31 January 2010

KNOWLEDGE MANIFESTS GOD

In Hindi the word tera means ‘yours' and the word terah means ‘thirteen'. Once,
Guru Nanak's father bought a shop for his son in the hope that he would become a businessman. One day, Guru Nanak was weighing something and when the scales reached thirteen, he was struck by the thought, ‘What is mine? What did I bring with me when I came into this world?' Other philosophers have also said, “You came into this world with clenched fists and you will leave it with your hands outstretched.”



Guru Nanak thought, ‘Nothing belongs to me, everything is yours, Lord' and he gave away everything in the store. Although he was not a good businessman in the worldly sense, he was so successful in the ‘business' of Holy Name that his name is still glorified. We celebrate the annual festival of Vaisakhi on April 13 th and behind this festival is a spirit of dedication, because without surrender nothing has any value for us. One should not feel vanity with God, but surrender. A saint called Swami Ram lived in the Tehri Mountains . One day the King of Tehri came to know that a recluse resided there. He asked who this recluse was and was told that he is Swami Ram, a great philosopher. The King was inspired to go and see him. He said, “Sir, you are a saint. You have surrendered your life to God. I am a king and I perform religious duties and give charity, but sometimes it seems to me that there is no such thing as God or a Holy Name, even though we have been taught and it has been impressed upon us that this is the basis of our religion.” Swami Ram laughed and said, “Okay, what you say is correct. I will try to explain it to you.” He asked for a pen, saying, “I want to write something.” The King took a pen out of his pocket and gave it to him. Swami Ram asked, “Whose pen is this?” The King of Tehri said, “It is mine.”
Swami Ram said, “Understand the question and tell me again, to whom does this pen belong?” The King answered, “It is mine.”
Swami Ram said, “But this pen is not you.” The King replied, “The pen is mine, but I am not this pen.” Then Swami Ram lifted the King's hand and asked, “Whose hand is this?” The King said, “This is my hand.” Swami Ram replied, “Okay. This is your hand, but you are not this hand.” The King said, “Correct. This is only my hand, my limb. How can a limb be me?”
So Swami Ram came to the point of his argument and said, “This is your eye, but you are not this eye. This is your hair, but you are not this hair. This is your skin, but you are not this skin. All these things are yours, but you are not these things. So what are ‘you'?”
An intellectual cannot answer this question because that thing, which can only be seen by spiritual insight, is extremely subtle. It is so subtle that it cannot be seen with these mortal eyes. If a person has a blood disorder the doctor takes a sample of his blood and places it under a microscope. The sample is magnified to such an extent that, by seeing the corpuscles, the doctor can tell what is wrong with that blood. In the same way, Knowledge ‘magnifies' God, it brings God so close that we can experience Him in every speck of creation. So it is most essential to bring the Knowledge of the Holy Name into your life.
Only a spiritual master can give this Knowledge. It is said, “Water holds the pitcher together; without water you can't make a pitcher. The mind can be contained by the Knowledge of the Holy Name, but you cannot get this Knowledge without Guru.” A potter takes earth, pounds it, adds water and then makes the pot. Without water he cannot make a pot. In the same way, you can't have Knowledge of the Name without a realised master. A saint can bring a devotee close to God. But today people go on pilgrimages, see some shrines and then go home. Why do they put God so far away? If He is omnipresent, why do they think that He is in a certain place and that if they go there they will see Him? The meaning of the word ‘Rama' is, “that which pervades everything”. So if the Lord is omnipresent, if He is the indwelling Reality who is the doer of everything, why have we enshrined Him so far away? Why don't we keep Him close to us? The saints gave that Knowledge which brought devotees close to God and manifested Him.

Now I want to ask you, what is the Name of God? It is said, “There are thousands of names for God but they won't liberate you. Only a rare person knows the primordial Name which is remembered silently within.”
There are thousands of names. Everyone has his or her own name. We speak someone's name to call him, to remember him or to keep his memory fresh in our minds. However, these names are given after we are born, so what was our name before we were born, which is beyond language and all vocal sounds? What is that primordial name which is remembered secretly, which is known by only a rare soul?
In the Old Testament there is the story of the Tower of Babel . A lot of people started building this Tower and it grew very tall and would at some time reach Heaven. God decided that He had to do something to prevent this. So, one night, when all the workers were asleep, He changed their single language into many languages. When they woke up the next morning they all began speaking different languages and no one could understand the others.
The idea behind this story is that people are limited and divided by language. I speak Hindi, but if I go to France no one will understand me. If I want to make myself understood I will have to speak French. If I go to any country at all I will not be understood until I speak the local language. Every country has borders within which people use a particular language. If the Knowledge, if the Holy Name of God were limited by language, it would also be confined to a certain area. But the True Name, the Holy Name, breaks the bonds of language. It is omnipresent and can be ‘spoken' in all lands. It exists within everything and cannot be confined by the limitations of language.
There is a story in Hindu mythology that Parvati used to recite a thousand names of God before eating her meals. One day she was delayed so Lord Shiva said, “Parvati, you're going to be late. If you have to chant all thousand names, when will you eat? I can tell you a shortcut. I'll tell you a Name which is more powerful than even thousands of other names and which is beyond language.” Parvati eagerly asked to be shown this easy way. Then Lord Shiva explained that the Divine Name, which dwells within every heart and in which the Yogis dwell through meditation, is more powerful than thousands of other names.
If God dwells in the hearts of all, if He is omnipresent, can He be confined to any language? The holy Name is described as being beyond mind, speech and intellect. It has nothing to do with words. It is a transcendental knowledge that you have to receive from a living Spiritual Master. However, someone cannot be benefitted by the Master until he opens his heart and becomes receptive to the words of the saints. Arjuna surrendered to Lord Krishna, saying, “Please tell me what is best for me. Show me the best way.” Then the Lord said, “I am pleased with you because you have a special quality – you don't see faults or evil in anybody. Therefore I will reveal to you this secret, eternal and supreme Knowledge.”
This Knowledge has the capacity to change society, to transform mankind. If I turn on a light here, I will have light, but it won't be strong enough to light up every home in this town. Everyone has to switch on the lights in his own home. But sunlight is so powerful that all lights fade before it. When the sun rises, not only this town but the whole country is lit up. However, I am talking about experiencing the sun which, if it rises in your life, will not only illuminate you but your society and country as well. The Gayatri Mantra says, “O God, You are Light and I meditate on You!”
Now, to do meditation you have to concentrate your mind – meditation has nothing to do with speech. Just by saying, “Water, water, or “Food, food” my hunger and thirst will not be satiated. Thirst is quenched only by drinking water. By saying ‘water' I can have it brought to me, but I will have to drink it myself.
So we have to realise this practical spiritual Knowledge, this supreme light which is beyond words. All scriptures talk about it. Moses, on top of Mount Sinai , saw God within a burning bush and talked with Him. Jesus Christ said, “God is Light and in Him there is no darkness.” Lord Krishna also talked about this Light of lights, saying, “Even the light of a thousand suns cannot compare with my Light, which is indescribable and powerful in every way.” So what is this Light?
Scientists say that light is invisible. You may wonder then how are we seeing this stage and everyone present? You are seeing me but you are not seeing light itself. Light travels from a bulb to me and lights up my clothes, skin and so on. You can see this, but you cannot see the travelling light. When light falls on an object, we see that object, but we cannot see light itself. We cannot see light with these two eyes but we definitely see objects illuminated by light. The moon is illuminated by the sun. We see the moon, but we cannot see those rays of light which make it shine. Similarly, we cannot see the divine Light with these mortal eyes. It is experienced within oneself, not outside, but everyone is wandering around in the external world. You may go to the moon or Mars, but even after doing all this will you know what is the origin of life? No one knows. Scientists cannot solve the riddle of death. They can transfuse blood or transplant hearts and eyes. They can replace broken bones with artificial ones, but about this breath saints have said, “Your precious breath, which is worth all the wealth of the three worlds, is being wasted and all the wealth of the three worlds cannot buy you another breath”.
There is no doctor or scientist who can transplant this vital energy. A creature's life force cannot be transplanted. All creatures, no matter how they are born, are dependent on this vital energy. It is the very foundation of life. Everything is sustained by it, but we have forgotten all about it. So come to the saints and realise this power within the breath, this foundation of life.
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30 January 2010

Satsang




Narad Muni once asked Mata Parvati, “Please ask Lord Shankar why he wears a necklace of human skulls. Some people wear flowers, some wear rudraksha necklaces and some wear pearl necklaces, but Lord Shankar wears a necklace of human skulls. This is very strange.” When Mata Parvati asked Lord Shankar, he laughed and said, “Parvati, these skulls are yours! Whenever you have been born you married me. So I made this rosary of all of your skulls. Now that you have seen it, you will remember how many births you have taken.”
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Satsang

It is written in the Bhagavad Gita that yogis stay awake at night, they are awakened in Brahma, when other people are asleep. Lord Shankar is ever in a transcendental state. It is written in the Ramcharitmanasa—“Mahamantra jehi japat Maheshu, Kashi mukti hetu updeshu .” Lord Shankar meditated on the great mantra (Mahamantra) which he bestows on people in Kashi ( Benares ) so they will be liberated. Whether it is Kashi or Pashupatinath or Rameshwarm, God is always seen the same way.
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29 January 2010

Satsang

Just before the start of the Mahabharata War, depression overcame Arjuna. Lord Krishna instructed him, “Arjuna, first know yourself. If you know yourself, if you become a spiritual man, then you have won not only the battle of Mahabharata but also the continuous fight going on within your mind.” They who have conquered their mind have won not only the ‘battle of Kurukshetra' but the great battle being fought in their lives. Those who win over enemies are called victors ( “Vir”) while those who win over their minds are called champions (“ Mahavir”) .
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28 January 2010

Satsang

When grief befalls us, we say, “If God exists, would we have to suffer like this?” Like the sweet fruit inside the skin of oranges, we do not want to think ahead. St. Kabir says “ Sukh me sumiran na kiya, dukh me kiya yad. Kahe Kabir ta das ki, koun sune fariyad .” If there is no urge within for devotion to God, then how can we get connected? If the flame of a lamp flickers in the wind, we say that it will be extinguished, so to keep the flame alive we put a glass shield around it so that the wind doesn't disturb it. The flame of devotion is like this. If it is disrupted, the devotee will not be benefited. We have to guard it so that our thread of devotion doesn't break, our single-pointed devotion to God doesn't break. It also needs a shield; we have to protect it from delusion and multiple worldly attachments. It means that under all circumstances, in pleasure and grief, in all the ups and downs in life, our devotion to God should be single-pointed, constant and continuous. By doing so, a man is redeemed from all worldly bondage and finally gets salvation.
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27 January 2010

Satsang

This world has been created out of living as well as nonliving things, both good and bad. In our scriptures it is said that if you mix water in milk (milk represents the essence and water is non-essence) and it is placed before a swan, then the swan will extract all the milk leaving aside the water. Only a swan has this special characteristic. Similarly, people who adopt this characteristic are able to segregate the useful from the useless and they invariably accept the useful. This means that they will practise spiritual knowledge in their lives.
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26 January 2010

Satsang

We know through satsang what is Truth, how we should surrender to Truth. It is said-“ Jar chetan gun dosh may, Vishwa kinha kartar. Sant hans gun gahahin paya parihari vari vikar .”
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25 January 2010

Satsang

we should do service as well as practise meditation. We wander here and there in search of peace and God like a musk deer which thinks that the fragrance is coming from somewhere in the jungle, whereas the truth is that it is emanating from his own navel. So, we should strive to know the spiritual Knowledge and do a lot of meditation for our own upliftment as well as of others.
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24 January 2010

KNOWLEDGE PURIFIES THE MIND

Once some people from a nearby village came to St. Kabir and said that they were going on a pilgrimage to the four most sacred places and asked him to accompany them.St. Kabir said that he was unable to go as he had other jobs to do, but he gave them a bitter gourd and asked them to dip it in all the sacred rivers when they took their holy bath.


After some months the pilgrims returned and told St. Kabir that they had completed their pilgrimage to all four holy places. He asked them whether they had dipped his gourd in all the sacred rivers. They replied, “Yes, we dipped it in all the rivers as you instructed.”
St. Kabir crushed the gourd and turned it into powder. He then gave a portion to each pilgrim to taste. They tasted it and said that it was very bitter. Then he said, “You did a pilgrimage of all four sacred places and you dipped my gourd in all the sacred rivers but still it has retained its bitter taste. So how could this pilgrimage have purified your mind of all its bitterness, dirtiness, malice and jealousy?”

People like to think that they will get peace by going on pilgrimage to sacred places, but they are like a bird sitting on a ship at sea. When the bird feels bored from sitting so long on the ship, it thinks of flying to some island. But when it does not find an island even after flying for hours, it comes back to the same ship. Similar is the condition of a worldly person. He thinks that he will get peace from doing pilgrimages or rituals, but when he does not get peace after doing all these things, he feels disappointed. But when we go to the shelter of Guru Maharaj Ji (the Spiritual Master) and serve Him with our mind, words and actions then the Master will be pleased and will impart the treasure of Spiritual Knowledge to us.
People nowadays want to see God without putting in any labour or effort, but it is not possible. We switch on the electricity so that the light bulbs in our house produce light. Those bulbs and tube lights will produce light only when connected through an electric wire to a powerhouse. If they are not connected to the powerhouse, they cannot produce any light. Likewise, we also have to connect our soul to the powerhouse of the Almighty and then only will we experience light within.
When a person acquires Spiritual Knowledge he experiences light within. But if he develops some doubts, his mind starts fluctuating. Again, when he listens to satsang, the negativity in his mind is eradicated and then he experiences God within. During the summer when there is no rain, a lot of dust accumulates on the leaves of trees and the weather becomes suffocating. When rain comes, all the dust is washed away and the environment becomes all clean and green. Likewise, layers of dirt go on accumulating in our mind day by day, but when we see the Spiritual Master and listen to his nectar-like words, our mind becomes pure and our confusion and doubts are wiped away.
Lakshman drew a line around Sita to protect her and told her not to cross that line. But Sita was so naive that she was trapped by Ravana's net of illusion and stepped beyond the line. You know how much trouble she then had to face. Similarly, Guru Maharaj Ji has drawn the line of Spiritual Knowledge around us. Those who remain inside this line will be protected, but others who cross it will be put to numerous troubles. So, we should do a lot of meditation day and night.
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23 January 2010

Satsang

 The secret is that you should be fond of satsang: ‘ Sangat se guna upje, sangat se guna jay. Bans fans aur mishri, ek hi bhav bikay .' It means that we grow like the company we keep. If we associate with saintly people, we will accumulate merits and if we associate with devilish people, we will accumulate negative tendencies. Satsang is of great importance and so is service. It is written in the Ramayana, “ Sewak sebya bhaw binu, bhaw na tariya urgari. Bhajahu Rampad pankaj, as siddhant vichari .” It means that without service one cannot still his mind. As such, one should do as much devotion and meditation as possible. Without service one cannot be a servant. Taking initiation and simply bowing your head is not enough to make you a servant. Service means to obey the instructions of the Master, to behave as commanded by the Master. So, service is very essential and also spiritual discourse.

22 January 2010

Satsang

Lord Krishna says that the thing which you remember the most throughout your life comes to your memory at the time of death. When you do not remember God during your lifetime, how will you do so at the time of death? This is many people's question. People take initiation but only very few of them practise regularly, though the seed of knowledge is not destroyed. Only rare people take initiation keeping in mind that they must practise Knowledge to experience and realize God. Some people take initiation if they are in trouble, knowing that the Name of God works miracles. St Kabir has said, “J aki ganthi Naam hai, taki hai sab siddhi. Kar jore thari rahen, ashta siddhi nav niddhi.”
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21 January 2010

Satsang

You must have heard about Prahlad and his great faith and devotion. Once he saw kittens playing inside a pitcher which had just been fired in a kiln and this firmed his belief in a power even greater than his father, the king. He remembered this power of God and meditated upon divine light. This angered his father Hiranyakashyap and he asked his wife to tell Prahlad not to remember God. Prahlad's mother told him, “Son, do not antagonise your father. Stop remembering the Name of God.” Prahlad replied, “I'm willing to abandon the Name, but that Name does not abandon me!” So let us ask what is it that cannot be abandoned. It is that Name which is within everyone's heart and it cannot be abandoned.
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20 January 2010

Satsang

Only the true divine knowledge, remembrance and meditation on the Divine Light will help at the last moment of life. You know that Dhruva reached God but how? Not by the means which worldly people use these days. Dhruva sat in an isolated place in silence. His consciousness became attuned to the silence. He did not ring a bell, he did not blow a conch, nor did he perform any physical penance. He did not turn any rosary bead. He did not recite any mantra or tantra. He meditated in silence, then he had the
vision of God within.

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17 January 2010

CHOOSE THE ESSENTIAL, DISCARD THE NON-ESSENTIAL

Most human beings waste the 21,600 breaths they take every 24 hours thinking and working for their family, but the wise man remembers the Holy Name with every breath and achieves liberation and then his words inspire others.


Once there was a physician named Lukman, who decided to outwit the messenger of death. When the time came, he prepared nine statues identical in all respects to himself and stood among them. Yamraj, the Lord of Death himself, arrived when Lukman was about to die. He had come to take one Lukman away but there he saw ten identical Lukmans and was bewildered. He exclaimed, “Bravo, Lukman! You have done wonders but still there is one flaw.”
The real Lukman was immediately agitated when he heard that his creation had a flaw and, forgetting death, he demanded to know what was the flaw. Yamraj grabbed him at once and said, “O physician! The flaw was that you could not insert breath into these statues. You can speak but these statues cannot.” It is all a play of Energy. As soon as the breath stops, the body becomes useless and people consider it unholy. Someone burns it in the crematorium, others feed it to the birds and still others throw it in the Ganges .
It means that people love the body so long as breath is present, but we do not understand this. A man usually spends all his time engrossed in illusory things. A spider spins a web which originates within itself and one day it dies in it. Likewise, it is said, “ Moh sakal vyadhinh kar moola. Tehi te puni upjahin bahu shoola.”Attachment is the root of all problems and miseries by which many troubles and pain crop up. Redemption from attachment is very difficult.
Once a Yaksha (nature spirit) asked Dharmraj the same thing: “What is the most amazing thing in this world?” Dharmraj replied, “The most amazing thing in this world is that we see people dying everyday and we also know that our death is inevitable, but still we desire to live in this world forever.”
A man returns home after cremating his son's corpse, his father's corpse, his friend's corpse, his mother's corpse and right then and there starts talking about domestic matters. What can be more astonishing than this? A monkey is captured due to his greed and desires and is compelled to dance at his master's command. In the same way, a man gets bound by greed and attachment to his family and dances to their tune throughout his life. But, among such people, one breaks free of greed and attachment, wins over his mind and thus his life becomes successful.
The flow of satsang given by saints is called a mobile ‘Prayag' (the confluence of the Ganga , Yamuna and Saraswati rivers). It is said that if you put a mixture of water and milk before a swan, then it will extract only the milk and will not drink even a drop of water. In the same way, the swan-like mind should contemplate and accept the essence and leave aside futile things.

If, having got a human body, we do not give deep thought to the advice of saints and do not do as our scriptures say, then we are bound to be plunged into troubles. Both Ravana's attitude and Lord Rama's attitude are within our minds. We have to adopt Lord Rama's attitude. People say that Ram-Rajya ( Kingdom of Ram ) should come in India and we should be filled with the feeling of ‘ Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam ' (the whole world is our family).
Have you ever wondered how all this will happen? Sita, the wife of Lord Rama, was kidnapped by Ravana. If someone kidnaps your wife, will you assemble an army of monkeys and bears as Lord Rama did? To obey his commands and to redeem his vow, Lord Rama left his father, even though his father fainted in grief. He left his entire family crying and departed for exile in the forest. Nowadays in our society, if a husband goes to satsang, his wife will not feed him. Similarly, if a wife goes to satsang, her husband will not allow her back inside the house. If such things are happening in each house, then how do you hope to see Ram-Rajya ? For establishing such a paradise on earth, one has to surrender everything, including his ego and all vices, at the feet of the Spiritual Master and only then can Ram-Rajya be established in this country. Today, no one is ready to listen to anyone else. In such adverse conditions, how can Ram-Rajya be established? Ram-Rajya can be established only when people associate with saints and acquire Knowledge from them.
As Draupadi was being disrobed in the court of the King Dhritarashtra, where great kings, religious personalities and brave warriors were present, all of them remained silent and the five Pandavas felt humiliated. Then whom did Draupadi remember? She remembered and called on God. There are people in India who say that a woman should not accept anyone except her husband as her guru. Well, Draupadi had five husbands but none of them protected her! Ultimately Lord Krishna had to come there and he protected her. Then HE told her, “Had you remembered me right at the start, Dusashana could not have laid a hand on you, but you looked for support to your husbands and all those who were present in the Court. Only when you were totally helpless, did you remember me.” So as long as one depends on himself, on his money, caste or educational qualifications, God does not come to help. So it is said, “ Sukh mein sumiran na kiya, dukh mein kiya yad. Kahe kabir ta das ki, koun sune fariyad. If you don't remember God during good times but only when you are in trouble, who will listen to your plea? When a man is happy, he does not remember God; he does not go to listen to satsang but says, “I have no time.” So his life is spent neither remembering God nor listening to satsang and ultimately he leaves this world empty-handed. So, listen to satsang, think about it and acquire Spiritual Knowledge to make your human life successful. This body has to be left behind one day. Today it is alive, tomorrow it will be dead. When a person acquires Spiritual Knowledge and meditates, all illusions disappear.
Today, conscientious leaders like Lord Rama are required. Our society is getting fragmented, differences of opinion are increasing day by day due to ignorance. India was once known as the Guru of the world. But today, selfish and ignorant people, without understanding, have changed even the verses of our scriptures. So we all have to sacrifice and set aside greed, attachment and ego; only then will we gain something. Lord Krishna said, “Arjuna, withdraw your mind from outside world and become introvert, then you will get peace. Like a tortoise which withdraws its limbs into its hard shell, we have to become introvert”.
We are human beings. We have one father. He has given us these breaths. God protects us when we were in our mother's womb. So, do not forget the grace of God. Go to the company of saints, listen to spiritual discourse and serve. As it is said, Sevak sevya bhaw binu, bhav na tariya urgari. Bhajahu Ram pad pankaj, as siddhant vichari .”: Unless a man serves, his mind cannot be controlled. As reins are needed to control a horse, similarly satsang, meditation and service are required to control the mind.
Each person has to create a new and golden history by serving society so that future generations will read about you and will be inspired to do similar work. Hanuman was also a sevak (servant) and he served on and on. Similarly, whether a sadhu or a family man, each one has to serve. Both men and women saints came from family life. Great incarnates took birth in families. So, family life is considered to be the highest but only those families whose members are unattached like Lord Rama, which are as just as Dasharath, who said, “Raghukul riti sada chali ayi. Pran jai par vachan na jayi.” “ It is the the tradition of the Raghu dynasty that we would rather die than break a promise”. Likewise the Master teaches us the art of living, how to live in society. He teaches us the lessons of service and he gives us the spiritual experience. He has turned us from being mere pebbles to mountains; it is all His grace. A man may be a great philosopher, but even he has to bow before the Spiritual Knowledge. So, this life is meant for action, for treading the path shown by the Spiritual Master.
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16 January 2010

Satsang

Today people are busy chanting various mantras but these will be of no use at the time of death, so what is the benefit of doing such things? So, firstly, know that knowledge which can be successfully applied as you breathe your last and then practise it. When you practise continuously throughout your life, then with your last breath too you will be able to do it. You can reach God even today. If someone has experienced God, then why can't you? See, a clean iron filing gets quickly pulled by a magnet but a rusty piece covered in soil is not attracted. Why? Because there is a hindrance. If you place a piece of paper between iron and magnet then also it is not attracted, because there is an obstacle. Similarly, if we are soaked in ego, cheating or cunning, we cannot get to God. But once we are free of these obstacles then all that remains is the Primordial Word. St Kabir said, “ Hum vasi us desh ke, jahan ran diwas kachhu nahin. Shabda milawa hot hai, deh milawa nahin .” It is already within you. Why is the mind not hooked to it? One reason is that mind is very rusty. It will be cleaned by and by but what is the second reason that the mind is not hooked to the Name? The reason is not obeying the Master wholeheartedly. You do not obey and to obey is single-pointed devotion. The Almighty said that this Knowledge cannot be experienced by any other means except single-pointed devotion.
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15 January 2010

Satsang

Lord Krishna says in the 5 th verse of Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita, “Those who leave their body remembering Me, come to Me”. Again he says in verse 6 that don't think that you will remember God only at the time of death and get salvation. Those things you were busy thinking about throughout your life will occupy your mind at the time of death as well. In the seventh verse the Lord told Arjuna, “Continuously remember my Name and fight.”
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14 January 2010

Satsang

If God were achievable by reading the Vedas, then how many people can read the Vedas? All cannot read. “ Bhakti swatantra sakal sukh khani. Bin satsang na pawahin prani .” Devotion is independent and is beyond reading and writing. Some people are mentally handicapped, some are blind, some are deaf, but within all of them the same Word is present, that is God.
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13 January 2010

Satsang

God and the way to get to God is beyond reading and writing. That is why the Lord said, “I am not found by reading the Vedas. I am reached only through one-pointed devotion”.
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12 January 2010

Satsang


Those on the spiritual path have to put up with all kinds of comments from people around them from time to time. The world contains both good and bad people and some are quite demonic. But we should not let what they say upset us; we should not lose our patience, but continue along the path of Truth. If a disciple has unshakeable faith and determination, he can do this. Difficulties and adverse situations naturally arise from time to time. The sun is very far away yet its rays manage to reach the earth. Sometimes clouds cover it but they do not stay forever. The sun is only temporarily obscured. If a pond is covered with moss you will not be able to see your reflection, but once the moss is cleared away, you can. In the same way, if a person so wishes, his good actions help him along the right path and he can achieve his life's goal; he can reach the highest spiritual state. But if we panic at every little problem we will get diverted from our goal.
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11 January 2010

Satsang


Swami Dayananda's neighbour used to insult him all the time, but Swamiji never retaliated. One day a disciple came to visit him, bringing a basket of delicious fruit. Swamiji told him to go and give it to the neighbour. The disciple replied, “But, Swamiji, he always insults you. Why should you give him anything?”
Swami Dayananda replied, “No, go and give your basket of fruit to him.” So the disciple went to the neighbour and said, “My Swamiji has sent you this fruit.”
The neighbour replied, “I insult him every day. I am so nasty to him. Why would he want to give me this fruit?”
Afterwards, Swami Dayananda himself went to that neighbour and said, “I sent you some fruit. If you eat it you will be filled with energy so that you can oppose me even more vigorously!” The neighbour was filled with remorse. He begged forgiveness and in fact became a disciple.
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09 January 2010

Satsang

A ‘gyani', a person who has spiritual insight, understands that the soul is eternal and indestructible. When our clothes wear out, we exchange them for new. In the same way, the soul wears a body like clothing and when that body wears out, the soul throws it away and, according to its karmic imprints, put on a new one. If a person has Knowledge he understands the mysteries of the soul, while an ignorant person does not and suffers accordingly. We should put into practice in our daily life what Guru Maharaj Ji teaches us in satsang. Do not let it go in one ear and out the other. Do not go away empty-handed. The disciple who not only listens carefully but also thinks about what he has heard and puts it into practice is the one who will succeed.
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08 January 2010

Satsang

A ‘gyani', a person who has spiritual insight, understands that the soul is eternal and indestructible. When our clothes wear out, we exchange them for new. In the same way, the soul wears a body like clothing and when that body wears out, the soul throws it away and, according to its karmic imprints, put on a new one. If a person has Knowledge he understands the mysteries of the soul, while an ignorant person does not and suffers accordingly. We should put into practice in our daily life what Guru Maharaj Ji teaches us in satsang. Do not let it go in one ear and out the other. Do not go away empty-handed. The disciple who not only listens carefully but also thinks about what he has heard and puts it into practice is the one who will succeed.
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07 January 2010

Satsang

God has sent us into this world for a short time, to do something good, to meditate and remember Him. When He so wishes, He calls us back. People however do not think, ‘I'm here only for a little while, all these relationships of mine are temporary. I am someone's wife, someone's mother, someone's sister or daughter but only for a short time and once my life is over, these relationships cease to exist.'
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06 January 2010

Satsang


A potter throws raw, moist clay on a wheel then shapes it into a vessel. If it breaks while he is moulding it, he takes it off the wheel, kneads it into a lump, puts it back on the wheel and starts to shape it again. If it again cracks he repeats the process. He will keep on pounding and reshaping that clay until the pot is properly formed and can be baked in the kiln. If it breaks at this stage, he cannot put the pieces back on the wheel.
It is the same with us. If a person ‘bakes' in the fire of Knowledge he escapes the cycle of reincarnation; but one who does not, has to return to the wheel. He has to live out his attachments and desires in a series of different lives.
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05 January 2010

Satsang


During the rainy season a variety of insects hatch. As soon as you turn on the light at night they rush towards it and are burned to death. These insects are naturally attracted to the light which ultimately kills them. A spider spins its own web and then gets trapped in it. It cannot get out and will eventually die there. Flies rush to honey but their tiny wings get stuck so they cannot escape and they forfeit their life.
In the same way, almost as soon as a person is born in this world he gets trapped in a web of attachments and delusions. He is imprisoned in the mundane reality. Then Guru Maharaj Ji comes along to unchain him, to set him free, but a worldly-minded man does not pay attention to his advice, he does not even listen. If someone does listen it is only for a short time and as soon as he gets back into his daily routine he forgets what he has heard; he forgets what he was taught. Sooner or later he ends up thinking that he does not need Spiritual Knowledge and so he leaves the world. This is why he has to be reborn in a variety of life forms. He has to wander through the cycle of species. Spiritual Knowledge can deliver him from this dilemma, but in his ignorance he does not understand this.
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04 January 2010

Satsang

A short time ago we heard a song which says that Guru Maharaj Ji cuts the cords of maya and attachment which bind us. It is indeed true that the Spiritual Master comes into this world for the salvation of his disciples and to free them from the restrictions of unreality, because a disciple cannot achieve liberation so long as there are traces of wrong understanding and attachment in him. The wrong perspective that he has, due to maya's influence, is a barrier to freedom in this world and in the next world.
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03 January 2010

REMEMBERING THE MASTER REMOVES ALL OBSTACLES

Sant Tulsidas Ji wrote in Shri Ramcharitmanas,“ Ram bhakti chinta mani sundar. Basai garud jake ur andar. Param Prakash roop din rati. Na chahiye kachhu diya ghrit bati .” Within the heart of devotees, the Divine Light shines day and night and it does not require any external lamp, oil or wick. All creatures can see the light of sun, moon, electricity and fire, but the light which is beyond all these is within the heart of all. Devotion is to know that and meditate.

                                         Param Sant Sadgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj



“ Ram bhakti mani ur bas jake. Dukh lavlesh na swapnehu take.” Those who possess the jewel of devotion to the Lord within their heart, do not feel sorrow even in a dream. Those, however, who are bereft of devotion to the Divine Light, can never be happy and peaceful, because without devotion the cycle of birth and death cannot end and one has to suffer dreadfully in birth as well as in death. “ Bhaktiheen nar sohahi kaise. Binu jal warid dekhiye jaise. Bhaktihin gun sab sukh aise. Lavan bina bahu vyanjan jaise. Bhaktihin viranchi kin hoi. Sab jeevahu sam priya mohi soi. Bhaktivant ati nichahu prani. Mohi pran priya as mam vani. ” Those who are not devoted to God are like clouds without rain - such clouds are useless. All merits and pleasures without devotion are like all dishes of delicious foods cooked without salt.
Lord Rama says that people - even Brahma the Creator - without devotion mean no more to Him than those insects and flies who merely are born and die. On the other hand, a devotee may be devoid of merits, education, strength and wealth but still the Lord loves him “even more than HIS own life”. A person may be the greatest sinner but after he takes shelter in God, he is called a saint.
Lord Krishna said to Arjuna, “If you die while fighting, you will get heaven and if you win then you will be king of the entire earth and you will be praised all over the world”. Those who conquer desire, anger, temptation and lust are entitled to be called devotees and will enjoy the pleasures of this world as well as hereafter. However, a man generally regards service to the Master, which will free him from the shackles of worldly lust and attachment, as useless while service rendered to wife, children, friends, relatives and building a house as useful. What use will all these be when this body has to be abandoned? So, service to the Master is the door to salvation and all other things are like a spider web of illusory traps. Both paths are before you. You can choose whichever suits you.
Once there was a disciple who always used to ask Guru Maharaj Ji to free him from the net of illusory things. One day, both disciple and Master were walking through a dense forest. Guru Maharaj Ji suddenly ran and caught hold of a tree and called to the disciple, “This tree won't let me go! Set me free!” The disciple said, “Maharaj Ji, it is you who are holding the tree. The tree is not holding you.” Guru Maharaj Ji said, “Brother, in the same way, it is you who has caught hold of illusory things. These things have not caught you. If you let go of them you will be free. Illusory things belong to God, but you think that these belong to you. So, let go and serve Guru Maharaj Ji and then you will be instrumental in redeeming not only yourself, but seven generations of your ancestors.”

Four ashramas or stages of life are described in the scriptures. The first is the celibate stage, then family life, then retiring from the world and finally living as a renunciate. But people nowadays are so attached to family life that they do not want to leave it. This is all due to the power of attachment and greed, but only after one breaks through these attachments he can have love for God. So it is said, “ Ram Nam sabke sath, kunji santon ke hath.” The wealth of Ram Nam is present in everyone's heart but the key to possessing this wealth is in the hands of the saints.“ Tan man dhan do santan hath. Chabi tab awe chele ke hath.”
Unless we humbly ask them, saints will not impart the knowledge of the Holy Name of God to us. So we should understand what is beneficial and non-beneficial for us and make our human life successful.
How can a person love God unless he has unflinching faith and love in his Spiritual Master? Without the true Master, one cannot realise God. If someone has love today but not tomorrow, how can such love be called constant and true? If a person is against the Master, then it must be due to some worldly thing because devotion to the Master and craving for illusory things are direct opposites. Those who crave for worldly things are bound to fall out of step. “ Guru bhakti ati kathin hai, jyon khande ki dhar. Hale dole kati mare, nishchal utare par. ” Devotion to the Master is very difficult. It is like walking on a sword's edge. One will be pierced if he falters and only a devotee with pure and strong resolve will succeed in the path of devotion.
If a devotee remembers the Holy Name continuously, the Master is always with him, even though he may be physically hundreds of miles away. Those who achieved the cherished goal of salvation, got it by virtue of their service to the Master. King Shivaji earned the title of ‘Chhatrapati' through serving his Master. Guru Govind Singh Ji had thousands of disciples but when it came to the test, only five proved themselves to be true. Even today in gurudwaras, the ‘Beloved Five' are given the first offerings (‘ bhog ').
Once forty of his disciples, due to hunger and thirst, fled from the battlefield where they were fighting the Mughals. When they arrived home, their wives asked if Guru Maharaj Ji had sent them any prashad (blessed food). They replied that Guru Maharaj Ji had apparently become mentally disturbed after the murder of his sons and now he wanted to get them all killed. When their wives heard this, they said, “You should be ashamed of yourselves! Abandoning Guru Maharaj Ji and leaving him all alone in the battlefield is a heinous sin. How long will you survive? Had you died while following the commands of the Master, you would have achieved salvation.” Then they realized their mistake, so they returned to Guru Maharaj Ji and begged for forgiveness. The Master was very kind and he gave them salvation as well. Likewise those devotees who obeyed the commands of the master, reached the highest abode.
“Tirth nahaye ek phal, sant mile phal char. Sadguru mile anek phal, kahat Kabir vichar”: One reward of going on pilgrimage is that you meet many people and the body gets washed clean, and if you meet a saint, you gain the four aims of life. But the rewards of meeting the Master are many.
“Arhsath tirath guru charan, parvi hot akhand. Sahjo aisa dham nahin, sakal akhand brahmand.” Sahjo Bai, a great devotee, said all sixty-eight holy places exist at the feet of the Master where there is rejoicing all the time. There is no place like it in the whole universe and those who bathe here are freed of all obstacles. So it is said, Guru ke sumiran matra se, nashat vighna anant. Tate sarva arambh mein, dhyavat hain sab sant.” All obstacles and hindrances are wiped out by simply meditating upon the Master. So having acquired Spiritual Knowledge, meditate as much as possible and achieve salvation.
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02 January 2010

Satsang

Unless we do meditation and remember Holy Name, our mind will keep on wavering and we will not be redeemed from the cycle of birth and death. If we want to eradicate this malady, we will have to give up ego and pride, because this takes us to hell and devours our devotion. So it is essential to understand satsang and implement it in our life. Guru Maharaj Ji, by his grace, has sown the seed of Spiritual Knowledge within our hearts. If we do not let it grow by doing meditation, then it will remain in the seed state. So we have to grow the seed of Spiritual Knowledge within our hearts by watering it with the rain of satsang and remembrance of the Holy Name.
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01 January 2010

WELCOME TO 2010


Stay ‘present' in everyday life. The power of presence breathes through you from moment to moment in the form of vibrational pranic energy. Whenever you are attentive to it, effortlessly and automatically you will transcend the two opposites of life - hope and despair - and will always be enjoying the inner symphony and rhythm of your life-breath which is the touchstone of your being.
The body that you can see and touch cannot take you into ‘being'. This visible and tangible body is only an outer shell, but when you connect yourself with your own life-breath then you experience slowly and gradually the magnetic field of the inner subtle body which is your deeper reality. Therefore, to be conscious of one's own consciousness is the essence of spirituality. Practise it every moment with total attention and enjoy the ecstasy of absorption within your own being.
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As we enter 2010


Time rolls on, the clock never stops ticking. Time is the measurement. We measure time in hours, days, months and years. We are entering into the year 2010 with new hopes and new resolutions. We are changing every moment. The world is in constant flux. The principle of impermanence is the most vital principle which we experience from the day we are born. Infancy rolls into childhood and then youth and then before we know it, old age is staring us in the face. Death is the final exit for every human being on this planet. It is rightly said that death is inevitable. What happens to human beings after death is a perennial question which has been haunting the minds of people since time immemorial. Is death the end of human life or does something still remain which even death cannot destroy?
The research done by the great saints and Spiritual Masters affirms that our life force does not end with death but continues moving ahead to perfection through different births. Swami Vivekananda said that every soul is destined for perfection and unless and until perfection is achieved the journey of soul will continue. According to spiritual masters, soul is endowed with the body-mind mechanism for achieving perfection and it gets the body appropriate to its propensities and level of consciousness. Human form, therefore, is a golden opportunity given to a soul by the grace of the Almighty by which it can transcend the limitations of body and mind and have an experience of eternal life.
At the start of this new year let us resolve to focus our attention on the upward journey of the soul to its destination of perfection or nirvana which is the end of suffering and attainment of total awareness, equanimity and tranquility. It is our day-to-day experience that life is full of miseries and sorrows. There is not a single person, no matter highly ranked he may be, who has not suffered from miseries and sorrows. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, on the basis of his own experience, proclaimed that the whole world is miserable except for the one whose mind is resting in the Holy Name.
The science of religion deals with the life before, the life here and the life after death. It studies life in its totality. It believes that life is a continuous process which does not end with death. Death is only a transition from one plane to another. Therefore the wise person is one who regulates his life in such a way that he does not only make his life here peaceful but lays the foundation for his future life through meditation and the selfless action of serving his fellow beings. Meditation in its true sense means hooking up the mind to the Holy Name, which is naturally vibrating within the life breath of every living being. But the mystery of the Holy Name, which is the basis of our true existence, is revealed to us when we find the perfect Spiritual Master. The need for such a Master in the course of growth towards higher life is logical, because he is the one who opens up the spiritual dimension lying dormant in man. To explore and understand the mystery of life, every great soul approached the Spiritual Master and followed his guidance to achieve perfection.
We wish you all the very best for the New Year and pray to the Almighty to make us strong in meditation and selfless service which is the saving grace for all of us.
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