SPIRITUAL AWAKENING
It is said that an orator or a speaker can overcome stage fright by thinking that his audience to be foolish. Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji Maharaj, head of the Mission from 1962 – 1980 A.D., said if this is a prerequisite to address one’s audience he would prefer to keep mum throughout his life. This is the essence of being spiritual – NEGATE THYSELF. And yet, it is a freedom and not a bondage, this is the beauty of being spiritual.
Similarly, the prerequisite to spiritual awakening is negating oneself – not have pride relating to one’s body, mind or material possessions. God too has hid Himself beneath the veneer of material things even though He permeates the world – His omnipresence is the most subtle secret of this world. Therefore, an individual desirous of realizing the Almighty must surrender one’s ego and ask for the Divine-Knowledge from the True Master.
Satan, they say, beguiled Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit. Satan was successful not just because of his demonic influence but also due to the lack of commitment, waywardness of Eve (or even Adam). If we think that Satan, of yore, has vanished, it is our ignorance. Satanic tendencies still persist. The vices and wild instincts which characterized Satan viz. hatred, jealousy, guile, et cetera are more caustic today than ever before. In this bitter, poisonous, and stuffy atmosphere, the Divine-Word of Baba Ji is a commandment that if evil forces can infiltrate the human beings then spirituality or divinity can extirpate those evil forces in no time provided that the people of the world realize the Lord they worship. And, thereby, we can infiltrate the vices with divinity for building a peaceful world.
Spirituality means being able to realize God through the Divine-Knowledge of the True Master and thus, being enlightened that I, who is a soul, am a part of the Super-Soul. This realization and its remembrance is being spiritual and spirituality. It is accepting the rule of God and yet a freedom from the shackles of ignorance. Spirituality is the joy of knowing God/Super-Soul not just for a moment but for the whole life.
On the contrary, spirituality is not bigotry, dogmatic faith, recitation of scriptures, rituals, or pilgrimages as commonly believed. Spirituality is a way of life – of knowing and remembering the Almighty. And this way of life is symbolic of a true Nirankari – one who is a divinely enlightened soul. Thus, he becomes a universal human being and does not have any malice against anyone’s religion, caste, creed, community, et cetera. He does not discriminate between people on the basis of language or country or rich or poor. A Nirankari is a realized soul who knows we are all sons and daughters of the same Father and the citizens of the whole world. They all work for the welfare of the people by ameliorating their sufferings. Self-effacement and selfless service (just like the Formless God who created everything yet is hidden from the world) are the distinguishing characteristics of a Nirankari – a truly spiritual person. Baba Ji has repeatedly mentioned in his discourses that Lord Hanuman had immense powers but attributed the source of his wonderful deeds and powers to Lord Rama. A Nirankari is following the same concept of bhakti (worship). At the same time, he also respects the culture and way of life of other human beings and does not impose his own way of living or his diet habits on others.
Spirituality is also not magic or black magic, as some would say. I remember that in my childhood when my brother was drowning in a brook, my father immediately jumped into the stream to save my brother. When an empty pitcher is lowered into the ocean, the whole ocean tries to rush into that pitcher to fill it. Similarly, a soul which remembers and surrenders to the Super-Soul, it has the grace of the Almighty. And it is not magic that the some people are saved ‘miraculously’ as we say it. It is just the Father saving his son.
Another misconception is that spirituality is the renunciation of the world to live in a secluded place like an ascetic. Quite contrarily, it is the knowledge and acceptance of the Super-Soul or the Formless One and then living among people while always remembering the Almighty that is shown by the True Master truly symbolic of a realized soul. His Holiness has time and again stressed in his discourses that a good family living is the practical application of the realization of the Almighty. Just like all the prophets lived in society yet they did bhakti (lived a spiritual life). And living in the society means that we duly look after our family, or society, our nation. This is the way Prophets have lived and this the way we ought to live to be truly spiritual.
A man who is devoid of spirituality is akin to unfertile and barren land. Like a fish can survive only in water, all human beings need to realize the Almighty for living; else it is just an existence. An existence, which is a slavery of the vices and wild instincts endemic in the world. The army of Satan has infiltrated the human beings and the only defence against it is to “Know the God ye worship” through the Divine-Word bestowed by the Lord Master. It has been written:
TATI WAO
NA LAGAI PARBRAHAM SHARNAI
CHAUGIRD HAMARE RAM KAAR DUKH LAGE NA BHAI
- Adi Granth : 819
(The realization of God all around us protects us from all the sufferings - caused by the army of vices of Satan.)
Again, to emphasize, spirituality is not the movement of the beads of a rosary or parrot-like recitation of the name of God. The movement of the beads of a rosary or parrot-like recitation of the name of God is merely a rigidity of posture while spirituality is the ease of constant consciousness of the Ultimate Truth. It accommodates flexibility of movement even while remembering God. As Baba Bulle Shah Ji has written:
HATH KAAR VAL DIL YAAR VAL
(Hand towards work and heart towards the beloved)
Spirituality is emancipation from the vices of hatred and belligerence, and guile and ego. When we realize the Super-Soul through the “Divine-Word” of the True Master, a logical enlightenment dawns that all human beings are humane manifestations of the Super-Soul. It is true of human nature that we are able to love the other person to the extent we see our reflection in the other person. So, for example, I take into account the status of the other person before I befriend someone. And if the mindsets don’t match, a bond of harmony and love is not forged. But when the Formless one is revealed to a person through the “Divine-Knowledge,” a seeker is able to identify with the other person because he perceives his reflection in the other person. And the reflection is that of the soul that is the image in which God created man (“God created man in His own image”- The Holy Bible). As a consequence when we see ourselves in others, hatred, belligerence and guile vanish.
Getting rid of the vices and satanic tendencies through God-realization and living life in all its easiness without any rigidity and fanaticism is truly the rich flavour of being spiritual.
The gist of being spiritually awakened is accepting the fact that our body, mind and possessions belong to God, the Almighty because we do not have complete control over them. The nature, the human nature, organs of the body, etc. are constantly undergoing change. It simply means they are not under our control and, therefore, something that we don’t and cannot possess. Then, what is it that we can offer to the True Master when we seek “God-Knowledge”? It is our ego, criminal and brutal instincts, wild fantasies and sins that belong to us. It is an epitome of the kindness of Satguru that he takes our vices and in turn blesses us with the “Divine-Knowledge,” the source of all virtues. The following Shlok is relevant in this context.
TARUVAR SARVAR SANTJAN,
CHAUTHA BARES MEH
PARUPKAR KE KARNE, CHAARON DHARE DEH.
(Just like the earth accepts the seed, manure, etc. and gives crops and fruits in return, the saint also accepts our sins and blesses with the divine knowledge instead.)
The True Master accepts the sins of the seekers of “God-Knowledge.” We, the human beings have wild instincts, is another fact which makes us believe that we have gone through the cycle of death, birth, and rebirth. For example, the evolution of the present-day man from monkeys is not just true of the structural and anatomical resemblances but also of the behavioural qualities. The True Master is generous enough to accept and forgive these atavistic and animalistic tendencies of human beings and bless them with knowledge of the Consciousness that surrounds us to make them human beings in spirit. As I once wrote:
GUNAHO KE MERE NA THA ANT
KOI
GUNAAHON KE BADLE HAI AMRIT PILAAYA.
(There was no end to my sins; the True Master gave me nectar in exchange of my sins).
People amass wealth illegally. But, at times, there are schemes like Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS) through which people can reveal their income disproportionate to their known sources of income. Sant Nirankari Mission has been consistently giving out a clarion call to the human beings to seek the refuge of the True Master – surrender your ego and vices and be blessed with the ‘Divine-Knowledge.’
But a dogging question that arises in the paranoid mind of man is: Do I really need to know God? “Isn’t serving our parents the true religion?” was the question asked to me by a squadron leader in a military hospital who was bed-ridden due to paralysis? I replied at the risk of sounding inhuman “with the paralysis taking its toll on you, how do you expect to be of any service to your parents. God forbid, but in this invalid state you are a liability for your parents? Because you deem religion to be serving your parents and doing just good deeds which you are incapable of doing, your life is in vain and therefore, you cannot serve your parents.” The truth is that God-realization makes you serve not just your parents but also the mankind at large. As a result one can serve one’s real Father and not just our biological parents.
Since the time I have joined Sant Nirankari Mission, I have been listening to a story about a cub being brought up amongst sheep. As a consequence, the cub of the lion started exhibiting sheepish and timid qualities. The mother of the cub was worried about her child who should have been more daring and bolder with each passing day. But the cub was turning more sheepish day-by-day. The real cause of worry was that the cub was ignorant of his true identity i.e. what he is and what he believes himself to be. One fine day, the lioness roared and to her great disappointment and dejection, the herd of sheep and her cub started running away in a cowardly manner. The lioness got so irked that she caught her own cub in her teeth and took it to a nearby pond. The cub saw its face in the pond and realized that he is not like the sheep that he lived with but like his own mother. This is the essence of “God-Knowledge.” It surfaces the real identity of the human being and puts to rest all misconceptions about one’s own identity. His Holiness Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj says:
To see oneself one needs a mirror. Similarly, one can see one’s soul in the mirror of God-Knowledge.
The knowledge of the Lord is blessed in the company of the saints. Just like the cub of the lion imbibed the qualities of the sheep, the people in the company of God, in communion with the Almighty, imbibe the qualities of the Formless One and slough off their vices. This is how one becomes one with the Lord:
AB TO JAYE
CHADHE SINGHASAN, MILE HAI SARANG PANI
RAM-KABIRA EK BHAYO HAIN KOI NA SAKE PAHCANI.
- Kabir Ji
(Ram and Kabir have become one (soul), both have merged seamlessly and none can differentiate between the two.)
The need for spiritual awakening is dire. It is a commonly experienced feeling that we need to thank a person from whom we borrow some money or avail his service. But to do that we should know who our benefactor is. I remember that in the year 1974, I was posted at Rajhara mines in Chattisgarh (then a part of Madhya Pradesh) and I attended a religious ceremony marking the celebrations of holy festival Id. The Imam narrated a story of Ghaus Mohammed to the present.
Ghaus Mohammed’s mother directed his son to go to the great land of Arab and study there. She gave him a lot of Dinars and kept it safely in the specially stitched pocket towards the upper edge of the pyjama. Before the mother bid farewell to her beloved son, she commanded him “hamesha sach bolna hai” (always speak the truth) and “hamesha halaal ka khaana hai.” (always eat what rightfully belongs to you). En route to his destination when Ghaus was passing through a jungle along with a tribe some dacoits caught him. The dacoits asked him to speak the truth about the money he was carrying else face death. The commandment of his mother fresh in his mind, Ghaus fearlessly said that he had a lot of Dinars. The dacoits thought a small boy could not be, possibly, carrying such a large amount and that he was making fun of them (dacoits) by telling lies. So they thought of punishing him and presented him before their chief. The chief of the dacoits posed the same question to Ghaus who again gave back the same answer. The Chief asked the boy to show him the money. Ghaus unfolded his special pocket and showed to the chief the money he was carrying. The chief was delighted at this rare show of honesty and he ordered that the whole tribe be freed and the looted money returned to them. Ghaus moved on, reached Arab and started studying. But after sometime the money he was carrying was spent and he did not have any money to buy food. So, he went to a Mosque and sat there. Ghaus was extremely hungry and his mouth watered at sight of deliciously prepared food that someone was carrying. Just as his mouth watered he started beating his chest harshly and started crying too. The man who was carrying the food saw the child crying, approached him and asked why he was crying. So, Ghaus introduced himself and said that his mother had commanded “hamesha halaal ka khaana hai” and that he sinned because his mouth watered for food that was not his. The man revealed that he was the messenger of Ghaus’ mother and she had sent some more Dinars for him. On the way he felt hungry, so he bought some food from that money. Therefore, the food for which his mouth watered actually belonged to him because it was bought from the money sent for him by his mother. On hearing this Ghaus was happy that his mouth watered for the food that was his. Within a second, the undeserved food became deserved and legal because his ignorance vanished because of ‘knowledge’ he got from that man.
After the story, I approached the Imam and asked him “Tell me sach kya hai or halaal ka khaana kya hai.” The Imam gave me the same symbolic answer that the story explained. Then he questioned me, “Are you a Nirankari?” I replied, “Yes.” He remarked, “Only Nirnakaris put questions like these.”
After this brief conversation, I shared with him that the “sach” (the Truth) is the Formless, Imperishable and the Eternal God while “halaal ka khaana” means realization of the Formless, Imperishable and Eternal God whom we worship and be grateful to Him because He is the nurturer and Father of all. If I do not recognize Him, we worship Him but do not realize Him, then whatever I eat, the things I use that is ingratitude and even illegal (“phir vo halaal ka nahin hai vo haraam ka hai”) because that is equivalent to using things of some other person without his permission and without acknowledging his help. I am sure none of us wants to be titled as “unthankful.”
Therefore, the need for self-awakening is for everybody because everyone is utilizing the services of the Almighty in the form of air we breathe, water we drink, the sunlight and even our material belongings which have been processed by man but actually created by God. Even the intellect and matter man but users the creations of the formless, imperishable and eternal God. If we realize Him, then whatever we eat is legal and deserved (“vo halaal ka hai”). If it is illegal we are accountable for it. Now it is for us to decide whether we realize the God as the Creator and Nurturer and whatever we eat and utilize is legal and deserved or not.
His Holiness Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj is dispelling the ignorance and telling man that whatever we eat or utilize belongs to the Almighty. Satguru is the treasurer of such a Gyan (Divine-Knowledge) and is dispelling the doubts by blessing the seekers with the realization of the One Almighty. To be privy to this divine-erudition, one must pay heed towards the Holy Bible’s divine calling:
Ask and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.
- Matthew 7:7-12
Just as physical health is necessary for our well being, our spiritual health too is equally crucial – rather more because it is the source and remedy of our peace of mind and soul. Just as we like to live in a posh locality, the soul enjoys dwelling in the Super-Soul. If we can spend any amount to keep our bodies in good health or to keep our houses clean and hygienic, then more important is to take care of the health of our soul that remains buoyant by realizing the Super-Soul, the Formless One. Such a realized soul is an asset to the whole world.
The gigantic task of the Sant Nirankari Mission is to create a world of realized souls. It is a clarion call to all to rise from the deep slumber of ignorance of worshipping God without knowing Him and as a consequence we do not know our true self. His Holiness says that if my body or my face is my identity then I have realized myself. But this is not true. Self-realization is the realization of the nature of our being which is the Formless One. “Know the God ye worship” is the wise and cautionary commandment of the scriptures. I invite, most humbly, one and all, to come and seek the refuge of His Holiness True Master Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj and be blessed with the knowledge of the God “ye worship” and accomplish the aim of life. The inquisitive souls can contact any follower of His Holiness and he would be more than glad to tell you the emissary to be contacted. And take my word for it; it will change your life.
AAO RAB DE
DARSHAN KAR LO SANDESHA HAI INSAANAN NOO
MURSHID BANDE PIA BANANDA MERE JEHE HAIWANAAN NOO
- Avtar Bani(346)
(Come and see God, this is an invitation to the people; Here is the True Master who is turning persons like me with animal instincts, into true human beings.)
The Holy Bible too vouches for the importance of the True Master as the door to spiritual awakening in the following words:
I am the
Truth, the Way, the Life.
None can cometh unto Father but by me.
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