Chapter XII

Oneness of Guru, Guru Dev, Satguru and Malik (Lord)

It is said in the scriptures that Akal Purush is without form. He sees without eyes, works without hands, walks without feet and hears without ears. 

He is present everywhere but is not visible. He is beyond the reach of intellect or imagination, for they function within human limitations. How is one to meditate on Him and to become acquainted with Him? For, in actual fact, one can love only one's fellow human beings.

Birds of a feather flock together, pigeons with pigeons, and falcons with falcons.

Birds love birds, animals love animals, and man loves man. In order to still the mind, we must have something before the eyes as an objective. To fulfil this need of human beings, Rama, Krishna and others came to this world as incarnations of Kal, in the form of human beings and Saints come as incarnations of Sat Purush, also as human beings. 

In an inspired line, a Persian mystic says:

Since He is God¹, He comes Himself.

This is True. God does reveal Himself to us. We are helpless and have no access to the Lord. He is all powerful. But in spite of His being formless, He reveals His light in the human body and thus manifests Himself. He appears amongst us in the form of a perfect Saint and becomes the means of uniting us with the Lord. 

The Satguru is the being through whom the Lord sends His message to us in this world. The Gurus have therefore repeatedly praised the Satguru and they say that the Lord is manifested in him and that if you wish to be united with Him you must take shelter with the Master. There is no other means of success.

Know ye the Master and the Lord to be one; the Lord accepts one whom the Master loves.

Gord M5, 864-11

The Master is sent by the Lord; the Master is the true sustainer. If the Master is pleased, everything is yours. Nanak would gladly sacrifice himself unto him a thousand times.

Gauri M5, 218-9

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Footnote: 1) In persian 'Khudaa' means God. The word is made up of 'Khud' = Himself and 'Aa' = comes i.e. He comes Himself.