From jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca Tue Feb 24 01:13:20 1998
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.shabda
Subject: Five Dacoits are Looting While Man Slumbers
From: jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca (James Shannon)
Date: 24 Feb 1998 09:13:20 GMT



 
			 FIVE DACOITS ARE LOOTING
	
    		            WHILE MAN SLUMBERS
				  
				    by

			   Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

			       (1894 - 1974)	 

		 
		       This talk was published in the
		       Nov. 1973 issue of Sat Sandesh. 
		       -------------------------------
   


		Joy abounds among the righteous, 
		  but fellowship of evil breeds misery.
		Kabir says go and get the company 
		  of some Saint;
		Keep the company of He Who 
		  has controlled His mind,
		Without measure will He give 
		  the wealth of Naam.

		O Kabir, He may have but a crust to eat,
		Shun the company of the worldly 
		  who may give you milk and honey;
		I ask not for powers miraculous, 
		Kabir says give me the Master's 
		  darshan daily.


   This is a short hymn of Kabir, the first line of which is stressing the
importance of Satsang. Satsang means the company of the Truth, the place
where Truth is differentiated from untruth - where the wheat is separated
from the chaff, where discrimination reigns supreme, where that eye of
discrimination is awakened. 

   If a certain Person's company is praised, it means that He is wise; He is
One Who knows the difference between that which is true and that which is
untrue. In such company, one can also learn such power of differentiation 
and develop awareness. Such a Personality is the very image of the Truth. 
He is the Satguru, Whose soul, after gaining emancipation from the mind and 
senses, experiences itself and gains connection with the Ultimate Truth, 
becoming the very form of that Truth. He is then only termed a Satguru. 

   Guru Arjan Sahib said on this subject, "He Who knows the Sat Purush 
(Ultimate Lord) has the Name of Satguru." He is one with the True Lord. In 
such company alone, can the soul achieve salvation. Who sees the Lord 
praises Him. He whose mind's eye is open to see the Lord, he only praises 
the Lord. If a soul has not realized the Ultimate Lord, it means he is still 
at the mind and sense level, just like others who are asleep within and are 
the image of the world without. How can a sleeping soul give a connection 
with the Lord to anyone else? 

   What happens when one meets a Satguru? 

		By meeting the Satguru, 
		  one's own inner eye sees;
		Within the house (body), 
		  the Truth is found.

   One will see the Truth for oneself. "Nanak's Emperor is apparent." He 
sees, of course, but His disciples also come to see. The Gurumukh sees with 
His eye. The disciple can also see - by becoming a Gurumukh. What is a 
Gurumukh? He Who has constant awareness of the Guru. Therefore, one should 
start by sitting with full awareness in the company of the Realized Soul. 

		By meeting the Satguru, the gift 
		  of initiation is received. 
		Through which inner knowledge 
		  is attained.

   Whomsoever looks intently into the Satguru's eyes gains life, for life
comes from Life, with which He is overflowing, because His soul is fully
developed - He has complete control over His whole being. 

   Intellectual knowledge uplifts only the intellect. If you keep the company
of those people who are involved in outer enjoyments which are experienced
through the senses, then your senses will get heightened. On the other hand, 
in the company of One Whose soul is strong, your soul will be uplifted, and 
you will start seeing for yourself. 

		When you have seen, then sing; 
		Such song will bear fruit. 

   Sing the Lord's praises after seeing something of His attributes. That
will give an intoxication and will help you progress further. Anyone can
chant from the books, or repeat something from hearsay - this is not truly
praising the Lord. To see, and to bear witness to what you have seen, is 
something very different. The very tongue of such a Person will be charged 
with Nectar, and the words uttered by that tongue will immerse one's heart 
in the depth of tranquility. "Satguru is He, meeting Whom the mind becomes 
still. Pray for the company of such a Soul." 

		In the Saint's company, 
		  the Lord is seen within; 
		Then how sweet is His Name. 

   It is not a loose promise to be fulfilled after death. He says you will
see the Lord in the Saint's company - you will taste the sweetness of the
inner Nectar - the Naam of the Lord. "Drink that intoxicant of Naam." The
Satguru is also called Sadhu. "The Lord issues forth from the Sadhu's
tongue." We get many wonderful things in His company. "In the Sadhu's
company, the countenance becomes radiant; the dirt is washed away." 

   Many thousands of words have been written on the greatness of the Satguru 
and the wondrous things that happen to us in His company, the precious gifts
we receive. From His very presence there is a magnificent charging emitting, 
surrounding Him and permeating the whole area. "That overflowing Love is 
colored with intoxicant; the true yearning is created in the Sadh's company." 
Masters are the overflowing cups of the Lord's intoxicating color - 
overflowing vessels of Love. Just by enjoying His company the yearning for 
God is born within one's being. 

   This human birth we accept so casually comes only with great good fortune.
Why? "You have got the human form - it is thy turn to meet God." In the
human form alone can God be realized - "No other action will be of avail." 
The soul cannot reach God through any type of actions; these only cause one's
attention to become more dispersed. One can make the best use of all one's
facilities, but what will really help us to realize the Lord? "In the
Sadh's company, only contact the Naam." And, "Those who repeated Naam got
salvation; O Nanak, their faces radiated with glory." 

   Those who meditated upon Naam succeeded in that purpose for which they 
were born into the human body. Their faces radiate in the Lord's House. 
Through Their company many others also gain emancipation. "Gurumukh frees 
millions by giving a spark of Naam." 

   What is that which is called Naam? There are two kinds of Naam. First, 
God is Nameless and Formless and Soundless; but when the Absolute God became
from One to many, He came into expression, and that God-into-Expression
Power is called Naam. It sustains the whole of creation. It has been given 
many different Names by the advanced souls to help mankind understand. Some 
called Him "Ram" because He is vibrating everywhere (from the Sanskrit root 
"ramma" meaning perpetual vibration.) Some called Him "Wahguru," and there 
are many other Names, all of which we respect, no doubt. "I rejoice in all 
Thy Names." But, what is that Naam or Name which is *the* Naam? - "That 
Naam, repeating which you will cross the Ocean of Life." If every religion 
declares that it has such a Name, then how can one know which is the true 
Naam? 

   As a guiding criterion, we should remember that, while words are all 
right, it is only a contact with that true Naam that can give the sought - 
for salvation. That is the Power which the words describe - the Naam which 
links you to the Named. One must get the connection with that Naam. This is 
why meditation upon Naam is very necessary; for although one can gain a 
little peace from other practices, yet after a while the mind will start its 
racing again. One Muslim Saint puts it this way: that we are repeating mere 
names, when we should catch hold of the Named Himself, with Whom all names 
are but empty words of description. How can a person have peace by repeating 
some words in a parrot-fashion? If one repeats the word "Ice, ice, ice," can 
one thereby experience its coolness? Repeating the word "water" will not 
quench the thirst. How indeed can the spiritual thirst be quenched by the 
repetition of words or by repeating the various Names of the Lord? 

   Where then is the Naam which is Naam Power, which is God-in-Expression?
"The Water of Life, giver of the nine pleasures of Amrit, is the Lord's
Naam; It resides in this body." Naam is the giver of all kinds of happiness, 
and It resides in this human form.  And so It is not a subject of outer 
manifestation - It requires inversion. Naam is intoxicatingly sweet and 
beautiful, and can be experienced above the senses only. And what indication 
is there that one has gained experience of Naam? "When in contact with Naam, 
the Light vying with millions of suns is manifested."

   You will experience the radiation of that Light. All you brothers, in
whatever religion you are, do you experience the Light within your own
body? If you do, then know you have got something. If not, you are merely
repeating words and have no connection with Naam. 

   "The Lord's Naam is the Music of the Spheres." There is Music in the
Naam - the Sound which vibrates from above. If you hear the Sound of the
Lord within and see the Lord's Light, then know that you have got connection 
with Naam. It is experienced only above the senses. "In the company of the 
Sadhu, you receive the Imperceptible Gift." It is all in the hands of the 
Master, Who will simply present this Gift to the true seeker. Do you see 
how valuable is the company of a Satguru? 

   What is the difference between the Master and other men? Physically He
seems the same as others, just like doctors and patients; but the doctor
has studied anatomy. And similarly, those People are specialized Who have
got self-knowledge and God-knowledge. However, They always say that They 
are men just like other human beings. Guru Nanak said, "In this form of man, 
Nanak is my name." But, whom will they address as Nanak?  That is the point. 
Sometimes Masters do give an indication of what They are - in addition to 
man. "God's word, which comes from above, is given out as knowledge." The 
Guru is the mouthpiece of God. As the flow comes from God, so the Guru 
expresses it out. This is the principal difference. So seek the company of 
the Realized Souls Who are the very form of Truth, the mouthpiece of Truth. 
They are developed Souls, although They seem to be just like us. 

   The whole world is sleeping - rich, poor, intellectual, illiterate, 
alike. Why? Because they have no awareness of themselves. Each man's soul 
is at the mercy of the mind, which is itself at the mercy of the senses, 
which, in turn, are dragged around by the sense-enjoyments. We have become
identified with the body and the world - we have forgotten ourselves. Those
who pursue the intellect lose themselves even more than the others; for
although the illiterate are lost in the senses, yet through intellect one
can get more deeply involved in the senses and the intellect both. We do
work through the intellect, and it can help us to understand the true
state of affairs - which is that the soul is a conscious entity, and our
greatest aim as human beings is to realize God. The soul must rejoin the
Lord. 

   God is in every form. He is the sustaining Power in all life. Due to 
this, our soul stays with the body; but when He removes His sustenance, the
body is finished and returns to its various elements. Furthermore, if He
withdraws His Power from creation, then dissolution or grand dissolution
occurs, in different degrees. There is nothing nearer to us than this
Power of God, which is the very soul of our soul. Our soul has become 
jiva (soul in creation) through connection with the mind, and so the 
sense-enjoyments drag it around. It has forgotten itself in this depth of 
indulgence. 

		Together, the Beloved and the soul; 
		The soul sleeps, but the Beloved is
		  in full awareness. 

   The influence of the senses and the outer attractions keeps the soul
asleep to the Truth, while the God-husband is constantly awake, waiting
for the soul to open her eyes. In this pitiful situation, how can we
awake? How can one sleeping person awaken another? Only in the Satsang
can one sit in the company of an Awakened Soul, and one Awakened Soul can
surely awaken thousands who are sleeping. An Awakened Soul does not mean a
lecturer or reader of books - those who have knowledge at the sense level
only - for he who has developed his intellect is also asleep. 

   The world is sleeping at the level of the mind. Mind is most powerful 
at the physical level where it takes our attention further and further into
physical expression. Mind has stages also - physical, astral, causal - it
operates in all three. It is not something simple. Many great sages have
left this world crying because of the mind. So first we must learn to
control the physical mind by withdrawing it from outer senses. You will
find in some Eastern books the story of Habil and Cabil, and it is the
story of the lower mind (Habil) killing the higher mind. Mind is a very 
strange phenomenon, and if it is controlled it will show the happenings of 
the three worlds. Remove yourself from outer distractions, and you will 
awaken unto your true self. 

   Has it never occurred to you that you must leave this world one day?
Even in the presence of death, or accompanying the body to the cremation
ground, do you never stop to think that you will also be in this position 
some day? We do agree that we have to go when reminded about it, but we 
then promptly forget the matter. It is a very sad condition we are in. 
Guru Arjan Sahib says, "Arise, awake, O traveler - why this delay?" 
Beloved soul, why are you sleeping? The sun of human birth has risen, and
this is the time to awaken. 

		If this opportunity slips from your fingers, 
		  it will never come so soon again. 
		This invaluable birth will be wasted. 

   Similarly the Upanishads say, "Awake, arise; and stop not until the Goal
is reached." It is like a sleeping sickness; and if you go to the root
cause, you will understand what is happening; and then you will know how
imperative it is to gain release from all this illusion and forgetfulness. 

   Listen now to a hymn of Guru Arjan Sahib, in which He tells us more on
this subject. You may ask, "If we are sleeping, then how are we able to
talk?" But do we not talk in our sleep? You haven't got the awareness, but
you have the intellect; so try to understand. We are the soul, the indweller 
of the body. And we often say, "This is my body; I am soul," etc. As I have 
taken off my coat and placed it here, can you remove your body? Can you - 
rise above it and analyze yourself from mind and matter, separating yourself 
from the body? You would then see clearly who and what you are. Now listen 
to the hymn, which tells us how we went to sleep and how we can awaken. 

		Inner eye sleeps, while one covetously 
		  envies the possessions of others; 
		Inner ear sleeps, yet one eagerly hears 
		  all slander and scandal. 

   The Master's message is for embodied souls caught in the web of mind and
senses, unable to release themselves. Masters make no distinction between
religions and sects; Their message is for the whole human race. O soul,
since you took birth into the world, you have developed the habit of seeing 
things; and so your outer eye is open, but the eye which is used to see 
within became more securely closed. Although awake from without, you are 
asleep within; and by greedily envying the goods of others, your inner
eye has gone deeper and deeper into this slumber. 

   Our outer awakenedness is busy coveting the wealth, property, bodies of 
others; and this creates impressions which are taken in and absorbed into 
one's being through the eyes. Remember, 83 % of all impressions we absorb 
enter into man through the eyes. Whatever you see is registered in you. 
This constant intake of impressions closes the inner vision more and more 
as the years go by. Furthermore, the impressions we absorb from outside are 
reproduced into our thoughts and dreams; and in this way a superficial life 
is built up. Up to now, you have never had the opportunity to dip inside 
yourself. 

   The ears are perpetually listening to the scandalizing and slandering 
of other people's characters. Their virtues are underrated and their faults
exaggerated. If something is worth repeating, it should also be one
hundred percent accurate. Otherwise, it amounts to slander. Test this
fact for yourself. Just sit quietly and listen to any conversation going
on around you, and you will find they consist of gossip, criticism, and 
scandal principally.

   Fourteen percent of all impressions comes through the ears. Eighty-three
and fourteen amount to 97 percent of all impressions through two senses
alone - awake or asleep. All this attention going out, all these impressions 
coming in, and never a single glance inwardly toward one's real Self, which 
is in deep, heavy slumber, unaware of all this. 

		Inner taste sleeps, through 
		  greedy outer enjoyments; 
		Mind slumbers on 
		  in the wonders of illusion. 

   This is our daily life: this thing is very sweet, that thing is very
beautiful. Strong in man are these senses of sight, hearing, and taste.
He is always busy seeing, hearing, eating, and drinking - tasting something
attractive today and wanting more and more of it tomorrow. During my tour
of 1955, I was invited to meet a Father Divine in the U.S.A.; and at the
dinner there, more than sixty different dishes were served, both sweet and
savory. Just think of sixty different things to be tasted! There is a
limit to what the taste can distinguish. What is seen, heard, and eaten are
all reproduced and recorded within one's being; and this is how our 
superficial lives are made. "Illusion started with this body." You can see 
how this physical form has encouraged this forgetfulness in which we exist. 
We are embodied souls, but we have become only the body, and we can see 
only at the sense level. Now is this not superficial? 

   Mind is also asleep in this illusion. It has also become the form of the
outer attractions, when awake and asleep both. What an accurate picture Guru 
Arjan Sahib is sketching! The Masters are constantly trying to draw man's 
attention to the true state of affairs. One Muslim Fakir points out that one 
should close the eyes and ears to shut out these impressions, and also close 
the lips. This renders the tongue out of action and it is then also 
impossible to eat anything. Whatever the method, we must stop these three 
kinds of impressions coming inside from without; and then we should invert 
within. The Fakir adds that if the Truth does not then awaken in you, you 
are free to ridicule the method. It is a very definite statement and a fair 
offer. 

   Only the Awakened Soul can help one to invert these rebellious senses 
and withdraw from the outer attractions. At present one sees outwardly only;
but then with His blessing of inner vision, you will see within and the
path will be opened for you. At present one hears only outer sounds, but
one will hear the inner Music, the Sound of the Truth. At present you
enjoy outer actions, but by inversion you will start to enjoy the 
delectable inner Nectar of Naam. "When that Nectar comes, this taste is no
longer enjoyed." And who makes all this possible? "When the Satguru is
met, inversion starts." If you die while living, you will solve the riddle. 

		He who is awake in the house of the body 
		Can receive that inherent Perfect Gift. 

   If you awaken while living in this physical house, the Lord's Gift is
yours. He is already within, but one must withdraw the attention from
outside. "What is there to realizing the Lord? Just uproot it from here and
plant it there." It is a simple matter of where the attention is focused. 

		Break away from family and acquaintances; 
		Then our Savior will come. 

   If you receive the Perfect Gift, you will also become perfect, as God 
is perfect. Just start withdrawing from outer attractions. But if the
lecturers and scriptural authorities are sitting on the outer perimeter,
at the sense-level, then who will help us awaken? 

		Our near and dear are intoxicated with 
		  their own enjoyments, Having no
		  knowledge of their True Home. 

   Our friends, relations, etc. are embodied souls like us, intoxicated by
the outer enjoyments and having no awareness of themselves, dragged by
sight, hearing, taste, and touch, suffering from one sickness or another.
Remember that enslavement to a single sense alone can bring death,
imprisonment, or slavery for life. Take the moth, for example, which burns
itself to death because of the ruling sense of sight. Through its strong
sense of taste, the fish gets caught on the fisherman's hook. A certain
insect has a very strong sense of smell and is attracted to the scents of
flowers; it loses its life when it enters that flower which closes like a
clam. The sense of hearing is overpowering in the deer and in serpents.

   The deer is attracted by the beating drums, and he is so fascinated that
he is helpless to move and is captured. The snake, a fearsome creature, is
enchanted by the sound of the bina, is captured, and spends its life in a
snake charmer's basket. The sense of touch is dominating in the elephant; 
and through trickery they attract the male to the female and thereby 
capture him, starve him for days to weaken his strength that he may be 
controlled, and from then on he is a slave to man. If for the prevalence 
of a single sense these creatures lose their freedom or their lives, then 
what hope for man, who has five? It seems an impossible situation. "With 
so many enjoyments in this body, how can Naam reside therein?" 

   Everywhere people are in the same condition - brothers, sisters, 
husbands, children, parents, friends. There is a sleeping state and a 
drunken state. And whereas a sleeping person can be awakened, what about 
he who is in the drunken condition? You can shout at him, but he is 
without consciousness and will not respond. These are hard facts; it is 
a very accurate picture of mankind. Even the few who try to find the cure 
in the scriptures are helpless, for one cannot awaken the consciousness 
by reading a book. 

			Five dacoits have entered 
			   these sleepy dwellings,
			And have looted the vacant house.

   Everyone is sleeping and the dacoits are looting wildly. Who are these
five dacoits? They are anger, lust, greed, attachment, and ego. They are
looting the people who are sleeping in a drugged state. Like this, man
loses his most valuable possessions, and tragically does not realize this 
is happening, because he is so engrossed in the enjoyments that whatever 
knowledge of right he had is pushed aside. 

   A little awareness of the predicament he is in comes only when he has 
lost everything he possessed. The house is unprotected; the thieves can get
in, for the owner is in a deep sleep. You are the owner of your physical
house, are you not? Know it or not, you are in a drunken state. And
although you have been awakened innumerable times, yet you merely say,
"Yes, yes, I am awake"; but this is only from outside and you promptly go
to sleep again. You have never awakened from within. There is no answering
reply from your true self. If the point does not go home, the whole thing
is superficial. 

		Father, Mother, cannot protect you; 
		Nor can friends and relations. 

   These people may suffer for or with you, but they cannot help you, for
they, too, are asleep and are helplessly being looted like you. All are
helpless sufferers at the hands of the five dacoits; and this includes the
read and unread, the rich and the famous alike. 

		Riches and knowledge will not give 
		   self-protection. 

   It is a not a condition that can be improved with money or with
intellectual knowledge. Do not the intellectuals fall also? The thieves
cannot be controlled by the intellect, nor can they be bribed. Swami Ji
Maharaj has also given a very lucid explanation on the subject, so we will 
take a little of His hymn now and then return afterward to Guru Arjan Sahib. 

		How can the sleeping mind be awakened, brothers? 
		Tell me, what steps must I take ? 

   If we have understood that we are now asleep, that the mind is sleeping
within us, then what steps have we taken to ensure that we awaken? Even
one hundred wise men will have the same wisdom, and Swami Ji is explaining
the same thing as Guru Arjan Sahib.  Those Who are awakened see everything
in crystal clarity and know what safeguards to take. He explains how to 
awaken and also why we have not awakened to date through the various 
practices we have been doing. 

		One went on pilgrimage, even kept fast; 
		Became filled with bookish knowledge. 

   What is the meaning of pilgrimage? Places of pilgrimage are kept up
because some soul at some time received his awakening there. Kabir Sahib
once asked God to remove a great doubt that He had in His heart, and that
doubt was whether the place of pilgrimage is better than the Lord's
servant, the Lord's servant being the Guru. Of course, the Lord's servant
is the greater, for the holy place is founded because of Him. If an
Awakened Soul sat in ten different places, then all ten became holy; so He
is the Great One. The place where Guru Nanak Sahib was born, the village
of Talvandi, is now a holy place and has been renamed Nankana Sahib. Guru
Nanak once sat under a particular Reta tree, and that tree is now known as
Reta Sahib. If you taste its fruit even today, you will find it very sweet 
and not bitter as the fruit of the Reta normally is. 

   The whole world's holy places have been made because of some enlightened 
soul. Millions of souls have been born in different places, and millions 
have died; but who remembers the coming and going of all these? And yet a
single Awakened Soul can put a small place on the map. Hazrat Mohammed
Sahib was born in Mecca. Millions of others have been born there before
and since, and yet only He is remembered. Jerusalem is a holy city to the 
Christians because Christ was there. What about all the others before and 
after Him? The original purpose of going to a holy place was to sit at the 
feet of the Awakened Soul there, and to learn His teaching. 

   Leave your troublesome, busy home life for a little while and go to sit
at the feet of some Enlightened Soul. You cannot awaken by merely taking a
dip in some holy river. This is not the fault of the places of pilgrimage; 
they are what we have made them, places of enjoyment, holiday resorts, 
attractions to sightseers. Take Hardwar, for instance. This is a place 
where the great Rishis and Munis stayed, Guru Nanak Sahib also, and Guru 
Amar Das Who for many years visited Hardwar every year. What is the place 
like today? Some years ago I saw that two cinemas had been built there, 
and since then many more. In the evening especially, you can see nothing 
but eating, drinking, and people at large seeking amusement. There is 
nothing else. This is not the true purpose of making a holy place of
pilgrimage. And what can a dip in a holy river do for you? 

		If the mind is dirty, everything is dirty; 
		By washing the body, mind cannot be cleansed. 
		This world is an illusion of forgetfulness; 
		Only a few can find the Truth. 

   So how can the mind be purified? 

		O my mind, repeat only the Naam. 
		The Satguru has given me this wealth. 

   Through the Naam one can become pure. One is highly fortunate if one 
meets anyone who is a true lover of Naam, for purity starts when one is 
joined to It. Kabir very bluntly says: 

		A fish from a rivulet came,
		  floating down the Ganges;
		It washed itself in every way, 
		  but its smell remained.

   By washing one's body, one cannot wash away the dirt from the mind. Guru
Nanak in His Jap Ji Sahib says: 

		When the hands, feet, and body are besmeared, 
		  they are washed clean with water; 
		When the clothes get dirty, they are cleansed 
		  with soap; When the mind gets defiled with sin, 
		  it can be purified only by communion with Naam. 

   No one can get salvation merely by visiting some holy place until the
purpose of the visit is fulfilled. Our Master used to say that those in
the East go on pilgrimage to the West, and those in the West go East; the
people of the North go South, and vice versa. They are all like a weaver's
shuttle going back and forth. Yet they do not find what they are seeking.

  I once met a sadhu who told me he had walked from Amarnath to Rameshwar
fourteen times. These two places are almost the northernmost and southern
most points of India, respectively. Well, I asked him what was the
condition of his mind; and he said, "Oh, the mind is the same. Actually,
the mind is more inclined to disperse even further by such journeys, for
it dwells on the different places and scenes and happenings, etc., here,
there, and everywhere in the form of thousands of impressions which have
entered the mind and go on revolving round and round. If one stayed in one 
place only, there would be fewer impressions. 

   Swami Ji says that thousands have gone on pilgrimage and thousands have
performed practices of various kinds, but in the end they lost. The purpose 
of fasting is that the body should not be overloaded with food and should 
rest sometimes. Have you ever given your stomach a holiday? People go on 
pushing food down every hour, every half hour - this renders the digestive 
system ineffective and the result is one disease or another. The true 
purpose of fasting is to gain good health. To overload the stomach
before a day's fast, and then reload it again after the fast is finished,
accomplishes nothing but more moans and groans. If there is a little space
in the stomach, and it is not completely filled up with food, then that
space can be filled with the Light of God.  There are many different kinds 
of fasting. For instance, one can fast on fruit and milk alone. But what 
happens? They start eating and drinking it by the kilos. 

   Food was made for man's needs - eat in moderation, and you will be
successful. Only the food that is digested will give strength. We are
ambitious for more consciousness, but overeating makes us lazy - we sleep
longer. Some people are under the impression that they were just born to
eat. You will remember, in the Puranas it tells of Food going to Lord
Vishnu with the complaint that the people were eating him mercilessly, and
what should he do about it? Lord Vishnu said that if anyone eats Food more
than necessary, then Food should eat them! You can see this very result
around you: the majority of people are sick, the cause of which is
principally an excess of food in the system and irregular eating habits.
One should take a little less than is necessary at each meal; that will
give a buoyancy and aid one's efforts in becoming more awake. Furthermore,
the health will improve, and one will be able to tackle a larger share of
work. However, even if one goes to the extreme outer practice of fasting, 
what is the result? Swami Ji tells us: 

		By remaining hungry, the hunger has not gone; 
		You have failed in your purpose. 

   People have kept fast upon fast, and have not achieved anything really
worthwhile because the consciousness does not awaken thereby. This is due
to these outer practices being performed at the sense-level. If some
higher purpose or result was achieved thereby - if one thereby gained an
inner contact with Naam, for instance, or the company of the Satguru - then
fasting, or pilgrimage, austerities, etc. would have some value. Fasting for 
fasting's sake alone is spiritually worthless. This applies also to reading 
the scriptures, which merely increases intellectual knowledge.

   Tulsi Sahib says, "Four, eighteen, nine, were read; Reading all this, yet
the point was lost; Without contact of Surat with Shabd, one is like the
chandool bird." The four Vedas, the eighteen Puranas, the nine Shastras - 
these are the ancient Hindu scriptures. But what is the use of absorbing the 
whole world's scriptures if they have no value in the light of one's purpose 
or goal? He says that one becomes like the chandool bird, which goes on 
imitating all the sounds it hears. No one ever got salvation through reading
- understand this carefully. 

   The Upanishads tell us that the senses, the mind, and the intellect all 
should be stilled; and only then will the soul perceive. Reasoning is a 
help - for understanding - and reasoning is a bar also. The Vedas say, "The 
ignorant will go to dark regions at death; Those drenched in knowledge will 
go to darker regions." To still the intellect is most important, for that 
very intellect is at sense-level, and the mind is already asleep because of 
its connections with the senses. None of - these outer practices can awaken
the sleeping mind. 

		Repetition, austerities, restrictions, and 
		  many more - The ignorant even kept silence. 

   The tongue goes on repeating God's Name, but the mind is running around
all over the place. What is achieved like this? To rise above the senses
means that the body becomes dead - including the tongue. Some people go to
the extreme of not speaking - even for years - in the belief that this will
give them some spiritual advancement. Similarly, having a silent tongue
does not still the mind's endless chattering. What is more, such an
individual must fill his daily needs; and so he resorts to making signs
and writing notes. How can spiritual awakening take place in this way? He
who truly keeps silence is he who silences his mind. "Mind has not been
shaved, so why shave the head?" All these practices come under Apra Vidya
- study of scriptures, teaching the scriptures , fasting, giving alms,
etc.- they are all under the rule of the senses. And the soul, connected to
the mind as it is, is sleeping within. 

		Resorted to many means; 
		Even then the mind did not awaken. 

   A learned pundit once went to Hazur, and upon hearing Hazur's Satsang talk
was inspired with a keen yearning for initiation. Hazur gave him initiation; 
and when he was leaving I was standing nearby, and he said, "Maharaj, 
according to whatever instructions You have given, I will achieve everything 
in three months' time; and I will then return here to you." Hazur said, 
"That will be marvelous. " But it was nine months before the pundit returned 
to Hazur, and again I was present as he sat before our Master. He said, 
"Maharaj, before You initiated me I used to do my worship and prayer for 
six or eight hours at one time and my mind would never wander; and now it 
will not remain still for even two minutes." 

   He was very distressed and could not understand the difference. This 
happens because with outer worship the mind is getting food - it is occupied, 
just as it is when reading or writing - but for spiritual experience the 
mind must be stilled and remain inactive. 

   Taking a simple example, if a man owns a number of horses, and they are
securely locked up in the stables, he sleeps without a care knowing that
his horses are safe. However, if any night he has doubt as to whether the
stable door is securely fastened, he cannot rest in peace. And then, if by 
chance the horses do get out and run away, he will do everything in his 
power to recapture them and bring them back. So the Negative Power does not 
interfere with the souls while they remain docilely in His domain, in which 
a web of sense-enjoyments is spread to trap them and bind them, and from 
which there is no escape. 

   Good actions therein bring rewards, and bad actions take the soul to the 
lower regions. The poor soul is bound to an ever-revolving wheel of existence
in the various expressions of creation, and, therefore, the Negative Power
is not the least worried. However, when the soul meets the Master, it is
taught to rise above the senses; and the pathway of escape is opened up - 
through the grace and greatness of the Satguru Who is the pole of the 
Positive Power. When He sees that a soul is threatening to leave His
Kingdom, the Negative Power becomes concerned and endeavors to keep the
soul in His clutches. 

   Salvation, then, is achieved only through Para Vidya, which means the
soul's knowledge of the Oversoul: and that is to free one's self from mind
and senses, to have knowledge of self and knowledge of God. We must become
infinite, for, "One as high as the High One will know Him." As high as the
Lord Himself - Infinite, Inconceivable, Ineffable. 

   Indian mythology tells us that Lord Shiva is sitting in meditation; and
Parvati, his wife, keeps feeding Him intoxicants. In this way, the soul is
being intoxicated by the mind. When this intoxicant wears off the soul
wants to awaken; but before it gets the chance, the mind again feeds it
more intoxicant. The world's population is suffering from this drunkenness, 
and only those who are awake can see this condition clearly. 

		After a long search I found the Satguru 
		Who gave this scientific method. 

   At last the true seeker finds that Personality Who is one with the 
Truth, Who gives the means of the soul's awakening. 

		Keep the company of the Master and serve Him; 
		Sacrifice body and mind unto Him. 

   What does it mean to serve a Master? It means that with respect, yearning,
and devotion, one should keep His commands. Guru Amardas says, "Greatly
fortunate is he who serves the Satguru, For the Sound of God's Naam is
awakened within." He has mentioned nothing of those who touch His feet and
show great respect to His physical form alone. Those who do not place the
Master's words on the altar, accepting them as God's commands, will not 
succeed. "We know how to talk, but do not know how to do." 

   There is a cure to the condition: keep a spiritual diary, just as if 
you were in school doing your lessons. With the aid of this diary you can
search out your faults and failings and note down your weaknesses. Slowly,
gradually, these weaknesses will be weeded out. Along with this there is
meditation. How much time do you put in? And through meditation, what
progress have you made? In this way, you will yourself know where you stand 
with spiritual advancement and with ethical life alike. Without keeping a 
diary, interest and concern for these two important factors cannot be upheld.
Following disinterest, meditation ceases altogether. 

   What else do I ask you to do? Only to keep your life pure and good, and 
to weed out the weaknesses. Then, food of the soul is your meditation; so
meditate regularly. Do not feed the body until you have fed the soul. 

   Furthermore - to attend Satsang is like having a protective hedge around
your meditation. It also increases the incentive to meditate. Attend the
Satsang, even if your time is limited. Cancel some other appointment in
order to do so, if necessary, for the benefits of Satsang are invaluable.
All I ask you to do again and again is to be pure and chaste and keep your
diary. Do you know of any means by which you will obey the Master's
instructions? 

   There is a cure for our failures; but if you do not take the cure, then
what is the cure for that omission? There is no cure for not doing anything. 
Sometimes you fight like dogs - when people see such behavior, will they not 
wonder what kind of teaching you are receiving? This brings disrepute upon 
the name of the Satsang. "A bad dog brings curses upon his Master." The pain 
in my heart is speaking when I ask you of any means whereby you will follow 
the commands. Having tried all means, in defeat I can only say that you 
should try for yourself and see how that invaluable gift will increase. If 
after doing what I ask you do not gain progress, then you may come and 
complain. 

   Start from today. Where there is a will, there is a way. You *can* find 
the time if you really want to. You have got the greatest of good fortune 
to be linked with a Personality Who is the form of the Truth. 

   King Janak was one soul who got something from Ashtavakra in those days;
but each and every one of you has had experience from the very first day.
If you don't continue it, how do you expect to progress? Attend the
Satsang and have the advantage of a protective hedge around your meditation. 
I once asked Hazur Maharaj, "What are Your orders regarding Satsang?" He 
told me, "If you are very sick in your bed, but you can move then attend 
Satsang." Just note that He did not say that if you have the strength to
 walk, then attend Satsang. From this single instance, one can see how
important it is. 

   "Master removes the veil from the eye; He gives the inner darshan; O
friends, that Satguru is most attractive to me." The cause of not following
the instructions is just laziness and concern for bodily comfort. Remember
that this is the path of inner intoxication, so why worry about the body's 
comfort? Do not drift away on the waves of the mind; do the work which you 
have to do. When the lion wants to quench his thirst, he goes straight to 
the river. Become lion-like - you are soul, the entity of the Lord. Make 
the keen aspiration you had in the beginning into a reality. 

   Leave the consideration of bodily comforts and the demands of the mind 
for the sake of that aim. Instead of obeying the mind, place the Master's
commands on the altar of the Lord. "If ye love me keep my commandments."
Would you not wish to obey the one you love? A true lover is more afraid 
of disapproval than he has consideration for body and mind. Go all out for 
your goal. "Listen to the Satguru's Sound - by rising above." Put all your 
attention, in full consciousness, upon that inner place, upon the Naam. 
The intoxications of the senses will start wearing off, and you will 
awaken to a new life. 

		Through striving and striving, 
		  the mind has now awakened, 
		And the world has become transient. 

   When one rises above the senses, one can see that the body is but a 
piece of clay. You yourself are detached from it, and the world is an 
insipid thing. In this way, the question is answered and the problem solved; 
for the soul can see that her Lord is God, and all outer things are unreal.
Masters do not tell us to leave our homes and flee to the jungles, for we
have got the duties of the body and mind and their responsibilities; but
the soul must be rejoined to its Lord, and this is the greatest and most
important task in this human life. The only true helping factors in this
work are the company of the Satguru and the contact with the Naam. 

		Attention got help from the mind 
		And both reached their homes. 

   Separated and freed from the pull of the senses, the mind begins to taste 
the sweetness of the inner Nectar. "When that Nectar comes, this becomes 
distasteful." From then on it is willing to cooperate with the soul, and the 
soul is able to fly. Death of the physical mind makes the work easier, for 
it is the physical mind which is deeply involved in the worldly actions and 
keeps dragging the soul back. Until there is something to hold the attention, 
it is most difficult to go within; and this is why the Master gives the 
contact with Naam on the very first day. "Join me back to the Lord - anyone!" 
That contact must then be increased daily. 

		Without the Shabd, the mind will never awaken; 
		Though numerous different practices be performed. 

   This hymn of Swami Ji's is very long - I have just taken a few verses, 
as it covers the same subject as Guru Arjan's hymn; and it shows how all the
Masters say the same things. Now, Guru Arjan was telling us how the Awakened 
Soul can give us help and protection: 

		Riches and knowledge will not give 
		  self-protection; The enemies are
		  controlled only in the Master's company. 

   Seek the company of the Guru, if you wish to control anger, lust, greed,
attachment, and ego. There is no other way, no matter how much knowledge
you have or deep thinking you do - these five will remain. The bigger the
person gets, the more is he consumed in the fire; and the only saving
factor is the Master's company. You wish to enter a house, but the owner's
five big dogs are guarding it and start barking as soon as you approach. A 
true guard dog will not even accept food as a bribe. All dogs are famous 
for their faithfulness. In the Gurbani it states that one should become 
faithful like a dog. Now, how can you control these fierce dogs? You cannot. 
You can only shout for their owner who will himself call the dogs back so 
that you may enter and meet him. So it is that in the company of the Master 
the barking dogs - these five enemies - will one by one run away by 
themselves. "At the death of the five boys, only the Lord's love remains." 
They recognize that such company is no place for them. 

   God is already within you. He is Light - and the perpetual flow from the
Beyond is going on. Connected to Him, the sins of the mind are gradually
washed away. If you want to be a doctor, keep the company of a doctor. If
you want to know the science of the soul, keep the company of one Who has
mastered it - call Him by any Name you like. "Keep the Guru overhead, and
live in His commands." Keep His word - above all else. He will never leave
you until He has taken you to your True Home. Guru is not just a physical
body, although we have respect for that body in which that God Power is
manifested. He is that Power - call It God Power, Christ Power, Guru
Power - and He is there to help you experience that manifestation within
yourself. If but His single glance falls upon a person, that person is
saved. Be obedient, that is all; do not ignore what He tells you. "Kabir 
says, such a server has no fear in all three regions." If one was aware of
His presence constantly, would one be likely to sin? 

   I remember, Hazur once sent me an order. Sometimes it happens that if an
individual is heading straight for his target, others create propaganda 
against him. Due to this type of propaganda, Hazur ordered that I should 
attend only the Satsang at Ravi Road Lahore, and should not visit anyone. I 
said, "All right, whatever are His orders." I got a lot of rest during those 
days - something like a servant who normally cleans twenty rooms being told 
to clean only one and leave the rest. I had more spare time, so I wrote the 
book "Gurmat Siddhant," a big book of over 2,000 pages. 

   I strictly curbed all visiting; in fact, a relative's son died and I did 
not attend them at their house, but went only to the cremation. There was 
another case of a Satsangi dying, and he sent a message for me to go to him 
for the Guru's sake before he died. I had a strong desire to go, and the pain 
of sympathy was so great that I cried; but I had to send the message that I 
sincerely wished that he have full protection and all my good wishes were 
with him, but that I was helpless for I could not disobey the Master's 
orders. He died, and when Hazur came to Lahore, His widow complained that her 
husband had died in torment because of his desire to see me, and my refusal. 
Hazur turned to me and said, "Kirpal Singh, in this type of condition, you 
should go." From then on, when people summoned me to sickbeds, I would 
attend, and they would die. It became very difficult, but His orders were 
to go only wherever the person was dying. 

   Never ignore the Guru's commands. If you obey, you will have nothing to
fear - here or in the Beyond. Hazur told us that if a person gets initiation
and has to go into the hands of the Lord of Death, he should politely turn
from both such initiation and its guru. Just giving some words - that is not 
Naam. The words given by the Satguru have a powerful charging; that is your 
protection. Guru is He Who brings Light into the darkness, and He remains 
with you forever. Hazur would say that if a five year old child is present, 
can you commit any sin before him? When you truly realize His constant 
presence, you will do no wrong. Also, be truthful before Him, not just when 
people are present in a hypocritical way. Remember, He is sitting within 
you; so hold the awe of Him in your heart and you will do nothing bad in His 
presence. 

   A disciple of Baba Jaimal Singh once told me that when Baba Ji gave
initiation, He would tell the initiate, "Now I am residing within you, so
do nothing to put me to shame. " Masters use many different ways to help
the children keep Their commandments. This is the time for you to understand 
these things and live up to them. If you do not feel so inclined, then you 
will continue to lament, birth after birth. Only if you are fortunate enough 
to get the human birth again will you have another chance of doing this 
spiritual work. Those who have got the Naam - not only do they have the 
good fortune of the human life, but the inner path has been opened up for 
them. Work hard for your progress. 

		Have mercy and give me the Water of Life; 
		Bless me with the dust of the Master's feet. 

   O Lord, I am like a beggar, yearning for a drop of that Nectar, wanting
only the Master's company. Bless me with a small particle of that priceless 
Gift. Give me His company. How rare are such People - where can I find Him? 

   After the great Mahabharata battle between the Kauravs and the Pandavs 
- it is a very long story - they held a yug [a gathering of many holy men to
perform various rituals until the Voice of God is heard] - the Ashav Med Yug
- and at the completion stage no Sound of God had been heard. They 
approached Lord Krishna and told Him, "Our yug is a failure; what shall we 
do?" Lord Krishna said, "It is because no Realized Soul has been in 
attendance there." They protested and said, "But we have invited all the 
Sadhus and Mahatmas - how can that be?" He said, "No, you may have all the 
Sadhus and Mahatmas, but no Realized Soul is there."

   Finally He advised them to approach a certain Sukrat Ji, and told them
where to find Him. When they explained their desire to Sukrat Ji, He
said, "Yes, I will attend your yug, but not until the fruit of 101 Ashav
Med Yugs is given to me." They were astounded and cried, "But how can we
give You that when even our single yug has been a failure?" But He was
adamant, and so they went home. When they told their wife, Draupadi, she
said, "All right, let me go." She was a queen and a very wise soul; but
she forsook her carriage and went on foot all the way to Sukrat Ji, with
sincere humility. She told Him that she had come to give Him the fruit of
101 Ashav Med Yugs, saying, "Maharaj, in the Shastras it is written that
if you go to a Realized Soul in all humility, then each step you take
gains the fruit of one Ashav Med Yug, so great is the value of this
blessing. So you can take the fruit of 101 Ashav Med Yugs from my 
journey to you and give me what is left over." 

   He was so pleased with Draupadi that He agreed to go, and the yug 
became successful. So you can see how rare and invaluable is the presence 
of the Realized Soul. 

   In the days of King Janak, there was only one Soul to give him the
connection - Ashtavakra. In the days of the Kauravs and the Pandavs, only
Sukrat Ji could make the Sound audible. To go to such a Master and to have
His darshan gives much more blessing than the fruit of 101 Ashav Med Yugs. 
If you can find more than one such Soul, then the more fortunate are you. 
He is a man like us, but He is an expert in the Science of the Soul. God is 
All-Wisdom; wherever He manifests, that pole becomes His mouthpiece. That 
mouthpiece is called the Satguru. This Name is not given merely for wearing 
a certain type or color of clothing. Satguru is He Who has the highest 
degree in God. 

   There is a story of a King who held a bazaar, in which many beautiful 
and valuable things were displayed. He proclaimed to his people that each
subject could select one gift from the bazaar for themselves, and that the
bazaar would last from sunrise to sunset. Hundreds of people came and
went away with their selected gifts. When it was almost sunset time, a
young girl entered and wandered around the bazaar. She seemed a very
simple girl, but inwardly she was very wise. Praising everything as she
went around, she thought if the bazaar was so beautiful, then what must
the creator of it be like? Meanwhile people advised her to select some
gift before the bazaar closed. She walked to the very end of the bazaar
where the King was seated on a dais. When he saw her approaching, the King
rejoiced in his heart that at least one person was interested in him.

   "Gifts are loved, but the Giver is forgotten; the poor mind does not 
realize its error." Outwardly the King showed anger, saying, "Mad girl, why
do you come here ? Go and choose something and take it home." Without any
hesitation she placed her hand on the King's head and said, "Now tell me,
O King, to whom do you belong?" He said, "Now I am yours." She asked him,
"And whose is this bazaar?" The King declared it to be his; but she said,
But now, to whom also does it belong?"and he had to admit that everything
in the bazaar belonged to her, too, since she had chosen him. 

   We see everything in life with a superficial sense of value. If you give 
yourself up to Him, then God becomes yours, and so does all His creation. "If 
you become mine, then the whole world will be mine." True Masters are very 
rare, and the world has started ridiculing the words "Sadhu" and "Gurudom" 
because so many are acting and posing; and their teachings reach the sense- 
level only. They have themselves never risen above the senses, and they 
cannot take anyone above. When people learn this, they have no option but 
to turn to the scriptures, which feed the intellect only. Have mercy on us!
Without the Master we cannot reach the Lord - it has never been possible, 
nor never will be. 

   A Muslim Fakir tells us that God Himself said that He is so great He 
cannot be absorbed - from the lowest depths to the highest peaks, in all the 
skies or all the earth; and even under the earth, the whole of creation is 
not capable of containing Him, so great is He - and yet He can dwell in the
heart of His true devotee. If anyone desires Him, they should seek Him
there. 

   That true devotee is a living pole - a human being in whom God is 
apparent. He is also in others but is hidden. "From the lowest, I became 
pure, brother." And how did the Realized Soul become pure? "Since I got the
knowledge of the Guru's teaching." God is not far above in the skies, nor 
sleeping in the holy scriptures; He is already within you. Those holy books 
are records of how the Realized Souls found God, reading which a yearning 
or incentive to meet God is created in the seeker. But Naam is within man 
- the radiance of God's Light and the beauty of His Sound, the Music of the 
Spheres. 

   Just differentiate between the outer Naam and the inner Naam, and then 
get the connection. Those who live only for enjoyments cannot walk on this 
Holy Path, for one must cut away from all such expressions. Ethical life is 
a stepping stone to Spirituality. If you awaken, no dacoit will be able to 
enter your house; for if even a single person is awake in a house, the 
thieves will think twice about breaking in. Thieves like to find a house 
full of deeply sleeping people - some even administer chloroform to ensure 
that the people remain in deep sleep so that they can work at leisure. 

		In the Satguru's company one gets 
		  the Perfect Gift, 
		And awakens, O Nanak, to the color 
		  of Par Brahm. 

   The Master's company protects you from losing that precious Gift He 
gives; and through His mercy you will awaken to the extent of enjoying the
intoxication of Par Brahm. That intoxication is already within you. "The
intoxication of Naam, O Nanak, inebriates day and night." It is perpetually 
vibrating everywhere - radiance, intoxication, and bliss. 

		He awakens, whose Lord is Kirpal; 
		  (the Merciful One) 
		With His Gift, one gets the 
		  entire wealth. 

   Whomsoever He awakens, will awake. The Merciful Lord Himself awakens the
soul. If He showers His mercy, the Satguru is met. And when the Satguru is 
met, He connects you with God's Naam. Naam is above the senses; It is in 
your own house (body). This Gift you can take with you when you leave this 
world, for It has the Satguru's protection. 

   Our attention is ever going into dispersion - sometimes on financial 
affairs, or on children, or property, etc. When one dies, where does one 
go?  One goes wherever one's attention is centered. In this way we again 
and again return to the worldly life because that is where our attention 
is - where our attention has been fastened. Since the day our soul 
separated from the Lord, it has never returned to Him up to now. 

   If one were to try to describe what Spirituality is in a single word, 
one could say "Naam" - or "Satguru. " Get connected to either, and your 
whole spiritual future is established. Maulana Rumi says, "Know that to be 
near the Realized Soul is to be near God." That is where God is manifested,
and that Perfect Being will make the connection for you. Those who are
connected should take the rare opportunity to make the best use of it.
"Those with good karmas from aeons past get connected to the Lord's Naam."

   The soul that has an accumulation of good karmas, which constitute the
mercy received from God for many past ages, gains the special mercy of the
Naam, which gives all-happiness, all-peace. How does one know one is
connected to Naam? "In that house (body), the Unstruck Sound is vibrating."
The indication of the presence of the Perfect Master in the student is the
music of the Sound or the radiance of the Light - whichever is manifesting
at the time. 

   This has been Guru Arjan's hymn. Merely listening to the words will not
give you emancipation from this world - you must live up to what you have
understood. If you have not obeyed in the past, then start from today: do
your meditation; do not take any food until you have sat for a while. If
you are not getting much experience within, then look to your diary; and
you will find the reason or cause lying in your everyday life. Do not use
harsh words to others - keep a sweet tongue in your head; that will solve
many problems of life. You may remember that with a single bitter word,
the great Mahabharata battle was started. 

   The Kauravs were visiting the Pandavs in the palace of Draupadi, the 
Pandavs' wife. The floor there was so beautifully made that it reflected
the light and gave an impression of a shallow pool. When the Kauravs
picked up their long clothes to step through what they thought was a pool,
Draupadi very mischievously called out, "Blind son of a blind father!"
mocking the blindness of the Kauravs' father, King Dhritarashtra. The
whole of India's civilization was destroyed in that great war, and you
find similar things happening today on a smaller scale. So live up to 
the Master's teachings and make your life peaceful, and you will have 
success in every way. 

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