From jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca Wed Mar 11 08:49:06 1998
Newsgroups: alt.meditation.shabda
Subject: Protector and Protection
From: jamesjs@unixg.ubc.ca (James Shannon)
Date: 11 Mar 1998 16:49:06 GMT

       


 
                          PROTECTOR AND PROTECTION
                                                       
                                     by
                          
                            Sant Kirpal Singh Ji

			        (1894 - 1974)

                        This satsang talk was given at 
                        Sawan Ashram in Delhi, India,
                        and was published in the Sept. 
                          1970 issue of Sat Sandesh.
                        -------------------------------
   
   
   The Festival of Raksha is observed by our Hindu brothers, and the 
true meaning of Raksha Bandan is to have good intentions toward someone 
and be a protection for them in every way - to protect them from 
difficulties, unhappiness, calamities, etc., or to save them from the 
force of such occurrences as cannot be prevented. The custom has been 
upheld in India for many generations, and at the time of wars for 
instance, sisters would tie a small token on the wrists of their soldier 
brothers, and whisper the prayer, "May God protect you!" It is a common 
custom still continued nowadays, but unfortunately with time it has 
deteriorated from its true meaning, and we find that when the sister 
now ties the token, she feeds him some sweetmeat and then expects some 
money in return, and so the true reason for the custom is lost.
  
   What is Raksha or protection, and who can give it wholeheartedly? When 
a child is born it has no awareness of anything, but its mother protects 
it from birth until it is fully grown. The father is the bread-earner, but 
the mother is the protector.  First, for nine or ten months she carries 
the baby in her womb, giving it all her love and attention; then when it
arrives in the world she starts to take care of its every need.  She keeps 
him clean, for he is constantly dirtying himself. If he gets wet and there 
are no more dry clothes, though it be the depth of winter she will keep 
him warm on her breast and cover him with her own clothes, oblivious to 
the danger of catching cold herself. When the child gradually begins to
have some awareness of his surroundings, he starts to realize a little of 
the love of his mother toward him, for the mother first loves the child, 
not vice versa. The child's love comes in response, and when he learns to 
love he is reluctant to leave his mother's lap. She spends her life in 
worrying about the child - his health, his food, his education, good 
character, and his future. Everything concerning him is dear to her heart
until he stands on his feet and gets established in life. Even then her 
worrying does not cease. You will find that most mothers are like this, 
the whole world over.
  
   However, this worldly life is not the true living - we have to be born 
again, not physically but into a new and different world. Christ said that 
unless a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God, and only 
after getting this physical form can we get rebirth into the Beyond. Just 
as the mother is the physical protector, it is even more necessary to have 
a protector through the second or spiritual birth and on through the 
spiritual life until one has grown in awareness and is able to stand 
upright spiritually. With conditions as they are today, even man's 
closest ties offer little protection.  A brother is not a true brother; 
father is not for his son and the son will do nothing for his father. 
Even the mother has started cursing her child, who in turn has lost all 
respect for its mother.  It is such a terrible and degraded condition 
that mankind has sunk into - I feel like weeping. Anyway, one might have
the sympathies of a righteous person, but for how long can he protect 
one? For as long as he stays in this world - not beyond that, and in the 
process of rebirth he will be of no avail whatsoever. So who can protect 
us in the new world?  He who dwells there.  The true Raksha Bandan 
happens when you have a protector for your soul, who can take care of you 
in this world and the next, and without whom nothing can be achieved; with 
all due respect and gratitude to our physical and material protectors.
  
   The mother hen sits on her eggs with full concentration, so that the 
chicks will form. When they are fully formed, she conveys to them that 
they are ready for the world which is waiting for them with open arms; 
the sun which is brightly shining, the grass is green and fresh, and 
there is plenty of food to eat. But the chick is in darkness, and cannot 
realize there is any other state. The mother then has to resort to 
tapping on the shell with her beak, and on hearing this he instinctively 
feels encouraged to do the same from inside and in a short time he is 
putting his head into a new atmosphere filled with light and life. Only 
then does he understand the promise conveyed by his mother.
  
   If we want to be born into the new world, we need the help of someone 
who will not only take us there, but who will protect us to the end of 
the journey. Do you think this is work for our mother, father, sister or 
any friend? No, it is impossible. The whole world is unable to assist you. 

   There is an account of an incident during the life of my Master, 
Baba Sawan Singh Ji, of a woman disciple whose only son was arrested on 
a false charge of murder, and was given the penalty of death by hanging. 
The sessions judge presiding over the case was also a disciple, and before 
the final verdict was concluded, Baba Sawan Singh Ji requested him to help 
the accused, and said, "I know he is innocent and falsely implicated"; but 
the judge disregarded the Master's words and gave the death sentence. A 
few days later, I was present when this same judge came to pay his 
respects to Hazur, and when the Master passed very close to him, without 
even looking in his direction, he said casually to another person, "I 
have no need of a judge - I can ask the Lord to do my work." 

   Just then, the mother approached the Master and started crying. "He has 
been sentenced to death," she said. Baba Sawan Singh Ji replied, "Don't 
worry - you just put in an appeal."  It was not the type of case that had 
the slightest chance through appealing, but on the Master's advice the 
mother did appeal; and when they re-examined the case, certain facts came 
to light and eventually the son was released. So one can see that even 
when there is no hope in any direction, a true protector can give the 
maximum help. 

   Frankly, what is a human being's life but a series of interruptions? 
At each step there is a barrier - what one wants does not happen. Some
people are dying, some are sick, some are in difficulties of various 
kinds. There are thousands in poverty, and in appallingly afflicted 
conditions. The whole of mankind is lamenting its unhappiness every step 
of the way.  Who is there to give consolation in world, and guidance in 
the next?
  
   Guru Nanak has said on the subject, "O Nanak, break off all connections 
with the imperfect, and search for a perfect Master; they will abandon you 
even while you live, but he will never leave you even after death." 
Maulana Rumi has also said that one should grasp the coat-tails of a man 
who knows the secrets of this world and the Beyond. The protection of 
such a personage cannot be described, but the individuals who experience 
it hold the knowledge close in their hearts. His single thought is very 
powerful, for God is Superconsciousness. He is a part of the Creator - a 
drop of the Ocean of All Light. Remember, with one thought God created 
the world - from One, many came into creation. If we, the soul, become 
the mouthpiece of the Oversoul, then how powerful will we be! 

   Our soul, though it is the same as the Oversoul, is surrounded by the 
mind and the senses, and is enclosed in the carcass of the physical form. 
The Masters come like motherly hens to foster the children, which is very
necessary, for unless they sit at some Master's feet and absorb his words 
they cannot be reborn - remember that - though in the beginning it may be 
by mere words that the facts of life are conveyed, of a new world more 
beautiful than this, viz.: And, Brahmand, Par Brahmand, and Sat Lok or 
Sach Khand.  O Soul, you are the dweller of that land - why have you 
allowed yourself to be captivated here?
  
   On hearing the words of the Masters we slowly start thinking, and want 
to know what else there is.  When the Master gives the soul a connection 
with the Beyond, it hears it, and responds. "There is no way without the 
Shabd to leave this pot of clay." With repetition or Simran, you can 
achieve single-pointed concentration, and with concentrated attention -
Dhyan - you will come to a standstill; but Shabd is the only power to 
take you up into the Beyond. The Master is that consciousness which has 
become the mouthpiece of the All-consciousness and his single penetrating 
glance can lift the consciousness of not only one but hundreds at one 
sitting, if necessary. To be connected to such a personage is the true
Raksha Bandan, otherwise it is merely a worldly custom.
  
   What are a Guru's responsibilities, and what does he do? When one 
gives real thought to this, one's soul shivers to realize the extent of 
his protection. People do not understand that the Guru's responsibilities 
are vast. They are overjoyed with the prospects of becoming Masters 
themselves; forgive me for saying this. Each one's desire is to be a 
Guru, Sadhu or Sant, and spellbound with these thoughts he forgets his
duty toward himself and what he has to become in reality, thereby 
spending his precious time in leisure and wasting away whatever he has 
got. But the Master, with each breath, goes on saving the disciples all 
the time. Whenever he initiates, he sows a seed for a new life; like 
the seed enters the mother's womb and then develops. "Howsoever God's 
words come, he brings them into outer knowledge." He is a perfect being 
- the mouthpiece of God, the conscious co-worker - who sees that it is 
God sitting within him who is doing everything. This kind of Master sows 
the seed of attention and gives a way up into the Beyond, which is a 
new experience.
  
   
   In India some time ago, the Masters who gave Initiation into the Beyond 
were termed Brahmins - the supreme caste - but today only the caste remains, 
and initiation is but a mantra; mere words, that is all. The raksha or 
protection is a question mark. You are in the custody of a true Master 
from the very day he gives initiation. He becomes the very breath of the 
disciple. Baba Sawan Singh Ji used to say that from the day the Master 
gives the blessing of Naam, the Guru becomes the indweller, along with the 
soul. From that very moment, he starts forming the child, with love and 
protection, until ultimately he takes him into the lap of the Oversoul.
Until that time, he does not leave him for one minute. This advancement 
may take one, two, or three lifetimes. Masters have mentioned up to four, 
but if we become receptive it can happen in one lifetime.
  
   God is working in the Master, and if you think of him in this way, 
then whatever you desire will be given. In physique he looks the same as 
other men, but he is not man alone; he became a man to dispense the 
treasure of God to the souls. He is not in birth and death. The benefactor 
came for the souls, to give them the treasure of devotion and join them 
back to God. Like a father gives the germinal seed of life, the Guru
bestows the Life Force - the incomparable gift.  There are many kinds of 
gifts, but the gift of Naam is above all others, and having given it, 
the Master then develops it within you, because he wants you to reach the 
same stage as himself. He wants you to enjoy the bliss that he enjoys. 
The Master goes on protecting and giving, whether the disciple knows it 
or not; for he is like a small child which never realizes how much worry 
and trouble it is to its mother. The child may turn out to have a bad 
character, and perhaps become a gambler, but the mother will continue 
to concern herself with his needs, that he may not starve and so on.
  
   A child thinks that he knows his mother very well, but what child 
understands about a mother's heart?  We also think that we know our 
Master, but we can know only as much as he wishes to reveal to us. Eye 
can see only as much as our eye is developed. To convince us of the 
Truth, he will approach us in various ways: as a brother, or a friend, 
and will sometimes appear to be inferior in knowledge or intellect. He 
acts in whatever way will help the disciple to gain confidence in his 
Master. In this depth of humility, his greatness is revealed. Thus, this 
great personage gives rebirth to the soul, and gradually makes us as 
great as he is. Truly, it is a profound blessing to have a living 
Master, who has come to give new life. 

   You may ask, "Is all this the truth?" but you can prove it through 
your own experiences; and in the many letters I receive daily there are 
numerous accounts of the Master's protection. For example, a car was 
traveling along the road and it overturned into a very steep slope. The 
disciples in the car remembered the Master, and the car righted itself 
onto all four wheels again. Disciples who have faith in their Master
can go through many dangerous experiences and will be astonished how 
they are saved and protected. These things are daily occurrences. Become 
receptive and obey his orders implicitly, even though at times he may 
show anger and displeasure, for he has taken this task upon himself, and 
has to make you into something. A sculptor will pick up a rock lying
on the roadside and chisel it to make eyes, nose, etc., and finally it 
becomes a work of art, a valuable thing. The Master will make the 
disciple into something priceless, and those who are receptive will 
progress quicker, regardless of how long they have been traveling along 
this path. 

   What good would it be if the stone started fighting with the 
sculptor, saying "I do not want a nose chiseled---I do not want my face 
like this"?  He has to make something of it and he does so with great 
love.

   Sometimes, due to the fate karmas, many difficulties cross the 
student's path, and who is there to console and give strength to bear 
them? A single word from a perfect Master goes to the depth of the heart, 
that it can stand upright and bear the burden. 

   I remember when Pakistan was formed - you know the condition at that 
time - whole families died, friends were killed, many people starved, 
even rich people were destitute and hungry for a slice of bread. 
Naturally they tried to console each other, but the misery and hurt was 
so deep that they were inconsolable. However, when they came to Hazur he 
would say, "It is all right, don't despair - God will give you more," and 
he would lift his hand in love and blessing.  His words were like soothing 
balm on their raw wounds. The truth is that there is great power in this 
Attention, and when one is helpless and feels that there is no hope,
one will get full protection and assistance by turning one's face toward 
the Master.
  
   For example, if a child has to undergo some minor operation by the 
doctor, he will feel more assured and protected if his mother holds him 
in her lap, where her tender concern and love will help to take his 
attention from what is happening. There are many disciples who, while 
going through serious operations have seen their Master as the surgeon 
performing the operation. It is a question of love and faith in the
Guru. Some have seen the Master standing near them with loving and 
concentrated gaze; they lost their fear and forgot the operation 
completely. These are not stories from invention, but true facts which 
have happened and are still happening. It is very necessary to have a 
living Master.
  
    On this subject, Guru Ramdas, the fourth Guru of the Sikhs, says:

        She who has given birth will look after the child with
          all her strength,
        He may be in the house or outside, but she is concerned 
          for his every morsel.

As the mother takes care of the baby selflessly with all her strength, in 
all his needs, even going without herself if necessary, so does the true 
Guru take care of the disciple through all the tribulations of life. If 
the disciple's eye is open enough, he will see for himself how he is 
being protected, and even if he does not see he will still receive the 
protection. If the child gets dirty, the mother does not spurn him, but 
washes him clean and lovingly embraces him to her breast. We are covered 
with the filth of ages of worldly living, and the Guru with all love and 
concern teaches us how to refrain from soiling ourselves.
        
                
                Many times she will reprove,
                But always press you to her heart in love.


Guard the invaluable gift from the Master with your very life, for it will 
remain with you in this world and the next. It is not a trivial thing to 
meet a Guru, but with deep sorrow I observe that many people do not have 
respect for their Master. A child can never forget his mother and all she 
has done for him; if anyone does forget their mother's love, it is a great
sin. To forget all the blessings the Guru has bestowed is unforgiveable. 
Kabir says, "This sigh will never leave my heart; that I can do nothing 
in return for all that the Guru has done for me." Forgive me, but the 
task of the Guru is not an easy one. To make something of the disciple, 
to put him on his feet, to give him new life, to reach him to his true 
home - this is the Guru's work. Giving lectures or fine talks is not the 
Guru's work. His talks are merely to help them be aware that are in deep 
forgetfulness, but the Master's duty is a matter of custody.
      
                
                O Lord, we are the children of God,
                But in ignorance.


The Master unfolds our understanding, first as a teacher and then by 
taking on all the headaches, like bringing up a child from infancy; 
worrying about everything we do, just like a mother. When the child is 
fully grown, the mother knows that when he is hungry he will himself 
come for food, but if by chance he does not come, she again goes 
looking for him everywhere. If the disciple does not listen, the Master 
will offer alternative ways to help his progress, but if he is clever
and keen to learn he will understand much from but a single gesture, and 
so learns accurately and advances rapidly. When the disciple does not 
learn from Satsang, books and messages, the Master uses many other ways 
to encourage him. There is the indirect method. 

   Baba Sawan Singh Ji would sometimes rebuke a man when the actual 
wrongdoer was another, standing nearby. He would say, "This is not right; 
it should not happen again," and the person being addressed would wonder 
in his heart, "What have I done, that he is saying this?" not realizing 
that the words were indirectly meant for someone  else. The ways of 
Masters are often misunderstood, through lack of spiritual growth. At 
times the disciples would perpetrate wrong deeds (it is very easy to 
fall) but when they came to Hazur he would show special love and say, 
"It is good you have come." This special attention was given particularly 
to save them from themselves, but many would foolishly think, "If we sin, 
our Guru is very happy with us!"

   This is our intellect misguiding us. Fortunately for us, the Master's 
purpose is always the same: to save the child, that he may stand erect. 
The road is very long, but he gives his time to each individual; after 
all he has great love for each and every one - what can he do?
  
   If, after all these means are applied, the disciple still does not 
understand and progress, he uses yet other means to keep him on the 
straight path.  Forgive me, but when he pulls the rope, the soul writhes 
in torment. When the child does not obey and wastes his life, the Master 
shakes him hard, and though he might be a hopeless case the unceasing 
love of the Master will infuse a breeze of enthusiasm into his heart 
eventually.  If you go on sitting at his feet, you will come nearer to 
realization. That is why it is advised, "Don't leave the Satsang - 
whatever has gone wrong will right itself."
  
   Why is your condition today so appalling? Because of the mind and the 
senses overpowering the soul, and too much living for outer enjoyment. 
There are grievances in your hearts against others: you cut each other's 
throats and squeeze the blood out. In this condition, what is the saving 
factor? Go to the Satsang regularly: one day you will think a thing is 
right, another day you will think a thing is wrong, but do not cease to 
attend and your condition will right itself. The more a child is obedient 
to the Guru's every wish, the quicker will be salvation.

   A certain Mahatma by the name of Panap Das has said that a man should 
have three blessings: first God's, second the Guru's, and third your own 
soul's. God's blessing you have already got; He has given you the human 
form and to come across a perfect Master is His very special blessing. 
The Guru's blessing you received when he gave you rebirth by taking you 
above the senses and rejoining you to the Sound Current within, which 
will take you back to the source of all Life. But what about the third 
blessing, which is your own?  What is that?  Having received the 
experience and connection with the Truth from the Master, then whatever 
he advises, you should do. Give whatever is the time requirement 
necessary to your inner progress. This is your own blessing on yourself. 
When the child learns with interest, he benefits from the teacher's 
pleasure also.
  
   These days, most teachers are just paid, but when I used to study as 
a child, they were people dedicated to humanity in children. If a child 
was promising, the teacher would wave aside the question of fees and 
call him to his own home for extra tuition. We often went to our teacher's 
home. He did not have any water laid on there, so we used to bring it in
buckets and do other work around the house, purely out of love for him. 
He loved us and taught us with love.

   There are Satsangis and near Satsangis. By near Satsangi I mean one 
who has come in closer touch with the Guru. This teaching is the same for 
all children, but those who become receptive come closer to the Master; 
they get a special protection. Though his protection is extended to 
everyone - all are fed and eat the same bread - yet the child who is more
hungry will receive more food. O Lord, we are your ignorant children. The 
Guru teaches us and makes us open up into awareness. Today you may do one 
thing, tomorrow something else; you are unstable and always wanting new 
things, from which you go on desiring other new things. The Master always 
gives permission for what you want, and remains with you in all you do, 
but gradually continues turning you toward the Truth, that your interest 
in It becomes more and more powerful. When he has your interest well 
established he will make a new life for you and take you into a new world. 
Now, tell me, is there anyone who would not like to have such a Guru?
  
   When the world turns its back, the Guru is standing beside you. 
Through desert and forest, over seas and mountains, in this world and 
the next, he is with you. In the other world the Guru is called Guru Dev 
(the Radiant Face of the Master) which appears within the Light. A man's 
face cannot appear inside, only the God-power.  When the Guru Dev comes, 
the disciple will know that he has become a true disciple. If you would 
all keep daily diaries and honestly note in them all happenings, you 
would see what a grand treasure you would accumulate; but we listen to 
the Master's advice and then forget it. We even forget the subject of 
the Satsang after a few minutes. How can we expect success? Christ said,
"If ye love me, keep my commandments."
                        
                        Satguru's words -
                        Words ARE Satguru.
                        
The words of a Master are the Master himself, and those who respect his 
words will most certainly get salvation. Generally we respect him only 
when we see him, and when not in his presence we do what the mind tells 
us; but remember, he sees our every action. Our Hazur used to say that 
when a man comes to the Master, he sees him just like a clear glass
bottle, and knows whether it is pickle or preserve. But no one knows 
what goes on behind his bland expression; he is completely unfathomable, 
and will not show what he sees in a person but will try and wash him 
clean. Some think he knows nothing, but he gives them his protection 
always. Those children who are in a dangerous condition get extra 
care - though very often they think they  have succeeded in hoodwinking
the Master. What foolishness this is!
                        
          Glory, glory to the Guru - Satguru the teacher;
          By whose various teachings we gained great wisdom.
                        
The Guru awakens us from our unconscious state, gives physical and 
intellectual food, that we may have good living and right understanding, 
and protects us in all phases of life. Our Guru is the Blessed One who 
has bestowed all this wealth upon us; whoever has such a Master is 
blessed also. I want to emphasize that if after getting this priceless 
gift, no consideration is given to it - that is the greatest of all 
misfortunes.  There are certain birds, which when migrating fly many 
hundreds of miles, but their thoughts are with their children for they
have left their eggs behind. The Master might be anywhere, but his 
thought and protection is constantly with his children, wherever they 
may be.
                        
          The Satguru protects the disciple with his life.
                        
Breath for breath, he remembers you. Without the Master's remembrance, 
love for him cannot be born in the disciple. He sends out rays of love, 
and the disciple experiences a strong pull toward his Master. This is 
also a gift. Now the question arises, should one always be near to the 
Guru physically? To be always close to the physical presence of the 
Master takes extremely good karmic background, and only happens with
great destiny. Should the followers leave their homes and cast aside 
their duties?  A true Guru will never recommend this; why should he? 
If he was only on the physical level, then he might advise this, but he 
tells us that he has another form other than the physical and can travel 
thousands of miles from where his physical form remains. A true Master 
stresses that it is not necessary to be always close to his physical 
form. There is no doubt, that if one is receptive, by being near him
one will be enriched with greater wealth, but it sometimes happens that 
those near him become critical of outer happenings around him, with the 
result that they do not gain anything. You can live far or near, but 
your face should be ever turned toward him; that is the point. 

   Kabir said that even if the seven seas are between the disciple and 
his Guru, the disciple's attention should be directed toward his Master. 
The speed of attention is very fast. One can judge from the force of 
electricity; the pranas or life current have faster speed than electric 
current, and the attention is faster than pranas. With a radio set, one 
has to just tune it to a certain point and one can hear the sound 
immediately. Even if the disciple does not set his attention on the 
Master, the radiation goes on emitting, and the effect of this is the 
making of him. If he becomes receptive, then the Master appears before 
him.
  
   There are disciples in various parts of the world - North America, 
South America, Africa, England, Germany, France, etc.-and who is 
protecting them? It is not the physical form that travels around, but 
the higher power, the God-power; you can call it the Guru-power, and it 
is also called the Christ-power too. This power is protecting the 
disciples, many of whom have seen clearly the form of the Master - the
Master-power - in their daily lives. The power that works in the human 
pole is the Guru, and if messages can be transmitted and received 
through radio, then why not become a human pole connected to the Guru 
through the Guru-power?  There should be no obstruction in the way, 
like worldly affairs, children, one's own physical form or wandering 
thoughts.  Another thing is: purity is very necessary, in living and 
in being free from ill or impure thoughts. A radio will not work
properly if it is jammed up with dirt and dust.
  
   We frequently hear accounts of how the Master has protected his 
children. At death, he appears before the child, who in full 
consciousness happily states, "The Master has come." When a child learns 
to rise above the body consciousness at will, the Master is there to 
protect and guide him, talks to him and takes him upward from stage 
to stage. If Gurudom is looked down upon today, it is purely through 
incompetency and material motives. They themselves are doomed, but the 
tragedy is, so are the thousands who follow them.  However, there is 
always hope, and if any have a sincere longing for the Truth, God will 
see that they are in torment to realize Him and make it possible for 
them to meet a true Master.

   "How is it possible for the servants to be well fed, if the master 
is starving and naked?" If at the time of initiation, the man you are 
following does not give you anything - it may be little or more, 
according to one's background - and open your inner eye, then it means 
that he is not competent. He should give you something; and that is the 
criterion of a true Master.  Even if he gives a little at the beginning, 
then there is hope for much more; and whatever he gives, protect it with 
your life. After you have got contact with the God-into-Expression Power, 
where will you go from there?  To the Formless and Nameless - the Source, 
from where the expression is coming. The word "religion" is derived from 
the Latin `religio,' through `re' and `ligare,' which mean "back" and 
"bind" - so we have, "to bind back to the Source or God." This is the 
actual meaning of the word, but we are satisfied with sticking a label 
on ourselves and performing customary rites and rituals, which are 
merely the elementary steps to prepare the ground for higher things. No 
matter what you do, your life will not bear fruit until you meet someone 
to give you rebirth and connect your soul back to the God-power.
  
   Only recently I received the urgent news that a certain disciple was 
dangerously ill. I wrote and told the people to advise the patient to 
concentrate within. They wrote back and said that my instructions had 
been conveyed to the patient by telephone, and within hours she had 
started improving, and is now on the way to recovery. This was just 
through a word on the telephone, so you can see that the thousands of 
miles between  cannot stop the protection of the Master-power. However, 
that physical form in which the God-power has manifested is also pure, 
though it is not a question of praise for the physical; it is worthy of 
respect because God is manifested therein.
  
   I will tell you of another instance. There was a man in America, 
named Walter Kirel.  When I initiated him, he had a very good experience, 
but after some time he fell ill. When a man is in a helpless condition, 
he gets restless and worried. He wrote and told me that the doctors 
were pressing him to eat meat and drink wine. Each time he wrote I tried 
to make him understand that the non-vegetarian diet would not help him, 
and he should remain on the vegetarian diet. After a few months he wrote 
that he could not fight any more, that he had become helpless and could 
not breathe, and that the doctors were insisting on a meat diet. I 
replied, "All right, do whatever you feel like." When I visited America 
and reached Santa Barbara, the doctors had then given up hope for him,
and he was at the door of death. 

   Violet Gilbert, one of the hospital nurses, was a Satsangi, and she 
met me and told me about Walter Kirel who was dying in the hospital: "He 
cries a lot and goes on saying that he has disobeyed his Guru who is now 
in America but will not want to see his face. Do you think you could visit 
him, Master?" I said, "Of course I will."  When I arrived in his room, 
Nurse Gilbert told him, "The Master has come." He opened his eyes and saw 
me, and the tears started flowing down his cheeks. I put my hand on his
forehead, and said, "Do not worry - whatever has happened has happened, 
and it is finished. Do you hear the Sound?" He said, "No." "Do you see 
the Light?" Again he said, "No." I put my hand on his head and told him 
to close his eyes and forget all outer things. When he did so, not only 
the Light came, but the Radiant Form of the Master too. His ears were
closed for him and he heard the Sound clearly. 

   I told him, "Now go, with rejoicing." His wife was there, and she was 
a non-initiate. She said, "Master, I know that he has been forgiven and 
saved, but I wish he would speak to me before he goes." I again put my 
hand on his head and said, "Your wife wants you to say something to her 
before you go." He opened his eyes, and said, "All right," and turning 
to his wife, he smiled and said, "I am going now." 

   This is what is called protection; it is not a story but a true 
incident. I feel sorry for those who get this valuable gift and do not
live up to it. Nanak says, "He who has met the Satguru - whatever is 
written in his destiny is finished." It is true that the Master winds 
up the karmas, but not just like that; he adjusts them to further the 
man-making of the disciples. He takes the children in his charge, but 
he will make them into something worthwhile before taking them home. It 
is his duty to clean them first; nobody packs dirty clothes away in 
storage. When people are initiated, they rejoice and say, "We have got 
a Master; we have got salvation." When meeting the Satguru, you will 
get salvation if you obey his words.
                        
                Satguru cuts the bonds of the disciple,
                If the disciple withdraws from wrong deeds.
                        
Obey the Master. As I have said before, dirty clothes cannot be packed 
away in storage, and no one wants to wear dirty clothes. The Father wants 
to embrace you - if you have got clean clothes on. But this kind of 
cleanliness means having no other thought but of Him.
                        
                Clean the core of your heart for He who is coming;
                Take the thoughts of others away, so that He can
                  sit there.
                        
This is what is meant by cleanliness. At times we try to do business with 
the Master and say, "If our wishes are fulfilled, only then we consider 
him a Guru, otherwise not. If the Master shows love and affection then 
it's all right, but if not, he is no Master." This is the sad condition 
we are in. A Guru is a Guru and will never leave you - even if you leave 
him. It is a wonderful protection and a great great blessing. 

   The volumes of praises for the Guru which are written in the Ved
Shastras (Ancient Hindu Scriptures) have not been written idly. They also 
state that the Guru is greater than God. In the Guru, God Himself is 
working and there is no difference between the two. For example, here 
is my watch. That which is holding the watch is my hand, and if the 
watch could see and think, it would consider that it is just a hand; but 
who is in the hand?  I.  God is working through the human pole, and the 
pole says, "I am not the doer, but He who is in me." God is working from 
within the Guru, and they are one and the same.
  
   First, the Guru works like a teacher. He shows sympathy, and even 
allows tears to flow from his eyes for you - sometimes he rebukes, and 
sometimes he shows love. In fact, he does everything. Then he says, 
"I am not the body, and neither are you; come, let us go up." He does 
everything to teach the disciple to break his outer attachments and 
concentrate within; he has no other motive. He has no desire for 
people's love. His own love is connected with God and his Guru; there 
is no place for anyone else. So become receptive to him, and through 
receptivity, become the image of him. A child grows on milk; and to 
love the Guru and be receptive to him is the food of life to the soul.
  
   One Master said that though there be thirty or more teeth in the 
mouth, yet the tongue is not harmed by them. Similarly, the Master is 
protecting the disciple from all the perils of the world around him.
    
                When difficult times come, no one helps -
                Both enemies and friends forsake;
                All hopes fade away - life becomes hopeless,
                But if God is in the heart, the flames 
                  of misery will not be felt.
                        
   When a man gets disheartened and there seems to be no chance of hope 
from any direction, then the Satguru comes and takes him across all his 
tribulations. He first waits patiently until we remove all intellect, 
worries, attachments and ego from our path, and then when we have fully 
reposed ourselves in him, then we come under his complete protection.
If the disciple falls, the Guru will lift him up, for in this world 
who is free from difficulties? One cannot find even one man without 
problems in his life. But if a man has a perfect Master, he is fearless 
even when confronted by enemies. Kabir Sahib says, "He who lives in  
constant remembrance of his Master and keeps his Master's words, will 
be fearless in all three worlds." 

   Why should he be afraid of anything? After all, his Master is not 
merely a man. Understand this also: it often happens that the disciple 
is due for heavy suffering, due to the karmic reactions from the past, 
but through the Guru's protection it can be reduced to perhaps a 
slight prick from a thorn.
  
   All the ups and downs of life are like passing phases, and should 
have no pinching effect on the disciple. The worldly life is full of 
perplexities, and existence here is impossible without them. My Master 
used to say that if one thinks one can remove all the thorns from the 
worldly life, well, it is an impossibility; however, if one wears 
strong boots, one will not feel them.  To wear strong boots means to 
live within the protection of the Master's radiation - not physically, 
but through thought and attention - be so much in his radiation, and 
never step out of it. Nothing should change this.
  
   One can be so much within the Guru's radiation that even the powerful 
Lord of Death cannot come near. For example, I will tell you of one 
incident when I was living in Lahore. There was a lady who hailed from 
my village, but she was not a disciple. She became seriously ill, and 
her family endured constant sleepless nights in looking after her. I 
heard that she was sick, and went to see her, accompanied by Dalip
Singh (later treasurer in Sawan Ashram). I told them, "You have spent 
so many nights awake, and must be tired, so you all sleep tonight and 
I will watch beside the bed." 

   Dalip Singh and I sat together for some time. She was not initiated, 
but that did not matter, and I asked her, "Do you repeat any holy name?" 
She affirmed that she did. I told Dalip Singh to go and rest, and return 
about 4 a.m. and I continued to sit beside the dying woman. She went on 
repeating the holy names, as I had suggested, but suddenly she said to 
me, "There is an old man here." I looked up and saw the old man, and he
explained to me that she was his granddaughter, and that he had come to 
take her away, but I told him that he could not do so as long as I was 
sitting there. 

   He tried his best to take the soul out of the body, but did not 
succeed, so after some moments he went away. I asked the woman if she 
had recognized the old man and she said, "Yes, it was my grandfather;
he was a very pious man."
  
   After some time, Yama, the Angel of Death, appeared in the doorway. 
I looked straight at him, and he ran away - he could not even enter 
the room. He returned several times, but could not enter. Then Dharam 
Raj, the Lord of Death himself, appeared, but he also could not come 
into the room. He said, "This soul belongs to me." I said, "Yes, that 
is true, for she has not been initiated, and I know also that you 
cannot come near her because I am sitting here, so you had better
go to my Guru and ask him what is to be done now. If he gives you 
permission to take this soul, then I will leave." 

   My friends, just see - how great is the Naam! Dharam Raj left, and 
in a matter of moments returned and said, "I have got the permission to 
take the soul." I said, "All right, take it." He replied, "How can I 
when you are still sitting there?" 

   Whatever is written regarding the protection power of the Holy Naam 
is all true, for I am telling you what actually happened. Dharam Raj 
said, "Unless you leave, I cannot take this soul." I asked him, "What 
benefit will she get from my spending the whole night beside her?" He 
said, "She will receive the fruit of that before any other rewards or 
debts are accounted."

   Just then, Dalip Singh entered the room, and I said to him, "Come 
brother, let us go away from this room, for while I am here she cannot 
die." As we were leaving, I asked her husband to give away in her name 
some money which was still due from her, to some needy people - that 
her give and take may be squared up and she may leave the body. Dalip 
Singh and I stepped out of the room, and in one moment she was gone.
Dalip Singh is here, you can ask him about it.
  
   If a person who has got the Naam is sitting somewhere (not necessarily 
the Master, but anyone who meditates) then Yama or Dharam Raj cannot 
come near that place. What do you people imagine the Naam to be? I am 
sorry to say, that you hold it to be of little value.
                
                Whenever Masters come, the world 
                  speaks ill of them;
                But God takes care of them.
                
   The world has always insulted the Masters. For their own gain, self-
centered people will say many things against them, but there is not one 
who can harm a single hair of a Master's head if he does not wish it 
himself, for God's protection is impenetrable. Is it not natural that 
the Lord will protect him who belongs to Him?  A good wife gives herself 
up completely to her husband, who takes care of her needs and protects 
her. But worldly examples are poor caricatures compared to the Master's 
protection. When the mother, who has such deep love for her child, has 
a selfish thought that when he grows up he will look after her, etc.

   A true Guru wants nothing from his children; he only feels grateful 
that another soul has become free and is returning to its own home. He 
has true love for the soul.
                
             Brother, do not think that all is in your hands;
             Everything is already ordained.
                
Never think for a moment that man has anything in his control. The 
Controlling Power is doing everything.  Fear, death, heat, cold, etc., 
would never come near him, but for the reaction of the karmas; and it 
is not in man's control, for they come without him being able to stop 
them. A person may suddenly be bitten by a snake, and die from it; 
another will die after reaching old age. These things occur in life 
according to man's past karmas.  When God's pen runs according to one's 
past karmas, man has nothing to say in it.
                
            Such Name of God should be daily repeated within,
            O Nanak, that would free one from all bondage.
            Be tied to Life's Precious Thing,
            Which will be with you here and in the Beyond.
                
Who can connect you with the Naam?  "In the Guru, He Himself manifests 
and distributes the Shabd."  St. John tells us that, "The Word was made 
flesh, and dwelt among us." True Masters have always exhorted all 
mankind : O man, you have got this physical form, so connect yourself 
with the Naam, or with the manifestation of it in the human pole, which 
will protect you now and after death.  Whosoever claims knowledge in 
this world is praised by the people, who strive with all their might 
to believe in him; while the Masters are proclaiming the very Truth 
itself. "Guru and God are both before me; at whose feet shall I fall? 
I am full of gratitude to my Guru, through whom I discovered who the 
Satguru is." 

   God Himself is working in the Guru, and these words are expressing 
the gratitude that one should have toward one's Master.  We cannot truly 
know and praise God and neither can we know or praise the Guru. He is in 
the world for the sole purpose of joining the souls back to God, and it 
is a great privilege to meet such a personality.  When you meet him, 
obey his commands.  Make your life as he wants it to be; in this will 
be your own triumph. He says, "Do your bhajan and make your life chaste 
and pure." His protection will always be over your head; keep your 
attention constantly on him, and you will become a true disciple of 
the Master.

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


