The Destiny of a Gurumukh

I

When a True Master accepts a disciple, that person’s status changes.

We were lost wanderers whom not one befriended; accepted by the Satguru, we were then recognised.

He becomes an ‘accepted’ soul, under the care of the Master. We all live in the human form, but a really True Human Being is very rare. One Who has compassionate feelings for others, Who is the very image of Love – so much so as to be filled with nothing else – can be called a True Human Being. Such a being has the power to radiate this Love to the whole world.

God is Love; but we have not seen Him. However, we can see the personification of Him manifested in some True Human Being, Who is the Power of God working on earth in a Human Pole. That person is Love personified. Many kinds of strength have a certain power, but how can one gain a portion of that power? A strong man’s physical strength is a part of him; he seems to be one with it, but by witnessing the extent of its power, one can get a feeling of what strength is like. So Masters give some indication of what God is, that can be observed; and the radiation of Power can be transmitted to others.

They proclaim,

There is God – we have seen Him.

Guru Nanak says,

Nanak’s Emperor is clearly seen.

Christ told His followers to,

Behold the Lord.

He gave no further explanation.

From Kabir Sahib we have,

Kabir says my doubts were removed when I saw the All-pervading Lord.

Many Masters have made similar statements. And where is that Lord? The thing is, where is He not? The whole of creation is His –

With one Word, millions of rivers were created.

His thought was,

I am One and wish to be many.

So the God-into-Expression-Power came forth from Him, and the whole creation came into being.

All the world we see is the image of God; the image of God is before us.

All the Holy Scriptures tell us this, that God is everywhere; but the Masters say,

We have seen Him.

After our getting this human form, the Greatest Aim before us should be to realise God. The scriptures all cry out ‘God, God, God’ in different languages and in various ways, but when the Masters come They prove beyond all doubt that God exists, and they bear witness to having seen Him.

No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.

Who are these Sons or children of God? They are those in whom He is manifested. They are the Word made flesh.

In the Guru, He Himself manifests and distributes the Shabd.

In desperation the True Seeker cries out,

Anyone, who will connect me to God!

Through the advent of such a Master-Soul the people can gain actual connection with the existence of God – otherwise they live in doubt, though they may strive to realise Him through books or through any of the practices. Some say that God does exist and He vibrates in every being. Some say that God is Light and He illuminates the entire Creation – there is no place where He is not. But the question remains: Has anyone seen Him? If even one man has seen the Lord, there is hope indeed that others may have the same experience. This type of privileged person is sent to the world by the Lord Himself, and he may come in any race, any country, with the sole purpose of guiding the child – Humanity – to bring it to the Father.

Why does God manifest Himself in the Human Pole? Because man’s teacher must be a man, for men can only be taught the Truth by one in the same form. Apart from the work of returning the lost souls to their Source through joining them back to God, the Masters have no other purpose in the world. They have no social interest, no political pursuits; Their attention is centred on Spiritual Matters. All other events are side-issues. Man has got a body, he has got intellect and a soul – he is a soul. That which we call the soul is an all-conscious entity. You may develop the body and the intellect, but as you are the soul itself, then develop spiritually also. With very little effort one can become a tower of physical strength or an intellectual giant, capable of discovering amazing new inventions. It is well to feed the body and the intellect; but what food have we given to the all-conscious soul?

We go on believing God to be all wisdom, All-Light, All-Life, All-Love, but where is He? To try and clarify the problem, He has been given various names – to help the people to understand. We should respect all those names, which represent the Lord.

I surrender myself joyfully to all Thy names.

But it is not a question of names; it is the Named with Whom we are concerned. We must grasp that which all the names signify. When a True Master comes, He shows us that One thing which the whole world worships by different names. He does not say, ‘God is all Light.’

He says,

This is the Light – His reflection.

He explains that although it is true there is no place without this Light, yet It must first be seen in this body, the very temple of God.

How is it that a Master can see the Lord and we cannot? Because in us, the mind is blocking our sight. We have four phases – Chit, Manas, Buddhi and Ahankar, i.e., subconscious, mind, intellect, and ego – and we cannot see the Lord until all these are stilled. Although the atmosphere is seething with animate life, yet a man of ordinary intelligence will hesitate to believe this, for he cannot see that life with the naked eye. The Masters say that one should definitely not believe unless one has seen for oneself.

As long as I do not see with my own eyes, I cannot believe even the Guru’s words.

If a man makes a statement, he should be prepared to prove it. Whoever declares there are certain microbes in the air, he should be able to show them to others; and through the aid of microscope, as you know, this has been made possible. Those tiny microscopic beings have always been there, and yet seeing is believing.

So when and Enlightened Person says,

There is God, and He is Light, and He resides in each and every being, and He is our Life-sustainer,

then you will know that He is truly enlightened if He can show you this very same Light within you. We close our eyes and insist that there is nothing there, but He Who can see something can show it to others.

In the company of the Saint, the Lord was seen within; then the name of God was sweeter.

In this way, Simran – the repetition of God’s names – becomes our worship. You can remember this: when you begin to savour some delightful sweetness in the name of the Lord, you will know that it is the first step to your permanent Spiritual Marriage.

If we take His Name by force, there will be no nectar, for only that can be enjoyed which can actually be tasted.

Without seeing, without the natural turmoil of the search, how can one gain by mere repetition?

Empty words are full of nothing, but if for example we have once tasted a sweet mango, then at the briefest mention of the word, the sweetness of the fruit will come to mind. And so it will be, if a certain someone gives you a taste of the Nectar of the Lord. Then, you can call Him by any names you like; each will be as sweet as the other.

The Guru gives a contact with that permeating Power of God.

Through the Guru’s blessing, God takes up residence within us; someone may get the True Fruit.

If, through some Enlightened Soul, the Lord becomes apparent to you, then you will begin to enjoy the intoxication of God. Without any doubt you will know that God is there. The rishis, munis, mahatmas, all the sages who have come, have said that there is the Power of God in the world; even atheists have agreed to this and say,

Oh mighty atom!

However, the difference is that on one hand God’s praises are sung by One Who sees him, and on the other, His praises are sung through books or by hearsay only. One Who sees the Lord will be able to give a demonstration; and He is usually called a Sadhu, Sant, Mahatma, Guru, etc. The very meaning of the word Guru is to bring Light in the darkness –

The dispeller of the darkness.

Naturally He will also be qualified to give the right interpretation of the scriptures, which otherwise are explained in various ways by different persons.

We are all born as human beings, with the same God-given privileges. Where does God reside? In the house He himself has made in the womb of the mother, but the key of this house is given to the Guru. How can we get the key?

To whom takes the Guru’s words, in truth will He open up the secret.

The Guru then reveals the mystery of life. The True Master has ever been in existence. They came in the past, even now the world is not without Them, and They will come in the future. After all, each and every one is God’s Child, and He extends His unshakeable constants law of demand and supply. Wherever a fire is lit, oxygen will come to help its blaze. When the people, through outer impressions, become suffocated in their own narrow-mindedness, and see only that in which they are wrapped, forgetting themselves and their innate royal nature, then the Master comes to revive them, to awaken them from slumber and to pour life-giving water upon the arid desert.

Awake, awake, while you slumber the play is running to its end.

A greater part of life has already been exhausted, very little is left – maybe ten, twenty, thirty years. Have you realised the Lord? Those who came in contact with a Master unravelled the mystery and made their lives brilliantly successful. But when Masters leave the world, schools or colleges are formed which we call religions, to keep Their teachings alive. Furthermore, each school was labelled separately, and so we now have Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and various others. Does the Lord Himself brand each being with a certain religious mark when sending him into the world? In the Lord’s eyes, all are just His children, but man has segregated himself from His fellow beings. While the Living Master remained on earth, many received the benefit of His presence; but when He left, the loss of His life-giving radiation resulted in stagnation deterioration of the schools of thought. The same good old custom corrupts itself, and then the Master must come again to reawaken the souls.

Oh brothers, you are living in forgetfulness – we are all One as man.

We all have this golden opportunity to make the most of our human life. Everyone has the same chance, so we should get the realisation now, or again we shall have to go through the never-ending cycle. All Masters emphasise that now is thy turn to meet God –

Now you have this form it is thy turn to meet God; all outer work is valueless, gain the company of some Sadhu and repeat only the Naam.

Keep the company of Him Who is Word made flesh, in Whom God is manifested; for He will give you a demonstration of Spirituality which can be increased day by day.

Outer teaching, which we call Apara Vidya, are helpful, but one should not accept them blindly. Investigate the reasons why certain rites are performed – why the lamps are lighted and bells are rung, and so on. If you continue your inquiries until you find some real information, your time will be well spent. To blindly perform rituals may yield a little peace of mind, but they offer nothing valid. No matter what we do, unless we increase in awakenedness it will amount to little. Learn to differentiate. Inherit the Truth, and make the best use of the untruth. Go to One Who is fully awake, Who has full powers of differentiation. You may call Him by any name; some say Guru, or Sant, or Maha Purush, or Sat Purush. Although all are men, yet Maha Purush is One Who is awakened – a True Man. Sat Purush is He Who becomes One with the Truth itself. We are all purush or conscious beings, and we are all fortunate to have been given the human form; it is a grand opportunity to realise the Lord.

Apara Vidya is a term which categorises the outer practices: repetition of names, austerities, prayers, devotional rituals and customs, pilgrimage, alms and donations, scripture study, songs of praise, etc. – they are all connected with the mind and the senses. We will gain reward from these good actions, but in doing them one’s doership remains, and as long as we regard ourselves as the doers, we shall continue to revolve around this interminable cycle of birth and death. While the ego remains, both good and bad actions are binding; as Lord Krishna said,

[…] like gold and iron shackles.

What is the basic cause of all this? Desire. The tenth Guru says that one should be desire less. Lord Buddha said the same. If there is no disturbance in a pool of water, one can see one’s reflection in its limpid surface. But the I-hood cannot be cast aside until one sees that some higher Power is doing everything. Such knowledge reveals one to be but a mere puppet in the hands of God.

Whatever words come from God are given out in knowledge.

We also have,

Nanak speaks only of that which he is ordered.

And so the cure is: Become the seer and see the Lord at work in everything.

Para Vidya is to connect the soul with the Truth.

Ego and attachment are consumed by the fire of Shabd; Gurumukh gets the Everlasting Light.

This Shabd can only be received from the Guru. There is Ashabd, which is the Wordless God, but when He expressed Himself, that expression is called Shabd or Word.

Through the Shabd, creation came into being, and through the Shabd, dissolution occurs.

Creation, dissolution and again creation – it all happens by the Power of the Shabd. And where is the Shabd?

Shabd is the earth, Shabd is the sky; through the Shabd the Light came; creation came after the Shabd; oh Nanak, the Shabd is in every being.

Shabd is also known as Naam, so we have:

Naam is the Nectar of Life, It is the name of God, and in this body does It reside.

When can you see It?

When the senses are controlled, the mind is at a standstill and intellect is calm – then the soul perceives in crystal clearness.

It is the first stage of realising the Lord. Self-knowledge precedes God-Knowledge, so when one knows who one is, by rising above the senses, one then realises why it is said that,

Self-knowledge is God-Knowledge.

Great is Man; we are all micro-gods, but unfortunately we have forgotten our lofty heritage by remaining under the influences of mind and senses, and identifying ourselves with the body and the outside world. To secure release from this illusionary state, it would be useless to seek assistance from one who also is stuck fast in illusion; we must find Someone Who has become free, One Who sees the whole of existence in True Perspective.

Only when he is dragged out, can man be released.

Think of an over-burdened donkey who gets stuck in the mud or quicksand; with such a load, it is impossible for him to get free. His merciful rescuer will first unload him, and then drag him out. So we should remember that on our heads rest the karmic loads of age upon age, and as long as that burden is lifted, and our attention pulled upward, we will not see the Truth.

Anyone can call himself a Sant or Guru; in name only this is very easy. But to be such a personage in reality – why just thinking about the tremendous responsibility He carries, the soul shivers in fright! Be grateful to the Maker Who gave you this human birth, wherein you can realise Him. It is thy turn to meet Him, through the silence of the heart – through rising above all faculties. If a True Personality resides in the world, can one meet Him?

Christ once asked His disciples,

Whom do men say that I am?

And they told Him that some said He was John the Baptist, others said He was Elijah, and others said He was one of the prophets.

Jesus then said,

But whom say ye that I am?

And Simon Peter answered Him, saying,

Thou art the Christ.

So it is a question of opening the Inner Eye. A True Mahatma may seem as an atheist to some people, and to others like God Himself. Those whose Inner Eye is not open are really atheists in the true sense of the word. Such people have ever persecuted the Masters. Just see how they thrust a crown of thorns on Christ’s brow. Guru Nanak was forbidden to enter the city of Kasur, for they accused Him of corrupting the minds of the people. Paltu Sahib was burned alive, and Guru Arjan was made to sit on a red-hot plate. Shamas-i-Tabrez, a Muslim Saint, was skinned alive. Mansur al-Hallaj was put on the stake. Then when these Great Souls leave, people start worshipping the places They frequented.

While living, the Fathers were scorned, after death They were worshipped.

So,

God’s song is the company of the Sadhu; this is the highest karma.

The outer sacred songs can be sung anywhere by any person, but the True Song of God can only be sung in the company of a Saint.

When you transcend the five elements, you contact the five-sounded Shabd.

Of all the karmas we have got accounted against our names, this is the highest reward.

Nanak says he receives this gift as dues from past lives.

If God showers His Mercy, we get the most valuable gift.

Now I will take one hymn; listen carefully and try to understand. When the whole of the Bhagavad Gita was revealed to Arjuna, Lord Krishna asked him,

Have you listened to all this? If so, how much have you truly understood?

And then to fully understand is also not enough; one must go on to realisation. He Who is fully realised is a Satguru or Sat Purush – He is the Word made flesh that St John spoke of.

Christ Himself said,

Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, hath Eternal Life.

People have forgotten the true meaning of these words: that

The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

He was the Bread and Water of Life. You dear ones who have come from faraway lands – I have Great Love for you in my heart. We have come here to learn the Truth; and whatever comes forth, I speak. The God-Power or Christ-Power under Whose care you are taken is in you and shall never leave you; that remains forever.

Service to a Satguru is the highest destiny; you are constantly in contact with the Truth.