The Indispensability of the Guru

One should not see anyone else as greater than the Master, and he should understand the Master as the Greatest of all. He should understand his Master as the best, and he should understand the teachings of his Master to be true.

Your Seed will fight like this: without the Master he will want to cross the ocean of the world. Being Guru-less, he will teach the world! He himself is drowned, and he will cause others to drown.

Without the Guru there is no liberation: those who take the Master cross the ocean. By force he will make a relation with the Embodiments so Kal will devour him. When the world is stuck in relations and families, then the Embodiments may be deceived. Then Kal will come and devour the Souls, and converting them into many different forms, he will bring them back into the world.

Then my Nad will come and call – looking at Whom Kal will run away at once.

That is why, Dharam Das, I am cautioning you: I have explained to you about the Word Embodied in many ways. Those who want to escape from the deceptions of Kal should maintain their Love for the Embodiments of Nad.

The Seed who will leave the support of the Embodiment of Nad will be trapped by Yama. The messenger will set up many traps, looking at which the Souls will be attracted.

Those who will not have Love in their heart for the Embodied of Nad, will go into the mouth of Kal. That is why I have explained to you about everything, and have warned you. The Souls who know the Essence of Nad, and those who recognise the signs of the Word Embodied, those who recognise the True Shabd, Yama cannot stop them!

Dharam Das, I am explaining this to you – accept my words, listening attentively: go and tell the Souls that the Word Embodied has come to liberate the world. They should not leave the Word Embodied – Which is Nad – and they should always have Love for Nad. They should not take sides in the quarrels between relations and families. If they take sides, they will fall in suffering. In many ways I have cautioned you. One who will be careful will not suffer. In this way your Seed will go with Nad, looking at which the messengers will repent in their hearts. In this way the Seed will become happy. The messengers will not affect the Seed who will be with Nad and the Word Embodied.

Dharam Das arose and requested:

Oh Lord, now explain this to me: You have spoken of the importance of Nad so much, and You have mentioned the Word Embodied under Him. Oh my Lord, tell me the reason why You created the Word Embodied. If the Incarnate of Nad will awaken the world, then when is the Word Embodied going to work?

Hearing these words, the Satguru laughed, and He explained it thoroughly to Dharam Das:

Because Gargin didn’t accept the Nad and the Word, that is why I created the Seed. Bind is a name and is called 'Bind' after meeting the Essence. The Word Embodied is the essence of Sat Purush. Reaching to His abode, the Soul will become free from this world.

When both Nad and the Seed come together, only then will Kal’s mouth remain closed. As I told you before, Nad and Bind will come together, because without Nad, Bind will not develop, but without Bind, Nad will liberate.

Oh brother, in the Kali Yuga Kal is very difficult: in the form of egoism he will devour everyone. The union with Nad will happen after giving up egoism, whereas Bind is full of egoism. That is why Sat Purush has created this anchor, and made Nad and Bind as two different forms. Those who remember the form of Truth, giving up egoism, they will become Hansas.

Oh brother, whether one is Nad or Bind, the attribute of egoism is not good for anybody. Those who have ego, they will be drowned in the ocean of the world and completely trapped in the snares of Kal. When the attribute of egoism will come in the Embodiments, the differences will be created between Nad and Bind. If the Embodiments are opposed, everyone, being controlled by Kal, will follow his path.

Dharam Das said:

Lord, hear my request: with Your Grace the Souls will be liberated. You have made me understand the form of Nad and Bind, and You have told me the secret of Their liberation. All the Souls will go to Your Lok. Then what will Narayan Das do? Because he is called my 'son' in the world, that’s why worry about him comes to my mind. All the Souls of the ocean of world will cross, but Narayan Das will fall in the mouth of Kal?

This is not a good thing. Listen to my request, oh Giver – the Ocean of Happiness! Oh Swami, liberate him! This is my request, oh All-Conscious One.

Kabir said:

Oh Dharam Das, again and again I have told you, but in your heart you don’t believe it:

If the fourteen yamas go to Sach Khand, tell me, who will trap the Souls?

Now I have recognised your intellect. Knowingly, you have become the one who knows nothing. You have started erasing the orders of Sat Purush. When one forgets the knowledge, attachment and illusion awaken. When the darkness of attachment dominates the heart, one forgets the knowledge and leaves his work.

Without faith, devotion cannot be done; and without devotion no Soul can cross. Again you have been caught in the trap of Kal. That is why attachment for your son has been awakened in your heart. Even though you saw so clearly that Narayan Das is under the control of Kal – still you have become stubborn and you have not understood even one word of mine. 

Oh Dharam Das, what you just said to me – you didn’t think about it in your heart. You don’t believe in me. Have faith in the Master – why do you have faith in the world?

If one meets the Master, giving up everything of his own, that fortunate one climbs the stairs of Truth. If one catches attachment, illusion awakens, and that unfortunate one gives up all devotion and knowledge.

You are the essence of Sat Purush. You have come into the world to take on the work of awakening the Souls. If you yourself give up faith in the Master and, looking at the things in the world, you get attached to them, then where is the place for the Souls?

This shows clearly, Dharam Das, your family will also do the same. They will always burn in the fire of attachment and it will create differences in the family. To say, "Without the son the name cannot continue," and, "Without the wife there can be no home," all these – like pride of family – are the tricks of Kal. In this all members of the family will forget, and will not get the Path of the True Naam. Looking at others, the Souls will be trapped in these things – and the messengers will be happy looking at this. Then the messengers will become mighty, and grabbing the Souls they will send them into hell. When the Souls are caught in the snare of Kal, they will forget themselves in lust, attachment, greed and egoism.

They will not have faith in the Guru, and hearing the True Naam they will burn.

Listen to the signs of those who will have Sat Naam within them:

They will not be affected by Kal, and will not have lust, anger, egoism and greed in them. Giving up attachment and desires, they will always keep the words of the Satguru in their heart.

As the snake keeps the jewel on his head, in the same way the disciple should always keep the Master’s orders on his head. Forgetting 'son' and 'woman,' and giving up pleasures, the Soul who touches the feet of Sat Purush becomes the Hansa.

Oh Dharam Das, only a brave one can constantly obey the peace-giving words of the Master. Such a Soul goes to Sach Khand and for her, liberation is not far.

– Giving up the complication of karma and illusions, love the feet of the Master. Having firm faith in the Shabd of the Gurumukh, understand the body as ashes.

Hearing these words, Dharam Das was ashamed, and in his mind he fully repented.

Running, he fell at the feet of Satguru and said:

Oh Lord, help me. I am the ignorant one! Oh Swami, forgive my mistake! Accept this request, All-Conscious One. I am the ignorant one who ignored Your words, and made requests again and again. Now I am come to Your feet and am making this request: if the child becomes stubborn in front of the father, the latter doesn’t care about 'good' or 'bad.' Your Naam is the Liberator of sinners, so please don’t count my bad attributes.

Kabir answered:

Oh Dharam Das, you are the essence of Sat Purush: give up Narayan Das and family. Using the Shabd, look into your heart – oh Dharam Das! There is no difference between me and you! You have come into this world for the sake of Souls, and you will establish the Path in the ocean of the world.

Dharam Das said:

Oh Lord, You are the Giver of the Ocean of Happiness! You have made me a servant and a True Disciple. Kal had taken my intellect away, until I recognised You! Since You made me Your own, I have had firm knowledge. Taking firm hold of Your feet, I say that the world is not within me now. If I desire for anyone else – giving up You – then may I go to live in hell!

The Satguru said:

Dharam Das, you are the blessed one to recognise me, and, obeying my words, to renounce your son. When the mirror of the heart of the disciple is polished, only then can the form of the Master be seen. Only when the disciple keeps the form of the Master in his heart, does he destroy all the branches of Kal. As long as one has cunning desires, that servant will not see the Master. When the disciple devotes himself to the feet of the Master with one-pointed attention, he is released from attachment and knowledge awakens. When the lamp of knowledge comes in the heart, it destroys all attachments and illusions. When he comes again to the Satguru, it is as the drop dissolving itself in the ocean.

Kabir says, when the drop loses itself in the ocean, then all the worries are finished. 

Oh Dharam Das, this is the Glory of Master’s feet. So giving up illusion and pride, accept the feet of the Guru. By accepting, all the sufferings end. Without the Master the disciple remains sad.

Now I am telling you something, listening to which will cause your doubts to go away: 

Narayan Das will not believe in you. He will do whatever will come in his mind. There is nothing to doubt about this fact – that in the world his path will also exist. Looking at the Path which our Essence will maintain, he will increase the dispute. He won’t be able to stand the popularity of our Path – so he will call his path greater than ours. With complete egoism, he will maintain his path, and he will consider all others inferior. He will be an egotist in the presence of Sadhus and Saints and he will not believe in the Sons of Nad. As long as he behaves like this, he will not get the Path of Truth. The Word Embodied and Nad are the helmsmen – he will be liberated only when he meets Them, giving up egoism and name and fame. When he will have the True Satya Shabd in his heart, when he will call the Word Embodied the Essence – only then, Dharam Das, will he be liked by me.

Only he who gives up his caste and doesn’t allow attachment to come, will be called the essence of the Word Embodied. One who will forget the condition of his family, definitely he will be the essence of the Embodiments. Then I will liberate him. I am telling you this truth, and it is not false.

Oh Dharam Das, have this faith in your heart, as I have not spoken one word in which one cannot have faith. Without faith the Soul will not cross, and without having faith in the Master, the Soul will accept Kal. Oh brother, there is no Giver like the Master. That is why you should keep your heart absorbed at the feet of the Master.

Hymn

There is no other Giver in the world. Understand the Master as the Giver of Liberation. Making one free from his low ways, Master explains the knowledge: making the Souls firm in devotion, He brings them into the lap of Naam.

– One who doesn’t understand any difference between the Master and Sat Purush, he gets perfect recognition, and for him the sufferings of Kal finish. Oh Dharam Das, see the qualities of the Satguru – how firmly He believes and has faith. Consider the Soul involved in rites and rituals – how firmly she continues in her faith. She brings the mud by herself, and she herself makes the idol of the creator. She offers rice and flowers to it. With love and faith she contemplates on it with her mind. Then, understanding it as the creator, she worships it and doesn’t let her faith break. As there is love in the deception, the same love becomes alive for her.

These Souls who have Love for the Master as this man has for his idol are priceless, and they become the beloved Hansa of the Lord. Look at the love of those idol – worshippers – how firmly they are entangled in deception. I myself have told you the Naam of the Guru, and have told you there is no difference between Guru and Sat Purush. So the Souls will remain under the control of Kal, and they will not have faith in the Master. When one doesn’t have faith in the Master’s body, by focusing his attention in the void, he will deceive himself.

Those who firmly rely on the Master, their liberation cannot be postponed. Those who have such firm faith that they don’t leave the Master or put their attention in any other place – this way of living of the Soul is precious, and such a Soul dyes her body in the colour of Love. Lovingly understand that the Word of Master is the Nectar, drinking which the bad intellect goes away. Oh Dharam Das, considering all this in your heart, be firm in your faith in the Master.

Hymn

In this way, having firm faith in the feet of the Master, love Him constantly. Lighting the lamp of the Master’s knowledge in the heart, remove the darkness of attachments. By the Glory of the dust of Master’s feet, the sins will certainly go away. There is no other way of getting liberation except by faithfully merging into the Shabd.

– This world is very deep. Accept the Naam with Love and determination. By the Grace and support of the Master, one gets the Word of the Master as the helmsman.

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Illustration: see next page.