Kirpal Singh

He came to make us Satsangis

I

We have assembled today in the remembrance of Hazur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. It has been noticed that whenever we sit in His sweet remembrance, we invariably get a cool breeze. And, today we are having a pleasant breeze:

Oh dear one, seek thy Beloved for Sawan¹ has come. If thy attention is elsewhere, thou shalt ever shed tears of repentance.

Hazur came and gave us a glimpse of Divine Light. Great Souls come with a definite mission and leave after fulfilling it. Once on a winter night, between nine and ten o’clock, Dr Julian Johnson, an American disciple, and myself were with Hazur. Dr Johnson asked Hazur if it was advisable for a sikh – disciple – to pray to his Master. Hazur replied that the very life of a disciple depended on prayer. Being weak and helpless, prayer is the only weapon left in his armoury. One who is helpless always seeks the protection of a powerful and competent person.

For what should a disciple pray? Man is a three-fold entity, comprising body, mind or intellect, and soul. We are all micro-gods. Soul is the essence of God. Only the soul can realise God.

Hazur came on His earthly sojourn and showed us Divine Light before leaving us physically. It looks as if He has gone, but He is always with us. Master-Power – or God-Power or Christ-Power – never dies; It is not subject to birth and death. Manifesting on different Human Poles, It leads humanity to a Right Path. It is through the self-revelation of such Great Souls that people develop faith in God.

Hazur was Truth Personified. He came to make us Satsangis – those who are linked with Truth. Soul is Truth and is the essence of God. God is immortal; so is our soul. It is only due to the soul’s constant association with the mind and senses that we have become weak, for one is influenced to a great extent by the company one keeps.

The Lord is present in all of us; no human heart is without Him. Blessed is the Human Pole Where He is manifest.

Gurbani²

God is our Controlling Power. The physical body is useful as long as the soul is with it. The soul cannot escape despite the nine outlets in the human body – eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth and two in the lower part. When we exhale, the breath does not remain outside. Some Controlling Power is pushing it back into the body. When that Controlling Power withdraws, the body becomes lifeless. That is an Infinite Power and the soul is its essence. He Who has realised Himself by liberating His soul from the clutches of the mind and matter becomes the mouthpiece of God. Who are we? We have God in us. We are all micro-gods. It is only because of our (soul’s) outflow at the plane of the mind and senses that we have become degenerated. If we withdraw from sensual pleasures and divert our attention towards our Controlling Power, we would surely become its mouthpiece.

So, Hazur came to make us Satsangis. You may think, if the Ultimate Truth is in all of us, why does It not pull the soul up? It is no doubt a logical question. If a piece of iron is covered with rust or dust, a magnet will not attract it. The moment that piece of iron is cleaned, the magnet will attract it at once. Similarly, we have been defiled by the bad association of the sensual pleasures that our soul keeps all the time. If we are able to liberate the soul from sensual pleasures, we can become the mouthpiece of God.

Hazur was Truth Personified, and He came to make us realise the Truth. God is supreme and He is the Lord of everything – dharma (faith or religion), artha (wealth), kama (desire), and moksha (salvation). Whatever you earnestly ask of Him is given to you.

In the holy Koran we have:

God has said that whatever a man asks for would be granted.

Other Great Souls have also said:

The Lord, the Benefactor, commanded: Let the child ask and it shall be given.

Whatever we earnestly ask for we get. But, Hazur came to bestow upon us a unique gift. Guru – Master – is the Greatest Benefactor. He gives us the capital of Inner Spiritual Contact, which no one else can give. So, Hazur was a Satguru, an embodiment of Truth – and that Master-Power is still guiding us.

In the U.S.A. I gave a talk on Christmas Day and said that Christ lived before Jesus. Christ is the God-Power; when It became manifested on a Human Pole is known as Jesus. The same Power manifests Itself on different Human Poles at different times, like Guru Nanak³, Baba Jaimal Singh⁴, Hazur Sawan Singh Ji. The Great Souls are beyond the cycle of transmigration.

All of us have a Divine Spark. Hazur used to say that the Master does not add anything from outside. He shows us the Way to our Ultimate Goal. Not only that, He demonstrates how we can get the Inner Contact by withdrawing us from the intellectual and sensual planes. This greatest gift only a Saint can give. Only such a Soul is fit to be called a Saint. Hazur had the competency to extricate us from the meshes of mind and matter and to lift our souls above body consciousness even by a mere glance of His Grace:

Only the All-Powerful Master can pull the soul up.

Swami Ji⁵

Anyone with a little training can give a religious discourse or explain esoteric methods. But, to impart a practical Spiritual Experience is the work of a Competent Master. Hazur revealed the Truth within us. Who was He really? A Godman alone can truly understand a Godman. Whether He was the embodiment of God or God Himself, whether He was one of the two or both in one – this is beyond our comprehension. We could know Him only to the extent He chose to reveal Himself to us. At times He did reveal Himself to the people in various ways. Some of the incidents are well known. There is nothing strange about them. The same God-Power is still working. It is very much within us and is protecting us.

Once Madam Blavatsky, the famous theosophist, was giving an talk in Lahore. She spoke about something which seemed beyond human intelligence. Immediately someone interrupted her ans said: Madam, all you have been speaking is a mere rigmarole. It is as impossible as a rain of flowers from above. Madam Blavatsky replied: Do you think it is impossible. Just then, there was a shower of flowers. To the amazed audience she then said: This is also according to the laws of nature yet hidden from you.

When I was a student, I saw a man showing feats of hypnotism. He hypnotised a small boy and invited questions from the audience in any language, and the boy answered them in the same language.

Shri Har Krishan Ji, the eighth Guru of the Sikhs, was about nine years old when a priest asked Him, How is it that your name includes both Hari –God – and Krishan – Lord Krishna? If you really are as great as Hari and Krishan, I challenge you to compete with me in interpreting the Shastras – Scriptures– in Sanskrit. Guru Har Krishan Ji called an illiterate water man who happened to pass that way. Touching his shoulder with His stick, the Guru asked him to have a debate with the learned priest. The water man interpreted the Sanskrit Shastras with such profound knowledge that the priest was amazed and begged the Guru for forgiveness.

These incidents seem strange, but these are no miracles. They are according to the laws of nature not known to us. Such incidents are not uncommon in the lives of Great Souls.

Shamas-i-Tabrez⁶ wished a dead body to come alive in the Name of God. It had no effect. But, when He asked the dead person to get up in His own name, there was immediate response; and the dead body started pulsating with life once again.

Maulana Rumi⁷ says:

A Godman has the power to retrieve from midway an arrow shot even from heaven.

Speaking for the Great Souls, the Maulana asked:

Do They claim to be on an equal footing with God?

He Himself answered:

No, They are the beloved children of God. All the commitments of a loving child are honoured by the Father.

Great Souls are capable of doing anything, for it is indeed the God-Power that works on the Human Pole in the garb of a Master.

Hazur came here to unite humanity with Truth. To accomplish this mission, He granted us some capital of Inner Contact. That initial capital is to be developed and enlarged gradually. One does not reach the goal the very first day of initiation. The time factor is necessary. Where the world’s philosophies end, there the Religion starts.

After initiation, a Spiritual Aspirant should mould his life according to the Master’s instructions. The principles explained to you in Satsangs – Holy Congregations – should be adopted in practice. One who observed non-violence in thought, word, and deed, is a great man indeed. Remember that actions speak louder than words. If you cultivate the habit of speaking truth, people around you will act likewise.

Thoughts are more potent than words and even stronger than action. We are a conscious entity, and God is Super-Conscious. We are self and God is Overself, a veritable Ocean of All-Consciousness, and we are a drop of It. God is the Supreme Power and is capable of creating millions of Brahmands – spiritual regions. Being of the essence of that mighty Power, can’t we create even a city. Certainly, we can. Great Souls always tell us that we are micro-gods but for our utter ignorance about our own self.

One whose practical life is exemplary is my True Disciple. He is like my Master and I am prepared to be his devotee.

Gurbani

The conduct of a disciplined initiate should reflect the greatness of his Master. During the Muslim period in India, whenever a Sikh would give an evidence in a court of law, it was taken for granted that he would not tell a lie. Similarly, if any of Hazur’s disciples happened to appear before the court, he was never doubted only because he happened to be a disciple of Hazur. Your actions should demonstrate that you are a True Devotee of a Great Soul.

An unworthy disciple brings a bad name to his Master.

To go to a Great Soul and not follow His teaching is to demean Him.

Christ said:

You love one another so that people may know that you are my followers and attend holy congregations.

We are no doubt proud of the Great Soul Who initiated us. But, is He also proud of us?

One who lives up to his Master’s expectations is a True Disciple. Great Souls always say that an ounce of practice is more than tons of theory. Mere theoretical knowledge without practice is of no avail. Sheikh Saadi⁸ has stated that a learned but impractical man is like an animal loaded with a heap of books. Guru Amar Das⁹ was once asked about the fate of such people as are unpractical. He said they were like a spoon immersed in pudding but without having a taste of it. Such is the fate of those who are ever busy in intellectual wranglings. We know how to preach to others but not to ourselves. We do listen to the Great Souls, mostly to forget whatever They tell us, or to obtain knowledge which may help us in posing like a Saint. What is real listening?

It is to abide by the words of the Perfect Master.

Gurbani

You must have heard about the five Pandava princes of the Mahabharata epic. They were sent to their teacher Dronacharya for their early education. The first lesson was to speak the truth. Next day, the teacher asked them if they had learned their lesson. All except Yudishtra replied in the affirmative. Yudishtra had not turned up at all! The Guru was informed Yudishtra had yet to learn his lesson. For several days Yudishtra did not go to the Guru for the same reason. Only after he had learned the lesson in the real sense did he go to Dronacharya, and respectfully told him that he had learned the lesson. He solemnly declared that he would speak the truth all his life. And he did remain truthful throughout his life. If you act on what you are told, one Satsang is sufficient for your salvation.

We intend to reach the goal, but we do not know how to tread the right path; we only know how to preach and not to practise.

Hazur was a strict disciplinarian. We have complete faith in His competency. A single glance of His Grace was sufficient to emancipate anyone. All that is here now is undoubtedly Hazur’s immeasurable Grace. He used to say:

He who is learned while alive would remain so even thereafter. And, he who is illiterate now, how could he become a scholar when he is dead.

Bharat, India, is named after King Bharata. He was an ascetic himself. He renounced everything and lived in seclusion for mediation. There he reared a little deer after the mother deer had died. By constant companionship, Bharata developed affectionate love for his pet, so much so that he used to think of him all the time. One day the young deer disappeared. Bharata could not bear the pangs of separation and died soon thereafter. Consequently, he had to be reincarnated as a deer and is known as Jar Bharata. As you think, so you become.

The idea of self-introspection or keeping a diary is to judge your own actions. I have prescribed it after very careful consideration. I, too, kept a diary in my early life. You can become a Great Soul, if a dacoit like Valmik can become a great sage. A bandit named Udham Singh came under Hazur’s Spiritual Influence and was completely transformed. Some bandits are being initiated even now. Naam – the Word – is a Great Blessing. Mere intellectual accomplishments are futile so far as the attainment of salvation is concerned.

This is what Kabir has said in definite terms:

Do not be carried away by chanting of the Scriptures, singing of Holy Verses, or listening to sermons. The Way of Saints is something entirely different. It can be found only by self-analysis.

King Ravana¹⁰ was a scholar of all the Vedas and Shastras. But, despite that, he is known for his wickedness. And, what are we doing? Acting, posing, and false propaganda will not take us anywhere near our Real Goal. We can dupe all, but not God. He is Omnipresent. From the time of initiation on, the Master remains a constant invisible companion of the initiate and watches all his actions. The Master knows everything about His disciples.

So, it is futile to conceal anything from the Master. Hazur used to give us simple examples to make us understand the various aspects of Spirituality. Once Yusuf went to Queen Zulakhan. She wanted to fulfil her sensual desire. She first covered her deity she worshipped. When Yusuf asked her why she did that, she said she didn’t want her deity to see their unholy act. Yusuf exclaimed: My Lord is Omnipresent and no actions of ours are hidden from Him.

Hazur used to say:

We hesitate to commit an impious act in the presence of a child. How dare we ever do so if we realise that God within us is watching all our actions.

Once initiated by a Competent Master, a Spiritual Aspirant is never forsaken by the Master until he is taken to the Kingdom of God. Thus, the Master safely restores the lost soul back to its original Home.

He who was in highest consideration for the Master and keeps His commandments has nothing to fear in all the tree worlds.

Kabir¹¹

So, we are here in obeisance to Hazur and to realise the Truth. He is ever with us and is showering His abundant Grace. However, to realise Him, it is essential to have a pure heart. Can you ever expect the Lord to manifest Himself until our hearts are spotlessly clean? The Lord cannot be realised as long as our hearts remain littered with lust, anger, jealously, recrimination, etc. Our soul lies dormant and defiled by these vices. Just as a magnet will not attract a dust covered iron. God within us will also not pull the soul up till it is free from all blemishes. In such a hopeless state only a Competent Master can come to our rescue. This, in fact, is the greatness of a Master-Soul. If a loaded donkey is stuck in mud, it cannot come out by its own efforts. Out of sheer compassion, someone else will have to remove the load and then pull the donkey out of the mud.

We are also loaded with heaps of impressions of the previous numerous births and in addition, are further trapped in the dragnet of sensual pleasures. There is hardly any difference between us as we are and the loaded donkey. We too therefore need a compassionate Soul, Who Himself is absolutely free, to unburden us and to pull us out of our misery. Only then we will be able to see the Reality. The greatness of such a Master-Soul is beyond any description indeed. Such a Competent Master enables us to visualize the Truth after freeing us from the effect of past impressions and bringing our attention above body consciousness.

Hazur used to say that the Master will definitely take His initiate to the Ultimate Goal, but only after properly cleaning him of all blemishes. For nobody will like to keep the soiled clothes unless they are washed and pressed. Hazur often cited the example that a washerman never refuses to wash even the dirtiest cloth because he is confident of his competency of cleaning it, may be after putting in a little extra effort. Soul in its present state is like pure gold mixed with dust. Remove the dust from it and it will again be pure gold. It is only a matter of removing the dust.

Hazur came to transform us into Satsangis in the real sense.

He often emphasised that the human body is the temple of God and the Eternal Light is illuminating in it. But we are polluting this temple with all kind of rubbish, such as, bad diet, unfair and dishonest earnings, falsehood, deceit, recrimination, egotism and hypocrisy. To partake flesh, eggs, and intoxicants is to defile this temple. Such food habits are not conducive to one’s Spiritual Growth. Therefore, our diet should be pure and vegetarian. so much so, it should be prepared in a clean place and with a clean heart. In India there is still a practice in orthodox families that no one other than the lady preparing food is allowed to enter the kitchen. That helps in maintaining cleanliness in the kitchen. Nowadays, food is prepared generally by servants who indulge in all sorts of loose talk while preparing the meals. Mind is affected by the food you take.

I may tell you my own personal experience. In 1921, I was posted in the Accounts Branch of an Indian Army Regiment. An army orderly used to cook my food. I had given him strict instructions not to allow anyone to enter the kitchen, and also told him to recite Holy Verses while preparing food. As a routine I used to sit for meditation daily at the dead of night. One night I felt that negative thoughts were disturbing my meditation. I woke the orderly up and enquired if there was anyone with him in the kitchen that night. He replied in the negative. But he was telling a lie. Where the dirt is already in tons, a little more would not make much difference. But even a grain of dirt will be visible on an otherwise clean surface.

An Ethical conduct and pure diet are thus stepping stones to God-Realisation. The main reason of my attaching so much importance to keeping a diary is to make one conscious of one’s shortcomings. We only talk of Ahimsa – non-injury – to be the True Religion but we never observe it in spirit. The result is that we try to deceive Him Who is All-Seeing. How can we expect His Grace?

Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.

A pure heart is therefore a must if we have to realise God.

_______________

Explanation:

1) Sawan : The fifth month of Hindu calendar corresponding to the month of July which marks the beginning of the rainy season. Sawan here refers to the first name of Hazur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj (1858 – 1948), the great Saint of Beas (Punjab).

2) Gurbani : The sacred writings of the Sikh Masters.

3) Guru Nanak : (1469 – 1539) : The founder of the Sikh religion.

4) Baba Jaimal Singh Ji : The Master of Hazur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. He was a disciple of Swami Ji Maharaj.

5) Swami Ji : (1818 – 1878) : Swami Shiv Dayal Singh, the Great Saint of Agra, Who revived the teachings of the Masters like Kabir and Nanak.

6) Shamaz-i-Tabrez : A Great Saint of Tabrez, persia. He was the Master of the celebrated Maulana Rumi.

7) Maulana Rumi : A Great Persian Saint, author of the famous Masnavi.

8) Sheik Saadi : (1184 – 1292) : A great didactic and mystic poet and a popular Persian prose writer.

9) Guru Amar Das : (1479 – 1574) : The third Sikh Guru.

10) King Ravana : King of Lanka of the Ramayana epic. he kidnapped Sita, the consort of Lord Rama.

11) Kabir : (1440 - 1518) : A well known Indian Saint Who practiced and preached Surat Shabd Yoga.

Note:

The texts hosted under the Button ‚Sat Sandesh‘ are transcripts of the texts published in the original, official Sat Sandesh booklets.

These texts – as they are, for example, Satsangs published also in books or otherwise – can diverge from the versions published elsewhere.