Sb199210

Sant Bani Magazine October 1992

The Voice of the Saints

V O ~17-NO. .

4

n-

I

Sant Ji's Visit to Toronto

Sant Bani Magazine The Voice of the Saints October 1992 - Volume 17, Number 4

Enter the True Temple of God Sant Ajaib Singh Ji a Satsarzg from Alberta Jzr rze 17, 1992

Don't Be Attached to the Ashrams Sant Ajaib Singh Ji a quesfiorz arzd arzszocr talk Febrtranj 3, 1982

Taste the Sweet Devotion Sant Ajaib Singh Ji a nleditafion talk, J u t ~ e22, 1992

Sing the Praises of Naam Sant Ajaib Singh Ji a medifatiorz talk, \ m e 23, 1992

Do the Sight-seeing Within Sant Ajaib Singh Ji n talk before bhrrjam March 4, 1992

Sant Ji's Visit t o Toronto A. S. Oberoi a yersorlal account

Bound Volumes Available

Photocredits: Cover, pp. 1, 2, 12, 17, 23 (top), 28, Pat Brown;

p. 20, Charlie Boynton; pp. 22, 23 (bottom), Mary Gibson SANT BANllThe Voice of the Saints is published periodically by Sant Bani Ashram, Inc., Sanbornton, N.H., U.S.A., for the purpose of disseminating the teachings of the living Master, Sanl Ajaib Singh Ji, of His Master, Param Sant Kirpal Singh Ji, and of the Masters who preceded them. Editor Emeritus: Russell Perkins. Editor: Richard Shannon, with kind assistance from: Laura Bryan, Randy ludington, Mary Fewel, Edythe Grant, Chris Rinehart, and Susan Shannon.

Annual subscription rate in U.S. $30.00. Individual issues $2.50. Back issues $2.50. Foreign and special maillng rates available on request. All checks and money orden should be made payable to Sant Bani Ashram, and all payments from outside the U.S. should be on an International Money Order or a check drawn on a New York bank (with a micro-encoded number). Correspondence should be addressed to Sant Bani Ashram. Franklin, N.H. 03235, U.S.A. Articles, including stories and poems, o n the theory and practice of Sant Mat, are most welcome. Views expressed in individual articles are not necessarily the views of the journal.

Enter the True Temple of God Sant Ajaib Singh Ji

F

Our soul is a resident of Sat Lok; irst of all I bow down at the feet of my beloved Masters, Lords Sawan she is of the same essence as Sat Naam, and Kirpal, Who have showered so and she is a drop of that vast ocean. much grace on us and have given us She has forgotten her home, her origin. this opportunity to sit in Their remem- She has taken the company of the mind brance. They have showered so much and the organs of senses, and being in grace on this poor soul, because in Spir- the company of the mind and organs of ituality I was on the verge of going senses she has completely forgotten her bankrupt.

God and her origin.

If we become conscious of how No mahatma comes here to start any much we are lacking in Spirituality and new religion. They do not come to break how weak our soul has become, then any of the old religions. They come we will definitely set out in the search into this world only to remind us of the for the Master. relationship of our soul with God AlWhen the true love and the true mighty. They just come to renew the yearning is created within us to meet link of our soul with God. God Almighty, then He Himself makes All the Masters tell us that God is the arrangement to meet us. Master Kir- within us and just by inverting ourpal Singh Ji used to say that it is the selves within we can meet Him. Guru law of nature that there is food for the Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj, Maulana Rum, hungry and water for the thirsty.

Shamaz Tabriz, Pipa, Bhagat Ravidas, Saints and Mahatmas lovingly ex- all these past Masters have laid emplain to us that this city or this plane phasis that God, for Whom we are where we are living does not belong to searching, is within us and we can reus; it is not our own, and all the things alize Him only after going within. which we have in this city or this plane Mahatmas also tell us that everyalso do not belong to us. All the rela- thing for which you are searching is tionships such as mother, father, broth- within you, everything is within you er, and ail the things which we see or and if you are searching for Him outcrave are temporary. One day either we side you are in an illusion. will leave them or they will leave us.

You know how well we maintain the purity of the temples which we have This satsang was given June 17, 1992, made with our own hands. We have during Sant Jih visit to A & K Farm, in made temples, mosques, churches and Rimbey, Alberta, Canada. other religious places, and we maintain October 1992

3

the cleanliness and the purity of those places. We understand that it is very important for us to visit those holy plates. We take very good care of them, we don't smoke there, we don't take anything dirty in there, we always keep the place very clean and as pure as possible. But we do not take as good care of this temple which God Almighty has made for us, this living temple, this human body, this real temple in which God Almighty is present, not even as much as we take care of the outer temples and mosques and churches which we have made ourselves. We do not keep any purity in this temple; we do not maintain the cleanliness within this human body. Sometimes we put meat in it, sometimes we put the other things in it. You know that not even a dog wants to sit in a dirty place, so how can we expect that holy and pure God who lives in Sach Khand to come and manifest within us.

We also know that pleasures lead us to the diseases and diseases lead us to the sufferings, but still our crazy mind does not want to stop. Tulsi says, "Clean the abode of your heart to let the Beloved come in." He says, "First of all make the place within your heart clean if you want to make your God sit there." Give up paying attention to others if you want Him to manifest within you. So we should read the writings of the Masters carefully. A brief hymn of Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj is presented to you. He did a lot of searching for God and He worked very hard, and in His old age He came in contact with His Master. Whatever He gained in His search, whatever He received in the

4

Path of Spirituality, He has written that in His writings.

By the grace of the Master, You see that the temple of God is within you.

Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj says, "The temple in which God Almighty is sitting has been given to you by God Almighty Himself." This human birth has been given to you by God and this is a precious gift. It is an opportunity to do His devotion. If you lose this opportunity without utilizing it for the purpose for which it has been given to you, you never know whether you will get it again or not.

Just as we make temples and we make the doors to those temples, in the same way, this temple, the human body which God has created, also has the doors or openings. It has ten openings, nine of them open towards the physical world which we see. Those nine openings or nine doors are the two eyes, the two nostrils, the two ears, one mouth and two down below. And the tenth opening or the tenth door opens toward God, it opens within.

We cannot open the tenth door by ourselves because we do not have the knowledge. We do not even know where that door is. So we will have to go to such a competent one who has opened this door, He Who goes through that door every day. The One Who owns this house has put a lock on that door and He Himself has the key. Unless we take refuge at the feet of the Master we cannot get the key and open that door.

So that is why Guru Amardev Ji SANT BANI

Maharaj says, "First of all go to a competent Master Who goes through this door, Who can open this door for you."

Because only a teacher can teach you and only a wrestler can make you a wrestler. In the same way only He Who has gone within can take you within.

instead of getting any peace, we lose whatever peace we had. Then we think that maybe by getting married and having a wife or companion we will get peace and happiness, but that also doesn't happen. When we get a companion, when we get married, and if we do not get along with our companThrough the Shabd search for the ion, we lose all the peace which we have. And then our life which we were temple of God; thinlung of making peacehl becomes Enter within it through the Naam like a disaster, it becomes like a hell. of God. Then we think that maybe when we Our journey begins from the bottom of have a child we will have peace. But our feet and it goes up to the Eye Cen- when we have a child, and if the child ter. It has two phases or two parts to it: doesn't obey us, then we lose our peace one is below the eyes, the other is be- of mind. And if God Almighty Who yond or above the eyes. We can search has given us that child takes that child for this temple and go within only with back, then also we lcse our peace of mind. You can ask those parents whose the meditation of Shabd of Naam. children have died, whether they have 0 my mind, the color of peace any peace of mind. You will find that comes only by dyeing in the they don't have any peace of mind, they are always without the peace. They are color of Shabd. always upset.

Then we think that maybe by accuWhen we bring our scattered attention mulating worldly wealth we might get to our Eye Center by doing the Sirnran, and get ourself connected with the peace. But go and ask the wealthy peoShabd, then our mind gets peace. Until ple-when the wealth comes we are then our mind is wandering here and always afraid that we may lose that there outside in the pleasures of the wealth; and when we have to pay the world and he does not have any peace. lawyers and doctors and we start to Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj means to lose the wealth which we collected, that say that there is no peace, there is no same wealth which we thought would contentment in any of the worldly ma- bring us peace, when it leaves us it leaves nothing but sufferings for us. terials.

Then we think that maybe the scholWe know that when we are children we think that when we grow up and ars or learned people have peace, but become young adults, then we will have the condition of the learned people is peace; then we will be happy. But when that the more they learn, the more they we become young adults, then many study, the more they lose their peace of desires and fantasies are created, and mind. It is beneficial to read and learn October 1992

5

only if one practices what he has scattered attention to the Eye Center learned. after withdrawing from all over is called Sehjo Bai says, "The wealthy peo- "dying while living." That Naam is an ple are very unhappy, and poor people unwritten law and an unspoken lanare the form of unhappiness." Sehjo guage.

About that same thing Guru Sahib says, "The Sadhus who have learned that unique secret are the only ones says, "The thing which you have come who are happy. There is neither happi- into this world to receive, you can get ness in learning the knowledge, nor is only from the Masters. Give up your there happiness in argument or debat- pride, give up your ego, and within your ing." Sehjo says, "Only those sadhus heart weigh that Naam."

You read in the Sukhmani Sahib are happy who have attained the position of Sehaj."

[The Jewel of Happiness] every day.

Guru Nanak Sahib says, "If you do Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj has said not believe us, go and ask those who there, "Naam is supporting all the do so much reading and learning. One Khands and Brahmands, and Naam has does not get peace by reading and learn- created all the creation. This whole world is surviving only because of the ing; go and ask the gyanis."

Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj says, support of The Naam. No word has "Peace is only in the Naam. Peace is any power to create this whole creation. only in the Shabd. When the color of Naam has created this creation and it the world goes away from us and when is sustaining all the creation." we get dyed in the color of the Naam, only then do we get the real peace and It is the true devotion, it is the happiness." We people, belonging to true temple of God manifestall different religions, do believe that ing which the True Guru is peace is in the Naam, that liberation is attained. in the Naam; but we do not know what that Naam is. Is it a Power or is it a The meditation of the Shabd Naam is the true devotion, and this is the true word?

Guru Angad Dev Ji Maharaj says, temple, entering which we can meet "Our eyes cannot see it; our ears can- the true Lord. not hear it, and our tongue cannot speak of that Naam. Our hands and feet also This body is the temple of God within which the jewel of do not work there. We cannot climb that hill by using these physical hands knowledge manifests. and feet because it is a spiritual climbing." Guru Angad Dev says, "Until we You may read the writings of any Malearn how to die while living we can- hatma. The writings of the Mahatmas not have that Naam." "Dying while liv- do not leave room for any doubts. If ing," what do the Masters mean by say- there is a question in one line, in the ing "dying while living"? To bring our following line is the answer to that ques-

6

SANT BANI

tion. Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj said, God? What do we do when we see that "You can enter the temple where God a small crack has been made in the resides, only with the grace of the Mas- outer temple which we have made ourter." Now He says, "The temple whose selves? We are ready to kill thousands praises I have been singing up until of temples of God, which God Almighty now, I am not referring to any temple has Himself made. After lulling them, which is made outside; this human body if we ourselves get killed, we call ouris that temple." Whenever you get the selves martyrs who are protecting the knowledge of God, you will get it only religion. Just to maintain and save the after going within this body. temples which we have made ourselves, You don't have to leave your homes we are ready to 1 1 1 the temples which and families. You do not have to give God Almighty has made. Dear ones, up your children. You do not have to one cannot become a martyr, one canconvert from your religions and go into not realize God, by killing the creaany other religion. You just have to in- tures which are made by God. He who vert your thoughts by sitting at the feet loves God also has love for His creaof such a Mahatma Who goes within. tures.

And just by changing the direction of your thoughts you can easily enter this This temple of God is created by God, temple, you can easily do the devotion of God. And He has adorned it with the Will of God. God is not the personal possession of any particular person or any particular community; a Hindu may go within Now Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj says, and develop spiritually, or a Muslim "I am talking about that temple which God Almighty Himself has made, may do it, or a Sikh, or a Christian-it doesn't matter whether one is a child where God Almighty Himself resides, or an old person, anyone who does the and which is being maintained with the devotion, who goes within, can get this support of the Shabd." This temple of wealth of Spirituality and meet God. God is made up of five elements: fire, No one particular community or reli- earth, water, ether, and air, and all these five elements oppose each other. But gion has the right over this. only because of the presence of the power of God or the Shabd, this temple The manmukh does not know the exists.

Reality and thinks that the human being cannot be a Whatever is written in your destemple of God. tiny, you have to enjoy and suffer; Now He says that we are the manNo one can erase it. mukhs. We are the fools; we are crazy.

We don't understand, and we wonder: how can a human body be a temple of Now Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj says,

October 1992

"Dear ones, whatever is written in the destiny of a person, that cannot be erased by anyone." If God Almighty has written in someone's fate that he is supposed to go and meet God and that he will enter this temple, the writing of God Almighty cannot be erased by anyone, whatever is written in the person's fate, he gets that.

Only those in whose fate or destiny it has been written that they will meet the Master, only they meet the Master.

They remove the darkness of ignorance, and within them the light of knowledge glows. Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj says, "0 Lord, if it was within our reach to find You and be with You, then why were we separated so long and why are we suffering so much?

Only the Mahatmas Whose inner eyes are open talk about the Reality.

They describe the Truth, and further, those upon whom God Almighty showers His grace, they listen to the words of the Masters and they follow Him. Master Sawan Singh Ji used to say that we people say that we go to the Satsang, or we sit in the meditation, or we went to receive the Naam initiation.

We say all this only as long as our eyes are closed. When our eyes get opened and when we manifest the Shabd within us, then we realize that it was not we who were going to the Satsang, or doing the meditation, there is a Power Who was encouraging us to do the meditation, and there was a Power Who was bringing us to Satsang.

One gets the happiness by realizing Shabd, He loves the true Naam.

8

Those who have achieved peace have done so by doing the meditation of Naam. They fall in love with and they get attached to that Shabd Naam, and all the time, whether they are sitting, standing, or doing anything they are always in love with that Naam.

This temple of God is beautiful with the presence of Shabd, A limitless fort of gold it becomes.

At first the dacoits are sitting in this temple. The dacoits are lust, anger, greed, attachment, and egoism. They have made this temple dirty.

Because we are outside and the dacoits are sitting inside, it is up to them whether they will take away or plunder everything.

When the owner of the house comes in and does not tolerate them, one by one they leave his home. And then, when the owner of the temple comes in and all the dacoits leave, then this temple becomes worth seeing. Guru Arjan Dev Ji Maharaj has said, "Those who have seen the Perfect Master, they have improved their life."

This whole world is the temple of God, But without the Master it ispitch dark.

We realize, after going and searching within, that this body is the temple of God. Then we come to realize that this whole world is the temple made by God. But we get this awareness only afSANT BANI

ter meeting the Perfect Master, when we go within and we realize ourselves.

We recognize ourselves only when we remove the physical, astral, and causal covers from our soul and go to Par Brahm. Then we see that our soul is of the same essence as that of God, and our soul also recognizes and realizes that she also has a God. No weapon can cut the soul, no fire can burn the soul, and no wind can take the soul away. Soul is immortal, as God is.

The difference of one being male and another being female exists only in this world. Over there, the soul is neither male nor female. She is neither a resident of America, or of A h c a or of any other country. She is a parrot of the country of God and she speaks the language of God. This parrot, the soul, comes from Sach Khand, and taking the company of the mind she gets imprisoned in this cage, this human body. And wherever she is born, in whatever community or religion she is born, of whatever country she is born, she speaks the language of that particular country or that religion. But He says that this parrot of love, the soul, is imprisoned in this cage. If she gives up all the false things, and eats the food of the Truth, the food of the Shabd Naam, she can fly out from this cage all at once forever. She can easily go back to the place from whence she has come. Now when the soul is born in whatever religion or in whatever country or community or society she is born, she speaks the language of that, and she is attached to all these worldly things. But if she beOctober 1992

comes detached from all that and eats the food of the Shabd Naam, she can easily fly back to her home.

The manmukhs who worship Him in another form are blind and unwise.

The body, the caste, and the religion do not go where they ask for the accounts.

Now Guru Sahib says, "What is our condition?" We have made our own gods; all these different religious people have made their own gods. And we hate the other people who do not do the rites and rituals, who do not do the devotion of God according to our practices.

Every religion says, "Our rites and rituals are true, they are good, and the other people's rites and rituals are not good." This is the only reason why people fight.

There are numerous divisions in every religion, and even though they believe in the same God, but still they do not agree with each other.

But Guru Arjan Dev removes this doubt, this illusion. He says, "Dear ones, the place where your accounts are going to be settled, over there neither your body will go, nor your caste, nor your religion will go." Over there, you will not be able to say, "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," or "I am Sikh."

Because neither your body nor the religion in which you were born will go with you. Only your deeds will go there, and your accounts will be settled only according to your deeds.

Kabir Sahib says, "0 people, all of 9

you will be drowned if you are relying on your religion. Upon whom will you rely when they take you to the hneral pyre?"

Those who are colored in the k t h are Liberated.

The others are the suffering ones.

Who are peaceful ones, who are the liberated ones? Only those who do the meditation of Shabd Naam.

The treasure of Naam is within the temple of God. The unwise egoists do not see.

Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj says, "That Naam, whose Glory I am singing, whose importance I am talking about, that Naam, which cannot be bought at any price, is nowhere outside, that Naam is within you."

Naam is within us, but the key to get that Naam, the key to open that Naam has been given into the hands of some Mahatma by God. God always sends the Mahatmas Who have that key; this world is never without the presence of such a Mahatma.

With the grace of the Master, the treasure of Naam is found and is kept within.

Whoever has searched for Him, whoever has achieved peace, whoever has gone within-it is very important, it is necessary, that he had to go to a Mahatma who Himself had solved this riddle, who Himself had gone within.

10

The Bani of the Master is known by the Master Who is dyed in the color of Shabd.

Those who merge in the Naam of God become the pure and h o b ones, even if they were sinners.

Only the Mahatmas know the Bani of the Mahatmas. So here He says that the Bani which is going to liberate us is within us. Some Mahatmas have called it "Gurbani," some Mahatmas have called it "Naam," some Mahatmas called it as "Kalma" or Bang-iAsmani, Christ called it the "Word" or "Logos."

The temple of God is the storehouse of God which is adorned with the Shabd.

In it there is only one commodity of Naam, which is taken or bought by the Gurumukhs.

This body is like the trading place of God, in which the Gurumukhs enter and do the merchandise of Naam. Gurumukhs are the ones who search through this man body; the manrnukhs are lost and have forgotten that everything resides in this body, all the Khands, all the divisions and grand divisions of this creation.

The iron form [mind] is also within the temple of God. He is dead because of worshiping other [things].

But He lovingly says, "Your greatest enemy-Mind-is also sitting within SANT BANI

this body. He is like the rust on iron which cannot be removed. Rishis and Munis tried their best to go within, but they did not become successful, they became just a handful of bones. Rishis and Munis were not bad people, they were very good, they worked very hard, but their minds did not let them go in.

They did not have the Perfect Master, and they were proud of their own selves.

By meeting with philosopher k stone, the iron form [mind] becomes gold, whose price cannot be estimated.

In the temple of God, the Lord Who is present within all resides.

Now Guru Arjan Dev says, "In this temple of God, God resides." And He resides within everyone. It is not that He only resides in the Masters and the Saints, and does not reside in the other people; He resides within the Master and also within the disciples. Last night in Satsang I said that the only difference between the Master and the disciple is that God has manifested within the Master, whereas the disciple has come to the door of the Master and that God has not yet manifested within the disciple.

When Master Sawan Singh Ji passed His engineering course in Roorkee, after He had graduated there was a tea party in which all the teachers and the students sat together and visited. There the professors of that college said, 'Wow there is no difference between you and us, because after getting the degree,

October 1992

you also have become like us."

The same thing happened with me also. In Poona, I graduated from the course for becoming a wireless operator. After the course was completed our teachers made us sit next to them and they told us, "Now your qualifications are like ours; we are the same."

When we go to learn from those engineers or those teachers, they explain to us in many different ways, sometimes they even rebuke us. In the same way, when we are learning from the Masters, They are concerned for us, They are worried for us. And through Their words They even rebuke us, because They don't want us to become the slaves of our minds and the organs of senses. But when we manifest that Shabd within us, then our Master becomes worriless for us. He does not need to remain worried for us. Because then He knows that we have gone above mind and the organs of senses.

When a child is young, when the child is ignorant, the mother is worried for the child, and she is always making sure that the child does not fall in the drain, or that the child does not put his hand in the fire. So she is always worried about that and she is always making sure that no harm is done to the child. But when the child grows up, the mother does not have to worry about that child.

In the same way, our Master also knows that we are ignorant ones and that is why He is concerned for us and He always makes sure, and He always looks after us. He does not want us to get into the dirt of the pleasures, and that is why He always goes on telling 11

It will be the true merchandise. us that we should not do that. But when we rise above all these things and when we manifest that Shabd within us, then Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj lovingly explained all the things to us, and finally He does not need to worry about us.

Masters do not become careless af- He says that this is the true merchanter giving us the Naam Initiation. Giv- dise, the business which the Saints, the ing the Naam does not mean that He beloveds of God, come into this world blows in your ear and says, "Now I to do. Those who go into Their comhave become your Master and you are pany, those who listen to Them lovingmy disciple;" it is not like that. Giving ly, They make them also do this true Naam Initiation is giving the Power. merchandise of Naam.

So as Guru Amardev Ji Maharaj has Master Sawan Singh Ji used to say that if you want to see the protection of the lovingly explained to us, we should also do this true merchandise of Naam. We Master, go and see an initiate dying. should also do our devotion, the meditation, and make our human birth Nanak says, f we do the busiworthwhile. ness like the Gurumukhs, SANT BANI

Don't Be Attached to the Ashrams Sant Ajaib Singh Ji very simple. I hope that you will like this place a lot.

In 77RB also a very simple ashram was made and that is why it took no time to demolish it.

When the Masters leave this world, the people forget Their teachings. They look at the ashrams and buildings which They have made and they get attached to them. They do not realize that the Master Who made that ashram also did not take the ashram with Him, yet they think that they will be able to take the ashram with them. So instead of remembering the real teachings of the Master, they get attached to the bricks. They forget what the Master's purpose was in making the ashram and those buildings.

Well I am very happy that you have Masters make the ashrams only for liked this ashram, and whatever I say, the convenience of the dear ones who regarding the mistakes made by the come to see Them. They make them Saints, it is not what I have said, these for the convenience of the people, so are the words of my beloved Master that they can meditate there. But after Kirpal; He said this. the Masters leave, the disciples always The life of this ashram is also not look at the property which the Masters very long because this is made of mud have left; and everyone tries to move and wood, as you can see. Not much to the front, everyone tries to become money has been spent in making this noticed by the other people, desiring ashram, and we have not invested a lot that they will get the property which of money in it. I have kept this very, the Master has left. They forget the teachings of the Masters, and instead fiis question & answer talk was given of remaining attached to the teachings, February 3, 1982, at Sant JiS new they become attached to the property ashram, at Village 16 PS, Rajasthan. or the bricks that the Masters have left.

Sant Ji, this is my first time to 16PS Ashram, I for one find great peace and beauty here, there are fay places on earth like this where each brick has been put in place with such love. Yet I have heard you say that the one mistake which Saints make when They come into this world is to make the ashrams. I have lived in many ashrams and I know that in the life of my own Master, Baba Somanath Ji, His beautiful ashrams became an overwhelming burden to His disciples. With 77RB ashram now demolished and 16PS ashram now born is there some new [Will of God] whereby Ajaib j. traveling ashram will become a boon to His disciples rather than a burden?

October 1992

13

In my former village, before 77 RB, tion. He opened my eyes in respect to in the Kunichuk ashram I had made a the inner world and He closed my eyes very beautihl building, I had invested from the outer world. a lot of money in making that, and When I left this place, it was besince so many people used to come cause the pain of separation from my there, everyone would ask me, "You beloved Kirpal was so much that, redon't have any children, you don't have maining at this place, I was not able to any family, who is going to take care bear it. So I left this piace and went to of this property after you? In whose 77RB. There I built a very simple, a favor are you going to write the will?" very muddy ashram. When I made that People used to come to me and both- ashram no one came asking me, "Who er me with questions like that. At that is going to be the owner of this properplace I came in contact with beloved ty after You leave?" No one came to Master Kirpal. So when He came, look- me aslung me in whose favor I had ing at my condition, Master knew ev- written the will for that ashram. erything that was in my heart; He was So I mean to say that when the MasAll Conscious and All Knowing. So ters make any ashram or any buildings He knew and that is why He said, "Even for the convenience of the people, if it the Saints make one mistake on this is very big, people come to know about earthly plane and that is of malung the it and then people start asking so many ashrams or the buildings." questions like this because they do not So when He came there He asked realize the purpose for which the Masme how much land I had and how big ters make the ashrams. They always the property was. I told Him to come get attached to the buildings and the with me onto the roof and I showed ashrams made by the Masters.

Him the boundary of my land which The ashram that Baba Bishan Das was fifty kilas or thirty-two American made was paid for by my own earnacres. I told Him that I owned all that ings, and when Baba Bishan Das left the body there was no other successor property.

He said, "I am very happy that you to that. There was no other heir to that have all this property; but I will tell because Baba Bishan Das did not have you that you should leave this place any disciple other than me. So when and go to 16PS. Don't take anything that ashram, made from my earnings, from here. Whatever animals, cows, and became completed He told me, "Your things like that you have, give them to job is not to get attached to this ashram; the daughters of.the other people. Don't you should continue your search until take even a little thing from this place; the time when the One Who is to fill go to village 16 PS and meditate." your bag will come to you by Himself.

So I left there without taking any- You should not get attached to this thing from that place and I came here. place, and you should not claim any And this is the place where my Master possession of this place. You should ordered me to go into full time medita- not even look at this place."

14

SANT BANI

So when Baba Bishan Das left the body, the people of that village came to me, requesting that I should come and live in that place, but I said, "No this is not the order of my Master."

Then they said that since there was no controversy there, there was no other disciple of Baba Bishan Das, they told me that I should nominate someone who could take care of that property.

But I said, "Well if I nominate anyone in my place, it is the same as if I was going and staying there. So I will not nominate anyone; it is up to you.

You can decide whatever you want to do."

So I did not go and get myself attached to that place; I did not even look at that place.

Since Baba Bishan Das gave me those orders I did not get attached to that place. That ashram is still existing in that village Chana in the state of Nahba in the Punjab. It was a very beautiful ashram, very great.

I mean to say that people always fight over the properties left by the Masters. When Master gave me the orders to leave the property of Kunichuk ashram and come here, on the worldly level it was very difficult to obey that order, because we people are attached to the properties and worldly things so much that we do not want to leave them. So when He gave me that order, outwardly it was very difficult to obey Him, and for once the heart felt it. But Master used to say that when a potter makes any pot, outwardly he hits the pot but from the inside he keeps a supportive hand. In the same way, Master put me through a very difficult test,

October 1992

and it was all by His grace and His own bravery that He made me pass that test. It was not my courage, not my bravery, that I was able to pass that test; He Himself put me to the test and He Himself made me pass that test.

I did not ask for any worldly thing from my Master, which does not mean that He did not give me any worldly thing, He gave me everything and still He is giving me a lot. Whatever I need, He gives me that. I had asked only Master from Him, and I had told Him, "I have an empty mind and an empty brain and my within is empty for You, so You please come and manifest Yourself within me."

He told me, "I have come from so far only looking at your emptiness and your mind."

The Path of the Masters, or the Way of the Saints, is not the way of talking; it is the Path in which we can improve ourselves. This is the Path in which we have to realize ourselves. We have to go within and we have to realize ourself and realize God. I spent many years searching. I went to many Sadhus and Mahtamas, I visited many organizations, sects and religions, and when I met my Master after that also I did not waste any time.

When He told me to come to this place and meditate at 16 PS, I did not come out to see people, I did not meet anyone. I had only one sevadar attending me, otherwise I did not have anyone else with me.

Master had become very weak physically in His last years. When He told me to do the meditation, He told me, "I will come to see you myself You 15

should not come to see me." So during His last days, with His weak old body He came here. You know that Masters also have some other body through which They can go to Their disciples whenever They want; no mountain and no ocean can stop them, because the love of the disciple is such that the Masters will be dragged there.

So when Master IOrpal came here, looking at the weakness or the condition of His body, my sevadar who was here told Him that He should not go downstairs to see me. When He came I had been in the deep samadhi for the last three days, and I was not coming out, so the sevadar requested Master that He should not go down, because His body was very old. But Master Kirpal replied, "No, where Ajaib can go, I can also go."

At that time Master said this: "Come on friends, let us go to see the battlefield. Let us go to the battlefield and see where the warriors are fighting; when they are fighting and getting killed they do not complain and they continue their fighting."

The disciple gets the Perfect Master only if he is the very fortunate one.

But this is my personal experience, that if the Master is fortunate, only then He will get a real, a true disciple. It is not a little thing for a Master to get a true disciple in His lifetime.

Master used to say, "God is in search of man, when people become man then God Himself comes searching for him."

Those who used to see me with my Master used to say, "Kirpal is fond of Ajaib."

You see that the disciple should be 16

fond of the Master, not the Master should be fond of the disciple. But people who have seen me with Master used to say, "Kirpal loves Ajaib," because of the way He would treat me, the way He would love me in front of other people. Whenever I went to see Him, He would never let me sit in front of Him, He would never let me sit on the floor, He would always have me sit with Him. And as a father feeds his child, in the same way, He would feed me. He would give me so much love that many times I would weep, and I would ask, "How come You are giving me so much love? You are Sat Purush and I am just a worldly jiva, why are You showering so much grace on me?"

Whenever I would go to see Him at the place where He stayed in Gunganagar when He came on tour, when He would find out that my jeep had arrived He would at once come out of His room to greet me. After seeing Him, when I would go back, He would come out and see me off and wait there and keep standing there as long as He could see my jeep. I have seen this with my own eyes. I say this: that He was great, He was all truth and He came into this world, as He used to say, "Saints always come for giving."

He came into this world to give andHe did not have a limited amount of grace to give to a limited amount of people-He had grace for everyone.

People got fiom Him according to their receptivity, according to their vessels.

If everyone would have become receptive to His grace, everyone would have gotten a lot of grace from Him because He brought a lot of grace in this world SANT BANI

and people got according to their vessels, according to their receptivity.

Whenever Master would get ready to leave, after completing His tour, I would say, "One should never love the foreigner, no matter if He is very valuable, or if He is very good."

Then Master would reply, "In a way the foreigner is good because after he leaves, whenever you remember, you weep for him and that is good."

I know that Masters have a lot of love for the Sangat. The Saints always have a lot of love for Their dear ones, because They know that the Sangat is Their family and the Sangat is going to become the spiritual heir or the owner of the spiritual property of the Master.

The physical family members may become the owner of the physical property but since the Masters love the Sangat so much and They know that the Sangat is going to become the owner of Their spiritual property, that is why They have so much love for them. In fact the Masters have more love than millions of worldly parents would have for their children.

Dear ones, I have not made this ashram so that after I leave people should fight over this ashram. I have made this ashram for the convenience of the dear ones, so that people may do the meditation here; and since it is made only of mud and temporary things, that is why it's life is not very long.

I do not have any connection with the members of my family. Never have I visited them and they have never come to see me. [Since He became the Master-EDITOR] Hazur Ku-pal showered a lot of grace 18

on me and that is why my family members used to call me mad; they even wanted to take me to the [mental] doctors and get me the electric shock treatments. So I told them, "If you think that I am m a 4 it is not good to keep connection with a mad man, and you should not come and see me." It was all Master Kirpal's grace that they stopped coming to see me, because they used to say that Kirpal had put something in my head and that had caused the madness to come to me. I would reply, "Yes, firpal has put a lot in me, He has taken over my soul; and I will lovingly tell you that remembering the name of Kirpal, many millions of sinners have got liberation. If you also remember Him lovingly, if you also do His devotion, you can also get the liberation."

Right from my childhood I always had this longing in my heart to see that hidden power which I had never seen. I always had this desire, I always had this wish, in my heart, "Will I get any Master like Nanak, or Kabir? Will I come across some Master Who is like Kabir and Nanak, Who will cool down my heated heart?"

So we all should work very hard, because Master is sitting within us. And when we will work hard, having a lot of faith and love for Him, since He is sitting within us, He will know about that; and He will at once open His door for us. He is not unjust. Whenever He sees the longing and yearning within us, He will at once open His door for us.

Masters become very happy when They are able to help Their disciples SANT BANI

when They are able to pull Their disciSo in the same way, our work is to ple a little bit inward; and They be- sit and beg from the Master. Our work come most happy when They are able is to sit at the door of the Master-and to manifest the stream of Shabd within since the Master is not unjust-He is them. sitting within us and when He sees our Bulleh Shah said, "After coming to longing and yearning, He will definitethe Master's door we have become the ly give us whatever we need. You know misers. God and Master are our friends, that when the beggar comes to your but we have become misers as far as place he does not say, "Only if you doing Their [devotion] is concerned." give me something, only then will I We have become misers in doing praise you, or say 'God bless you.' " the meditation; as the misers do not Without knowing whether he will get spend their money, in the same way, anything or not, he starts blessing the after we have gotten the Naam medita- people, saying, "God bless you" and tion from the Master we are not ready when he does that, the people from to use it, we are not ready to meditate whom he is begging are compelled to on it. Master has not given us the Naam give him something. So in the same for keeping it, He has given us the way, when we will sit at the door of the Naam to meditate on it. That is why Master with longing and love for Him, He always says, "You do the medita- when we will beg from Hirn, when we tion and you struggle hard in your med- will request Him, then He will defiitation. Struggling with the mind is what nitely give us whatever we need.

I will tell you that, up until now, no we call meditation."

Whatever amount of meditation one who has worked very hard in this Master made me do, during that time I Path has gone empty handed from this never sat in meditation with the thought court. Those who have worked hard, in my mind: "I will see this thing," or having yearning and longing for the "I will have this experience," or "I won- Master, have realized peace for their der if my soul will withdraw from the soul in this lifetime. body or not." I never had any thoughts The eyes which have love for the like that. My job was to just sit in His Master get only love from the Eyes of remembrance and let Him do whatever the Master. And while they are workHe wanted to do. ing for the Master, they do not ask for We are like the beggars, and it is any payment. His Eyes have the love the work of the beggar to go to the for the dear ones, our eyes receive the people's place and beg. He should not love from the Beloved. The Eyes work put this condition, that I will beg only for the eyes, and They do not make any if he will give me something. His work excuses while working for the dear is to go and beg, and then it is the ones. [See also Sant Ji k bhajans "0 work of the householder who is going Aka1 Ke" and "Takle Mana Oe Kirpal to give the thing to decide whether he Pyare Tai"for more on eyes.]

Farid Sahib said, "As long as the should give to him or not.

October 1992

19

girl is not married, she thinks about souls he would have to carry the burgetting married; but when she gets mar- den of them, he would not be willing ried, then she wishes she was not mar- to accept that commandment of His ried."

Master. He would tell the Master, "MasTo give the Initiation to any soul is ter, when You are going to take us back not an easy thing; you have to carry to Sach Khand, what is the use of dothe burden of many karmas of ones ing this seva?" whom you Initiate. I will tell you that I mean to say that when you give if the disciple knew that by doing this Initiation to others, when you get this job of giving the Initiation to the other job of giving Initiation to others, you

20

SANT BANI

have to carry the burden of millions of karmas of the disciples.

Only those whose inner eyes are not open want to become the Master; but those whose inner eyes are open never want to become the Master, they always try to hide themselves.

This is true, that I tried my best to hide myself; and I made the plan in 77 RB to make a small room and stay there, live there all my life without coming out. But when I was making these plans, people from across the oceans and from all over the world were pulled, were attracted, to this place. When people started coming here, those people whom I had told about my plan to stay inside and not come out, they started saying, "On one side, Sant Ji is saying that He does not want to come out, He will stay inside. But on the other side, people from across the ocean are being pulled here. People who used to live on the seashores, and in very cornfortable places, how are they coming here to this land of sand? Why are they paying their homage to this land of sand?

Whose grace is this? Whose power is this? This is all the grdce of the meditation; this is all the power of the meditation."

So we should never become thieves of meditation. We should do our meditation.

I hope that you have gotten the answer to your question. The purpose of my making this ashram is not that people should fight over this after I leave.

This ashram is very simple, it is muddy. And I hope that you will under-

October 1992

stand the purpose of my making this and that you will do your meditation while you are here.

I myself never got attached to any ashram in my life, because I changed many ashrams, nor do I want my sangat to be attached to the ashrams.

In my life I have worked very hard, I have done the meditation and I have spent my life in that experience. That is why I tell my sangat, "You should work hard and do the meditation, because by doing meditation you will also get something."

Kabir Sahib said, "Happy are the people of the world, those who sleep and eat and enjoy. Unhappy is Kabir who stays up all night in the remembrance of the Almighty Lord."

This is because no one has achieved God by enjoying the world. If God could be achieved by enjoying the pleasures of the world then what was the use of suffering the pains.

"0Kabir, the meditation which you have done will not become useless; no matter if the seven oceans come in the way, but still It's fragrance, It's effect, will reach the other side."

Master replies to the questions of the dear ones, those who meditate.

There are many dear ones who come here and tell me that before they came here they had so many questions, but during the meditation [program] they have gotten the answers to their questions and then they didn't need to ask those questions.

Thank you very much for preparing this very good question for many days.

Tiaste th Sweet Devotion

I

bow down to beloved Gurudevs, Sawan and Kirpal, Who have given us this opportunity to do Their devotion, Who have allowed us to sit in Their remembrance.

Only by eating the fruit of the tree can we know how good that tree is, what the value of that tree is. In the same way, only those who have done the devotion of God Almighty know how sweet it is and what is the benefit of doing it. We cannot grow this fruit of devotion in any field. We cannot obtain it by using force and power. We cannot buy it in any marketplace. We can receive it only by our true devotion and true humility, and we can get it only by going to the Beloveds of God. No matter how clever, how smart, how wise and how learned an intellectual a jiva is, still he is helpless in front of the karmas. We all are compelled to pay off the karmas of our past, but Masters make us fiee and They have told us that it is up to us to make our future.

Whatever seed we sow, we will have to harvest that crop. So that is why the Masters make us free. And They tell us that it is up to us if we want to go back into the cycle of sufferings. Or if we want, we can choose to go back to our Real Home.

We can understand and make the best use of the human life only after we go to the Perfect Masters, obtain the Five Sacred Names from Them and live our life according to Their teachings. So it is our duty to do the Simran. During this precious hour, which God Ala meditation talk mighty has graciously given to us to sit in His Rememgiven June 22, 1992, brance, we should not think any worldly thoughts. We in Toronto should think only of Him. We should only do the Simran.

SANT BANI

Sing tfk Praises o f N w m

I

bow down at the Feet of Lord Kirpal, Who is the form of Sawan, Who has given us this opportunity of sitting in His remembrance and the opportunity to do His devotion.

A soul can sing the praises of Naam only when she herself becomes the Form of the Naam, and only after she merges into the Naam. We can understand the value of this human life only when we vacate the nine openings of our body and connect ourselves with the Naam.

So you dear ones should all close your eyes and start doing the meditation. Do it lovingly, do not understand it as a burden.

a meditation talk given June 23, 1992, in Toronto

October 1992

23

Do the Sight-seeing Within Sant Ajaib Singh Ji

T

oday is the day for singing bhajans but still I would like to say some things to you. You know that when God Almighty showers grace upon us, He makes us meet a Perfect Master Who connects us with the Shabd Naam. Sant Mat is not any religion, it is a Path by following which we can improve ourselves. Masters lovingly tell us what to do in order to improve our lives. They tell us to obey the Master and to maintain discipline. We can progress in this Path only if we discipline ourselves.

Masters have told us to keep the diary because that is the only way through which we can make our life pure.

You know that the groups which used to go to the ashram are stopped.

But still our Masters have been so gracious on us that, looking at your love, They have given us this program. I am very pleased to sit with all of you and to be able to meditate with you. I am very grateful to my Beloved Master Who has given us this opportunity.

In Bombay the group of the dear ones was very big. Up until then we had not had such a big group of Westerners attending any program in India.

Everyone who went there maintained the discipline and they went with a lot of love and faith. They did a lot of seva

This talk

was given

March 4, 1992.

in Jaipur, India, on

there also and returned home carrying all the love and the seva. Even the Indian dear ones who attended that program were able to dye themselves in the color of Naam. They went to the program with a lot of love and happiness and they went home after becoming very happy. They also maintained the discipline over there.

I hope that as the North Americans have maintained the discipline during such programs, you will also maintain that kind of discipline. Don't spend all your time going shopping in the bazaars, and sight-seeing. While you are here you should do the work for which you have come so far. If you will not maintain the discipline, if you will go into the bazaars, you will leave here in the same state of dryness in which you arrived here from your homes.

When we prepare our vessel and develop receptivity, only then does our beloved Master put the beautiful gift of His love within us. For forty-five years of His life, with both His hands, Master Sawan Singh went on giving that treasure of Spirituality to the people.

But only those who had prepared their vessels, only those who had developed receptivity, were able to take advantage of that; only they received the gift of Spirituality. Master Sawan Singh Ji always said, "I belong to all of you, I am all of yours and I have come here SANT BANI

to give you all the treasure of Spirituali ty."

And for twenty-five years of His life, our beloved Master Kirpal Singh Ji, with both His hands, gave out the wealth of Spirituality. He used to say that the giver has no problem, all the problems are with the receivers. So according to whatever amount of receptivity the dear ones had developed and whatever amount of heart to heart connection they had made with Master Kirpal, they received the wealth of Spirituality from Him. We should learn from the lives of the Masters. We can learn a lot if we look at how the Masters have lived Their lives. You know I go to so many different countries. I have been to your country and I also go to so many different cities in India, but wherever I go, I go like a servant. This is not my mission to go here and there, or to go to visit the places. Guru Nanak Sahib has said, "These eyes did not get contentment even after seeing all the different sights of this world." Sufi Fakir Wari Shah has said, "Going in this human body is the most exciting sightseeing you can do; but you cannot do that without the guidance of the Perfect Master. Going within, in the company of the Master, you can see all the beautiful things."

So I hope that you will consider these few words which I have said and that you will follow them. Do only that work for which you came here, leaving your homes and everything so far behind, so you may take complete benefit, complete advantage, of your coming here. I become very pleased when October 1992

I see you in the darshans and when the dear ones tell me about their good experiences in meditation. When the dear ones who do not take advantage of this precious time come to see me, they do not talk about meditation, they just talk about this or that-irrelevant things. In the Bombay program, there were many dear ones who told me about their good experiences. One dear one from North America told me about his inner experience; that gave me such happiness that all day long I felt very happy.

You know that the journey to this place was not very comfortable, the road was not very good, so yesterday it was very difficult for me to travel. I am not complaining; I am just telling you. I am very glad to come here and it is very good that your love has pulled me and that my beloved Master has sent me here. I will be more pleased when my dear children will rise above their body consciousness, when they will rise above their minds and reach the Eye Center. I felt the need of saying so much because the Colombian dear ones are like the Indian dear ones.

They are very emotional, they easily get swayed by their emotions. Now they have improved a lot, but still they are like our Indian brothers and sisters.

Today, we will sing the bhajans.

Afterwards Sant Ji commented: All of those bhajans were very sweet, very loving. The dear ones should not get carried away by their emotions. Here almost half the number of the dear ones sitting here while singing are crying. It shouldn't be like this.

You should have some control over your emotions.

25

Sant Ji's visit to Toronto A. S. OBEROI

Sant Ji arrived in Calgary city from the A & K Farm, late in the evening of June 20th, and after staying there for the night, left for Toronto early next morning by Lufthansa Airlines.

While bidding goodbye to the dear ones at the airport, He gave strong and silent darshans for a while, and inspired them to continue the meditation and satsang lovingly and regularly. He indicated through non-verbal cornrnunications and gestures that this was His main concern and that it was this for which He had traveled all the way from India, even though His health was not good.

After arriving at the Toronto airport, Sant Ji drove to the place where He was to stay. He seemed tired after a long flight and needed sufficient rest to recoup and relax. However, as Master Sawan once wrote to His beloved spiritual son Master Kirpal, "Restlessness is an inheritance given to the Saints." Sant Ji could not lie in the bed and instead started meeting some of the dear ones, after sometime, to learn about their welfare and about the program which had been drawn up for His two-day stay, the 22nd and 23rd of June.

The organizers had decided that the program on the 22nd was exclusively for the initiates, their friends and families, and seekers from Toronto and Montreal areas. On the 23rd it was open to all initiates and interested seekers.

The program on the 22nd of June started at 10:OO a.m. and ended at 4:00 26

p.m., and was held at the Manor Road United Church. The one on the 23rd was held from 8:00 ti1 1 1 :00 a.m. at St. John's Church on Stavebank Road in Mississauga, a suburb to the west of metropolitan Toronto. Keeping in view the constraints of time, and the fact that Sant Ji was to leave for India on the same afternoon, no private darshan sessions were held on the 23rd of June.

In a small conversation with me on the 21st of June, Sant Ji said that His parents and family members used to impress upon him forcefully and insistently that, "I get married and beget children, so that there is someone to look after me in old age, when the mental faculties become impaired and limbs do not function properly and help is needed. Now if my respected parents and others were alive today, they could have seen for themselves whether Sawan-form Satguru Kirpal in whose remembrance I was spending time after leaving the world and its affairs, has not made arrangements for everything which I need. And it is in a much better manner than any worldly children or relatives would ever do.

"We worldly people are in the habit of running from person to person, seeking support and help. But if ever we start reposing faith and confidence in God Almighty, our beloved Satguru, and leaving all other worldly supports and strength, seek support of the only one, our gracious Satguru, then we will realize to our great satisfaction what SANT BANI

He does for us, how at every moment of life He supports and protects us.

Hazur Kirpal often said that if we knew how much love the Guru has for us, we would dance in happiness. I always request the dear ones to learn to do this, to achieve something in this Path. If worldly people who we serve diligently value our service and do not fail to reward us, how can we ever imagine that the Lord of Lords, Who is our true benefactor and savior, will not look after us and provide our needs. But the problem is that we do not have confidence in Him." Sant Ji also told me that Supreme Father Kirpal said many times that He wanted to have a training school for those who had a keen and abiding interest in doing meditation. According to the Gurbani, Perfect Masters do the meditation themselves, and inspire others to do the same, and They take this as Their most personal and important work. Sant Ji said that whatever program's are held in His ashram, or on His tours in India, or elsewhere, they are primarily to achieve that purpose, which His Satguru had in mind and ordered Him to do on His behalf. He said that it was the abundant grace of Hazur Sawan and Kirpal that the dear ones, all the world over, are increasingly drawn towards devoting maximum time to meditation, to be able to succeed in this Path.

Sant Ji said that only that dear one who has done the meditation as a ruling passion of his life, ascends and achieves on this Path, and only such a person can help and guide us on this inner path. Such perfect beings are nevOctober 1992

er interested in increasing their following or making huge ashrams and they shun publicity and propaganda. Instead, leading a simple and straight existence, They always keep away from the eyes of the world.

Sant Ji said that when we people acquire great learning, much power, high position or huge possessions, we get so affected by their debasing influence that we act and pose. We start pretending as if we are perfect Masters capable of leading others to their real home. By imitating the Saints we show ourselves off, but not having earned the treasures of Naam, nor being free ourself from the bondage of karmas, we collect not only the dirt and dross of our own actions but of our followers actions too. The result, according to the law of "as you sow, so shall you reap," is that we have to undergo great suffering and punishment. Sant Ji therefore stressed that we should think twice before doing anything, take special care to avoid ego and pride, be always courteous and polite. Unless we cry to the Guru to forgive our sins and give us His grace and compassion, we cannot be saved.

Sant Ji said that even though Master Sawan Singh was a model of perfection and purity, He used to ask his Pathi (chanter), during His illness, to sing a bani of Swami Ji Maharaj, the opening line of which is: "0 Great Guru, I am the worst sinner."

Similarly, after the Unity of Man Conference was over in February 1974, Master Kirpal, while attending a meeting of some public officials who had cooperated and assisted in the confer-

ence, tactfully interrupted some people who were praising Him. He quoted a couplet of Sufi Sant Farid Sahib, "Black are my clothes, and black is my outer look-hll of faults and failings am I, yet people call me a fakir." Master Kirpal was an exalted being, yet in order to teach us to be small, to make us realize that we should consider ourselves to be sinners as we really are, and to advise us to always seek the mercy of the Guru, He put Himself in that position.

Sant Ji said that each one of us should be very conscious of our shortcomings, we should keep a close watch on our tendencies and seek nothing but 28

grace and compassion from the great Guru. If this prayer comes from the depth of our heart, with all sincerity and honesty, then the Guru is bound to save us.

I felt that as the days passed and the Tour was inching towards the e n 4 Sant Ji's mood and method of speaking kept changing, in a very subtle manner. Perhaps He thought that it would be quite some time until the dear ones who live far from India would again get time to be with Him. He used many new quotations and words, which at least I had not heard from Him before. His idioms and expressions became so illustrative, as a gracious father would use towards SANT BANI

his erring child. And erring children we undoubtedly are, because even after hearing from the Perfect Masters about the antics of the mind, we still become its victims.

When we consider ourselves better than others in education, understanding or in any other respect, we should beware because the more sophisticated the target, the more powerful and penetrating is the weapon used by the mind.

Master Kirpal used to explain, "Ego and pride is the last infirmity of the noble." It therefore dawned on me during this Tour that vulnerable as we all are to the tricks of the mind, but for the constant remembrance of the beloved Guru and His love and grace, nothing else can save us from mind's clutches.

Sant Ji met the children as usual on both days and appreciating their bhajan singing, inspired them lovingly to continue to sing the bhajans at home also.

He said that discipline is very necessary in life and parents and children should cooperate with each other so that life becomes pleasant. He appreciated the efforts of those who had organized the children's programs and wanted them to continue so that the children could benefit.

Dear ones came in large numbers to meet Sant Ji in private darshan and appeared to be happy and satisfied when they came out from Sant Ji7s room. An Indian lady who is now living in Canada started weeping when she went in and said that she was feeling sad to have come so far from Sant Ji. She was at a loss to know how she would have His darshan from that big distance. Consoling her, Sant Ji asked

October 1992

her not to worry, as the technique given to her at the time of Initiation was so effective, if worked upon regularly, that He would be with her whenever she remembered Him lovingly and single-rnindedly. Distance is no bar between a devoted disciple and the Word Personified Guru.

Another dear one who was facing enormous hardships in life, was at a loss to what he should do to overcome his daily problems; while giving him a lot of love and sympathy, Sant Ji said, "Don't lose heart. Even the black clouds have a silver lining. It will not be so forever. The present adverse position will surely change for the better. But as a good satsangi, be brave and continue to remember the beloved Satguru with faith and devotion and don't miss the Satsang and meditation. You will see for yourself how the inner help brings improvement and satisfaction."

The accommodations at the two places where the program was held were compact, and the same hall where Satsang was held was used for dining also. The food was therefore blessed

by Sant Ji at the same place. While doing so, Sant Ji begged of His Satguru as He usually does, to kindly bless the food to be partaken by the sangat.

A Satsang was given each day and the subjects were sensitive and touching.

Sant Ji addressed all those dear ones who helped in the organization of the program and said He was happy to be among them. He said that the hard work done by them had made hundreds of people happy and in turn was bound to benefit those who did it. He urged all the dear ones to do seva in a humble 29

and selfless way, taking it to be the work of the Satguru, and not allowing ego to come in, so that they could retain the benefit of their seva.

On the way back fiom the church hall to the place where He was staying, Sant Ji said that the Guru is a great power, but mind does not permit us to have lasting faith in Him. It keeps creating ripples and disturbs our peace and patience, unless we devote time towards meditation. Commenting on the seva done in Satsang and other related activities, Sant Ji said that all Masters have stressed that seva done is always rewarded amply. He said that when we devote long hours in doing seva, many times we have to sacrifice our own personal matters; but seva has its own lure and attraction and when one starts getting happiness and enjoyment in doing it, then one neither bothers about one's own domestic responsibilities nor wants to leave the seva, but wants to spend every available moment for seva. Sant Ji said that it has been the system since the beginning that in the Court of the perfect Masters, whatever seva is done, the Guru does not remain unaware nor idle. He is very watchful, and when in His grace and mercy He rewards us, He does it all invisibly.

He said that once some dear one said to Master Sawan Singh that His face was very beautiful and bewitching. Master Sawan replied, "Yes, Saints bring a very attractive and beautiful form and face, but the irony is that despite this, we are so filled up with the worldly faces and forms that we are not able to give a permanent place to the form of the Guru within us. If

30

we were to do so, then He would not conceal anything from and would give us everything which He has in His treasure." Master Sawan Singh said, "The Guru has a man body like us and since He eats, sleeps and talks like us, it becomes very difficult for us to comprehend His glory and greatness."

Peter the Great, the king of Russia, once went to learn the shipbuilding trade in Poland. He lived and worked there as an ordinary worker, wearing the same clothes, adopting the same routine and language as the others, so that no one knew that he was a king or where he had come from. There were many workers from his country living there in exile. During his contacts and conversations with them, he learned of their longing to return to their mother country, and he sympathized with them and inspired them not to lose heart but to try again to gain restoration of their citizenship. He also told them in subdued tones and suggestive words and phrases that he had contacts within the government and might be able to gain a pardon for them. Most of the workers thought that even though he was a good person, that he was making undue claims, as how could an ordinary worker like themselves have such high connections so as to get them excused and restored to their own country. But others thought there might be some truth in what he said, and what was the harm in trying. A few rare ones recognized in him some hidden signs of nobility, and accepted his words with conviction.

Therefore, acting on the words of Peter themselves, a few people put in SANT BANI

petitions and prepared to accompany him when he left Poland. As Peter neared the borders of Russia, people started paying him respect, and as he entered his own territory and neared the capital, the salutations and submissiveness of officials increased greatly.

On reaching the palace he was prohsely welcomed with the entire government in attendance to honor and receive him, and was conducted into the palace and seated on the throne. It was then that those dear ones who had reposed faith in him, who had acted upon his advice and accompanied him, realized the truth and saw his real position and greatness for themselves.

In the same way, God Almighty, Lord of Lords and Creator of the entire universe, leaves His abode of eternal peace and happiness, assumes the manbody full of dirt and lives like an ordinary human being. He does this for no purpose other than to redeem and rescue sinners like us who are caught in the web of mind and matter. The Masters spend Their entire lives inspiring and encouraging us to improve our lives, finish up our give and take, and devote maximum time to meditation, so as to be able to return to our true home.

Sant Ji said that the purpose of this long story is to make clear to all the dear ones that it is never too late in the spiritual domain, and after understanding the basic reality, we should from today onwards make the best use of time, and with full faith in our beloved Satguru do the meditation of Shabd Naam. We should create love and longing within ourselves for the Guru, beOctober 1992

cause but for Him nothing will help us at the time of leaving this world, and nothing will go with us except the devotion done during our lifetime.

After coming back from the Satsang, Sant Ji had to talk to some dear ones about organizational matters. I reflected on how much the Masters care for every dear one-big or small. They know their inner aspirations, and without letting those around Them know, They convey reassurance to each dear one that they are very special and that the inner Guru will definitely look after their vital interests. Before catching the plane for the return journey from Toronto, Sant Ji's mood seemed serious and reflective. He said, "You people may believe that you are very anxious to see and tell me what you are going through, but you have no idea how anxious I am to see everyone in the sangat." He said that He does not go on tour for sightseeing, but that His sole purpose is to create the desire amongst us to search for God Almighty in this very life. He goes on tour as a prisoner bound by a hectic schedule, and bound by the love and longing of the dear ones. He serves them to the best He can and goes back exhausted but happy to have discharged the duty entrusted to Him by Hazur Sawan and Kirpal.

On arrival back in Delhi, Sant Ji had another three day program of meditation, satsang and private darshan, in the extreme heat which was compounded by the usual dust storms of May and June. During His stay in Delhi, Sant Ji was strolling on the terrace of Pappu's house one morning 31

when He told me that the worldly people, especially relatives, always give a hard time to those dear ones who devote much time in meditation. He said that practically every Saint had to suffer hardships on this account, and rarely is one spared the taunts of such people.

Recounting some of the incidents of His life, Sant Ji said that one of his cousins who was a police officer and thought himself very wise, once came to meet Him with the intention of teaching Him how to live nicely in the world.

He asked Sant Ji, "You talk of hell and heaven-have you ever seen hell?" Sant Ji told him, "Do you think my father's house, where every convenience and comfort was available in abundance, was in any way less than hell." The man didn't say a word.

Another time the same man asked, "You talk of contentment, satisfaction, and of not wanting any worldly thing; what is it which gives such contentment and satisfaction?" Sant Ji said, in His usually upbeat reply given to such persons, "Yes, the gift of Naam so highly spoken of in Gurbani, bestows such a deep-rooted contentment. It is writ-

ten there, 'To ask anything other than the Guru Himself from the Guru may be the cause of the greatest sorrow and grief. 0 God Almighty, give me the Naam which brings such contentment that the hungry mind is satisfied.' " The man became dumbfounded and walked off without saying anything. Sant Ji said that such encounters with His relatives used to take place often, and with the grace of His Satguru, He was able to give such replies thai they dared not bother Him again.

On the morning of June 29, after giving sweet silent darshan to the dear ones who gathered at Pappu's place, Sant Ji left for Rajasthan by car. Thus ended the 1992 Tour.

For me personally this Tour was very revealing, as even after hearing some details from Pappu and a bit repeated from Sant Ji, I could not imagine the depth and power, nor realize how every single session and every word spoken therein pierced the innermost self of the dear ones, moving them often to tears, not for the world but in realizing how much love and compassion beloved Sant Ji has brought for us.

BOUND VOLUMES AVAILABLE The entire twelve months' of SANTB A N I / T Voice ~ ~ of the Saints, July 1991 through June 1992, is available i n a permanent, hard-bound edition, at a cost of $36.00 each. Each book is attractively bound in a high quality, long-wearing cloth cover with the volume number a n d dates stamped in gold letters o n t h e spine. Please a d d shipping a n d handling charges a s follows: U.S. -$3.00 first book, $1.00 each additional book; Foreign: surface mail -$3.50 each book; air mail - will b e billed separately.

32

SANT B A N