From jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca Mon May 31 04:42:47 1999
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.shabda
Subject: "Godman" - Kirpal Singh (9/10)
From: jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca (James Shannon)
Date: 31 May 1999 11:42:47 GMT





                                 GODMAN

                                   by

                              KIRPAL SINGH

                                [Part 9]



                          CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

                     MASTER AND THE CONTROLLING POWER


          SATGURU is the fountainhead of grace. Strange are the
        ways in which he works his grace. With just a single
        kindly look he may bless a jiva forever. He showers
        Naam in abundance. Should he in his pleasure place his
        blessed hand on the head of a jiva, the latter wishes for
        no other blessing.

          In the twinkling of an eye, the jiva penetrates through
        the dark veil of ignorance and experiences the power of
        his grace - the Divine Light and the Divine Music -
        both of which become manifest to him. The contact with
        these at once wipes off the otherwise indelible karmic
        impressions of many ages, and the jiva attains life
        eternal, full of grace and peace.

                My Friend has blessed me with peace, for he
                  has manifested the Sound Current within;
                My Friend has shown God to me by a touch
                  of his hand.

                With the touch of the Guru's hand, God has
                  blessed me with the pearl of Naam;
                The sins of ages have vanished - such is the
                  power of Naam.

        Rare indeed are the jivas who are fortunate enough to
        be blessed like this by the Master's hand.

                Worship one who has the treasure of God with
                  him;
                Blessed is the jiva who has the Master's hand
                  on him.
                Blessed indeed is the touch of the Master's
                  hand,
                Which one in millions is fortunate enough to
                  get.

        In all the wide world the touch of the Master's hand
        helps the jiva in his trials and tribulations, and he
        becomes free from care. The entire world bows and bends
        at his feet in silent adoration. He can freely go to the
        various divisions of the creation at his sweet will and
        pleasure, for the grace of the perfect Master makes him
        perfect as well.

                With his hand over one's head, his power
                  extends on all sides;
                His grace opens the way to the spiritual realms,
                  ending all ills.





                          CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

                        SURRENDER TO THE MASTER 


          SURRENDER to the feet of the Master means to merge
        one's individual will in the will of the Master, and
        to completely place oneself at his mercy. It is the surest
        and easiest way to escape from all cares and anxieties. It
        comes only when a disciple has complete faith and confidence
        in the competency of the Master.

          This type of self-surrender is like that of a completely
        helpless patient who, trusting in the skill of a competent
        surgeon, places his life in his hands and quietly submits
        himself to his knife and lancet.

          Or it may be compared to the trust given by the hopelessly
        lost traveler in the wilderness to the forest ranger who
        finds him and leads him out.

          In exactly the same way, the work of the Master does
        not consist in merely teaching the theory of Para Vidya
        (Science of the Beyond), but it includes the practical
        demonstration of results of spiritual experiments, and
        help and guidance through all the disciples' difficulties.
        A true friend does not only give theoretical lessons in
        how to escape from mind and matter; he helps in effecting
        the escape itself.

          Suppose, for instance, that a person has to go abroad.
        He will begin by making inquiries as to the various
        means of transportation available, land, sea or air, as
        he may choose. After he makes his choice he enters the
        plane, ship or train, and relying on the skill of the
        operator, takes his seat comfortably without the least
        anxiety. Should the ship flounder, or the plane be caught
        in a storm, it is the duty of the captain or pilot to take
        every possible care to save the conveyance along with the
        passengers for whom he is responsible.

          In exactly the same way, an aspirant for spirituality
        has, after careful investigation, to decide first about the
        spiritual worthiness of a Master, and then to submit himself
        wholly and solely to his authority and direction without any
        mental reservations whatever; for he alone knows the turns
        and twists of the spiritual path and is in a position to act
        as an unerring guide.

          The term surrender therefore means that a disciple
        should have full confidence in the skill and competence
        of the Master, and scrupulously follow and act on his
        instructions whatever they may be, whether in conformity
        with his own reason or not-for his reason being limited
        may be faulty or fall far short of the depth or prove
        uncertain.

          It is not for him to question the propriety of the
          Master's commandments. He must learn, like a soldier, to
        obey his command without knowing the why and wherefore of
        things; for the Master knows what is best and most suitable
        in each case.

          One must therefore obey the Master literally, and
        straightway engage himself in the sadhan or spiritual
        practice and discipline as it may be laid down for him.

          This is the only way to spiritual success; there is no
        other.

          In this context, we have the testimony of Hafiz, a great
        Sufi poet of Persia, who declared:

                Dye thy prayer carpet in wine should the Master
                  so desire;
                For he is not ignorant of the turns of the
                  highway ahead.

        When a disciple entrusts his all to the Master, he becomes
        carefree and the Master has of necessity to take over the
        entire responsibility; just as a mother does for her child
        who does not know what is good for him.

          As the disciple develops in his sadhan, he fits himself
        to receive more grace from the Master. Under his kind
        and benign influence, the disciple begins to thrive from
        day to day, and all his wishes are fulfilled without the
        least trouble on his part.

                Sages and seers cry from the housetops:
                  Ye seekers after peace, hie to a Master Saint.

        In Discourse 17, Verse 66, of the Bhagavad Gita, the
        Blessed Lord Krishna as a world teacher announces:

                Abandon all duties and come to me, the only
                  refuge; I will deliver thee from all sins:
                  grieve not.

        In the Holy Koran, we have likewise:

                Whosoever surrenders his purpose to Allah
                  while doing good, his reward is with his
                  Lord, and no fear shall come upon him,
                  neither shall he grieve.
                                                2.112;10.6
                
        And in the Bible:

                And I will turn my hand upon thee and purely
                  purge away thy dross, and take away all thy
                  sins.
                                                ISAIAH 1:25

                Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy
                  laden, and I will give you rest.

                                                MATTHEW 11:28

        Also:

                Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will
                  deliver thee.

        Self-surrender is not an easy task. To accomplish it, one
        has to recede back to the position of an innocent child.
        It means an entire involution, a complete metamorphosis,
        supplanting one's own individuality.

          It is the path of self-abnegation, which not everyone
        can take.

          On the other hand, the path of spiritual discipline is
        comparatively easy. Self-effort can be tried by anyone in
        order to achieve spiritual advancement.

          It is, no doubt, a long and tortuous path, as compared
        with the way of self-surrender, but one can, with
        confidence in the Master, tread it firmly step by step.
        If, however a person is fortunate enough to take to
        self-surrender, he can have all the blessings of the Master
        quickly; for he goes directly into his lap and has nothing
        to do by himself for himself.

          He is then the Master's Elect, his beloved son, the son
        of God Himself. But very rarely even a really blessed
        soul may be able to acquire this attitude.

                Should the Lord so ordain, then, O Nanak!
                  a person may take the path of self-surrender.
                Blessed indeed is one who surrenders at the feet
                  of the Satguru;
                Standing near Truth he revels in Truth and
                  easily merges in Truth,
                O Nanak! It is by the Lord's grace that one
                  may meet such a Gurumukh.

        In the scriptures one finds a large number of advantages
        from adopting this path:

                All ills and sorrows vanish by surrender at the
                  Master's feet.
                In the world of joys and sorrows, he alone
                  escapes who gains the feet of the Satguru;
                A Gurumukh stands apart from the three gunas
                  and is acceptable to the Lord.
                In self-surrender the mind becomes purified;
                  but chanting of God's name alone does not
                  help.
                For the world's good do those come who thirst
                  for a sight of Him;
                He who surrenders makes a clean escape, with
                  desires all fulfilled.
                All joys lie with Satguru; bow then at his feet;
                  blissful is the very sight of him.
                With no regrets chant paeans unto him.
                I see the world being consumed in the fire of
                  egoism. Escape thou by surrender to the
                  Master, and then attend to True Shabd.
                I surrender to One who alone is the cause,
                  both material and efficient. His grace has
                  shown the native land in the light of the
                  moon.
                With a Life Impulse from a perfect Master,
                  Ram Naam rests in me;
                O Nanak! With a surrender to the Master's
                  feet the Lord Himself becomes merciful.
                In Kali Yuga Naam lies hidden everywhere,
                  and the Lord in fullness pervades;
                But the precious Naam becomes manifest in
                  that surrender to the Master.

        With the blessings of the Guru one becomes fearless of
        death and is successfully ferried across the sea of life.

                He happily conquers death and never goes to
                  hell. O Nanak! He is saved by surrender, for
                  Hari just takes him into His care.

        Having been accepted by the Acceptor, all his acts
        become pure.

                O Nanak! Never will he go to hell; such is the
                  gift of surrender.
                None but the Elect engage in the devotion of
                  Naam. O Nanak! With surrender at the
                  Master's feet one never comes and goes.
                The dispeller of ills and Lord of all is attained
                  through surrender to a Sadh; and the tumultuous
                  sea of life is ferried across quickly.

        When a jiva surrenders to the Satguru, the Lord takes
        him under His own protection and grants unto him the
        blessings of Sehaj (eternal happiness). All doubts and
        fears now disappear and he comes to his own real Self.


                             [End of Part 9]

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