A Great Saint BABA JAIMAL SINGH: HIS LIFE AND TEACHINGS [1838 - 1903] This music streams from a transcendent
plane within. And is caught by a soldier Saint. Dedicated to the Almighty God working through all Masters who have come and Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj at whose lotus feet the writer imbibed sweet elixir of Holy Naam - the Word ______________________________________________________________ ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Grateful thanks are due
to all those who have, in one way or another, assisted in
the publication of this book; but Shri Bhadra Sena and
Vinod Ji may be mentioned in particular for their devoted labor
which enabled the finalization of the manuscript. KIRPAL SINGH TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE: THE GREAT TRADITION The God-way The rich heritage Rediscovering lost strands PART TWO: BABA JI - A BRIEF
BIOGRAPHY Early years The great search The consummation The Soldier Saint The Torch Bearer PART THREE: BABA JI & THE
SCIENCE SPIRITUAL The creation The Path of Liberation The Perfect Master Faith, love and self-surrender The life without The life within An ancient science Surat Shabd Yoga The Satguru or the True Master The Gurmukh or the genuine disciple The outer and the inner PART ONE:
THE GREAT TRADITION THE GOD-WAY The Way back to God is not of man's making but of God's, and it is free
from artifice and artificiality. God draws man back to Himself through His
chosen elect, the Godman, to whom the secret of the Path (the God-way) is
revealed directly or made manifest by some Sant Satguru, for the benefit of the
people. The Masters, the Messiahs, the teachers and prophets all the world over
fall into two categories with a separate mission assigned to each. There are,
on the one hand, those whose sole purpose is to keep the world going
harmoniously; and on the other hand there are those who are commissioned to
lead back souls who are ripe for home-going, and yearn for an early return to
the Source Spiritual from which they parted long ago before drifting downward
to the material plane. In the first category fall all the reformers, and in the
second such Sants and Sadhs as are competent to reveal the knowledge of God and
to make manifest the power of God in man. The process of ascent back to the Source is just the reverse of that of
descent down to the physical plane, and one has therefore to reintegrate
himself, to gather all his wandering wits at the still point of the soul - in
between and behind the two eyes - where time and Timelessness intersect, before
the spirit comes to its own and launches upon the Sea of Life for an inner
journey homeward. This, in fact, has been the sole theme of all sages and seers
everywhere. None of them, however, wanted to set up any new creed or
institutionalized religion. While referring to the existence of so many
religions and creeds in the world, all bristling with bewildering theories and
conflicting dogmas, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj used to remark,
"There are already so many wells all over, why should one dig any more
pitfalls and make confusion worse confounded?" God made man in His own
image; and man made religions, each in his own image, and in his zeal made
fetishes of them all. True religion in its inception is fresh and simple, like
a newly-born babe bubbling over with vital life, but in course of time, like
any other thing, it develops into an Institution; and with that it begins to
deteriorate, tends to lose its native vital elasticity born of the living touch
of the Master-spirit, and gradually comes to acquire a socio- economic
appearance. Instead of serving as a silken bond of love between man and man, it
becomes a source of constant strife, rancour and ill will, tearing class from
class and nation from nation. When the cup of human misery is filled to the
brim, then comes the Saviour with the message of hope, redemption and
fulfillment for strife-torn humanity. He
tries to redress the festering social wounds and preaches oneness and equality
to man in order to restore the equilibrium in the scales of human values. Alongside this, his main objective is to save human souls for a higher
purpose: a true life of the spirit as distinguished from that of the flesh. Such
indeed has been the goal of great Masters like Zoroaster, Mahavira, Buddha,
Christ, Mohammed, Kabir and Nanak, each in his own time, according to the then
prevailing conditions and people's aspirations; for they always try to lead
them from the line of least resistance, and dole out the basic goodness in
terms that may readily appeal to, and fit in with, their mental make-up for a
step higher in the process of evolution or unfolding of the spirit. This is what Saints do for the general run of mankind, deriving their inspiration from the great
reservoir of the spirit within, which is the same for all. THE RICH HERITAGE In the religious thought of modern India the period from the middle of
the fourteenth to the middle of the fifteenth century is one of outstanding
importance. It is an era in which an attempt was made to reorient religion and
present it in its simplest form: the form of true faith, universal love and
single-minded devotion as against the rigors of priestly ritualism and
fanaticism leading to intolerance and bigotry. Among the great teachers of the
period we find figures like Ramananda, with his principal disciples drawn from
various walks of life (Raja Pipa, Ravidas the cobbler, Saina the barber, Kabir
the weaver, Dhanna the jat, Narhari, Sukha Padmavati, Sursura and his wife,
etc.); Vallabhacharya, the famous exponent of the Krishna cult; Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu of Nadia in Bengal, with his characteristic stress on Hari-bhole or
chanting of the Lord's name; Namdev, the calico printer in Maharashtra; and the
great Kabir and Nanak in the North. None of them laid much stress on idol worship and observance of outer
religious forms and symbols. Self-purity, love and inner yearning were their
constant themes. Namdev said: Love for him
who filleth my heart shall never be
sundered; Nama applied
his heart to the True Name. As the love between a child and his mother, So is my soul
imbued in God. Kabir likewise said: It is needless to ask of a Saint the caste to which he belongs; The barber has sought God, the washerman and the carpenter; Even Ravidas was a seeker after God. The Rishi Swapacha was a tanner by caste. Hindus and Muslims alike have achieved that End, where remains no mark of distinction. Again he proclaimed: It is not by fasting and repeating the prayers and the creed That one goeth to heaven; The inner veil of the temple of Mecca Is in man's heart, if the Truth be known. So spoke Nanak: Abide in the pure amidst the impurity of the world; Thus shalt thou find the way to religion. This movement, however, attained its greatest heights at the hands of
Kabir (1398-1518) and his younger contemporary, Nanak (1469-1539). Both of them
rose above the fetters of the world and transcended religious barriers and so
were acclaimed alike by Hindus and Muslims both. Their teachings mainly centered around God and man and the relationship
between the two. Both of them were exponents of the Surat Shabd Yoga (Yoga of
the Sound Current or communion with the Holy Word), and their writings extol
this as the crown of life. If we study the essential core of any of the
religious teachings in its pristine purity and truth as it appeared in the
original sayings of the Masters - what they themselves actually practiced and
what they gave to their chosen disciples (Gurmukhs or apostles) - we cannot
fail to get an insight into the reality that they were, one and all, in one
form or another, votaries of the transcendental seeing and hearing, no matter
at what level; though to the laymen they gave their subtle thoughts in the form
of parables only, as otherwise they would not hear and much less understand
their teachings. Such world teachers serve as beacon lights in the stormy sea and try to
save humanity from floundering in the quicksands of time. Children of Light as
they are, they come to dispel the darkness of the soul and are naturally called
Guru, the dispeller of darkness: darkness born of ignorance of the true values
of life. They have unbounded love for all religions and religious heads and
have equal respect for all scriptures. Theirs is a universal fold that takes
in, in one long sweep, the entire humanity with all its variegated patterns and
colors, and steeps them equally in the love of God. Kabir tells us in this context: All our sages are worthy of veneration, But my devotion is for One who has mastered the Word. He further tells us that he, with his divine message, incarnated from
age to age for the benefit of the people. He appeared in all the four Yugas or
cycles of time: first as Sat Sukrat, then as Karna Mai, again as Maninder, and
finally as Kabir in Kali Yuga, the present phase of time. Guru Nanak also ceaselessly tells us of the great importance and supreme efficacy of the method of Surat
Shabd Yoga as the means of salvation: Like a lotus standing aloft out of the muddy pool, Or like a royal swan that flies high and dry out of
water, So does one by communion with the Word cross unscathed the fearsome sea of life. This in brief is the grand message coming down to us from the dawn of
creation, chanting out the path Godward. All the Indian Saints and many
Christian mystics practiced the inner science and contacted individual souls
with the saving lifeline within. (*1) (*1. For fuller details in this connection, the reader is referred to
"Naam or Word" by the same author, a study that gives a full account
of the teachings of the Masters in all ages.) Time and again, as people forget the reality, God's grace materializes
Itself in a human body, called a Saint, to guide erring humanity in the
time-honored eternal way. It is the privilege and the prerogative that the Most
High confers, and this authority is passed on according to Hisbehests. "The
wind bloweth where it listeth" and no one can lay down or predict any
rules of succession, place or time. This rich heritage goes from eye to eye and refuses to be bound to
traditional gaddis (so-called sanctified seats and sacred places), nor does it
depend on human sanctions of temporal or clerical character. Guru Nanak, with
his seat at Kartarpur, passed on his spiritual heritage to Bhai Lehna, who, as Guru
Angad, shifted to Khadur Sahib; while his successor Guru Amar Das was obliged
to transfer his seat to Goindwal. With Guru Ram Das, Amritsar came into being, and later on became the
headquarters of Guru Arjan. Thus we see that there is nothing special about
places as such. They owe their sanctity to the sanctifying influence of the
Saints who pass their time at one place or another. "All is holy where
devotion kneels." It is not the places that grace men but men the places. REDISCOVERING LOST STRANDS The stream of life rolls on ceaselessly in the endless course of time;
the power of the Timeless appears and disappears in the realm of relativity. Before proceeding with the life sketch of Baba Jaimal Singh Ji, it would
be worth our while to have a peep into the background that made him what he
was. It was indeed the power of Swami Ji that flowed through him in whatever he
did and wherever he worked, for he was wholly lost to himself and given over to
the Divine in him. In order to understand things in their proper perspective and link up
the history of our spiritual heritage, we will have to go back to Guru Gobind
Singh, the last of the ten Gurus in the line of succession to Guru Nanak. The Rani (Queen) of one Ratan Rao Peshwa, accompanied by Bhai Nand Lal,
came to the feet of Guru Gobind Singh for refuge. (*2) (*2 Cf. Shri Des Raj, Hindu Sikh Ithras.) Guru Gobind Singh traveled widely, penetrating the Himalayas in the
North and going to Deccan in the South. During his extensive travels, he met
and lived with the ruling family of the Peshwas and initiated some of ist
members into the inner science. It is said that one Ratnagar Rao of the Peshwa
family was initiated and authorized to carry on the work by Guru Gobind Singh. Sham Rao Peshwa, the elder brother of Baji Rao Peshwa, the then ruling
chief, who must have contacted Ratnagar Rao, showed a remarkable aptitude for
the spiritual path and made rapid headway. In course of time, this young scion
of the royal family settled in Hathras, a town thirty-three miles away from
Agra in the Uttar Pradesh, and came to be known as Tulsi Sahib (1763-1843), the
famous author of Ghat Ramayana, the science of the inner life-principle
pervading alike in man and nature. The vita lampada of Spirituality was passed
on by Tulsi Sahib to Swami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji (1818-1878). The link between
Tulsi Sahib of Hathras and Swami Ji of Agra is likely to be overlooked, but
there can be little doubt of it. From the manuscript account of Baba Surain
Singh, the Jivan Charitar Swamiji Maharaj by Chacha Partap Singh, and the book
entitled Correspondence with Certain Americans by Shri S. D. Maheshwari, we
learn that Swami Ji's parents were the disciples of the Hathras Saint and
frequently visited him at his home for darshan and attended his discourses whenever
he visited Agra. It was he who named the sons of Lala Dilwali Singh Seth; that
is, Shiv Dayal Singh, Brindaban and Partap Singh. Before the birth of the
eldest child he prophesied that a great Saint was about to manifest himself in
their home, and after his birth he told the parents that they need no longer
come to Hathras for the Lord Almighty had come in their midst. (*3) (*3 Chacha
Partap Singh, Jivan Charitar Swamiji Maharaj, p. 6; S.D. Maheshwari,
Correspondence with Certain Americans, p. 221.) The Hathras Saint took a keen and lively interest in casting the life of
Swami Ji in his own mold. He initiated the young child at a very early age and
Swami Ji, on the last day of his life, told his disciples that he had been
practicing the inner science from the age of six. (*4) Swami Ji's veneration for the Hathras Saint becomes abundantly clear
from his life. He held Tulsi Sahib's disciples in great respect, honoring among
them especially Sadhu Girdhari Dass, whom he supported during his last years. Once
when the Sadhu fell ill at Lucknow, Swami Ji hurried there from Agra and helped
him to contact the inner Sound Current, with which he had lost touch (owing
presumably to some past karma), before his death. (*5) Again, Swami Ji very often gave to his followers instances from the life
of his great predecessor, to teach them the importance of virtues like
patience, forbearance, forgiveness and Godliness. (*6) Before his passing away
in 1843, Tulsi Sahib bequeathed his spiritual heritage to Swami Ji. For six
months Tulsi Sahib lay in a state of samadhi (spiritual trance) lost in Divine
consciousness. It was only after Swami Ji had paid him a visit that Tulsi Sahib
left his mortal frame. Baba Garib Das, one of the earliest disciples of Tulsi
Sahib, confirmed that the spiritual mantle had been entrusted by his Master to
Munshi Ji (as Swami Ji was then known on account of his great learning in
Persian). (*7) Swami Ji was to spend fifteen years of his life in almost
incessant abhyasa (spiritual practice) in a small closet. (*4 Chacha Partap Singh, op. cit., p. 109.
*5 Ibid., pp. 33-34 *6 Ibid., pp.
93-96. *7 Jivan Charitar Babuji Maharaj, Vol. III, p. 29.) After the passing
away of Tulsi Sahib, Swami Ji continued to visit Hathras to honor the memory of
his preceptor. On one such occasion, we are told, when Swami Ji went to Hathras, the heat was so great that his
disciples Rai Saligram and Baba Jiwan Lal had to carry him between themselves
over the last lap of the journey where no transport was available and the
ground was very uneven. (*8) The great respect that Swami Ji displayed for the Granth Sahib embodying
the teachings of Guru Nanak and his successors seems ultimately to have been
derived from family tradition. The recitation of the Sikh scriptures was an
article of faith in the family. His father, Lala Dilwali Singh (a Sahejdhari
khatri Sikh, belonging to the order of Nanak Panthis), was devotedly attached
to Jap Ji, Raho Ras and Sukhmani (Sikh scriptures), which he read from day to
day with great religious fervor and deep reverence. A copy of Sukhmani in
Persian script, in the hand of Swami Ji's grandfather, Seth Maluk Chand, at one
time Diwan of Dholpur State, is still preserved in the archives of Soamibagh. (*9)
(*8 Ajodhya Parshad, Jivan Charitar Hazur Maharaj, p. 36.*9 Chacha Partap
Singh, op. cit., p. 5.) The essence of Sant Mat thus came to permeate the very being of Swami
Ji. In later years, at least on one occasion, while discoursing on the Jap Ji
at his home in Punni Gali, Swami Ji clearly acknowledged his spiritual debt to
the Punjab, referring to Nanak and his successors as the fountainhead of
Spirituality and to Paltu Sahib and Tulsi Sahib as great subsequent exponents
of the inner science. We will deal with this incident while tracing the life of
Baba Jaimal Singh Ji in the succeeding chapter. His younger brother, Rai
Brindaban Singh, a postmaster in Ajodhia, was a close disciple of Baba Madhodas of Mahant Dera Rano
Pali in Ajodhia. He, like his elder brother Shiv Dayal Singh, had a firm faith
in and a great regard for Gurbani. He was continually engaged in the sweet
remembrance of the Lord (Bishambar) whose praises he chanted with a beautiful
refrain, as is evident from his compositions under the caption Wah-e-Guru Nama
in his Urdu book Bahar-i-Brindaban: (*10) O Brindaban! Leave aside all else and do the Japa of the great name Wah-e-Guru. It shall not only purify your body, mind and soul, But give you salvation, peace and happiness besides. Again, we learn that when the end of Lala Dilwali Singh drew near, his
son Shiv Dayal Singh (Swami Ji), sitting near his bedstead, began reciting the
Gurbani, so as to keep his father's attention steadily fixed therein at that
crucial time. Giani Partap Singh, basing himself on Baba Bhola Singh's Radhasoami Mat
Darpan, tells us in his study of world religions (*11) how Swami Ji in course
of time became a frequent visitor to the holy Sikh shrine of Mai Than at Agra,
commemorating the visit of the ninth Guru, Tegh Bahadur; where Sant Mauj
Parkash, originally known as Didar Singh of the Nirmala order and a great
Sanskrit scholar, used to give lucid expositions of the Gurbani or Sikh
scriptures. It was because of his close association with Sant Mauj Parkash that
Swami Ji learned Gurbani and its significance in Surat Shabd Yoga, and he began
using this very shrine for his discourses on Gurbani. Chacha Partap Singh in
his life sketch has given in rapturous terms a graphic description of one such discourse: (*10 Lucknow: Nawalkishore Printing Press. *11 Sansar Da
Dharmic Ithas.) "It was about eight in the morning that the Maharaj one day went to
the Gurdwara in Mai Than. After reciting a shabd or two from the Granth Sahib,
he began expounding the subject. In a rich and sonorous voice, the sublime
thoughts seemed to flow from him like endless waves from an inexhaustible
reservoir within. I was so overwhelmed by the sweep of his words that all at
once I felt lifted above the body and bodily environments, lost to all that was
of the world. From that very day I was a changed man altogether, with an
intense longing for the Divine, fully convinced of the greatness of Swami Ji
and of his holy mission." (*l2) (*12 Chacha Partap Singh, op. cit., p.
52.) After some time Swami Ji shifted the venue of his teachings to his
private apartments in Punni Gali and continued his discourses from the Granth
Sahib (the copy he used was brought by Hazur Sawan Singh Ji from Agra and is
still treasured in the archives of Dera Baba Jaimal Singh at Beas in the
Punjab). This system of addressing private gatherings at his home continued for
quite a long time; but on Basant Panchmi Day in the year 1861, the floodgates
of Surat Shabd Yoga as revived in this age by Kabir and his contemporary Guru
Nanak, and firmly entrenched by his successors in the Gurbani, were now thrown
open by Swami Ji to the general public. Lest there still be any doubt lingering in the minds of the skeptics,
Swami Ji who till the last continued initiating people into the secret of the
traditional five-melodied Melody (Panch Shabd Dhunkar Dhun), significantly
enough on the last day of his departure from the earth-plane, cleared his
position beyond the least shadow of doubt by declaring: "My path was the path of Sat Naam and Anami Naam. The Radhasoami
faith is of Saligram's making, but let it also continue. And let the Satsang
flourish and prosper." Among Swami Ji's trusted and devoted disciples was Rai Saligram Sahib
Bahadur, popularly known in later times as Hazur Maharaj, after he came to
occupy the spiritual headship. While Hazur Maharaj, after the passing away of
Swami Ji, continued his discourses at Pipal Mandi in the heart of Agra city,
Partap Singh, the younger brother of Swami Ji, generally called Chacha Sahib
(respected uncle), carried on the work in Radhasoami Garden, three miles away
from Agra city. Another disciple, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji, one of the earliest and most
spiritually advanced disciples of Swami Ji, as directed by the great Master
himself, settled down at Beas in the Punjab to revitalize the work of Spirituality
and to repay in some measure the debt that the world owed to Guru Nanak. We
will now examine in some detail the life and work of this distinguished
spiritual son of Swami Ji. PART TWO: BABA JI - A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY EARLY YEARS It was in 1838 that Baba Jaimal Singh was born in the village of Ghuman
in the Gurdaspur District of the Punjab, to a family of pious Sikh cultivators.
Ghuman was as any other village in the region. If it was distinguished in any
way, it was by its having a shrine known as Dera Baba Namdev, in memory of the
great sage Namdev who, many centuries earlier, had spent his last days there. Legend holds that when the Saint arrived and wished to pray inside the local
temple, he was refused admission because he was an outcaste. Undeterred he went
and sat down behind the back wall and was soon lost in samadhi. The Lord,
unhappy at the insult offered to His disciple, turned the face of the temple
toward the place where Namdev sat, and all the priests and brahmins fell at his
feet asking for forgiveness. It is from that day that the local village is said
to have taken the name of Ghuman, a Punjabi word signifying "to turn
around." The village folk visited the shrine to offer devotion, and many a
wandering sadhu often came there to pay his homage to the great sage. Bhai Jodh Singh and Bibi Daya Kaur, the parents of Jaimal, were frequent
visitors, and the latter, while there, would often pray for a saintly son. Great
souls seldom come unannounced and one night Bibi Daya Kaur was visited by the
great Namdev in a dream who told her that her prayers were granted; and ten
months later Jaimal was born amidst domestic festivity and rejoicing. The history of a Saint is the history of a soul's pilgrimage. It is a
story which to be spiritually complete covers innumerable years and countless
lives. The final enlightenment may seem sudden, but its preparatory stages are
long and arduous. Like Buddha and Jesus, Jaimal showed remarkable spiritual
precocity from a very early age. When visiting the shrine of Baba Namdev with
his parents, unlike other children of his age, he would sit calm and attentive;
and even as a child of three he could repeat many of the verses he heard at
spiritual discourses. The villagers wondered at his prodigiousness. He was soon
nicknamed Bal-Sadhu or "child-saint," and his rural admirers pressed
his parents to give him an opportunity for education. So when Jaimal was five, he was put in the charge of Bhai Khem Das, a
learned vedantist who lived close by. In those times education in India did not
concern itself with training for a vocation. It was pre-eminently a mental and
spiritual discipline based on the study of the scriptures. The young child
displayed keen aptitude for it and soon mastered the Gurmukhi script. Within a
year he had already read carefully the Punj Granthi or five basic Sikh
scriptures, including the Jap Ji, the Sukhmani Sahib, and Raho Ras. In another
six months he had the key passages of these spiritual treasures by heart, and
by the age of seven he had grown into an excellent pathi or one who could
recite the scriptures in a melodious way with professional mastery. The next
year was spent in studying the Dasam Granth - the scriptures compiled by the
last of the Sikh Gurus. Jaimal showed great respect for his teacher who was delighted with the
boy's application and rapid progress. The two would spend long hours together,
and the lad would hear Bhai Khem Das with great attention. His hunger for
knowledge was insatiable and the reading of scriptures only fired his
imagination still further. One day, picking up the Jap Ji, he began reciting
the twentieth stanza, and after finishing the recitation, turned to his teacher
and asked: "Sir, what is the meaning of Naam, of which Nanak has said,
`When one's mind is defiled by sin, it can be cleansed only by communion with
Naam,' and of which all the other great ones have sung such praises in the rest
of the Granth Sahib?" Khem Das was touched by his pupil's questioning
spirit and discrimination, but was unable to enlighten him on the subject as he
himself was not conversant with the mystery of Naam. A day later, Bhai Jodh Singh, seeing that his son, now eight, was old
enough to help him, went to his guru with an offering of a silver rupee and
jaggery in traditional style. After laying it at his feet, he expressed his
desire to have Jaimal released from his studies in order to tend his flock of
goats. Khem Das raised no objection. "He is your son and you may dispose
of him as you consider best." But his young ward could not wish him
farewell so easily. "Sir," he assured him, "I shall work for my
father all day, but in the evening I shall come to you and continue the
studies." Jaimal proved true to his word and kept unbroken his association with
his learned teacher. Proud of his perseverance and piety, Khem Das initiated
him soon after into the Japa of Sohang, which he himself practiced. The boy
would get up long before daybreak, have his bath, read the scriptures and sit
for meditation. He would then lead his goats into the fields. His young friends
soon observed that while the goats grazed over the meadows, he did not hang
around, idly looking on, but kept reading and reciting holy texts and often sat
down cross-legged for meditition. At sundown he would return with his herd, have some milk and food, and
then proceed to his guru. There he would sit attentively, learning how to read
and interpret the scriptures. After he had mastered the Granth Sahib, he began,
at the age of nine, the study of Hindi and the Hindu texts. Studies over, he
would visit the shrine of Namdev and return home late at night. Often, while
away in the evening, he would sit down and be lost in meditation, so much so
that once he was away for the whole night while his parents searched
frantically every part of the village in vain. This intense application did not go unrewarded, and the boy once told
his teacher that he could see stars and moon within and glimpse inner Light -
the first spiritual experience of the mystic soul. Bhai Jodh Singh was far from satisfied with his eldest son's unworldly
ways. However religious-minded a man may be, he is seldom happy to see his son
turned a renunciate. Jaimal was growing up, but instead of showing any interest in family affairs, he was moving in the opposite direction. He not only
spent a great deal of his time reading scriptures, practicing spiritual sadhnas
and visiting his teacher, Bhai Khem Das, but also began passing long hours in
the company of the sadhus and holy men who came to the village to pay homage to
the shrine of Namdev. Wishing to curb his son's inordinate religious
inclination, his father thought it best to send him away from Ghuman and its visiting
sadhus. So at the age of eleven years and eight months Jaimal was sent off with
his fiock to the home of one of his two sisters, Bibi Tabo, who lived in the
village of Sathyala. At his sister's, Jaimal continued his old schedule of religious
practices and goat-grazing. Many a month passed away in this uneventful manner.
Then one day while following his herd he met a yogi who had just arrived at the
village. Happy to find the company of the holy, he bowed in reverence, milked
his goats and offered the yogi a drink of milk. The man in saffron was touched
by the lad's piety and began to question him. Jaimal told him of the scriptures
he had read and the intense desire for enlightenment they had sparked in him. The
sadhu was very pleased by the account and offered to train him. He told him
frankly that as regards the mystique of Naam he knew little, but whatever he
himself practiced he would freely impart. So next morning as instructed, Jaimal
proceeded, without having eaten anything, to his newly-discovered guide for
initiation. The yogi was an adept in pranayama and instructed his young
disciple into its secrets. Having found a spiritual guide, Jaimal was once again lost to the world.
His old holy indifference to family ties and worldly affairs returned, if
anything with redoubled intensity. He would often sit for three hours at a
stretch in meditation. The yogi, pleased by his devotion, stayed on in the
village and Jaimal was more often than not to be found in his company. These developments caused his sister much
concern, and anxiety finally drove her to send word to her father to take the
boy away. Bhai Jodh Singh soon arrived on the scene and ordered his son back
home. The two set out homeward early next morning, but while they were on the
point of leaving the village, Jaimal, his eyes moist with tears, begged his
father to permit him to see the yogi for the last time and bid him farewell. His
father agreed and the boy, with an offering of fresh milk, hurried to his
preceptor. He sadly related how his father had arrived and of their intended
departure that day. The yogi smiled, blessed him and bade him be of good cheer.
"Continue your sadhnas at home as before," he said, "and all
will be well. I myself shall see you there some day." At Ghuman Jaimal revived his association with Bhai Khem Das and
continued to greet visiting sadhus as of yore. He was now in his fourteenth
year and continued with unmitigated zeal the practice of the sadhnas he had
learned. But he soon began to hunger for more. The yogic practices he had
mastered failed to satisfy him, and on reading the Granth Sahib he became
convinced of a higher reality, to be attained by different means. As he
progressed on the path, he became progressively more detached from the world. He
noted all the esoteric hints and references to the five-worded Word, the Panch
Shabd, to be found in the Sikh scriptures, and kept pondering over them, asking
every new yogi or sadhu he met if he could explain them to him; but all in
vain. At this stage of his search, he and his family suffered a sad
bereavement. He was not yet fourteen when his father fell ill and died. The
family was grief stricken but Jaimal's spiritual discipline worked as a
protective shield. Quoting from the scriptures, he comforted his mother and his
two younger brothers and discouraged any weeping or wailing. If the soul was
deathless and if all was according to the Lord's Will, then why any mourning? THE GREAT SEARCH Had Jaimal's interest in Spirituality been only a seed cast on rock or
sand or a sapling yet tender in its fiber, had it been no more than the mere
curiosity or the spontaneous piety of a simple village lad, the passing away of his
father would have rung the death-knell of his quest. As the eldest male member
of the family, the burden of domestic responsibilities fell on his shoulders;
and perhaps more souls are lost to heaven by the sense of duty to earth than by
downright sin and evil. But Jaimal's urge was a plant of tougher roots and
stronger fiber. Undaunted and unmoved, he divided the outdoor duties among his
brothers, kept up his old exacting routine, and in six months' time mastered
the Yoga Vashishta and Vichar Sangreh (two standard works of Hinda theology). There
arrived in the village about this time a sadhu of the Udasi sect. As was his
wont, Jaimal went to see him and inquired of him the meaning of the passages he
had noted down from the Granth Sahib. The sadhu explained that he could
initiate him into at least the mystery of the Ghor Anhad or deep reverberating
sound referred to in the Sikh scriptures, if not into that of the Panch Shabd. Jaimal,
keen to learn whatever he could, offered himself as a disciple. But the Diwali
festival was at hand and his new teacher wanted to celebrate it at Amritsar. Reluctant
to miss this opportunity, Jaimal went to his mother and begged her to allow him
to join the sadhu and go forth on his quest for truth. But Bibi Daya had to see
to the welfare of the family and would not hear of her eldest son going away. She
reminded him of his duties. "Your father is no more," she said,
"and you must carry on in his place. If you are gone, what will become of
us?" "I am not insensitive to what you say, my dear mother,"
replied her son, "but the Lord is above us, and he who sustains his
creatures even on the rocks and in the sea will not forsake us in our need. Man's
primary duty is to seek his Creator and all other duties are secondary. Be not
afraid but be of good cheer; and let me proceed with your blessings." Deeply religious herself, Bibi Daya was touched by what Jaimal said with
such conviction. Seeing his determination and being too fond of him to break
his heart, she at last relented. "I know I cannot stop you. Nor do I wish
to do so. But if you must go, promise to return home when your quest is
over." Giving his word of honor, Jaimal departed and his mother and
brothers bade him a tearful farewell. He had hardly entered his fifteenth year
and he was already embarked on a quest that was to carry him through many
cities and was to involve him in great toil and travail. It was a time when the
railroad was still unkown in India, let alone modern motorways and airways. The
rich could, of course, ride on horses, but the humbler folk had to depend on
the sturdiness of their own feet. Travel was difficult and arduous. The British
had only recently conquered the Punjab and stability was still to be
established. The Great Mutiny was only half a decade away, but the people were
growing restive and the country was beginning to seethe with discontent. It was in such conditions that Jaimal set forth for Amritsar. Three days
after reaching there he was initiated by the Udasi sadhu in a local garden into
the science of the Ghor Anhad. Like his contemporary Sri Ramakrishna
(1836-1886), Jaimal Singh was destined to sit at the feet of many intermediary
masters before meeting his True One. Like him he was destined to learn many a
sadhna and make rapid headway in each. And like him he was destined not to be
bound, like other yogis, to any of them, but to press ever forward toward a
higher and still higher goal. His early mastery of the Granth Sahib stood him
in good stead. It worked as an infallible touchstone with which to test every
new attainment and to know that his real goal lay still further ahead. Having practiced japa and pranayama, and having delved into the ecstacy
of the Ghor Anhad, the quest for the secret of the five-worded Word became
Jaimal's over- mastering passion. While at Amritsar, he did not fail to contact
other yogis and sadhus, questioning them for the clues of that which he sought.
Someone suggested that he might discover the object of his search at the feet
of Baba Gulab Das, then residing at the village of Chatyala. The boy needed no
further prompting and not long after was seeking permission of Gulab Das's
disciples to see their master. The request was granted and he appeared before
the revered sadhu. A lively discussion ensued which, because of the newcomer's
tender age, irritated some of the older disciples standing around. But Gulab
Das assured them that Jaimal, if young in years, was mature in mind and was a
true seeker of God. He tried to satisfy the boy as best as he could, explaining
that Naam was no more than the sound vibrating in the pranas, initiating him
still further into the secrets of the pranva or the pranic yoga. Jaimal, though ready to learn whatever he could, was not convinced by
the sadhu's interpretation which, as he pointed out to him, failed to explain
(a) the number "five" used time and again in the Granth Sahib in
connection with the inner Shabd; and (b) the fact that the Sikh Gurus
repeatedly asserted that the path of Naam was distinct from other yogic forms
which could not give the highes liberation. From Chatyala, Jaimal's quest led
him to Lahore. There were Hindu sadhus and Muslim fakirs of all descriptions
there. The young Sikh lad sought their
company at all hours and incessantly mingled with them. But try as he might, he
could discover no clue. Finding himself in a great city, having trudged many a
mile, with no money in his pocket, hardly ever certain of his next meal, he was
not a little discomfited with his predicament. He lived in the hope of solving the secret which none could unravel for
him. Weary of foot and heavy of heart, he set out for Nankana Sahib, the
birthplace of Guru Nanak and a place of holy pilgrimage for the Sikhs. But at
Nankana Sahib, Jaimal failed once again to find what he wanted. The ways of
Providence are mysterious. A seeker's way may be cluttered with countless
obstacles which may almost seem to break his heart, yet at the very moment when
the spirit is on the brink of collapse, it whispers a word of encouragement and
flashes a ray of hope, saving him from the giant despair and putting him on the
road to New Jerusalem. And so the boy, now fifteen, met at Nankana Sahib, Bhai
Jodha Singh of the Namdhari sect who directed him to Baba Balak Singh of Hazro,
a village beyond Attock in what later came to be known as the Northwestern
Frontier Province. With undeterred resolution, Jaimal set out on the long
journey. He first halted at Aminabad whence he proceeded to Shah Daulah. From
Shah Daulah his journey took him across the Jhelum river to Tila Balnath, and
thence to Rawalpindi. He spent a few days in each of these towns and never
failed to get in touch with the fakirs and sadhus to be found there. Being not
very far from Panja Sahib, the famous shrine marking one of Guru Nanak's most
memorable miracles, (*1) he proceeded there even if it lay somewhat off his
route. There he sojourned for a while, enjoying the natural scenery and the
clear water gushing from the sacred fount. He journeyed from there toward
Attock and at last arrived at Hazro, his destination. (*1 It is related in Guru Nanak's life that the
great sage was touring the region with his devoted disciples, Bala and Mardana.
The party was feeling exceedingly thirsty and there seemed to be no trace of
water around. The sage directed his followers to Wali Kandhari, a Muslim hermit
who lived on the hillside by the side of a spring. The Wali, lost in his own
pride, sent away the strangers empty-handed. When they returned again at their
Master's bidding, he scoffed: "If your Guru is as great a man as you
affirm, can't he even quench your thirst?" When these words were related
to Nanak, who stood at the foot of the hill below, he smiled and struck the
rock with his open hand. Straightway a crystal jet burst forth and everyone
drank his fill. The Wali was full of remorse, but it was too late now; and to
his consternation he discovered that the spring that ran by his hut had
suddenly dried up. The rock where the Saint struck his hand still bears the
imprint of his palm and fingers and a clear stream of water sprouts from
beneath. It is a great center for Sikh pilgrimage.) He was very happy to meet the venerable Baba Balak Singh who was
impressed by the young visitor's keenness of mind and intensity of spiritual
yearning. They passed some delightful days together reading, reciting and
discussing the Granth Sahib. Balak Singh was a man of great wisdom and piety,
but as far as Spirituality was concerned he, like Gulab Das, was only
conversant with japa through prana, and knew little of the Panch Shabdi Naam
spoken of by Kabir and the great Sikh Gurus. However he gave his young friend
hope and directed him to Chikker to a householder Sikh of great spiritual
eminence. Jaimal arrived from Hazro in the village of Chikker and began inquiring
for the man he sought. He seemed to find no clue till he met an old retired
Sikh who asked the young stranger if he could assist him in any way. Jaimal
related from where he had come and the object of his quest, and asked to be
guided to the local saint. The old gentleman, who was himself the man he
sought, kindly replied that no such saint lived in that village as far as he
knew, but offered to do for him whatever little lay in his power. Jaimal's long and exacting search now at last began to yield some
fruit. The householder mahatma at whose
home he now found himself gave him the first definite clues of what he sought
and put him on the first rung of the spiritual ladder. Shortly after his
arrival the God- intoxicated boy received initiation. His earlier assumptions
were confirmed and he now knew it for certain that the path of Naam had little
to do with other yogic practices. But after initiation he pointed out that the
scriptures spoke of the "five-worded Word" and he had been imparted
only two. On hearing this, his host and preceptor related to him the story of
his own initiation: "It was many years ago that I went to Peshawar. There I met a great
mahatma and wished to be initiated by him. He accepted me as a disciple and
unlocked to me the mystery of the first two Shabdas, bidding me to come back
again as early as possible. I proceeded to my village and intended to return
soon. But such are the traps of Maya that I was unable, due to some unexpected
piece of business, to fulfill my wish. Two months went by in this way, and when
I did at last reach Peshawar, my Master had passed away, taking with him the
key to the remaining phases of the Divine Naam." (*2) (*2 In the past it was a common practice with
mystics to initiate their disciples by degrees into the inner science. After the sadhak had mastered one stage, he was acquainted with the
mysteries of the next and so on to the end. The method was not in itself
objectionable, but it often led to results of the kind we have just noted. Jaimal
was to meet another case like that of the Chikker mahatma a few years later at
Delhi after being initiated by Swami Ji at Agra, when he met a Muslim fakir who
too had suffered by the early death of his pir. To avoid such mishaps, Masters
of the Surat Shabd Yoga nowadays initiate their disciples directly into the
mysteries of all the five inner planes that the soul has to traverse before it
can merge with the Absolute.) Jaimal had no choice. He had to be content with
what he got. He stayed on with the Sikh mahatma for some time, enjoying his
hospitality and inspiring company, and sedulously cultivating the gift he had
received. Then a day arrived when he bade his latest teacher a touching
farewell and set forth for Peshawar to pursue his unfulfilled quest. He had the
satisfaction of being put on the right road, but he was not the man to rest
till he had attained his goal. At this ancient frontier city he once again,
like a keen huntsman, began seeking the trail of some man of full God-
realization. But Peshawar was not the place where his quest was to be crowned
with success and his thirst satiated. While wandering among Pathans through its many streets, a mastana Sikh,
lost to the everyday world of rational behavior by divine intoxication, stopped
him and accosted him with the words: "Why do you expend your labors in the
North when your day is to dawn from the East?" Though he could extract
nothing more from the strange counsellor, his advice drove home and soon after
Jaimal began retracing his steps to the Punjab. On reaching Rawalpindi he
decided to visit the famous Kashmir Valley and the popular hill resort of
Murree. A lover of Nature's beauties, he greatly enjoyed his hilly tour and in
Kashmir met many a sadhu. His sightseeing over, he finally turned homeward. With
tatters on his back and barely any shoes on his feet or money in his pocket, he
at last reached Ghuman to the great joy of his fond mother and his affectionate
brothers. The family celebrated the homecoming in traditional style, offering
thanksgiving to the Almighty, arranging scriptural recitations and the singing
of hymns, distributing sweets among the neighbors and offering food to the
poor. Jaimal Singh, now sixteen, took up the family duties once more and gave
himself up to the consolidation of what he had learned in his recent itinerary. Soon after his return, the Sathyala yogi who had initiated him into
Pranayam three years earlier arrived, true to his parting promise, at Ghuman to
see his young disciple. Jaimal Singh received him with reverence and humility
and his former teacher offered to instruct him in the other practices of
traditional yoga. But the youth was no longer a child. His wide travels and the
varied accompanying experience had given him a new maturity. What had seemed
desirable once no longer seemed of much value, for his contact with many a yogi
had convinced him of one thing at least: the kriyas of Hatha Yoga might give
strange physical and occult powers, but they could not bestow full inner peace
and freedom. Every fresh day only
strengthened his old conviction that the path of complete mukti or emancipation
lay some other way, and all that he now sought was initiation into the mystique
of the Panch Shabd. Time rolled on its mercury wheels, but Jaimal Singh was not
the man to sit idle or be content with only the second best. "Awake, arise
and stop not until the goal is reached," enjoined an ancient Vedic text,
and his life was a living embodiment of this precept. Barely eight months had
elapsed since his return when the urge to resume his quest for the holy Naam
became too powerful to be resisted, and he began pressing his mother for
permission to set out once more. "How can you expect me to let you go again? You were a child then,
but now you are a grown up man and understand your responsibilities." "Ah, mother, at my birth you prayed for a saintly son. Then why
stop me now?" "How can you talk this way? Have I ever checked you in your
religious inclinations? Surely you can pursue your devotional practices and
spiritual disciplines while living at home?" "How can godliness and worldliness go together?" "But you yourself have seen how others have encroached upon our
lands after your father's death. We barely get enough to eat; and when you are
gone, your brothers being so young, what will prevent them from forcibly
occupying the rest?" "Let them take whatever they will. This world is not ours, and even
if these lands are not taken away from us we will have to leave them some day
when our life span is over. We have only to sustain ourselves. What matters if
all our property is lost? The Lord has given us sinewy arms, and with his grace
we shall earn a respectable living." He whom nothing could dissuade while yet a child could not be deterred
now, and Bibi Daya had no choice but to let him go. Thus at the age of sixteen
years and nine months Jaimal Singh once again set out on his spiritual
explorations. Having well nigh exhausted the Punjab and the Northwest, with the
words of the Peshawar Sikh still reverberating in his ears, he bent his
footsteps eastward. The times were insecure and the British had not yet fully
entrenched themselves in their new northern conquests. Night travel was
therefore prohibited, and sentries were stationed at night on the chief
highways to prevent any stray travelers. But Jaimal Singh was too eager to be
thus restricted. He would spend the first half of the night resting and
sleeping and in the second, while the sentries were drowsing and dozing,
continue his journey as quickl as possible. At Vairach, a village on the banks of the Beas not far from home, he met
a sadhu named Kahan who was engaged in collecting bricks. "Good day, holy
one," said the youth. "What is it that keeps you so busy?" "Nothing, my son, nothing; I am only collecting material for your
future dwelling," smiled Kahan, and once more got lost in his work. When
others of the village would question him in like manner, he would reply with
characteristic brevity, "A temple will rise here one day," and
relapse into his usual silence. Jaimal Singh, not knowing where to go, directed his steps toward Hardwar
on the banks of the sacred Ganges, a favorite haunt of the holy. Traveling by
night and by day, he footed the distance with commendable speed and in twelve
days reached the Ganges. He explored the ghats of Hardwar, then a small town
almost entirely populated by pandits and sadhus, hearing learned yogis,
questioning them and discussing his problems with them. From the main town he
traveled alongside the river, visiting all the sacred spots in the
neighborhood. At Tappo Ban he heard of a very old sadhu of about a hundred and
fifty years who dwelt not far away in the heart of a thick jungle and possessed
great powers but seldom spoke to those who came to see him. Undaunted by the
yogi's reported silence, Jaimal Singh wended his way into the forest and at
last found the hermit's dwelling. The sadhu was busy with his spiritual
practices and paid no heed to those that came to see him in order to be blessed
by his sight. The evening drew near and the sky and the branches overhead burst
into life with the twitter of homing birds. All the visitors departed; the
forest would soon be dark and who could tell what wild creature might be
prowling in the thick foliage awaiting its chance. Jaimal Singh alone stayed
on. Night fell and yet the yogi took no notice of him. He at last got up,
walked to a swing hung from a nearby branch and took his stand, resting his
arms on its wooden seat. Hour after hour slipped by but the ascetic stood on
motionless, displaying no signs of fatigue. At last darkness began to break and
brought an end to his nightly feat of endurance. He left the swing, disappeared into the jungle and returned after
bathing. Jaimal had been keeping night long vigil and had kept watching the
unusual behavior of the strange man before him. When the sadhu came back after
his bath, he at last showed some signs of being aware of his visitor's
presence. He asked him who he was and what he wanted. The youth told his name,
the place from whence he came and added, "Holy one! For many years I have
been in search of true spiritual enlightenment. I heard of your fame and your great powers
and have come as a supplicant to your door. I have watched with interest your
strange practices and if indeed they grant full liberation from inner
restlessness, then pray instruct me into their secrets." The sadhu made no
reply. He sat silent and closed his eyes. After a while he opened them and
answered: "My son, my discipline is difficult and bestows many powers. But
as for inner spiritual freedom, I am afraid it has not secured me that." Jaimal Singh wished to question the yogi still further, but the latter
became silent and receded from the world of outer consciousness into that of
meditation. The sun ascended the heavens and the day passed by. Some devotees
came to have a glimpse of the famous yogi, bowed reverently at his feet and,
leaving some food for Jaimal Singh and some oflerings for the ascetic, departed
as on the previous day. Once again the night fell and once again the youth from
Ghuman sat on. The yogi at last rose from his seat and spent the second night
in the same manner as the first. When day broke, he went for his bath, and on
returning beckoned Jaimal to his side. "My son, I cannot tell you
much," he said. "But in my meditation I saw that the Guru you seek
dwells with his wife in Agra. He is indeed a great soul and discourses from the
Granth Sahib. He shall unlock to you the treasures of the Panch Shabd. Proceed
there and I myself will follow as soon as I can to partake of his bounty." What a burden fell off Jaimal Singh's back! How many nights had he spent tossing and praying, wondering if
God would ever grant his wishes! The
stranger at Peshawar had given him hope, but his words were vague, and nothing
was certain. Now at last a definite clue had been given to him and success
appeared within sight. The Lord was indeed kind and did not ignore his humble
servant's supplication. Refreshed in spirit and confident in mind, the youth,
with a heart overflowing with inexpressible gratitude, bowed before the yogi
now wrapped in silence and humbly took his leave. THE CONSUMMATION Barely ten days had elapsed before Jaimal Singh, passing through Hapur
and the holy town of Mathura, arrived at the gates of Agra. It is a city famous
since the days of the great Moghuls; and many a tourist from far and near, from
beyond the Atlantic and the Pacific, has had glimpses of ist magnificent Taj
and other historic monuments as well as its sultry heat and dusty streets. But
the youth from the Punjab had not come to view its historic splendor; he had no
flair for its gorgeous and massive mausoieums, forts and palaces built by Akbar
and his illustrious successors. What he sought was not the reminiscences of time but the enlivening
breath of the Eternal. Instead of visiting the Taj he explored the local
shrines and temples in search of the boon that had been promised him. But try
as he might, his explorations seemed to lead nowhere. He could find no clue to
the man he sought. Were his hopes baseless? Was the promise given him at
Peshawar and confirmed in the heart of a forest on the banks of the sacred
Ganges only a hoax and a delusion? Perhaps there had been error? Perhaps he was
not yet ripe for the gift? Many thoughts crowded Jaimal Singh's mind as he sat
contemplating on the banks of the Jamuna one morning after having bathed in its
waters. While he sat this morning, two men approached him, discussing personal
matters. At first he took scant notice of them for many came daily for a dip in
the sacred river. But then a word shot through his ears and he was all
attention. Yes, they were talking of a "Swami Ji," a great sage, who
often discoursed on the Sikh scriptures at his home to a small audience. Jaimal
Singh was on his feet. He accosted the strangers, inquired of them about the
great man of whom they spoke and begged to be conducted to his dwelling. As
soon as the two devotees had finished bathing, they set out with Jaimal Singh
for Punni Gali where lived the great Swami Ji. When the three reached their
destination, the Master was speaking on the Jap Ji, expounding ist profound
meaning and unearthing the spiritual treasures hidden in its lyrical ecstacy. There
were only a few listeners and Jaimal Singh slipped quietly into a corner. He
heard the discourse with rapt attention, drinking in every word that fell from
the lips of the Saint. When the morning assembly was over, Swami Ji welcomed his new visitor
and asked him what he wanted. "I am in search of the gift of Naam and a Saint who can bestow its
blessing upon me," replied Jaimal Singh. "I heard of your greatness and have hastened to your door." "I am afraid you will find no Saint here," smiled the radiant
Swami Ji. "I am only a mere servant of the Saints. Even the great Nanak
regarded himself as no Saint; then how can a mere nothing like myself be of any
consequence?" He then welcomed Jaimal once more, assuring him that he could stay there
as long as he pleased, for all were free to share the bounty of the Sahib, the
Lord above. Later that day Swami Ji spoke to Jaimal Singh again. Pleased with his
deep immersion in the Granth Sahib, he asked him to recite one of his favorite
hymns. The youth began melodiously to chant the piece beginning: Karam hovae Satguru milae Sewa Surat Shabd chit lae By the grace of God one can meet a Master who puts him on the service of Surat Shabd Yoga. RAG MAGH M.3 The recitation was moving. It was clear that the speaker had himself
felt with deep intensity what he chanted. When it was over, Swami Ji asked him
if he understood the full meaning of the verses he had just rendered. "O Holy One!" came the answer, "if I had understood their
true import, why then should I wander lost in this fashion?" And as he spoke these words and recalled his long journeys and the many
vicissitudes he had, Jaimal Singh's eyes brimmed with tears and silently
overflowed. Swami Ji placed his hand lovingly on the youth's back and reassured him.
"Be of good cheer," he said. "We are old comrades and there is
no cause for worry." Then taking up the hymn that had been just recited,
he expounded ist spiritual meaning at length, weaving with subtlety the threads
of personal effort and divine grace essential for the salvation of the human
soul. Next morning Swami Ji resumed his discourse on the Jap Ji. When it was
over, he turned toward Jaimal Singh and suggested, "If you have any doubts
or questions, why not clarify them now? Speak your mind fully. I am only a
humble servant of the Lord, and one may say anything to a servant - anything -
high or low; don't be afraid, but speak frankly. I would be only too happy to
be of some assistance to you for I regard this as my service to my Guru." Later that afternoon Swami Ji once again requested Jaimal to recite a
hymn from the Sikh scriptures, and the Sikh youth began chanting: Utpat, Parlae, Shabde hovae Shabde he phir opat hovae Creation and dissolution is caused by Shabd and the creation again comes into being by Shabd.
RAG MAGH M.3 The afternoon talk centered around this hymn, and the Master took up at
length the theme of Shabd or Naam, answering one after another Jaimal Singh's
as yet unvoiced questions on the subject. He showed how the Word was the primal
cause of creation as well as of its dissolution; how it was at once the agent
of the Almighty Absolute and itself the Absolute. Without its power nothing was
created, and only through contacting it could one reach back to one's heavenly
home. When all had departed and Jaimal Singh was left alone with Swami Ji, he
drew closer and began to question the Saint on the way to salvation. He was
convinced that the Agra sage was a true Master, but the fact that he was not a
Sikh and smoked the hookah caused him some uneasiness. But as Swami Ji took up the subject of salvation and began revealing how
Shabd was the only means of mukti, how its contact could be given only by a
Puran Sant, a perfect Master, how man without it could never fully escape the
meshes of Maya, and how its practice and mastery lay within the reach of all
regardless of their differences of sect and custom, Jaimal's doubts were
dissipated and he begged to be initiated. Swami Ji then began to instruct him
into the theory and practice of Surat Shabd Yoga, and when the instructions
were over, asking the youth of seventeen to sit down for meditation, he left
the room. As soon as Jaimal Singh sat down for meditation, he got lost in
samadhi. The night came and passed away, the day broke, but he continued
motionless, lost in the inner bliss he had discovered. Another day saw itself
swallowed by the night, and the night saw itself replaced by another day, and
yet the youth sat lost to the world around him. When some forty-eight hours had thus gone by, Swami Ji asked some of the
disciples if they knew where the visitor from the Punjab had disappeared. "We
saw him two days ago at the Satsang," they said, "but we have not
seen him since." Swami Ji smiled and proceeded straight to the little room
where he had left his latest disciple and which none had entered for two days. He
placed his hand on Jaimal Singh's head, and when the later's soul returned to
normal physical consciousness and he opened his eyes, he saw his Guru beaming
at him."Do you, my boy, still doubt if your Master be a true Sikh or
not?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. The lad wished to fall at his
feet but the long spell of samadhi had left his joints numb and still. Swami Ji
suggested that he rub his legs, and when Jaimal could move, he conducted him
outside. There he gave him a drink of milk with his own hands, and gazing at
him fondly, he said: "You too shall do one day the work I carry on now. Our path is not concerned
with outer forms and rituals and each of us must live by the best traditions of
the community in which the Lord has been pleased to place us." He then began commending the teachings of Nanak and the Sikh Gurus and
said that those who were their followers needed little instruction. "Always
abide by the injunctions of the Granth Sahib," he continued. "Abstain from meat and drink. Never depend for your sustenance on
others but live by the labor of your own hands. Whatever you earn share freely
with the needy and remember to serve the holy and the poor. And above all never
be proud of your own good deeds or critical of the actions of others, but
know yourself to be in error, and never
step outside the virtue of inner humility." Jaimal Singh heard with reverent attention his Master's advice and ever
afterward tried to model himself on the same. He devotedly attended the daily
Satsang and assisted in whatever manner lay within his reach. His past training
had disciplined him well for his spiritual sadhna, and he would devote himself
untiringly to Bhajan. Under Swami Ji's guidance and with his phenomenal inner
progress, new mysteries were daily revealed to him, the mysteries of which
Nanak, Kabir and Tulsi had so ecstatically sung. In those days during the
mid-fifties, Swami Ji did not have a large following. He had not yet begun
giving public discourses, and confined his meetings to small private audiences
at his home in Punni Gali after having discontinued his talks at the Mai Than
Gurdwara. Seven or eight of his disciples were especially devoted to him and
constantly sought his company and there was great affection and harmony. Every
morning the Master gave an inspiring talk, displaying before his listeners'
eyes the spiritual treasures hidden in the Granth Sahib or the writings of
Kabir and other great Saints. After the morning Satsang those present sat down
for their meals. The food was cooked by Swami Ji's wife, Srimati Narain Devi,
who came subsequently to be addressed as Radha Ji as a mark of public respect
and adoration; while Swami Ji personally served the food to all with loving
attention to each. In the afternoons and evenings there would often be informal
conversations and discussions and at times regular discourses. A month and a half passed by in this way. Jaimal Singh was happy to live
at the feet of his benevolent Master. It was the year 1856, and a regiment of
Indian sepoys, including several Sikhs, was about this time stationed a Agra. At
the instance of Swami Ji, Jaimal Singh joined up as a recruit. He would attend
his morning parade and duties over, hasten to his Guru's door. There he would
attend the Satsang, hear Swami Ji, sit for meditation and return to his
quarters in the cantonment at night. His army colleagues would often ask him where
he spent much of his time. When he told them of the greatness of Swami Ji, some
of his Sikh friends wished to meet the illustrious Saint, and one day
accompanied by six of them Jaimal Singh set forth for Punni Gali. Swami Ji was discoursing on some hymn from the Granth Sahib when the
group from the cantonment arrived. Chacha
Partap Singh good-humoredly remarked that the Punjab seemed to dominate the
Satsang that day. Swami Ji turned to him and said: "The people of that land above all others have a right to the
spiritual riches of which I speak. Who can ever do justice to the glory of
Punjab that bore a soul like Nanak? He above all taught us that freedom does not lie in idol- worship or in
rituals, and while we in these parts are still lost in ceremony and idolatry,
insensitive to the message of Kabir and Nanak, the souls of Punjab are free
from such evils and need only a spark to set them ablaze. Mark my words for
they are worth remembering: the gift bestowed upon me by the Lord shall flower
one day on the plains of the Punjab." Then turning to his visitors, he welcomed them, entertained them as best
as he could, bade their leader Jaimal Singh to be regular in his army duties,
and when the time came for their departure, wished thern farewell. The light
army duties left Jaimal Singh ample time for meditation. If he had no night
duty, he would get up at 2 A.M., bathe, and sit down for meditation. During the
day, as soon as the parade and other normal duties were over, he would engage
himself in like manner or hasten to the home of Swami Ji. He was known for not
wasting a single moment on pastimes popular among his fellow soldiers. He
visited Punni Gali with great regularity, and often acted there as Swami Ji's
pathi or reciter; and many of his friends, because of his impact, became his
Master's disciples. Life was peaceful and happy and was bearing steady fruit. But
a day arrived when the regiment was ordered to move from Agra. Heavy of heart,
Jaimal Singh met his Master and sadly related the news. "Oh Sir!" he
said, "how I yearn to enjoy the blessings of Satsang a little
longer." Swami Ji smiled and replied, "Well, let us wait and watch
for the Will of the Sahib." Next day fresh orders arrived canceling the
departure of the regiment. Jaimal Singh was making speedy inner headway. He
often told Swami Ji of his various spiritual experiences and his Guru was
pleased with his progress. Once when he told him of his ready access to Dasam
Dwar (the Tenth Gate - the third major stage of the mystic soul) but his
inability to penetrate beyond it, Swami Ji exclaimed: "Ah! That is quite
understandable. We have worked at this spiritual exploration together before,
and in your last life you mastered up to the third stage. Hence your ease in
progressing thus far and your subsequent difficulty." He however reassured
his young disciple and encouraged him to keep up his effort. When the latter one day reported still higher ascent, Swami Ji was
mightily pleased and declared enthusiastically: "Continue in this fashion
and you will soon be ready to help other souls to salvation. You have been born
to help mankind, and between you and me is no real difference." "I am not worthy of such honor. Oh, let me be humbly at your feet,
far from the fangs of pride." "Fear not, a true Saint can never be proud." "Oh Sir, keep me at your feet, the servant of the servants of
Saints. That is all I ask." "You shall indeed have a Saint's service: saving humanity, bringing
it to truth and spiritual liberation. What is the giving away of a million cows
to the saving of a single soul?" "You may do as you judge best, but as for myself I know only too
well my worthlessness and limitations." The six months for which the regiment's departure was postponed were
over and Jaimal Singh had to go. He took leave for the last three days and
spent them in the company of his Master. When at last the time for bidding
farewell drew near, Jaimal Singh could bear it no longer. "My heart breaks at the thought of parting. If you so will, I can
have my name struck from the army rolls." But Swami Ji would not hear of such a thing: "Build your love on
the Shabd within. That is your real Guru and is ever at your side. All else is
transient and must be left behind. You must earn your living for if you depend
on the labor of others, you must pay for it with your mental peace, and your
understanding will be clouded. If you have to work, then why leave the
army?" Jaimal Singh had no choice but to bow before the superior wisdom of his
Master. At parting, Swami Ji spoke of the nature of Sainthood and the conduct
of Saints. He related anecdotes of their great humility and, when bidding
farewell, said: "Your regiment is now leaving. If you ever meet a true
seeker, put him on the inner path, but remember always that you are only a
humble instrument of the Saints." Tears filled the young soldier's eyes as
he fell at the feet of his Guru and bade him adieu. THE SOLDIER SAINT From Agra the regiment moved to
Delhi. Jaimal Singh, deprived of his Master's company, began looking for some
spiritual seeker with whom he could associate. He soon discovered one Baba
Karam Singh, also in the army, who was a great devotee of the Lord. He began
visiting him frequently and would sit at his quarters enjoying the elder's
company. When one day Baba Karam Singh asked Jaimal Singh what attracted him to
his place, he very simply replied,
"I come here because since my childhood I have loved sitting at the
feet of the lovers of the Lord." Baba Karam Singh was delighted to find a fellow spirit soyoung in years,
and a lively discussion on Spirituality ensued. It turned out that Baba Karam
Singh, like Baba Balak Singh of Hazro, mistook the pranic rhythm for theprinciple
of Naam sung of in the Granth Sahib. The young soldier, who had not yet
attained his majority, began with great humility to correct his error. He
quoted relevant passages from the Sikh scriptures to show that the Divine
Shabda was the prime energy activating everything, evenprana, but was not to be
identified with prana. He dwelt on the fact that all great exponents of Sant
Mat or the Path of the Masters had clearly and unequivocally declared that in
our time pranayama and other such practices could not bring inner emancipation.
He then spoke of his great teacher at Agra and of his inspiring teachings, and
helped Baba Karam Singh to get on to the right path to God. After the great Rebellion of 1857, the regiment in which Jaimal Singh
was employed was disbanded. He had not met his family for a long time and
proceeded straight home. His mother's joy at seeing him again knew no bounds. But
he was not destined to be with her for long. On receiving the news that a 24th Sikh Regiment had been formed at Peshawar, he bade his family
farewell and proceeded to join it. After some time in the Northwest Frontier
Province the regiment was transferred in January 1858 to Ambala. In September
of the following year it was transferred to Sagar, a city on the banks of a
large lake in central India. By now Jaimal Singh's fellow soldiers had got used
to his rigorous spiritual discipline; but during the days the regiment would be
marching, they were surprised to find him excavate a small dugout in which he
would then sit in a reclining posture, his back resting against the earthy
embankment, and pass the entire night in meditation. While stationed at Sagar, Jaimal Singh one night requested Swami Ji in
meditation that the regiment be transferred next to Agra so that he could have
the benefit of sitting at his holy feet. A man of God-realization can work
strange miracles, being at one with the Will of God; and a Guru's love for a
true disciple is so great that he denies him nothing. (*3) Jaimal Singh's prayer was granted; and next
morning he casually observed to Bhagwan Singh, his mate and a devoted admirer,
that as and when the regiment would be transferred it would be moved to Agra. (*3
What we cannot explain in terms of what we know, we normally term as a
"miracle." Thus the first witnesses of locomotion looked upon what
they saw as a wonder; yet today hardly anyone would take it as such. In like
manner, he who has mastered the inner Science knows that what people take as
miracles are not miracles as such, but are based on the higher laws of
creation, accessible only to the scientists of the Spirit who have explored the
mysteries of the inner Path. See in this connection the chapter, "The Law
of Miracles," in The Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa Yogananda.) On that occasion Bhagwan Singh took little notice of what was said, but
when the news of its next stationing was received, the story of the prophetic
soldier spread through the regiment like wildfire. The orders for moving to Agra had not yet been received when Jaimal
Singh applied for annual leave. The leave was granted but when he reported
before departure, his superior informed him that he had to rejoin, not at
Sagar, but at Agra. The sepoy was so overcome with the news that instead of
going home he went straight to Agra. Swami Ji received him with great affection and Radha Ji especially
prepared halwa to mark the occasion. The great Guru regarded him as a puran
Gurmukh, a true disciple, and recited to him some of the mystical poems he had
composed during Jaimal Singh's absence from Agra and which were later collected
by Rai Saligram Ji, another noted and distingushed disciple, along with many of
his own compositions, in the volume entitled Sar Bachan. One of the verses he read referred directly to his disciple: Yeh dlaun hai dhur lok adhur ki Koyi pukre Sant sipahi This music streams from a transcendent plane within and is
caught by a soldier Saint. SAR
BACHAN, SHABD 9 (p 94) Jaimal Singh made the most of his time with the Master. He attended the
Satsang regularly and often chanted the verses on which Swami Ji later
discoursed. Meanwhile the 24th Sikh Regiment moved into town, but he continued
to stay at Punni Gali for he still had some leave to his credit. One night
Swami Ji asked him to carry a number of sheets and clothes and accompany him to
a poor locality. There he personally distributed to the needy according to
their wants the gifts he had brought for them. The recipients were full of gratitude and enthusiastically thanked and
blessed the magnanimous stranger. But Swami Ji was not the man to draw praise
for himself even when it was his rightful due. "Oh," he exclaimed to
those who flocked around him, "do not thus burden me with thanks. I am
only an agent of my generous Master. It is to him that all credit is due." When the nocturnal mission was over, the great teacher turned to his
disciple and said, "Jaimal, my son, always serve the poor in this way,
never claiming anything as your due." Jaimal Singh went back to duty when his annual holiday was over. But he
made it a point not to miss any opportunity of visiting his Master. He would
often arrive at Punni Gali at noon and stay on till late in the evening. One
day, lost in Satsang and Bhajan, he forgot completely that he was on duty at
night. It was early in the morning that he reached the army quarters and went
straight to his mate. "Have you completed your duty?" asked Bhagwan Singh. "Why, was I on duty last night?" ventured Jaimal Singh. "Are you being funny? As if I didn't see you going out dressed for duty last night!" Jaimal Singh made no further reply. He was musing on the unfailing care
of his Master and wondering what exactly had happened. If he still had any
doubts about the miracle, they were soon dispelled. The Havildar above him, on
meeting him shortly after, also referred to his night duty and that his
attendance had been duly marked in the night register. As soon as he could get
away, he hastened to Punni Gali and fell at his Master's feet. "How little
we erring mortals deserve the grace you shower on us!" he exclaimed, and
related the strange happenings of the preceding night. "I hope you have not spoken of them to any of your army friends." "Sir, I was too dumbfounded to utter a word." "Excellent! Excellent! Now keep it to yourself. And mark if any
such thing ever happens in the future, remember to restrain yourself and not
make a public fuss about it." This miracle was to be repeated when a similar situation arose not long
after. The year and a half that the 24th Sikh Regiment spent at Agra passed on like a happy dream. Before
the regiment departed, Jaimal Singh spent three days with Swami Ji. On the last
day when he had to bid farewell, he humbly fell at his Master's feet. Swami Ji
raised him from his feet, pressed him fondly to himself, and observed,
"There is no difference between us whatsoever for we are alike permeated
with the power of Naam." From Agra the regiment proceeded to Peshawar as is the wont in army
life. The 24th Sikh Regiment
kept moving from one cantonment to another every two or three years. Among
various places at which it was stationed, the most important were Rawalpindi, Abbotabad, Mianmir near Lahore, and Jhansi. While at
the last mentioned station, Jaimal Singh was promoted to the rank of a Naik. In October, two years later, he was once again on his way to Agra to
spend the annual leave with his Guru. Who can describe the beatitude to be
experienced at the feet of a Divine Teacher! The time slipped by and before he
could even realize it, Jaimal Singh's day of parting arrived. He went to Swami
Ji for blessings and to bid him farewell. "This is going to be our last
meeting," observed the Master. "My mission on earth is ahnost over. I
need hardly repeat that I have cast you in my own mold and you are of my very
essence." When Chanda Singh, who was also at Punni Gali at that time, heard that
Swami Ji intended to leave the world in a short while, he exclaimed, "What
will become of us?" and begged him to leave someone behind to carry on his
work in the Punjab. Swami Ji smiled and replied, "Your prayers have already been granted by the Almighty, and
Jaimal, whom I have already given authority for Initiation, has been deputed
for the task." Then turning back to Jaimal, he said, "Put all seekers that come to
you on the path of Naam; but see that you steer clear of sects and creeds. Ours
is the path of Nanak and Kabir. Whosoever is fired by spiritual zeal, whether
of this faith or of that, has a right to it. Carry on in all humility, and
whatever you do, do it as a servant of the Saints." He then turned to
Radha Ji and placing his hand on Jaimal's back declared, "He is indeed our
Gurmukh son," and taking a saropa or headdress he lovingly bestowed it as
a parting gift to his apt and faithful disciple. This great love and honor was
too much for the humble Gurmukh and, overwhelmed, his eyes were filled with
tears. His heart was heavy as he left, thinking of the approaching end of his
Master's arthly sojourn and the difficult burden that was being placed on his
shoulders. From Agra, Jaimal Singh returned to his regiment at Jhansi. The rest of
his story as a soldier is simply told. It is unnecessary to enumerate the many
places at which the 24th
Sikh Regiment was stationed from time to time. Whatever happened,
wherever he went, Jaimal Singh let nothing interrupt the routine of his
spiritual sadhnas. Like a lover in the frenzy of love, he was forever centered
in the joy of the inner life. Even when his regiment was in action in the
Northwestern Frontier during the Anglo-Afghan War in 1879, he would leave his
quarters at night, go into the wilderness, dig a pit and, with his rifle tucked
under his knees, get lost in meditation. Enemy snipers would often spot him,
but seeing his Radiant figure make out that he was no ordinary soldier but some
great fakir, and leave him untouched. At times when he arose from his sadhna,
they would even bow before him in reverence. As Jaimal Singh, who had been 18
when he had first entered the army at Agra, grew into a mature man and passed
from youth to middle age, he slowly but steadily won the hearts of all around
him. At first some of his companions might have sportively dismissed him as an
orthodox nonentity who did not know the art of enjoying life, but was lost in
the reading of scriptures and tedious spiritual sadhnas. But as the years
passed by, they realized that they had among them no ordinary mortal. His
prediction to Bhagwan Singh at Sagar of their regiment's next posting got wide
currency and won him many admirers. While stationed at Jamrud during the Afghan
War, his mate Bhagwan Singh, who had gone with a convoy, suddenly fell ill and
died. At the very moment his spirit was leaving its physical frame, Jaimal
Singh, many miles away, abruptly exclaimed, "Wah wah nipat gaye,"
i.e. "Well, well, it is at last over." Inder Singh, who had joined the regiment at Jhansi, and had developed an
intimate attachment for his revered senior, becoming his first initiate, was
sitting with him. He was not a little surprised by this dramatic outburst, and
asked his teacher what it meant. Jaimal Singh was reluctant to declare himself.
"Why bother about that which does not concern you?" he said, but when
Inder Singh persisted he told him that Bhagwan Singh had passed away. The young
soldier noted the time and date and when the news of his colleague's death
arrived, he found it to be correct. Such strange happenings were not infrequent where Jaimal Singh was
concerned, and with the passage of time he became an institution in the
regiment. Everyone respected him, and even the English officers held him in
great veneration, calling him "Lord Bishop." All those spiritually
inclined sought his company, and no less than those who suffered from some
worldly affliction. Thus, Subedar Kharak Singh, who had been married for many
years without issue, begged him for the blessing of a child. Jaimal Singh
observed that he was not destined to have a child, but when Kharak Singh
continued to press him, his prayer was granted. The child was born, but the
happy father failed to give away in charity the sum of Rs. 500 which Jaimal
Singh had strictly enjoined him to distribute. Not long after, the Subedar fell
seriously ill. Jaimal Singh was called, but he said that it was too late now
and the evil was past any remedy. A few days later, Kharak Singh passed away. Was
it mere chance or was it because of Jaimal Singh that the members of the 24th Sikhs showed an extraordinary interest in
spiritual matters? It is not an unusual phenomenon that the true holy men
spread an aura of peace wherever they are, drawing the devotees of the Lord
toward themselves and influencing those around them. This regiment became known
for its religious inclinations and many a sadhu would pay it a visit wherever
it was stationed. Jaimal Singh was always invited whenever any sadhu paid a visit to the
regimental center or when any of its members went forth to meet them. When once
some of the young Sikh soldiers had to be baptized as adults into their faith,
he was unhesitatingly chosen to conduct the ceremony and gave an illuminating
discourse on the inner spiritual significance of the ritual. His recitations
from scriptures began gradually to be attended by more and more people, and in
later years Jaimal Singh, who by then had come to be popularly addressed as
"Baba Ji," "Bhai Ji," or "Sant Sepahi," often
discoursed briefly on their true import.
His magnetic personality, his
impeccable character, his spiritual mastery and his growing fame gradually drew
around him a small circle of very devoted followers from the regiment, men like
Inder Singh, Bagga Singh, Bhagwan Singh, etc.,
who became his earliest initiates. But Baba Jaimal Singh's military
career was conspicuous not only for its rigid adherence to a high spiritual
ideal, but also for its equally remarkable performance in the field of army
duties. True to his Master's behest, Jaimal Singh was extremely regular in his
official routine. Nothing could keep him away from his work except, perhaps,
his absorption in the Divine, on which occasions Swami Ji miraculously filled
up the gap. He was known for his honesty and impartiality and, though a strict
vegetarian himself, did not hesitate to have meat distributed to his fellows as
duty bound when once he was called upon to do so. Once an officer asserted that
his vegetarianism was in all probability undermining his capacities as a
soldier and suggested that he should take to non-vegetarian food to develop
more stamina and muscle. Jaimal Singh was unconvinced and challenged any
"meat-eating toughs" to surpass him on the field. He was later
requested to explain the grounds for his abstinence, and gave a full discourse
to the entire regiment developing at length the reasons why meat should be
avoided and exploding the popular myth that vegetarian food is in any way
deficient in vitality. His service roll, covering 34 years of active service,
proves the truth of his assertion. It records not a single instance of
hospitalization. Like his great Guru, Jaimal Singh was unassailable both in
swartha and parmartha - worldliness and godliness. His exemplary regularity,
sobriety and courage, his readiness to shoulder responsibilities, and his
honest discharge of all his duties, for all his quietness and unobtrusiveness,
did not go unnoticed. In January 1869 he was awarded a medal for the rank of a
Naik while at Jhansi. In Mianmir on the same day, three years later, he became a Havildar; and
when the 24th Sikhs were at Multan from 1880 onward for three years, he
received a second medal for loyal and meritorious service. He retired on l5th
August, 1889, after full 34 years of faithful and creditable service; and when
he bade his regiment farewell, the hearts of all were heavy - juniors,
colleagues and seniors - for they lost in him not just a steady, hard- working
comrade, but a friend, a teacher (he taught Gurmukhi to the officers) and what
is far rarer, an unfailing and inspiring moral and spiritual guide. The
accounts of Baba Ji left by his army colleagues and others are of a piece with
the rest of his life and character. Reading through them we learn of a man who,
while lost in the Divine mysteries, was yet not lost to the world. A fellow
soldier who happened to be placed under him while he was a Havildar was
surprised that in all the three years they were together, he did not once
notice or hear of his being out of temper. He was always sweet-spoken and
refrained from harshness and vulgarity. All his life he remained a strict
vegetarian and an equally strict teetotaler. And to these we may add his rigid
brahmcharya, for he remained a celibate all his years. Wedded to devotion to
God, he never experienced the urge to marry, and stoutly resisted any attempt
to cajole him into matrimony. When his youngest brother Jiwan Singh also
entered the army and expressed his desire to marry, Jaimal Singh did not
object, but only said, "Why enter into this web when our family is not
destined to continue?" Jiwan Singh was married and a year later a son was
born who died shortly, followed by his mother. Dan Singh, the second brother,
who managed the farm, also had no issue, and Jaimal's prediction was thus
fulfilled. Other qualities that marked Jaimal Singh out of the general run of
men included an inexhaustible capacity for service, charity and generosity. Like
Swami Ji, he often distributed clothes and other necessities to the needy and
the wretched. He had no enemies and looked upon all as his friends. His love
however was especially directed to the poor, and even more so to sadhus and
devotees of the Lord. While others were idling or busy with sport, he sought
out the company of such devotees, ministering to their needs or discussing
spiritual problems. Neither in his army life nor even afterward did he
distinguish between creed and creed, but treated all - Muslims, Christians,
Sikhs or Hindus - on an equal footing. While ever ready to help materially or spiritually, he always avoided
the limelight. Even as a child he had been known for his modesty; his shyness
being sometimes made a subject of ridicule. If he met sadhus, he contented
himself with listening to what they said; he rarely contradicted or criticized.
If he met a genuine seeker, he was ready enough to discuss and explain, but he
attributed whatever he knew not to any virtue in himself, but to the grace of
his peerless Master. His dress and appearance were as simple yet elegant as the
man himself. Of medium height, some five feet and six inches, he was sturdily
built. He had a knotty protrusion on his forehead above the right eye and a
lotus mark, symbolic of true spirituality, on the sole of his right foot. He
had fine features, wheatish complexion and a glowing face whose ruddy color was
set off by a rich freely flowing beard which retained its lustrous #999999ness to
the very end, except for a few straggling streaks of white. When not in army
uniform, he wore a white turban in Jat style, a white muslin kurta (loose
shirt), and tight-fitting pyjamas of the same color. While in his quarter
informally among his fellows, he would usually wrap a khadi sheet about himself
tucking it on the left side, cover his hair (which when unloosed fell to his
waist) with a towel, and move about in kharaon (wooden sandals) or jooti
(Indian shoes). He was simple in his habits and frugal in his needs. Milk was
his favorite item of food and he was particularly fond of goat's milk. He spent
little upon himself and his earnings were mostly spent in charity or in sending
allowances to his brother. THE TORCH BEARER Baba Jaimal Singh, on retiring as a Government pensioner from the army,
decided to visit the home of his incomparable Master. Swami Ji had passed away
in 1878 as he had himself foretold, but Baba Ji was greatly attached to his
family and his disciples. So, in 1890, he took train for the old Mughal
capital, and on reaching there proceeded straight to Punni Gali. Radha Ji was
overjoyed to see Swami Ji's beloved disciple once more while Chacha Partap
Singh, his youngest brother, was delighted and gave him a cordial welcome. Word was sent to Baba Gharib Das, then
apparently at Agra, and he hastened to meet the great soul from the Punjab. Who
can describe the deep joy that was theirs as they greeted and embraced each
other and remembered the great Master, who, no longer in this physical plane,
was yet spiritually ever with them? Who can fathom the feelings of such Master
spirits? The old spiritual comrades radiated love as they greeted each other
and to see them meet was itself a lesson in the truth that God is love. Radha
Ji brought forth a red turban and an aasan or prayer carpet which Swami Ji had
left with her before his passing away as a last gift to his gurmukh disciple. Chacha
Partap Singh then brought a gaddi and begged Baba Ji to be seated. But he would
not hear of it and commenting, "I am only a dog of this house blessed to
be admitted within its walls," kept standing. Chacha Partap Singh protested and persisted, but to no avail. At last
Radha Ji intervened and ended the controversy by saying, "Jaimal Singh is
indeed a khatau (worthy) son of Swami Ji, who has made the most of the capital
entrusted to him. He has bestowed him with the Lordship of Sat Lok. So why
should he care for earthly gaddis?" When meals were over, Baba Ji insisted
on washing the utensils. "This home for me is a temple, for it was here
that I got enlightenment. My only ambition is to serve this house." But
Radha Ji would not hear of it. "You may do as you please some other
day," she declared, "but today you must abide by what I say." Next day, accompanied by Chacha Partap Singh and Baba Gharib Das, Baba
Jaimal Singh Ji proceeded to Rai Saligram - a beloved disciple of Swami Ji -
who had been entrusted after him with the work at Agra and carried on his
discourses at Pipal Mandi, where he was popularly known as Hazur Maharaj. He
rejoiced at the visit and received the honored guest from Ghuman with respect
and affection. The two embraced after which Hazur Maharaj drew Baba Ji toward
the gacdi on which he had been sitting in order to seat him next to himself. But
with characteristic humility, he declined the honor and seated himself on the
floor. The third day Hazur Maharaj presented Baba Ji with a rich silken robe
embroidered with gold. He, however, would not hear of it. "What has a simple farmer like me to do with such precious fabrics?
Khadi suits me better." "How can you say such things," protested the host, "when Swami Ji has made you a king of Spirituality and entrusted you with his mission in the Punjab?" Seeing that Baba Ji would not give way, he finally suggested: "Very well, if you will not accept this robe, at least do me the
honor of putting it on once, after which I would keep it as a prized
souvenir." On hearing this, Chacha Partap Singh declared that he had a prior right
and should be allowed to have the dress after Baba Jaimal Singh had donned it. At
last Radha Ji stepped in and interceded. How could Jaimal Singh resist any
longer? Such love! Such honor! What mortal could deserve it? It was all the grace of his Master. With tears in his eyes, he took the robe from Radha Ji's hands and
placed it reverently on his head, reciting the verses from the Granth Sahib,
beginning: Maen av-ghun,
gun nahin koi . . . I am unworthy; and no virtue is in me . . . A week passed by in this fashion and, having paid his homage to the
place where he had received spiritual illumination, Baba Jaimal Singh prepared
to depart. He invited Baba Gharib Das to join him, and the latter graciously
accepted the invitation. The party set forth for the Punjab and when they arrived at Ghuman,
scriptural recitations and discourses were arranged in their honor. Jiwan
Singh's marriage was at hand, and there was feasting and rejoicing. The
villagers keenly enjoyed the talks given by the two spiritual friends and the
days rolled by till Baba Gharib Das had to leave. Jaimal Singh accompanied him
to the Beas Railway Station and bade him a touching farewell as he left by
train. Baba Ji continued to be on very friendly terms with Swami Ji's disciples
and with the members of his family. There was great mutual respect and esteem
and Baba Ji's visit to Murree in 1894 was made at the invitation of some Agra
satsangis. But after the passing away of Hazur Maharaj Rai Saligram Ji, things
began to undergo a change. A move was made to bring all activities under the
control of Pandit Brahm Shankar Misra (alias Maharaj Sahib) through the
creation of a Central Administrative Council at Soamibagh. Baba Ji was
nominated along with nine others for the first panel of the Council. The letter
sent to Baba Jaimal Singh by Chacha Partap Singh from Allahabad on the
occasion, dated 4th August, 1902, nominating him as such, is on record. (*4)
(*4 Chacha Patap Singh Ji's letter dated August 4, 1902: "Beloved of the Satguru, purified by Shabd, pure of face and
intellect, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji. I have received your letter and was very glad
to read ist contents. And the stone which you suggested will be put in the
building. You may be assured about that. My son, Suchet Singh, has come back on
pension. I am, however, sorry to note that there is a tendency of forming
different sects and cliques in our Satsang, and that all satsangis are not in
harmony with each other. For this purpose I have come here (to Allahabad). We
have decided that a Radha Swami Satsang Central Association should be started. Pandit
Ji (Brahm Shankar Misra) has insisted that I should be its President and he
will be the Vice-President; that Lala Ajodhia Prashad, son of Hazur Sahib
Maharajm (Rai Bahadur Saligram) and eight others, as well as yourself, should
be members. Or, in whatever manner any ten members can be selected by the
Satsangis by a vote of majority. I am, therefore, sending you a pamphlet
containing a complete description about this Central Association, and can send
you any number of copies as may be required. Please send instructions to all
your satsangis that they should sanction the following ten names and endorse
these pamphlets in token of their nomination. If you have Satsangis in far-off places, they should also be asked to
act accordingly. I am giving below the names of the ten members referred to
above: 1. Lala Ajodhia Prashad (son of
Rai Saligram). 2. Pandit Brahm Shankar Misra
Sahib. 3. Lala Baleshwar Parshad. 4. Lala Madho Parshad. 5. Rai Ishwar Sahai, alias Raja Sahib. 6. Lala Suchet Singh (son of Chacha Partap
Singh). 7. Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Sahib. 8. Lala
Sudershan Singh (another son of Pratap Singh). 9. Munshi Hargobind Daya Sahib. 10. Mr. Bool Chand Sahib. It is expected that by the constitution of this Society, different
groups and cliques will disappear and satsangis will love each ather as
brothers. Kindly send this letter to Babu Sawan Singh also for his
information.") Baba Ji, however, was reluctant to join the Council as he felt the
changes that were taking place about this time among the Agra satsangis were
not in consonance with Swami Ji's teachings. He also objected to and opposed
Maharaj Sahib's plan for building a magnificent samadh in memory of Swami Ji,
because he felt that so humble a spirit as his Master would never have
countenanced such a project. When he went to Agra about this time, he openly
explained his point of view but Maharaj Sahib was not to be dissuaded. Finding
himself no longer well received and his words of no avail, he returned to Beas
and decided to remain aloof from the activities of the Council at Soamibagh. During
his military career Baba Jaimal Singh, whenever he had any leave, spent part of
it at Ghuman. Though detached from worldly ties, he was yet very fond of his
mother. On one occasion he was to tell a devoted disciple that in their past
three lives, he and his mother had enjoyed the same relationship. On such
occasions when he came to his ancestral home, it was his wont not to waste time
in needless gossip and idling, but to proceed to the banks of the Beas and sit
hidden in the gullies that the wayward river had created by its freakish
changes of course, and continue lost in spiritual devotion for days, subsisting
only on a few dry chapatis that he brought from home and hung on a kikar tree. At other times when he was at home he would walk down to Dera Baba
Namdev and carry on his meditations there or in a dugout in the courtyard of
the family house. This house and dugout were preserved long after Baba Ji's death, and his
successor, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, would sometimes take his closest
disciples to Ghuman and show them the spot where his great Guru used to sit for
meditation. In particular he would point out the peg on the wall behind the
dugout where Baba Ji would tie up his hair in order to ward off sleep during
abhyasa. Just as his fellow soldiers learned in time to respect and revere Baba
Jaimal Singh, in like manner the inhabitants of Ghuman came gradually to recognize
his great spiritual stature. His early childhood devotion had already become a
local legend; and whenever the Sant Sipahi came, the local folk flocked to see
him and his company was sought by young and old, whosoever was spiritually
inclined. Mistri Elahi Baksh and Bhai Lehna, who had been his boyhood friends,
were the first to seek his spiritual guidance. He commended their zeal, but
said that the time was not yet ripe for their instruction. Many years later
when he felt that the hour had come, he put them on the inner path and they
were among his earliest Ghuman disciples. After his retirement Baba Ji, on coming to his native village, continued
his old habit of going to Beas river- side for his sadhnas. The years
immediately following the close of his army life were largely spent in this
manner. Once while at Amritsar with Hakim Nand Lal, he mentioned that he was in
search of a quiet place in the wilderness where he could settle down and carry
on his meditation. Lala Khazana Mal, a money-lender who was also present, suggested that
such a place could be found between the villages of Vairach and Balsarai on the
banks of Beas where he carried on his business. Baba Ji, who had already been
attached to the area, accepted the suggestion. This was the place where Kahan,
a God-intoxicated man, met Baba Ji in his early life saying he was preparing a
place for him in the days to come. Meanwhile Baba Chanda Singh, who too had received instructions at the
feet of Swami Ji, passed away. In his last moments Bibi Rukko, a very devoted
disciple, asked him what was to become of her. "Fear not, my child,"
replied the sage, "another greater than myself shall take care of
you." "Where shall I find him, Sir?" asked Rukko. "Find
him? No, you shall have no need, for he himself will seek you out." Shortly
before Baba Ji came to settle down on the banks of the Beas, Bibi Rukko, who
was then living at Vairach and was fairly well advanced spiritually, told the
villagers that her protector was coming to live there. When Baba Jaimal Singh arrived, he found a small hut built out of straw
and branches for him, a bare eight feet by eight feet, and he began living
there. Soon after Khazana Mal arrived, and hearing that Baba Ji had come, came
to see him. He had the hut plastered with mud and a cave dug out. It was the
year 1891 and Baba Ji gave himself up with redoubled zeal to his spiritual
sadhnas. He would enter the cave and stay in it for days on end, sometimes as
long as a fortnight without any thought for food, rapt in inner samadhi. Though Baba Ji shunned the public gaze, yet musk cannot be hidden in the
dark. He might have no care for earthly name and fame but name and fame fell to
his share in spite of this. Fame of his spiritual greatness had already spread
from Ghuman to the neighboring villages; and going for darshan to a holy man is
an ancient institution in this land of the sages. Where there had been
wilderness, people began appearing in ever growing numbers and regular Satsangs
began to take place. How could Baba Ji turn away those who had come to his
door? In all simplicity and humility he taught them the spiritual message that
he had received at the feet of Swami Ji. Many a moneyed man begged him to be
permitted to build pucca quarters for him, but he, rich in his own humility,
continued in his simple austere ways. To undertake to write the biography of a Saint is to attempt the
impossible. If it is to do real justice to ist subject, it must follow the
inner movements that defy observation, analysis and formulation. You may take
up the life of a great artist, writer, soldier or statesman, and if you are a
man of deep understanding and imagination, you may reincarnate it in words
giving a vivid picture of the psychological conflicts and resolutions involved.
But the Saints at one leap have passed from this world to another and have cast
their tents in inaccessible realms. Few men have reached there; and those that have entered have been
wrapped in silence. When the pen set to picturing this station It broke in pieces and the page was torn. The study of the progress of the mystic soul is beyond the reach of
ordinary mortals, and those that have been on the inner journey can only speak
in metaphor and parable, for how else can the language of common humanity be
compelled to express experiences for which it was never fashioned? The history
then of a Master Soul, as fired by a restless zeal, which moves from plane to
plane, must remain an unwritten one; at best it can only give the husk of outer
events and happenings to suggest the unusual nature of the spiritual
experiences they unfold. And once such a soul has attained full enlightenment
and become one with the Infinite, its history is no longer its own, but is the
history of those that came under its spell and were liberated from worldly
bondage. The story of Baba Ji's life after his great search had been crowned with
success is the story not so much of his own development as of the many souls
that benefited from him. Thus Mian Chirag Din relates the story of his maternal
grandfather, Mistri Elahi Baksh, of whom we have already spoken. Elahi, a childhood friend of Baba Ji, showed great interest in spiritual
matters and would discuss them with him when he (Baba Ji) would come home on
leave from his regiment. Once when Baba Ji, known in his village as
"Bhai," was in Ghuman, Elahi saw him approaching in the company of a
sadhu. A lively discussion was in progress and when Elahi wished to know its
theme, he was told that the sadhu insisted that Brahmand was the highest of all
heavens in spite of the fact that Baba Ji assured him that there were higher
realms. On hearing this, Elahi turned to the sadhu and with solemn conviction
said: "Revered sir, Bhai Ji is absolutely right. There are indeed regions
higher than those of which you know." This silenced the sadhu and he went away. When the friends were left
alone, Baba Ji thanked Elahi for his friendly intervention and added, "But
it is strange that you never told me of your access to the inner spiritual
realms." "Whoever said I had access to them?" "But then how could you speak with such conviction?" "Oh, Bhai, I only know that a man of realization can never utter a falsehood. So how could I doubt what you said?" Baba Ji was so moved by his friend's spontaneous and deep-rooted faith
that he told him, "I shall unlock to you treasures of which few ever dream
and which fewer attain." He took him straight to a nearby pond and
initiated him into the Surat Shabd Yoga on its bank. However, Elahi had yet to
learn the value of the gift he had received. Greatly interested in spiritual
questions, he continued the practices taught to him by Muslim fakirs and failed
to ttend to his friend's instructions. When Baba Ji came to Ghuman again, he sent for Elahi nd asked him what
he had done with the inner key that ad been given to him. When Elahi told him
that he had one nothing and even forgotten what he had been told, aba Ji was
displeased. "I give you the greatest riches hat man can ever hope to have
and you treat them with uch scant regard," he scolded, and slapped him
thrice n the face. As soon as his hands fell upon the repentant lahi's face,
his inner eye was opened and his spirit rose o higher worlds. From that day
onward Elahi Baksh began evoting himself exclusively to the Surat Shabd Yoga
and ould daily visit his Pir or Guru and bow in reverence efore him. When a Great One takes a wandering soul under his ing, his grace is not
confined only to his immediate isciple but radiates to those near and dear to
him. Such powerful spiritual influence
fell upon Elahi Baksh's amily that in spite of their Muslim relations' and
rothers' taunts and scorn, many of its members sought nstruction at Baba Ji's
feet. Elahi's son-in-law, Hussain aksh, was among the first to take to the
Path. He was very evoted to Baba Ji and displayed great love and reverence. His Guru was pleased with him and treated him and his ons, Ghulam Qadir
and Chirag Din, with affection. Mian hirag Din, in his manuscript account,
relates how the reat One would joke with them and receive them at all ours when
they were youngsters. Once when he had gone o Ghuman and was resting, the boys
sought him out there. Bbi Daya received them at the door and when she learned that they had come for her son, she got a little irritated. "Ah, when you grow up," she exclaimed, "and have children
of your own, never make the mistake of educating them. I am a mother and I know
too well from my experience how difficult it is to cope with when a son becomes
a God." Baba Ji at this juncture called out from within and the boys went
in. He patted them fondly and remarked, "You are always welcome. Do not
mind what mother says." A true Master is ever with his disciple and protects him not only in
life but equally in death: O Nanak: free yourself from worldly companions, And seek the friendship of a true Saint. They shall forsake you even in life, But he shall not leave you even after death
NANAK Take hold, O soul! of one who knows all inner planes, For he shall befriend thee in life as well as in
death.
MAULANA RUMI To witness the last moments of a disciple of Baba Ji was to be convinced
of his genuine greatness. Countless stories are told of the strange happenings
marking the end of those initiated by the Beas Saint. We may quote the eye-
witness account left by Chirag Din of his father's death as an outstanding
example. We translate from his Urdu manuscript recording his family's contact
with Baba Ji and some anecdotes he heard from the great Master about his own
early life: Once Baba Ji had gone to Ghuman after collecting his pension. Our
father, meanwhile, had passed away. We went to the Great One and related to him
the sad news. He consoled us and straightway proceeded to the spot where the
dead body lay. On reaching there he said, "O Hussain Baksh, why have you
been in such haste? I would have come and you could have had my darshan." As
these words were uttered, our dead father opened his eyes and sat up. Our
mother, frightened, inquired if anything was the matter. "Nothing,"
he said. "The Master has come and I am going." He then lay down and
was gone. Another very interesting anecdote relates how, while Baba Ji was
visiting the village of Dhaliwal, Attar Singh, a local inhabitant, carried him
across a nearby seasonal stream swollen with recent rains and back again. The
sage was so pleased with the Jat's selfless service that he declared, "O
Attar, you have taken me across this little streamlet. I, in return, shall take
you across the sea of life." He then initiated him into the Divine Science and from that day the
latter was a changed man. He would take his cattle for grazing as of yore, but
on reaching the meadows he would let them go and himself got busy with his
spiritual sadhnas. He no longer used a stick to control his herd, but would
manage it with a piece of cloth and soon became known for his extraordinarily
kind treatment of his animals. One day he returned rather early. On reaching
home, he told his daughter-in-law, who was there: "Child, get everything done quickly; storm will soon be
here." He then went to take his bath and on returning spread a bed on the
floor and called all those in the house to his side. He bade them goodbye,
explaining: "My time is drawing to
a close and I must soon be gone." Everyone was taken aback at these
strange words. How could the speaker talk of dying when he was apparently in
good health? At last his daughter-in-law, collecting herself, asked leave to
send for his son. "There is no need," he answexed. "My Master has come and
I cannot keep him waiting." Saying these words, he lay down, closed his
eyes and his spirit left for its heavenly Home. Baba Ji was not only chary himself of revealing his spiritual riches,
but strictly enjoined his disciples to exercise the same restraint. When they
transgressed his instructions they never escaped chastisement. Thus Chirag Din
relates the story of a blind Hafiz (learned man) of Dhariwal. He once attended a discourse of Baba Ji at the town of Kapurthala, and
when it was over and they were talking to each other, the Hafiz remarked: "The wise have said that he who has read the Holy Book thrice
attains heaven." "Heaven is very far, my dear fellow," replied Baba Ji. "Those that have entered it alone can tell." The assurance of the sage's voice moved the Hafiz to request
instruction. His wish was granted and he sedulously cultivated the lesson that
had been given to him till it bore fruit. He then proceeded to Mian Sahib at
Batala, his former teacher, and told him that all he had taught him was a hoax
and a lie. He would often visit the mosque and, intolerant of the pious sham
practiced there, he would secretly break the earthen pots and burn the prayer
mats. His fellows soon discovered the miscreant and complained to his Guru. The blind man was called and Baba Ji rebuked him. "Sir," replied his disciple, "I cannot stand hypocrisy
and besides I am in the right." His Master, however, told him that in the
future he must learn to contain himself and exercise restraint. But the advice
went unheeded and the Hafiz soon began indulging his whim once again. A group
of Muslims came to wait upon the sage and bitterly protested, complaining that
he had taught his disciple to turn heathen. At this Baba Ji answered,
"Does the man still persist in his foolishness? Well, if he will not stop
troubling you, do not be angry for you will soon be rid of him." Sure
enough, a few days later the Hafiz passed away. Similar stories are told about other advanced disciples. A sadhu who
came to live at Beas made rapid headway and his soul would soar at will to
Daswan Dwar. He could not restrain himself, however, and would begin talking of
the inner glories to whoever would pass his way. Baba Ji was upset and told him
that he must learn to discipline his tongue. But the sadhu, confident of
himself, continued unheeding. The inner curtain was rung down and for full
sixteen years he was denied inner access until his very last days when Baba
Ji's illustrious successor, Baba Sawan Singh, gave him his blessings. Baba Nizam-ud-din in a like situation was to experience a similar check.
His son, in a beautifully written Urdu account, narrates how his father, who
was the sixteenth initiate of Baba Ji according to the records at Beas, made
very speedy inner progress. In a few months he had gained great powers and had
developed a remarkable clairvoyance. But instead of locking his gifts within
himself as taught by his teacher, he began displaying his spiritual wares and
would freely tell those around of future happenings or of what was taking place
at distant towns. When Baba Ji was told of this, he turned to Bibi Rukko and
said, "This man has ascended very rapidly indeed, but has not been able to
digest what he has got." From that day on Nizam-ud-din, who had failed to
shutter his lips, found that his inner eye had been curtained. His sorrow was
great, but trusting the grace of his Master, he took to his spiritual practices
with redoubled energy. His wife too got initiated and with the passage of time
great blessings were bestowed upon them, and it was evident to those that came
into contact with them that they were no ordinary mortals. But never again did
Nizam-ud-din flaunt his spiritual powers. The entire life of Baba Nizam-ud-din
and his family as written by his son is one long saga of the blessings of
having a true Master. But society is not kind to a living Saint nor to those
that are lost in their love. Nizam-ud-din's devotion to his Sikh Pir soon won
him the animosity of his relatives and Muslim brethren. "He has turned
kafir," they said, and lost no opportunity of abusing and persecuting him.
He himself was not to be deterred and whenever there was any talk of
"Muslim", and "non-Muslim," he would recite the Persian
couplets: Ishk ra ba kafir-o-moman, na bashad
imtyaj Ein Sukhan bar mamber-o-mehrab mae bayad nivisht. Love makes no distinction between the infidel and the
faithful; Let these words be written on every pulpit and arch. Mard-e-hujji Mard-e-hajji ra talab Khah Hindu, Khah Turk-o-Khah Arab. If you wish to go on the inner pilgrimage, then seek an inner guide, Be he a Hindu, a Turk or an Arab. But for all his patience, matters grew only worse and when things were
not to be borne any longer, Baba Ji advised his beloved disciple to shift his
hearth and home to Multan. It was there that he spent the rest of his long life
and would often go to Beas to meet his Master. When after 1903 he was no more,
he would visit Baba Sawan Singh, his spiritual successor, who held him in great
esteem. It is not for us to dwell at length on the many blessings bestowed upon
him, his sons, grandsons and great-grandsons; suffice it to say that the whole
family held Baba Ji in great reverence and, as enjoined by him, kept up all the
traditions of their faith while practicing the discipline he had taught. When
his wife passed away, she foretold her approaching end a month before the date,
at which time she was in good health. When her hour drew near, she took
touching leave of her husband: "I have served you to the best of my
ability for sixty years. Now grant me leave for going away." My Master and
Maharaj Sawan Singh are waiting for me." Nizam-ud-din asked her to hold
his arm and focused his attention inward. The whole family was looking on as
the old couple sat wrapt in meditation. Twenty minutes later the husband opened
his eyes. "Now you may go," he said, and his wife peacefully passed
away. Next morning when her hearse had to be carried to the burial grounds,
some of the relations refused to lift the bier on the ground that the lady was
a kafir. But the neighbors knew her to be kind and generous and a true daughter
of God, and helped to carry the coffin to the graveyard. Baba Nizam-ud-din did
not tarry long after. His end was similarly known before it came and when his
bier was to be carried, his brethren's hearts had been softened and they joined
the procession. Many a fakir and sadhu witnessed his burial and as his remains
were being lowered, the verse was chanted: Hum nashini saat-e ba aulia Behter az sad-sala taat be-ria. A moment's contact with a Saint is worth more than a million austerities. Even to this day, in spite of the division of the country that came with
independence and in spite of the communal hatreds unleashed in its wake, the
descendants of Baba Nizam-ud-din have kept up the faith and often visit Sawan Ashram at Delhi to keep alive their association with the Path of the
Masters or the Sultan-ul-Azkar, as their enlightened forefather called it in
the terminology of the Sufi fakirs. Baba Ji's grace flowed to all! It was not only his disciples who
benefited from him, but many others who merely happened to catch his eye by
their simplicity, purity and selfless service. He had read many a scripture in
his childhood and youth, but he spoke not from learning but from direct inner
experience. There was inexplicable sweetness and charm in what he said and an
irresistible sense of conviction and assurance. Once four great pundits who
dabbled in various yogic practices began wrangling and debating about the
nature of the inner planes. They based themselves on their spiritual study and
the controversy they waged was lively indeed. Hearing of a Jat Saint of great
attainment, they came to Baba Ji's door. He heard what they had to say and then
lucidly explained to them the nature of the spiritual regions, reconciling what
had appeared to be contradictory viewpoints and resolving all their doubts to
their satisfaction. The pundits went away, but one of them, a true seeker who
had caught the Saint's bait, returned and begged for initiation. The boon was
granted; he practiced his sadhnas with regularity but to little avail. "Ah Sir! Bless me with
some inner vision," he begged. "Do you think I do not
wish you well?" came the reply. "I wish to the Lord that you reach Sat Lok this day, but you are not yet ripe and would not be able to bear the strain." The prayer was repeated many a time but Baba Ji always gave the same
answer. One day while he was going alone to collect his pension, the pundit met
him at a lonely spot. "Sir, this is wilderness and no one is by. Bless me
now, at least give me a glimpse of the realms within - no more - that I may
rest in certainty." "You will not be able to stand it and the strain will be too much
for you." "What does it matter even if I lose my life if only I may see what
is within!" Baba Ji could refuse no longer. He asked the pundit to sit down in
meditation and focused his gaze upon him. The pundit's soul was forcibly drawn
up into the higher realms. When Baba Ji, by his own will, brought it down to
physical consciousness, the pundit fell sobbing at his feet. "I thought my life was being wrenched out of me and a million
lightnings fell upon my head. Oh, Sir, forgive me my foolishness. We mortals
are indeed unworthy." "What is there to forgive?" replied the sage. "It is you who must forgive yourself for it is not I who suffered. Now
go and make the most of your time, for you have only three more years to
live." From that day onward he pundit concentrated on his meditations and three
years later, as predicted, passed away. Such tales are, however, legion, and whole volumes would not suffice to
sing the glory and grace of a true Saint.
So passing them by, we will concern ourselves with the most important
single event in the annals of Baba Ji's divine ministry: the initiation of
Sawan Singh Ji who was later to carry on his mission. The story is told by the
great disciple himself and we quote from his letters which have been published
in Spiritual Gems (Beas, 1959): "I was fond of Satsang and Parmarth (spirituality) from my very
childhood. I often associated with sadhus and religious people, and this in
part was because my father was fond of Sadhu seva. Then while in service I
studied Vedanta and discussed Vedanta with people, specially with the sadhus
who, on their way to Kashmir, stayed at a dharamsala (rest-house) near my
house. "Later I was transferred to Murree Hills. One day as I was
supervising my work, I saw an old Sikh going up a hill along with a middle-aged
lady. When I noticed him, I thought he had probably come in connection with
some case in the Commissioner's Court. Little did I think that he was to be my
Master. He was no other than Baba Ji himself and the lady was Bibi Rukko. This
I did not know at the time, but found out later that Babaj Ji said to Bibi
Rukko, referring to me, `It is for his sake that we have cone here,' to which
Bibi Rukko replied, `But he has not even greeted you.' Baba Ji said to her,
`What does the poor fellow know yet? On
the fourth day from this he will come to us.' "On the fourth day I went to attend Satsang. Baba Ji was at that
time explaining the meaning of Jap Ji Sahib. Well, I started my volley of
questions - so much so that the audience got tired and began to feel restless
at the large number of questions I had put. The sacred book, Sar Bachan, was
lying there and I objected to the name of `Radhasoami,' and Baba Ji explained
from the book itself what `Radhasoami' meant. Radha ad surat ka nam Soami ad Shabd nij dham. Radha is the name of the first or primal ray of surat
(consciousness); Soami is the original source of the stream of Shabd. "Now he wanted to point out the way, but I had read Vedanta. When I
read Gurbani, my opinion was different; when I read Gita my opinion was again
different, and I was unable to come to a decision. At last I applied for eight
days leave to enable me to study the teachings of Baba Ji. He advised me to
read Kabir Sahib's "Anurag Sagar." I immediately ordered eight copies
of this book from Bombay so that I could also give some to my friends, Baba
Hari Ram, Gulab Singh, etc., to read and comment on it. "After several conferences with Baba Ji, I was thoroughly convinced
and received initiation from him on the 15th day of October in 1894." What follows is a moving tale of devotion and obedience on the one hand
and ineffable love and grace on the other. The letters exchanged between the
Master and the disciple catch something of the esoteric beauty of this tale;
and Baba Ji's epistles are reproduced in the already mentioned volume of
"Spiritual Gems." In these we
learn of the step-by-step guidance afforded by the Guru to the disciple who has
surrendered himself completely to his Will, and the bizarre and miraculous way
in which his protective hand helps him at every turn. There were two particular
incidents that Baba Sawan Singh was particularly fond of relating to his
audiences to exemplify the greatness of Baba Ji and the blessing of having a
Pooran Guru or True Master. We quote again from his letters: (1) "It was
my habit to catch hold of the mane of my horse and jump upon it while it was
going by. But my servant, in my absence and without my knowledge, had cut the
horse's mane. I did not notice that and as I grabbed for the mane, my hand
slipped and I fell down and broke my leg. The fracture was painful, no doubt,
but much more painful was the fact that I could neither defecate nor urinate. The
doctors even thought it might be difficult for me to survive. "A Mohammedan overseer, belonging to my district, coming to know of
this accident, came to me and said: `I am your own man, a sort of family
member. I belong to your place. Tell me please, how can I help you?' I said, My
children are studying as boarders in a school about eight miles from this
place. I do not want them to know of this accident. But I should like you to
send a telegram to Maharaj Ji (Baba Ji).' He sent the telegram. And when Baba
Ji received the telegram, he said: `Well, if the Master wants to take him away,
he may, for at least he has got Naam.' But my sister in faith, Bibi Rukko,
pleaded for me with Baba Ji. "It was Baba Ji's practice to sit in meditation or to go into
meditation when there was expectation of anything important happening, and then
to give out whatever information he received within. He sat in meditaton at 8
p.m. or earlier (whenever the information was received by telegram). At about 3
a.m. he called Bibi Rukko and she asked, `Shall I bring your food now?' (He had
not taken his evening meal). Baba Ji replied: `No, but you asked something
about Bhai Sawan Singh. Now you can inform Sawan Singh that he is not going,
but the karmas were very heavy. It was ordained that he had to suffer for five
years but now we will settle the karmas in five months. Is it not something? We
shall not go to him just now, but after he has been discharged from the
hospital. In the meantime you may acknowledge receipt of his telegram.' And the
moment Baba Ji's telegram was received, I could pass stools and urine. "Saints show their mercy but they never talk about it. Now, while I
was reduced to this condition, I had to suffer from the monetary point of view
also. I lost my sub-divisional allowance, my horse allowance and half my pay also. The
Chief Engineer was very kind to me. He said: `If only you could come to office
every day in a dandi (a sedan chair), I would consider you on duty.' But I was
very doubtful and feared that my leg being still weak, I might slip and have
another accident. The Chief Engineer thereupon allowed me one month's leave. I
wondered if I would be fit to work after one month. The next morning I saw the Commanding Engineer and he said: `Now
you are going for only one month.' Prior to this Baba Ji came to see me and
told me that I would be absent from duty for only one more month, but it was
hard for me to believe it. "At last the month passed and a letter was received from Baba Ji
stating: `We people have not come into this world to do our own work; we have
come here by the orders of Maharaj Ji (Swami Ji). If he likes, he will get the work out of us.' It is impossible to
describe the reach or the power of the Saints. I am sure, if the Guru wants, he
can make even the stones carry out his work." (2) "Baba Ji used to be
very kind to me and whenever I came to visit him, he would give me a place in
his own room. Once I got down from the Beas station at twelve o'clock at noon. It
was very hot and I sat down under a tree for a while. Then I felt that I had
come for Baba Ji's darshan, yet here I was seeking comfort and delaying that
meeting with the Beloved. Even worldly lovers have done much better. The
thought troubled me. So I started on foot from the station to the Dera. At the
Dera, Baba Ji Maharaj, who was very sensitive to heat, came out and began to
pace the open courtyard before his room. Bibi Rukko remonstrated and requested
him to go inside his room, out of the hot sun, but he would not. A few minutes
before I reached the Dera, he went in and then Bibi Rukko, seeing me coming,
exclaimed: `Oh, now I see why Baba Ji was walking in the hot sun.' (He had
himself absorbed some of that extreme heat so that I would not be overcome by
it on the way). There are so many wonderful things about Baba Ji that if I go
on relating them for one hundred years, it would not be possible to finish them
all." Indeed "a hundred years" would not suffice and we will cover
as swiftly as possible the rest of the story of Baba Ji's earthly sojourn. An
ever-increasing number of visitors flocked to his hut at Beas, and his words to
Bibi Rukko - "Here shall rise one day an ever-growing city and
many ahouse and bungalow shall be built" - and no less the words of God-intoxicated Kahan at whom the people had
laughed - "I collect these bricks for the town that shall here be built" began at last to seem meaningful. Baba Ji spent the greater part of his
time at Beas but often went on tour to neighboring areas or to to towns farther
off, to minister to the spiritual needs of his votaries. Once when he was at
Ambala, at the behest of some disciples, Hukam Singh, a friend of his devoted
disciple Moti Ram, a tailor who worked for the British regiment stationed
there, applied for initiation. Baba Ji refused to grant his request. Hukam
Singh approached his friend, who in turn approached Baba Ji, but to no avail. "He is not yet fit for the Path," the sage observed, but Moti
Ram was not to be put off. He pleaded again and again for the case of his
friend. "I have told you before, his karmas don't permit it. So what can I
do in the matter?" "Holy one, all the more reason you should take pity on him, for if
you don't, who will?" "Moti Ram, do not press me further. I would rather initiate four hundred others than this friend of
yours." A Saint cannot refuse a devoted disciple for long and would even pass
through fire for his sake. When Moti Ram repeatedly pressed, he gave way,
adding: "But as soon as I have initiated your friend, I shall not spend
another moment here, but proceed straight home." True to his word, Baba
Ji, as soon as the instructions were over, packed his scanty belongings and
entrained for Beas. Whoever expressed a desire to follow him there was told to
come two weeks later. On reaching his hut he lay down in bed and when local
visitors came to see him, they were in consternation for they found him in the
grip of a deadly fever. Doctors and medicines were sent for but Baba Ji would take nothing. About
a fortnight later the fever subsided and when Moti Ram received the news, he
hastened to see him and begged forgiveness: "Sir, if only I had known what
it was to mean for you, I would not, for the kingdom of three worlds, have
pressed to initiate my friend." Baba Ji was in a communicative mood and revealed: "So heavy were the karmas of Hukam Singh that but for the
intercession he would, for the next seven lives, have passed through the most
trying sufferings and ordeals." Moti Ram, humbly thanked him for his unfathomable grace but Baba Ji,
true to his innate humility, simply repled: "Such was the Will of the
Lord." The grace of Baba Ji radiated like the life-giving sun to those that
came in touch with him. Baba Sawan Singh, however, as we have already seen, was
the object of his special adoration. The years from 1894 to 1903 were marked by
regular visits to Beas by Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj which were occasionally
returned by Baba Ji. The sage called his favorite disciple by the name of "Babu
Ji." He had told Bibi Rukko that the handsome government officer would one
day be his successor. On one occasion, while in an extraordinarily gracious mood, he turned to
his gurumukh and remarked: "You and I have come for the good of mankind." Sawan Singh
replied, "You, of course, have come for humanity's uplift, but I myself am
only an erring mortal." Baba Ji repeated what he had said and Sawan Singh made the same reply. Baba
Ji then, raising his eyebrows, said in a louder tone: "Babu Ji, I am speaking to you. We both have come for the good of
mankind." Sawan Singh sat mute and silent. At another time the Beas Saint told his disciples: "I have had to toil very hard for my attainment, yet have kept my
treasures locked and have never displayed them. But my labors shall bear fruit
and he who shall inherit my mantle shall be known far and wide." The days passed and Beas became a luminous center on the spiritual map
of the world. He who had never agreed to the building of halls and houses, at
the instance of his beloved Babu Ji finally relented, and a well was sunk and a
Satsang hall built during his last years. "Why erect any buildings here
when the river may wash them off?" he had protested, but Sawan Singh was
not to be dissuaded. "Even if you can deliver a single discourse, and the
structure collapses immediately after, I will consider my labors richly
rewarded." Meanwhile, the last days of the Jat-guru, as he humorously
styled himself, were drawing to a close. Six months before his death, he had told his disciples of the
approaching end. On hearing of the passing away of Karam Singh of Attock, he had
remarked: "I used to meet him at Delhi. A great soul indeed! But he will have
to be born once again for full liberation, not having practiced Naam in this
life. Well, well, my work is also drawing to a close and I too shall soon be
gone." The last days saw many pilgrims at Beas. The sage who once had passed
both night and day lost in meditation was now day and night in the service of
his devotees. He would hardly rest for three or four hours, spending the rest
of the day in meeting those who sought him out, attending to their problems and
goading them to greater and even greater spiritual effort. The gates of divine
grace were flung open and those that sat by him in his room during the days
immediately preceding his departure would be inwardly buoyed up and wrapped in
samadhi. The construction of the Satsang hall had by now been completed, and
everyone pressed Baba Ji to deliver a discourse. He, however, remonstrated. "No,
no; the Will of God is otherwise. He who is to succeed me shall address you
there." Bibi Rukko was equally adamant: "We shall of course hear him when his time comes, but now while you
are here, let us have the benefit of your presence." But Baba Ji insisted: "The Will of God is otherwise. Besides, I wish Babu Ji to discourse
to all present during my own lifetime so that there should be no disputes
later." But the audience had gathered and pleaded that he himself should speak. Bibi
Rukko begged and implored and he at last moved forward. But after climbing a
step or two, he once again stopped and repeated what he had said. To the
amazement of all who entered the Satsang hall, Baba Ji's gurumukh son, Hazur
Sawan Singh Ji, was seen sitting at the dais. The last day finally arrived. All the close disciples stood by in
anxious expectation. It was the 29th of December, 1903, and a cold and piercing
breeze blew over from the waters of the Beas. Baba Ji seemed to be waiting, and
cast restless glances at the door. At last a police officer arrived and sought
for initiation. "It is for you I have been waiting," replied the
great Saint, and without further ado began explaining the theory and practice
of the Surat Shabd Yoga. Soon after the instructions were over, he lay down
and, closing his eyes, cast off this muddy vesture of decay. Thus passed away one of the greatest of modern Saints, whose life was a
lesson in humility and love. He had studied at no schools or universities, but
had delved deep into the book of life. He had read as a child the scriptures of
many a faith and had early practiced many sadhnas or spiritual exercises. By the age of eighteen, when other men have hardly attained mental
maturity, he had already won the crown of life denied to the most rigorous of
yogis and the most industrious of learned men. And yet the rest of his years
were passed in the most perfect humility, his only ambition being to serve his
Master and carry his message as best as he could. In his last recorded words he is reported to have said: "All my life I have sought only to serve my Master and now whatever
work he had to accomplish through this poor physical frame is over," and
his very last hour was spent in this service. He more than exemplified what he
had once written to his future successor, "Saints are born not for
themselves, but for the liberation of mankind." He spoke from inner experience and not from books, and he initiated
about three thousand souls; while the number of those who unconsciously
benefited by his influence is beyond enumeration. Could one discover another so
selfless, so ready to suffer vicariously for the sins of others, so boundless
in his love, and so unconcerned with outer differences of sects and creeds? If one searched one's memory, there was perhaps one name that came most
readily to mind: that of Nanak. And was it a mere coincidence that the Soldier Saint of Beas was born in
the very district (Gurdaspur) in which the great medieval Saint, according to
his constant companion and biographer Bhai Bala, had prophesied he would
reappear in some future age in a Jat home? Baba Ji's disciples did not fail to note the resemblance even during his
lifetime and once questioned him on the subject. The sage smiled mysteriously
and dismissed the question. But a few minutes later, he casually remarked: "If we spirits were to speak our minds, who would
allow us a moment's rest and who would spare our skins?" PART THREE: BABA JI AND THE SCIENCE SPIRITUAL
To present the teachings of a past Saint who has left no compositions of
his own either in verse or in prose, and in whose time shorthand and the tape
recorder were yet unknown, is not an easy task. However, the bunch of letters
that Baba Ji addressed to his beloved "Babu" Sawan Singh Ji have been
preserved and are very revealing. (*1) Further, some of those who came in
contact with him have left suggestive accounts of his discourses. But most
important of all, Hazur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, to whom he passed on the
spiritual torch, has interpreted within living memory the message in its
essence of his great Guru. Piecing all these together, we can arrive at a clear
conception of the nature and scope of his teachings. (*1 Most of the citations
from Baba Ji's letters in the pages that follow are translated directly from the
Gurmukhi originals. The reader wishing to read his entire correspondence with
Baba Sawan Singh Ji may consult Spiritual Gems (Beas, 1958)). THE CREATION The Absolute Reality in its ultimate form was Nirakar, Nirgun and Anami
- Formless, without attributes, and Nameless - and could only be expressed in
negatives: "neither light nor darkness," "neither sound nor
silence " etc. It was incomprehensible, ineffable, infinite and
indescribable. It was this Supreme Reality that was responsible for everything
else. When it projected itself into form, it brought into being the purely
spiritual realms of Agam, Alakh, Sat Naam, etc.; Light and Sound appearing as
its primal attributes. Thence as it descended downward, it brought into
creation the material current or Kal which gained in predominance as it moved
lower and still lower. The countless regions that were created below the purely
spiritual realms of Sat Desh could be divided into three grand divisions:
Brahmand, Und and Pind - the causal, the astral and the physical, or the
spirituo-material, the materio-spiritual and the material. So long as one lived
in the plane of the relative, one was caught in the web of Maya. One desire was
succeeded by another and pleasure was followed by pain. There could be no
lasting rest, no lasting joy. God, in filling the cup of man's earthly
blessings, had left out happiness and contentment, to insure that His creature
did not wholly forget his Maker. The only way to attain beatitude lay in
transcending the realm of relativity and reaching the regions of pure spirit
where the soul merged in the Absolute, became lost in the Ocean of
Consciousness, and was freed from all failings and desires. THE PATH OF LIBERATION How was this transcension to be achieved? Baba Ji, like Kabir, Nanak and
Swami Ji, repeatedly affirmed that outer practices were not of much avail. Reading
of scriptures could awaken one's interest in spirituality, but by itself it
could not insure emancipation. Mystic literature and religious ritual were
useful in many ways: they kept mankind aware of a deeper Reality than the one
they were accustomed to in everyday life. But this Reality was to be approached
through practical means, and absorption in intellectual problems and
controversies only diverted one's energies from one's real Path: Khasam na chinae
bawri, ka karat barai, Batan bhagat na
hohingay, chhoado chaturai. O man! If you have not realized the Almighty, why you brag of your greatness? Let go thine intellectual subtleties. KABIR Sakhi Shabd Sandes parh mat bhoolo bhai, Sant mata kuchh
aur hai, khopa so pai. Don't you be deluded by restricting yourself to mere reading and writing of scriptures. The Path of the Masters is different. He who is truly after it will get it. KABIR The devil could quote scriptures, and Baba Ji maintained that
"religious wranglings and disputes, the pride of caste, the Varnashram, of
worship, pilgrimages, mere reciting of scriptures, worshiping those who were
past and gone, and such other actions and disciplines" were all "a
great deception" and trap set by Kal to keep the soul within the bondage
of the realms of relativity. In like manner, the outer kriyas or practices of
traditional yoga - pranayam and various mudras and asanas - were ineffective
for taking us to our real goal. Baba Ji, as his life amply testifies, greatly
respected holy men of all creeds and callings, but he never lost sight of man's
highest ideal and lived by the insight expressed by Kabir: Sadh hamare sab barae apni apni thor, Shabd parkhu jo milae tis aagae sir mor. A1l holy ones are worthy of reverence, But I adore only One who has mastered the Word. KABIR He had at a very early age experimented with many a yogic method and
whenever he pronounced on the subject, he spoke not as one who bases himself on
academic learning, but as one who has himself practically experienced what he
says. His words carried conviction, for there was not a trace of prejudice in
what he said. He simply explained that he himself had explored all avenues and
found the path of Sant Mat or Surat Shabd Yoga to be the highest. He had a
great deal to say about the wonderful miraculous powers that could be
acquired through yogic sadhnas; but his
one criterion was: did they make one the master of one's mind, freeing one from
the tyranny of desire? If so, then there was nothing to be said against them,
but if not (as was usually the case), then they were hardly of any use. While
in Murree in 1894, he, in response to many questions addressed to him by Baba
Sawan Singh Ji, dwelt at length on the subject of comparative yoga and
concluded by demonstrating how Kabir and Nanak had assimilated the best from
their predecessors; how they had penetrated far higher into the Mystic Path;
and how they had succeeded in developing a method for mergence with the
Formless Absolute that was within the reach of all. He would often quote from
past Masters to reinforce his point, and in particular he would cite what his
great Guru had said: Sant Mata sab se
bara yeh nische kar jan Sufi aur Vedanti donon neeche man, Sant Diwali nit
karen Sat Lok ke mahin Aur mate sab Kal ke yun he dhur urain. The Path of the Masters is far superior to all others,
believe ye in full faith. Sufism and Vedanta can lead you to a certain extent but cannot take you to the ultimate goal. The Saints live eternally in the splendor of the
Supreme One. All other creeds and orders fail to transcend the realms of Relativity. SAR BACHAN (poetry) What was this science of the Surat Shabd Yoga that represented the crown
of mystic achievement? It was, said Baba Ji, the path most economical in effort
and the one most rewarding for reaching back to the Primal Source of all life
and light. Its secret lay in the insight that if the soul was to merge back
into the point from where it had descended, the way of ascent must be identical
with that of descent. The Nameless One, when He had assumed Name and Form, had
projected Himself into Shabd, Naam, Kalma or the Word. It was this spiritual
current, whose primary attributes were melody and effulgence, that was
responsible for all creation. In a letter dated 2l st April, 1903, Baba Ji
wrote: It is through Shabd that everything came into manifestation - Ishwar (God as the sustainer of the world), Jiva (individual soul), Maya (the subtle and gross material), Brahmand (the physical, astral and causal planes) - all were brought into being by ist motion. All sages, in their own different ways, had testified to the working of
the Word or Naam Power: Kun kae kehnae sae hoowa alam bapa. Through the utterance of the Word all things came into
being. And again: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
JOHN 1:1 What the Masters of the Surat Shabd Yoga said on this subject was
nothing new; what was distinctive was their emphasis on the idea that if everything
- even the Jiva Atman - had come into manifestation through the agency of
Shabd, then Shabd was the best and only means for reaching back to our Point of
Departure, the Nirakar, Nirgun, Anami and Absolute. The music and glory of the
Word spread through all creation and permeated our being. If only the Atman
could be contacted with it, it could use this "string from the Nameless
Lord" to reach His Door. But the soul in its downward descent had loosened
the link and had forgotten its real nature. Acquiring the gross coverings of body and mind, it had lost sight of its
native home and identified itself with its prison. Baba Ji said in his letter
of 15th May, 1900: Ever since the Jiva Atman has been separated from Sach Khand (True
Abode) and from Shabd Dhun, it has lost its faith in the Sat Purush (True One)
and Shabd Dhun. But the Shabd always looks after the Jiva Atman though it knows
it not for it has fallen deeply in love with Mind and Maya, with the objects of
Maya and the senses that are so deceptive. It loves them so well that it cannot
realize that it is to ist own detriment, considering as beneficial what is in
fact harmful. Love for the Mind has left it anaesthetized, and the Mind itself
has fallen senseless before the pleasures of the senses, and finally, Maya has
cast such a spell that it may never recover from its swoon. THE PERFECT MASTER Our spiritual faculties had got so fogged and cloaked with the gross
coverings of Mind and Maya that, even though the Shabd was forever reverberating
within and around us, we could not hear its music or see its glory: Nanak sae ankhriyan bae-an jini disindo mapiri. Those eyes are different with which my Beloved is
seen. RAG WADHANS 577 How was this chain to be broken? How could man once again revive his
link with his Maker? For this, Baba Ji affirmed, one needed indispensably the
aid of a competent Master: Dhur Khasmae ka hukam paya Vin Satguru chaitya na jai. Such is the Will of the Lord - He cannot be known except through a living Satguru.
VAR BIHAGRA 556 Without his enlivening touch the soul could not awaken from its slumber
and get attuned to Naam. The Jiva Atman was too far lost in the gross material to contact Shabd
on its own account. Besides, the inner way was not an easy one and even if the
soul could transcend physical consciousness and enter the realms within, it
could not proceed very far on its own. The regions Und and Brahmand were
well-nigh infinite and without a spiritual guide it would remain lost in their
wonders. Further, there were points in the mystic journey, especially between
one plane and another, that were so difficult that but for an Adept he soul
would be forever obstructed there. (*2) (*2
Baba Sawan Singh Ji in a letter to one of his disciples makes the
necessity of a living Master in the Mystic Path very clear indeed: "When I was in the hospital on account of the fracture of my leg,
one day when I was meditating, Baba Ji's form appeared before me. Baba Ji, or
rather what seemed to be his form, said: `If, in a case of emergency, meat and drink are used, there is no harm.'
But when I repeated the Five Names, he got up and walked away. Now
because I had seen Baba Ji in real life and could visualize him, I found out
this trick. But those people who concentrate on the old Masters who passed away
thousands of years ago are likely to be misled. His (the Saint's) eyes and his
forehead cannot be imitated. Hence, you always require a living teacher for the
pupil, a living physician for the sick, a living husband for the wife and a
living ruler for the people. I maintain that no one else can help a disciple so
much as a living Master." Baba Ji indefatigably emphasized the necessity of a living Master for
success in the field. Past Saints may have explored all the mysteries of the
mystic realms and may even have left accounts of their experiences. But the
inner worlds were indescribable in terms of human language, and at best they
could only speak in hints and parables. Since these hints and parables were
about a realm of experience completely beyond ordinary human experience, they
could not be fully understood except through the aid of One who had himself
direct access to the experiences they described. Thus even to understand the
true message of past Masters, one needed a living One, and it was only when
Baba Ji met Swami Ji that he understood the full import of the Granth Sahib and
the writings of Kabir and other great Saints. The spiritual journey was not a
matter of intellectual disquisition. It was a question of practical ascension. Even
for academic knowledge a book could not be a substitute for the guidance of a
perceptive teacher. Then how much more would this be the case in the spiritual
field? The Jiva Atman was so lost in Maya that, according to Baba Ji, it could
not of its own accord contact the pure Shabd Dhun. An act of grace alone could
put it in touch with the inner Light and Music, and this grace was the gift of
a living Master: Radhasoami, Lord of the Soul, full of pity and com- passion, came down Himself in the form of a Saint, gave us the clues to the Spiritual Regions and showed us the way to reach Sach Khand (True Abode) through Shabd Dhun. Past Saints were worthy of reverence. Their lives were luminous
signposts always beckoning us toward our Divine Home. But it was the law of
Nature that the living impulse could only come from the living, and the task
they had performed for their own age must, in ours, be performed by One who
lived amongst us and who had mastered the way they had mastered. In fact, their
writings, if critically studied, were an endless testimony of the need for a
living Master. Who was a competent living Master and how was he to be
recognized? Baba Ji knew that there were countless wolves that moved about in
sheep's clothing, and since everything depended on finding the true Guide, he
laid great stress on the need for vigilance and discrimination. His early experiences had shown only too well the rarity of such great
Spirits - one perhaps in an age, at times more (as with Nanak and Kabir,
Maulana Rumi and Shamas Tabrez, Tulsi Sahib and Swami Ji, who were
contemporaries) but alas always too few - and a man was blessed indeed if he
could come across such a One. The records of past Saints could be used as a
touchstone, as had been done by Baba Ji during his quest. If a man was a true
Master, and further, a mystic of the highest order, all obscurities and
contradictions that puzzled one while reading the scriptures would vanish at
his touch. He would not only be able to explain effectively the writings of one
school of mystics, but of all, for he had access to all the inner realms, not
just one. As a lad Baba Ji had met many a sadhu, but not until he sat at Swami
Ji's feet did he begin to appreciate all the treasures stored in the Granth
Sahib. Mystics of a lower order could interpret records of only those
experiences to which they had access, but One who had ascended to the highest
heights could explain everything - a point which Baba Ji's meeting with the
four pundits brought out fully. Another feature of a true Saint was his amazing humility. It was one of
the supreme paradoxes of human life that those who claimed to be Saints were
not, and those who were, never claimed to be such. Nanak declared himself to be
no more than a slave of the servants of Saints and Swami Ji maintained
unruffied the garb of his humility. It was not by what a man claimed that he was to be known, but by what he
did; a tree was judged not by its name but by its fruit; and a Saint was
recognized by his perfection as a man, his freedom from worldly desires, his
love and kindness, his unassuming ways, his concern for the welfare of others
and his unconcern with name and fame. He gave away his spiritual gifts freely
like any other of Nature's blessings, and maintained himself by his own labors: Gur, Pir sadai
mangan jayae Ta ke mool na lagye payae. Bow not before one who calls himself a guru But depends on the charity of others.
SARANG VAR, 1245 If on the human level it was his perfection as a man that marked out a
true Saint from the rest, on the spiritual he was to be known by the inner
experiences and guidance he could afford. His ability to give some direct
spiritual experience, however little it may be, to his disciples at the time of
initiation was, Baba Ji insisted, the final test of a true Master. He did not
promise spiritual attainment in some future life after death. He gave a taste
of it here and now. He linked the soul to the inner Light and Sound and it was
the disciple's task to nurture and nourish this seed to full blossom and
maturity. The gift of Naam was the sole prerogative of the Satguru and his
guiding hand stretched everywhere, in the inner planes no less than in the
world outside. So great were his love and protection that no earthly
relationship could ever hope to compare to them. His Radiant Form accompanied
the soul after it had transcended the body, and led it from plane to plane
toward its celestial home; and the perceptive disciple could see his grace
working at every turn. Miracles he could perform indeed - being one with the
Divine Will - but he was reluctant to disturb the settled plan; and even if he
let his grace take the upper hand, he let it work unseen, claiming nothing for
himself but working only in the name of his own Master. He did not concern himself with disputes and controversies: "Go within and see for yourself," was his constant dictum, and
the stress always fell on the inner and not on outer forms and rituals. FAITH, LOVE AND SELF-SURRENDER It was indeed a supreme blessing to find a true Satguru. If the search
for a competent Master needed great perseverance and discrimination on the part
of the seeker, the qualities most
demanded of him after the quest had been crowned were faith, love and complete
self-surrender. It was not until King Janak had renounced body, mind and wealth
- tan, man and dhan - that he received enlightenment. To meet a true Master was
to realize one's own limitations, and one's blessedness in being accepted at
his feet. It was also to know that his love and his wisdom were measureless and
infinite. Such a realization must, if one wished to make the most of one's
opportunity, be accompanied by humility and faith and the acceptance of his
will as supreme. Baba Ji in his discourses and no less in his letters time and
again asserted the necessity of love and faith on the part of the disciple. Writing to Baba Sawan Singh on 16th May, 1901, he said: Shabd is the real form of the Satguru. By linking with it you will reach
your destination. But the condition is that you first develop love and devotion
for the person of the Master for without it nothing else is possible. The
Satguru is one with the All-Giver, the Anami-Radhasoami, and has assumed a
physical form for the uplift of jivas. Whosoever develops a strong love and
devotion for him and regards him as the Supreme Lord Himself will contact the
Shabd Dhun and be saved. On another occasion he wrote: Even after a hundred years of Bhajan one does not get so purified as by
an intense longing for darshan (meeting with the Master), provided that the
longing is real and true and the love for the Satguru is from the innermost
heart. Self-surrender was the natural corollary of such faith and love and Baba
Ji's letters return insistently to this theme: Be not lost in yourself. Let this thought be firmly and unshakeably
fixed in your mind: "Body, mind and wealth, nirat and surat, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet - yea, all
that is in the world is the Satguru's. I myself am nothing. Whatever you are doing, do it as Satguru's and always
seek to do what is the best. Do not forget this even for a moment, but take it
as a hidayat, a commandment. (24th May, 1901) Never let the idea of "mine-ness" find a place in your heart. Even
if you get the lordship of Brahmand, do not regard that you have any share in
it: "I am only an agent." Everything is the Satguru's. Let the
Master's injunction be ever in your mind: "I am nothing, I am nothing, I
am nothing," and let the remembrance of the Lord be your constant thought
and the form of the Satguru imaged in your heart always. (7th September, 1900) Weed out all worldly desires from your heart and place them at your
Master's feet. Claim nothing for yourself and try to tune yourself to his Will
which should be uppermost in your heart. Even if he asks you to dig grass, do
it, for to obey the Satguru is the highest action. If you can cast your heart
in this mold, then all things will be added unto you.
(18th September,
1902) When Baba Sawan Singh Ji once wrote that he did not even yearn for Sach
Khand but only prayed that he had "love and faith at the Satguru's holy
feet," Baba Ji was extremely pleased and replied that such self-surrender
was "indeed the highest karni (discipline)," and assured him that
"he who had such a love for the Master would certainly reach Sach Khand,
and passing through the Alakh, Agam, Anami-Radhasoami, get merged in the Wonder
Region."
(11th September,
1897). THE LIFE WITHOUT The seeker who had found a true Guide and who had begun to develop the
right kind of love and faith in him, would naturally attempt to fashion his
life according to his Satguru's Will, and Baba Ji laid great emphasis on the
need to transform our lives. It was not necessary, he maintained, to leave the
world in order to pursue the inner Path. What was needed for spiritual progress
was inner detachment, and he who had surrendered himself completely to his Guru
was free from all earthly ties. Some of his disciples would at times express
the desire for complete renunciation, but he always kept such tendencies in
check: You say you wish to give up home and service and devote yourself exclusively to Bhajan. Home or service
or wealth - are they really yours? Turn it over in your
mind. It is all a magician's game and the world is a dream. Then why worry about clutching and relinquishing?
(18th September,
1902) The ideal he always held up before his disciples was that of the royal
swan that had its home in the water yet rose up from it dry and untrammeled. If
he would not have his disciples attached to the world, he would not have them
neglect their worldly duties either. When Baba Sawan Singh wrote that he would
be taking ten days leave and spending it at Beas, Baba Ji replied: When you come on ten days leave, you should first proceed straight home,
and then on your way back drop in Saturday at about 5 p.m. at the Dera from where
you can proceed to duty the following day after attending the Sunday Satsang. You
must go home for there are many things awaiting your attention there for the
last two or three years. Therefore please go straight home. I will be very
pleased if you first go home and then come here. When on one occasion his beloved disciple was unable to secure leave for
seeing him and offered to come over nonetheless, Baba Ji was far from happy and
strictly forbade any such step. "Please
never write such a thing again," he answered, "that you would come
here without taking leave," and added, "The work that you are doing,
that is also the work of Radhasoami, the work of the Lord." However, while living in the world one had to follow a very rigorous
discipline. The road to the New Jerusalem was a narrow and difficult one. "Your
way of living," said the sage of Beas to his disciples, "must be
different from that of other people." And how exacting was the discipline
he demanded becomes clear from one of his letters: You do not seem to understand that when your social duties are over, you
are not to talk to anyone. In the evening between 6 and 8, you should sit for
Bhajan as long as possible - be it half an hour, an hour fifteen minutes or an
hour and a half and keep the surat on the inner planes. Then hold Satsang from
8 to 10 p.m., after which you may go to sleep or talk as you please. Then at
4:30 in the morning you are to sit for Bhajan and continue up to 5:30. Then
throughout the day you have to attend to your social routine and may, if you
like, talk during those hours. But as soon as you are free from office duties,
you must not waste time in idle talk or in the company of non-satsangis. You
should have your meals in private ... You are never to have meals cooked from
non-satsangis in your kitchen, especially if they take meat and drink. If you
associate with non-satsangis, you will have to suffer from the effects of their
company.
(17th October, 1902) Abstinence from non-vegetarian food and intoxicants was a prime
condition for taking to the spiritual path. Baba Ji laid equal stress on the
need for honesty. In the same letter we have quoted above, he wrote: If you are offered anything free, never accept it for how will you repay
it? If you do not adhere strictly to this rule, you will never attain the
highest spiritually. One must not be led away by the world but look upon each object with
discrimination. "The entire world is tied with the ropes of the love of
parents, children, wife and earthly relations," and one must free oneself
from this slavery. Running away to the jungles was no solution. It had to be an
inner detachment, and this inner detachment could only come through the love of
a true Master. Hence the great value of Satsang, for it was only through
association with him that one imbibed the true values of life, learned of the
delusions of Maya, and imbibed a love that displaced the love of the world. Peace
and blessing radiate from the person of a Saint and whoever came under his
spell was freed from worldly tensions, ambitions and jealousies. He saw all
creatures as of his own essence and knew all worldly gain to be a passing
shadow. Such a man alone could cut through the meshes of Maya and reach out
toward the worlds beyond. THE LIFE WITHIN The perfection of outer conduct was essential as it was only an
indispensable means for reaching the inner goal. Love and faith for the
Satguru, self-surrender and the ethically unimpeachable life all converged on
this center. Man's ultimate goal was at-one-ment with the Absolute and if this
was not achieved the rest was not of mnch benefit. It was this question of
actual spiritual ascension that was Baba Ji's main concern as a teacher. He did
not expend much time on matters of theory. Why dispute? Why argue? he would
say. Turn within, go inside and see for yourself. His correspondence with Baba
Sawan Singh Ji is one long exhortation to leave the outside world and to
retreat to the world within, and each of his letters has something valuable to
say on the actual practice of spirituality. Since the soul had fallen a victim to Maya through the Mind and the
senses, the way of liberation for it lay through its withdrawal from them. The
two sadhnas that Baba Ji gave for practice, as his predecessors had done, were
Simran and Bhajan. The first, involving the repetition of the sacred names of
the Lord, was to be practiced at all hours of the day. "Always keep the
Simran in mind," he enjoined, "even while moving or busy at
work." Constant thought of the Supreme One was the greatest security
against worldly thoughts and desires. It helped the mind in keeping itself free
from its usual preoccupations and when done with full attention at the time of
abhyasa or meditation, it enabled a speedy collection of the currents of
consciousness at the spiritual center between and behind the eyebrows. Once
such concentration or Dhyan had been attained, one could get in touch with the
Sound Current, and Dhyan (resulting from Simran) led naturally to Bhajan or absorption
into the Shabd Dhun: When you are doing your Bhajan or Simran, do not have any
worldly cares in your mind nor let yourself be distracted by any thoughts. First
do your Simran for a quarter of an hour, then gradually fix your attention in
the music of the Shabd Dhun. Then give up Simran and anchor your mind and soul in the Shabd. You will
then experience great bliss and Supreme Grace will descend on you from the
highest region. Such was the general pattern. The details, of course, were
adjustable. The time factor could vary, but daily abhyasa was to be maintained
at all costs: Listen to the Shabd Dhun, calling in your heart, every day with great
love and devotion, for fifteen minutes or ten minutes or five minutes or an
hour or two, according to the time at your disposal. But you must listen to it
every day for a while. (*3) (* 3 Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji also laid great
stress on this: ... no matter in what circumstances one finds himself and what new
problems one is facing, a devotee should not miss his Bhajan. He may give only
fifteen minutes or even five minutes to it daily, but he should be on it
without a break." (Spiritual Gems, p. 462)) There was great beauty in the Shabd. It had a music that was beyond any
music created by man and which drew the soul toward itself. It was forever
calling the spirit toward its Divine Home and though it was not heard by
ordinary men, yet those who had developed, through abhyasa and the grace of a
Satguru, the capacity of inner hearing, could hear its melody every minute of
the day, now growing stronger as the mind focused itself at one point, now
dimming and fading away as one's thoughts scattered in various directions and
attention was dissipated. It was Shabd that was the true anchor of the seeker. It
was the conscious power that had brought everything into creation and it was
also one's real Master - the Shabd Guru - for the Satguru in his human form was
its physical manifestation. Baba Ji once said: Shabd Dhun - that is our real form. This physical body is only a
garment. Nobody could keep it forever and nobody ever will ... Believe, O
devout ones, that the Shabd form of the Satguru, which has no beginning and no
end, is within the body. Once one had developed a constant link with this inner music, it worked
as a shield against worldly afflictions and sorrows. Misfortunes visited
everyone and one's past karmas had to be paid for; but for the man who had
rooted himself in the Shabd Dhun, they had lost their sting. Baba Ji, speaking
mostly to simple villagers, drove home his teachings through examples and
similes based on village life. Thus explaining the protective power of Shabd,
he would say: The body is like a village or city and the Shabd Dhun is our own
house. When somebody dies or there is some great suffering in another house,
everyone in that house is very unhappy but we, in our own house, are quite
contented. Again, clarifying the magnetic power and hold of the inner music, on
another occasion he wrote: ... the Shabd Dhun will pull it (mind) and keep it in the same way as
animals, like goats or cattle, are kept tied by means of a rope. The greatest obstacles to the seeker were the mind and the senses. It
was through their agency that the soul had been caught in the nets of Maya, and
the soul had to disengage itself from them in order to be free. Shutting out
sense experience was not so difficult. Even when the gates of the senses had
been shut, the mind continued to disturb and distract. It was the root of the
ego principle and, therefore, the chief cause of the jiva's isolation from the
Universal Lord. How was this restless dragon to be conquered? Baba Ji
maintained that the chief remedy lay in meditation on the form of the true
Master and absorption in Shabd: You ask me how to hold your mind. It is held only through Shabd. Hear
its music daily and meditate on the form of Satguru. Then the mind shall cease
to wander and one day, borne on the Shabd Dhun, the soul shall reach Dasam Dwar
(the third inner plane and home of the Universal Mind). Thus, leaving the
mental apparatus behind, the soul shall unite with the pure Shabd and through
the grace of the Satguru reach Sach Khand. Have no doubt, it shall reach there. (7th January, 1901) Once the mind had been brought under control and it no longer doubted
and wavered: Then the Radiant Form of the Master appears within. There is no
difference between it and the physical form.
It is like a reflection in a clear mirror. So long as the glass is not clear, nothing can be seen reflected. The mind was indeed a glass, which, when sullied by the muck-flow of
worldly attachments, blurred and hid everything; but the moment this film was
cleansed, it imaged the Universal in itself. The surat, collected by Simran at
the Tisra Til, shot through it with the aid of the magnetism of Shabd. As it entered the inner realms, it was met by the Radiant Form of the
Master that welcomed it and thenceforward guided every step of its inner
journey. Once the soul had won access to the Master in his Radiant Form within,
its major task was over. The rest was a matter of time. It could of course be
taken directly to higher planes by the Satguru, but he worked out the progress
gradually for else, as was the case with an insistent pundit, the shock and
strain of it would be too great. The Sanchit Karmas (actions of past lives to
fructify in future births) and the Kriyaman Karmas (actions in this life also
to fructify in future ones) had of course been rendered ineffective the moment
the Master had accepted one in his fold. But the Prarabdha Karmas on which the
present life was based had to be worked out, else death would immediately
ensue. The Master sought to exhaust these as swiftly and as smoothly as
possible. When Baba Sawan Singh Ji's leg was fractured, Baba Ji revealed that
it was the result of no mere accident but of past karmas whose fruit could not
be avoided. But his suffering if not wholly canceled had been mitigated through
his Satguru's intercession. "Whatever suffering has come to you,"
Baba Ji wrote, "is only a fifth part, four parts have been condoned,"
and went on to add: Suffering and troubles are blessings in disguise for they are ordained
by the Lord. If our benefit lies in pain, He sends pain, if in pleasure He
sends pleasure. Pleasures and pains are tests of our strength and if one does
not waver or deflect, then the Almighty blesses such souls with Naam.
(8th May, 1897) Whatever troubles befell his disciples, Baba Ji told them to be of good
cheer. The sooner their accounts were cleared the better, and special grace was
theirs in the hour of trial: Sickness and pleasures are the fruits of past actions. All those who are
sick are extended special grace. Let them, therefore, have no worry, but bear
it with equanimity. During suffering, the mind wanders not and turns to Bhajan
readily in sorrow. So blessed are the periods of sickness when the mind is
turned toward Bhajan. This is a special gift to Satsangis. So whenever sickness
and pain afflict you, accept them as the Lord's Will and devote yourself to
your spiritual exercises. So long as the surat is absorbed in the Shabd Dhun,
pain will not be felt ... Has it not been said: "Pleasure is the disease and pain the
remedy."
(17th October, 1902) "Once one meets a competent Satguru, one learns the complete inner
way and launches on the spiritual journey," Baba Ji would say, "there is then only the liquidation of give and take that limits
its flight. The soul is then not pure enough to catch the Divine Shabd and must
be first freed of all karmic reactions. The Satguru must free it from the chain
of karmas in this life itself so as to safeguard against the necessity of
taking further births for their repayment." Hence the inevitability of suffering, but fortunately for Satsangis
"years of pain are liquidated in a matter of days." The Shabd Dhun
was one's guiding angel, one's protecting charm. If one took refuge in its
richness, one's karmas were steadily burnt away in its purifying flame. As the
mind grew calmer and the karmas got exhausted, the soul was progressively
released from Maya and guided by the Radiant Master within, penetrating to ever
higher inner planes. The disciple had not to worry. His task was only to abide
by his Guru's commandments, and labor according to His Will. It was for the
Satguru to crown his efforts as he considered fit and appropriate, for he was
the best judge and did what was best for the disciple: What the Lord considers best He is doing. Do not bring yourself into the
picture. Live by the words of the Master and continue performing your earthly
duties. When the fruit is ripe, it will fall of its own accord without injury
to itself or the bearing branch, and the ripe fruit is held in great value. But
if we pluck the unripe fruit forcibly from off the tree, the branch is injured
and the raw fruit shrivels and is of little use. Meeting a competent Master is
the fulfilment of human birth: this is the fruit of life. To live by his
commandments ensures its proper nurture. Daily Simran and Bhajan to the maximum
possible are its best food and nourishment, and mergence with Shabd is its
ripening and falling off.
(3rd March, 1899) Such was the progress of the soul. Its ripening was a matter of steady
growth. Supported by the words of the Master, nourished by Bhajan, and borne on
the Shabd Dhun, it transcended realm after realm until it left all coverings of
mind and matter behind and reached Sach Khand. This was its True Abode, the
realm of pure spirit. From there, merging into the Divine, it receded
progressively into the Formless, until, passing through the Alakh and Agam, it
reached the Anami, the Nameless and Formless source of all that moves and has
its being. With some, as in the case of Baba Ji himself, the entire journey, owing
to the spiritual proficiency they had gained in past lives, was accomplished at
what seemed to their fellows a phenomenal and amazing speed. There were others
who, through their intense devotion and abhyasa, reaped in a single life the
fruits of many births. But the overwhelming majority consisted of those who
took to spirituality as a passing phase of idealism and who did not make Shabd
the sheet anchor of their lives, but turned to it only intermittently. For such
people success in a single life was not assured. But the seed once sown by a
Master could not go to waste, and that which had not sprouted in one birth
could blossom forth in the next, under the guidance of the living human
manifestation of the Shabd Power working at that time. And even this was
unnecessary if one had already before death contacted the Naam current and
washed away all earthly desires, for then one could work out the rest of one's
salvation from supraphysical planes. Once a true Satguru had taken one in his fold, one was assured of
deliverance and sooner or later would reach one's Eternal Home. Even if he left
his earthly frame his guidance and protection continued unaffected. There was
no need for those who had been initiated by him to seek initiation from any
other; for if the Guru's physical form was mortal, his Shabd form was eternal
and ever reverberating. One could of course seek elucidation on knotty points
from the fellow disciple who had been chosen by one's Master to succeed him. But
as for inner guidance, that continued to remain the sole responsibility of
one's preceptor even if he was physically alive no longer. The disciple's sole
duty was to follow the practices enjoined by his Guru and it was for him
tocrown them with success. Had not Jesus said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of
the world?" And did not Swami Ji on the last day of his mission on earth
assure his devotees: "Have no fear whatsoever. I am forever with each one of you and
your protection and care shall be even greater than before?" (*4) (*4
Jeevan Charitrar Swamiji Maharaj, p. 112. It is relevant to point out here the
controversy initiated by Shri S. D. Maheshwari in his Radhasoami Faith, History
and Tenets (Agra, 1954), Chapter 22, regarding paragraph 250 of Sar Bachan
(prose). The volume was not written by Swami Ji himself, but was based on
dictations and notes taken by disciples, and published several years after his
death. When Baba Ji undertook to have it republished at Beas, he strictly
adhered to the Agra text but for paragraph 250 which, he was convinced, gave an
erroneous picture of Swami Ji's teachings. Swami Ji had always said that once a
true Master had taken a disciple under his wing, he would never forsake him
whatever the matter. Even if he left the physical plane, his guidance
continued; we have already quoted his last words on the subject. Nor should it
be forgotten that when referring his disciples to Rai Saligram, he expressly
stated that if they desired "elucidation" (not initiation) on any
point, they could consult "Saligram" for it. Keeping the above in
mind, Baba Ji had paragraph 250 of the Agra edition, which stated that a disciple could make no progress after
the death of his Guru until he sought out his successor (a point not always
easy to settle), deleted, and substituted for it the following, to accord with
Swami Ji's original teachings: If anyone is initiated by a perfect Satguru, having love and faith in
Him, serving Him devotedly, and before he has advanced far the Guru should
depart, he should continue to contemplate His form and perform all of the
exercises prescribed by the Guru. The same Satguru, in the same Radiant Form,
will continue to carry on the work as he had commenced it, and will carry it on
to final success, as if he were still in the body. Stated in this form, Bachan
250 fits in perfectly with Bachan 254, which fails to harmonize with it in the
Soamibagh version.) AN ANCIENT SCIENCE Baba Jaimal Singh gave out his spiritual message not as something new,
but as an ancient science. Its traces were to be found in the scriptures of all
faiths, but it came into full blossom in known history with Kabir and Nanak. Their writings reveal unequivocally that they had realized the inner
science to its full potential. The great tradition that these Master-souls had
established was continued by Nanak's successors and then, as we have already
seen earlier in this study, passed on to Tulsi Sahib of Hathras and from him to
Swami Ji of Agra, before returning with Baba Jaimal Singh to the Punjab. The
Surat Shabd Yoga was not merely a faith, but a science. It had not been
confined to India alone, but was known to the greatest of the Sufis; and
historical records suggest that the two movements, in India and in the Middle
East, often met and intermingled. It was a path open to all men and most suited
to our times. Swami Ji in giving out his message was not teaching anything new.
He was doing what his great predecessors had done: revitalizing and
reinterpreting for his times the truths given out of old. Baba Ji strongly
resisted any suggestion that his Master had discovered a wholly new path, as
some people came later to suggest. Had he not himself declared in Sar Bachan
after stating his tenets: Jo mun maen pateet na dekhe To Kabir, Gur Bani Pekhe, Tulsi Sahib ka mat joi, Paltu, Jagjivan
kahen soi. In santan ka daeon parmana In ki Bani sakh bakhana. He who cannot realize this fact Let him refer to the teachings of Kabir and the Sikh Gurus. Tulsi Sahib also taught those truths, While Paltu and Jagjivan point to the same. I refer the skeptic to the testimony of such mystics, For their teachings are in accord with what I say. (*5) (*5 Sar Bachan (Beas, 1950), p. 350.)
And did he not often base his discourses on the writings of Kabir, Tulsi
Sahib, Bhikha, and especially of Guru Nanak? Any hypothesis that Swami Ji while beginning in the footsteps of his
predecessors suddenly, after 1858-61, transcended to some higher realms unknown
to any before him, could at best only misrepresent him. His poetical
compositions were the fruit of the last years of his life, and in them he had
said, while stating that the Satguru was identical with the Sat Purush: Sewa kar puja
kar un ki, Unhi ko Guru
Nanak jan. Vohi Kabir Vohi
Satnama Sab santan ko vohi pahchan. Tera kaj unhi se hoga, Mat bhatke tu taj abhiman. Serve and worship the Guru for he is Nanak; Kabir is also in him, and even so is Sat Naam. Truly, every Saint is the embodied form of the
Formless; Your emancipation will be wrought by Him and Him
alone. In the light of such recorded statements - to say nothing of what Swami
Ji directly told his disciples - how could one be so obtuse as to claim a new
invention for him? The Agra Saint, Baba Ji pointed out, in spite of what came
to be laimed later (about a decade after his death), had always initiated his
disciples into the Simran of the Panch Shabd. Indeed, this was the primary
ground of difference on account of which Baba Ji was unwilling to join the
Central Administrative Council at Soamibagh in 1902. The greatest Saints of the past had put their disciples on the Panch
Shabd, he said, as was clear from their writings: Kabir through the agency of the Five Words is now ever merged in the silence of the Formless.
KABIR Know him to be a true Master who can open in thee the way back to God, And guides thee in the spiritual path with the clarion call of the Five Sounds. (*6)
GURU NANAK Without the Satguru one finds not the secret of Naam, Sweet is the elixir of Shabd that flows through the Simran of the Five Words. (*7) GURU AMAR DAS (*6 War M.1.7 Maru M.3.)
Blessed indeed is one who through the grace of the
Master Unfolds the eternal melody of the Five Sounds. (*8)
GURU ARJAN (*8 Ramkali M.5.) Tulsi Sahib also referred to the same explicitly in his writings. Swami
Ji respected and revered them and pursued the same course as theirs. In Sar Bachan he clearly stated at one point: Panch Shabd ka
Simran karo Siam set main surat dharo. Keep repeating the five holy Words, and focus on the dark spot within. When Swami Ji began using the term Radhasoami brought into vogue by his
devoted and beloved disciple Rai Saligram, he did not, Baba Ji affirmed, begin
a new faith or creed. He simply accepted the word as yet another name for the
Unnameable Infinite; interpreting it on the outer plane to stand for the
disciple (Radha) and the Guru (Soami), and on the inner plane for the soul
current (Radha) and its source (Soami). When Baba Sawan Singh Ji objected to
the use of this new word at Murree in 1894, Baba Ji, as we have already seen,
picked up a copy of Sar Bachan and read out the verse: Radha aad surat
ka naam Soami aad Shabd
nij dham. Radha is the name of the primal soul current (surat); Soami is the name of the primal source of Shabd or the
Word. He explained that the Absolute in His ultimate form was formless and
indescribable, yet Saints in their zeal to point Him out to their disciples had
given Him countless names. Had not the authors of the Vishnu Sahasranama and
the Jap Sahib coined hundreds of names for the All-Merciful Creator? Then why object to "Radhasoami"? The Reality which Swami Ji attempted to point out by the term
"Radhasoami" had been referred to by his predecessors by other names,
like Khasam or Soami (Supreme Lord), Maha Dayal (All Grace), Nirala (the
Mysterious), Nirankar (Formless), and Anami (Nameless). Thus Kabir once said: Kal Akal Khasam
ka keena Eh parpanch
badhawan. Time and the Timeless both spring from a single source And are vital for His manifestation. And Nanak had declared: Kot Brahmand ka thakur Soami Sarabh jian ka data reh. Soami is the Lord of all creation and the Master of all the souls. Tulsi Sahib had spoken in a similar vein: Sab ki aad kahun main Soami. I address as "Soami" the Creator of all that
is. Swami Ji himself, like his Master, invoked the Supreme Reality as
"Soami" or more often still as "Sahib Soami" and
"Satguru Soami." He used those terms freely in his discourses and
letters rather than the word "Radhasoami." It is just likely that
these occurred in his original poetical compositions as well, but that the word
"Radhasoami" was substituted for them, for purposes of homogeneity,
when these poems were collected some six years after his death along with many
of Hazur Maharaj Rai Saligram's compositions, in the volume entitled Sar Bachan
(poetry), in which "Radhasoami" word stands either for the ultimate
goal - Soami or Anami - or for the Guru. Baba Ji was prepared to go thus far
and no farther. He respected the term "Radhasoami" as yet another
attempt at naming the Nameless, but could not accept the special mystic
significance that began to be given to it after Swami Ji's death. Had not the
Agra Saint himself said in Bachan 115, Part II of Sar Bachan prose: Naam is of two kinds: Varanatmak and Dhunatmak. Innumerable are the benefits of Dhunatmak Naam and hardly any of the Varanatmak Naam. (*9) (*9 In the light of Swami Ji's Bachan 115 quoted above, which Shri S. D.
Maheshwari himself cites (Correspondence with Certain Americans, Agra, 1960, p.
193), one fails to realize how the latter could commit himself to such patently
self-canceling statements as: "Radhasoami Naam is resounding in all
refulgence in higher spheres" (p. 192); "Like the word Om, Sat Naam
is resounding at the seat of Sat Purush (True Being). In the same way the Shabd
or Sound Radhasoami is resounding in the Radhasoami Dham" (p. 266). It is
indeed interesting to learn that Hindi is the lingua franca of the transcendent
worlds. One had thought that the inner Shabd was Dhunatmak (musical and
irreducible to speech) and not Varanatmak; and further that the Anami or
Radhasoami realm was beyond Naam and Form, the Parent and Creator of Shabd
(which came into full manifestation only at Sat Lok) and not its seat and
center. It is not irrelevant here to point out that mystics have attempted to
describe the music of Shabd only up to the fifth plane - speaking of the bell,
the conch, the drum, the kingri (one-stringed harp), the flute, etc. - but
beyond that have been forced to utter Herat! Herat! Herat! "Wonder! Wonder! Wonder!" Form and Shabd, as we have already stated, progressively disappear after
the fifth plane, and what finally remains is the Ocean af Blissful
Consciousness that defies all description.) All names that could be brought
into verbal expression were Varanatmak and were therefore outer, and subject to
variation from person to person and from people to people. The inner Shabd was the same in all ages and the same for all people. It
was wholly musical, defying verbal expression or description, and was the
source of all creation and therefore the sole object of the seeker's abhyasa. Any
word prepossessed in one's mind appears to be reverberating in that Sound
principle. Baba Ji, abiding by the spirit of his great Guru, unhesitatingly
declared, "Any word which may possitily be brought into utterance and
writing could not be an internal spiritual Sound which is the unspoken and
unwritten law and order of the whole creation. " How could the word "Radhasoami" be Dhunatmak when it
had been brought into outer expression, and how could it be said to be
"resounding" in the highest spiritual plane where form did not exist
and where the Shabd itself had not yet come into manifestation? His Master, Baba Ji explained, had always held his teachings to be those
of Kabir and Nanak and had never claimed to have entered realms unknown to any
man before him in human history. Had not the greatest mystics of the past left
definite testimony of their access to all the eight inner planes? And did not one read in Nanak:
Sat Lok ke oopar dhave Alakh, Agam ki tab gat pave Tis ke oopar
Santan dham Nanak das kio
bisram. He who transcends the Sat Lok Alone knows the essence of Agam and Alakh, The Saints have their abode above them And poor Nanak too is a resident there. Swami Ji's last words placed his adherence to the traditional path
beyond any shadow of a doubt. He had made it clear that he had nothing to do
with "Radhasoami" developed as a cult. His path was that of Sat Naam
and the Anami, and if he did accept the term "Radhasoami" it could
only be as another Varanatmak name for the Unnameable One. All names like Sat Naam, Onkar, etc., given for Simran were in like
manner Varanatmak. Their sole functions were (a) to help build up
Dhyan or one-pointed concentration, and (b) to serve as
passwords for crossing from one plane to another. The soul's task (and the Satguru's) was to reach the fifth plane, Sat
Lok, and for this five passwords, one for each realm, were needed. Once the
soul entered the regions of pure spirit, no further passwords were necessary. As
it beheld the Sat Purush, the deity of Sat Lok or Sach Khand, and the first
definite manifestation of Naam and Form of the Formless and the Nameless, it
realized that He (i.e., Sat Purush) and the Satguru were not distinct but one
and the same, and that it itself was also of their very essence. Its search for
the Absolute was at last over and it began to merge in Him. As it entered deeper and deeper, being absorbed from Form into the
Formless, it passed through Alakh (indescribable) and Agam (inconceivable)
until it finally lost itself in the Ocean of Bliss and Consciousness that is
the Ultimate Reality beyond any name and form, ineffable, immaculate,
indescribable, and immeasurable. It was what it was and nothing more could be
said of it. The only way left for describing it was through negatives. It was
neither light nor darkness, neither sound nor silence. No Shabd could be said
to be resounding there, as Shabd had not yet come into manifestation, and to
say that the strains of "Radhasoami" could be heard vibrating there
was a contradiction in terms. All past Adepts in the Surat Shabd Yoga had taught as such. Any
perceptive student of their writings could see that they all regarded the entry
into the fifth plane as the goal that both disciple and Guru must set before
themselves. For achieving this, the Simran of the five sacred names was
essential; and once the soul had entered Sat Lok it remained the Sat Purush's
task to merge it into Himself and permit it to recede further and still further
into the Formless and the Nameless. It was this very two-phase process that
Swami Ji underlined when he said, "My path was the path of Sat Naam and
the Anami Naam," and at the conclusion of Bachan 26 in Sar Bachan
(poetry), while describing the soul's entry into Sat Lok and its journey
beyond, he made the whole method very clear indeed and left not a shadow of
doubt: Pushap madh sae uthi avaza Kau tum hoe kaho
kaja Satgur milae bhed sub dina Tis ki kripa
daras hum lina Darshan kar ut
kar magnani Sat Purush tub
bolae bani Alakh lok ka
bhed sunaya Bal upna dae surat pathaya Alakh Purush ka roop anoopa Agam Purush nirkha kul bhoopa Dekh achraj kaha na jaye Kaya kaya. sobha varan paye From the lotus there arose a voice: "Speak! Who are you and what brings you
here?" "My Satguru gave me the key to this realm And through His grace I am blessed with thy
darshan." Beholding the Lord it was lost in ecstasy; Thereupon the Sat Purush spoke Giving forth the secrets of Alakh Lok And by His own power raised it further. The form of the Alakh Purush defies description. Agam Purush, the Lord of all creations, His wondrous sight cannot be described And His glory cannot be rendered in words. Baba Ji strictly adhered to his Master's original teachings and assured
his disciples that if they lived by his instructions they most certainly would
"reach Sach Khand, and, passing through Alakh, Agam, Anami Radhasoami, get
merged in the Wonder Region." Saints in the past had attained the highest
state through the agency of the Five Names, so why change them now? Why
travesty Swami Ji's message merely for starting a new cult? The Surat Shabd Yoga was an ancient science and it had not changed
overnight. Before his last day, Baba Ji called all his disciples then present
at Beas and declared: "It is the Will of Din Dayal Swami Ji Maharaj that I open the doors
of the spiritual treasure house even more widely than before. My Master wishes
that I give you in even greater detail than before an account of the inner
realms, the first five and the last three, so that you should not be put in
doubt and say that one who was favored of Swami Ji passed away in
silence." He then spoke at length on the wonders of the worlds within and
ended with the words we have already cited in the conclusion to the biography: "All my life I have only sought to serve my Master, and now whatever he had to accomplish through this
poor physical frame is over." It is impossible to reduce to bare statement the outer teachings of a
great man. The task becomes doubly difficult in the case of a Saint of the
eminence of Baba Jaimal Singh Ji. Such spirits speak from a wisdom that we
cannot understand and act not as limited human beings but as the agents of the
Lord: Jaisi maen aavae Khasam ki bani Taisra kari gian wey Lalo. What my Lord speaks within me, O Lalo, That alone I utter. (*10) GURU NANAK (*10 Tilang M.l, 722) Their message lives in every little word they speak and in every little
gesture. The abstract statement of their philosophy is but the skeleton of bone
and cartilage that misses altogether the flesh and biood of their direct impact
on their disciples. Who can now recall those words of wisdom, of peace, of consolation, of
reassurance, of encouragement, of loving reprimand that Baba Ji uttered as he moved
among his disciples? And who can now record those little acts of selfless
kindness and superhuman love that unconsciously brought home to those around
the unquestioning conviction of the truth of what the sage taught? If ever
there was a problem that could not be solved, he sat wrapt in meditation, and
when he returned from the inner planes the answer was with him. But all that
beyond a few brief recorded accounts - is lost forever, the meaning spoken and
the meaning left unspoken and expressed through the agency of the eyes, the
words of advice on every conceivable subject to the never- ending stream of
disciples and seekers; and it is gone beyond recall. We can only give the husk,
the skeleton, and leave the rest to the reader. And for his better remembrance
and convenience we summarize here some of the main features of his message -
the most ancient, and yet, in his hands as in those of every great Saint, the
most new and the most vital. SURAT SHABD YOGA It is the highest form of Yoga which takes the soul to the very source,
the source of all life and creation, the Formless and Nameless Anami. It is the
most economical and quickest way, and can be practiced by all, young and old,
children and women, householders and non-house-holders. In fact, it is the best
suited for our times when other yogic forms, so slow and exacting, are
well-nigh impossible to practice. Swami Ji made no mistake when on his last day
he said, "In this yuga (time cycle) nothing can avail except devotion to a
true Master and the practice of Naam." (*11) (*11 Jeevan Charitrar Swamiji
Maharaj, p. 112) THE SATGURU OR THE TRUE MASTER He is an embodiment of the Sat Purush in human form, having become one
with Him. "Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us." Without the
active aid of such a living Master, nothing is possible. Past Masters may have
ferried their contemporaries across, but they cannot be of much use to us. The
Shabd Guru must always be contacted through the agency of its living
manifestation. The only infallible test for competence in this field is the
Satguru's ability to give some first-hand experience which may be later
developed. Once one has found a true Master,´one should concentrate on inner
discipline. His guidance is alwayswith us and continues even after he has left
the physical plane. THE GURMUKH OR THE GENUINE DISCIPLE Having found a genuine Master after resolving all doubts, one must live
up to the ideal of a perfect disciple. And what is it to be such a perfect
disciple? It is to have full faith in the Satguru, never questioning his wisdom
and authority. It is to be lost in his love while at work or at play, for such
love alone can purify the heart of the imperfect loves of the world. Further,
given such faith and love, one is to follow to the best of one's ability his
injunctions: "If you love me, keep my commandments." If a disciple
develops those qualities and surrenders himself completely to the Satguru's
Will, he shall be freed from worldly desires, become an apt receptacle for the
Shabd Dhun, and the Master's grace and generosity shall descend upon him like a
flood that breaks open all inner gates and obstructions. THE OUTER AND THE INNER The way to salvation lies not outside; it is within. Outer rituals are
of no avail and, though it is desirable to honor the memory of past Masters, to
be lost in the worship of their samadhs, statues or pictures cannot be of any
substantial use. One must hold up their lives as a model and like them
concentrate upon the world within. Baba Ji himself would spend weeks in Bhajan
and Simran with only short breaks for food. He always encouraged his disciples
to give as much time as possible to the sadhnas he had taught. Constant
remembrance of the Lord was the best protection against attachment and Maya;
and one should maintain the five-fold Simran all the hours of the day. No less
important was Bhajan, which needed more concentrated attention. Whatever the
matter, however preoccupied with outer duties, the disciple must find some time
every day - be it ever so little - for Bhajan. Only through maintaining the link with Shabd could anything be gained
and once a disciple had strengthened the link through constant practice, the
inner music flowed in incessantly at all hours of the day, becoming a clarion
call forever inviting him within and deftly lifting him like a silken robe from
off the thorns of earthly desires. In short, Baba Ji taught spirituality as a
non-sectarian inner discipline which was accessible to all. He always emphasized that the matter was not one of outer forms and
sects: it was entirely a question of inward purification and practice. He who
could find a true Master, grow into an apt disciple, and unfailingly pursue the
sadhna he had been taught, would without doubt sooner or later reach Sat Lok. The Satguru's task was to take the soul to the Sat Purush, on beholding
whom it realized itself to be of the same essence, and saw the Satguru and the
Supreme Lord as one and indivisible. There it merged into the Sat Naam, with
whose help it receded further into the Alakh, Agam, Anami (or Radhasoami) and
even to a Wonder Region beyond as will be evinced from one of the letters of
Baba Ji (presented in Spiritual Gems), each marking a further stage of the
soul's absorption from name and form into the Nameless and the Formless, the
final stage being beyond all forms of light and sound and therefore wholly
indescribable in terms of human experience. One could succeed in this path irrespective of one's social or religious
background. True to Swami Ji's injunctions, Baba Ji attempted to interpret
spirituality in as non-sectarian a manner as possible. He did away with many of
the older outer practices, chief among them being bhaint or tribute to the
Guru, leaving it entirely to the wishes of the disciple to subscribe toward the
running of the Satsang. Nor did he encourage the adoration of any particular
mode of salutation that might tend to grow into the mark of a creed. While at
Murree, Bibi Rukko once (under the influence of a recent visit to Agra)
instructed the Satsangis to greet Baba Ji when he came with the word
"Radhasoami." Baba Ji was far from pleased: "See that in the future you do not repeat the mistake," he
admonished. "We spirits come not to create new sects and creeds. We are
here to dissolve all differences. Why distract these simple people with these
outer slogans? My task is to take them within and let them greet me each
according to the traditions of his community." As we have already seen, he had a nucleus of Muslim disciples and he
never gave them the feeling that they had in any way to renounce their own
faith. It was only a field of study like mathematics or astronomy that people
all over the world could take up and master, and what he taught them were the
very same truths that the greatest of the Sufis - Jalal-ud-Din Rumi, Hafiz,
Shamas Tabrez, Inayat Khan - had given out to their disciples. This task was carried further by Baba Ji's spiritual son, Hazur Sawan
Singh Ji. During his ministry, Baba Ji's prophecy was fulfilled and the Satsang
expanded tremendously. The message of the great Master was carried across the
seas and men of all faiths sought shelter in its fold. In conformity with these
new developments and to suit the changing spirit of the age, Hazur Sawan Singh
Ji began to interpret the timeless message as an inner science. More and more
of the outer ritual was shed, and practices like charan-amrit or mukh-amrit and
arti completely disappeared. Like Baba Ji, he was ever willing to meet the spiritual leaders of all
faiths; and Dr. Johnson, one of his American disciples, records in his
"With a Great Master in India" how he would visit the places of
worship of every sect wherever he went. The scientific tendency has continued to gather strength and men are no
longer willing to accept spirituality as in former days as a matter of
devotional faith. "We must be convinced," they say, "we must have proofs. We
cannot be satisfied simply with doing in a blind way what our forefathers
did." So keeping pace with these developments the Ruhani Satsang in Delhi has
finally abolished in consonance with the wishes of Hazur Sawan Singh Ji the
last vestiges of ritual; even the living Master's photograph is not held up for
attention. Stripped of all its outer encrustations, spirituality emerges as a
science, as scientific as any other, as verifiable in its results. Let any
seeker take it up and let him create in the laboratory of the soul the
conditions that are prerequisite, as sure as the day follows the night shall he
rise into the Kingdom of God. by Param Kirpal Singh |