17 October 1902
Best wishes to my obedient son Babu Sawan Singh, and to Basant Singh, Babu Gulab Singh, Narain Singh, Nanak Singh, Khushal Singh, and all the other Satsangis there.
Dear son
Your letter was received, and I was very happy to read it and learn of your well-being. I have received 98 rupees, and they have been used to pay for the construction of the upper-storey rooms. The construction has been going on since the 7th of Asuj1. The roof over one of the upper-storey rooms was laid today; two more are left to do. The roofing of all three will be finished shortly, and the masons will then move inside to do the plastering.
Twenty-seven hymns of Swami Ji’s Sar Bachan have been printed. The rest will be finished in a few weeks. The printing is better than before, though here and there the print of some letters is faint – still it is better than before. The introduction to Anurag Sagar has been kept as you wrote it. I have also approved it. The printer has not yet quoted his price for printing the prose edition of Hazur Swami Ji’s book. It could be printed soon if he were to let us know the cost. Earlier I sent you a postcard in Urdu; I trust you have received it. You have written for a reliable cook to be sent to you, but no such person is available here. Chanan Singh develops a mild temperature daily or every other day; he will be given a purgative this Sunday, and as soon as he is slightly better, he will be sent to you.
A letter from Chacha Ji at Agra has been received, in which he writes that the ten members have been appointed. He sends you his greetings and has blessed you with Grace and Mercy.
Babu Gulab Singh Ji is to be informed that one should not get upset in illness.
Pain and pleasure befall us due to the actions of our previous lives, and both will definitely happen. All those who are sick will receive His Grace and Mercy. So he should not worry but accept His will cheerfully. Also he should do his Bhajan and Simran every day, because during illness the mind does not run anywhere. Becoming dejected, the mind engages in meditation, and the inner attentive faculties, surat and nirat, become focused. So ‘Look upon the hour of pain as a blessing – Dukh kee gharee ganeemat jaano.’ Why? Because the attentions of the Satsangi then stays fixed in meditation, which does not normally happen with other people. So whenever there is suffering, His will should definitely be accepted. The mind must be kept fully engaged in Bhajan and Simran. During suffering, the physical senses, the five elements (tattva), and even the mind, feel pain, but in no case does the soul feel any pain. So focus the soul’s attention on the Shabd Dhun. Then as long as the attention is lovingly fixed in the Shabd Dhun, pain will never be felt during that time – just as in deep sleep the soul, mind, and the vital energy become so absorbed in the navel centre – which is a 6 to 7 inch long tube – that there is no awareness of the body nor knowledge of any pain or pleasure. This place is in the navel, within the nine doors, but the place of the Shabd Dhun is far above the nine doors and the region of Maya. How then would the soul be affected by pain or pleasure? So:
Dukh daaru sukh rog bha-iaa.
Pain is the medicine; pleasure, a disease.
Please remember well, my son, that whatever happens is by His command and is to be accepted cheerfully.
Now let me explain to you how to live. You yourself know, my son, that our every breath is numbered. It is to be spent either in Spiritual Pursuits or in specific worldly activities in order to earn a living or do good deeds and acts of devotion. Otherwise life is a waste. What sense or wisdom is there in chit-chatting uselessly and wasting time with people who have not met a Perfect Master or do not have a desire to meet the Lord? Will these breaths or this human body ever be given again? Write the answer to this. Well, I might as well give the answer myself: ‘No, never.’ My son, this time will not be had again. Still you do not understand! After you have finished your official work, do not converse with others, and from six to eight o’clock in the evening sit in meditation for as long as you can, whether for a quarter-hour, a half-hour, an hour, or an hour and a half. After that, Simran is to be done with the attention kept at the Shabd stages. Then from eight to ten o’clock participate in Satsang activity, after which you may sleep or chat with others. In the morning, sit in meditation at 4:30; keep sitting till 5:30.
Then throughout the day do your official work and also talk and socialise with others. But when you have finished your official duties, you are not to indulge in small talk or waste time by socialising with non-satsangis. Take your meals by yourself, sitting in the kitchen; never are you to sit down to eat with non-satsangis or take your meals sitting at a table. My son, you are to keep yourself hidden from the world. You are never to have meals prepared in your kitchen for one who is a non-satsangi and takes meat and alcohol. If you begin to socialise with such people, you too will acquire their habits. No.
You are to work with people, but your lifestyle should be different. If someone offers you anything free, you are never to accept it. When will you be able to recompense him for it? If you do not refrain from such acts, your Spiritual Journey will never be completed. You will definitely have to compensate them; and so long as you do not compensate them, how will the door of the Shabd Dhun open for you? These are the points that struck me from within; that’s why I have put them down. One day, in a dream, I saw you behaving in this manner, that’s why I have written to you. My son, you are to live in the world just like the waterfowl which floats on the water the whole day but is absolutely dry when it flies off. This is how you are to live in the world. It is my personal plea that Grace and Mercy be upon you at this very moment.
Bibi’s greetings to you, her true and dear brother. Warm regards to the others from Bibi and from all the other Satsangis.
With Love and affection and the Inner Yearning of the higher mind, attach the faculties of surat and nirat to the Shabd and remain detached in the mind. Love the Shabd and have no desire for any activity of the world.
Chanan Singh asks you to please sow some mustard for making saag, and to sow gram between the rows of mustard. Bibi asks you to have six or seven pounds of chibbar dried for her. Please have them dried for use at the Dera.
Four copies of Hazur Swami Ji’s book were received today at the time of this letter’s dispatch; 7 shabds from the 31st hymn have been printed.
17 October 1902
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Explanation: 1) The 7th month of the Sikh calendar; from 15 September to 14 October.