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Are You Even Half a
Disciple? IN THIS VAST OCEAN we call the world, who is a true
one? O Nanak, think of the True One as the Truth. God, who is ever-existent,
unchangeable, permanent, He who never declines nor diminishes, and is the sustainer
of all things-He is known as the True One. And the God which came into
expression-From one Source, millions of rivers sprouted forth –that is called
the Truth. So who is true, of all those
who have received the human birth? He
who has realized the Lord is true. What kind of thing is the Truth? The Jap Ji says, He was when there was
nothing; He was before all ages began;
He existeth now, O Nanak, And shall
exist forevermore. Truth is
eternal-something even beyond eternity.
There are many who boast of being true –“I have realized the Truth,”
etc.—but true is he who is true to his real self—both outwardly and
inwardly. Outwardly his mode of living
follows after the Lord. Inwardly he is ever at one with and constantly aware of
the Truth. Human birth is a great blessing, and to realize the Truth should be
that human endeavor above all others, for in that human life alone can it be
realized; in the human life alone can the soul become a true one. When the Master says, “I am ready to kiss the hands and
feet of Him who has realized the Truth,” he is acknowledging that noble
aim. The true ones, the Masters, have
ever come to this world, and ever will.
Their work was always successful, and always will be. It is due to a man’s great good fortune if
he ever meets a soul who has realized the Truth. We call such a personality a
satguru—true dispeller of the darkness.
Guru Amar Das Ji searched for the Truth for more than
70 years, and when he eventually came to the feet of his Master, Guru Angad
Sahib, he saw the reflection of the Truth, and said Without good fortune, one
cannot meet such a satguru. It is a very high destiny. With good karmas a
satguru is met. If the Lord gives special grace, one gets the experience from a
True Master, and he says he is prepared to kiss the hands and feet of such an enlightened soul, which is an
expression of gratitude. During the life of Guru Arjan Sahib, a certain family
of devotes who were talented in singing the holy scriptures approached the Guru
for some financial help to cover the cost of the daughter’s marriage. Guru
Arjan said, “All right, it will be given.” They waited for some days, but
nothing further was said, so once again they faced the Guru and said, “Maharaj,
we do not want very much; so if each sikh [i.e., disciple] could give one take
[two pice—about a third of a cent] that would be enough.” Guru Arjan replied,
“All right, tomorrow we will see.” The days passed by without further
development, and again they approached their Guru, saying, “please do something
quickly, for the date of the marriage is upon us.” The Guru said, “All right, tomorrow I will give.” When they came to him the following day, he
took out four and a half takas and gave
it to them. They looked at the small
amount in surprise, and said, “Maharaj, what is this? You have such a huge
gathering of disciples, and yet you have
given us only four and half takas.” Guru Arjan replied, “ you said you
wanted one taka per sikh. The first sikh was Guru Nanak, the second was Guru
Angad, the third was Guru Amar Das, the fourth was Guru Ramdas, and, well, the
half taka is for me—I am only half a sikh—and that makes a total of four and a
half takas.” It was a sharp lesson to those who had thought to be clever, and a
wonderful example of the humility of Guru Arjan. What then is
the criterion of a sikh? Guru is
sikh—sikh is a Guru; both give the same teaching. He who becomes a true disciple becomes a Guru—from server to
Master. The family of singers did not
appreciate their Guru’s lesson and they began to demur, saying, “who would have
known of Guru Nanak but for our singing?” A true sikh can tolerate anything but
an attempt to defame the Guru, and showing his displeasure Guru Arjan said,
“All right, brother, you can go.”
Others of his followers observed the Guru’s anger and begged him to
forgive the offending persons. The Guru
said, “All right, they will be forgiven when the mouths that have insulted will
sincerely sing His praises.” Everyone can learn something from this incident. He called himself half a sikh, although he
himself was that same Light that all Gurus are; in actual fact, the Guru never
dies. Through the ages, the Supreme Power is the same; That is our Guru. When Guru Nanak was asked
who was his Guru, he replied, Shabd is the Guru; the attention is the disciple.
The unchangeable permanence which came into expression and is known as the
Truth—that is the Guru. When Kabir
Sahib was asked a similar question, he replied, Our Guru is above the gaggan
[focal point of the soul], the disciple is in the body; When the attention and
Shabd meet, never will they be separated.
Do you begin to understand what a disciple really is? And a gurusikh
is a disciple of a Guru. The Guru is first a complete disciple. Then the disciple becomes a Guru. The same theme continues on, for Truth is
one. If a bulb fuses, another is put in
its place, and when that fuses, another is placed, and so on. The power which
continues is called God Power, or Christ Power. During my last tour of the United States I gave a talk
on December 25, 1963, on the subject “Christ lived before Jesus,” in which I
told them that Christ Power and Guru Power are the same. Similarly, the Shabd, the Word, the God
–into-expression Power, and God Himself are all the same, and that Power
working at the human pole we call a Guru.
That very talk has been printed under the title, God Power, Christ
Power, Master Power. There are three stages of a disciple: sikh, gurusikh,
and Gurumukh becomes the mouthpiece of the Guru, and the Guru is the mouthpiece
of God. Himself, although outwardly they
appear to be coming from a human throat. Another Master says, Whatever
word come from the Beloved are given out. Also, O Nanak, the servant speaks as ordered. The question
arises: If we consider the Guru to be a sikh, them how can one become a
gurusikh? There should be no
misunderstanding on this point, for the followers of a Master would wish to
know, “How can we become a gurusikh? How can we be the loved one of the Guru ?
How can we become a worthy son or daughter of his?” Guru Gobind Singh, the
tenth Guru, clarified the matter by calling the true disciple a Kahalsa. There
is no difference between a gurusikh and a Guru . He says, The Khalsa is my
True Form; In the Khalsa do I reside;
Khalsa is my True Companion; Khalsa is
my Perfect Master From the beginning to the end, and in between also, the
Guru will never leave those he has taken under his wing. When
I recommended the spiritual diary, it was to help you all to become
gurusikhs. You have not yet become gurusikhs.
You will be a gurusikh when you leaves your body and transcend above,
and have your Guru’s Darshan in all crystal clearness, and can talk to
him. This is what is necessary to be a
sikh. Then if you advance further, to
become his mouthpiece, you will be a Gurumukh, when they say, “There is no
difference between us!” Just see what a noble future is awaiting you! You can
become ambassadors of Truth, but first see where you are standing now. The Master approach this problem as a man-problem:
Recognize all humanity as one. They do
not give different teachings to Hindus and different to Sikhs, Christians, and
so on. They say .simply, “ Become a sikh –a true disciple.” But man is the disciple
of the mind and the senses—of money, property, fame, and sensuous enjoyments. The Guru’s disciple is the sadhu, and mind’s
disciple is the rest of the world. Here the sadhu means one in whom the
Lord has manifested—such is the Guru’s true disciple. The rest of us are disciples of worldly things. These words may seem rather harsh, but they
are to help you realize the situation. It is the way of Master to encourage and praise their
followers. If a person does even a
little work, the Master will say, “ Well done.” This happened during the life of Guru Gobind Singh also, and he
said in particular to one certain disciple, “Bravo, you are a very good
gurusikh.” The Master have deep purpose in praising each individual – to uplift
and sustain him—and if the disciple is aware of his shortcomings, he should
feel ashamed at such praise and begin to do better. When the disciple had returned to his home, his wife who had
stayed near the Guru asked, “Maharaj is he your gurusikh? I think he is my sikh.’ Guru Gobind Singh
replied, “No, he is a very good disciple.” She said, “ All right, right, then
please test him.” When her husband came in the evening, the Guru told him, “Get
a bale of first quality muslin, and bring it to me early in the morning.” The
disciple relied, “Very well, Maharaj, I will bring it.” He bought the muslin on
his way home, but at about midnight his wife awoke him and said, “I want that
muslin.” He said, “ But how can I give
you that? I have promised to take it to
the Guru Sahib in the morning.” This sort of thing is happening all the time
nowadays. He promised to buy another
for his wife, but she was adamant and said, “No, I want this very piece.” What could he do? The next day, when this “ gurusikh” went to his Guru, the Guru
said, “Hello, disciple, have you brought the cloth?” He said, “Maharaj, I went
to buy it, but could not find that particular cloth so I will go again
today.” So on top of his disobedience,
he told a lie to his Guru. Here also
some people come and tell lies; they think, “He does not know.” They come and give orders—they do not come
to learn to become a Gurumukh. So Guru Gobind Singh said, “ Well all right,”
and the wife of the disciple stood up and said, “Maharaj, here is the cloth you
wanted. Now tell me, is he your
disciple or is he mine?” If Guru Arjan considered himself but half a sikh, then
what are we ? Anyone who learns to give a short talk on the subject becomes a
guru overnight. The mere reading of
books and learning of hymns by heart—shouting, laughing, singing making people
cry with emotion—and finally saying, “Go,
child, you are saved,” does not make a Guru ‘s words on the subject,
which speak for themselves. If the Guru-sikhra is seen, again and again will I bow
to Him ; I will tell my innermost thoughts, and say, O Beloved
Guru, join me back to God. The word Guru-sikhra is Punjabi, and means a small
disciple, or you can say, “half a disciple.”
If one were to meet a small disciple with even a little of his Guru’s
attributes, you may consider him a Mahatma. Does this not indicate that there
are very few even small disciple? He
says he would tell his innermost thoughts to him: “Maharaj, for birth upon
birth we have been separated from the Lord.
After going round the cycle of life so many million times, we have at
last reached you. Even now we are
wasting the precious moments—O help us—we are in misery from the mind and
senses.” There are three kinds of
miseries: adhi-butik, adhi-atmik, and adhidevik—misery through the
physical form, through the mind and senses, through trouble which comes from
above. The whole world suffers in all
three ways; how can we gain peace? It
is the Guru’s work to give that peace. During the days when Guru Arjan was living in
Amritsar, some people from Lahore made plans to visit that city and have his
Darshan. In those days, most traveling
was done on foot, and so after some discussion they decided to break their
journey for rest after twelve miles, and continue to Amritsar the next day. Everyone agreed to this, except one small
child, who stood up and said, “Why can't we reach there in one day instead of
two?” Feeling somewhat abashed that the
child had more enthusiasm to be in the Guru ‘s presence at any cost, they
agreed that it was possible to reach Amritsar in one day, by walking very
briefly pausing to gain their breath.
So the they next day they set out from Lahore, and finally reached the
outskirts of Amritsar at about midnight.
It was a bitterly cold winter season, and when they arrived at the sikh
temple called Pipli Sahib Gurudwara, they were cold, tired and hungry. Guru
Arjan knew their condition, and from his Ashram, some distance away, he wrapped
himself in a huge blanket from head to foot, and placing a large container of
hot halva parshad on his heads he set out to meet the exhausted disciples at
Pipli Sahib Gurudwara. With his
identity still veiled by the blanket, he distributed the parashad among them,
and then bent to touch each and every person’s feet. Now every individual has his own aura, which is a minimum of six
inches deep. The stronger the person is
spiritually, the deeper is the aura, for it is charged with the thoughts of
that being. So when Guru Arjan went
nearer to the group of people, those who did a little meditation became aware
of the radiation which emanated from him.
They said to themselves, “This must be some very great should indeed who
has served us this night.” They asked their blanket-covered benefactor what he
would like in return for his kindness, and he replied, “Dear ones, I humbly beg
of you, when you go before your Guru, ask him to bless me, make me a disciple,
and also give me the great gift of humility as long as there is breath in my
body.” He then quietly slipped away and
returned to his Ashram. A few minutes
later, the group from Lahore arrived in his presence, and saw the same
blanket-covered person who had served them at the gurudwara. This is yet another example of the deep
humility of Guru Arjan Sahib, who termed himself but half a sikh. What indeed then would we find in a complete
sikh? Everyone suffers from the three miseries. There are perhaps a few who, like the small
child, would sacrifice their physical or mental comfort for the company of the
Guru, but most people put the world first and the Guru afterward. It should of course be vice versa, but we
are inclined to weigh these things as if on a balance machine. Those who decide that the Guru has more
weight, have crossed the biggest hurdle of life, but those who weigh the world
heavily will remain in the world. He
called himself a half-sikh—he who was a gurusikh. Then what are we? We
think we are guruaikhs, but in fact we are mansikhs—disciples of the mind. If we were gurusikhs, would we not obey the
Guru’s wish? If you love me, keep my commandments. Do we ever keep his commandments properly? He tells us that life is but a few days in
length, a short span gained from the Lord’s blessing after so many rounds of
births and deaths, and in this life we can rejoin the Truth. If we do not do this? This birth slips away—it will not do this? This birth precious opportunity will be
lost. Who knows when again you will
live in this valuable house within which the Lord can be realized? With the height of good fortune came the
human birth; If the Naam is not repeated, it amount to self-immolation. The whole of creation came into being through
the Naam, and is ever sustained by it. All this world you see is the Lord’s image; The Lord image becomes
apparent. Make the Naam your
companion. The Lord is All
Consciousness and the soul is consciousness also, which when connected, becomes
more conscious. Instead of this
happening, it became connected and enmeshed with the lower expression of matter, thereby getting affected by all the
impure things of life in this world.
When consciousness diminishes, what happen? After death, the soul goes
to whatever level of consciousness it has at that time. So now you have the great blessing of the
human form; go and open your heart to a true Master –show him your condition,
and do not hide anything. We should
receive the bread of life which is food for
the soul. Food for the body is
through eating and drinking, and food for the intellect is through reading
writing and thinking. But with awakened
ness one learns to discriminate Truth from all untruth. Naam is the bread and water of life, the food for the
soul—the cure for all ills, be they physical, mental, or mind
ramifications. The soul is weak because
we have not fed it. We only talk about
the soul, but mere talking will not feed it.
Can the stomach be filled by discussing various kinds of bread? If you are thirsty, will repeating the word
“water” in all the world’s languages quench your thirst? This bread and water of life cannot be got
from those who are materially prosperous, or those who will give you money, or
from intellectuals who offer their vast halls of learning. Food for the soul can only be given by a
God-realized person, and where does it come from? I am that bread of life… this is the bread which cometh down from
heaven, whosoever partaketh of it will have everlasting life. It is a
wealth of Truth, obtainable from the true Emperor, not from worldly people Once Guru Har Gobind was on tour with the rulin God
Emperor of the time, Who set up cam people very near to the Guru’s camp. A
certain, gurusikh who was a grass cutter, world earned his living by selling
the grass he cut, hear that his Guru had come, and cutting a huge load of grass
of the Guru’s horses, he set out for the camp with the big bundle of grass on
his head. Now the Guru’s camp was a very modest size, but of course the
emperor’s camp was huge and grand; and when the gurusikh saw the large
enclosure of tents he thought, “surely this is my Guru’s camp,” for a true
disciple always thinks that his Guru will have the very best place of all. He
folded his hands and cast his eyes down, that the first sight he would have
would be his Guru’s face, and started walking toward the largest tent. As he
walked, he repeated quietly, “O Master, have mercy on me, I am under the
influence of the senses and have forgotten; I am drowning in a deep black well
– please take me out.” At the entrance to the tent of the Emperor, a sentry
accosted him and demanded to know his business, but the gurusikh replied with
downcast eyes, “Oh don’t stop me, I am going to see my Guru Sahib – I am going
to the true emperor.” The King was inside the tent, and heart the commotion and
called out to know what was happening. The sentry told the king that the man
wanted to go to his Guru Sahib – the
gurusikh, big bundle of grass on head, eyes closed, hands folded before
him, approached the King, saying, “O Master, have mercy on me, I am under the
influence of the senses and have forgotten; I am drowning in a deep black well – please take me out.”
The king, knowing he had come to the wrong camp by mistake, replied, “I am not
your True Emperor. Your True Emperor is in the other camp – the one who has got
the wealth of Truth and can give it to others. He is your True Emperor; all
rest are false.” This story illustrates the yearning in the heart of a
gurusikh. When he has the cure of all ills and unhappiness, why
then are our miseries not removed? Because most people go to the Guru, not for
spiritual reasons, but because their children are sick, they have this trouble
or that trouble. If only they would seek spiritual upliftment alone and forget
their woes and worries – the soul is strong, the whole being is strong. If five
or six people are going on beating each other, when one weak man is struck
hard, he will go down very easily under the onslaught. A strong man will tell
you, “Yes, I did get a beating, but I am alive and well enough to tell the
tale.” When the soul daily partakes of the spiritual food and becomes
spiritually strong, unhappiness may come or happiness, his relatives may die or
be born, according to their karmas, and he will get his own karmic events like
others, yet he will not be affected by all this. Guru Arjan is telling us that the cure for all our
innermost troubles lies in the hands of the Guru. If you have not yet found a
Guru, yet you have met a true disciple of God. Even then ask only for spiritual
upliftment. But what do people do? Even if they have found the True Emperor,
yet still they ask for money, property, health, even small supernatural powers.
Some desire happiness of the world, and some want the joy of the other worlds.
Why not ask him for the real wealth? Have you ever heard of going to a king and
asking for seashells? He has everything – whatever you want – dharma, artha,
kama, moksha [righteous life, wealth, fulfillment]. But we should ask for that
things which he has comes specially to give: He gives part of his ver life
through which devotion is learned, and he joins the soul back to God. He gives
his own share of the bread of the Lord. In this world one can find people to
give all kinds of things – but who will give his very life? And what is that
life he gives? That is the Truth. He is the Word, made flesh, which dwells
among us. He has come to give, but no one wishes to accept. Our Hazur used to say that the Satguru
hovers around during the night, trying to distribute this precious treasure,
but the world’s eye are filled with sleep, completely, unaware that it is
available. Man sleeps the profitable night hours away. If you placed in the
four corner of this Ashram the gifts of wealth, health, supernatural powers,
and in the fourth, Naam, you would find the whole world’s population busily
snatching up the gifts of the first three – who would go to the fourth? If we
do sometimes remember the Lord, it is for our own satisfaction – to demand
worldly pleasures. If by great good fortune you meet are a realized soul, tell
him what is in the core of your heart – your inner most thoughts of misery in
separation from the Lord. Give me such a message, that my mind may cease to
wander. Our soul is enmeshed in created matter—it has become jiva—through
the connection with the mind. And the
mind in turn has sold itself to the rule of the senses. Sometimes it is dragged by one sense, sometimes
another. So he asks to be given something which will stop this vagrancy of the
mind—someone should give a taste of that Nectar, sipping which all worldly
wines become tasteless. Leave all insipid worldly tastes, my friend, and
drink the Nectar of Naam. There is no real and lasting effect in the
worldly pleasures, but with Naam one becomes filled with a deep satisfied
contentment. Put wood or oil on a fire and it will flare up even brighter, but
if you throw water or sand upon it, it will fizzle out. Getting Naam, mind is
satisfied; Without Naam life is accursed. But Naam cannot be had through money, force, flattery,
homage, etc. It can be received only by serving a true Master. There is no
difference between the Sadh and the Lord.
He who is one with Lord is the Sadhu, and he is the mouthpiece of
God. If only someone would bring us
near to that personality. Through ages past, present, and future will He
remain with me; My mind likes that kind of Personality. Who is he? He is my Truth Friend, meeting whom all
misapprehension is erased. Search the whole world; such a personality is
rarely found. The Satguru has an exceedingly noble task—to rejoin the souls
back to the Lord –but in between is the mind, and work. The mind must be
controlled. If you look at Man’s condition you will admit that he is helplessly being dragged along,
wherever the senses are leading, wherever his passions are enticing him. If
some beautiful scenery or some beautiful form is seen, the mind is dragged
towards it; if some attractive music is heard, the is dragged to that; the
sight of food alone is enough to stir the taste into anticipation; the mind is
constantly dragged hither and thither. So the poor soul, which supplies the
strength for all this, is being ridden mercilessly. It should have been in
supreme control, but the mind and senses have overpowered it and rendered it
helpless in this degraded position—is it not a very shameful thing? So the Master says that such a message should
be given which will control the rebel mind. Give us that intoxication which has
a stronger attraction and beauty than all others, that the mind may ceases to
look elsewhere for its enjoyment. That special intoxication exists only in the
Naam. Naam is the same as the Ever-Existent Lord, and this Bread of Life is
received only by those upon whom that Lord showers His mercy. It you have
great destiny, you meet the Satguru. And what happens? He puts in your heart the means of serving
the Shabd, through the attention. If one should meet such a Master, one
should ask him to perform this spiritual operation. All Masters have proclaimed that there is God, and He
resides in the physical temple of the human form. One Muslim fakir advises that
if you have definitely decided to realize the Lord, then place one foot upon
your mind, and the next step will take you to the Lord’s door. In the Koran it
is written that he who can control his mind reaches the door of God. Our soul
is attention. The Lord is the Greater
Attention. That Greater Attention has made million of worlds—regions upon
regions—can we not even make a single small town? The whole machinery of the
body is driven by us, the soul. Whatever we turn our attention to can become
successful. If you eat your food without any attention on it, you will not
taste it. If you put all your attention on a certain task, others may shout at
you yet you will not hear them. there is great power in the attention, yet it
is unhappily dragged around by the mind. For the solution to that, we must
offer the mind a stronger taste. For example, if you stir one teaspoonful of
sugar into a glass if water, that liquid will seem sweet. If you stir one cupful of sugar into another
glass of water, that liquid will taste like syrup, it will be so sweet. If you
then taste the first liquid once again, it will appear to have no sweetness at
all. So Naam has got the Nectar of the Lord which satisfied the mind and
renders the small enjoyments insipid. Without the Naam, a meaningless life is spent.
furthermore, without a perfect Master no one can get it, even with a million
good deeds. It is a very high destiny to meet such a Master. If, for instance,
you enter a perfumery you can enjoy the scent of the perfume without even
buying any. But if the perfumist gives you a small phial to take away, then?
Master have a radiation, and if one sits in full concentration in their
company, one gains the benefit of that. If, in his intoxicated nature, the
Master speaks out, what happens? In Bengal there was once a Master named Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. All Master have their own expressions in praise of God,
and this one would say “Hari bol” which means, “Speak the name of God.” One day
he approached some washermen who were washing clothes by the river, and they
thought he was a beggar of no account. But he sought out one washerman and
persisted that he should repeat the words, “Hari bol.” At first the washerman ignored his request,
but when he persisted and persisted, he agreed to say the words if only to be rid
of the beggar, so he said, “Hari bol.”
Now there was a great charging in these
words, and he could not cease from repeating them in intoxication. He danced
around singing “Hari bol. Hari bol” and soon the other washermen gathered
around him in curiosity, but they too became caught up in the magic
intoxication of those words, and they also began repeating “Hari bol, Hari
bol.” So you see, it is a great, great blessing to meet a Master. Even if he
gives no gift, yet while sitting quietly and attentively in his presence, you
will enjoy sweet and serene peace. And if he gives you the contact by daily
practice, then the whole world’s noxious attractions would fade away gradually.
And whose praises are here being sung? A small disciple’s. but he should be a
real disciple—not a disciple of mind and senses, of this and other worlds. I give this mind unto Thee, O Guru, Show me the Path. Our Hazur once said,” if only you people could give
your minds today, you would immediately go back Home.” One man stood up and
said that he was prepared to give his mind, but Baba Sawan Singh Ji said, “how
can a person give something which does not belong to him? First make the mind
your own, and then say you will give it.” The cure lies within us—not from
outside—and that is the Satguru’s Naam. Satguru is Naam—the Word, made flesh. How many people in the world truly pray to God for the
sake of God? The Sikhs have a prayer:
to be with the Gurumukh, to have company of a Sadhu, to have the intoxication
of the Naam’ this is the true affinity
in which Thy Name is remembered in the
heart. They pray also; Nanak’s servant wants only this happiness; give
me the company of a Sant. Theses are daily prayers in the life of Sikh, but
when they do meet a Sant or Master they insist that they do not need help from
anyone. I have walked from far off ages; Now I see, and surrender myself unto Thee. We have lived through many species of life, and have
finally reached the human form, supreme in all the 8,400,000 species. If one
taken a step forward from here, one can reach one’s True Home, but if one step
backwards, one reverts again to the cycle of lives, the wheel of births and
deaths. The Master says that after so
many births through the ages, he can now see that the Satguru is competent to
release him from this imprisonment in creation. We are weighed down by karmas
from the past actions, some of which get paid off, but most of which remain
unaccounted for. While these accounts
are outstanding, nothing can be achieved spiritually, and the soul cannot be
released from the wheel of life. When King Dhritarashtra, who was blind from birth, was
asked what he had done to deserve such a fate, he said, “I know of my past for
the last one hundred births, and can find nothing in them to deserve this
blindness.” Then Lord Krishna, who held the status of Yogishwar which denotes
the highest proficiency in all yogic powers, gave a little attention to the
King, and he was able to see that in the 106th birth back he had
committed a certain action for which he was now paying with blindness. So you
see, our condition is like an overburdened donkey which is stuck in a bog and
cannot get out. the weight of our past lies heavy on our heads, and the bog of
mind and senses has such strength that we are sinking further and further into
the mire with each life. If someone would only take true compassion on us! Who
can have such compassion, but a God-realized soul who leaves his home of
contentment to descend and bear all the insults and brickbats of the world, and
whose aim and desire is only to take the dear souls out of their sad
predicament. And when he accepts each soul, he first lightens the burden of
those karmas, and then pulls him out. the Great Guru pulls the attention
out. It is obvious that those who are at the level of mind
and senses can only achieve whatever is within this same level. If a person
wants to realize the Lord, then outer efforts of prayer, austerities, fasting,
reading of scriptures, pilgrimages, donations, singing, etc., all of which are
done at the level of mind and senses, cannot therefore take the soul above this
level. In all these actions, even the
very thought of doing them remains to restrict one from rising into higher
levels of consciousness—the more beautiful realms of Light. That is who the
soul cannot release itself from its plight—it must have help. Shabd burns out
ego and attachment; the Gurumukh receives the Effulgent Light which is God’s
own form. His ego is wiped out, for he sees clearly that he is not doing
anything, but God is working through him. With this knowledge, pride of I-hood
leaves. When the compassionate Satguru gives the contact with
Naam—a connection to the Light and Sound—then where will that take us? It will
take us to its source, and that is our true home, for when the Lord willed to
become many from one, this resulted in vibration, out of which were born both
Light and Sound. So God Himself is Light and He is Sound—the Nada. The work of
the true, Master, the one in whom the Lord has manifested, is to give the
connection to Naam, which is Light and Sound. What gift could be greater than
this? No one but the Satguru is capable of giving. To obey, and to surrender oneself, are two different
things. Being obedient to the Guru’s
wishes does not mean you have surrendered yourself, although he who has
surrendered is naturally obedient. But if you have surrendered you will not
think of why and what, you will just do what he says, I have give myself unto
Your reckoning, so do what You well. When Hazrat Ibrahim’s slave was asked
where he would like to sleep, what clothes he would like to wear, the slave
replied, “sire, you have brought me, whatever you wish I will do.” This is what
surrender means. It is a very difficult step to take, for hundreds of doubts
enters the mind. When people see the Guru living like an ordinary human being,
eating, drinking, etc., they become careless in thought and respect. You should
always remember that a Master’s life is two-in one. He is the son of man,
accepting all as brothers, having no ill thought for anyone, living like a true
human being, sharing happiness and misery with others. He also suffers in the
sadness of others, and sometimes sheds tears of sympathy too. But, as his true Self, he leads souls within
and up. Those unfortunate people who consider him merely a man, remain at the
level of man and lose the golden opportunity. So he advises us to surrender. And now I see, and surrender myself unto You. This is the only way to crowning success. If a man has
four sons, and three of them are very demanding, but the fourth is content to
accept whatever the father gives, does that mean the father will ignore him?
Rather would he have more love for that son, and unasked for, his full share
would be given . this shows surrender. Guru Ramdas Ji once said, My Guru is a
great Dyer and has a huge vat of color; Whosoever gives his mind will be dyed
in it. But we can give all else but that. I came with
hope in my heart; O take away all my misery. That is all he desires. Seeing the competency of his
Guru, he surrenders himself, and asks that all his unhappiness may be washed
away. To walk this path, brothers, benefit from obedience. The Master thinks of all humanity as brothers—he does
not say that he is God. If ye love me, keep my commandments. Those who bow
their heads to his words will most decidedly gain salvation. Satguru’s
words—words ARE the Satguru. In months,
even days success can be ours; but we have no respect for his words. Yes,
outwardly we make a great show of respect, but we do not obey his instructions.
It is a big weakness—we are most lacking in this. If you start obeying from
today, you will see the difference. Since the day I met the Master heart to
heart my days have changed for the better. From that very day the real meeting?
There are two kinds: one is just to see someone, and the other is when one hear
becomes one with the other is when one heart become one with the other, through
inner sight. This latter is the true meeting, and from then on? True
association is with Master. Master have said also that such a meeting washes
away all sins. Not through just looking physically. Life is short,
but it came with a great blessing: it is thy turn to meet God. This is time to
realize the Lord. And when you meet a God-realized soul, speak out all your
innermost thoughts—and then do what he says. Know you have met the Satguru,
when you lose all attachment by rising above body consciousness. First above
the physical, when attachment to the body leaves, and then above the astral and
causal, in that order. This is the fruit of meeting a Satguru, and there is
only one condition laid down—that is obedience. Each one of you has been told
to keep a spiritual diary, but how many keep them correctly? Five per cent at
the most. Those who keep the diary correctly are succeeding in meditation. Who
knows when you will get this human birth again? Kabir Sahib says, Each human
breath is valued as the Three Regions combined. Just consider then how ruthlessly we waste our lives. Renounce the mind’s thoughts, and rise above duality Leave whatever the mind tells you—obey only the Guru’s
words. Further-more, leave all impressions and influence begotten of ignorance.
God is in all—each one has a soul, which is His entity. We are all brother and
sisters in God, and the body is the very temple of God. Leave now all ignorant
attitude—put it behind you. Lord Krishna says, He who sees all in me, and me in
all, is surely my loved one. In your diary is a column for humility. Sometimes
a person thinks of his riches, his education, his position, or power over
others. Remember that God is in every form; when He is sitting within us, why
all this pride? If the master is sitting and the servant standing, this is the
result of karma—action and reaction—and there is really no difference between
the two. When you get a glimpse of the Lord, this heat wave
will not affect you. You must go through all the ups and downs of life, but
if you follow the Guru’s behests, this things will have no effect upon you. Our
Hazur used to say that the thorns that are spread along life’s way cannot be
swept aside, but why not wear strong boots for protection? Join you soul to God
– from within. The greatest sin in this life is hatred for others, because of
Him who lives in each and every one. If you are hating Him, how do you expect
to meet Him? If you desire to meet your Beloved, injure nobody. I myself do not know how to speak – the words which
come are God’s orders. Guru Arjan Sahib now explains that the words he utters
are not his own, but come through the Lord’s direction. What more could he say?
It is like a proclamation, for Master are conscious co-workers in the Divine
plan, and they always acknowledge that He is the Doer, and not them, God speaks
through them, that humanity may know the way back to Him. The treasure of devotion to the Lord is a gift of the
Almighty, given out of compassion through Guru Nanak. Devotion to the Lord is a valuable treasure – and it
is a gift given out of the compassion of the Guru who distributes it.
Unfortunately people do not realize its value. I age so much, all my hunger was satisfied. Desire no longer torments if the hunger becomes
satisfied. This gift will satisfy all hunger and thirst, for contact with God
is food for the soul. That is the connection with Naam. To see the Light and
hear the Sound is the daily bread and water of life. Whenever I see even the small Guru-sikh, again and
again I will bow to him. To see the Light of the Guru in even the smallest
disciple deserves homage. Out of compassion this gift is given, but no one
wants it. Guru Arjan says that when he received this gift, all desires was
satisfied. Now I will take a short hymn on what the disciple’s program should
be: He who calls himself a sikh of the Satguru Should arise before dawn and meditate on Naam. Guru Arjan has spoken of half a sikh. Now Guru Ramdas
tells us what a sikh should do. The disciple of the Satguru the one who is the
image of the Truth should arise very early and meditate upon the Naam. When the
soul is contacted with the Naam, it sees the Light and hears the Sound, which
are within Naam. This is the true meditation, and between 3 a., and 6.am is the
best time for meditating. Be wide awake – have a bath if necessary. But sit
down refreshed and buoyant for meditation. Those who meditated upon Naam had
all their trouble resolved; O Nanak, their faces was radiant with freedom. Not
only were their faces glowing with the Lord’s presence, but many others
received freedom through the. A Gurumukh frees millions with a tiny ray of
Naam. A Gurumukh is an enlightened soul. Macrocosm is in the microcosm; he who
traverses the physical (pind), astral (And )
and causal (Brahmand) bodies, finds the Truth. He should rise before dawn, and take a bath in
Amritsar. The outer Amritsar is a city which was started by Guru
Ramdas, and completed by Guru Arjan. But the Master means here that the soul
should go up and take a bath in the inner Amritsar—the Pool of Nectar. In
another hymn, Guru Amar Das says, The true Amritsar is within this body; when
the mind drinks of it, he becomes emancipated. Whoever reaches that Pool of
Nectar with love and devotion, having risen above Pind, And, and Brahmand, can
take a bath within it. It is called also the tenth door (Dasam Dwar), or
Haus-I-Kauzar, or Prag Raj. That is where the soul should take its daily bath,
and this should be the Sikh’s program: he should rise above the three planes
and have a bath in the Pool of Nectar. With the Guru’s word, take God’s Name; All sins and misery will be washed away. If the Guru’s initiation is followed by absolute
obedience to his wishes, all sins will be washed away forever, along with all
the miseries of the worldly life. And then, after transcending the physical,
astral, and causal planes, and taking the bath in the Pool of Amit, what should
one do? At sunrise, sing the Gurbani, after meditating upon
the Lord’s Naam. Gurbani are the scriptures containing the holy words
of many Master, and these should be read daily. It is something like sitting in
the mother’s lap, where one feels uplifted and reassured. Furthermore, one is
reminded of the valuable jewel which lies within one’s being. The words tell us
where and how that bread of life can be contacted, and through whom. It is a most helpful thing to
read the words of the Master. But notes that he says one should read after
meditating. There is much difference between reading and meditating; the former
is not a substitute for the latter. The books do describe how the soul can rise
above all three planes, and go into the fourth stage—beyond which lies SatLok
or Sach Khand. It is good to refresh this lesson daily. But the trouble is that
we have forgotten to meditate and are stuck with the holy books alone. We must
become connected to that, within. The perpetual Sound is food for the soul;
Nanak says, he whose Satguru is perfect will get it. The Music of the Spheres
continues perpetually, and if your attention is controlled you can hear it when
working or resting. Sitting or standing, meditate upon God’s Name. He who with each breath remembers God – That gurusikh gains the Guru’s pleasure. The Guru loves one who meditates upon Naam day and
night. The Guru loves one who take his teachings to heart and lives up to them.
khalsa is my True Form; In the Khalsa do I reside; Khalsa is my True Companion;
Khalsa is my Perfect Master; In these words there’s not the smallest falsehood;
I take my Par Brahm Guru Nanak as witness. The child who obeys the Guru’s words
will get whatever he wishes. Is he not the Guru’s beloved child? Although of
course, such a child never asks for anything; he has not need, for his greatest
dharma is to live on the Guru’s will and pleasure. Brother, do you want to be
someone in the Guru’s favor? Then these are the two things you must do. But we
say we have no time – so who is going to keep the dairies? What is the result?
We are just delaying what we will have to do. Remember, when we meet the
Satguru . . . Know you have meet the Satguru when attachment and desire are
finished. From that day, your good days will start – but not by waving your
hands, dancing, jumping around, showing outer enthusiasm and demonstration.
Only one who respects and follows the Master’s words – is utterly truthful
before him – will gain the spiritual riches. He is sitting within, remember,
and the we want to trick him as well as others. Furthermore we want to hide
things from him. There is an old Punjabi saying: “In front of the Guru and the
doctor, one should hide nothing.” Some even call him a liar. When will happen
to such people? They will remain imprisoned in creation and the births and
deaths, and will continue around the cycle of 8400000. But eventually they will
have to do the work. He on whom the
Lord’s mercy is showered, Gains the message through the Master. The Guru gives the message to those whom the Lord
Himself has blessed. God sends the Masters, and He Himself gives the treasure
by manifesting Himself in them. Nanak’s follower desires the dust of that guru Sikh’s
feet, Who repeats and makes others repeat the Naam. The receiver should know that it is God’s gift,
through the Guru’s mercy. He whose ego rises to confront his Guru does not
understand this. The intoxication of Naam, O Nanak, inebriates day and
night. The Master have described that intoxication again and again. One
Satsang is really enough to understand, but we should then make it our very
life live up to it. It does not matter to which religion you belong. You
can succeed, for this message is for all Mankind. Different religions and sects
are the results of karmic reaction, but the soul is the conscious entity, part
of the All Consciousness which lies which each and every being. So the body is
truly the temple of God, in which His Light is burning. From today, become a
worthy sikh – worthy even to be called a gurusikh, the beloved disciple of the
Guru. You can do this if you obey the Master word. You will not do it? You will
have to do it – if not in this birth, then in the next. Oh, brothers, what is
the use of coming again and again? Why not do it now?
If this birth goes, it will not come again in your hands, and the
precious life is wasted. |