Kirpal Singh

Surat Shabd Yoga – II

And now we come to the third cornerstone of the Spiritual Edifice: that of Spiritual Sadhans or disciplines. The one recurrent theme of a Puran Guru or Perfect Teacher, is that the good life though highly desirable and indispensable, is not an end in itself. The goal of life is something inner and different: the transcension of this plane of relativity and physical existence into one of Absolute Being. He who recognises this will mould his life accordingly, first because such a recognition implies a state of mind that, being free from ego and attachment, expresses itself in virtuous and creative action, and, secondly, because without that cultivating such a state of mind and of life one cannot attain the poise and concentration requisite for Inner Ascension.

So the basic stress of the enlightened teacher is laid always upon the transcendental goal. He teaches that the pranic and vigyanic energies are not of the essence of Atman, taking their birth in planes lower than those of pure spirit. He who would use them as a ladder may transcend bodily consciousness, may reach the planes whence they originate, but he cannot reach beyond. The spirit being similar in all, the means to Spiritual Enlightenment should be likewise accessible to all. But, as has been seen already, such forms of yoga as are based on the pranas or on gyan make special demands which all cannot fulfil. The pranic systems are outside the reach of the old or those of tender years, and also of those who suffer from any respiratory or digestive disorders. The path of gyan presumes mental and intellectual capacities that Nature bestows only on few. If these approaches were indeed the natural ones open to us, then the logical conclusion would be that Nature is very partial in her blessings, discriminating between man and man. Why, if the sun shines for all, and the wind blows for all, should the Inner Treasures be available only to the chosen few? These too are both for the learned and the unlearned.

Yogas that are so discriminating in selecting their practitioners, and so exacting in their practice, cannot be wholly natural. The method taught by the Masters of the Surat Shabd Yoga is different. As we have seen already, to the seeker is explained the nature of creation and the way back to life’s initial source. At the time of initiation he is given a first-hand Inner Experience which he is taught to develop. The seat of the soul is between and behind the eyebrows. This at least is accepted by all yogas. It is to this point that mystics refer when they speak of Shiv Netra, Divya Chakshu, Tisra Til, Brahmrendra, Triambka, Trilochana, Nukta-i-Sweda, Koh-i-toor, Third Eye, Single Eye, figuratively called the still point, the mount of transfiguration, etc. It is at this point that the sadhak having closed his eyes must focus his attention, but the effort at concentration must be an effortless one and there must be no question of any physical or mental strain.

To assist this effort the teacher gives the disciple a mantra, or charged verbal formula symbolic of the journey ahead. This formula when repeated slowly and lovingly with the tongue of thought helps the disciple to collect his scattered thoughts gradually at a single point. What gives this mantra its potency is not any magic inherent in the words per se but the fact that it is given by One Who by His own Spiritual Practice and mastery has charged it with Inner Power. When the aspirant, by his Inner Concentration and by the mental repetition of the charged words, has brought his inward gaze to a sharp and steady focus, he will find that the darkness within that he at first confronted gets gradually illuminated by shifting points of light. As his powers of concentration increase, the lights cease flickering and develop into a single radiating point.

This process of concentration, or of the collection of surat, automatically draws the spirit currents, normally dissipated all over the body, towards the Spiritual Centre.

This withdrawal is greatly assisted by Simran or repetition of the charged mantra; and the perception of the Inner Light, leading to Dhyana or one-pointed concentration, quickens the process still further. Dhyan, in turn, when fully developed leads to Bhajan or Inner Hearing. The Inner Light begins to become resonant.

Within thee is Light, and within that the Sound, and the same shall keep thee attached to the True One.

Gurbani

And the practitioner, when he shuts his physical ears, gets rapidly absorbed into the music. It is a common experience that though light can catch the eye, it cannot hold it for very long and has no very magnetic quality about it. But with music it is different. He who hears it in silence and stillness, is drawn irresistibly, as it were, into anther world, a different realm of experience. And so the process of withdrawal that begins with Simran, is stimulated by Dhyan, and is rapidly extended by Bhajan. The Spiritual Currents, already slowly moving, are carried upward, collecting finally at the Third Eye, – the seat of the soul. The Spiritual Transcension of physical consciousness, or death in life, is thus achieved with the minimum of effort and travail.

Students of the other forms of yoga, when, after their long and exacting mastery of the various lower chakras, they reach this state of full physical transcension, generally assume that they have reached their journey’s end. The Inner Plane at which they find themselves – the realm of Sahasrar or Sahasra-dal-kamal symbolised often by the sun-wheel, the lotus or the multifoliate rose – is indeed incomparably more beautiful than anything on earth, and in comparison appears timeless. But the student of the Surat Shabd Yoga, when he succeeds in rising above physical consciousness, finds the Radiant Form of his Master waiting unsought to receive him. Indeed it is at this point that the real Guru-shishya or teacher-student relationship is established. Until this stage, the Guru had been little more than human teacher, but now he is seen as the Divine Guide or Guru Dev who shows the Inner Way.

The feet of my Master have been manifested in my forehead. And all my wanderings and tribulations have ended.

Guru Arjan, Gauri M5

With the appearance of the Radiant Form of the Master within no secret remains hidden in the womb of time.

Christ also speaks in the same strain:

There is nothing coered, that shall not be reealed, and hid, that shall not be known.

St Luke 12:2

Under the guidance of this Celestial Guide the soul learns to oercome the first shock of joy, and realises that its goal lies still far ahead. Accompanied by the Radiant Form and drawn by the Audible Life-Current, it traerses from region to region, from plane to plane, dropping off kosha after kosha until at last it stands wholly diested of all that is not of its true nature; and thus purified it can at last enter the realm where it sees that it is of the same essence as the Supreme Being, and that He, the Master in His Radiant Form and itself are not separate but One and that there is naught but the Great Ocean of Consciousness, of Loe, of Bliss ineffable. Who shall describe the splendour of this realm?

Only heart to heart can speak of the bliss of mystic knowers; no messenger can tell it and no missie bear it.

Hafiz

When the pen set to picturing this station, it broke in pieces and the page was torn.

Persian Mystic

Haing reached the journey’s end, the seeker too merges with the Word and enters the company of the Free Ones. He may continue to lie like other men in this world of human beings, but his spirit knows no limitations and is as infinite as God Himself. The wheel of transmigration can no longer affect him, and his consciousness knows no restrictions. Like his Master before him, he has become a Conscious Co-Worker of the Diine Plan. He does nothing for himself but works in God’s name. If there be indeed any Neh-Karmi – free from the bonds of action –, it is he, for there is no more potent means to freedom than the Power of the Word.

He alone is action-free who communes with the Word.

Gurbani

Freedom for him is not something that comes after death – ideh mukti; it is something achieed in life itself. He is a Jian Mukta – free-in-life –, like a flower shedding fragrance, he spreads the message of freedom whereer he goes.

[…] Those Who hae communed with the Word, Their toils shall end. And Their faces shall flame with Glory, not only shall They hae salation, oh Nanak, but many more shall find freedom with Them.

Jap Ji, Finale

In actual practice of the Spiritual Discipline, stress is laid on Simran, Dhyan and Bhajan each of which plays a specific role in unfoldment of the Self. The Master gies Simran or mental repetition of the charged words that help in gathering together the wandering wits of the practitioner to the still point of the soul between and behind the two eyebrows, to which place the sensory currents now perading from top to toe are withdrawn; and one gets lost to the consciousness of the flesh. The successful completion of this process of itself leads to dhyan or concentration. Dhyan is deried from the Sanskrit root dhi meaning to bind and to hold on. With the Inner Eye opened, the aspirant now sees shimmering streaks of heaen’s Light within him and this keeps his attention anchored as it were. Gradually the light grows steadier and he grows steady in his sadhan for It works as sheet-anchor for the soul. Dhyan or concentration when perfected leads one to Bhajan or attuning to the music of the soul that emerges from within the centre of the Holy Light. This enchanting Holy Melody has a magnetic pull which is irresistible, and the soul cannot but follow it to the Source Spiritual from whence the music emerges. In this way the soul is helped by the triple process to slide out of the shackles of the body and get anchored in the heaenly radiance of his self – atman –, and thus led on to the heaenly home of the Father.

Again the entire process is nurtured by Sat Naam, Satguru and Satsang, which in fact are synonymous for the-Master Power at work. Sat Naam is the Power of the Absolute stirred into compassion and when It puts on the flesh, It assumes the form of the Guru – Word made flesh –, and It works through Him by means of Satsang both outer and inner, and this helps the Jias ripe for regeneration. This Power works on all the planes simultaneously, according to the needs of each indiidual: by word of mouth as a Guru in human form sharing in all joys and sorrows of the human beings; by Inner Guidance as Guru De in His astral luminous or radiant form, and finally as Satguru, – a eritable Master of Truth.

There are two ways within: jyoti marg and the sruti marg or the way of light and the way of sound respectiely. The Holy Light keeps the soul anchored and absorbed and to a certain extent leads the soul as well, but the Holy Word pulls it upwards and carries it across from plane to plane in spite of arious hurdles in the Way, like blinding or bewildering lights, densely pitch darkness, etc., until the soul reaches its destination.

Even the foregoing bird’s eye survey of the nature and scope of the Surat Shabd Yoga would convey some of its unique features. He who studies it in relation to the other forms of yoga cannot but note the completeness of its solution of all the problems that confront the seeker when pursuing other systems.

On the plane of outer action, it does not base itself on a dry and rigid discipline that is often laden with the consequences of psychological repression. It holds that some discipline is necessary, but adds, that it must ultimately be inspired by Inner Spiritual Experience and be a matter of spontaneous living not of rigorous asceticism and a too deliberate self-abnegation. The seeker must strive towards a state of equipoise, and must, therefore, cultivate the virtue of moderation in thought and deed. The integration he thereby achieves enables him to gain greater concentration, and so higher Inner Experience; and this Inner Experience must in turn have repercussions on outer thought and action. The relationship of Sadachar to Inner Sadhans is a reciprocal one: each enlivens and gives meaning to the other, and each, without the other, is like a bird with a single wing. How can the spirit be brought to perfect one-pointedness without the purity of mind and body, and how can the soul transcend all human attachments and imperfections without centring itself in the Love of the Divine?

When the qualities of the Ancient Days stood revealed, then the qualities of earthly thing did Moses burn away.

Maulana Rumi

The Surat Shabd Yoga not only provides a means for achieving in practice the difficult ideal of sadachar; it also offers a mode of life that while raising one above this physical world of ours, does not, however, enslave one to the realm of name and form. The Masters of this Path know only too well that abstract speculations about the non-attributive aspect of the Absolute cannot lead one to it. How can man conditioned by name and form, be drawn directly to that which is beyond name or form? Love seeks something which it can comprehend and to which it can attach itself; and God, if He is to meet man, He must assume some shape or form.

It is this recognition that inspires the devotion of the bhakta to Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, or Kali – the Divine Mother. But these Divine Beings represent fixed manifestations of God and once the devotee has reached their plane, their very fixity, as we have seen already, prevents further progress. The Masters of the Surat Shabd Yoga wholly transcend this limitation by hooking the seeker not to a fixed, but to an all-pervading manifestation of God; the Radiant Sound Current. It is this anhat and anhad Naam: this unstruck and unfathomable Word that supports the various planes of creation spanning It from pole to pole, from pure spirit to gross matter. Its strains pervade every realm, every region; and It runs through them like a river that flows through the valleys which it has brought into being. And like the river It exists in a fluid state, changing at every plane, yet ever remaining the same. The seeker who has been inspired by the Love of the river of the Word is blessed indeed for he knows none of the limitations experienced by those who adore God in other forms. He has at once something definite and defined before him which draws him towards itself and to which he can attach himself; and something that is not subject to fixity of definition but exists in a mobile and a fluid state. As he moves towards It drawn upward by its beatific power, he finds It changing, modifying, becoming even stronger and purer, beckoning him to higher and still higher effort, never allowing him to halt or loiter, but leading him on from plane to plane, from valley to valley, until he arrives at the very source where Unmanifested comes into manifestation, and the Formless assumes form, and the Nameless, name.

It was this completeness of the Inner Journey made possible by the Yoga of the Sound Current that led Kabir to declare:

All holy ones are worthy of reverence, but I only adore One Who has mastered the Word.

The Surat Shabd Yoga is not only the most perfect of the various yogas but it is also comparatively easy to practise, and the one accessible to all. Not only do those following this Path reach the Ultimate End, but they do so with greater economy of effort than is possible by other methods. The transcension of physical consciousness that the yogin pursuing the path of the pranas achieves only after a long and arduous discipline, is attained by practitioners of the Surat Shabd Yoga sometimes at the first sitting at the time of initiation. That this should be so is not a mere chance or accident. The fact is that the Surat Shabd Yoga adopts a more scientific and natural approach to man’s Spiritual Problems. Why, it asserts, if the Spiritual Current reaches the bodily chakras not from below but from above, should it be necessary to master each of these chakras in turn? A man standing at the heart of a valley, if he wishes to reach the river’s source, does not have to travel down to its mouth and then retraverse the distance.

It further holds that if prana and mind – even at their most refined – are not of the True Essence of the spirit then how can they be the best means of disengaging it from its encrustations? Could it be put in touch with that which is of its own essential nature, like would draw like; and with the minimum of effort the desired end be achieved. It is from the point of the Tisra Til, the Third Eye, that the Spiritual Current spreads itself into the body. All that is needed is to check its downward flow at this point by controlling one’s senses and it would of its own accord, collect itself, and flow backwards towards its source.

Shutter your lip, your ear, your eye and if you do not Truth descry, thou let your scorn upon me fly.

Hafiz

The seeker has no need to begin from the very bottom, all he has to do is to turn in the direction of the Spiritual Stream and the rest would follow.

What is there in reaching the Lord? One only needs to transplant the heart.

Inayat Shah

It is this simplicity of approach coupled with economy of effort that has induced many to call the Surat Shabd Yoga the Sehaj Marg or the Easy Way. It begins at the point where other yogas normally tend to end. Sahasrar, the region of the thousand-petalled lights which marks the end of the normal yogis’ journey after traversing the various bodily chakras, is well-nigh the first step to be taken by the practitioner of the Surat Shabd Yoga. Further, by refusing to disturb the pranic or kundalinic energies, this yoga greatly reduces the strain of physical transcendence. By contacting the Sound-Principle, the sensory currents are automatically drawn upwards without the practitioner consciously striving to achieve this end, and the motor currents are left untouched. Not only does this simplify the process of entry into the state of samadhi, but that of returning from it as well.

The Adept in this Path needs no outer assistance for coming back into physical consciousness, as is the case with some other yogic forms – Spiritual Ascension and descent are entirely voluntary and can be achieved by him with the rapidity of thought.

The method of transcendental hearing is only an extension of our normal daily practices. When we are faced with some knotty problem, our entire conscious energies tend to focus at one point – the seat of the soul – without affecting pranic motor energies functioning automatically in our body. The Surat Shabd practitioner achieves this concentration at will under controlled conditions through Simran and Dhyan, and as soon as he contacts the reverberating Word, the sensory Spiritual Current that is still in the body is drawn irresistibly upwards; and complete physical transcension is achieved.

It is this quality of Sehaj, of naturalness and ease, that makes the Surat Shabd Yoga accessible to all. The music of the Divine Word is vibrating in all alike and he who follows its Path, requires no special physical or intellectual equipments. It is as much open to the old as to the young, to the sinners as to the saints, to the simple as to the learned, to women and children as to men. Indeed, women and children and the unsophisticated owing to their simpler modes of thought and their spontaneous faith often make quicker initial headway with this method than their more sophisticated brethren, though full attainment in this field may demands unwavering perseverance and effort which may not always be forthcoming. As no rigorous and extensive disciplines of food, physical exercise, etc., are required, it does not necessitate sanyasa or complete renunciation of the world and is as much open to the grahstis, the married, as to the brahmcharis, those under a vow of celibacy. Had the pranic and vigyanic systems been the most natural available then we would have had to conclude Nature to be partial; for the physical and mental capabilities they require are distributed unequally among men. If the sun and the air are available to all, why should the Spiritual Gifts be reserved only for the chosen few. Besides, prana and vigyana can at best lead one to the plane of their origin and as they are not purely spiritual, how can they lead to the realm of pure spirit?

However, to say that the Surat Shabd Yoga is the most perfect of the yogic sciences and the most natural, is not to say that it demands no effort and that anyone can just take to it and succeed. Had that been the case, humanity would not have been floundering as it is today. The fact is that Competent Teachers of this Crown of all Sciences are rare and that even when found, few are prepared to undergo the kind of discipline it required. The spirit may be willing but the flesh is weak. Most men are so deeply engrossed with the love of the world that even after having had a glimpse of Inner Treasures they are reluctant to give up their worldly ways and concentrate on that whose possession makes one the master of all that is.

Since the stress in this yoga is always on the inner, never on the outer, no path could in a way be more exacting for the general run of men. How many can spend whole lives in outer ritual and ceremonial but how few can attain perfect Inner Concentration undisturbed by mundane thoughts even for a few moments.

Hence it was that Kabir compared it to walking on a naked sword, while the Sufis speak of it as the Rah-i- mustqim, finer than a hair and sharper than the razor’s edge; and Christ described it as the strait and narrow way that only a few ever tread.

But for one whom the world lures not and who is filled with a passionate Love of God, nothing could be easier and quicker. He needs no other force than that of his own urge, and, purified of earthly attachments by his sincere and strong longing, his soul shall wing homeward borne on the stream of Shabd towards its point of departure, the haven of bliss and peace. And should it confront any obstacles on its homing flight, its Radiant Friend is always beside it to lead it out, and protect it from all pitfalls.

The road through the higher planes lies charted before it as completely as that of the Hatha yogins of the lower bodily chakras and with such a power to bear it, and such a Friend to guide, nothing can deter or entrap, nothing can disturb the steadiness of its course.

Take hold of the garment, oh brave soul,

exhorted Jalal-ud-din Rumi,

of One Who knows well all places, physical, mental, supra-mental and spiritual, for he will remain thy friend in life as well as in death, in this world and the worlds beyond.

And sang Nanak:

He that has found a True Master and pursues the perfect way of the Holy Word, shall, laughing and living in this world, find full freedom and emancipation.

Again,

Like the lotus shall he rise immaculate above the mire of the world and like the swan shall he shoot forth from its miry waters untouched and untrammelled.

Apart from its scientific approach, its comparatively easy accessibility, its quality of naturalness and its freedom from the drawbacks of other yogic forms another distinctive feature of the Yoga of the Sound Current is the unique and pervasive emphasis it lays on the need at every step for a Satguru, Pir-e-rah or Murshid-i-Kamil – a Competent, Living Master. Though something on this theme has been already suggested when considering the three cornerstones, much still remains to be elaborated.

The Guru-shish or Guru-sikh relationship is important in all forms of practical yoga, but it is pivoted here in a unique sense. For the Guru in the Surat Shabd Yoga is not only a being who explains to us the Real Nature of existence, instructs us in the True Values of life and tells us of the sadhans to be practised for Inner Attainment, He is all this, and is more. He is the Inner Guide as well, leads the soul from plane to plane to its Ultimate Destination, a guide without whose aid it would mistake the intermediate stages for the final goal and would encounter barriers which it would be unable to got over.

The role of the Master, being what it is, it is little wonder that all mystics who have pursued this should have sung of Him with superlative reverence and adoration.

In Kabir, we hear:

I wish and long for the dust of His feet – the dust that has created the universe: His Lotus Feet are the True Wealth and a Haven of Peace! They grant ineffable wisdom and lead one on the Path Godward.

In the Sikh scriptures, –

Sweet are the Lotus Feet of the Master; with God’s writ one sees them; and myriad are the blessings that follow upon such a vision.

Guru Arjan, Todi M5

From the Sufis, we have, –

If I were to sing praises of His countless blessings till eternity, I could hardly say anything of them.

Jalal-ud-din Rumi

Some mystics even go to the extent of raising His position above that of God:

The Master is greater than God.

Kabir

The Guru and God both stand manifested, whom may I adore and render obeisance? Wonderful indeed is the Guru who has revealed the God-power within.

Sehjo Bai

All this may lead the sceptic to suspect human idolatry. He may ask: Wherefore this deification of a human being? Wherefore such praise heaped upon one who is mortal?

Mystics at times have responded to this question with Holy Indifference:

People decry that Khusro has turned idolater, indeed I have, but what has the world to do with me?

Amir Khusro

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Source: Excerpt from ‘The Crown of Life – Part II: Chapter I: Surat Shabd Yoga,’ by Kirpal Singh, 1894–1974; Editor’s Note, 2011.