SANT / The Master

In Sanskrit, the word “Sant” (which is the origin of the English word “Saint”) means master of the highest order.” Both the word and the concept are unfamiliar in Western thought, which tends to lump all exceptionally pious devotees together as “saints,” regardless of the actual degree of inner attainment. In this beautiful essay, dating from the early 1950’s, the Master clarifies the issue by telling us exactly what a “Sant” is and how we may recognize one.

Perhaps one might ask, “What sort of person is a Sant about whom so much has been said, as distinguished from commonly known grades of Masters, such as Sanyasis, Rishis, Munis, Tikhishwars, Munishwars, Yogishwars, past Masters, founder and ministrants of religions etc.?

No doubt a Sant (or Sadhu) is an ordinary man to all external appearances. He is, however, a great deal more: a “perfect man” with experience of outer and inner life. Outer living may be different in various countries, but inner experiences wherever know are the same; although they speak of differing phases according to the degree of inner approach. These are not denied as far as they go, but direct and full phases are announced by Sant who also offer experience along their theory. What more is needed by man?

Voluminous books recording experiences of Sants in this sciences of Nature are full of their praises. Still, it is very difficult to know more about a Sant even if he is yours nearest neighbor or daily passes on the same road.

History shows that once the Czar of Russia, moved by the fate of certain exiled subjects of his dominion working as shipbuilding laborers on a far-off coast, went in disguise to them, worked with them for a number of years, and persuaded them to return to their homes. The laborers protested that they had been turned out of the dominion and there was no hope for them. The Czar assured them that he had influence with the royal court, including some with the Czar, and that there would be no trouble. Those who believed him agreed to accompany him to their homes. On the way their faith in their fellow worker was confirmed when the Czar disguised as a laborer was greeted warmly by his men. At last when the Czar disguised as a laborer was greeted warmly by his men. At last when all saw in the end that the distinguished laborer was none other than the Czar himself sitting on the throne before their eyes, they heaved sigh of relief. How could they have known him or believed him before?

The unseen High One uses a very selected human pole who, by dint of his continued, untiring, and unending endeavors, unequaled in self-sacrifice and boundless love for Him during life, contacts Him himself, becomes His conscious corporation-worker, and is utilized and assigned the mission of giving solace to afflicted seekers of Him, to rescue them from the worries of the world and to unite all such ones to He who owns them.

Man needed a man to understand, and so a saint is the high one in the guise of a man to whom those longing for him can approach. The unseen almighty has His own law in this respect. Thus, Sant is God plus man. He is a mouth piece of God, or if one is pleased to accept it, he is God in person, “personified God.” invested with all Powers and authority and is a living alter to pray to, to seek solutions of man’s problems from birth to death and after; in short, to extricate man from the network of worries and bestow true salvation. 

Thus God moves as ordinary man in disguise. As a man externally no one can recognize him, but only one who contacts a Master Saint within himself according to the science, i.e., the laws that He has laid down for man. Extraordinary, if one takes a Master saint as an ordinary man, he cannot derive any more benefit from him than he could from anyone of the level that he takes him for. If one takes him as a superman, much more benefit can be derived, and if he is taken him as a superman, much more benefit can be derived, and if he is taken as all-in-all, still more. If one contacts a Master within himself, he gets all and everything. It is not a matter of one’s thinking range, which is blind faith. It depends on the extent of understanding of his Divine Science. That which comes from the heart will go to the heart.

A question was once put to Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj: “Bodies of all men are made of same mud (i.e., material flesh, blood, etc.), what superiority is attached to the personal body of a Sant which makes him superior to any other man?

Hazur replied: “No doubt, all bodies are composed of mud, but the body of a Sant is made of purest particles of it available in the universe. Every word, every look, every move, every touch, even the aura of a Sant is endowed with mercy, love and the grace of God. His society is specially electrified and the atmosphere Charged. The purer the heart of a man, the more he realizes and feels. Even those who listen to him, accept and absorb what he says, are not left blank. They are benefited.

“When a Sant walks on the ground, the land becomes pure and sacred. When he walks over the grass or in walking crushes any worm or insect, they may get a man’s body direct, irrespective of the cyclic order and stages of evolution of creation of life on earth in Nature’s science. The fruit trees and plants from which the cereals comes which a Sant uses in his diet also get human bodies directly. The tree, a portion of a branch of which the Sant uses as his Datan (tooth brush), and the cows who provide milk for the Sants also get man’s body direct. Similarly the mares, etc., Sant ride, the ants or worms whose bodies touch the flowering waters in which the Sant bathes, or any flying bird who happens to see the naked portion of the body of a Sant also gets the same advantage.”

An ordinary man would take this as an enigma or joke and would hardly be prepared to believe because his testing stone is his intellect, and he knows nothing of the power of God, or such powers delegated to or concessions inherent in the bodies of Sants, unless he acquires experience in the noble science that has been designed by God himself for man. It is true that God is unseen to external eyes, but He has not left man all forlorn on earth so far as approach to Him is concerned. The door of approach, the starting point, for any search or research in this connection lies within man. The Sant is the means.

Man therefore must adopt a course different from that upon which he is attempting to make headway; but proud of his “learning” in many fields, he goes astray, just as one examining a bowl found in the ruins of a far-off country begins to ponder, speculate and concentrate his imagining on the potter who made it ages ago. He draws a sketch of the potter in his mind, makes images of him and his implements, and in so doing writes books, one after the other, trying to impress others and prove that his findings are true and deserve praise. Alas, man is far from the right track.

Simple is Truth and still simpler the language of Truth spoken by the Sants, whose simple and brief words uttered from the heart satisfy, pacify and console the most bewildered and troubled souls. They speak involuntarily and unaffected.

A Sant is the mouthpiece of God,
And God himself speaks through 
the human throat
                             Maulana Rumi

As a man, a Sant is always submissive to his will in happening in life. Bear and forbear is a Sant’s creed. He is like a sandalwood tree on which a feller’s axe strikes its blows, but the tree continues to give forth its fragrance, even to the edge of the blade which cuts it.

In the company of a Sant the agitated mind becomes still. He stands for the good of man and does his work as a friend or brother, if one’s mind is not prepared to accept him as a guide. He remains concealed, but by his very concealment is added fame to fame and glory to glory. He does not see who a person is, what position he holds, or to what school of thought or race he belongs. He simply sees that one coming to him is an ensouled human being –man. The Sant is so watchful and alert a merchant of his precious goods (i.e., the spiritual science) that anybody who thinks himself the most clever, the wisest, the most highly educated, a performer of miracles, etc., cannot get even the scent of what he has, though one may try his very best. The Sant loves theist as well as atheists, or even the worst sinner or those who are drowned in sensual pleasure of the world, just as a loving mother will not throw away her child completely covered in dirt and filth.

It takes a Sant to know a Sant. A Sant alone can describe a Sant. His presence in the midst of any society or social group is its most precious adornment. He may be seen going from one place to another but he does not go there for any propaganda or selfish motive, but is attracted by the strong silken ties of love in certain hearts. He is the uplifting leader of moral cleanliness and spirituality. Whether a metal be gold or iron, it is mere metal to a Sant. He is not affected by offers of position or dignity or indignity, honor or dishonor, nor moved by joys and sorrows, praise or censure. Sovereignty, wealth and beauty of women are no attractions for a Sant. He is far above the influences of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. He is unaffected.

Sant or Sadhus are above the three gunas. They are selfless and reveal the Truth only. They are “Children of Light” – beacons of the world. It is very seldom that one comes across them – real ones. Like wrestlers, they are not made in one day, nor are they a from any school of academic learning. They have had the experience of several past lives. Every Saint has a past and every sinner a future. They are common assets of humanity. They are experienced personalities who have analyzed themselves and realized God and can help to put us on the same path. Whatever one has, he can give it to another.

How can the ordinary man know that a Master Saint (Guru or Satgur) visits the heavens daily, takes charge of his disciples’ karma, winding it up and liquidating it under his care and supervision? There are thousands of disciples and how can the Master manage it? Man hears of these things only occasionally. Sit by a Sant and you will feel mental composure, calmness, and a tranquility never experienced before, and much more too. The minds of those who have the least spark of love of God in them, experience an awakening even when they just hear that there is a Master who can really guide them to the threshold.

In going to a Master we acquire:

In the places of pilgrimage, the holy ones of the olden times bestowed at least these three boons which are stepping stones direct to spirituality. Words and theories have now been substituted for these prerequisites of the Divine Science. The teaching of the Sants are, in brief:

Man has valuable treasures of Divinity hidden within him. Acquire the knowledge and experience that made the Master so high and holy, and unlock the doors giving entrance into the Divine in practice – not intellectually – right now, during your present life time. Purity of heart and the simple request is all that is needed. You have to pay nothing for this science of Nature.

Into the society of Sants come men of all characters, including those proud of their ideas, good or bad. Sants however do not employ police to keep away those who in the eyes of the public are undesirable, and the strange things is that their own censure is the only doorkeeper that automatically keeps them away.

The problem now before man is how to recognize and identify a true Master from among so many he meets, hears and reads about. We are used to seeing outwardly.

These are hardly any universal or common marks on the person of a Sant. Still, we need some clues, some key. We may point out, “Rishis and Munis are defined as those who possess knowledge of the past, present and future. Yogis, in addition to that, have miraculous Powers to exhibit and attract. Of gods, it is said they do not cast a shadow. At least something must be said about genuine Sants and Sadhus by either the ancient or moderns.” 

The reply is that negative-minded man, there can hardly be any indication that a man may be a Sant. For the slightly advanced on the path of love of God, and those of astute observation, there can be given some hints and clues. Much patience is needed, however, to discover them:

As a matter of fact, no one can know or find a true Master unless and until the Master is pleased to reveal his own identity himself to the innermost satisfaction of one desiring to confirm his faith in the Master. This is done according to the extent of one’s receptivity, and to the love entitle him. It depends wholly on the kindness and sweet mercy of God through a Master. Some are given clues according to their desires. The faith of some in their Master is confirmed when a disciple is saved miraculously from some danger. A favorable response to the prayers made to the Master confirms faith in others. There are other who have book-knowledge and are satisfied by the examples of others, so they get confirmation that way. Master have the knowledge of measuring the capacity and range of everyone’s intellect and bestow faith accordingly. Sant know the merits and evils of everyone but they never disclose them.

Divine Grace is never slow. A good mother says not, “Will you?” but gives from among the aspirants, they are given the lions share of Divine Faith in the Master who come with downcast heads, heavy hearts and the shuddering anguish of a lost soul, speechless with anxieties, to unburden their worries. Meekness is no weakness. It is a strong, cemented road of humility which leads to the Benign Reality.

Experience is the only criterion. If a Master is able to give us experience, we can accept him as one who knows the Diving Science. One who is connected and can contact, can give us contact, can give us contact. If one is in the first or second grade and someone else sits by him for a whole lifetime, he will never attain a high degree of education.

Man hesitates and fears to approach a Master Saint because his living is tarnished, may be less in one and more in another. Never fear to go to a Master Saint because you are a sinner. He is meant more for sinners than for others. He has a remedy for every wound. Approach him and through him will be found a way to become rid of sin. If one is far away, he can be contacted through correspondence. He has means and methods to meet every case. He is competent.

*     *     *

It will be easy to realize that Para vidya has a scientific basis, though it differs a bit from the ordinary system. It is not a scholastic system of philosophy based on intellectual cleverness, much less is it a new code of social or moral conduct, which are elementary steps. It is no blind faith, but a to-the point digest and clear cut practical science dealing with self-analysis, i.e., knowledge of self in man, for the one who observes minutely. All authority is of course, vested in the practical Master saint.

When a man is in one crowd, he will talk as the crowd talks. If he joins another crowd he will talk as it does, and so on. But if he takes his seat on a high mound he is able to see and hear all, and to judge the actions of man better. A Sant is like such a person. He looks down from on high upon the world. He speaks of the state of man struggling for existence, pretending that he knows all, when in reality he knows little. Man does not know how to live, what to do, what to eat, how to act in life, nor why. He has to depend upon his parents and teachers from childhood to youth, for all of his physical troubles he has to depend upon his doctor, for earning his livelihood upon his employer, and employers in turn upon his subordinates For Instruction in all mundane affairs he is dependent upon society; when faced with unforeseen dangers and surrounded by suffering and when not comforted by anything, he depends upon the word of his minister or priest; and finally he finds that all he can do is submit to Nature and her laws. In vain he puts his trust in bodily strength and in the stability of the future; at the same time he makes his own way by heedlessly pushing others down the ladder. Little does he know that he can stand still in a flowing stream, but not in the world of mankind.

Sants pity man. They care not for their own personal comfort, and day and night advise man that his life is short, very short, but the worth of holy Master has been underrated ever since wealth and pleasure have been overrated. Repeatedly Sants have warned man that in this Kali Yuga (Iron age) man has allotted a number of breaths in one lifetime. He has been given roughly 226,000 breaths a day (the amount varies from person to person and is determined by the prarabdh or fate karma). While sitting he spends 18 minutes; when sleeping, 30; and in sexual intercourse 64. These breaths are his entire legacy and wealth in bodily life. Thus the common saying goes, “A man is know to be mortal by two things – sleep and lust.” Sants advise man to put this wealth in a secure bank of proper adjustment in order to lengthen life and derive the utmost from it. They emphasize that there is no other way; but man will not listen. Sants further say that man will not listen. Sant further say that man will not listen . Sant further say that man is subjected to the law of evolution in 8,400,000 kinds of embodied creation and gets a body after the other and in each body is further their chained with iron fetters of the inexorable law of Nature, Karma: first “work and act” and then “Cause and effect,” and he must rid himself of this cycle of repeated births and deaths in order to attain peace. With open eyes, man watches living beings, even man, suffering, dying with open eyes, man watches living beings, even man, suffering, dying with untold pain and agony, but he smiles away the truth as revealed by Sants, saying, “We know better. We have our own solid science based of facts, we have our invention, our atomic energy, etc.”

Thus the less man thinks, the more he talks, and things not understood are admired. Notwithstanding all this, the Sants continue pushing on with their Sants continue pushing on with their mission with perseverance and offering experience in the Divine Science, Para Vidya, to those who come to them. The Name of the Lord is a very strong tower. The sting of reproach is the truth of it. Self-evident Truth requires no proof.
The sun can be seen by nothing but his own light. YOU CANNOT BE LOST ON A STRAIGHT ROAD.

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