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CHAPTER THREE GRADATIONS IN
MASTERSHIP MASTERS are of
four different types: The father, the mother, the
preceptor or teacher, and lastly, Satguru (Spiritual Guide
or Murshid-i-Kamil). Of all of these, Satguru is the
greatest teacher, for he imparts spiritual
instructions alone. One who is well-versed in worldly wisdom
is called acharya or preceptor, for he gives us rules
of social conduct and of ethical life. Satguru or Master
of Truth is also known as Sant Satguru. His relation with
his disciples is purely a spiritual one, as he is
concerned with the advancement of spirit and has nothing to
do with worldly matters. From the viewpoint
of spiritual attainments Gurus may be classified
as: Sadh Guru, Sant Satguru, and Param Sant
Satguru. A Sadh is one who
has gone beyond the region of Trikuti (Onkar) which is
the same as Lahut in Sufi terminology and Hu in Islamic
theology. He has witnessed the spirit in its pristine
glory, after having rid it of all coverings, and is
now Trigunatit (beyond the three gunas: Satva, Rajas, and
Tamas, in which all human beings work according to their
natural and native instincts); beyond the five elements
(earth, water, fire, air and ether, of which the
physical world is composed); beyond the twenty-five
Prakritis (the subtle forms in varying degrees of the
elements); and beyond also mind and matter. In short, he is an
adept in self-knowledge, or the art and science of
spirit, and can, at will, disengage the spirit from
various koshas (sheaths or caskets) in which it is enclosed
like a priceless gem. The greatness of a
Sadh lies beyond the three gunas (as he is
Trigunatit). By a process of
self-analysis, he (a Sadh) has known the self or spirit
in its real form-to wit, that it is of the same essence
as God; and now he strives for God- knowledge. A Sant is one who
is adept not only in self-knowledge but in God-knowledge
as well. He far transcends the material,
materio-spiritual, and spirituo-material realms. Master of Truth as
he is, his abode is in the purely spiritual region,
technically called Sach Khand or Muqam-i-Haq, the Realm
of Truth. A Param Sant is
the Grand Master of Truth beyond all description
and hence ineffable. He is at one with what is variously
known as Anami (The Nameless One) of Kabir; Nirala
(Indescribably Wonderful), Mahadayal (Boundless Mercy)
or Swami (The Great Lord of All). There is no
material difference between a Sant and a Param Sant except
in nomenclature. But none of them,
whether a Sadh, a Sant, or a Param Sant, can act or
function as a Guru or Master unless he is competent to
impart spiritual instructions and he has been
commissioned from above to do this work. Whoever holds this
authority for spiritual work becomes a Sadh Guru, Sant
Guru, or Param Sant Guru, as the case may be. There may be a
number of Sadhs, Sants or Param Sants, but none of
them can of himself assume Guruship or spiritual
preceptorship without being commissioned for the work. So the terms Sadh,
Sant and Param Sant have a much wider
connotation than the term Guru, which is restricted to a
spiritual preceptor alone - the rest being only
spiritual adepts of varying degrees. The Guru holds a
direct commission from God, and works under
instructions just as any vice-regent would do on behalf of a
king. Again Gurus are of
two types: I. Swateh Sant
Gurus: They are born Sants who come into the
world with direct commissions; as for instance, Kabir
Sahib and Guru Nanak. They start the
work of spiritual knowledge and instructions right
from a tender age. They need no special training from
anyone, since they come from the Most High for this
purpose. Such beings, when they come, simply flood the
world with the light of Spirituality, and establish a
line of Gurmukh Gurus for carrying on the work long
after them. But in course of time, substance comes to
be sacrificed for show, and gradually Spirituality
disappears altogether. Then comes another
Master Soul to re-orient this most ancient
science according to the needs of the age. In this way,
"old wine" remains in circulation for souls athirst. Such
Master Souls do appear from time to time in different lands
and among different peoples. 2. Besides Swateh
Sants there are Sants who by devotional
practice and spiritual discipline under the guidance of some
Master Soul acquire spiritual merit here and are
granted a commission to work as a Guru. They already have
a rich spiritual background ripe for fruition, and
in the present span of life simply seem to complete the
process. Gurmukhs are always in the making from life
to life, and acquire perfection in this life. Kabir saith that he
came directly from the Kingdom of God and
held an instrument of instructions from
Him. Bhai Gurdas, while
speaking of Guru Nanak, tells us: First he got a
commission and then he worked it out. In short, the
former come with authority, and the latter acquire authority
while here. But there is absolutely no difference between
the greatness of the two, the nature and scope of their
work and the method by which the work is executed. Each
of them is endowed with equal authority, and
works out the grand plan of God according to the needs of
the time and of the people. But the rest who
claim this status and pose and act as Master Souls not
only deceive themselves but misguide the masses at
large. In this category are included persons who are
either greedy and selfish or those who are after name and
fame. In innumerably
different ways and wiles they practice deception on the
unwary and simple-minded seekers after Truth with a
view to serve their own ends. It is because of
such impositions that Guruship is being looked down
upon by most people, and no wonder that the science
of Spirituality is being stigmatized a a mirage and a
fool's paradise. |