SATSANG 01 Jan 2016 - Afternoon

Before Surrendering To The Master, We Have Duties To Perform
The paathi sings the Bani of Swami Ji Maharaj from the book: Santon Ki Bani, Vol 1, pg 69

Komal chitt daya man dhaaro,
Parmaarath ka khoj lagaana.
Komal chitt daya man dhaaro,
Parmaarath ka khoj lagaana.

THIS IS THE BANI of Param Sant Satguru Swami Ji Maharaj.

This Bani points out that before surrendering to the Master there are some duties we have to perform. So, it is very important to listen to the Satsangs of the Saints, because through these Satsangs we come to know true and false. We are able to discern between the two through the Satsangs that are given by the Saints.

In the Satsangs, the importance of Satguru, the importance of Bani, and the importance of devotion is spoken about. So, by going to Satsangs, we come to know and we are able to discern between truth and what is false, and we also come to know the great importance of this life that has been given to us.

Also, in these Satsangs, the Saints tell us about the importance of eating vegetarian food, because of the influence that food has on the mind.

Swami Ji Maharaj says that we should keep our mind subtle, and we should keep it delicately poised. We should be compassionate and keep the mind subtle. So, even if one person is great and he is a pundit, but if he is not compassionate, then he is as good as a butcher. So, therefore, Saints say that if you are compassionate and you follow the path of humility, then you will be successful on this Path.

Komal chitt daya man dhaaro,
Parmaarath ka khoj lagaana.
Indri thaan bishay ko tyaago,
Surt shabd mein nitt lagaana.

What Swami Ji Maharaj has said — that you should be compassionate and you should keep your mind subtle — has also been said by Tulsi Sahib to Sheik Taqi.

Sheikh Taqi went on various pilgrimages. He went to Mecca-Medina and he did not get peace of mind. After coming from all of those places, he came to Tulsi Sahib, and he said, “I don't have peace of mind, so how do I get that?”

So, Tulsi Sahib said, “God Almighty is not anywhere outside. He is within you only. And for meeting Him you have to cleanse yourself.” Tulsi Sahib told him, "You have to cleanse your mind and take out all the thoughts of all the others if you want to make the God Almighty sit within yourself."

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “You have to control your senses. You have to lock up all your senses and all your desires, which are all your lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, all of that. You have to refrain from all of this if you want to progress on this Path.”

Also, if you are now a devotee on this Path, then you should also have control of the senses of your ears, your nose, and your tongue.

The sense of the ear is responsible for almost sixty percent of the outwardly thought processes that we carry because it loves to listen to all the slandering and all the other things. People want to talk about each other and all the gossip, and it keeps us dissipated in the world because of this. So, we have to refrain from doing all of this. We have to control that sense, and our attention should be within, towards the God Almighty, towards our Master.

The other is the sense of our eyesight, our eyes, which again are responsible for a lot of outward distractions. For a devotee, this also has to be well within control.

Likewise, also the nose, our sense of smell, that also gets attracted to all the nice smells and aromas and does not like all the bad and foul smell. So, the devotee has also to refrain and control himself from the sense of smell.

The other is the sense of our tongue, our taste. And it is this sense, which again draws us to eat all kinds of tasty foods, which also have an influence on the mind. So, a devotee should accept the food that he gets as given to him by the God Almighty, by his Guru, and with that, it helps and it has a lot of good influence on his devotion and his meditation.

If we are able to control all of these senses, we focus our attention within, we are compassionate, we are humble and we are not carried away by all these senses, then we get the Grace of the Master earlier than later.

Indri thaan bishay ko tyaago,
Surt shabd mein nitt lagaana.
Saar padaarath guru se paa'o,
Charan kanval mein preet barrhaana.

When we sit lovingly and with affection and do our meditation and Simran and Dhyan within, then the Master also showers His Grace, and He manifests the Shabd within. So, Shabd is the biggest thing. And once that is manifested within, our mind, which is completely outwardly focused, and our attention, which is outwardly focused, completely gets under control, because of the Shabd within.

Because in this Shabd, there is so much enjoyment, there is so much intoxication, that the mind stays focused on the Shabd and it kicks away all of its worldly, outwardly pursuits. So, it is only with a still mind that the SarShabd gets manifested within. And the mind gets still because of the Shabd, which gets manifested first. The mind also then comes to know of its True Self. It realizes that it is not the senses, it is not this body, and it realizes that it is a part of the Brahm, and it starts going towards that. Once the mind gets on the Path, it helps the soul also to progress upwards and towards God Almighty. And the two together then progress upwards.

So, other than SuratShabd, there is no other means for controlling the mind. Swami Ji Maharaj has said, “With more than one crore efforts that one would put forth, the mind cannot be controlled. The mind is only controlled with the listening to the Shabd within.” The Shabd is the Grace of the Satguru, or the Master, and only with His Grace, this Shabd gets manifested within.

Saar padaarath guru se paa'o,
Charan kanval mein preet barrhaana.
Dhaara agam pakarr surt jorro,
Is satsang mein sada samaana.

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “There are two types of Satsangs.” One is the Satsang that the Master says through His mouth and in His presence when we listen to Him. That is one Satsang.

The other Satsang is when the Shabd gets manifested within and our soul gets connected to the Shabd. Then, at that point, that is the second Satsang that Swami Ji Maharaj points to.

Once the soul gets connected to the Shabd within, it realizes this full illusion of Kal and Maya. It realizes that we have got nothing to do with all this illusion, and it realizes the Reality. And then, True Love for the Master gets manifested within because we understand this full illusion outside. And the soul and the mind get focused at the Lotus Feet of the Master.

So, these are the two Satsangs. The Satsang within, when the soul gets connected to the Shabd and it realizes itself and realizes the Reality; and the Satsang that the Masters give outside, to encourage the souls to go within.

Dhaara agam pakarr surt jorro,
Is satsang mein sada samaana.
Chali surat nabh dwaara jhaanka,
Anda teen lok darsaana.

When the soul gets connected to the Shabd, it travels on the Shabd, with the Shabd upwards, and then it comes to know of all of the three worlds. And it understands the reality of wonder, which is the physical, astral, and causal world.

So, when do we realize the Truth? We realize the Truth when the soul gets connected to the Shabd, and that Shabd, the manifestation of that Shabd, is what Masters say is the True Naam.

Shabd is the only means to go back to God Almighty. The soul has descended from the God Almighty into this world by means of the Shabd Itself, and the Shabd Itself acts as a ladder for the soul to go back to the God Almighty.

Chali surat nabh dwaara jhaanka,
Anda teen lok darsaana.
Pare jaaye brahmand samaani,
Sunn sarovar kanval khilaana.

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “The soul then gets connected with the Shabd, then goes upwards and it goes to the Brahm. It rises to the Brahm, and then, it rises further to ParBrahm. And there it understands and enjoys the surrounding of the ParBrahm.”

So, in ParBrahm, the soul takes the blessings of the lord of ParBrahm, and then, it bathes in the Mansarovar. And when it bathes, it sheds off all of its karmas and all of its three bodies that it has had on itself, and it becomes pure as a soul.

There the soul becomes as bright as twelve suns. And there is no male, there is no female. So, the difference in the male and female and the sex is only below Brahm. Above that, there is nothing. So, in Brahm, there is the causal body, and below that, there is the astral body. Beyond Brahm, there is no physical, astral or causal body. So, there the soul in ParBrahm sheds off all these three bodies, and it glows equivalent to twelve suns.

Pare jaaye brahmand samaani,
Sunn sarovar kanval khilaana.
Ab to kaal kala sab haara,
Maan-sarovar paith anhaana.

When the soul bathes in the Mansarovar, it moves out of the world of Kal, and it moves into the world of Dayal, because Dayal’s world starts with ParBrahm, and Kal’s world starts below that.

So long as one is within the sphere of Kal, he is within the sphere of karmas. And so, even very evolved sadhus, rishis, who have done a lot of meditation, they have also by themselves not been able to break this sphere of karma. So, these rishis, munis, they have, with a lot of effort and a lot of devotion, moved above SahasdalKamal and gone up to Brahm, but still, they are bound. There is bondage below ParBrahm. They have not been able to go above and beyond Brahm. They, however, are happy there, because of this meditation and penance that they have done. And they have met the lords of that plane. They are in a state of bliss in that region also.

However, because of karmas, the moment the benefit of all the penance and the devotion that they have done gets over, then they are sent back to this world.

So, therefore, when the soul crosses the Brahm and goes into ParBrahm, it crosses the compound and goes outside of the compound of Kal and karmas.

Ab to kaal kala sab haara,
Maan-sarovar paith anhaana.
Akshar roop nirakhti chaali,
Chhorr diya ab desh bigaana.

So, He says that once the soul has reached ParBrahm, it has got out of the sphere of Kal. It has got into the sphere of its own world — or the world of Dayal. So, it reaches the world of Ni-akshar.

Below the eyes, there are seven planes, which is KsharBrahm. Above these, and below Brahm, there is Akshar. And, above that, above Brahm, there is ParBrahm, and above it is called Ni-akshar. Swami Ji Maharaj has said, “Where the soul has crossed the Kshar,Akshar, Ni-akshar, it prays to the God Almighty there, when it reaches SatLok-SachKhand.”

So, Swami Ji Maharaj says, “Beyond Brahm, in the ParBrahm, the soul gets free of the bondage of Kal. It gets outside of the compound of Kal, and it gets into the Ni-aksharDham.”

Akshar roop nirakhti chaali,
Chhorr diya ab desh bigaana.
Soorat saaf urri oonche ko,
Chhoot gaya sab mahal puraana.

Below the eyes, in the six centers below, the sound that the soul listens to is called Das Vidhi Nad. That is the sound emanating from the chakras below the Eye Center.

Above the Eye Center, the soul, when it goes above, it is called Anahad. So, the Anahad is up to Brahm. And, from ParBrahm, it is called SarShabd. So, the SarShabd then takes the soul from ParBrahm to SachKhand. The soul gets very happy, and it gets connected to the SarShabd with the Grace of the Masters, and then that SarShabd takes the soul to the SachKhand.

Aage charrh charrh adhar samaani,
Shabd shabd ka marm pichhaana.
Sant bina koi samje naahi,
Aaage jo jo bhed dikhaana.

So, once the soul gets connected to the SarShabd, it understands all of the Shabds below that. And that takes it to SachKhand. It is only the Saints Who know beyond that. All the others have knowledge of all of the worlds and planes only below this.

Therefore, because of this lack of knowledge, which only the Saints have, a lot of the rishis, munis, and sages who have done meditation and reached up to Brahm, they refuse to believe that there are planes and there are worlds beyond the Brahm. So, even the Vedas have said that there is no world beyond Brahm. There is everything below Brahm only.

Swami Ji Maharaj points out in this Bani that it is only the Saints Who know the Path above ParBrahm, and nobody else knows that.

Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj used to tell this story quite often. Once a swan came after a long flight over the seven seas. He came and sat on a tree, which was above a well. So, this swan came and sat on top of that, and there was this frog in the well below this tree. The shadow of this bird was falling on that well below. So, looking at that shadow, the frog looked up and saw this bird perched on that tree, and then it asked this bird who it was.

So, he said, “I am a swan. I have traveled the seven seas and I have sat on this tree to take some rest. After that, I will travel further.”

So, the frog asked the swan, “What do you mean by ‘the sea’?”

The swan told the frog that, “This is a large mass of water.”

And then, the frog took a small circle within the well, and pointed out and said, “Is it this big?”

So, the swan said, “No, it's much bigger.”

Then, the frog took a round about half of the well and said, “Is it this big?”

Again, the swan said, “No, it's much, much larger.”

So, the frog again took a bigger circle, covering about three-fourths of the well, and asked whether it was that big.

So, the swan said, “No, it's much larger.”

Now, the frog was quite annoyed, and he took a full circle of the well and asked whether the sea was this big.

And the swan said, “No, it's much bigger.”

Now, the frog was quite angry, and it abused the bird, and said, “Oh, you are lying to me, because you're saying it's more than this. Is there any water more than this big?”

So, unfortunately, the frog had grown and lived and, all its life, it was only in that well. So, it had never seen anything beyond that; whereas, the bird had flown the seven seas. It had seen everything outside, and it was relating the truth that it had seen. And the frog was trying to understand it in relation to its own life and its own experience.

So, both were right in their own places.

So, this is the difference between the Vedas, the Vedants, and SantMat. Because the Vedants believe that there is nothing beyond Brahm. Beyond Brahm, there is nothing that exists; whereas, in SantMat, the Saints have traveled all of those planes. They have come from those planes. So, They know the Reality.

Therefore, Swami Ji Maharaj says, “The Shabd beyond Brahm is known only to the Masters. It is known only to the Saints, and nobody else.”

Sant bina koi samje naahi,
Aaage jo jo bhed dikhaana.
Kahne mein aave nahi poora,
Ulta sulta karat bakhaana.

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “The Vedantis and the other mahatmas who are unaware of the reality beyond, they only imagine from their intellect and they talk.”

So, when I used to stay in Benares, in third and fourth standard, these mahatmas used to come from Varanasi, and they would wear white clothes, a white dhoti and white cover above. And they would say, “We are Kabir Panthis, or followers of Kabir, and we give SatNaam.”

So, it is a tradition in North India, that after attaining the age of sixty, you have to become a gurumukh. So, below the age of sixty everything is allowed, all meat, everything, all intoxicants, and only above sixty you suddenly become a gurumukh. So, people who follow this tradition, they felt happy when such people who claim to be followers of Kabir would come because then that would save them the task of going to Varanasi and following this, or getting initiated somewhere. So, they asked these people as to what they would charge for giving SatNaam. These people said they would charge them about one rupee and 25 annas.

In those days, of course, that was quite a lot. So, when they said, ‘Okay, give us the SatNaam’, then these people would take out a betel leaf, betel nut leaf and, on that, they would write ‘SatNaam’ and give. So, they would say, “Okay, now you eat this betel nut and betel leaf, and once you eat it, you will go to SatLok.” And, for them, SatLok was heaven.

So, at that time, I believed in what these people said. But, it was only when I heard the Satsangs from Baba Ji that I really understood and realized what SatLok and SachKhand are.

So, these people, from their intellect, assume and say anything about SachKhand-SatLok. And they even think that SatLok,or SachKhand, is the astral plane, or the heaven, as we know it.

Kahne mein aave nahi poora,
Ulta sulta karat bakhaana.
Baachak apni ukti lagaaven,
Amal bina nahi boojh bujhaana.

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “It is like this. That all these bookish people, who read and only understand it from the intellect, they try to teach and profess from these readings of books. That is misleading.” And, only when we get in connection with a True Master, a True Saint, and we follow the Teachings of the True Saint, only then we are able to tread on this Path.

So, it is only with practice, after the Saints put us on the Path, it is only after practice of that, that we get success.

Even Swami Ji Maharaj did this practice for eighteen years and, only then, He was successful on this Path.

So, even if we look at the example of Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj, He spent a lifetime in the practice and following the Path. And even after His retirement, He would hang two or three kilograms of rotis, which He would buy from the market. He would hang it on a string and dry it. And He would only wet it, to meet His need to eat, by dipping that roti in saltwater. And He did a lot of practice and a lot of perseverance on this Path.

Even Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj had created a bairagan. It’s like a wooden structure where one would stand and meditate. And He would tie His hair above, so that His head would not drop out if He felt sleepy. Or, He would be shaken up, awakened if it fell down.

Also, Somanath Baba Ji and Sant Ajaib Singh Ji also spent a lifetime following this Path to achieve and realize the Truth. They also did a lot of austerities and a lot of pranayamas for a large part of Their life to seek Reality.

So, Swami Ji Maharaj says, “Till you actually practice, you will not know the Truth. You have to, actually, do this practice and follow this Path.”

Santan ki gati santahi jaane,
Aur kaho kaise pahichaana.
Apni ukti chaturta tyaago,
Sant bachan ko karo pramaana.

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “To achieve success on this Path after you have met the Master, you should keep your intellect, intelligence, and smartness aside and follow, without a doubt, the Teachings of the Master.”

All those who have followed the Teachings of the Master, and who have not doubted the Teachings of the Master, they have all been successful.

Apni ukti chaturta tyaago,
Sant bachan ko karo pramaana.
Vah kahte dekhi nij apni,
Tu sun sun kyon buddhi larraana.

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “The Saints, They have actually seen all of this and They have experienced all of this. You should follow Their Teachings.” Instead, if you are going to read books, and you are going to apply your mind and, from an intellectual level, try to understand this, you'll be wasting your time.

Vah kahte dekhi nij apni,
Tu sun sun kyon buddhi larraana.
Radhasoami sab se kahte,
Sant bhed koi bhedi jaana.

Swami Ji Maharaj says, “This Path only will be known to a person whom the Saint Himself showers Grace on.” So, we need the Grace of the Master at every step on the Path and outside also. And when we follow the Teachings of the Master, and we do not doubt that, and we follow it completely, then we are able to move successfully on the Path with His Grace.

Vah kahte dekhi nij apni,
Tu sun sun kyon buddhi larraana.
Radhasoami sab se kahte,
sant bhed koi bhedi jaana.

Radhaswami.

Quotes

Aarti : Hindu religious ritual, part of puja, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities by circulating an 'Aarti plate' or 'Aarti lamp' around a person or deity; also esoterically refers either to an intense pull towards the inner Light, or to the manifestation of the inner Radiant Form of the Guru

Abhyas : Spiritual exercises or devotional practices, such as meditation or austerities

Adi Granth Sahib, Guru Granth Sahib : Primary scripture of the Sikh religion; originally compiled in 1604 by Bhai Gurdas under the direction of Guru Arjan Dev Ji; renamed Guru Granth Sahib by the Sikh orthodox after the tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, left the body; intended to serve as the living Guru in the absence of a recognized living Master

Adi Shesh : Primal being; from Hindu religion (Puranas), the serpent deity who sings the glories of Vishnu in the lower realm of PatalLok on whose many hoods the balance of the worlds of the universe rest; a symbol of the waveform of energy; also known as Nag Shesh

Agam Lok : One of three purely spiritual realms above Sach Khand; lit. “Inaccessible, Unapproachable”; second highest spiritual region, just below the highest of Anaami, or Radhasoami Dham

Agamya karma : Thought-produced karma; impressions left on the mind, erased at the time of death

Agastya Rishi : Revered sage; one of the Saptarishi from the Dwapar Yuga whose poetry appears in all the Vedic texts, and is mentioned in the Puranas,Ramayana, and Mahabharata; noted to have great mystical powers

Aghorimat : Indian tantric sect of ascetic sadhus devoted to Lord Shiva who smear their bodies with ash and craft kapalas, skull caps, cut from the top of a human skulls

Agni : Lit. “Fire”; also Vedic God of Fire and his physical manifestation

Agra : City in Uttar Pradesh state of India, at the banks of River Yamuna; site of the Red Fort and the Taj Mahal; capital of the Mogul empire for over one hundred years; historical home of Swami Ji Maharaj and currently the center of the Agra line of Santmat

Agyasini River : River that flows into a cave in southern India where Agastya Rishi did his meditation and penance; today known as the Aghanashini River, which flows into the Arabian Sea near Kumta; believed to originate underground in Sirsi

Ahalya : Wife of Gautama Rishi, created by Brahma with impeccable beauty; varied stories from the Puranas and the Ramayana exist regarding her seduction by Indra and their subsequent punishments invoked by Gautama Rishi; she is later redeemed by Rama and restored to Gautama Rishi

Ahamkar : One of the constituents of the four-petaled lotus of the antahkaran; lit. “I-maker”, faculty that identifies the fluctuations of chit with the Ego-complex; the illusionary identification of the undivided self with limited and limiting perceptions, thus creating the wrong notion of an individual and separate self

Ajaib Singh Ji : Param Sant Satguru; (1926-1997); successor to Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj; spiritual Guru of Ram Singh Ji after the passing of his Guru, Baba Somanath Ji Maharaj

Ajapa : Repetition without conscious effort, like the breath;asSimran becomes perfected, it becomes ajapa

Akbar : Mogul Emperor (1556-1605); third ruler of the Mughal Dynasty; known as King Akbar the Great; held court in Delhi, Agra, Fatehpur Sikri, and Lahore; known for his religious tolerance

Akshar : Sanskrit term describing regions starting above the seven planes below the eyes and extending up to and including the Causal Plane, Brahm

Alakh Lok : One of three purely spiritual realms above Sach Khand; lit. “Indescribable, Invisible, Unperceivable”; sixth spiritual region, located below the seventh, AgamLok, and the eighth, Anaami Dham

Alal pakshee : Mythological sky bird that lives in the sky only, laying its eggs in midair, which hatch before hitting the ground; also Anul bird

Aligarh : City in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh; birthplace of Baba Haridas Ji

Allah : The Arabic name for God Almighty used by Arabic-speaking religions; in Sufism terminology, refers to the Regent of the First Spiritual Region

Allah Hu : Statement giving praise to God (Allah); Persian term for Onkar; in Sufi terminology, refers to the Regent of the Second Spiritual Region

Amar Das Ji : Param Sant Satguru; (1479-1574); successor to Guru Angad Dev Ji; third Guru in the lineage of Sikh Masters; Guru of Ram Das Ji

Amar Khata : “Story of Immortality”; related to Parvati by Shiva in the Amarnath Cave at MtKailash

Amarapur : Term used by Kabir as the “Land of Immortality”

Amin : Wife of Dhani Dharam Das

Amir Khusrow : Sufi Saint; (est 1253-1325); Sufi Master from northern India; disciple of Nizamuddin Auliya; buried near his tomb in Delhi; served in the court of Allaudin Khilji, king of Delhi as a poet and musician; considered to be the originator of the Qawwali devotional Sufi singing and inventor of the Sitar; wrote different divans and masnavis, also in praise of the lives of famous rulers

Amolak Das : Sadhu mahatma; successor to Sri Chand, the son of Guru Nanak; guru of Bishan Das in the UdasiMat of two Shabds

Amrit Vela : Lit. “Time of Nectar” (that, which causes deathlessness); also refers to early morning meditation period from 3:00-6:00 AM

Amritsar : City in India in the northern state of Punjab; location of Sikh's Golden Temple; also a term used for Mansarovar, the Pool of Nectar in the inner region of Par Brahm where all karmas are washed away

Anaami : Highest of three purely spiritual realms above Sach Khand; lit. “Nameless”; also called Radha Soami Dham; home of Anaami Purush

Anahad Shabd : Unstruck music, created without striking any instrument; music of the Astral plane; also Anahad Nad

And, Anda : Astral Realm; lit. “Egg”, second subdivision of Brahmand;lies between the Physical Plane (Pind) and the Causal Plane (Brahm); contains the regions of all gods and goddesses

Andaj : Egg-born creatures; birds and reptiles

Andhra Pradesh : State of India, location of Guddella Ashram, which is presently the home of Ram Singh Ji

Ang : Part of the body or limb, the source of Guru Angad'sname given by Guru Nanak

Angad Dev Ji : Param Sant Satguru; (1504-1552); second in the lineage of Sikh Gurus; successor to Guru Nanak Ji; Guru of Amar Das Ji; credited with having formalized the Gurmukhi script, which was used for the writings of the Sikh's Adi Granth Sahib and the Punjabi language

Ana : 1/16 of a rupee, further divided into 4 paise; demonetized in India in 1957; also ana

Antahkaran : Part, or faculty, of our subtle body; comprises a four-petaled lotus with the petals being - manas, buddhi, chit, ahamkar

Anurag Sagar : Lit. “Ocean of Love”; story of God’s Creation in book form written by Param Sant Satguru Kabir Sahib

Anuraag : Strong love or passion

Apan vayu : One of five pranas or vital airs; controls eliminative functions (excretion, urination, menstruation) and the downward and outward flow of energy in the body

Arjan Dev Ji : Param Sant Satguru; (1563-1606); fifth in the lineage of Sikh Gurus; successor to his father, Guru Ram Das Ji; grandson of Guru Amar Das; Guru and father of Har Gobind Ji; compiled the Sikh's holy book Adi Granth Sahib; started His mission in 1581

Arjuna : Main character in the Mahabharata; third eldest of the Pandava brothers and son of Lord Indra; won Draupadi in combat; married to her together with his four brothers; master of supernatural weaponry and archery; ardent devotee of Lord Krishna

Arya Samaj : Lit. “Noble Society”; sect founded by Swami Dayananda on 7 April 1875 promoting values and practices based on the infallibility of the Vedas; members known as Arya Samaji

Asana : A yogic posture

Ashram : Spiritual retreat, or living quarters, for a community of souls devoted to spiritual practices; a true ashram will only be created around a realized practitioner

Ashtanga Yoga : Eightfold Yoga path or system; described in the YogaSutras of Patanjali and popularized by Swami Vivekananda; starts with Yamas and Niyamas and ends with Samadhi; also known as Raja Yoga

Ashtavakra : Sage; (Treta Yuga); referenced in the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas; noted for his physical handicap of 'eight crooked bends'; author of the AshtavakraGita; guru of King Janak

Ashvamedh Yajna : “Horse Sacrifice”; ancient Vedic ritual, where a stallion is selected and left roaming, accompanied by a group of at least hundred warriors;[Whosoever challenges the authority of the king, who has sent the horse, has to fight with his warriors. After one year the horse is guided home. The horse and some other animals are then asphyxiated and a specific ritual is performed to give birth to the new king.]

Asuras : In later Vedic texts and post-Vedic texts, regarded as malevolent 'lords' opposed to the benevolent 'lords', or Devas, within their respective domains

Atma : Soul, spirit

Attar : Arabic term, a fragrant essential oil

Avatar : Incarnation of a lesser deity, who manifests to restore some karmic or ethical imbalance in the world; not to be confused with Saints, Who are primarily concerned with the salvation of souls, with some notable exceptions, like Guru Gobind Singh and some of His predecessors, Who also worked as a kind of avatar to help eliminate the negative forces of Their time

Awadhi : Language classified as Eastern Hindi; spoken primarily in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh and Terai belt of Nepal

Ayodhya : Ancient City in India in the state of Uttar Pradesh at the river Sarayu; birthplace of Lord Rama; once capital of the ancient Kosala Kingdom; historical home of Paltu Sahib

Ayurveda : Lit. “Life-knowledge”; A holistic system of health care developed during the first millennium BCE in India; uses three elemental correlations called doshas (Vata, Pitta, and Kapha) for diagnosis and treatment of illnesses and afflictions; herbs, vegetarian diet, massage, yoga, and meditation are some of the modalities used in treatment

Baag : Garden, also bagicha

Baba Kahan : An intoxicated hermit faqir from the village Varaich (or Vadaich) near Beas who was called Kahan Kamala (kamala meaning ‘mad’) and used to wander at the future site of the Dera Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Ashram many years before its construction collecting pebbles, stones and bricks to make a heap there stating, “An emperor will come here and there will be a big city.”; also the name of a second holy faqir at Peshawar whom Masters Sawan Singh and Kirpal Singh used to visit

Babul : Acacia tree or gum arabic tree; tender twigs are used as a toothbrush

Bairagan : Two pieces of wood joined into a T-shape to rest one's elbows on; used when practicing Bhajan (i.e listening to the Sound Current)

Baji Rao II : Peshwa monarch; (1775-1851); younger brother of Tulsi Sahib; last Peshwa of the Maratha Empire

Bajra roti : A flatbread made of pearl millet flour

Bal : Using ones strength to do harm to others

Bala : Disciple and traveling companion of Guru Nanak

Balakh and Bhokara : Two ancient cities, which were both historically important centers of Buddhism, Islam, and Zoroastrianism; associated with the story of king Ibrahim Adham; today Balkh is a district in northern Afghanistan and the Bukhara region lies in modern Uzbekistan

Bali : Benevolent king; born in the Asura race (grandson of Prahlad); became ruler of third netherworld of Patala, Sutala at the hands of Vamana, an avatar of Vishnu; also known as Mahabali

Banaras : City in India on the banks of Ganges River in the state of Uttar Pradesh; also known as Kashi or Varanasi; cultural center of northern India for thousands of years; historical home of Kabir Sahib

Bangali Babu : Initiate of Sawan Singh Ji; also known as Bua Das

Bangalore : Capital city of the Indian state of Karnataka located on the Deccan plateau; site of Baba Somanath Ji's Kengiri Ashram and Baba Ram Singh Ji’s Channasandra Ashram

Bani : Scripture, verses, teachings when associated with a Perfect Master; esoterically, another term for Shabd

Bania : Term for a caste used primarily in the state of Bengal to denote bankers, merchants, and traders

Bank Naal : Lit. “Crooked Tunnel”; very small passage, like the eye of a needle, where the ego has to become very humble to pass through; provides a transitional passage from the Astral plane to Trikuti in the Causal plane; it is here that ones inner vision is reversed; also Bunk Naal

Banslochan : Medicinal lotion produced from bamboo shoots; described as a phenomena produced by rain from the swati nakshatra

Banyan : Outer garment of clothing

Basti : A yogic method of cleansing the colon by drawing warm water through the anus with the help of a little pipe, applying Nauli and UddiyanaBandha, and then expelling it

Basur Raj : An initiate of Guru Nanak who kept returning to his worldly family in subsequent incarnations in lower life forms because of his worldly attachments

Beas : City in India in the state of Punjab; home of Jaimal Singh Ji and Sawan Singh Ji and site of the Dera Jaimal Singh Ji Ashram

Been : Description of the Inner Sound of the Naam in the Fifth Plane (Sat Lok-SachKhand); resembles a snake charmer's reed flute (shawm) or bagpipe; sometimes referred to as sound of harp; also bin

Bellary : City near Guddella in the state of Andhra Pradesh where the false sadhu who requested improper guidance from Ram Singh Ji lived

Betta Ashram : An ashram of Baba Somanath Ji’s at Pahad; managed by Ram Singh Ji for five years between the passing of Somanath Baba Ji and meeting Ajaib Singh Ji

Bhaang : Intoxicating drink or paste made from the buds and leaves of cannabis and then mixed with milk, ghee, mangoes, and Indian spices

Bhagavad Gita : “Song of the Lord”; Sanskrit scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which presents a synthesis of the concept of Dharma, theistic bhakti, and the yogic ideals of moksha through Jnana-, Bhakti-,Karma-, Raja-Yoga and Samkhya philosophy

Bhai : Brother, spiritual brother

Bhai Bela : Illiterate farmer; devoted disciple of Guru Gobind Singh Ji who received a new word each day as spiritual instruction from his Guru while tending to the Guru's horses

Bhai Lehna : Original name of Guru Angad Dev Ji who became the second in the Sikh Guru lineage

Bhai Manj : Disciple of Guru Arjan Dev Ji who was a rich farmer but had to undergo great hardships during his discipleship; [Pleased with his efforts, Guru Arjan Dev Ji offered him the rule over the three worlds of Kal, but Bhai Manj asked only for the Guru. On further insistence, he requested that subsequent disciples would not have to be put through such rigorous challenges. This resulted in receiving initiation into SuratShabd Yoga being much easier; this practice continued with His Successor, Guru Hargobind, but resulted in a significant increase in total initiates with the mission of Swami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji, which was described as ‘floodgates opening’.]

Bhajan : Devotional practice of listening to the inner Sound Current; devotional song written by a Saint

Bhaji : Fried snack; vegetables dipped in a gram batter and then deep-fried; also pakora

Bhakti : Devotion

Bhandara : Feast under religious auspices, usually connected to some auspicious day or anniversary; also refers to a Saint's Satsang and the meals served thereafter to devotees

Bhanwar Gupha : Lit. “Whirling Cave”; vortex-like region of four rotating Sound Currents above Maha Sunn, the fourth spiritual region; region providing access to the fifth spiritual region, Sach Khand

Bharam : State of mental confusion, misconception, or illusion; duality created by mind when one identifies oneself as different, or separate, from God Almighty; also bhram

Bharthari : Raja, Yogeshwar; (est 13th century); King of Malva Kingdom (modern Ujjain); maternal uncle and companion of King Gopi Chand of Bengal; disciple of Gorakh Nath

Bhavrog : The condition or affliction of having to go through an endless cycle of life and death

Bhes : A person’s outer appearance or façade

Bhringi : Predatory mason wasp that transforms caterpillars into bhringi through its sound

Bhurabhai Hall : Site of Bombay program where Sant Ajaib Singh Ji gave Ram Singh Ji rupees from donations to begin His Ashram in Guddella; also site of current Bombay programs with Baba Ram Singh Ji

Bibi Lajo : Saintly disciple and personal cook of Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj

Bibi Ralli : Woman sevadar who chose to view hell in meditation and was saved by Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj

Bibi Rukko : Disciple of Swami Ji Maharaj who subsequently served as a cook for Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj

Bibi Shibbo : Devotee of Swami Ji Maharaj who, on one occasion, inspired by devotional singing, left her bath and traveled unrobed to the feet of Swami Ji without being seen by anyone, such was the Master's Grace and protection

Bidi : Kind of Indian cigarette rolled from a tendu leaf (Coromandel ebony) and filled with flake tobacco or other herbs

Bir Singh : Devotee of Kabir Sahib, Raja of Varanasi

Bishan Das Ji : Disciple of Amolak Das in the UdasiMat of two Shabds; first Master of Ajaib Singh Ji prior to his full initiation into Surat Shabd Yoga by Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj

Bombay : City in India in the state of Maharashtra; currently called Mumbai

Brahm, Brahmand : The Causal plane between and and Par Brahm; Lit. “Egg of Brahm” because of its egg-like shape

Brahma : Hindu god; One of the Hindu Trinity; with Vishnu and Mahesh (Shiva); functions as the ‘Creator’ in the lower three worlds; ruler of the second chakra, the regenerative plexus

Brahma Muhurta : Lit. “Brahm’s hour”, period of two Muhurtas (one Muhurta: 48 minutes) before sunrise, said to be an auspicious time for all kinds of spiritual practices

Brahmachari : Spiritual aspirant who practices chastity or, in a broader sense, control of all sense organs

Brahman : Universal Mind; Kal Purush

Brahmanand Ji : Mahatma from Pushkar in Rajasthan; wrote more than 500 bhajans, some of them were reprinted in the Sant Bani Bhajan Book

Brahmin : Considered the highest caste (varna) in Hinduism; specializing as priests, teachers (acharya) and protectors of sacred learning across generations

Bua Das : Another name for Bangali Babu; disciple of Sawan Singh Ji who disciplined himself to not eat unless he had enjoyed his meditation first

Buddhi : Mental ability to form and retain concepts; the intellectual faculty and ability to reason, discern, judge, comprehend, or understand something; one of four parts that constitute the lotus of antahkaran

Bulleh Shah : Muslim Saint, (1680-1757); disciple of Shah Inayat Qadiri, better known as Inayat Shah, a Sufi Master of Lahore; His Sufi poetry is written in the Punjabi language

Calipha : Muslim leader of the highest order; a type of Muslim monarch

Chakor : National bird of Pakistan known as the “Moonbird”; a bird in love with the moon that loves to gaze at it incessantly

Chakra : One of six energy vortexes, associated with six ganglions within the physical body (PindDesh), to be differentiated from Kanwals (Brahmand) and Padmas (Sat Desh)

Chanaa : Dish or meal made with chickpeas or garbanzo beans

Chandool : From the swati nakshatra story, a very small bird that makes a hole in the head of an elephant that produces the gajmukta stone when a raindrop of the swati nakshatra fills that hole

Chapatti : Unleavened Indian flatbread made from a kind of durum wheat flour (atta); also roti

Chappal : Sandal; open-toed shoe

Charan Singh Ji : Param Sant; (1916-1990); grandson of Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj; served as head of Radha Swami Satsang Beas after the passing of Maharaj Jagat Singh Ji

Charandas : Param Sant; (1706-1782); born in Rajasthan, but lived most of His life in or near Delhi; after initiation by Sukh Dev into Surat Shabd Yoga, meditated for twelve years in a cave in the vicinity of Delhi; said to have had fifty-two close disciples; His Gurumukh disciple was Gusain Yuktanand Ji; He was also the Master of Sahjo Bai and Daya Bai

Chaukri : Time equivalent of four yugas: Sat Yuga (1,728,000 years), Treta Yuga (1,296,000 years), Dwapar Yuga (864,000 years), Kali Yuga (432,000 years); a total of 4,320,000 earthly years, or 12,000 divine years; also Chaturyuga

Chaurasi : Lit. “Eighty-four”; the Wheel of 8.4 million life forms; the Wheel of Transmigration, or cycle of births and deaths

Chautra : A perimeter boundary of brick built around a plant or tree designed to retain soil, water, and fertilizer

Chhal : The act of being deceitful

Chidakash : Lit. “Conscious sky or heaven”; Spiritualized elemental ether originating from Sahasdal Kamal; experienced before the appearance of the Radiant Form of the Master within; heavenly region above the eyes; part of the first spiritual region

Chit : Awareness or consciousness, comprehension; one of the four parts of the antahkaran, the faculty to visualize in our mind

Chitragupta : One of the gods; born of the body of Lord Brahma, he is assigned to record all karmic actions in the Akashic Records

Chittor : City in India (Chittorgarh) in the state of Rajasthan; Mira Bai was known as the “Queen of Chittor”

Chudamani : The second son of Dharam Das Ji Who continued the panth of Dharam Das Ji as the first of the forty-two Masters to follow in that chain

Chutney : Spicy Indian condiment made with fruit or vegetables

Crore : Numerically 10,000,000 (ten million)

Crorepati : Individual who’s net worth or value is over a crore or ten million rupees

Dacoit : Bandit, robber; “dacoity” is the anglicized version of the Hindustani word “ḍakaitī”, meaning “armed robber”

Dadar : Densely populated residential and shopping neighborhood in Mumbai's central district, a prominent transit hub with local and national connectivity

Dadu Dayal Ji : HinduSaint; (1544-1603); resided in Rajasthan, mostly in Jaipur state; Guru of Rajjab Ji, who noted down his Master’s compositions, which are known as “DaduAnubhavVani”, a compilation of 5,000 verses

Daitya : One of the demon clans of the Asuras mentioned in the Mahabharata, the Puranas, and the Smritis of Hindu literature; a race of giants who fought as the aggressors with the Devas who had exiled them from heaven; members include Jalandhara, Prahlad and Bali

Dal : Dried pulse made from lentils, split peas, or various types of bean

Dargah : Persian word, lit. “Portal”; shrine to a deceased Saint; originally associated with Islamic Sufism largely found in the state of Punjab; in current times, musical offerings by dervishes and sheikhs based on mystic Sufi poetry are commonly offered to those in attendance

Darshan : Grace or blessing received from seeing or being seen by a Saint, or a person of some spiritual advancement; the “auspicious sight” of a holy person

Das Vidhi NAD : Lit. “Ten sounds” or nads, referring to from ten to twenty different inner sounds resonating from chakrasbelow the Eye Center that can be heard within; [The Das Vidhi Nad sounds do not have the power to pull the soul up, butwith the manifestation of the Radiant Form of the Master within, the soul is connected to the Anahad Shabd, which is the first manifestation of the Sound Current that has the power to pull the soul up from the physical body into the astral realm.]

Dasharath : King of Ayodhya; father of Lord Rama and his brothers: Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna

Dasi : Maid, maidservant

Davangiri Ashram : Ashram of Baba Somanath Ji in Davangiri in the state of Karnataka

Daya : Mercy, compassion, grace, opposing force to the law of karma

Daya Bai : Female Saint; (end of 17th century); belonged to the same family as her Master Charandas and moved with Him to Delhi

Dayal : Lit. “Merciful”; another name for Absolute God, Sat Purush

Dayalkari mahatmas : Incarnations of the Positive Power, Saints; also Shabdkari mahatmas

Delhi : Capital City of India; originally founded by the Pandavas and named Indraprastha; over the course of time it was torn down and rebuilt over eight times; historical home of Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj and the site of Sawan Ashram

Dera Baba Jaimal Singh : Name of Jaimal Singh Ji's and Sawan Singh Ji’s ashram in Beas; largely built by Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj

Devi : General term for a Hindu goddess

Dhan : Exclamation meaning “Hail”, “Congratulations”; also Dhanya

Dhani Dharam Das : Saint; Soul that was pursued through four yugas by Kabir Sahib to ensure his salvation, as told in the AnuragSagar; prophesized to be followed by forty-two incarnations of subsequent Masters

Dhanna Jat : Mystic poet; (1415-?); also know as Dhanna Bhagat; received initiation from Swami Ramanand Ji; name appears in a poem of Mira Bai; Adi Granth contains three of his hymns; guru of Trilochan Das

Dhanvantari : Hindu god of Ayurveda; considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu; emerged out of the Ocean of Milk, while it was churned, holding in his hands a pot of Amrit

Dharam : Guidelines for religious and social obligations for living a virtuous life; also Dharma

Dharam Raj : Lord of Judgment, Lord of Death; also known as Yamraj; holder of the accounts of the uninitiated soul's deeds

Dhoti : Traditional men's garment, worn in the Indian subcontinent made of a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, wrapped around the waist and the legs, and knotted at the waist

Dhruva, Dru : Mahatma; son of king Uttānapāda and his wife Suniti; initiated by Narad Muni at a young age; through determined devotion and renunciation he was given the boon ofbecoming the North Star after his death and, as such, became the ruler of our galaxy

Dhun : Sound Current, synonymous with Shabd, Naam, Logos, etc; lit. “Tune or melody”

Dhunatmak Naam : Shabd; that Name which cannot be spoken or written; Word of God

Dhyan : Meditation, as a state of penetrating and focused attention; with Simran and Bhajan, the means to dispel the illusion of Maya and Kal

Dohavali : Type of Indian poetry composed of couplets written by Kabir in the vernacular Hindi language

Doti : Method of cleansing the intestines by swallowing and extracting 2" strips of cloth soaked in honey

Draupadi : Daughter of Drupada, king of Panchala; born from a sacrificial fire as a result of the performance of the putrakameshti yajna by her father; became the wife of all five Pandava brothers at the direction of her mother-in-law, Kunti; she is one of the central figures in the literary epic, Mahabharata, where the story of the conflict between the Pandavas and the Kauravas is told

Durga : Goddess; most popular form of goddess Devi; in her form as Durga she is not associated with any god and can display benevolent as well as wrathful aspects; within tantric traditions, she is called Shakti; mostly depicted as the slayer of the buffalo demon Mahisasura

Durvaasa Muni : Ancient Rishi; powerful, short-tempered sage; said to be born of the rage of Shiva, which was deposited in the womb of Anasuya, the wife of Atri; cursed the Yadava clan children of a village for mockery

Duryodhana : Eldest of the Kauravas, the one hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and Gandhari; crown prince of Hastinapur

Dwapar Yuga : “Bronze Age”, with decline in truth and religious values in evidence; 864,000 years in duration with human lifespans of 1,000 years

Dweep : Island; also dveep

Fakir : Sufi ascetic; Sufi equivalent to Sant; someone who has reached the region of Haqq

Gaddi : Lit. “Mattress”; cushion for a throne; or generally, throne or ruling position; term used for conveying succession of a Master in an ashram

Gajmukta : From the swati nakshatra stories, when a bird makes a small hole in the top of an elephant’s head and it receives raindrops during the swati nakshatra period, this precious stone is formed

Gandharvas : Male nature spirits with superb musical skills, frequently depicted as singers in the court of Gods; husbands of the Apsaras; guardians of the Soma; some are part animal, part human, usually bird or horse

Ganesha : Hindu deity; son of Parvati and Shiva; ruler of the sphere of creation at the Muladhara or root chakra at the rectum; identified with the mantra “Om”; revered as the god of wisdom and the remover of obstacles; source of the siddhi mystical powers; distinguished by an elephant head with one broken tusk and protruding belly; also known as Ganapati (“Lord of Hosts”)

Gangajal : Term for blessed water of the Ganges River

Ganges River, Ganga : Longest river in India; site of many Hindu bathing pilgrimages; waters are considered sacred to Hindus

Gangodak : Lit. “Part of the Ganges”; water united with the Ganges, and thus, considered spiritually purified by Hindus

Ganika : Prostitute who was taken to heaven by Vishnu

Ganja : Hemp or marijuana; top leaves and flowers of unfertilized female plants are typically smoked as an intoxicant

Garuda : Hindu deity; the mount of Lord Vishnu, eagle-like; sworn enemy of the Naga serpent race; “devourer of snakes”

Gautama Buddha : Avatar; (est 558 – 491 BCE); ninth incarnation or avatar of Lord Vishnu, according to Vaishnava Hinduism; founder of Buddhism as a religion; established a monastic order in eastern India; adopted the Noble Eightfold Path, or Middle Way, to enlightenment as a means of liberation

Ghadi : Astronomic time reference (an extremely short time) of three hours

Ghala Singh : Devotee of Sawan Singh Ji who plays a part in a story about losing his way in a forest and is saved by the inner Darshan of Sawan Singh Ji Who instructs him on the way back to safety

Ghat : Bank of a river used for bathing, washing clothes, or funeral rites by the poor

Ghat Ramayana : Lit. “Ramayana of the body”; originally written in 1618 by Tulsi Das Ji in the Awadhi language for the common people who were unversed in Sanskrit to introduce them to the secrets of Sant Mat, it received stiff opposition from the religious orthodoxy, so Tulsi Das wrote the Ramcharitmanas (lit. “Lake of the deeds of Rama”), the story of Lord Dasharath and Lord Rama, in its stead; later, in the incarnation of Tulsi Sahib, the Ghat Ramayana was reintroduced

Ghee : Clarified butter

Ghor : Awful, flagrant

Ghuman : City in the state of Punjab; historical home of Hindu Saint Namdev (1270-1350) and site of His shrine; birthplace of Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj

Girdhari Lal : Gurumukh disciple of Tulsi Sahib; friend of Swami Ji Maharaj; lived in his later years in Lucknow

Gobind Sahib : Sant; (early 18th century); Guru of Paltu Sahib

Gobind Singh Ji : Param Sant Santguru and avatar; (1666-1708); tenth in the lineage of Sikh Gurus; last of the Sikh Gurus recognized by orthodox Sikhism; started the Khalsa military faction to fight the Moguls

Gopi Chand : Raja, Yogeshwar; (13th century?) King of Bengal; companion of the King Bharthari; disciple of Jalandhar Nath

Gopis : Cow herding girls famous within Vaishnava theology for their unconditional devotion (bhakti) to Krishna

Gora Kumbhar : Hindu Saint; (1267-1317); a potter; Guru of Namdev

Gorakhnath : Yogeshwar; (est 13th century); disciple of Matsyendranath, one of the Mahasiddhas; founder of the Nath Hindu monastic movement in India; debated Kabir as a pundit and was humbled in defeat

Gorochan : From the swati nakshatra stories, a medicinal substance produced in the stomach of a cow or bullock after it ingests raindrops during the swati nakshatra period

Govardhan Mountain : Legendary Mountain lifted up by Krishna to protect the villagers from the wrath of Indra’s rain; Indra's defeat began the movement in Hinduism away from sacrificial appeasement and emphasized karma and dharma

Grahasth : Householder; head of a family

Granth : A book, tract, or volume of religious scripture

Guddella Ashram : Present home of Ram Singh Ji in a rural area of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh

Som Ajaib Krupa Ashram

Guddella,
Post: Marimakalapalli,
Dist : Ananthapuram,
Andhra pradesh
India

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