LONDON (U.K.)
11th September 1994
Wherever they may stay, the saints are known as members of the same family, children of the same Father, God Nirankar. Their only outlook is that humanity should realize its source. Considerations of nationality, language, etc. did not come in their way.
For realizing the Truth, man requires an abstract eye. It is only the divine light that helps him to recognize that this ‘self’ is not confined to his physical form, which is perishable. He must values the spark of the Supreme Light that keeps this form moving. This Supreme Power is neither perishable nor changeable. So long as man does not realize this Truth about self, he will be taken as asleep, ignorant. He must wake up and know the Truth without any loss of time.
It is good to read about Truth. The perfection lies in its realization. In fact, the very purpose of life is to realize, is to know God, the Eternal Truth. We must realize this purpose can be achieved only while we are in physical form, we have this human body. The should is very much there in the body, but it does not attain salvation, so long as it is ignorant about the Supreme Soul, its source.
The company of saints is essential for removing this ignorance. Our worldly responsibilities should not stand in our ways, because the purpose here is the noblest and which cannot be ignored. If we go after worldly worries, they have no end. One must give priority to what is most important and that is the divine knowledge.
It is the true master who removes this ignorance from our mind and enables us to behold the divine light:
GYAN ANJAN GUR DIYA, AGYAN ANDHER VINAS;
HAR KIRPA TE SANT BHETYA, NANAK MAN PARGAS.
The true master reveals God-knowledge to you. This removes the darkness of ignorance. All this can, however, take place only with the benevolence of the Almighty. It cannot be achieved by rituals. The monster of darkness of ignorance can be driven away by the divine light. A poet says:
IS DUNIYA VICH HANERA EY
EY TILKANBAZI VEHRA EY
VAR ANDAR VEKHO KERA EY!
These are the words of Bulle Shah. He says that this world is full of darkness. One may stumble or slip anywhere. We must know who is causing this darkness. And this can be known only from within. Obviously, the great saint is referring to the darkness that has engulfed the human mind. It can be driven out only by the spark of the divine light.
BIRMINGHAM (U.K.)
12th September 1994
Saints have always wished that everyone received the knowledge of eternal truth that they have attained. The reason is that they have realized the noblest thing of their life, i.e. divine knowledge. This is the highest attainment one can achieve in life. Whosoever receives God-knowledge is highly regarded and respected.
The attainment of divine knowledge does not require one to give up one’s worldly duties. In fact, the saints have always continued to fulfill their responsibilities towards the family and the society, while living a spiritually oriented life based on selfless service to fellow beings. The great saints like Kabir and Ramanand are the glaring examples. They continued to look after their families while keeping this Formless Almighty in mind all the time. The worldly wealth that they were earning was not the real target of their life. It was only a means to sustain themselves and their families. They did not chase the material possessions, for getting God. They continued to respect the saints. They did not care if they were criticized or they had to face certain hardships. They remained Steadfast in devotion to God. They were not influenced by materialistic illusions.
When it comes to worldly illusion (Maya), one may refer not only to the physical body, buildings, monkey, diamonds and pearls. In fact, everything that tends to take man away from God is illusion. A little praise may make a person proud and take him away from God. Similarly, if the self-image one holds is not acknowledged or admired by the people around, he turns away from saints looking for admiration elsewhere. This too makes him distant from God. Whenever there us self-indulgence, self-importance or anything else that creates distance between man and God, it is a barrier and illusion. It is with the blessings of saints and the True Master that one can remain close to God. Man is trapped by the worldly illusion, while he is linked with his mind rather than Almighty. And so long as man is ruled by his mind, he cannot escape from pain.
When one is tangled in lust, anger, greed, passion and ego, one tends to neglect the service of others, it means one is tangled in illusion. That is why saints have always advised man to utilize the worldly materials in the service of others. This takes one to the higher spiritual realm of love and joy.
Saints who attain God-knowledge receive this spiritual ecstasy and complete the journey of life remaining detached from materialism. They serve others with word and deed. They pray to the Almighty that all may enjoy the spiritual bliss of devotion that one attains after realizing truth and completely surrendering to God. No piece of advice about married life will be useful before the actual marriage. Similarly, going through scriptures will fall flat on the human mind if it is not preceded by the realization of divine light.
Man has no value, when he forgets this Creator. One must give precedence to the Almighty. One must admire the sculptor and not the statues because it is the sculptor who can make any number of statues while it is not true the other way round. Here the creator happens to be the sustainer also. Even though formless, it is omni-present.
God-knowledge is the true treasure of life, which can be secured and stored with wisdom. Life the worldly wealth, even this divine treasure can be shared with others. Thus God-knowledge brings happiness not only for the one who possesses it, but for others also. Truly speaking, the divine treasure proves to be more valuable than any worldly possession. While all materialistic objects tend to fluctuate, God is steadfast, omni-present, all-pervading.
Look at the clock. While its pendulum moves left and right, the hands move forward only. Similarly, saints continue to move forward unaffected by the ups and downs, gains and losses. One does not find oscillation in the life of saints: A poet says:
BAHAR AYE TO GUNCHEY,
BHI MUSKURATE HEIN,
BANDA WO KYA JO MUSIBAT,
MEIN BHI MUSKRA NA SAKEY.
There is nothing great about the tiny buds blossoming into flowers with the arrival of the spirit. The real test of the man lies in facing the hardship also with a smile. This is the trait of the saints. They are like a ship that stay s afloat even in a storm and sets sail as soon as it is over. Others are like a ship that sinks even in calm waters simply because it has a hole. Let us all try to follow the path shown by the saints by their noble and steadfast actions.
BIRMIGHHAM (U.K.)
13th September, 1994
Devotees of God avoid hatred. They know it is like a thorn or a piece of stone in the shoe and gives pain. It makes one feel restless. The pain and suffering resulting from hatred may be far reaching. Again like a thorn and a piece of stone, it will go on pricking until and unless removed from the heart. That is why saintly people do not allow hatred to enter their hearts. It is the noble feelings like love and humility that dwell in their hearts. This makes them comfortable, cool and calm. They touch the heights of life, because they remain humble and modest. It is they who are praised by the world. Saints shun ego, because they know:
HAR JIO AHANKAR NA BHAVAEE
Ego fails to please God. It emanates from hated which finds no approval. Ego does not help even the one who possesses it. It creates tension. It does not allow man to cooperate with others and extend goodwill.
No wise man will, however, advise to retain something that is not likely to produce any happiness at all. We must get rid of the same. Unfortunately, we do follow this principle in the matter of worldly objects, in our business, but we do not act when it comes to human weaknesses like hatred and ego.
Everybody knows that water does not stay at a height. It flows down and settles there at the level, which is the lowest. Even the man who wants to drink water has to bow down, bend himself. Similarly, one must discard one’s ego in order to be successful or happy in life. Your victory lies in the sacrifice of ego. So long as you fail to get rid of it, you are bound to be defeated or ruined. Nobody will show you respect or have any praise for you. It has always been accepted that one sheath cannot hold two swords at the same time. Similarly, pride and devotion to God cannot stay together in the same heart.
Humility is often considered as a sign of cowardice. But this is not correct. It is a sign of greatness. We are reminded of Kabir Ji. He says:
KABIR NA HUM KIYA NA KARENCE,
BA KAR SAKE SHAREER;
KIYA JO KICHH HAR KIYA,
BHAYO KABIR KABIR.
He does not seek any credit for what he does. He described the Almighty as the real doer, even when he earns praise. This is the virtue of saints.
Self-less service has been described as the noblest ornament that adorns the conduct of saints. All great devotees of God are revered because they describe themselves as humblest of the humble, as servants of humanity. They were known for the beauty of their heart, their humility, their sense of tolerance. Even a man with handsome appearance may be shunned if he is not noble at heart. Shahenshah Baba Avtar Singh Ji says:
MAIN BANDA HAN BANDE VARGA,
HASTI NAHIN KOI VAKH MILI,
SATGUR BAKSHI GYAN SALAI,
VEKHAN VALI AKH MILI.
To look at I may appear as any other person. There is no difference between others and myself. It is only with the benevolence of the True Master that I could realize God. What we should appreciate is that even though he attained the divine light he remains too humble and modest to claim superiority over others or being different from the fellow beings in any respect. In fact, saints establish an example of love, affection and humility only to be followed by others. This is what glorifies their life.
Narrow mindedness does not pay in life. It does not allow one to enjoy the freedom even when it is there. It is said that once a few fish were tied in a net and placed in the sea. The result was that they could swim only to the extent the net allowed them. After some time, the net was removed. Surprisingly, the fish continued to move in the same limited area. We are fortunate to have been introduced by the True Master to this vast ocean of God-knowledge. Let us not subject ourselves to the barriers of narrow mindedness. Let us feel liberated and treat the entire world as our own. Let us go on distributing love and affection not with standing the worldly obstacles.
GLASSGOW (U.K.)
15th September 1994
Saints always call on man to live a life based on noble feelings of love, peace and harmony. Man can assimilate such qualities in his heart, if he too chooses to follow the path shown by the saints. No doubt, the saints and prophets blessed man with the holy scriptures. But the real meaning of what they taught lay in their action. That is why we say that the greatest quality of a devotee of God is that he acts on what he says. There is no gap between their word and deed.
We learn about the life and teachings of the saints and prophets of the past only when we are fortunate to come in contact with devotees of God or we attend congregations. The company of saints here does not enable us only to know the Supreme, but also to strengthen our faith in the same. In this way, the saints are our best friends. We call a person benevolent only if his company or his contact brings happiness. If somebody’s company is not going to prove a source of joy, we reject the person as useless.
Unfortunately, people today are not able to realize this simple truth. They prefer the company of those who show them one favour or the other without realizing that the latter too are guided by self-interest. That is why it is not lasting. On the other hand, the benevolence of the saints is free from self-interest. They help us because they are helpful by nature. No wonder, their friendship, their kindness is lasting too. It is always a source of joy, a source of peace.
The saints and prophets never distinguished between man and man even in the matter of divine-knowledge. Their message of divine-light was addressed to one and all without any preference for a caste, community or country. In fact, they repeatedly proclaimed that they saw every human being as an image of God.
It is a pity that even though we remember our spiritual masters, we do not exhibit from our behaviour that we have understood them in word and spirit. In case we want to be known as their true followers, their faithful devotees, we must demonstrate the same through our conduct in day-to-day life.
Tolerance is one noble feeling, which marked the life and teachings of all divine masters. They displayed utmost patience even in the face of hardships. They ignored all kinds of opposition and criticism and continued not only to preach truth but also to follow its path. Even violence did not deter them from their noble crusade.
Let us also not sit back simply because we know about our spiritual masters and their teachings. We must translate the same into action. Only then we can hope to bring about peace in the world, happiness for mankind.
LEEDS (U.K.)
16th September 1994
Noble feelings keep the mind cool and calm while ill will makes it restless. That is why saints always pray to God to dwell in their hearts. The Almighty is the reservoir of virtues. That is why the saints focus on the Almighty, putting aside everything else.
While God dwells in the heart, the mind remains illumined with the divine light. It shines and becomes clean and pure. And this beauty of the mind is everlasting. The presence of the Almighty does not allow it to gather dust of the worldly feelings. Just like a constant flow of water keeps a place clean, the presence of divine light keeps the mind free from the darkness of ignorance. No wonder, the divine masters suggest that man should not try to go away from the Almighty, the divine light.
VISAR NAHI DATAR, APNA NAAM DE.
O God! Let me not forget you. Look at the greatness of the saints. They want only their association with God, because they know that this supreme power will automatically take them towards virtues, make them pure at heart and sweet in conversation. This will keep them safe from the bad feelings like hatred, greed and intolerance. This will deter them from harming others.
While the saints pray for their alignment with God and the blessings in the form of virtues, they also give a call to other people to purity their minds with noble feelings as they have done themselves. They persuade man:
BHARIYE MAT PAPAN KE SANG
OH DHOPE NAVEN KE RANG.
A sinful mind can be washed
clean only by divine name. So, you must be devoted to God. True devotion does not lie in
mere repeating the name of God. You must give it place in your heart and remember all the
time. Your relationship with God must be like the fish living in water. You take it out
for moment and place the most precious articles of the world at its disposal, but it will
like to go back to water without any loss of time. We should never forget God because
otherwise there is only pain and suffering.
Unfortunately, today man attaches more importance to worldly wealth than devotion to God. He does not understand that the source of all virtues is God. Once you align yourself with God, these virtues flow in and bring appreciation from one and all.
BRADFORD (U.K.)
17th September 1994
Saints have always advised us to lead a life based on spiritual enlightenment. We should move in the world, remembering God, the Omnipresent, all the time. It is said that the devotees love God just as the fish loves water. The fish just cannot live without water. The other example is that of a mother looking after the child. She fondles and brings him up without keeping an eye on the reward. It is said:
DHAN DHAN RAJA JANAK HAI,
JIS SIMRAN KIYO VIVEK;
EK GHRI KE SIMRANE, PAPI TARE ANEK.
Janak has been remembered her as a true devotee of God. His own devotion to God became reason for the salvation of many others, his name has not been recalled here as a king but as a well wisher of humanity, a saint who gave the highest place in his heart to God.
In the world today, we find people who would like to give importance to themselves. But man cannot be great unless he glorifies God. This is the message of all the holy scriptures. One who is completely devoted to God id happy in the real sense of the term. Worldly wealth is neither everlasting nor a source of true happiness.
All our worldly relations are founded on self-interest. That is why they are short-lived. They are like our shadow that parts company in cloudy weather. We should, therefore, attach priority and give prominence to our devotion to God even if we may have very little time at our disposal. Only then shall we make or life happy.
LEICESTER (U.K.)
18th September 1994
Those who realize the Truth, they do not make a secret of it. Rather they call upon every human being to follow their path and share the bliss.
Unfortunately, man is keen to know everything on the earth except God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the cause behind all that is seen. The great spiritual masters have always warned man not to miss the opportunity to know God. They always wanted to share the divine light with every human being, so that they could also be happy.
This has been described as a great service to humanity based on selflessness. In a way, it is a greater gesture than any other help. You lend money to someone who needs it. You help an unemployed person to get a job. But it is nothing as compared to the help extended for man to know God and seek communion with the Almighty. This help goes to the soul while any other kind of service was related to the body. The soul has a long journey of births and rebirths. God-knowledge lends it salvation from this cycle.
This is the kind of help or service rendered by saints to the world. When they preached against hatred, they were guided only by the spirit of selfless service to humanity. They did not have any ambition of their own or any self-interest. Unfortunately, their contemporaries did not care for them. Meera invited everybody to share the bliss that she had found in the divine knowledge received from Guru Ravidas But even her own relatives did not listen to her. On the other hand, they and the other people in the society created obstacles for her. Kabir Ji also realized the Truth and invited the people of the world to share the joy. Lord Jesus Christ also did the same, but unfortunately he was only crucified. What we mean to say is that people of the word who were under the influence of ignorance and ego always created hurdles fro the saints. They laughed at them, they criticized them. But the saints did not get agitated or frustrated. Guru Nanak says:
KOI AKHE BHUTNA, KO KAHE BETALA;
KOI AKHE ADMI, NANAK BECHARA.
It shows that people cursed him, condemned him, but from his side he did not hate them. He continued to give a call to them to know the Truth, before it is too late.
The saints congregate to give a similar call to the mankind. A farmer knows that all the seeds he spreads are not going to sprout, yet he does not stop sowing. Similarly, the saints continue to give a call to know God worth the hope that at least some of them may care for the same and feel blessed. They glorify the eternal truth and seek to make others happy. They all them that devotion to God is the only way to make their life purposeful. This is something noble, something important. Those who develop it, they may be praised here and find salvation hereafter. Neither the tension for worldly wealth nor rituals and superstitions will bind them. They will realize that mere recitation of the name of God, pilgrimage or a holy dip will not be sufficient to realize God. These do not represent the real worship of God. It is said:
PAHAN PUJE HARI MILE, TO MEIN PUJUN PAHAD;
US SE TO CHKKI BHALI, JO PEES KHAY SANSAR.
If it were possible to realize God by worshipping stones, I would like to worship the mountain itself. However, I am sure it is of no use. More useful are the stones that grind the corn.
The truth is rather different. It is God, the Formless, the Omnipresent, All-pervading. If it could be realized by wandering in forests, even animals are doing that. The human being can boast of being better than animals only if he realizes the Truth with the blessings of saint or by seeking the company of saints.
BEDFORD (U.K.)
19th September 1994
The company of saints and
service to others strengthens our devotion to
God. When we remember and praise God, if brings peace and tranquility to the heart and
purifies the mind. Our life is filled with harmony and remains unaffected by worldly
fluctuations.
Devotees rely on God as the fish on water. Their love to God is pure and selfless as that of a mother for the child. Here also you remember and praise God, realizing its presence all the time. You do so while performing your worldly duties. Devotion to God does not mean that you should sit in seclusion with your eyes closed and go on repeating the name of God Nirankar. There is no better way to praise God than to remember it all the time:
TUHI TUHI NIRNKAR KARO;
TE HAR PAL ISNOO YAAD KARO.
While devotees praise God, they seek the company of saints. When we are in the company of saints, our faith in God is strengthened, we remember the Almighty and sing its praise. At the same time, we develop the spirit of service to others. We realize that all our worldly possessions - physical, intellectual and material are best utilized when devoted to the service of others. The gifts of God must be dedicated for the welfare of humanity. We are reminded:
JISDI VASTU USDI SAMJO,
KAM KI TAKRAR DA EY;
KAHE AVTAR EK PAHLA PRAN EY,
TAN MAN DHAN NIRNKAR DA EY.
This is the first principle here (in the Sant Niranakari Mission). We consider the Almighty as the ultimate owner of all that we have. Therefore, we dedicate the same to the service of mankind. If we dedicate all for the well-being of the mankind, this imparts sanctity to our possessions - physical, intellectual and material. It is said:
TAN PAVITAR SEVA KIYE, DHAN PAVITAR KIYE DAAN;
MAN PAVITAR HARI BHAJAN SE, IS VIDH HO KALYAN.
Service for others purifies our body. The monetary wealth becomes dignified by donations. Similarly, all our intellectual ability is sanctified when deployed in the praise of God.
When we talk of service, body, mind, and wealth, all the three are required to be put in. Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji used to give the example of business. In order to make it successful, you have to put in all the three together - body, mind and wealth or capital. If somebody feels that he has planned the enterprise well and invested money and now he need not attend to it physically, the enterprise will definitely fail. Similarly, when we talk of devotion to the service of others, we must dedicate all the three, i.e. body, mind and wealth.
Our service to humanity must be free from the desire to have a reward. In the words of Kanir Ji:
PAL KARAN SEWA KARE, TAJA NA MAN SE KAAM,
KAHE KABIR SEVAK NAHIN, CHAHE CHAUGUNA DAAM.
A true servant is not the one who has an eye on reward. A story goes that one painter received a very small price for his painting. A friend, who was sitting by his side, pointed this out. The painter however, took it as an insult to his labour. He said he enjoyed while painting the picture, while he was on the job itself. Nobody could value in term of money the joy derived from the labour. In other words, he attached importance to the joy of the art, actual labour, instead of the price it fetched. This is exactly the attitude of the devotees towards service to others. They do not mind any inconvenience to their body. They are guided only by the spirit of love, without an eye on the reward at all.
When we meet such devotees, our own faith in God is strengthened. Once a member of the Sewa Dal lost his son, who was quite young. He, however, did not disclose it to other saints and continued to do his duty in the congregation, with his face smiling as ever. Others came to know about the death of his son only after the Sangat. Everybody was impressed by the spirit of his selfless service and his faith in the truth that everything belongs to God, who may take away anything any time.
The company of saints has been described as a mirror. Here we come to know what we are and receive inspiration to remove shortcomings. We develop humanity and respect for others. We receive through our devotion the joy, which is everlasting.
GLOUCESTER (U.K.)
20th September 1994
Man is often forgetful of the teachings of the prophets and saints. He gives priority to things related to material world. It appears that he is more interested in satisfying his ego. He tends to ignore the reality that he is not above all. He does not realize that the one who is above all is God Almighty. This is the eternal truth. While God is infinite, man is finite, a drop in the ocean.
History testifies that people who gave prominence to themselves rather than the Almighty received no regard. In fact, we find that nobody is above decay, however great one may be. Some are proud of their strength and claim that they are able to lift large boulders. Others are proud of their wealth. All this is, however, perishable. They may not remain the same always. If somebody takes them as imperishable, he lives under illusion.
Then, why should man be proud
of such things? Why does he not give prominence to God Almighty, who is who was and who
will always be here? Sages and seers whom we regard as great, always gave prominence to
God, while they themselves remained humble and modest. They always had regard for others.
They never thought and spoke in terms of ‘I’. Instead, they always had the
feelings of ‘thy’ and ‘thine’ and glorified the Supreme Almighty.
Wherever we go, wherever we sit, God is with us. God is never absent. The absence is from our own side. In fact, God cannot be absent even if it may desire so, because it is omnipresent. The limitless cannot be veiled or hidden. If we fail to perceive the all-pervading, it is because of the curtain of our own ignorance. This ignorance, this curtain has to be removed so that we are face to face with God Nirankar, the Ultimate Truth. It is like a mirror, where we see our face, our body, and can recognize ourselves. In case a person never goes in front of mirror, he is always in darkness. He does not know what he looks like. Just imagine a child who is brought up in isolation and is never shown his face in the mirror. When he grown up, he will not be able to recognize his own photograph of childhood. Instead, he will feel astonished, perplexed. Similarly, once this soul faces the mirror or realizes the Truth and is in communion with it, the veil of ignorance will stand removed. It comes to know what it is. Then it does not identify itself with the physical being. And there is no scope, no reason for hatred.
All-pervading God cannot be identified with a particular sect. A section of population or even a nation. Once this is realized, man will not hate others on the basis of cast, creed, colour, language or nationality. He will rather work for love and peace. He will see everybody as his own. He will realize that all are the children of the same God Almighty. He will come to know that the Father is the same, only names are different.
Man today is fighting in the name of religion, caste and creed. Not only that, he is creating differences and making people fight against one another. Such people are ignorant. They think that Allah, God, Wahegurur and Parmatma are different from each other. They do not realize that these are the different names given to the same Almighty.
This ignorance must be removed. In order to be one, first we have to know the One, God Almighty. This is the message of the Mission. The difference between a spiritually enlightened person and an ignorant man is that the former sees the brighter aspects while the latter confines himself to the darker side. One brings man closer to man while the other creates barriers. One says that a line between two nations is their meeting point while the other describes it as the dividing sign. We must, therefore, illumine our hearts, our minds, out thoughts so that we see this world as heaven.
ILFORD (U.K.)
21st September 1994
O man! God has made you the best of the creatures. You must be worthy of it. You must praise God after knowing it. You must promote human qualities and possess goodwill for all other human beings.
Your devotion to God, whatever the name you give, cannot be true or real unless it is accompanied by love and affection for the fellow-human beings. You must be a true human being for which devotion to God is essential, love for humanity is essential, goodwill for others is essential. Only then your image as a man will become noble and clean.
Such people always wish that man may be blessed by God with wisdom to develop the noble human values. He should leave the darkness of ignorance and come out in the light of God-knowledge; he should give up the behaviour of devils and inculcate the human qualities. In case he remains in the dark, he will be unhappy and move towards downfall. He will be able to do good neither to himself nor to others.
It is the saints who have been merciful to man and linked him with the Eternal Truth. Man begins to behave like man only after he realizes God with the benevolence of the saints. Once he acquires human feelings and moulds his life accordingly, he is himself known as a devotee or saint.
A man is not described as a saint on account of his costumes, the colour of his dress or the symbols he wears. Saints are not those who go to forests, stand on one foot in water or have faith in a particular religious book. A person can be called a saint only if he possesses noble qualities. This is what Lord Rama taught. Instead of starting a new religion or sect, he preached against devilish behaviour and wanted man to be helpful to others.
Similarly, Lord Krishan taught the lesson of having faith in humanity rather than hatred and pride. Baba Avtar Singh Ji says: "I am an ordinary human being like anyone else. My body is composed of the same five elements. However, I have been blessed with eh abstract eye of God-knowledge by the True Master." A person who does not approach the True Master, a man who is far from the reaching of the saints and prophets, creates only distress for otherrs. For such people the Almighty is either Allah or Parmatma. They exploit the name of religion for vested interests and sow the seeds of division. They provoke people to fight against one another in the name of saints and prophets who otherwise stood for love and goodwill. Thus, they do only a disservice to their spiritual masters:
JAD TAK ISHQ NA HOSI DIL VICH,
RAB NA HOSI RAZI.
So long as you do not have love in your heart, you cannot please God. It means one has to possess true devotion towards God and not merely perform rituals.
Kabir Ji says that in order to become a true devotee of God you must not be a hypocrite. You must give up your ego. There is a story in the Bible. Some seeds were dropped on the earth. Some fell on the rocks, some in the barren land. They failed to sprout. There were still some others, which were eaten away by birds. However, only such seeds grew into plants and yielded corn as were dropped in fertile land. Similarly, Truth will dwell only in the heart that has the capacity to hold it, which is free from ego.
There are so many stories that seek to make man wise. A deer was being chased by a lion. Somehow it hid itself behind some bushes. Suddenly, it started eating the branches of the bushes. The lion spotted it our and killed it. It shows that man is his own enemy. He seeks to destroy what he is supposed to rely on. We must rise above such feelings and lead a happy life as true devotees of God. There is fire of hatred all around. Let’s do the job of water and endeavour to extinguish it.
LONDON (U.K.)
22nd September 1994
Man without devotion (Bandagi) is not man at all. Humanity comes from the devotion to God based on spiritual enlightenment. Noble qualities of man, like love and affection, flow from such devotion. They make him great, they make him steadfast. It is essential that man should possess the feeling of love for others so that one can appreciate his nobleness. The darkness of ignorance may only bring distress.
Saints are not known by their appearance or the colour of the dress. No religious book defines a saint on the basis of his appearance. They mention only qualities of their character, their behaviour. They have been described as true human beings.
In order to become a true human being, you do not require adopting a particular dress or certain symbols. In fact there is no such consideration so far as saints are concerned. Lord Rama did not lay the foundation of a separate sect. His teachings were for one and all. He wanted man to discard evils and be humane. Similarly, Hazarat Mohammad and Lord Krishna too did not address people belonging to a particular sect. The message of all the Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, is also meant for the entire humanity. Each one of them wanted man to be guided by noble qualities of humanity and universal brotherhood. Guru Nanak preferred to call himself a mass of five elements rather than a Hindu or Muslim.
All great masters first became true human beings themselves and only then showed the way to others. Unfortunately, man in this world is far from their teachings. He is suffering from ego and is caught into the web of his own ambitions. As a result, he is spreading thorns instead of flowers in the path of others. He is promoting hatred instead of peace. Divisions are being created in the name of religion, so much so that people belonging to one are prepared to attack those who believe in another. This is so, in spite of the fact that spiritual masters never preached this kind of culture. They always inspired others to love humanity, render selfless service and usher in happiness. No doubt, today we are reciting the names of the spiritual masters, but we do not follow the path shown by them. They never wanted that we should exploit the ignorance of others and create tension in the name of religion. A poet says:
KYA KAREGA PYAR WO IMAN SE,
KYA KAREGA PYAR WO BHAGWA SE;
JANAM LEKAR GOD MEIN INSAN KI,
KAR NA PAYA PYAR HO INSANE SE.
A man, who fails to love man, cannot love God. In order to become a true Muslim or a true Hindu, one must be a true human being in the first instance.
There are people who falsely claim to be well wishes of humanity. About such people Kabir Ji says:
KABIR KASOTI RAM KI, JHUTA TIKE NA KOYE;
RAM KASOTI SO SAHE, JO MARJIVA HOYE.
God loves those who are free from ego and pride. Noble and great are those who follow the teachings of the spiritual masters. Let us also try to follow the same path and spread the message of love, peace and humanity.