By : K.R. Chadha
The first image the word "Spirituality" creates on the abstract screen of our mind is that we propose to refer to something super-natural, super-human and a mere flight of thought. Our usual conclusion is that spirituality relates to 'spirit' which seldom finds a form to be seen or found in the life we know - mundane, worldly, practical and within man's purview. We tend to treat everything related to spirit, even a reference or talk about it, as something otherworldly.
Naturally, man may not immediately be prepared to discuss spirituality. He finds himself too busy or engrossed in the world problems to find tine to know the reality of what he rejects as abstract, as something imaginary. But as he moves on, he comes across the shrines, the sacred places, the images or idols of gods and goddesses; the ascetics in saffron, black or some other colour and sometimes without any wear at all; and all kinds of people talking about Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, Mahavira, Christ, Mohammad and so on . He also finds the devotees singing praise of gods and goddesses. In short, he finds spirituality in the air all around.
Now, the point that arises is as to why should there be any talk about spirituality, why should there be so many religious books and holy scriptures dealing with the subject and why should there be so many people found to be in search of something or the other in this field, if there had been no truth or no reality in it . Why should man be advised time and again to know the supreme spirit, the supreme power, if it were of no use to him in his Life?
The Sant Nirankari Mission seeks to answer this question and present spirituality as a practical, useful and helpful aspect of human life. It seeks to reveal what is believed to be invisible, exhibit what is considered to be abstract and practice what is thought to be mystical. It endeavours to highlight the ultimate truth that man has been trying to attain through various modes of worship and religious practices and to show how the same can be adopted in our day-to-day life.
The Message
The message of the Mission beings with a brief invocation in the words: Thou Formless One. It seeks to emphasise the eternal truth that God is One, Formless and Omnipresent. The Oneness of God leads us to the oneness of humanity, unity and fraternity of the mankind as children of the same father i.e., the Supreme Father. In other words, the realisation of the truth that God is the sole and supreme creator of the universe, including mankind, promotes the spirit of universal brotherhood.
Realisation of God means to know this Formless One and be conscious of His presence all the time, at all places. It also reveals that human soul is part and parcel of the Formless and appears to be separate from Him merely by the intervention of the human body. The two will be found to be one after this veil of ignorance is removed. Further, we shall be obliged to take every human being as our own because we realise the truth that in each one of them there is a spark of the same Dive Light. Nobody will appear to be a stranger and we shall automatically shed all kinds of hatred against others. We shall no longer suffer from the feeling of discrimination, jealousy and pride. Instead, we shall look upon every human being, a fellow being, with love and respect, least interested in offending them.
In order to realise God and know the eternal truth, we must approach the one who has already realised it, known it. The Sant Nirankari Mission believes that True Master or Satguru stays in the world all the time, may be in any part, in any region. God does not only create human beings. He nurtures them also. It is, therefore, an essential parts of the divine scheme that humanity must be reminded constantly, that that entire all that is seen belongs to God and mover as per the divine will only. The Nirankari Satguru is also here to help humanity it realise and remember God and be grateful to this Supreme Giver for whatever we possess by the divine benevolence.
The Mission does not criticise or condemn any religious faith being professed or practiced in the world. It, however, suggests that one must know the God one worships. It is another thing that once the Truth is revealed to us, we begin to realise that there is only one divine religion and that is humanity. All other religions are nothing but set of rites, rituals and practices laid down by man himself.
Similarly, the Mission treats all religious scriptures as a precious treasure of God-knowledge: coming from the great spiritual masters of the past, they explain their philosophy with requisite authenticity. They have stood the test of time and help even the contemporary generations to understand what these great masters sought to preach. No wonder, they are worshipped even today. We are, however, reminded here that mere reading these Scriptures would not be sufficient. We must understand them and follow the message they contain, in action. Only then we can prove that our faith in them is real.
Five Principles
In order to enjoy the bliss that flows from God-knowledge on all-the-time basis, an aspirant has to take and follow Five Pledges. They are:
All physical, mental and material possessions belong to God and man is merely a trustee to use the same for the common good of humanity;
One should not discriminate against others on the ground of caste, creed, colour, status, nationality, etc;
One should not hate or criticise others on account of their diet, dress and culture (declaring one’s own as superior and pride-worthy);
God-realisation does not mean renunciation of normal life. One must fulfil one’s responsibilities towards self, the family and the society at large, so that intend of becoming a burden on others, one serves the humanity; and
The spiritual enlightenment or the Knowledge of Truth attained from the Spiritual Master should not be divulged to others without a word from him, since every student may not be a successful teaches.
The above pledges are enjoined as complementary measures to God-knowledge just as a doctor advises the patient to follow certain guidelines in order to tale full advantage of the treatment, permitting no unwanted factor to interrupt the health-gaining process. Since the spiritually enlightened persons are likely to be surrounded by many others who might not have been equally fortunate, they must be told how best they cab keep themselves happy in the given worldly environment.
The Mission goes one step one step further and suggests that even after attaining God-knowledge, the devotee should seek the company of saints (Satsang). This will help him to be steadfast in devotion to God. This will serve as a constant source of moral strength required for complete and full submission to the will of God. Moreover, it will strengthen his integration with the Almighty through constant remembrance of God (Simarn). And above all, God-knowledge inspires one to render selfless service (Seva) and be helpful to others.
No wonder, one Nirankari bows to another without any consideration of age, sex and social status. The idea is to show respect to the Gyan or God-knowledge he or she has attained. After the Satguru, the devotee feels happy to show reverence to fellow- devotees. Everybody here is convinced that we must please the disciples in order to please the Master, just as we must please the men of God, if we want to please the men of God, if we want to please the Almighty, the Creator of the mankind.