To gain His Pleasure

IV

Just as we cannot say what God is, so it is impossible to describe the Guru. He has a physical form, but He is not the physical form; if He were, what could He give us? If the whole earth became thin paper and the seas turned into ink and all the trees were made into pens, were we to cover the paper with praises to the Lord we would never succeed in describing His Glory.

I used to study in a Christian school, and always had an inquisitive nature. I knew that we said Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj, for in India we attach many respectful terms to the names of Masters and certain respected people, and had noticed that the Christian called their Great Saint merely Jesus.

So I went to a Christian bishop and questioned him: 

Why do you not put prefix to Christ’s name, when even the most insignificant common man is at least referred to as Mr Somebody?

The bishop said, and I can still distinctly remember his reply,

We consider Christ the Son of God, and as we cannot glorify God, so we cannot extol Christ. If we start prefixing His name, we will make Him smaller, not greater.

Another Master says,

You are the Emperor above all; how can You be praised?

Without doubt, there is no equal to the Guru. He who starts seeing another as equal to his Master, his soul becomes an adulteress. Truly, the Light is in everyone, but not manifested as in the Guru. When two great souls meet and see the God in each other, that is something different again – something qualified.

I remember one incident in Lahore in a house called Pari Mahal – Fairy Palace –, where at the time Maharishi Shivbrat Lal Ji was staying on a short visit to Lahore. He was the successor to Rai Saligram Ji, who was one of the chief disciples of Swami Ji. When my Master was told of his presence in Lahore, He went to see him, and I accompanied the Master. It was a very strange sight that I saw. My Master, Who was always the very depth of humility, was trying to touch his feet, but he wanted to touch Hazur’s feet.

“His sweetness is above all others; above the sweetness of mother and father.”

For a child who plays in his mother’s lap, she is the sweetest of all beings to him. The True Devotee who plays in his Master’s lap will place that relationship above all others. 

“Sisters, brothers and all my friends are very close to me; but there is none like You in this world.”

To the child who plays in his father’s lap with no other thought than to try and please him, the father will give what he wants. When all other relationships are broken and the Guru is the only one in existence, then you have succeeded in your work. On this Path, mere words have no value: you must obey His every command. Make you life pure and chaste; do service unto others; be careful of evil words. Love everyone, as God is in every being. When you serve others, you are serving Him.

“By Thy orders, Sawan (the rainy season) came; and I ploughed the furrow of Truth.”

The rain comes in the form of the Guru, like a refreshing coolness upon the parched earth. My Hazur’s name was Sawan. Like a rain of Mercy, They come by God’s orders, and we should take full benefit by clearing up the land of our whole being with Satsang, where all the dirt and filth is thrown out. We scatter our thoughts abroad; but at Satsang we can withdraw towards the Truth. All Master’s encourage this.

Christ says,

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

St Matthew 18:20

There will be strong charging there, even if they are thousand of miles from the Master’s physical form.

Guru Gobind Singh says,

Where five disciples sit together, there God will be.

How can any good come from a gathering filled with criticisms and disagreements?

This Satsang was started with my Guru’s orders, so throw away your laziness and lethargy, and become pure. In Satsang the flow of Mercy is pouring into you, so get the fullest benefit from it. Weed out all imperfections, one by one; that is why I have told you to keep a diary. When the soil is weeded, it is ready for the seed to be sown, then the True Growth can begin. If small pebbles and rocks are not removed, the seed may sprout but will not bear fruit.

“In great aspiration, the seed of Naam was sown; I pray each second for Mercy, that it may bear fruit.”

This seed of Naam, once sown, cannot be set aside by any Power. That seed will bear fruit sooner or later. But without the water of Satsang, how can the seed be expected to sprout green and fresh in all its beauty? Once sown, it will not die, but in unprepared soil it will not fructify. He who does not do his meditation in this life will have to come again. As this seed cannot sprout in any other form, he will be given the concession of not retrogressing below the human birth. But why not complete your mission now? He who is unlearned in life cannot become learned merely by going through that change which is called death. No one should be under the misunderstanding that, having received the connection with the Holy Naam, he has got salvation. He will get salvation, but in how many lives?

“When I met the Guru, I knew He was the only One; my heart can never accept another.”

Once the disciple has recognised the Guru, he can only understand his Guru’s teachings and none other.

Hanuman, Lord Rama’s greatest devotee, was once asked what day it was, and he replied, Oh Ram. On being asked what month it was, he said Oh Ram. He was so immersed in the sweet remembrance of his Beloved that he could think of nothing else. Wherever he looked, he saw Ram, and every person he spoke to was Ram. It is really worth having a Guru if you are receptive like this.

“All the transitory objects have dropped away, since I got the company of a Saint.”

At the feet of a True Guru there are no factions, political fights, or religious wranglings. The Master simply places a man-problem before you. He tells us that when he met his Guru, there was nothing else in his life. He is one, and yet he is not one – this also is a mystery.

He who knows and becomes One with Him, becomes the Doer and the Giver. 

We are devotees of the Light; it matters not in which pole It is expressed: all are one and the same. He whose eye is opened can see the beautiful play of God’s expression.

“Each man has been allotted the task; but success depends on Thy will.”

The Satsang is started by His orders, and He makes the work a success. 

Hazur used to tell us that when Baba Jaimal Singh Ji gave Him orders to start the Spiritual Works, Hazur went to Baba Garib Das and Chacha Pratap Singh Ji, who both told Him,

If we give initiation, the soul might not give salvation; but if you give it, that soul will surely have salvation.

When my Master gave me orders to do the work, I asked Him to whom I should go for such assurance and then added that I would do the work as ordered, but that He should give the protection. Hazur assured me that it would be so. With His support I started the Satsang; it is not mine but His, and He will take everyone across. Whatever blessing He extends is being given out. All credit goes to Him.