 Jap Ji, p. 93, 64 ed.; pp. 121-122, 72 ed. Morning Talks, p. 151, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 9 Message on Baba Sawan Singh Jis Birthday, July Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 6 Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 8 Morning Talks, p. 59, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 130, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 131-132, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 61, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 6 Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 31 Sat Sandesh, August 1970, P. 20; Crcular 17, p. 2 Sat Sandesh, September 1972, p. 20 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, pp. 29-30 Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, September 1972, p. 24 Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 31 Sat Sandesh, September 1972, p. 22 Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 6 Spiritual Elixir, p. 306, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 302-303, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 93, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1969, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 8 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 75 Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 6 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 88-89, 88 ed. Man Know Thyself, pp. 15-17 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 24; Crcular 3, p. 3 Spiritual Elixir, p. 42, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February, 1970, p. 7 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 28 Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 9 Spiritual Elixir, p. 75, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 7 Sat Sandesh, January 1970, p. 13 Sat Sandesh, January 1969, p. 8 Spiritual Elixir, p. 117, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, pp. 30-31
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REFERENCES BOOK TWO THE HOLY PATH

174. Sat Sandesh, December 1972, p. 7 175. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 54 176. Sat Sandesh, January 1970, p. 15 177. Fort Lauderdale Talk, December 7, 1972 178. Cncnnat Talk, November 3, 1972 179. St. Petersburg Talk, Sandpper Hotel, Dec. 4, 1972 180. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 56 181. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 11 128. Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 11 183. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 27 184. Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 32 185. 186. 187. 188. 189. 190. 191. 192. 193. 194. 195. 196. 197. 198. 199. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 9 Spiritual Elixir, p. 139, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 23 Spiritual Elixir, p. 10, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 10 Fort Lauderdale Talk, December 8, 1972 Cncnnat Talk, November 3, 1972 Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 15 Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 8 Morning Talks, p. 248, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Spiritual Elixir, p. 301, 88 ed. Jap Ji, p. 90, Stanza v, 64 ed.; p. 118, 72 ed.
SELF- INSTROSPECTION
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 4 Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 4 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 23 Spiritual Elixir, p. 119, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 97, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 18 Morning Talks, p. 118, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 122, 88 ed. Crcular 66 Letter to an Intate Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 84 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 6 The Way of Love (Crcular) Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 29 Crcular 17 Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 30 Wheel of Life, p. 50, 86 ed Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 83 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1970, p. 25 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 30 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 30 Sat Sandesh, March 1972, pp. 3-4 Morning Talks, p. 154, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 8 Crcular 17, p. 4 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 7 Morning Talks, p. 119, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 156, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 153, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 46, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 121, 88 ed. Receptivity, p. 10 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 69 Receptivity, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 5 Morning Talks, p. 65, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 68, 88 ed. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. Morning Talks, p. 64, 88 ed. Crcular 27, p. 10 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 69 Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 31 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 69 Prayer, p. 48 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 78 Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 5 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 53 Crcular 22, p. 3 Spiritual Elixir, p. 102, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 53 Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 28 Wheel of Life, p. 48, 86 ed. Crown of Life, p. 153 Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 7 Crcular 17, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 24 Crcular 29 Spiritual Elixir, p. 300, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Morning Talks, p. 114, 88 ed. Prayer, pp. 17-18 Spiritual Elixir, p. 232, 88 ed. Prayer, p. 48 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 3 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 75 Spiritual Elixir, p. 249, 88 ed. Prayer, p. 81 Prayer, pp. 23-25 Receptivity, p. 16 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 43 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 22 Letter to an Intate
BOOK TWO
461
REFERENCES BOOK TWO THE HOLY PATH

74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 12 Crcular 66 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 42 Receptivity, p. 18 Crcular 66 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 19 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 10 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 6 Morning Talks, p. 213, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 15, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 16, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 14, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 128, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, pp. 31-32 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, pp. 74-75 Morning Talks, p. 16, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 124, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 126, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 6 Spiritual Elixir, p. 9, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 28 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 92-93, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 28 Spiritual Elixir, 94, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 212, 88 ed. Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 6 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, pp. 79-80 Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 26 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 6 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 27 Wheel of Life, p. 47, 86 ed. Sat Sandesh, November 1971, p. 10 Wheel of Life, p. 47, 86 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, pp. 5-6 Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 29 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 8 Crcular 2 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 5 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 9 Crcular 2 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 53 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 21 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 4 Morning Talks, pp. 63-64, 88 ed Morning Talks, p. 192, 88 ed Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 19 Seven Paths to Perfection, pp. 12-13 The Crown of Life, p. 153 The Crown of Life, p. 138 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 10 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 19 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 53 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 27 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 10 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169. 170. 171. 172. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183. 184. 185. 186. 187. Letter to an Intate Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 61 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 60 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, pp. 60-61 Morning Talks, p. 101, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 10 Spiritual Elixir, p. 78, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 59 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, pp. 11-12 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 7 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 13 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 28 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 3 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 8 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 10 Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 26 Wheel of Life, pp. 46-47, 86 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 25 Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 30 Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 17 Morning Talks, p. 190, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 191, 88 ed. Morning Talks; p. 103, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 194, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 228, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 227, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 227, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Spiritual Elixir, p. 109, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 115-116, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 110, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 111, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 32 Crcular 2 Morning Talks, p. 22, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 9 Morning Talks, p. 20, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 27 Morning Talks, p. 21, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 70 Crcular 3 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 70 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 14 Spiritual Elixir, p. 48, 88 ed. Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 19 Crcular 3 Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 25 From a tape recorded by Bob Redeen, Sept. 1970
462
REFERENCES BOOK THREE THE HOLY PATH

188. 189. 190. 191. 192. 193. 194. 195. 196. 197. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205. 206. 207. Sat Sandesh, August 1974, p. 25 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 73 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 73 Crcular 2 Spiritual Elixir, p. 106, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 74 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 95-96, 88 ed. Crcular 29 Wheel of Life, p. 46, 86 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 112, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 11 Morning Talks, p. 2, 88 ed. Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 23 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 8 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 9 Wheel of Life, p. 46, 86 ed. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 32 Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 18 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215. 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223. 224. 225. 226. 227. 228. 229. 230. Morning Talks, p. 2, 88 ed. Chrstmas Crcular, December 1967 Morning Talks, p. 11, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 138-139, 18 ed. Seven Paths to Perfection, p. 24 Spiritual Elixir, p. 290, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 211, 88 ed. Wheel of Life, p. 49, 86 ed. Morning Talks, p. 11, 88 ed. Seven Paths to Perfection, pp. 26-27 Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 5 Morning Talks, p. 187, 88 ed. Jap Ji, p. 82 Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 8 Morning Talks, p. 171, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 169, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 169, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 52, 88 ed. Jap Ji, pp. 48-50 Jap Ji,, p. 51 Jap Ji, p. 51 Jap Ji, p. 53 Jap Ji, p. 54
MEDITATION
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 7 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 188-190, 88 ed. Simran, p. 18 Spiritual Elixir, p. 210, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 32 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 2 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 8 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 8 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 6 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 23 Sat Sandesh, May 1971, p. 7 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, pp. 7-8 Spiritual Elixir, p. 140, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, January 1972, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, pp. 28-29 Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 7 Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 11 Letter to an Intate Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 19 Letter to an Intate Sat Sandesh, October 1971, p. 2 Sat Sandesh,, September 1971, p. 15 Spiritual Elixir, p. 261, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 231, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 204, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 6 Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 101, 87 ed. Naam or Word, pp. 148-149 Naam or Word, pp. 142-143 Jap Ji, pp. 30-31 Jap Ji, pp. 31-32 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. The Crown of Life, pp. 144-146 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 169-170, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 4 Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 32 Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 8 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1970, p. 23 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 54 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 75-76, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 260, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 2 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 31 Sprtual Elxr, pp. 154-155, 88 ed. Jap J, pp. 33-34 Spiritual Elixir, p. 260, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 44, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 26 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 50 Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, January 1972, p. 11 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 132-133, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 147, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 151, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 265, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 11 Jap Ji, p. 36 Naam or Word, pp. 152-153 Jap Ji, p. 95 Jap Ji, p. 96 Jap Ji, p. 96
BOOK THREE
463
REFERENCES BOOK THREE THE HOLY PATH

63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. 113. 114. 115. Jap Ji, p. 96 Jap Ji, pp. 95-96 Spiritual Elixir, p. 181, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 44 Spiritual Elixir, p. 283, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 57 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 41 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 25 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 26 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 27 Spiritual Elixir, p. 187, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 172, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Letter to an Intate Spiritual Elixir, pp. 156-157, 88 ed. Crcular 4, p. 4 Spiritual Elixir, p. 144, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, November 1971, p. 31 Meditation and Spiritual Progress (Crcular) Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 57 Receptivity, p. 8 Spiritual Elixir, p. 174, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 162, 88 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 101, 87 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 23 Spiritual Elixir, p. 158, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 152, 88 ed. The Way of Love (Crcular) Spiritual Elixir, p. 276, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 188, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, October 1970, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, pp. 3-4 Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 122, 87 ed. Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 32 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 72 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 26 Spiritual Elixir, p. 142, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, January 1972, p. 11 Spiritual Elixir, p. 183, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 182, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 45 Sat Sandesh, November 1970, p. 3 Spiritual Elixir, p. 140, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 226-227, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 209, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 62-63, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 17-18, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 14 Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 105, 87 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 49 Letter to an Intate Letter to an Intate Spiritual Elixir, p. 137, 88 ed 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169. 170. 171. Spiritual Elixir, p. 223, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 130, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Crcular 29, P. 9 Meditation and Spiritual Progress (Crcular) Morning Talks, p. 114, 88 ed. Simran, p. 16 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 22 Simran, p. 15 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 150-151, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Spiritual Elixir, p. 175, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 82, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 137-138, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 80-81, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, January 1972, p. 5 Christmas Message, December 9, 1969 Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 103, 87 ed. Godman, pp. 104, 105, 107, 108, 112 Spiritual Elixir, p. 83, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 156, 88 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 103, 87 ed. Sat Sandesh, May 1970, p. 13 Spiritual Elixir, p. 207, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 138, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 13, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 78, 88 ecl. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 13-14, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 63 Simran, p. 8 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 129-130, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, November 1971, p. 19 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 22 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 20 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 253-254, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 158, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 87, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp, 261-262, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 192-193, 88 ed. Meditation and Spiritual Progress (Crcular) Spiritual Elixir, pp. 1-94-196, 88 ed. Meditation and Spiritual Progress (Crcular) Meditation and Spiritual Progress (Crcular) Spiritual Elixir, pp. 173-174, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 174, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 175, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 165, 88 ed. Mystery of Death, p. 130, 86 ed. Letter to an Intate Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p.23 Spiritual Elixir, p. 164, 88 ed. Meditation and Spiritual Progress, p. 3 Spiritual Elixir, p. 190, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 146, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, pp. 50-51 Spiritual Elixir, p. 68, 88 ed.
464
REFERENCES BOOK FOUR THE HOLY PATH

172. 173. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183. 184. 185. 186. 187. 188. 189. 190. 191. 192. 193. 194. 195. 196. 197. Letter to an Intate Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 30 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 29 Spiritual Elixir, p. 75, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 68, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 6 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 68-69, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Spiritual Elixir, pp. 43-44, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 80, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 81, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 81, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 82, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 44 Spiritual Elixir, p. 255, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 44 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 9 Morning Talks, p. 165, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 56 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 21 Spiritual Elixir, p. 252, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 31 Sat Sandesh, March 1970, p. 14 Spiritual Elixir, p. 21, 88 ed. Crcular 27, pp. 14-15 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205. 206. 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215. 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 223. 224. Prayer, p. 62 Crcular 27, p. 10 Sat Sandesh, February 1971, p. 31 Crcular 27, p. 5 Crcular 27, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, January 1970, p. 12 Crcular 27, p. 10 Letter to an Intate Crcular 27, pp. 6-7 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 45 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 15 Spiritual Elixir, p. 73, 88 ed. Crcular 27, p. 16 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 19 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 20 Sat Sandesh, September 1972, p. 19 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 16 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 21 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 18 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 44 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 25 Letter to an Intate Sat Sandesh, December 1973, p. 10 Crcular 27, p. 7 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 72 Letter to an Intate
NEW LIFE IN THE WORLD

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. Wheel of Life, pp. 61-62, 86 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 1-2-3, 88 ed. Ruhani Satsang, pp. 21-22 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 42 Letter to an Intate Morning Talks, p. 229, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 238, 88 ed. Jap Ji, p. 81 Jap Ji, p. 82 Spiritual Elixir, pp. 87-88, 88 ed. The Master on Marrage (Crcular) Spiritual Elixir, p. 295, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 222, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 10 Spiritual Elixir, p. 285, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 286, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 255, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 124, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 285, 88 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 99, 87 ed. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p 12 Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 11 Morning Talks, pp. 154-155, 88 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 97, 87 ed. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. Morning Talks, p. 80, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1972, pp. 6-7 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 14 Receptivity, p. 12 Spiritual Elixir, p. 90, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 78 Spiritual Elixir, p. 160, 88 ed. Message on brthday of Baba Sawan Sngh, July 68 Spiritual Elixir, p. 238, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 16, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 31 Sat Sandesh, March 1972, pp. 2-3 The Way of Love (crcular) Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 26 Message on brthday of Baba Sawan Sngh, July 68 Crcular No. 2 Masters Brthday Message, February 1963 Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 2 Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 29 Spiritual Elixir, p. 290, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 132, 88 ed.
BOOK FOUR
465
REFERENCES BOOK FOUR THE HOLY PATH

Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 79 Spiritual Elixir, p. 102, 88 ed. Crcular No. 17 Morning Talks, p. 18, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 52 51. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 52 52. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 292-293, 88 ed. 53. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 30 54. Spiritual Elixir, p. 105, 88 ed. 55. Spiritual Elixir, p. 92, 88 ed. 56. Spiritual Elixir, p. 124, 88 ed. 57. Sat Sandesh, February 1971, pp. 9-10 58. Spiritual Elixir, p. 291, 88 ed. 59. Spiritual Elixir, p. 236, 38 ed. 60. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 62 61. Spiritual Elixir, p. 240, 88 ed. 62. Spiritual Elixir, p. 237, 88 ed. 63. Crcular No. 27, p. 9 64. Crcular No. 27, p. 10 65. Spiritual Elixir, p. 292, 88 ed. 66. Spiritual Elixir, p. 8, 88 ed. 67. Spiritual Elixir, p. 211, 88 ed. 68. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 10 69. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 14 70. Spiritual Elixir, p. 214, 88 ed. 71. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 28 72. Spiritual Elixir, p. 255, 88 ed. 73. Spiritual Elixir, p. 178, 88 ed. 74. Letter to an Intate 75. Crcular No. 68 76. Spiritual Elixir, p. 163, 88 ed. 77. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 6 78. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 11 79. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 9 80. Crcular No. 27, p. 5 81. Spiritual Elixir, p. 99, 88 ed. 82. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 63 83. Letter to an Intate 84. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 53-54, 88 ed. 85. Morning Talks, pp. 69-70, 88 ed. 86. Letter to an Intate 87. The Master on Marrage (crcular) 88. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 20 89. The Master on Marrage (crcular) 90. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 78-79, 88 ed. 91. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 60 92. Spiritual Elixir, p. 241, 88 ed. 93. The Master on Marrage (crcular) 94. Letter to an Intate 95. Letter to an Intate 96. Letter to an Intate 97. Spiritual Elixir, p. 237, 88 ed. 98. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 62 99. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 103-104, 88 ed. 100. Letter to an Intate 101. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 6 47. 48. 49. 50. 46. 102. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 26 103. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangs, p. 54 104. Spiritual Elixir, p. 213, 88 ed. 105. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 26 106. Spiritual Elixir, p. 46, 88 ed. 107. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 26 108. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 27 109. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 27 110. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 29 111. Spiritual Elixir, p. 244, 88 ed. 112. Spiritual Elixir, p. 84, 88 ed. 113. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, pp. 26-27 114. Sat Sandesh, June 1970, p. 28 115. Letter to an Intate 116. Mornng Talks, pp. 21-22, 88 ed. 117. Sat Sandesh, June, 1970, p. 27 118. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 17 119. Baba Jaimal Singh, pp. 104-105, 87 ed. 120. Wheel of Life, pp. 31-32, 86 ed. 121. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 24 122. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 177-178, 88 ed. 123. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, pp. 55-56 124. Morning Talks, p. 127, 88 ed. 125. Spiritual Elixir, p. 287, 88 ed. 126. Spiritual Elixir, p. 280, 88 ed. 127. Spiritual Elixir, p. 132, 88 ed. 128. Spiritual Elixir, p. 263, 88 ed. 129. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 42 130. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 16 131. Spiritual Elixir, p. 292, 88 ed. 132. Wheel of Life, p. 50, 86 ed. 133. Spiritual Elixir, p. 263, 88 ed. 134. Message on brthday of Baba Sawan Sngh, July 68 135. Prayer, p. 58 136. Spiritual Elixir, p. 253, 88 ed. 137. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 26 138. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 80 139. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 27 140. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 24 141. Prayer, p. 47 142. Prayer, p. 50 143. Prayer, p. 57 144. Prayer, p. 43 145. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 51 146. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 122, 87 ed. 147. Crcular No. 2 148. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 11 149. Spiritual Elixir, p. 126, 88 ed. 150. Spiritual Elixir, p. 4, 88 ed. 151. Spiritual Elixir, p. 155, 88 ed. 152. Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 14 153. Morning Talks, p. 233, 88 ed.
466
REFERENCES BOOK FIVE THE HOLY PATH

154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169. 170. 171. 172. 173. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183. 184. 185. 186. 187. 188. 189. 190. 191. 192. Morning Talks, p. 206, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 55, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 146, 88 ed. Crcular No. 2 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 56 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 72 Letter to an ntate Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1971, p. 31 Morning Talks, p. 140, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 267, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 254, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 141, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 142, 88 ed. Wheel of Life, p. 48, 86 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 81 Spiritual Elixir, p. 39, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 284, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, November 1970, p. 5 Crcular No. 27, p. 15 Sat Sandesh, October 1970, p. 8 Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 31 Spiritual Elixir, p. 220, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 252-253, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, July 1971, p. 30 Spiritual Elixir, p. 83, 88 ed. Crcular No. 2 Morning Talks, p. 43, 88 ed. Crcular No. 2 Man Know Thyself, pp. 28-29, 88 ed. Wheel of Life, p. 31, 86 ed. Letter to an ntate Wheel of Life, pp. 52-53, 86 ed. Letter to an ntate From a tape from Sawan Ashram, February 1970 Letter to an ntate Baba Jaimal Singh, pp. 85-86, 87 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 86, 87 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 87, 87 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 133, 88 ed. 193. 194. 195. 196. 197. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205. 206. 207. 208. 209. 209a. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215. 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223. 224. 225. 226. 227. 228. 229. Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 25 Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 26 Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 26 Crcular On Mltary Servce Crcular No. 69, August 18, 1969 Spiritual Elixir, p. 127, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 263, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 28 Sat Sandesh, December 1970, pp. 9-10 Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 14 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 52 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 10 Spiritual Elixir, p. 271, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 54, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 74 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 14 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 74 The Wheel of Life, p. 36, 86 ed. Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 4 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 6 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 9 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 10 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 10 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 10 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, pp. 13-14 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 14 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, pp. 14-15 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 15 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 15 Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 15
NEW LIFE IN GOD

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. Crcular No. 17 Morning Talks, pp. 35-36, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 228, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 57-58, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 29 Morning Talks, p. 48, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 46, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 32, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 105, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 48-49, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 255-256, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 211, 88 ed. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. Morning Talks, p. 204, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 12 Morning Talks, p. 205, 88 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 121, 87 ed. Morning Talks, p. 221, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 230, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 50, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 26 Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 11 Morning Talks, p. 207, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 221-222, 88 ed.
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24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. Spiritual Elixir, p. 124, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 40, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 257, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 115, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1972, pp. 7-8 Morning Talks, p. 215, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 130-131, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 205, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 103, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 206, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 222-223, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 203-204, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 204, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 204, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 46, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 37-38, 88 ed. Baba Jaimal Singh, p. 96, 87 ed. Morning Talks, p. 207, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 206, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 207, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 251, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 233, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, January 1971, p. 12 Morning Talks, pp. 246-247, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, November 1971, pp. 28-31 Sat Sandesh, November 1971, p. 28 Simran, pp. 11-12 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 3 Spiritual Elixir, p. 184 Simran, p. 15 Simran, p. 20 Spiritual Elixir, p. 184, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 134, 88 ed. Simran, p. 15 Spiritual Elixir, p. 172, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 184, 88 ed. Wheel of Life, p. 37, 86 ed. Simran, p. 30 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 12 Simran, p. 21 Simran, p. 24 Spiritual Elixir, p. 169, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 305, 88 ed. Simran, p. 23 Simran, p. 24 Letter to an Intate Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 21 Spiritual Elixir,, pp. 174-175, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 45 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 54 Sat Sandesh, February 1972, pp. 12-13 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 52 Morning Talks, p. 153, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1970, p. 10 Godman, pp. 156-157 Morning Talks, p. 143, 88 ed. Godman, pp. 156-157 Godman, p. 159 Godman, p. 161 Godman, p. 160 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110. 111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. Godman, p. 140 Godman, p. 162 Godman, p. 161 Godman, p. 158 Spiritual Elixir, p. 259, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, November 1970, p. 5 Prayer, pp. 55-56 Prayer, p. 56 Crcular: Sant, the Master Sat Sandesh, January 1968, p. 28 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 11 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, pp. 6-7 Morning Talks, p. 185, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, November 1970, p. 3 Crcular: Sant, the Master Spiritual Elixir, p. 280, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 227, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p.29 Prayer, p. 58 Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 78 Spiritual Elixir, p. 105, 88 ed. Crcular: The Way of Love Prayer, p. 57 Crcular: Humlty p. 2 Crcular: Humlty p. 2 Crcular: Humlty p. 2 Crcular: Humlty p. 2 Crcular: Humlty p. 3 Crcular: Humlty p. 4 Crcular: Humlty p. 3 Crcular: Humlty p. 4 Morning Talks, p. 95, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 94, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 97, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 251-252, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 95-96, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1970, p. 2 Spiritual Elixir, p. 118, 88 ed. Godman, p. 187 Sat Sandesh, May 1971, p. 9 Morning Talks, pp. 98-99, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 99,88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 100, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 101-102, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 102-103, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 103, 88 ed. Godman, p. 184 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 32 Godman, pp. 184-185 Godman, p. 188 Morning Talks, p. 224, 88 ed. Godman, pp. 186-187 Godman, p. 189 Sat Sandesh, March 1971, pp. 14-15 Morning Talks, p. 225 Morning Talks, p. 134, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, March 1971, p. 15 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 9 Godman, pp. 185-186 Sat Sandesh, June 1971, p. 32 Morning Talks, pp. 131-132, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 103, 88 ed.
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146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151. 152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169. 170. 171. 172. 173. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183. 184. 185. 186. 187. 188. 189. 190. 191. 192. 193. 194. 195. 196. 197. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205. 206. Morning Talks, pp. 43-44, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 47-48, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, Aprl 1968, p. 5 Sat Sandesh, August 1970, p. 12 Morning Talks, p. 68, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 187-188, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, February 1972, p. 32 Spiritual Elixir, p. 203, 88 ed. Letter to an Intate Morning Talks, pp. 110-111, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 13 Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 14 Morning Talks, p. 164, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 164, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 213, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 215-216, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh,, October 1971, p. 18 Spiritual Elixir, p. 93, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 10 The Night Is a Jungle, p. 314, 84 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 207-208, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 82 Morning Talks, p. 189, 88 ed. Morning Talks, pp. 185-186, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 164, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 118, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 11 Spiritual Elixir, p. 77, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 112, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 74 Spiritual Elixir, p. 262, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 157, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, p. 52 Spiritual Elixir, p. 259, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 187, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 166, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 11 Prayer, pp. 50-51 Prayer, pp. 52-53 Crcular 27, p. 12 Sat Sandesh, September 1970, p. 12 Receptivity, p. 14 Spiritual Elixir, p. 108, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 213, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 178, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 147-148, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 218, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 309, 88 ed. Jap Ji, p. 97 Jap Ji, p. 82 Jap Ji, pp. 66-67 Godman, p. 190 Sat Sandesh, September 1971, p. 31 Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 10 Morning Talks, p. 224, 88 ed. Morning Talks, p. 221, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 272, 88 ed. Sat Sandesh, December 1971, p. 14 Baba Jaimal Singh, pp. 95-96, 87 ed. 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215. 216. 217. 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223. 224. 225. 226. 227. 228. 229. 230. 231. 232. 233. 234. 235. 236. 237. 238. 239. 240. 241. 242. 243. Baba Jaimal Singh, pp. 105-106, 87 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 90, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, pp. 256-257, 88 ed Morning Talks, pp. 60-61, 88 ed. Excerpts from Letters to New York Satsangis, 81-82 Sat Sandesh, March 1972, p. 10 Jap Ji, p. 81 Godman, pp. 190-191 Prayer, pp. 76-77 Crcular 17 Wheel of Life, pp. 76-77, 86 ed. Wheel of Life, pp. 80-81, 86 ed. Wheel of Life, pp. 78-79, 86 ed. Godman, p. 177 Godman, pp. 177-179 Godman, p. 179 Godman, pp. 180-181 Godman, p. 59 Jap Ji, pp. 107-108 Spiritual Elixir, p. 341, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 311, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 361-362, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 327, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 328, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 345, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 347, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 337-338, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 331, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 368, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 329, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 320, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 332, 88 ed. Brthday Message, January 1970 Spiritual Elixir, p. 322, 88 ed. Chrstmas Message, December 1962 Spiritual Elixir, p. 326, 88 ed. Spiritual Elixir, p. 321, 88 ed.
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THE HOLY PATH
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BOOKS BY KIRPAL SINGH THE HOLY PATH
BOOKS by Kirpal Singh

CROWN OF LIFE A comparson of the varous yogas and ther scope; ncludng Surat Shabd Yogathe dscplned approach to Sprtualty. Relgous parallels and varous modern movements cted. Paperback; 256 pages; ndex. ISBN 978-0-942735-77-2 GODMAN If there s always at least one authorzed sprtual gude on earth at any tme, what are the characterstcs whch wll enable the honest seeker to dstngush hm from those who are not competent? A complete study of the supreme mystcs and ther hallmarks. 232 pages. Soft Cover ISBN 978-0-942735-64-2 Hard Cover ISBN 978-0-942735-70-3 A GREAT SAINT: BABA JAIMAL SINGH His Life and Teachings A unque bography, tracng the development of one of the most outstandng Sants of modern tmes. Should be read by every seeker after God for the encouragement t offers. Also ncluded, A BRIEF LIFE SKETCH OF THE GREAT SAINT, BABA SAWAN SINGH, the successor of Baba Jamal Sngh. He carred on Baba Js work, greatly expandng the Satsang and carryng t across the seas. Paperback; 230 pages; glossary; ndex. ISBN 978-0-942735-27-7 THE JAP JI: The Message of Guru Nanak An extensve explanaton of the basc prncples taught by Guru Nanak (1469-1539 A.D.) wth comparatve scrptures cted. Stanzas of the Hymns n Englsh, as well as the orgnal text n phonetc wordng. 189 pages; glossary. Soft Cover ISBN 978-0-942735-81-9 Hard Cover ISBN 978-0-942735-85-7 HIS GRACE LIVES ON Durng 17 days n the month of August 1974, precedng Hs physcal departure on August 21st, Krpal Sngh gave 15 darshan talks, mostly n the form of questons and answers, to a small group of Hs dscples at Hs ashram n Inda. These talks have been bound together wth the unabrdged text from Master Krpals address to the Parlament of Inda and Hs 1971 afternoon darshan talk, True Medtaton. Hard cover and paperback; 17 photos; 203 pages. Hard cover ISBN 978-0-942735-93-2 Soft cover ISBN 978-0-9764548-3-0
471

THE LIGHT OF KIRPAL A collecton of 87 talks gven from September 1969 to December 1971, contanng extensve questons and answers between the Master and western dscples vstng at that tme. A different version of this book was published under the title Heart to Heart Talks. Paperback; 446 pages; 15 photos. ISBN 978-0-89142-033-0 MORNING TALKS A transcrpton of a sequence of talks gven by Sant Krpal Sngh between October 1967 and January 1969. To gve further help and encouragement on the Way, my new book Morning Talks wll soon be avalable for general dstrbuton. Ths book, whch covers most aspects of Sprtualty, s a Godgven textbook to whch all ntates should constantly refer, to see how they are measurng up to the standards requred for success n ther manmakng. I cannot stress suffcently the mportance of readng ths book, dgestng ts contents, and then lvng up to what t contans. Master Krpal Sngh. Paperback; 258 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-16-1 NAAM or WORD In the begnnng was the WORD. . . and the WORD was God. Quotatons from Hndu, Buddhst, Islamc, and Chrstan sacred wrtngs confrm the unversalty of ths sprtual manfestaton of God n relgous tradton and mystcal practces. Paperback; 335 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-94-9 THE NIGHT IS A JUNGLE A compendum of 14 talks delvered by the author pror to 1972, the frst four of whch were gven n Phladelpha n 1955. The remanng ten talks were delvered n Inda. All of these talks were checked for ther accuracy by Krpal Sngh pror to ther complaton n ths book. Paperback; 368 pages; wth an ntroducton. ISBN 978-0-942735-18-5 PRAYER: Its Nature and Technique Dscusses all forms and aspects of prayer, from the most elementary to the ultmate state of prayng wthout ceasng. Also contans collected prayers from all relgous tradtons. Paperback; 147 pages; ncludng appendx; ndex of references. ISBN 978-0-942735-50-5 SPIRITUALITY: What It Is Explores the Scence of Sprtualty. Man has unravelled the mysteres of the starry welkn, sounded the depths of the seas, delved deep nto the bowels of the earth, braved the blndng blzzards of snowy Mount Everest, and s now out explorng space so as to establsh nterplanetary relatons, but sad to say, has not found out the mystery of the human soul wthn hm. Paperback; 103 pages plus ntroductory. ISBN 978-0-942735-78-9
472

SPIRITUAL ELIXIR Collected questons addressed to Krpal Sngh n prvate correspondence, together wth respectve answers. Also contans varous messages gven on specal occasons. Paperback; 382 pages; glossary. ISBN 978-0-942735-02-4 SURAT SHABD YOGA (Chapter 5 of Crown of Life) The Yoga of the Celestal Sound Current. A perfect scence, t s free from the drawbacks of other yogc forms. Emphass s placed on the need for a competent lvng Master. Paperback, 74 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-95-1 THE TEACHINGS OF KIRPAL SINGH Volume I: The Holy Path; 98 pages. ISBN 978-0-9764548-0-9 Volume II: Self Introspecton/Medtaton; 180 pages. ISBN 978-0-9764548-1-6 Volume III: The New Lfe; 186 pages ISBN 978-0-9764548-2-3 Defntve statements from varous talks and books by the author, reorganzed by topc to llumnate the aspects of self-dscplne pertnent to Sprtualty. Relevant questons are answered. Ths collecton allows the reader to research by topc. Three volumes sold as one book; 464 pages ISBN 978-0-9764548-4-X Complete set n a sngle volume ISBN 978-0-942735-33-8 THE WAY OF THE SAINTS An encyclopeda of Sant Mat from every pont of vew. Ths s a collecton of the late Masters short wrtngs from 1949 to 1974. Included s a bref bography of Baba Sawan Sngh, the authors Master, plus many pctures. Paperback; 418 pages. ISBN 978-0-89142-026-2 THE WHEEL OF LIFE & THE MYSTERY OF DEATH Two books n one volume. The meanng of ones lfe on earth and the Law of Karma (the law of acton and reacton) are examned n the frst text; n the followng text, the reader s presented wth the whys and wherefores of the great fnal change called death. Paperback; 293 pages; plus ndex for the frst text; and ntroducton. ISBN 978-0-942735-80-2 THE WHEEL OF LIFE Avalable n hard cover; 98 pages plus glossary and ndex ISBN 978-0-9764548-5-4 THE MYSTERY OF DEATH Avalable n hard cover; 125 pages ISBN 978-0-9764548-6-1
THE THIRD WORLD TOUR OF KIRPAL SINGH Ths book was prnted drectly from the pages of Sat Sandesh magazne, the ssues from October 1972 through February 1973, whch were prmarly devoted to Master Krpal Snghs Thrd World Tour. 160 pages, 80 black and whte pctures.
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BOOKLETS HOLY PATH SINGH THE BY KIRPAL
BOOKLETS BY KIRPAL SINGH

GOD POWER / CHRIST POWER / MASTER POWER Dscusses the ongong manfestaton of the Chrst-Power and the temporal nature of the human bodes through whch that Power addresses humanty. Chrst exsted long before Jesus. Paperback; 32 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-04-8 HOW TO DEVELOP RECEPTIVITY Three Crcular Letters (of June 13, 1969; November 5, 1969; and January 27, 1970) concernng the atttudes whch must be developed n order to become more sprtually receptve. Paperback; 20 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-05-5 MAN! KNOW THYSELF A talk especally addressed to seekers after Truth. Gves a bref coverage of the essentals of Sprtualty and the need for open-mnded cautousness on the part of the careful seeker. Paperback; 30 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-06-2 RUHANI SATSANG: Science of Spirituality Brefly dscusses The Scence of the Soul; The Practce of Sprtual Dscplne; Death n lfe; The Quest for a True Master; and Surat Shabd ISBN 978-0-942735-03-1 Yoga. Paperback; 36 pages. SEVEN PATHS TO PERFECTION Descrbes the seven basc requstes enumerated n the prescrbed self-ntrospectve dary whch ad mmeasurably n coverng the entre feld of ethcs, and help to nvoke the Dvne Mercy. Paperback; 20 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-07-9 SIMRAN: The Sweet Remembrance of God Dscusses the process of centerng the attenton wthn by repeatng the Orgnal or Basc Names of God gven by a true Master. Paperback; 34 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-08-6 THE SPIRITUAL AND KARMIC ASPECTS OF THE VEGETARIAN DIET An overvew of the vegetaran det contanng a letter from Krpal Sngh on the Sprtual aspects, a letter from Sawan Sngh on the karmc aspects, and excerpts from varous books by Krpal Sngh. Paperback; 36 pages. ISBN 978-0-942735-47-5
Books, Booklets and Audio-Visual Material of Master Kirpal Singh can be ordered from this address or directly online.
RUHANI SATSANG 250 H St. #50, Blane, WA 98230-4018 USA 1 (888) 530-1555 Fax (604) 530-9595 (Canada) E-mal: MedaSales@RuhanSatsangUSA.org www.RuhanSatsangUSA.org
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