(Excerpts from Discourses of Nirankari Baba Hardev Singh Ji)
God-knowledge is self awakened by which an enlightened
person can differentiate between the right and the wrong, between the true and the false.
This knowledge is very noble and virtuous, but it is only useful if we utilize it in life,
leaving aside the worldly pleasures and merge with the Divine Truth. Even if in spite of
it, we still are engrossed in worldly pleasures, take refuge in falsehood, God-knowledge
cannot be blamed for it. In the presence of light if we close our eyes, we will not be
able to see. If we want to see, we shall have to keep our eyes open. We have to find our
way in the light of this knowledge. We shall have to steer through the obstacles of life
by it. Only then, we shall be able to advance further, be able to enjoy the bliss of
devotion.
From the fragrance around, we realize that there is garden nearby, where the flowers are
blooming. From the light we find there is the sun. Likewise, from the fragrance of saints,
from their humility, love, affection and sense of brotherhood people feel their presence
and enjoy the bliss.
One cannot be called a saint, merely by his saffron robes. In fact, only his actions and
behaviour can put him in the category of saints.
Who is a Gurmukh (God loving person)? Who can be called a Gurmukh? This word
‘Gurmukh’ is composed of ‘Guru’ and ‘ Mukh’. It means one
who has his face towards Guru, who is not deceitful, hypocrite, robber, or plunderer, is a
‘ Gurmukh’.
‘Gurmukh’ is the one, who by the grace of his Master (Guru) has fear of God in
his heart, has faith in Guru’s word, attends congregation regularly, sheds his ego
and seeks the company of saints. He, who does not deceive, never lies, does not speak ill
of others and keeps the ‘word’ of his Guru (God) in his heart is a true disciple
(Gurmukh).
If having the God-knowledge one doesn’t use it, doesn’t live with it, is not
humble but arrogant, he will not enjoy the bliss of it. Contrarily, even if one had it
recently, but is totally transformed, will be the real gainer.
Mere knowledge of God is not going to be of any use to us. Unless we make it a part of our
life, it is not going to help us in any way. We cannot be successful in our lives.
God realization lays some responsibilities on ourselves. When the doctor precautions any
medicine to a patient, he counsels some precautions. Just the same, when one is bestowed
‘God-knowledge’ one is told to be courteous to others, to wish well of
everybody, not to hurt others in any way. If we act upon these, only then it is going to
be of some use to us. If we are not humble and courteous, still hurt others, we will not
benefit from it. It is important that after attaining this Divine Knowledge, you are
humble, helpful and courteous. That is the essence of it.
While traveling on a train, if one hasn’t got a proper ticket, he will always be
afraid of the ticket checker. He may have entertained his fellow passengers, but when the
checker comes, he will definitely ask him for a ticket. Even if he pleads that he has
entertained the passengers, the checker is not going to accept his plea and will say,
“I have nothing to do with anything else. I am to check you ticket.” Accordingly
one may pretend any thing, unless he has God-knowledge there is no way forward for him in
life.
On the other hand if one has the ticket, but has been troubling other passengers, people
will say he is not a nice person. They will be happy if he drops at the next station. He
will not enjoy the journey even if he has the ticket. That is not enough even. If he does
not obey the law, he could end up in jail. It is the same with virtues, you may have
God-knowledge, if it does not tally with your behaviour, it could even be more harmful.
Noble is the one who has the ticket, is courteous, helpful, loves and respects people.
After having God-knowledge (Gyan) it behoves him to be like this.
Disciple (Gursikh) is the one, who is always ready to learn, wants to learn. He is the
person who has the eagerness to learn, to know. One who thinks himself to be perfect and
is not receptive to learning cannot be a true disciple. The quality of a disciple is to be
humble, lowly and submitting. He wants to attain the good qualities of other people. The
one who attains this is considered noble and virtuous in the eyes of his Master. He is
elevated in Kingdom of God. In the words of Baba Avtar Singh, “ When a devotee sees
another devotee, he feels ecstatic.” If we have not got that noble feeling in us, we
do not act on the words of our Satguru.
If we indulge in thinking ill of others, we cannot be happy ourselves. One who always
looks at others’ failings, finds faults in others to disgrace them in the eyes of
other people, cannot be called a Gursikh (devotee). He can not be happy and prosperous
person. If on the other hands one points out failings and weaknesses of a person with an
earnest desire to help him, then we should all pray that nothing untoward happens to him.
We should also make sure that what has disgraced anybody, should not happen to us. One who
has such feelings in him, is never disgraced or dishonored. In reality he is a true
disciple.
After enlightenment, it benefits to be united with the Sangat (congregation). In Sangat we
develop an outlook of love, affection and respect. We are changed and transformed what we
experience, we talk among other people. The people who don’t come to Sangat, do not
believe it, say, “that is not possible, it cannot happen.”
If one is standing in scorching heat, and somebody comes out of a room, where a fan has
been running, giving cool air inside, the person standing outside will say, “it is
not possible. If it is not cool in the wide open space, how can it be cool inside a small
room.” He cannot believe that a fan can give cool air. Just the same who has attended
the Sangat can feel the joy of it, the one who hasn’t cannot. The one who has shared
the joy, has a dip in the ocean of saints can feel and understand that pearls are found in
the ocean, not near the earth.
Coming to Sangat does not mean to sit like a statue. It means to listen very carefully to
what is said, go home as ponder over seriously, If somebody has said something to grind
his own axe, forget it, but if somebody has said something for the benefit of the
listeners, then mould your life according to it.
A devotee’s life is the life of fearlessness, He is not afraid of anybody, because he
has achieved his object of life. His only object then is to serve humanity. Many Nirankari
saints have sacrificed their lives for this. I pray to God that everybody’s ideal
should be like this, everybody should be like them.
The saints who have sacrificed their lives for the propagation of the Divine Truth, we are
inspired by their steadfastness, by their resolve, their solid determination, their
fearlessness.
We are to imbibe in ourselves courage and steadfastness. We are absolutely sure that no
power on earth can harm us. When we are determined to do good to all, nobody can do
anything to us.
Everybody, irrespective of whether a Seva Dal member, an organizer, or a manager, is to
respect each other. He has to keep the flag of humanity, truth flying higher and higher,
bearing in mind he doesn’t hurt anybody, is rude to no one, and is not fearful of
anybody.
Saints have never submitted to any coercion. It ever they have, it is to the Almighty. If
ever they think of doing anything, is not to hurt anybody. Only the pretenders are afraid,
Saints are not because they are the true ones. They have attained the Divine Truth.
Saints are not afraid of carrying the banner forward, because they are not fake. As the
soldier in uniform has the authority, he is not afraid of anybody. If anybody wants to
check his credentials, he is not scared, because he is a true soldier, On the other hand a
fake one is always afraid of being caught, In the same way, the true saints, who have the
Real Truth, the divine Truth, are never afraid. Saints! You have known the Truth, Never be
afraid of anything; march fearlessly in the world, nothing is going to happen to you.
What you hear in Sangat, think and ponder over it; once you accept it, have full faith in
it. One who breaks away from Truth cannot live in peace.
The worldly people want to amass the material possessions which are short-lived. Happiness
can only be attained from God. This is our message which we are to carry forward to the
world.
You are not to worry about anything. You are to console others; you are to inspire others,
as you have dedicated your lives for the good of all the mankind. Fearlessly, take this
message to the people.
You might have sacrificed certain lives for the noble cause. But you have chosen the path
of Truth. You have been wishing well for everybody earnestly. This is the path of saints.
Under no circumstances you are to deviate from this path of Truth. Saints are never
perturbed, are never afraid of any circumstances, They remain composed, because they have
merged themselves with God. We are to march forward on the path of Truth. Our duty is to
love.
It has always been the feelings of devotees to admire their Satguru’s teachings and
blessings. This can only be done if we act and mould our lives according to the
Guru’s ‘word’. Whatever he expects us to do, go on doing it. His teachings
should become our way of life because it is the teachings of Satguru which guide us
through difficult situations.
People worship the Guru but do not care for his words. This is not right enough. We must
adore Guru’s words. Simply believing in Guru won’t achieve anything. We have to
mould our lives according to the teachings of the Guru, which will lead us to happiness
and prosperity in life.
We are to keep in mind that what has been taught to us becomes part of our life. We are to
adopt ourselves according to the teachings and traditions of our saints and sages. What we
preach, we should act on it. Not by the lure of worldly pleasure we should get deviated
form the teachings of saints and sages, lest somebody should point out ‘he does not
do what he preaches.’
Saints do not feel satisfied by being happy in themselves. They want to share their
happiness with others. Because the unhappiness and bitterness in their life have gone,
they want the bitterness in the world to end. Those who are still wandering in the
wilderness of the world, should end their wilderness and drink the cup of eternal bliss.
If somebody puts a candle in the container it will light the inside of the container only,
but when the candle is put on top of the container, the whole room will be filled with
light. The lives of saints are a candle put on top of a container, which illuminates the
whole world. It is their eternal wish that everybody should be enlightened.
A devotee who is linked with God, wants everybody to be linked with Him (Supreme), so that
every human being after knowing Him, should believe in Him, accepting that every thing
belongs to Him and he is only a trustee. In this way all differentiation between man and
man, high and low, will be eliminated. He will then pray for the greatest good of all.
Because all the obstacles in the path of the devotee are cleared, he would pray all
obstacles be cleared form the path of the rest of the people also.
If somebody goes the wrong way, does something wrong, hurts or harms somebody, we say that
is what his teacher has taught him. So we shall have to be very careful and should always
remember the teachings of our Master, Pray for the lost one to come home. This is the
benevolent intention they relish. If the world treats them harshly, they don’t get
upset, because they are dedicated to end the sufferings of all the people. They have this
divine emotion in them, that the eternal bliss which they experienced, may become the
possession of everybody, by which they will also become happy.
Those beings who love other human beings, being them closer to each other, are elevated in
the eyes of God. The rotten fruit is always put aside and nobody wants it. Only the good
one is wanted. In the same way those who love God, become the wanted fruits, everybody
wants to have them.
Every moment of saints’ life is spent in the name of God. Their sacrifices are
beneficial to the world. This they do to show the world the way. They put their trust in
God and stay with Him to the end of their life.
The one who thinks himself the master of the world, and hankers after the worldly
possessions is not honored in the Kingdom of God. History is witness that those who made
people to bow before their own faith by force, like Aurangzeb had been branded tyrants,
but the saints who scarified their lives for the freedom of worship are honored and
remembered, like Guru Teg Bahadur. It cannot be changed by the passage of time. The
greatness bestowed upon them will stay with them till eternity. No force has or can alter
that.
When a worldly man becomes happy, he wants to contain it in himself, or at the most extend
it to his own family only, but the saints (Godly people) are not like this, they want to
share their happiness and bliss with whole of mankind.
Saints! Keep on making humility an integral part of your life. Be on the watch that you do
not offend or hurt anybody. If somebody has left the fold for some reason, persuade him to
come back home.
One of Jesus’ parables has come to my mind. A man had two sons. One asked his father
to give him his share of the property. The father gave him half of his money. His son left
home and went away. He wasted all his money on bad things and came home penniless. His
father received him with open arms and lavished a grand party in honour of his coming
back. His other son, who stayed with father all the time, helped him, got upset and said
to his father, “The one who wasted all your money, you have welcomed him so lavishly.
I have always helped you, but you never did anything like this for me.” The father
said to him, “He was misled and indulged in bad things, now he has realized, that is
why I am so happy.”
Likewise, if some one loses a coin, he does his utmost to find the one lost, though he has
got the rest of them. So if a shepherd has lost one sheep, he goes to find the lost one,
though he has got the rest of the flock. The saints do their best to bring the lost one to
the fold, even though they still have got the rest of them. Saints have always done that
and they will go on doing it.
Saints should not simply wish well for others, rather prove by their practical deeds and
actions. As fire gives light, water coolness, saints should naturally strive for the
greatest good of humanity.
Saints! Wherever you have been, you have been showering love and affection all the year
round. Keep on doing this dauntlessly, because you know success of every thing depends
upon the Divine Will, and that is with you. That is why you should go on doing it
fearlessly.
By our dedicated lives we can easily bring other people nearer to us. The dedicated person
receives all the blessings and becomes vehicle for other to get that. Who-so-ever comes in
contact with him feels the coolness of his heart.
Suppose a man draws the outline of his house on a piece of paper with all the amenities.
If he brings his family to live under the outline, he will be mistaken. If he wants a real
home, he will have to build one. Like-wise if we build a real house on the plans of the
saints, only then we will be able to live under the Divine building of life comfortably.
The way of life which you saints have adopted, you are to stick to it, you are to keep on
that track. Whatever you are doing in the Mission, whether an active worker or a quiet
sitter in the congregation, you are to go ahead. Humility is a part of your behavior and
if you are kind and courteous to other, It adds another dimension to it.
A disciple doesn’t finish at realizing the Ultimate Truth, he makes it a part of his
life, gives it a practical shape. He is not to renounce life, but lead a practical saintly
life. If someone has hurt you, and you have forgiven him, don’t think God has not
seen it. He has and He will do the justice.
If a man after perceiving Nirankar, doesn’t feel Him around, doesn’t associate
with Him and is not prevented form doing wrong things, then he too will experience pains
and sufferings as anybody else. A devotee always does the right things, since he is
conscious that God is omnipresent.
Our character should be such that nobody should be able to point a finger at us. When
children misbehave people usually say, “This is what their parents have taught
them.” In the same way, a finger can be pointed at us and our Guru if we are not
behaving right. We are to be on the guard all the time. Our Satguru has taught us to love
and respect. We are to do it all the time.
Our life should be spotless, nobody should dare to point a finger at us, rather should
learn from a Gurmukh. A little blot on the otherwise clean dress becomes apparent
straightway. What I mean is that ‘whatever good qualities we have, a little slip can
spoil it.’ So the saints always pray to God that they should not get any blot on
their life.
We are to do the same deeds by which our forefather saints attained saintliness. Mere
singing praise of them will not beautify our lives. We are to become like them. Only deeds
make one higher or low. While doing good deeds if we have a slight element of arrogance in
us, the nobleness of our deeds will be fruitless.
A true devotee does not shirk his social obligations of life, rather performs them with
dedication. One who cannot make his life beautiful, cannot make others’ lives
beautiful. We are to strive for the greatest happiness of life. We are to become virtuous.
Only the virtuous person can be a good citizen and good religious man.
The world is to judge you from your dedication and reputation, as to what were the
principles for which your Nirankari Saints scarifies their lives. It is the duty of both
young and old to strictly follow and abide by those principles. While broadening your
outlook’ and vision, you are destined to enjoy the bliss of true devotion. As you
have been the well wishers of the humanity, so you are to be.
Whenever the devotees meet, they sing the praise of Nirankar. In reality they are no
different from Him because they are completely merged with Him. The devotees feel the
presence of the Lord every where. They are not attracted towards the worldly possessions.
Devotee being capable and powerful, submits to God. It is his belief that whatever
happens, is the will of God. He wishes well for others, he has no enmity for any one.
Saints live by the will of God. When we read history, we find that on whom we had put our
faith were all like this. If Moughals had seen perfect Messiah, a perfect saint in Guru
Arjan, they should not have persecuted him. Surely if they had seen in Guru Teg Bahadur, a
perfect saint, they should not have treated him the way they did. It becomes apparent that
some people in arrogance and selfishness try to create the impression that this person is
misleading the people. Saints have always preached love and humility. On the other hand
the vested interests spread the falseness that this saint is very dangerous for the
humanity. In spite of this, they do not give in. They do not budge. They say, “If
bringing souls together is a sin, let it be. If preaching fraternity and equality is a
crime, so be it.” This is the only way to bring people together, to bind them in a
single thread. They never changed their direction in the past, they will not change in the
future.
Prophets have never been accepted and recognized as such in their own life time. It has
never happened that what the Prophets said, people accepted and made their lives
worthwhile. Actually people put all sorts of obstacles in the path of saints and Prophets.
Generally, saints were never well off. They could not even make both ends meet, but they
never accepted defeat in their life, because they had become one with God. The traits of
God became their own traits. We cannot match them, we make mistakes, we are weaklings. If
we go on repeating the same rut and do not reform ourselves, we will never be able to
achieve anything. If we are determined to lead a life of a saint only then we could be
able to do anything, only then we can transform ourselves.
We can only be successful if our words are noble, our actions are virtuous. It should
become our nature to love Gursikhs and thus the whole world. When we take this word of
eternal truth to the people we should express the same love and affection towards them. If
our words do not match our actions, it will have no effect on them. Whatever high ideals
we may profess it will make no effect on other people, if we don’t act on them
ourselves. As you usually say that repeating the word ‘water’ will not quench
our thirst, so repeating tunes again and again will not unite people with God. Unless it
becomes our way of life, we cannot enjoy the real bliss of devotion.
One who has merged his Self with God, has tuned his soul with the Supreme Soul, feels His
presence all around, and also believes whatever happens, happens in His presence, will not
be rude to anybody. Blessed is the soul that has reached that stage.
Our Satguru (Master) has given us enlightenment, has linked us with the supreme. We are to
take advantage of it. It is possible only if we follow our Master’s teachings
wholeheartedly. When we accept that whatever we do, where ever we go, He is seeing us
every where, then nothing wrong can be done. In fact nothing is hidden from Him. We can do
wrong if we think God is somewhere far away in the skies. Then we will have no fear of
Him. We can do some wrong in that situation. The person with an iota of faith in Him, will
not condone it.
A devotee is happy in all circumstances. Ups and downs do not affect him. He remains
satisfied and happy. His outlooks broadens. Everybody is equal in his eyes. Wealth has no
importance in his life. It is the devotion, which is important for him. For a saint the
material world is not real, the true reality is God. Saints accept that this world is also
His own creation, but in his eyes Creator is greater then creation.
Saints know that physical body is not eternal. It has to finish one day, nobody has lived
for ever. Even then they did so much for mankind, showed them the way. For them life is
more important from which others can get inspiration, get fragrance of bliss.
The one who thinks himself to be a great speaker, a great preacher gets respect from
people only temporarily. Mere skill without the content can’t give any one anything
worthwhile.
The devotee gives up his pride, his ego and arrogance. Whatever message comes from his
Master, he submits to it unhesitatingly. There is an old story. Once the Master ordered
his two disciples to make pots. Both started. When they had finished, he ordered them to
destroy and start again. One of the two questioned Master’s decision, the other one
accepted his Master’s order and started again. The Master was very pleased with him.
Such a devotee is blessed who has this sort of feelings in him.
Master (Guru) collects different flowers (devotees) from the garden of the world. They
bloom and the world gets the fragrance. Thorns don’t give any fragrance, it is the
flowers that do. We, according to the teachings of our Satguru, are only to spread
fragrance, happiness. The tree with flowers gives shade and fragrance to the passers by.
The Bamboo tree does not even give shade, not to speak of fragrance. We are not to be like
a bamboo tree, but a tree with fragrance, to give world happiness and pleasure.
He who is one in action and word is a true devotee. He can give inspiration to others.
Only he can enjoy the true bliss. He is noble.
We are only to praise the Lord, and not to mention anything else. We should surge ahead
from the bliss of the Lord. A saint is always the same from inside and outside. He is not
double faced like the worldly people. A saint is dedicated to his cause. If one’s
actions don’t match his words, he will become unhappy.
A saint, a devotee is one in word and deed. He means what he says. Why do we respect and
think the old saints great? Is it because they wrote great classics and holy books? No,
what they wrote they acted on them. If they wished well, they did well. Bhai
Kanhaiya’s example is before us. In the battle field he would give water to wounded
soldiers irrespective of friends or foes. People complained to the Guru. The Guru asked
him, “Why are you giving water to the wounded enemy soldiers?” Bhai Kanhaiya
said, “I see ’You’ in everybody. Nobody is my enemy or friend. Everybody is
’you’.” Guru patted on his shoulder and asked him to carry it on. Such are
the great deeds of saints.