Is your Destiny awakened
V
Socially we must live in some religion or other, but the Real Work must be done. True Masters have always been very rarely found. In the days of King Janaka, only one Master could be found capable of giving the knowledge: a first-hand experience. Why expect there to be hundreds available today?
The more there are, naturally the happier the world will be. It is not a case of choosing a certain religion or sect; a moth will rush towards any light, be it in the house of a cobbler, a merchant – any class or caste. Spirituality is a matter of life and life comes from life.
“The unfortunate Manmukh received nothing; the Ruby was hidden behind the point.”
Those without the special good fortune – the Manmukh – remain empty of the Spiritual Wealth.
Guru Amar Das says this of the Manmukh:
He is a manmukh who does not know the Shabd; he knows not the fear of the Guru.
The manmukh is ignorant of the value of Naam – he has not met a realised Soul; or he has met one and yet his mind has no awareness of His – the Guru – being the knower of all things; and so he has no fear. Excuse me, but even after meeting the Satguru, we can still remain Manmukh, for if His Love has not entered our heart, we have no faith that He knows everything. This faith is the thing upon which Spirituality is founded. Faith is actually the root cause of all religion. How can a strong house be built without a proper foundation? Get your heart in tune with the Heart of any truly realised Soul, and daily you will progress spiritually. Those who remain the mouthpiece of the senses, whose attention is scattered in outer attractions, remain Manmukh, even though they may follow the Guru: they will never become Gurumukh. Such people remain in ignorance of the Real Truth and the wealth of Naam.
“The Ruby was hidden behind the point.”
Now, if even a small object is held in front of the eye’s pupil, it can see nothing beyond that object. So, the curtain of ignorance must be removed; and when the Guru gives a sitting and removes that curtain even a little, the Light of God is seen. The more He removes, naturally the more Light will be seen. The wealth already exists behind that curtain, but that curtain cannot be removed by one’s own efforts.
If anyone thinks he is capable of such a task, then let him try. But, if we can rely on the words of the Masters, Who all say the same thing in Their own ways,
No one receives without the Perfect Guru, even if one earned millions of good karmas.
The Inner Eye must be opened. Even though we can open the physical eyes, yet the Spiritual Eye remains closed; and while having everything within, yet we cannot see: there is only darkness.
Guru Nanak says in the beginning of Asa Dewar,
If hundreds of moons and thousands of suns shone, yet with all this light it is dense darkness without a Guru.
All Masters have declared that God is Light.
By meditating upon Naam, the Light of millions of suns becomes apparent.
The sun may be risen, and yet if a person is blind and cannot see it, all is darkness for him. So, the matter of greatest importance is to first have the Inner Eye opened by the realised Soul, Who opens the eyes of thousands.
Maulana Shamas-i-Tabrez says that we have blessed thousands with eyes who were born blind. He is speaking of the Inner or Spiritual Sight. Even if a physically blind man is given a sitting, he will see the Light of God within, for he will see with the Inner Eye.
Those are not blind, oh Nanak, who have no eyes on their face; those are blind, oh Nanak, who do not see the Beloved.
In the opinion of Guru Nanak, the blind are not those without physical sight, but rather are those who have broken away from God and who have not developed the eye with which to see the Lord. In such cases, the literate and illiterate alike are blind if their Inner Eye is not open.
Hazur Swami Ji says,
The Guru says that the whole world is blind, for they have not seen the Inner World.
It is a very sweeping remark – the whole world is blind. Why? Because most of the world’s population never see this Inner or Spiritual Path which goes across the physical, astral, and causal planes.
In the Gurbani it states,
Oh blind man, you did not know of the Path. This is the hidden Pathway which takes the soul beyond all planes and leads it to the Lord.
Guru Ram Das has clearly told us:
“The unfortunate Manmukh received nothing; the Ruby was hidden behind the point.”
It is a very minute curtain behind which an immeasurable wealth is hidden, and the removal of this curtain is the work of a God-realised Master.
When the Satguru comes, the eye can see; within the house the Truth is realised.
One then needs no confirmation from others, for he will see for himself.
Maya – illusion –, and Brahm – the Lord of Creation – are not separate, for Illusion is the reflection of Brahm. Brahm’s expression is Maya; so see Brahm in it and do not forget him.
Gifts are loved, but the Giver is forgotten; one knows not and thinks not of death.
If our angle of vision is turned towards the Truth, then illusion cannot affect us. But, those who serve illusion are eaten up by it. The worldly people throw themselves, nay, give their very lives up to the torments of illusion, and never give a single thought to the Truth. The whole of a man’s life goes to waste like this.
“If the destiny is written on the forehead from beyond, then the Satguru gives the service.”
One can meet a Satguru only if that special destiny is written on his forehead. And, what is the Satguru?
Satguru is the image of Truth.
Satguru is One Who can bring His Soul above the mind and senses at will: One Who has become One with the Truth
His Name is Satguru Who realises the Sat Purush; in His company the disciple is uplifted – oh Nanak, then sing the praises of God.
One can sing the praises of God truly, only when in the company of a God-realised Soul.
So, Guru Ram Das has told us that if great destiny is awakened, then one meets a Satguru and one has the double good fortune of serving Him.
The third good fortune is gained by those who keep His commandments. He who sacrifices everything will decorate the altar of the Guru’s commands with flowers. The heart should be receptive to His Heart. It is God’s special Grace then to be able to meet the Satguru; it is a great thing. When you meet Him, you can be connected to the Naam, and, from then on, enjoy the daily contact through meditation. In this way, both devotion and faith will develop. When the disciple becomes receptive, all the earnings of the Guru will descend upon him.
The saddest part is that even after meeting the Guru, we do not become obedient; this is why we remain empty. The Satguru can be served only through devotion, faith, and receptivity. Without the development of receptivity, the full benefit is not derived.
Guru Amar Das says,
The Lord is realised through devotion to the Guru; then easily He resides in the heart.
“Oh Nanak, the gems are received; praise be to the Gurumat which attracted us to the Lord.”
All praise be to the Guru’s knowledge – Gurumat: the teachings of the Guru – through which God was realised. And, with His knowledge what is received? The invaluable Jewel, the Treasure of Naam, through which the Lord is realised. With great good fortune one receives contact with Naam, and then one works hard for it.
In this hymn, Guru Ram Das has explained which, among all souls who have got the human form, have the highest destiny and meditate upon the Naam.
With such awakened destiny, he develops all around, giving his physical form in service, increasing the scope of his intellect, and along with these he meditates upon Naam. Such a person truly makes his whole life a success and thereby finishes the succession of births and deaths.
This is the teaching of the Masters.