Six years with the Master in India

Stanley Shinerock

My wife and I were privileged to spend the past six years at the feet of the human pole, know as Sant Kirpal Singh, where God has chosen to manifest Himself for the sake of those souls who have some desire, maybe little or great, to know Him and to return to their rightful Home in Him. These years were most revealing and priceless in what we learnt at the feet of the Master, and an endeavors is here made to convey to our brothers and sisters in the West a small part of the benefits which we received from being in his gracious company.

First of all, we saw in the Master the great example of all the qualities which we have to develop in ourselves. We witnessed daily how tirelessly he works for the good of his children. When he is not out on tour in the interior of the North, East or West of India, which can take two or three weeks out of every month, he is busy from early morning till late at night meeting the needs of all who flock to him at the Ashram. A great part of his time in the Asram is spent in answering the enormous volume of correspondence from his disciple in the West as well as in India. It is truly staggering to see the workload which only a Godman could carry. This workload is increased at certain times, such as the Bandharas and monthly Initiation which are held at the Ashram, and it is not unusual for 200 to 300 people to be initiated at one time. Invariably, most of this number receive excellent experiences, even to seeing the Radiant form of the Master within, while others see strong inner light, etc.

The Master is so full of compassion for his children that even though we understand that is mindless, karmless and is not in any way affected by the physical body, he has on occasion allowed his body to take on a sickness for all or benefit. We have witnessed on these occasions how Master not only suffers for our misdeed but also draws out from some of us a love and compassion for his suffering that we could not have expressed but for the opportunity afforded to us at such times. However, as though to show us that the Master is no way affected by the body, we have seen him to be quite low, as it were, on one day, and perfectly fit the next, as though his body had never been affected by the malady that it had suffered the day before. All this goes to show that we little know the inconveniences that Master puts himself to on our behalf, which is one aspects of what he does for us that we can outwardly witness.

Just prior to our departure from India, the Master went on a tour to Kashmir, and we were fortunate enough to follow him a few days later. The Master never spares his physical body, and he completed the arduous journey by car (almost 650 miles, at least 300 of which are over twisting mountain roads) in 36 hours, whereas three days are usually taken, as it is normally necessary to stop overnight on the mountain part of the journey because of the dangerously driving condition and unmarked hazards which abounds on the way. As usual, Master had a busy program of Satsangs and other meetings booked for him in Kashmir, although time was found to visit one or two Himalayan mountain resort. On one such visit to Pahalgam, the Master suggested that we stay there for a few days to enjoy the magnificent scenery, although he could not remain because of his program in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir. However, we respectfully declined because to us, the scenery would not have the same beauty without the presence of the Master. On June 2, the Master left Srinagar on his return to Delhi. Again, the first and most strenuous part of the journey over the mountain roads to Pathankot in the state of Himachal Pradesh, was done in one day. On the evening of his arrival in Pathankot, the Master, after hardly any rest, gave a long Satsang in the town. The next morning, he gave Initiation to about 150 people, and after lunch, left for Amritsar in the Punjab. After spending a few hours there, he left for Delhi, about 300 miles away, and arrived at two o’clock on the morning of June 4. At 8 A. M the same morning, Master began his long day of giving interviews to seekers after truth as well as disciples, setting routine matters pertaining to the Ashram, and last but not least, answering the huge pile of foreign correspondence that had accumulated during his absence. To do this, the Master worked into the afternoon, evening and far into the night, so that his western children should receive replies to their letters and spiritual diaries without further delay.

In addition to the above, the Master also gives Satsang in other areas of Delhi and new Delhi and grants interviews to prominent members of government and society, who requests his advice on matters pertaining to their various responsibilities. When the Master has completed his commitments in Delhi, another local tour or work connected with manav Kendra takes him once again outside.

The forging description is a typical three weeks out of Master's life. In our opinion, on one else except a God man could keep up such an exhausting routine year after year. However, at our level, it is not possible to fully appreciate the Master's qualities and we tend to vest in him the qualities which we believe we should posses rather than strive to live up to his commandments and posses his qualities, which really the only way to begin to know and appreciate his greatness. We have been fortunate enough to have ample demonstration of Master's compassion. Whenever the going was particularly difficult, especially during our first two years in the ashram, Master often revealed that he knew, was quite aware of all that was taking place. Never can we forget the times when we received his compassionate glances, a softly murdered “what is the matter “ as he passed as by, or the strengthening casp of his hand to our shoulders. It was the matter of every day experience that I was blessed with the Master's grace and protection during my sixteen miles journey on my pedal cycle to and from my office at the Canadian high Commission in New Delhi. It is only due to his divine protection that I emerged unscathered through some of the worst traffic that it has been my lot to my experience. This is especially true of the first year or so, when I was cycled far too fast and without having my full attention on the traffic conditions. We are fully convinced that these few examples are only a fraction of what the Master did and is still doing for both of us.

We have also observed how very practical the Master is in the most ordinary matters. In this day and age, the emphasis appears to be, as the Master put it, on learning swimming in water, not on dry land. We have seen how he have encouraged school children to do well in their studies and initiates to progress in their jobs. Our material life cannot be divorced from our spiritual life. In fact, we have to spiritualize our life in every way. This is what we learnt at the feet of the Master, and what is more, we had the benefit of the practical, spiritual guidance that he gave us from time to time. However, even if the Master had never spoken on word to us, his company was in itself worth the self revealing trials and tribulations which we went through, for such inevitably occur on the path, and perhaps more so when close to the physical Master.

During our final two years, there were indications that we would have to return to the West in the interests of furthering my career. Happily, these indications did not mature until the early part of this year, although our return to Canada could not be delayed alter than July. As the days brought us nearer to our departure, it became more and more difficult to imagine that we could be physically parted from Master. It all seemed like an unreal dream from which we would awaken at any moment. How could we bear to be parted from one who had become the life of our life! When the final day came, an inner serenity descended upon us, and that evening, we were showed with his loving and affectionate attention.

We left strong in the knowledge that our parting was in the best interest of our spiritual progress as well as our material welfare. The both cannot be entirely separated from one another we know, for we have found that many of our most valuable lessons are to be learnt in the world, where our faults and shortcomings are reflected back to us in our dealings with others. Only by weeding them out, can our continued progress be assured, and we believe that only in the world can we spiritualize our lower Nature. By meeting ht experience stresses and strains of modern society in the way taught us by the Master, we are confident that one day our responsibility as initiates shall be successfully fulfilled, and our goal in life is realized.

For one month now we have been in England, visiting our families and also meeting with the initiates here. we have experienced ourselves something of the what the Master meant when he said that there is no parting, for he is always with us, and manifests more to the degree that we develop receptivity to him. However, we do greatly miss his physical presence, and the loving glances that we received from him, and we hope that the time is not too far distant when we shall receive them again.

Too much talking dissipates spiritual energy. You should try to control your speech by resorting to Simran of the name silently. You will be able to tide over the difficulty and improve in due course. Think twice before you speak. Think out as to what you speak is true, kind and necessary.

From a letter by
KIRPAL SINGH

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