By : Prof. (Mrs.) Raj Vasdev Singh

Self-awakening is the be-all and end-all of human life. A human being, who is so blessed immortalises himself. Rarely, one comes across such a person in this world. Only the blessings of the True Master, total surrender of body, mind and soul enables man to attain such a divine state in which he is one with God Almighty, whose grace maintains and sustains him, whatever the circumstances may be. The devotee who spreads the message of the True Master through his practical life, is very dear to him.

But total surrender is not so easy as it sounds. It is aptly said that one may conquer a thousand men in the battlefield, yet only he is the true victor who conquers his own self. In Gurbani it is said:

Conquest of the mind is the conquest of the world.

A true devotee is, therefore, ever humble and contended.

Psychologically, it may be said, that the mind is the axis around which the whole of life revolves. Our failure or success and distress or happiness life depends upon how we think, speak and act. If our thought words and deeds are dictate by the soul, we march towards righteousness ad divinity. If, however, they are reigned by the mind and the soul is subdued to the mind, they take us to the path of falsehood and suffering. Lord Buddha said:

By restrained effort, earnestness, discipline and Self-control, let the wise man make for himself an island which no flood overwhelms.

-Dhampapada

And, again Buddha cautions:

Coming from home to the homeless, the wise Man should abandon dark states and cultivate the bright. He should see great delight in detachment, so hard to enjoy. Giving up sensual pleasures with no impediments, the wise man should cleanse himself of the impurities of the mind.

- Dhamapada

Which are the impurities of the mind that lead us to the path of darkness? To my mind, and, as is expounded in to holy books, Ego is the root cause of all evils. It makes man inhuman. Even the most learned Ravana, the King of Lanka, and Pharaoh, the King of Egypt (who tortured Moses), King Hirahkashyapa, etc. became slaves of their ego and earned a bad name in the history. But ego, in various degrees, is there in almost every human being. A spiritually awakened or enlightened person alone escapes its effect by way of God-remembrance, selfless service and congregation.

One ought not to regard oneself as a doer but only a medium in the hand of the Creator. If one regards oneself a doer, one shall have to reap the fruit of one’s deeds. But as Lord Krishna said:

They right is to do thy duty and not to the fruit thereof. Do thy duty best, leave unto the Lord the rest.

-Gita

To regard oneself to be a doer is to be an egoist. To be relieved of ego, one had to be humble in words and deeds. In other words, such a person is never proud of his intellect or learning. The great masters ever exhort man to be a Dass or slave. A slave is a purchased servant, who has no right, no choice, no say, and no ambition. He lives as his master wills without any claim or grudge. A true devotee is also a slave of the True Master who, unlike the worldly people, is merciful and benevolent and showers his choicest blessings and bounties on the former.

Ponder over the following words of Baba Avtar Singh:

Who so has impact of God,

All his acts and sayings are God’s,

Has compassion, ever, the Lord,

Deeds of his, are deeds of God,

Results thereof are good to heart.

He has Light Divine in heart,

He shall merge in God, at last;

In this world has joyous accord,

In the other, he rests in God,

Avtar, they differ not naught.

- Avtar Bani, Hymn 68

 

Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji upheld this truth when he said:

If anyone desires to be great, he has to be the Dass slave) of every devotee. In the realm of Truth, great is he who serves humbly and considers himself the dust of saints’ lotus feet.

Hypocrisy is another impurity, which 'soils' the mind and obstructs the path of devotion. Under the worldly influence, we are given to false show and pretence, consciously or unconsciously. In fact, we deceive none else but ourselves. Once Baba Avtar Singh Ji observed:

Some devotees do not attend the congregation when Babaji (Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji) is away on tour. But as soon as he returns, they stands in the first row with garlands in their hands to welcome him. The Lord is never pleased with show. He is pleased only with a true, sincere and longing heart.

Here I am reminded of an incident. Once a devotee from a village in Patiala destrict came to Delhi. In the congregation, he sang with gusto a song, the theme of which was that he longed for the Darshan or holy glimpse of Babaji, whether or not he possessed worldly possessions! Happily, he returned to his village. It so happened that incessant heavy rains washed away all his belongings. Heart broken, he along with his family members again came to Delhi and related the unfortunate incident to Babaji. With a little anguish and grudge in his heart, he asked, 'Babaji, what is this! I am your humble devotee , still I suffer thus. Babaji replied, 'Did you not in your song pray for my Darshan (holy glimpse) alone, even at the cost of losing every worldly possession? Now I am right before you; have my Darshan and be patient.' The devotee realised his folly and begged forgiveness and mercy. The moral: We should not make tall claims, rather we should be ever humble and practical. The True Master is all knowing.

Flattery is yet another kind of impurity that defiles the mind. It is perhaps the greatest human weakness. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone feels happy when flattered. However, an awakened being discriminates between praise and flattery. He is neither prone to nor indulges in flattery. He, however, does not hesitate to praise a person whenever it is due.

The difference between an awakened being or devotee and a worldly person is that unlike the former, the latter is not allured by base feelings, emotions and instincts . Being awakened and enlightened, he is ever in tune with God. His thinking is rational and spiritual. He reposes full faith in the teachings of the holy person ages, which lead him from the darkness of ignorance to the light of knowledge and truth. It is, therefore, the sacred duty of the awakened and enlightened beings not only to keep the spark of divine enlightenment aglow but also lead an exemplary life to inspire others to be spiritually awakened and enlightened, so that the torch of Enlightenment is kept ever burring brighter and brighter. Khahlil Gibran has aptly said:

God has placed a torch in your hearts that glows with knowledge and beauty. It is a sin to extinguish that torch and bury it in the ashes.

The supreme state of the soul is to obey even that against which the mind rebels and the lowest state of mind is to revolt against which the soul obeys.

He who reveals to himself what his conscience has prohibited commits a sin. And he also is a sinner who denies himself what his conscience has revealed.