He came to make us Satsangis

II

All scriptures and Masters have said there are only two ways to reach the Ultimate Goal: the way of living and the way of religion. What is religion? It is the same as ultimate Truth – to realise the Power of God manifesting in and sustaining the entire creation. The way of living is the first step. It means inculcating the habit of truthfulness in all its aspects. One of these aspects is the observance of chastity. Chastity is life and should be observed in thought, word, and deed. The real significance of marriage lies in having a life partner who will stand by you under all circumstances – pleasure and pain, riches and poverty. Both partners should co-operate with each other in striving to realise God. We should have Love for all and hatred for none, for the entire creation is His manifestation. And then we should render selfless service. Ahimsa, non-injury, is thus the highest dharma.

Sheikh Farid says,

If you wish to meet your Beloved, do not injure anyone’s feelings.

Maulana Rumi says,

You may indulge in intoxication, or burn the Holy Koran, or set fire to the Kaaba (holiest place of the Muslims) but do not hurt the feelings of anyone.

Let us take the outer life of Hazur. He was married at an early age, but His wife died before the marriage was consummated. He married again after reaching the age of 25, and thus completed 25 years of complete celibacy. He Himself used to say that His stay with His family during His whole life would total not more than six months. You can see what a disciplined life He led. Hazur’s practical life should be an eye-opener for us. He used to hand over His full salary to His Guru, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj. Out of that, Baba Ji would send money to Hazur’s family. He used to go to His home town to see His family only if Baba Ji desired Him to. He was often asked how it could be that He was a householder and Saint both. He always said that from the time the Spiritual Work was assigned to Him, He stopped being a householder. Observance of celibacy is a great blessing, and Hazur always attached the highest importance to chastity. Even at the age of 90 He used to roar like a lion! During those days there were no loudspeakers, and He could be heard giving a Satsang from a long distance. He had Divine Grace on His loving face. This was mainly due to His strict observance of a highly ethical and chaste life. We are losing this essential virtue. God only knows what the future will be if the present trend of utter callousness towards moral standards continues.

Hazur had many virtues which we need, especially in our present state of delusion and despondency. He always had a cheerful and pleasant personality. He had all smiles on His ever-glistening face. Those who have seen Him know that He had immeasurable Love in Him for His children, as we are. He would cast such a loving and soothing glance on us, as parents might after meeting their child after a long separation. His Love towards His children was much more than the love that hundreds of fathers and mothers have for their children. A single life-inspiring glance of His was capable of raising us to great heights. Eyes are the windows of the soul.

Swami Ji says,

These eyes are the windows that open to the abode of God.

Whenever someone bowed to Hazur in reverence, He would say,

There is nothing down at my feet. You can see me through my eyes.

Hazur used to tell us that when His son died, He felt no trace of grief, for He knew he had been a sacred trust from God, and He could take it back at His will. These things are common in the lives of Saints. Cheerfulness was one of Hazur’s many virtues. This is one thing we should learn from His life.

Have you ever considered as to where the senses derive their power? It is from the soul itself. Newton was solving certain mathematical problems on the roadside when a blaring band passed by. Someone asked him if a band had gone that way. He said that he did not know. His attention was absorbed at that time in solving the problems. Many times it happens that we do not hear even a loud sound because our attention is focused at some other point. Our attention or soul is thus the driving force of our outgoing faculties.

One whose Inner Self is overflowing with bliss will be cheerful and have a sweet tongue. Out of the abundance of his heart a man speaks. Whenever Hazur laughed, it was real and hearty laughter. Those who saw Him laughing were fortunate indeed. That life-giving laughter of Hazur can never be forgotten. The Great Souls fill the entire atmosphere with Their radiation. By just a thought of such a One, we feel uplifted.

After the partition of India in 1947, a large number of people had to emigrate from Pakistan. Some of them could not bear the shock of leaving everything in Pakistan and died soon after. It was very difficult to console them. But, those who came to Hazur had an instant soothing effect from His charged words. His simple words, Now do not worry, were enough to bring solace to them. Whoever went to Him was touched by His sweet and soothing words. Kind words don’t cost anything.

Kind words spoken with humility are the quintessence of all virtue. He was a really competent Master, and yet He possessed humility. It is rightly said that humility is the True Adornment of Saints. This should be a great lesson for us.

Hafiz says,

Kindness and consideration for both friends and enemies bring comforts in both the worlds.

Do not think ill of anyone, even your enemies. Hazur once wrote to me,

My dear, discomfort in life is the property of Saints.

He quoted an Urdu couplet:

The moment I was destined to love, sighs were given as cash grant and desert as property.

He continued:

In Satsang all sorts of people come. There are some whose hearts are overflowing with Love and devotion and who are ready to sacrifice their all – body, mind, wealth. There are some who only indulge in lip service and calumny. They are always ready to criticise and slander.

And, then He added,

But our duty is to love all. If they do not give up their hateful habit, why should we give up our loving habit?

This letter has been the sheet anchor of my life so far, and it will always remain my guiding principle.

The purpose of our life is to become a Satsangi – to get a link with the Truth.

If we attain that, we shall remain contented and happy with the entire creation.

Semen is the essence of our body. It is the driving force, a vital fluid. The more of it we have in our body, the healthier we will be. One who practises celibacy is great and brave enough to face hundreds of people single-handed. If such a man has Spiritual Understanding, he is a great soul indeed. Those who are deficient in this essential virtue are incapable of any worthwhile progress. In the Shastras it is said that to waste even a drop of semen is death, and to conserve it is life.

Guru Nanak has also said,

Whoever loses semen loses everything.

We should mould our lives according to the scriptures. As already explained, the purpose of marriage is to have a companion through the thick and thin of one’s life. Both should strive to reach the Ultimate Goal. Procreation is only one insignificant aspect of married life. From the time of conception until a child is weaned from the mother’s milk, there should be absolutely no self-indulgence. In this way, once conception occurs, there will be a break of two years or more in sexual relations. This is what the scriptures prescribe. If one has two or three children on this pattern, he is regarded as a chaste person.

The Bible says,

Husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church.

Further,

When you sit for prayer, love the Lord as if you never had any wife.

This should be our highest ideal.

Tulsi Sahib goes even further and says,

If you are truthful, humble, and consider all women as your own mother, and still you do not realise God, I as His servant will be your surety.

Prophet Mohammed has also said,

If you can control the two organs – one between the two lips and the other between the two thighs – I will be responsible for your liberation at the Court of God.

To commemorate a Great Soul is to imbibe His teachings in our practical life. Mere lip-service is no use. When we are practical, blessing is invoked. We should learn a lesson from Hazur’s life. We are here in His remembrance and from this day we should resolve to lead a pious and disciplined life. We should have regular self-introspection by keeping a diary. You have just to become chaste and you will find that you have developed supernatural powers of perception and foreknowledge of world events. And, if such a chaste life is dyed in the colour of Spirituality, then the great capabilities of that person can be imagined. So, purity of heart and chaste life are the main prerequisites for Spiritual Progress.

Tulsi Sahib says,

Clean the closet of your heart and remove all worldly thoughts, to make room for the Lord within.

We have to realise God through purity – in both diet and conduct – and by developing receptivity through constant remembrance of Him. You need not renounce the world and go to the jungles to realise God.

A Persian mystic says,

I do not ask you to remain aloof from the world. But whatever you do, be with God.

You should not forget the Lord at any time, and always remain thankful to Him. If you develop such receptivity, you are free from bondage.

So, purity of thought, purity of diet, and purity of conduct are most essential. If our Inner Self is free from all blemishes, the Divine Light and Celestial Sound will emerge in the silence of our heart. The very silence will become vocal. Our meditation is not successful because we have yet to come up to the necessary standard.

Kabir says,

If our heart is polluted, we shall be pushed out of the Kingdom of God.

Tulsi Sahib says that He wouldn’t believe anyone who claimed to know the Master.

So, people knew about Hazur only to the extent He chose to reveal Himself. He was the glistening gem of humility and chastity. He had Divine Attraction in Him. Those who had a chance to see Him for the first time, even from a distance, would notice in Him the piety and greatness of a Saint. We should learn at least four virtues from His life today – sweet speech, cheerfulness, chastity, and humility.

If we imbibe these virtues, we shall have a complete metamorphosis in our lives. Maintain your diary from today and see the result.

This is Hazur’s Grace: that you get practical experience at the time of initiation. It has to be developed further by devoting sufficient and regular time to meditation. The common excuse for neglecting meditation is the paucity of time. Don’t forget that you have to die some day. And, only you can accomplish your meditation – no one else. It is not like offering ritual prayers that a priest can do for you. Successful meditation brings abundant blessing, perfect satisfaction, and concentration.

After all, we have to commune with the Truth which is already within us. In order to become a Satsangi, you have to stop being a Mansangi – one who is linked with the senses. So, we have to do away with our association with sensual pleasures in order to obtain the Ultimate Truth. We are fortunate indeed that at the very first sitting, at the time of initiation, we get practical experience of Spiritual Bliss. This is Hazur’s Grace and blessing. He has never forsaken us. We must make ourselves worthy of His Grace. The Master-Power never dies. Only the Pole at Which It manifests changes.

When I was in America, they asked me,

When is Christ returning?

I said,

Has He ever left you? Did He not say, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world?

That Power works through different Human Poles. It is within you.

Those who have been initiated have to withdraw their attention from outside and rise above body consciousness. To accomplish this task, you may take help from the Human Pole at Which that Power is working. So, mould your life if you wish to become a Satsangi. His abundant Grace is already there to lift us up spiritually. We need a Competent Guide Who can put us on the Right Path and Who can be a torch bearer in our Spiritual Journey within.

Kabir says,

He who calls himself a Satguru or Sant, let him show us the invisible Lord.

Only such a Master, Who is capable of opening our Inner Eye – the Third Eye – is competent to become our Spiritual Guide. He gives us the initial capital of Naam with which to start. We then have to do our part by regular practice and self-introspection. By Hazur’s Grace we got the initial capital, and left it at that. If we intend to reach the Ultimate Goal, we shall have to mend our ways. To remember Hazur once a year is not enough. We should sit in our Master’s sweet remembrance every day.

To forget the Master is to lose His protection, thereby giving an opportunity to the Negative Power to pin you down. Nevertheless, the Master-Power is not going to forsake you in midstream. He has mighty protecting hands. The seed of Spirituality sown by Him at the time of Initiation must germinate sooner or later.

No one can destroy this seed. But, if you do not prepare the soil conducive to its germination now, you will have to be reborn – no doubt as a human being – to accomplish the task, for the seed sown by a Competent Master must germinate and sprout fully. But, why delay and prolong your torture? You have gathered in the remembrance of Hazur, Who was a living embodiment of Truth. So, make a firm resolve today.

Finally, I would again emphasise that you must strengthen the foundation. If you take one step in the right direction, the Master will come a million steps to guide you and help you.

This is a guarantee which I give you on behalf of Hazur. People enter the world crying, and after leading a life of suffering and misery, depart still crying. Lead such a disciplined life that you depart from this world with a contented smile on your face, and people remember you. The diary I have prescribed after thoughtful consideration will go a long way in helping you in your progress. Continue living in your respective social structures and religions. All are noble in their purpose.

We are all One as man, and from the soul level we are also One. We are all children of God. The same Controlling Power is controlling us all.

This is the teaching of all the Saints.