The Real Reality

II

Let us for a moment think over the way we come into the world. Can we say how this body came into being? Every offspring takes after the fashion of his own species. What is there to give shape, substance, and form to the seed in the body? There is some Power that does this. We have to know this Power and to get into touch with It. This we can do only in the human form. Thus their appeal, the appeal of the Enlightened Ones, proceeds to their own bodily senses: 

Oh my eyes, God has placed the Light of Life behind you; it is now incumbent upon you not to see anything else but the Light of God. Oh my ears, God has placed the Divine Harmony (Sat Bani) behind you. It is, therefore, necessary for you to listen to nothing but the Voice of God.

The ancients speak of Sat Bani as the Music of the Spheres. This music is going on eternally. The Voice of God has been reverberating in all the ages and speaks of the True One. Though the Music of the Spheres is going on all the time, we are not conscious of It. How to get a conscious contact is the next question.

The scriptures tell us: 

The Word of the Master is immanent in the entire creation; it emanates from God, and God Himself (in the form of Godman) makes it manifest wheresoever He willeth.

Again it is said: 

Whosoever gets in touch with It safely ferries o?er and gains Life Eternal.

Coming back to the appeal of the Enlightened Persons to Themselves, we have: 

Oh my palate, thou hath endlessly been enjoying the pleasures of the tongue and yet have never felt satiated.

The most delectable and the most palatable thing in the world is the ambrosia of Naam or the Holy Word. The Saints tell us that we should take delight in taking this Elixir of Life instead of running perpetually after sense-pleasures. We are overflowing with all kinds of impressions coming from earth-life and, as such, are leading merely a superficial life on the surface of our being, far removed from the centre of our being. Even when in the dreamland, we are haunted by worldly objects. Why is it so? Simply because we never had an opportunity to tap inside. And we have never known what we are and who we are. We love the world because of our love for the body and the bodily needs. We have never realised that the beauty of the body is due to the soul in it. The moment the life-currents are withdrawn, the body becomes a heap of dust and loses all its charm: 

So long as the soul dwells in the body, the body remains in fine trim; the moment the soul leaves the body, worldly possessions become of no consequence.

Thus we see that the world and worldly riches hold out their charm only when we are living in the body. The Enlightened Souls try to bring home Eternal Truths to us in so many different ways. They come neither to build nor to demolish any social order or religious formation. They only try to place before us the right perspective of life. They tell us to remain where we are, socially and religiously, but not all the time on the level of the senses. The senses lead us into a wrong direction, and we generally become the slaves of the senses. They tell us the correct values of life and wish us to take full advantage of the human birth, which occupies a place on the top rung of the ladder. With all our spectacular advancement in science and technology, we are yet far away from happiness. 

A Muslim Divine in this context says: 

There is but one aim and one purpose of all education, the aim and purpose being that one should know one?s Self. Thou evaluates the cost and worth of everything; what a pity! you know not your own value and worth.

We are very wise and know a lot about our physical being and how to keep it fit and fine. In the realm of intellect as well, we have taken tremendous strides. We are busy investigating the inter-planetary systems. The knowledge of the Reality is quite a different thing, and we have never tried to probe into it nor do we know the means to do so. The scriptures cannot help us in this matter. But an Awakened Individual, even if He is not learned, can give us an insight into it. And if the Awakened Soul is adorned with learning, the learning gives Him an added embellishment, for He can present to us the Truth in so many different ways as a spiritual academician would do. 

Bulleh Shah, a seeker after God, went to Shah Inayat, an Arian Faqir ? a farmer by profession ?, and inquired from Him as to how one could find God. At that time Shah Inayat was busy in transplanting some plants from one place to another. 

The Faqir replied: 

My friend, you have simply to change the direction of your attention from one side to the other ? 

from world to God. 

If we are really in search of God, we will have to do this. God is the substratum of the world. The science of soul and God is not as difficult as we think or as our priests have made it. In all empirical knowledge, we have to work on certain hypotheses; but in God-Knowledge, we have to start with self-analysis. We have to separate the material body from the non-material soul. And this is done by concentrating the soul currents at the eye-focus. It is both simple and natural, and it is at once the most ancient and the most modern. In this scientific age, it is presented in a scientific fashion. The Saints move with the time and have to express Themselves in the language of the time. We are already living in the physical, astral, and causal worlds at one and the same time. But, unfortunately, we are aware of our physical existence only. There is, however, in us the possibility to traverse into the astral and causal worlds as well; and to transcend into the beyond if we will. 

In this life, we want to solve the riddle of the universe; but we are going the wrong way. The Evolved Souls come time and again to apply the reverse gear to our mad career in the world. We hardly pay any attention to Them and much less try to understand Them. 

The blessed Lord Krishna, after having explained to his warrior disciple and friend Arjuna, said: 

Have you heard what I have said? Has my talk gone deep in your heart? Do you feet at home with what I have said? How far have you escaped from the delusion of the world? See for yourself as to where you now stand.

In the present age ? Kali Yuga ? there has been no dearth of Sages and Seers.

We have before us the psalm of Guru Nanak: 

In this juggler?s play of the world, he alone is happy who drinks the Elixir of Naam; and the rest, being in the grip of desires, do deeds of darkness and carry a heavy load on their heads.

This world, says Guru Nanak, is a sleight of hand from the great magician. It is all a magic show with no reality in it. We are living in a grand delusion where things are not what they seem to be. This magic show begins from our body. We consider the body as the be-all and end-all of human existence. We never for a moment think that there is some Motor-Power behind us. When once this Power withdraws from the body, the whole play comes to an end. All of us are taken in by this empty show. 

Kabir tells us: 

When a juggler juggles about, people come around to see the play.

We, one and all, are running after the play of the world. We are flowing with the current of time ? some laughing and some wailing. When a child is born, the people feel elated and celebrate his advent with gaiety, not knowing that some soul has been entrapped and enchained. 

Again, Kabir says: 

A soul enchained to the body can never be happy.

If one were to learn how to transcend body consciousness, one begins to know what is liberation. Here a question might arise as to why God became a trickster. This question may better be asked from One Who has played the trick. He wished it and so it happened. From One He wanted to become many. 

Nanak tells us: 

From One, myriads of currents flowed, creating the entire creation in so many forms and colours.

Our question is why the creation is on the level of the senses. When we are able to merge into the will of the Creator, then alone we can know why He willed it so. It may even be added that all such questions would end when that stage is reached. On the level of the intellect, we cannot say whether the seed or the tree first came into being. The intellect fails to answer this question. If, at all, you want to know it ? the secret behind the creation ? you will have to rise above body, mind, and intellect.