In the body, floweth the pool of Immortality;
By drinking its nectar, thou dost lose egoity;
And birth and rebirth, do for ever cease.(Namdev)
Continuing my previous blog on Sant Mat, let me now cover some of the key messages picked up from the discourses/ spiritual wisdom of one of its greatest Masters, Baba Sawan Singh ji Maharaj during the period, year 1858 to 1948.
Baba Sawan Singh ji Maharaj or the Great Master and second Sat-guru of Radha Soami Sat-sang Beas had been one of the greatest exponents of teachings of Sant Mat. He studied spiritual scriptures of various religions but retained a strong connection with Gurbani of Sikh religion.
He initiated more than 1,25000 souls into this mystic path and established religious centers all over India as well as Europe, America, South Africa and Canada. His spiritual gatherings thrilled, inspired and enthralled the minds and hearts of people & helped them resolve their problems. Every word of the Great Master was an ambrosial drop that quenched their thirsty souls.
His disciples included Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians and others from all parts of world. Let me now quote a few messages on Dharma and Ethical living from some of his discourses, Sat-sang sessions as well as spiritual scriptures including " Gurmat Siddhant' and " Philosophy of Masters".
- The Kingdom of God is within us. We have to live in this world and discharge our obligations towards our family,relations, friends and humanity. For God Realization, let us simply turn our heart God-ward, within us.
- Sant Mat is pure, unalloyed spiritual work, holds no promise to cure the sick & the blind, nor to improve one's worldly position.Initiates are to follow their normal vocations in life, earn their livelihood by honest means and utilize the same to keep themselves fit. Sant Mat aims at pure spiritual uplift.
- Lasting peace and happiness are within us. Peace and happiness derived from worldly objects and companions are transitory, these change and in time vanish. Attachment to these, leave behind scars and worries in life.
- Religion means union of the individual soul with its Source. It is an individual affair. True religion admits of no external ways of devotion. All outward ceremonies are meaningless. Burning of incense, human and blood sacrifices, eating bread or drinking wine are non essentials.
- The Truth lies within everybody. Truth is within us, in the brain, behind the eye focus, while its rays activate the entire body.
- Universal Service as the aim of brotherhood is an excellent idea. But universal service and individual are contradictory terms. An individual is an individual as long as his attention is confined to nine portals of his body. He has to cure himself from the disease of individuality, before he thinks of brotherhood and universal service.
- The first duty of man is to know himself; that is to free his soul from the bonds of mind and body; and then unite it with HIM. This is the highest service.
- God is nameless. He is the Divine Father & Sustain-er of us all; yet you can not see HIM until you are liberated from the prison house of the body. Once you realize HIM, all duality and conflict cease and disappear.
- Millions of sacrificial rites, penances, acts of charity & other deeds, can bring no salvation to human beings. Salvation is gained only by devotion to the word of God and following ethical practices.
- Self-Surrender is the key to God realization. It gives strength to the weak, sight to the seeker, beloved to the lover, God to the devotee, holiness to the sinner, freedom to the bound and immortality to the mortal man.
- Saints put the individual spirit in touch with the Sound Current, and as the spirit catches it and rises up, it throws off the influences of mind and matter and gets stronger and stronger.
- Saints use no will of their own.They live in HIM. They are HIS servants, not equals. They do not assert themselves against HIS will. As HIS dear children,God gives them everything.
- All saints are Sons of God; their mission is to make others the Sons of God and their method of achieving their mission is the Word,---Sound Current.The Word is Light.It rescinds within us and outside us. Sant Mat connects with it as Sound.
- Purity of character is the fundamental basis on which the edifice of spiritual progress is built.The five passions- lust, anger, greed, pride and attachment will become weaker and weaker as the Bliss of Sound Current increases. In the end, all passions as well as the mind will come under the control of soul.
- The real form of Guru or the essence of Guru is Shabad. Following the practice of Shabad thoroughly, the passions of lust, anger, pride, greed and attachment are destroyed. Further, when you control your mind and senses, you enjoy Shabad all the more.
- Where there is no Shabad, there is no Jyoti or Light.
- Cleanse your mind of mutual accusation as well as remonstrance and increase love and affection.for each other.Each one should admit his mistakes, ask pardon of the other, and grow in love and faith.
- The right way should be that the senses do not run after the objects, the mind is not led away by the senses and the soul has the grip on the mind and uses it as a tool to serve its purposes.
- The mind as our master, keeps us on the wheel of birth and death. The object of human life is to control it and get off this wheel.The only power that can control the mind is the Word or Na-am.
- Mind is the veil between man and God; mind revels in the pleasure of the senses. It can be weaned away only when it gets something supremely superior, sweeter and nobler. The saints name this as Divine Melody, the Audible Life Stream, the Voice of God, the Na-am, that ceaselessly reverberates at the third eye.
- We are captives of the mind and the senses; we wander in I-Ness. But once our inner eye is opened, we shall be in the hands of Thou-ness
- The action of Anger is to stir up strife, cause confusion and scatter the mind so that it can't concentrate. Anger destroys peace,neutralizes love, engenders hatred and turn people into enemies. It tears down, destroys, weakens, annihilates every finer quality of mind and soul. At the end, it leaves the victim nothing but a wreck, burned out, blackened and dead.
- Belief in one God is the cornerstone of all religions.There are different roads, leading to same destination. The soul of religion is indeed one; only it is encased in a different form. Irrespective of their rules and conventions, customs and ceremonials, the Substance of Reality, the essence of Truth,the basis of Spirituality, underlying them all is one and the same. The Saints, turn away from the outer religion of form and ceremony to the inner religion of the Heart.
There are innumerable messages conveyed and emphasized by the Great Master, Baba Sawan Singh ji Maharaj on the subject of Spirituality, God Realization, Ethical values and Human behavior in general. I have covered only a few of these focusing on my theme of Religion and Ethical practices. Let me end the blog by a humble advice from Guru Ramdas, the 4th Sikh Guru on Truthfulness, Sat- Guru & Ethical Behavior.
Sat-Guru is He, who meditateth on Truth. Sat- Guru and Truth are one. Verily is He Sat-Guru, who all the five foes-- Lust, Anger, Vanity, Greed&Worldly attachments, hath controlled
