STREAM OF THOUGHTS - Part VIII

What is the object of devotion?
What do we want to achieve by means of congregation, service and praise of God?
Do we need congregation, service and praise of God even after attaining divine knowledge?

In the realm of theosophy, devotion has a special significance. Majority of the people consider singing of the praise of God as devotion. They believe that their singing of praise will please God who will then give them the reward, appear in front of them. This kind of devotion of the world is, however, based on ignorance. It is not rewarded, it is not useful, not fruitful.
Regarding devotion, Baba Avtar Singh Ji writes:

BHAKTI LOKI AJE NA SAMJHE, RAB NOON PANA BHAKTI EY

Devotion begins only when one realises God and integrates oneself with it. When somebody has not even entered our life, whom do we love and whom do we show our devotion? Whom do we admire? Suppose a mother is still to get a child, whom shall she love? With whom shall she develop affection? For this love and affection she must bear a child. Suppose electricity connection is still to be provided to our house. We may buy any number of bulbs, our house cannot get the light. Although we may have the best type of appliances like heaters, fans and other such gadgets to make ourselves comfortable, yet they will be of no use if there is no power connection. Similarly if we have not known God, we have not integrated ourselves with the Almighty, we cannot have any devotion for it.
To remember God all the time while doing our normal work is the real devotion. Only the realisation of the existence of the omnipresent, being aware that it is in the know of all our actions, rather oversees them, is the real devotion. There is no moment for a devotee when God is absent for him. Somebody else may be absent, but God cannot be absent even for a moment. If God is absent, it is absent from the mind. And when it is absent from the mind, bad deeds begin to be done by us. We think ill of others and wish wrong for them. In the matter of religious faith three things are essential - devotion, devotee and God. In other words there must be a devotee, there must be the spirit of devotion and there must be God for whom the devotee is required to show his devotion.
There is a famous story about Dadu Bhagat. A person connected with the administration of the town was told that a saint was living there. He thought of going to see him. He thought that he had spent enough time in Maya or the worldly things; now he would like to spend sometime in devotion. With this thought in his mind he rode his horse and started. As he asked him, "Where does Dadu Bhagat live? Which side to go for his house?" The person, however, did not pay attention to him and remained involved in the cutting of the bushes. The visitor again asked him, "Please show me the way. Let me know where Dadu Bhagat lives." Even then there was no reply. The man could not tolerate this and he hit him with his leg from the horse back, threw him on the ground and beat him with the whip meant for the horse. Thereafter, he proceeded further. On the way he asked another man, "Where does Dadu Bhagat live?" The man told him that Dadu Bhagat was removing bushes from the way he himself had come from, because visitor was very sorry to know this. He realised that in ignorance he had insulted the saint. He went back and requested Dadu Bhagat to forgive him for the big mistake he had committed. Dadu Bhagat said only this much: "You did that because you were ignorant. Now you are bowing your head before me because you have come to know. You misbehaved only because of your ignorance. Therefore, you are not at fault. It is your ignorance that is at fault. Man commits mistakes, he falters because of his ignorance. Man does so, because he does not know the truth. When he come to know the truth, he gets the light, he moves on the right path."
The distinction of these spiritually enlightened persons lies in the fact that they know God, they know this truth. Then they try to persuade the world to follow the same path. This is the principle of the saints' life. They endeavour to unite every human being with God, the Almighty, since when man is integrated with God, hatred and jealousy will go from his mind. If he does not know God, he will consider other human beings as strangers, inferior and treat them as untouchables. So long as he carries these feelings, his mind will be full of hatred, anger and pride and he will not be able to treat others with the sense of equality. When the sun rises, every object can be seen in its light. So long as the sun does not rise there is fallacy only. Even a rope lying in the darkness appears to be a snake. The bushes move because of the air and we imagine horrible things. But with the sunrise, with the coming of the light, reality comes before our eyes. Similarly, when there is light of God-knowledge, we realise the truth that no human being is a stranger, nobody is high and nobody is low. Thereafter, man does not treat anybody as not his own. He treats everybody as an image of God. He devotes himself to the service of all. He loves all. All kinds of hatred and jealousy are gone. In fact, this is the beginning of devotion. For devotion the light of God-knowledge is essential. God-knowledge ushers in devotion. It is the first step and not the last on the ladder of devotion. While imparting God-knowledge, saints advise seekers to attend congregation, do service to others and praise God. All these have been recognised as essential elements of devotion.
Some people are of the opinion that when God-knowledge has already been attained, where is the need for attending the congregation everyday? However, why do they not think the same way in the case of bath? Why do they not say that they would both take the bath because they had taken the same two days back? Why do they not say so in regard to several other activities of life? Why do they not postpone their actions on the plea that they had done the same thing a few days back? We know that if we do not take food regularly, our body will start losing strength and becoming weak. Similarly, if we stop taking bath, our body will develop bad smell due to which it may catch some disease.
In the same way, if you want to keep your mind clean, you must take help from saints. The mind becomes clean only in the company of saints. The spiritually enlightened persons attach importance to the company of saints in every field of life, on every occasion. Whatever the occasion, they think of having a congregation of saints as the saints, that saves the boat of life from dwindling. The spiritually awakened people always hold the company of saints in high esteem in their minds. Wherever a congregation is held, such persons take active part with full enthusiasm. Exactly this is the conduct of saintly persons.
Somebody asked Kabir Ji, "Why so we have the congregation daily? Why should we go and sit with saints everyday? Where is the need? We have so many other things also to do. Why should we attend the congregation again and again and listen to the same discussion?
Kabir Ji did not give a reply. He simply picked up a hammer and struck it on a peg nearby. The man came again the next day and said, "I wanted answer to a question, but you did not give any reply." Kabir Ji again struck the hammer on the peg. He, of course, did not speak anything. The third day again the man came and said, "It is quite strange. I am requesting you again and again, but you are not giving any reply to my question." Kabir Ji said, "But I am giving you the reply every day. In fact you are not understanding it. I strike the hammer on this peg every day, so that it goes deeper into the ground. If I do not apply the hammer every day, the peg may come out even with the slightest disturbance in the ground, or if the animal tied there tries to pull it or even if somebody happens to hit it. Once it is out, it may not be found at all, it may get lost. It remains fixed into the ground strongly, because I apply the hammer on it everyday. This is what is done by the regular congregation or company of the saint. It works like a hammer on our mind and strengthens our faith."
When we go to a congregation, the words of saints lend firmness to our mind. We get a support and our mind stays with God. Once our mind remains fixed in the Almighty, our faith and devotion remain constant. This takes us above worldly considerations and fills our mind with Godly feelings. Once we rise above worldly considerations, the mind gets peace which is everlasting. If we continue to be engrossed in worldly thoughts, our union with God will weaken. As we know, there can be no calm, peace or lasting satisfaction so far as worldly materials are concerned.
Once a saint said to another, "I have been attending the congregation for several days, but I am yet to acquire any virtues." The other saint gave him a basket made of bamboo and asked him to fill it with water. He took the basket to the river. He put it into the river but it would just not hold the water. The next day he again went and asked how to fill the water into the basket because there were several holes in it. He was, however, advised to continue the practice. After some days, he came again and complained that even though he was trying regularly, the basket was not holding the water. At this, the saint said, "You have been putting the basket into the water and taking it out again and again. Have you noticed any change in the basket?" The reply was: "One change I have seen definitely. Earlier, the basket had some dust settled on it. Now it is quite clean. Secondly, the size of the holes of the basket has been reduced." The saint explained, "If you continue the practice of putting the basket into the water again and again, the bamboos will expand and one say the holes may disappear from the basket at all and it may be able to hold the water. Similarly, a person who goes to the company of saints again and again, his mind becomes clean and the holes in the form of shortcomings will gradually disappear and it will start holding the virtues."
A man may be doing any number of bad deeds, but when he comes to the company of saints there is a change in his life, in his behaviour. If a person ignores the words of saints even after coming to their company, he achieves nothing. The dust of his mind continues to stay. Those who hear the message to of the enlightened saints, adopt the same, they make their life a success. Sajjan Thug was always robbing people. He had a lodge Whosoever came there to stay for the night, he would be thrown into the well and his baggage kept by Sajjan Thug. This is how he lived. One day, a great spiritual master (Guru Nanak) came to the lodge. Sajjan Thug wanted to try to give the same treatment to him but failed because he was won over by the feelings of the True Master. He received God-knowledge and became a disciple. The result is that today the same Sajjan Thug is included in the category of saints. His name is counted among devotees. Otherwise, how evil were his actions? Just as dirty clothes are washed with soap and become wearable, similarly the unclean people become clean and noble with the company of the saints.
Mind receives strength, when it is attached to the company of saints. It starts believing, having faith and becomes pious. Whosoever finds the company of saints, is believed to be fortunate. In fact, a saint does not claim any credit even for attending a congregation. He only says :

TUMRI KRIPA SE BHAYE SADH SANG EHO KAAJ TUM AAP KIYO

It is because of your (God's) blessings that I could find the company of saints. This has been done only by you. This task (congregation) could just not be performed by me.
It is due to the blessings of God, that one finds the company of saints. Once we consider it a blessing, those who receive will have to be called great. The company of saints promotes wisdom and it is found only with the blessings of God:

BIN SATSANG VIVEK NA HOYEE RAM KRIPA BIN SULABH NA SOYEE

The devotees of God always pray that their contact with the saints should grow. They should meet only the saints. It is because of the company of saints that life gets a change. It is said

GANGA KE SANG SARITA BIGRI; SO SARITA GANGA HOYE NIBRI, CHANDAN KE SANG TARUWAR BIGRYO; SO TARUWAR CHANDAN HOYE NIBRYO; PARAS KE SANG TAMBA BIGRYO, SO TAMBA KANCHAN HOYE NIBRYO; SANTAN SANG KABIRA BIGRYO, SO KABIR RAM HOYE NIBRYO.

Just as any tree that grows near Sandal, acquires the same fragrance; just as a dirty rivulet takes refuge in the Gages and acquires its vast form, just as copper becomes gold by coming in contact with the touch-stone(Paras), Kabir ji says that he (man) becomes merged with God by coming in contact with the saints.
So long as we do not find the company of saints, virtues will not enter our life and we will fail to move higher. If we stay in the company of unenlightened people and continue to be guided by selfishness, we are not going to attain any peace. Some time back, there was a big tragedy which caused lot of damage. In Bhopal, thousands of people lost their lives. Do you know the reason? It was because of polluted air. No doubt, the air is always there. We breathe it. We continue to live with the help of air. But when it gets poisoned, it causes havoc. Similarly, our mind is poisoned when it gets into the company of unenlightened people or is under the influence of Maya, the worldly wealth.
We drink neat water and we gain health. But if we drink water which contains worms, which contains virus that can spread diseases, it may affect our lives. It can cause jaundice, malaria, etc. What we mean to say is that when we get the company of saints, their noble feelings become a part and parcel; of our life, our behaviour. But in case we fall in the company of unenlightened people, whose life is based on selfish desires, is full of self-interests, we too will have the same attitude. Such a company proves misleading, divides people, makes them strangers to each other. That is why, saints profess for the company of enlightened people, the congregation. In other words, the company of truth and the truthful is the company of divine truth, i.e., God. And this is what is important.
The company of saints is a sacred pool that gives delight. One feels like staying in it to enjoy its coolness. When we take a bath in the pool, we are pleased, we get relief from heat. When we are inside the pool, the sun remains the same, produces heat. But we enjoy the cool when we take bath, inspite of the sun. The sun performs its own function, but it cannot affect us while we are bathing in the pool. Similarly, a person who is always immersed in the pool of the divine knowledge, a devotee, remains unaffected by the allurements of the worldly wealth, the evils like greed and pride etc; even though they are very much there. If we remain in the company of saints, attend congregations, our mind remains unaffected by evils.
That is why the devotees always pray for the company of such people whose presence inspires them to continuously remember God, confirms their faith in God. They pray that they may not get the company of such people as may shake their belief or faith. It has been advised to avoid the company of unenlightened people, because it proves harmful. Suppose there is a banana plant with its broad leaves and nearby grows a thorny bush. When the wind blows, the soft leaves of the banana get into touch with the thorns and they are torn. That is why saints pray to God that they may be saved from bad company, from the friendship of those who are unenlightened because such company weakens their faith.
The company of enlightened saints removes the sense of discrimination, narrow-mindedness. One establishes this is the reward of the company of saints. The more we get such company, the deeper and stronger is our faith in God - Nirankar. If we do not get the company of saints, the worldly dust starts settling on our minds and we become narrow-minded. When we continue to attend the congregation of saints, our mind remains cool and calm. It is never shaken. The belief in God remains firm for ever. It is such a tonic for the mind, such a shield that whosoever takes it, continues to march forward on the path of devotion.
Wisdom does not dawn without the company of saints. And whosoever finds the company of saints becomes wise. He starts appreciating the difference between good and bad. This wisdom comes from the company of the enlightened people. Just as Sandal lends fragrance even to the nearby plants, similarly, whosoever comes near the enlightened people, he developes the sense of devotion and is happy. Suppose a student is bodily sitting in the class and the teacher is teaching. He will not learn what is being taught if his mind is somewhere else. He will never become educated. Similarly, when we refer to the congregation, it is related to mind. We may be present bodily, but if our mind is absent from here, if our mind is not very keen to learn, we will not be able to gain anything from the company of saints. If we want to take the advantage of the company of saints, we must immerse ourselves in the same. We must forget ourselves.
Saints ! A man had heard that Paras (touch-stone) turns the iron into gold. He came to know that an old saint in a far off village possessed Paras. He went to him and said, "I have come to know that you have Paras with you. Kindly show it to me, I want to have a look at it."
The old saint agreed. He went inside and took out a small box. The box was made of iron. The man who had approached him to have a look at Paras said, "Surely, the secret is out. Today I have come to know everything. I have understood everything. Who says that Paras can turn iron into gold ? You are showing this small box which is made of iron and claim that it contains Paras. Had it been so, this box should not have been made of iron. The claim that Paras turns iron into gold, is unfounded."
The saintly person asked him to wait. Then he opened the box. It was found that Paras was wrapped into a piece of cloth. The saint pointed out, "Paras is an energy, but it is not able to touch the iron because of the wall created by the piece of cloth. Since Paras is unable to touch the iron, the iron has remained iron. In spite of the fact that the box contains Paras, it has failed to become gold".
Similarly, the congregation is Paras which turns life into gold (virtue), provided only that no wall of ego, no wall of falsehood, creates obstruction.
The sun is another example like this. It has its own light. But if someone has covered himself or put a curtain, how can he take any advantage of the light of the sun? There is no defect in the sun, just as there is no defect in that Paras. It does possess energy, it does possess power, but because the iron has gone behind the curtain of cloth, Paras is not able to convert it into gold. The same is true of the glory of the company of saints. It does lend its colour, it does make a person's life pleasant, provided he puts an end to his ego before he comes to the congregation, bows his head, shows regards from the core of his heart to others, considering them the devotees of the True Master, beloved of this God-Nirankar and removes all his pride and leaves behind his self-interest. The importance does not lie in being present in the congregation bodily. The mind should also be present in the company of saints. Only then, it is useful to attend the congregation. Neither ego nor any other weakness should come in the way. A saint has been considered more valuable even than Paras. Paras converts iron into gold while a saint converts the seeker of his company into a saint (like himself).
Spiritual masters have declared company of saints as the realisation of all the means to salvation in one. Kabir Ji shows better regards to the congregation of saints than even heaven. He says :

JO SUKH SADHU SANG MEIN, SO BAIKUNTH NA HOYE.

Quite often, a feeling is expressed that when we have realised God, we have received God-knowledge, we should go back and take rest at home. But really speaking, realisation of God-knowledge is one thing, the realisation of the fruits seed, while unstinted devotion, the sense of being unattached, is the fruit. This plant is required to be given water in the form of the company of saints (Satsang), the fertiliser in the form of service (Sewa) and care in the form of praise of God (Simran). Only then, this little plant will grow into a big fruit - giving and shady tree. Thus, God-knowledge is important. It is by attending the congregation that one acquires firmness of faith.
The same is the case with service. It brings cheerfulness, delightfulness. Devotees always cherish that in spite of all the worldly fame and reputation, they should not be deprived of the service of the fellow saints, the service of those who come to see the True Master. History tells us that when a disciple working in the stable of a great spiritual master was rewarded for his good service and made the commander, he said, "Give me any number of honours, but kindly allow me to work in the stable also".

JO NAR DUKH MEIN DUKH NAHIN MANE; SUKH SNEH CHINTA NAHIN JAKE, KANCHAN MATI MANE.

This is the state of mind of those who remain unshaken, who remain unattached, uninfluenced by worldly wealth. On the other hand, this is what happens in the world :

PHAL KARAN SEWA KARE TAJE NA MAN SE KAAM; KAHE KABIR SEWAK NAHIN, CHAHE CHAUGUNA DAAM.

He who demands the price of his service is not a disciple. A disciple always serves without any self-interest. He simply obeys. Service is not something that you choose to do. Service is what is accepted or recognised, what has been done on order. It is this kind of service that carries value.
Those who realise the importance of service - physical, intellectual and material, remain firm and those who do not take part in any service and only criticise others, do not gain anything. Rather, they lose what they already possess. Somebody asked a lady, "Why are you so upset ?" She replied, "I have not lost anything. Neither I have done any wrong. I am distressed only to see others making donations". It means, while we ourselves are unable to find time for the service, we criticise if somebody else is doing something. This is, in fact, a sign of narrow-mindedness. The devotees are modest by mind but their thinking is quite high. They do the service in all humility. Whatever they are able to do, they do; they do not make a mention of it unnecessarily.
Like congregation (Satsang), in service (Sewa) also the spirit is important. If the body is doing some service, the mind also be put into it. The service has value if done from the core of one's heart. Two devotees were present in the service of their spiritual master. A fair was going on in the town. One of the devotees desired to go the fair. He goes and sees the fair. He watches the various activities going on. No doubt, his eyes were looking at the various objects, his mind was all the time with the master. He kept on thinking whether somebody had served water to him, pulled the fan for him and so on. On the other hand, the second disciple who did not get an opportunity to go to the fair, kept on thinking that the other devotee was enjoying the fair, while he himself was stuck up. Both the devotees went to the spiritual master next morning. He praised the devotee who had gone to the fair, saying that he did a lot for him the previous day. At this, the other devotee pointed out, "Your Holiness ! Perhaps you are a little mistaken. In fact, he had gone to the fair and I was looking after you". The great master said, "No doubt, he was not here bodily, his mind was all the time in my service. Thus he remained very much present here. On the other hand, in spite of being present bodily, you were mentally absent".
This example has only one message that only the service rendered with the True Master in mind, gets accepted or recognised. This does not mean that we should not do anything practically and go on saying that our mind is in the service. Quite often, man tries to be clever. He thinks that there is no harm in going to the fair, because his presence will in any case be marked. This is a mischief of the mind, an invention of the brain. Whatever is thought by the brain, suffers from artificiality. In fact, devotion is not the subject of brain, it is the subject of heart. Those who offer themselves in devotion, both outwardly and inwardly, emerge to be included. They receive all kinds of comforts, all kinds of pleasures.
The value of service is understood by the devotee who does it. Only he knows as to what is devotion. The devotee is a flower in bloom and devotion is the fragrance. The devotee leads his life with a spirit of submission. He surrenders everything to God and remains busy in serving physically, intellectually and materially. Service can be done only by a person who has the spirit of humility, the spirit of service. A person with ego or suffering from pride can never do the service. In fact, he who does the service does not even claim any credit for doing it. He treats it as a blessing of the Almighty. Our body is recognised by our face or the head. The question arises as to how to recognise the body which has no head. It just cannot be recognised. Similarly, a person who offers his head does no longer possess his own identity. His identity stands merged with the authority to whom he has offered his head. A devotee is always guided by this spirit. He offers his head and does not retain it with him. Then he has no separate identity. Whatever he is able to do, he considers it as the blessing of the Lord :

NA HUM KIYA NA KARENGE, NA KAR SAKE SHAREER; JO KICHH KIYA SO HARI KIYA, HUA KABIR KABIR.

A devotee does not want to take any credit for his service. Such persons will never say that they have done something, although practically they have done everything. They hold out God as the master of every action. Whatever they do, they do it with the spirit of submission. Whether they serve physically, intellectually or materially, they consider it a blessing of God. They declare that they have been able to do something for the welfare of others only through the blessing of the Almighty. Otherwise, they say, "Who am I to do this? O God! You provided an opportunity to me, so I am doing this." While in service, you get an opportunity to do something in this manner only. A person who serves with devotion, moves on the path of service without hoping to be rewarded. Service produces happiness, plenty and prosperity. But if somebody feels proud of the service, it may bring loss instead of any profit. That is why in the matter of faith only the service obeys the order as considers himself a humble servant, the humblest of the humble. Those who serve with this spirit, command adoration. Hanuman served Lord Rama with the spirit of devotion. To-day we find more shrines constructed in the name of Hanuman than Lord Rama. Bhai Kanhiya presented such an example of service that is being quoted even to-day. In the matter of devotion, service is also essential alongwith the company of saints, in order to attain firmness and be prosperous.
Service (Sewa) is useful only when it is accompanied by the praise of God (Simran). The onlooker feels that these people who are doing hard labour in the scorching heat of the sun must be facing lot of difficulty. But when you approach the man who is actually working, you will find that his mind is overwhelmed with happiness; he is enjoying the service. Similarly if the service is in terms of money, only the donator knows how much pleasure he is deriving from this action. This happiness flows from Simran alongwith Sewa. By Simran it is meant to remember God all the time, to keep the Almighty in mind. It does not mean the repetition of God's name as such.
Suppose there is an electric wire and there is a bulb also attached to it. The bulb just cannot produce the light until and unless there is current in the wire. Similarly if human mind is not attached or integrated with the source i.e. the Almighty - Nirankar, mere repetition of divine name is just like the bulb that is seen very much there but is not connected with the main, the point supplying the current. No doubt we can see somebody reciting the name of God with his tongue but since there is no attachment with the Main, where will this mind get the light from?
To remember God all the time while doing normal work is the real Simran. The very realisation of the existence of God is Simran in true sense. For example, there is a cow. It has its calf. Wherever the calf may be, the cow keeps it in mind. Similar is the case with our own child. Wherever it may be, we take care of it. Just as the mother, whether she is working in the kitchen or doing something else in the house, remembers the child, she continues to have all the love and affection for it and she just does not forget it even for a minute, similarly a devotee, a saint, also performs all the duties of daily life, he goes here and there and fulfils his responsibilities but he does not forget God. He remembers this Formless all the time. His mind is fully integrated with God.
For example, fish remains alive only in water. Its mind is always in water. If it separates itself from the water, we know how it flutters in pain and then dies. A devotee has the same kind of attraction for God. He moves with God in his mind all the time. He makes God as the very base of his life. There is a saying in Punjabi :

HATH KAAR WAL, TE CHITT YAAR WAL

It means that while hands are busy in work, the heart is with God. This is the real Simran.
We must realise before starting any action that this God-Nirankar is watching us. We can hide ourselves from the eyes of the human beings, but we cannot escape the eyes of the One to whom we are answerable for our actions. Once we realise this in our mind, we cannot do wrong, speak wrong, behave wrong. Simran of this kind, in this form, saves us from bad deeds and leads us towards good deeds. This is what makes a devotee happy.
Fake and fictitious Simran is of no use. Religious books mention that some people recite the name of God only for the show of it. They only want to impress others that those who worship God and repeat the divine name all the time, are (great) devotees. But all this has some self interest behind it. For example, a beggar also recites the name of God. He too refers to the name of the Almighty one way or the other. May be, he says RAM. But this RAM RAM is coming from his tongue; his heart is in the begging. In case the chord of his heart is also connected with God, it may have some meaning. But here, the word RAM is being repeated only by the tongue. The eyes of the beggar are on the pedestrians who move along the footpath where he is sitting. He watches as to who turns towards him and puts some coin into his bowl, as to who puts his hand into his pocket, as to who is taking out the money and giving him. In short, his eyes are fixed somewhere else, while the tongue is repeating the name of God. This has never been accepted by spiritual masters as the spirit of devotion, as Simran. Simran for them means that they recite the name of God with everything surrendered to the Almighty. That is why the divine masters have always described this kind of fictious Simran as useless, Simran of low standard.
Once Laila was walking, with Majnu in her mind. On the way she passed by a person who was sitting in penance. He stopped her and complained that she had disturbed him in his meditation. At this Laila said, "I am having only corporeal love. I was thinking of someone (a human being), while passing from here. But you are in love with God. You are worshipping the Almighty. Your love is divine. When I failed to see you because of my love for a human being, how is it that you felt disturbed while you were remembering God?" What we mean to say is that Simran performed but the unenlightened people today is not accompanied by the concentration on this God-Nirankar. Naturally they are not getting the reward of Simran that was their due.
Divine masters tell us about the most appropriate Simran as under:

SUMIRIN KI SUDH YUN KARO, JYON GAGAR PANIHAR; HALE DOLE SURAT MEIN, KAHE KABIR VICHAR.

Women fetch water from the well. They fill their vessels with water and carry them home. We do not advise the vessel to be kept there (at the well) itself so that it does not get shaken and the water does not get split. This will defeat the very purpose. The vessel has been filled with water for carrying home, for quenching thirst. That is why the lady puts the vessel on her head. She carries another vessel under her arm. Carrying the vessels, she walks towards her house. On the way she finds the level of the ground uneven. She also talks to the other women (carrying water the same way). In this way they are all doing their job, performing their action and at the same time they are mentally concentrating on the vessels full of water they carry. They put their steps forward in such a way that they do not allow the vessels to shake. The mind of the devotee is also like this. He performs all actions but his mind, his thoughts are all the time with God.
It is not only the tongue of the devotee that recites the name of God. God is there throughout the body. This is what the divine masters say about those who recite the name of God just for the show of it:

KABIR JAPNI KAATH KI, KYA DIKHLAWE LOYE; HRIDAY RAM NA CHETAYEE, EY JAPNI KYA HOYE.

It is said that man is not going to gain any thing if his heart is not in alliance with God, if his mind is unclean, harsh and if he is repeating the name of God with his tongue only. In fact, a person who is a saint, a devotee, remembers God with heart and soul, all the time, every moment. He continues to feel the presence of God in his mind while he walks, while he does any work.
When God Almighty is there in mind all the time, there is no reason why feelings like jealousy should arise, why man should make discrimination against others, treat some as his own and others as strangers, why he should be proud. In this way man comes closer to man. He realises that God dwells in every human being and everybody is God's own image. This state of mind is achieved only when the human mind is united with God and the name of God is recited by heart and soul. Such Simran has no relationship with telling beads. Here in this context, it is not the beads in the rosary that roll, it is the beads of the mind :

MALA PHERAT JUG GAYA, GAYA NA MAN KA PHER; KARKA MANAKA DAAL DE, MAN KA MANAKA PHER. MALA TO KAR MEIN PHIRE, JEEBH PHIRE MUKH MAHIN; MANVA TO DAS DIS PHIRE, YEH TO SUMIRIN NAHIN.

A man who always thinks of this God-Nirankar and recites its name receives calm and happiness and all his troubles are over. Thereafter the life is full of joys. That is why spiritual masters have said:

BHAJO GOVIND, BHOOL MAT JAO; MANUSH JANM KA YE HI LAHO.

Do not forget this Govind, the Almighty, because it is only to remember it and seek integration with it that God has granted this human life. Now that we have got this human body, we should never forget it. The man who remembers God, his condition is:

TUDH CHIT AWE MAHA ANANDA

It means, so long as the mind thinks of you (God), we are happy all the time. We receive the joy which is not found even in the worldly materials all put together. It has no parallel. That is why it has been said:

FIKR KAREIN SO BAWRE, ZIKR KAREIN SO SADH; UTH FARIDA ZIKR KAR, FIKR KAREGA AAP.

Simran is such a cover that keeps the lamp of God-Knowledge burning (it does not allow it to extinguish). The saints give Simran a place in their hearts so that this lamp of divine knowledge keeps burning. This is the lamp that gives light and renders the path of life smooth. There is, however, another thing. The lamp may be very much there, but if we close our own eyes, we are likely to stumble. The lamp is burning. There is light. Even then the essential requirement is that we must open our eyes. If the lamp is lit, but we put a bandage on our eyes, we shut our eyes, we have the darkness all around. If we want that our eyes remain open and we receive all kinds of joys in life taking full advantage of the divine light, we must attend the congregation (Satsang), do service to others (Sewa) and praise God (Simran):

SIMR SIMR SIMR SUKH PAO, KAL KLESH TAN MAHIN MITAO; UTHAT BAITHAT HAR BHAJO, SAHDU SANG PREET, NANAK DURMAT CHHUT GAYEE, PARBRAHM BASE CHEET.

Only Simran produces joy. It puts an end to tension and discord. When there is recitation of the name of God all the time, there is the company of saints, bad intentions disappear and this God-Nirankar enters gradually. This Simran, this love towards saints, their company, all these make devotion fruitful. The devotee continues to remain spiritually enlightened.
With God-knowledge, the mind is enlightened. Once the lamp is lit, we put our hands over it to protect it from the wind blowing from any side. We provide it a cover of our palms so that it does not extinguish because of the wind. Similarly, the lamp of spiritual enlightenment, the divine light that is lit with the blessings of the True Master is also required to be protected and not to be allowed to be extinguished. How? This is to be done with the help of congregation (Satsang), service (Sewa) and the praise of God (Simran). Satsang stabilizes it, Sewa exalts it and Simran makes it ever lasting.