CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX THE BLESSINGS OF
GOD AND THE MASTER THE PATH OF
SPIRITUALITY is not a highway that one may tread easily. It
is an arduous and an uphill task, tortuous and
difficult. In Katha
Upanishad, we find: Awake, arise and
get illumination by sitting at the feet of
Masters. The wise say this way is sharp as a razor
and as difficult to walk on. Farid, a Muslim
divine of great repute, says: O Farid! Get up
and tread the world over in search of some
Godly man, for then alone can you be truly
blessed. In the Holy Koran
this path is termed Pul-i-Sirat, and is described as
"sharp as a razor's edge" and "narrow as a hair." Bhai Gurdas also
speaks of Gur Sikhi (Master's Path) in the same words,
"narrower than a hair and sharper than a razor's
edge." Because strait
(narrow) is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find
it. MATTHEW 7:14 In the Vedas, too,
there are texts prescribing countless rules and
regulations for the performance of yogic asans and sadhans so
difficult that the thought of them makes one's hair stand
on end. With such
hardships ahead, how can a puny child of clay, powerless as
he is, constantly ridden by mind and matter, entangled
in the meshes of blind infatuation and beset with
desires, anger, greed, attachment and egoism, escape unscathed
by himself and become a successful pilgrim on the
Path? In such a weird
setting, all baffling and bewildering, with no way out,
God takes mercy on His creatures. He Himself comes down
in vile man's attire, to suffer woe so that His
children may be blessed. But again the same trouble confronts
us. To understand the
teachings of the Master and strictly follow them from
day to day, to confide in him and to completely
surrender one's self, body and soul, to his will, is not an easy
thing to do. Unless God and Satguru both take pity on a
jiva, he cannot possibly see through to Reality and escape
from bondage. Himself the Master
of the Universe, He may draw in a jiva,
and effect a union. We with our
limited understanding cannot even listen comprehendingly to
the Master's words. But in the
fullness of time when it so pleases God, He brings about a
meeting between a jiva and a Sant Satguru, who establishes
his contact with Naam - the power of God or God in action -
the Primal Sound Current, wherewith a jiva is
gradually led on and on until he reaches the source and the
fountainhead of Shabd or the Sound Current. 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 is in
the likeness of God, though in physical raiments. He, too,
is endowed with the same attributes as God Himself. He,
too, comes to save the sinners and administer His
Saving Grace among the rest. He washes the jivas clean of
their sins and gives the gift of Naam, which acts as a sovereign
remedy against all ills, physical,
accidental and spiritual. My Master takes
away all sins and I depend on him. Forgive
all my trespasses, O Master! Nanak
prays for this alone. Great are the
blessings of a perfect Master. With the worship
of Hari comes eternal bliss. The union with the
Lord is the gift of a perfect Master. Eternally
forgiven, I now soar limitless and free. The seventeenth
century English poet Dryden, speaking of Christ, tells
us: See God descending
in thy human frame; the offended,
suffering in the offender's name. All thy misdeeds
to Him imputed see; and all His righteousness
devolved on thee. The grace of the
Master is as limitless as his greatness, so much so that he
forgives even those who talk ill of him and accepts them
as his very own. One who talks ill
of the Master may yet turn around, To find his saving
grace leading him to his fold. Countless are the
persons whose sins are forgiven and are safely ferried
across the sea of life. With Shabd he
burns to ashes the Karmic impressions of
many a soul; Like a Captain, he
pilots the ship through many a shoal. The Master truly
is God. He is a sea of heaving compassion. All kinds of gifts
eternally flow from him like perennial springs of cool
and refreshing water. Narain (Creator)
in Guru is compassion incarnate and a true friend; In his pleasure is
everything, and Nanak is a sacrifice unto
him. The greatest gift
of God and Guru is just one thing - Naam. They always bestow
upon their devotees the blessings of Naam, and thus bring
about their salvation. Devotees of God
ever revel in Naam; with saving grace they ever
march on. The very sight of
Him is a rare blessing; the truly blessed can
have it; with the mercy of the Merciful,
Satguru confers the gift of Naam. In this world and
hereafter, there is no gift greater than that of Naam. Priceless is the
treasure of Naam; a True One may grant it at
his will. One can secure the
gift of Naam and thereby find an approach to God
through Satsang and Satguru. Whomever the
Master may bless, he may have the Love of the
Lord. The compassion of
God comes into commotion when one is truly
blessed by a Sadh, O Nanak. The saving grace
comes through contact with Naam, and continuous
cherishing of His love and saving grace in turn helps the
other way. Both grace and Naam work in reciprocity and
help in developing each other. O Nanak! Naam
comes from grace alone. There is no friend
other than Ram Naam. Getting above the
Pairs of opposites, stick to Naam and He shall
bless. The moment I
forget Truth, that moment is wasted. Remember Him with
every breath, and His grace shall be
with us. His grace descends
by acceptance of His bhana (will) and recognition of
His hukam (commandment). He who knows His
hukam has no occasion to regret; O Nanak! engrave
the gift of His Naam on thy soul. The seed of Naam,
once sown by a Saint, cannot but fructify - no power can stop it; and the jiva must sooner or later reach the goal, viz., self-realization and God- realization. Truth one gets through grace alone; none has the power to stop Its growth. Naam is watered by death-in-life, and Gurumukhs do it; God grants them this treasure and none can snatch It. Even Kal (Time) and Maya (Delusion) can have no effect on the seed of Naam, for It is conceived in a region much higher than their domains. Besides, the sower of the seed - the Satguru - is Sat Purush Himself (His manifested form); and so Ishwar (Niranjan, Lord of the Subtle Region) and Parmeshwar (Om, Lord of the Causal Region) cannot interfere in his work. The gift of the Guru is eternal; It has the saving grace for the recipient. The Shabd of the Master reigns supreme, O Nanak! The Master is no one but God. The blessings of the Supreme Lord are limitless and do not at any time suffer from scarcity, but one partakes of them only by extraordinary merit. A particle of grace is enough to save a jiva from the ceaseless cycle of transmigration. Once He showers His blessings, there is an end to endless births; As comings and goings cease, one at home finds eternal rest. It is only the Gurumukhs who get this grace and not the manmukhs. O Nanak! He does all by Himself, and Gurumukhs enjoy His favor. The bitter words of the Master taste sweet; His sweet words are a boon all his own; His words, whatever they are, bear fruit in abundance, But the idle words of others go in vain. One works out Naam through His grace alone. Thy grace alone helps in developing the power of Naam; Without any shortcomings, one ever engages in Naam. Man by himself is just a helpless creature and can do nothing. He must not therefore feel vainglorious for what he seemingly does. God alone is the Doer of all acts; He knows the innermost secrets of all hearts. The panacea for all ills and the only way to win God's grace is perfect surrender in all humility at the feet of the Master Soul. |