                          "The Perfection of Man"
       English portion of a Satsang at Sawan Ashram, August 29, 1971
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have just heard how yoga is working in present times, and how in the
midst of this darkness there is hope for light. The golden or higher age of
Sat Yug will be born from Kali Yug - it will not fall from Heaven all at
once. The change has started: those who have eyes may see, those who have
ears may hear. It is always darker before the dawn, but the more darkness
there is, so the more light there is before us. The awakening is already
there, and twinklings of light can be observed. Again I would say, those
with eyes may see, those with ears may hear.

The basic teaching and ultimate goal of all yoga is to see Him in one's own
Self, and one's own Self in Him. I and my Father are one. In the Gurbani,
Father and son are dyed in the same color. Man has two phases: son of man,
and son of God. But the ultimate goal is where man becomes the mouthpiece
of God. All yoga leads up to that. Karma Yoga is complete only when you are
not the doer. In Bhakti yoga, you are to form a hypothesis. Ramakrishna
Paramhans went to his guru and told him that he saw the Mother in all, but
could not rise into unity. The guru struck him on the forehead, and he at
once rose into oneness. In Gian Yoga, one must draw inference to have dips
into that higher life. Surat Shabd Yoga is direct contact with the
God-into-Expression Power, which is the basic teaching of all world
religions. It once happened that a man told Swami Sivananda about this.
There were a number of foreigners present also, and the Swami replied that
the basic teachings the man referred to are the same, but that one must go
step by step to that, that this is the primary class, but there is also a
middle class, there is a higher class, leading on to the college teaching,
etc.

Karma Yoga relates to the body, Bhakti Yoga to the heart, and Gian Yoga to
the intellect. The basic teachings tell us we are all one in God-a very
minute study of all scriptures will lead us to this fact-but what is wanted
is that we see all these as different stages leading to this. Let the child
first crawl-I know that during my sickness I could not sit, then I began to
sit up, then to stand, then I went on to walk with the support of a chair.
Similarly on the way to perfection there are stages, these different phases
are laid down in the scriptures, but the ultimate goal is the consummation
of oneself with God. Masters come, not to destroy, but to fulfill. They do
not touch outer forms, but they say that Truth is everywhere. In the Gita
it is said, To see Me in all, and all in Me.

So we are very fortunate, for here you see all yogas and the basic
teachings. The highest is to rise into the Absolute. Rise above all
different formations, because unless you rise above you cannot be taught
the ABC of Spirituality, for where the world philosophies end, there the
religion starts. Re means "back," and ligio, "to bind"; once again to see
in your Self we are all one. We are already one, we have forgotten this
fact, but the unity is there. You may remain where you are, for all stages
are required; fortunately, all the stages are available - Hatha Yoga, Prana
Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Gian Yoga, and this Surat Yoga.

When Christ sent his disciples to preach, he told them that whatever they
had learned in secret, they should shout it from the housetops. So truly
speaking, I and Swamiji here, we all, become the ambassadors of Truth. The
child must grow into a man, a full man, a perfect man. Be ye perfect, even
as your Father in heaven is perfect. The ultimate goal is before us, and we
have got the highest rung in creation-the manbody, in which we can become a
man. All formations are meant to turn out men; they are like factories to
produce men. Man is one who develops all around - physically,
intellectually, and spiritually- otherwise he is an amputated man. I would
say that more than half of this age of darkness has passed. The barriers
are being broken, and man is coming round to think that man should be a
real man. That formation is best which turns out perfect men. Remain in
your own formations, but with humbleness toward all humanity. You have a
manbody; God made you man. Return to your true nature- You are not man, you
have got a manbody-you are spirit in man. God is spirit and spirit is God,
and then, excuse me when I say, you are none other than God, but the only
point is that there should be realization of that. Blessed are you, I would
say, that you have come to an awakening to a place where the teachings of
Truth are so clearly placed before you. It is a place of Satsang, which is
contact and company of the True - the Truth Eternal - which can be followed
and understood when, if you are fortunate, you come across a human pole
within whom that Truth is manifested, one who has realized it; call him by
any name. He may be wearing white, red, black or any other colored clothes.

Each religion or religious social body has the same goal, and leaving aside
all else, a Sikh is one who sees the Puran Jyoti (Complete Effulgent Light)
of God. Know him to be the Khalsa (true and pure disciple) in whose form
the Complete Light is manifested. It is also said that only the righteous
will reign in the world, and all men who take refuge with them will be
saved. So the Sikh social body has to turn out a Khalsa, and the Muslims
have to make a Momin -the righteous one who sees God in everyone. A Hindu
is one who sees the Light of God within and everywhere, though he starts
his ABC by taking outer symbols in the temple. The body is the true Temple
of God in which that Light is already effulgent. Outer models-temples,
churches, mosques - were made on the model of man, dome-shaped,
nose-shaped, forehead-shaped. They placed in those models two symbols, one
of Light and one of Sound. But the Light and the Sound are not the goal
either-these form the contact which leads us to the Ultimate Wordless
State, and that is our True Home. So Light and Sound is the way back to the
Absolute God. A Christian also is one who sees the light of God just as the
Muslim who sees the Noor, the Light of God. All the Saints have preached
this aspect, shorn of outer symbols, which does not mean they did not
respect the symbols, but they stressed more importance on that which man
has forgotten.

When went to the U.S.A. I simply told them that the unity already exists,
but we have forgotten it. As a man, who or what are you? There is no label
attached to this body; it is but a body which does not last long. You are
the indweller living in the body, but yet with so many apertures-eyes,
ears, and others-you cannot run out of it. We should find out who the Maker
is of that which works and moves as long as you, the soul are there.
Something is controlling otherwise you would be able to leave through one
aperture or another. That is the Controlling Power which we all worship;
that is the Spirit working within, and we are all on the way to It. We are
fortunate to have leaders for every stage before us, for God takes work
from everyone step by step until we reach that goal.

Regarding my recent sickness, an operation was suggested when all the
doctors met together, homeopathic, allopathic, ayurvedic, and others. They
all said that an operation was the only permanent cure; other cures
afforded only temporary relief, but ultimately the operation was necessary.
So it was decided with one voice that the operation be performed; it was
the decisive decision of all, and was not dubbed or imposed by anyone. I
feel that it was very successfully carried out. They gave me first one
pill, then another pill-to make me senseless- but I was still in my full
senses. Then I went to the operating theater and sat down. I asked the
doctors, "What do you want?" They said, "We want to make you senseless." I
told them, "How can you make a conscious being senseless? If you want me to
withdraw, I will do so." They had just completed the operation when I
opened my eyes and asked them, "Gentlemen, when are you going to perform
the operation?" The surgeon replied, "Well, it is already done." He was
amazed that a man could return to his senses while under anaesthetic. Do
you follow? This is a science: the conscious and wilful withdrawal of the
self from outward environment and physical body. This is real. You will
find confirmatory cases in history. In the Sikh records for instance, it
states that Mani Singh was given the sentence of being cut into pieces,
joint by joint. He pointed to each small joint of the fingers, and said to
his executioners, "Here is a joint you have missed, cut here, and here."
This is withdrawal of the senses from the body. It is not a new thing, but
an old old science we are learning; but for the want of practical people it
has been lost. As it stands, you might say that the Truth is bound up in
books. We worship these books, but for the want of practical people, we do
not follow them.

We are here for the sake of Satsang. You all love me, I appreciate that-I
also love you; but out of love you have not followed these teachings
practically -out of over-love I would say. Now I wish for your love to
remain true: that you follow every word I say. Christ said, If you love me,
keep my commandments. Do not be led away. Contact God within you, and you
within Him; that is the ultimate goal. There is no need to change your
formation: the Masters come not to destroy but to fulfill, and to lead the
children to the ultimate goal. I wish for each one of you-those living in
the Satsang and those who come to Satsang- to keep a diary for
self-introspection, and send them at regular intervals for further
guidance. In the past, the Masters only gave something after fully
preparing the vessel. Nowadays, where is the time? Now they give some
capital to start with, and ask that it should be maintained and increased.
Take care that the Light which is in thee be not darkness. So keep your
diaries. I receive hundreds, and give the guidance. I also receive hundreds
of letters every month-this is my work, not your work. I know that you love
me, and I am very grateful, but true love consists in following the advice
I give. From today onward keep your diaries and send them regularly. We
also have a program here: at 4 a.m. the bell is rung, so they must sit
regularly. And there should be at least one hour for talks and some brief
sessions-also in the evening-from 8 to 9 in the morning, and 6 to 7 in the
evening. Do you follow me, dear friends? For those who do not follow, this
talk will be fully translated into Hindi.

In whom does the Truth become manifest? In him who is true to Him and true
to his own self. One who is true to himself will not deceive others for God
is within him and the Guru is also within him. One who does not deceive the
God in himself will surely not deceive others either. Before we can deceive
others, we first deceive ourselves, and it means that we do not believe in
His Omnipresence, otherwise we would not do these things.

There is a story that two seekers went to a Mahatma. To test them he gave
them each a dove and told them to kill the doves where no one could see
them. One of them was very smart, as you can find many people nowadays, and
quickly went behind the nearest wall and killed the bird. The other man
roamed around from morning till night, but could not find a place. He
returned to the Mahatma and said, "I searched everywhere but could not find
an unseen place to kill the bird in, because even in the lonely places the
bird was seeing me and I was seeing the bird." This is to illustrate that
he who sees God ever present in all things and everywhere, can do no wrong.
And furthermore, Hear the teachings of the Satguru, and you will see God.
Remember the Master with every breath-all your worries will be over, for he
who sees Him present everywhere has no fear. There is a very famous
incident in the Mahabharata epic. When Duhsasana tried to unrobe Draupadi,
she called upon Lord Krishna to save her. He came to her rescue and
lengthened the sari cloth she was wearing so much that Duhsasana could not
finish unrolling it. And yet, the help arrived a little late, for by that
time her head had already been uncovered. (These days it is fashionable for
ladies to go about with their heads uncovered.) Draupadi turned to Lord
Krishna and said, "What is the use in your coming when Duhsasana had
already succeeded in uncovering my head?" Lord Krishna asked her, "To whom
did you call for help?" She replied, "Why of course to the Lord Krishna of
Brindaban." Krishna smiled and said, "Well, coming all the way from
Brindaban naturally takes some time. I am in you, nearest to you, had you
called me from there I would have been with you on the very instant." The
very word "Krishna" comes from the Sanskrit root Kri, meaning that which is
nearest. So the very first thing is to see Him everywhere, and for
achieving that, keep a diary according to program. Those who live in the
Ashrams should be the first in this regard to be an example to others.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

