Our Best Friend
The paathi sings the Bani of Sant Kabir Sahib from the book: Kabeer Saaki Sangrah, ppg 93-94
Simiran se sukh hoth hai,
simiran se dukh jay,
Kahe kabir simiran kiye,
Sai maayi samaay.
THIS IS THE BANI of Param Sant Satguru Kabir Sahib. In this Bani, Kabir Sahib has praised the importance of Naam and Simran. The first step of the ladder on Sant Mat is to repeat the Five Names given to us, and manifest the Form of the Master within. The Simran, that is given to us, is also of this world, and it is important to have something of this world to cut the other bondages that we are facing in this world. So, therefore, Simran is given to us.
But, the initiation that the Masters give us, is not the Simran, but the Shabd within. It is an unspoken and unwritten Word that the Masters connect us with, which is within. This Sound Current, or Shabd, which has come from the God Almighty, from Sat Lok, comes and resonates at the back of the Eye Center. And, it is with this Sound Current, that our bodies have been made alive. It is the same Sound Current that has created this entire world. Everything that we see around us has been created by the Sound Current. And, that is what even Guru Nanak Sahib has said in His Bani.
So, Nanak Sahib says, “It is the Sound Current, which has emanated from God Almighty, and has come down, and has created all the three worlds. And, it is the Sound Current that is prevalent and omnipotent and all around us. It is there within each and every being. All the 8.4 million life forms that are there, everything is created, every form is created, with the same Sound Current.” It is this same Sound Current, which is emanating from God Almighty and resonating at the back of the Eye Center. It is not only in the human form that the Sound Current resonates like this, it is there in each and every life form. The Sound Current resonates at the back of the Eye Center and that is the place where the soul also resides. At the time of initiation, our Masters connect that Sound Current with the soul, and that is the real initiation. That is the real Naam Daan .
What happens now is that all our focus and attention is completely outwardly drawn. Everything that we see in this world draws us out, and our mind has started identifying itself with all of these things outside.
During initiation, the Masters give us the Five Holy Names and They ask us to repeat that. It is with this repetition that we are able to bring the attention within. So, it is this Simran, which is given to us, that will cut all our outwardly attachments. And, that is the same Simran, which belongs to this world, the Five Names that are given, are the names of the holy rulers of the five planes that are there above us. So, those names those rulers, have never come as avatars into this world, and they are very holy, and their names are also very holy.
This Path has not been created by any Mahatma. This Path has been created by God Almighty Himself. Ever since the human form has been created, this Path has been set, and this discipline has been set by the God Almighty Himself. All the great Masters, Who have practiced this Path and Who have gone within, They have gone on the same Path. They have done the same practice and gone within, and that is what They preach, and that is what They explain to us. So, this rule has been set, and this process has been set, by God Almighty Himself, for everyone. This Path is set by Him.
But, to tread on this Path, to go within and progress on this Path, we need the help of a Living Master. So, when we go to a True Master and He initiates us, then it is necessary for us to follow this Path, to do the Simran of the Five Holy Names given to us. And, the repetition should be so intense, that it should also be done on a subconscious level. As we do more and more of the Simran given to us, our karmas also start getting redeemed and reduced. And, that helps us to go within on the Path.
Therefore, Kabir Sahib says, “If you want peace and you want happiness in this world, in this life, then what you should do is, do your Simran.” Kabir Sahib says, “By doing Simran, we get happiness and peace.” And, by doing Simran, all our bad sins or karmas get reduced, and that gives us happiness. And then, we are able to go back to God Almighty.
Till our mind gets pure by doing Simran, we will not be able to progress within. Therefore, we should give a lot of importance to Simran. And, when we are going about our usual duties and other things that we are doing, we should try to, as far as possible, do our Simran. We should recite the Five Holy Names. If you are traveling in a car, or you're traveling somewhere, use that time to do Simran. So, make Simran a part of your routine. When we do it like this, and we continuously do our Simran then, even at a subconscious level, we start doing our Simran. We don't need to always remember to do the Simran. It starts happening automatically. And, when we reach a stage like that, where it is starting to happen automatically, then the soul starts progressing within.
Raja rana raav rank,
Bada Jo simire naam,
Raja rana raav rank,
Bada Jo simire naam,
Kahe kabir baddo bada,
Jo simire nihkaam.
Now, Kabir Sahib says, “Who is the greatest of all, amongst a king, or a warrior, or a brave man, or a person who is a merchant, or a rich person, or a poor person? If we compare all of them, who is the greatest of them all? It is that person who does Simran, and who does it without any other expectation or aspiration of any worldly matters.” It is that person who does it selflessly and without any worldly expectations. He is the greatest of all persons.
What usually happens is that, when we do Simran, we have something at the back of our mind. We have some expectation of results that we expect to get out of the Simran and out of this devotion. So, when we do such Simran, or do such devotion, with some expectation like that, one may have such expectations of gaining wealth, or obtaining some other thing, or some other form of happiness, but all these are all associated with this body. And, at the time of death, all these are going to be left behind.
So, we should do our Simran. We should do our devotion for God's own sake. We should do our Simran for the Master’s own sake.
Nar naari sab narak hai,
Jab lag deh sakaam,
Nar naari sab narak hai,
Jab lag deh sakaam,
Kahe kabir soyee peev ko,
Jo simire nikhaam.
Kabir Sahib says, “Whether it be a male or a female, if we are doing our Simran for worldly matters, then we will not get riddance of hell.” Because, when we do the Simran for all these worldly things that we want around us, then these things remain. At the time of death, they are all associated with the body, and they are all connected here, limited to the life and the body only that we have. And, we’ll have to leave all these things back. So, all the efforts that we have put towards doing that Simran and that devotion get wasted here.
Sant ji used to often relate this story. Once upon a time, there was this king who went to London, to U.K., and he had six wives. And he wrote a letter to all the six wives. He wrote to all his queens, “I am going to be returning shortly. So, if there is anything you want me to bring from here, from this place, then you please write back to me, and I will get it for you.” Accordingly, all the queens wrote to him. And, when he looked at these letters, he started packing the things that they had all asked for. Each suitcase he filled for each queen, for whatever they had requested him to get. He went, one by one, and he read all those letters. And he, accordingly, took care of all their requirements.
When he saw the letter of the youngest queen, the sixth queen, she had not written anything. So, he didn't find anything written there. She had only written the number ‘1’ in that letter and sent it to him. So, he felt quite disappointed with that letter, because there was no news of her in that letter, and neither had she requested him to get anything for her. He felt quite bad reading that letter.
He summoned his minister, and he showed that letter to the minister. He asked the minister to interpret that letter, which was blank all over and had only the number 'one', written in the middle.
Usually, ministers are more intelligent, so when he opened that letter, he felt that that queen was quite intelligent. He interpreted the letter, saying that, “Since it is blank, that means that she wanted to report to you that everything is quite fine and okay there, and the ‘1’ that she has written in the middle means that she has requested for you to come to her.” So, the minister told him that ‘1’ meant, “She has asked you to come to her.”
And, with that, the king became very happy, and he kept that letter in his pocket. When the king returned to India and to his palace, he summoned all his queens, and he handed over their letters, along with everything that he had brought, according to their requests. And he gave them all those suitcases, one by one. And, when it was the time of the sixth queen, he went with her to her quarters.
So, like all those queens, who had requested for all those material things that they wanted, they got all of that. But, it was the sixth queen who got the king, and she could enjoy that kingdom. She could enjoy the happiness and bliss of the king with her.
So, therefore, when we do our Simran, and we keep at the back of our mind our expectations of something to be procured here, or achieved here, or to be given to us of these worldly matters, which we have to, finally, leave behind at the time of death, then all the devotion that we have done gets wasted.
Therefore, the Masters say, “We should always do our devotion, asking for God Almighty Himself and asking for the Masters Themselves.” Once we ask for the Masters Themselves, They come with everything to us. And then, there is no shortage of anything. So, therefore, we should do our devotion with the sole intention of meeting the Master, of becoming ‘one’ with the Master and God Almighty. And, that is what Kabir Sahib has told us in His Bani. Because, Kabir Sahib says, “This world is of happiness and sorrow, and there is nobody who is happy here.” There is happiness and sorrow all around.
So, therefore, Mahatmas say, “Why do you need to do devotion? It is to get out of this misery.”
Dukh mein simiran sab karein,
Sukh mein karein na koyee,
Dukh mein simiran sab karein,
Sukh mein karein na koyee,
Jo sukh mein simiran karein,
Tho dukh kahein hoy.
Now, Kabir Sahib says, “When one is in sorrow, or one is in difficulty, he starts doing Simran. But, when there is happiness around, when he is otherwise content, he doesn't do Simran.” So, Kabir Sahib says, “That is not the way to do our devotion. We should do our devotion without bias in both states.
When we are content and we are happy, we should do our devotion. And, even when we are in difficulty, we should do our devotion.” It is in a situation like this that God Almighty will come and also alleviate our problems. Because there are times when we are happy and we get lost in our egos and we forget about God Almighty and we forget about our devotion. And then, when we are in difficult times, we quickly remember Him and do our devotion. In such situations, God Almighty also ignores us, because God Almighty also sees that it is not for Him that you are doing His devotion. It is only because of your difficulty, and because you want to get out of your difficulty, that you are doing His devotion. And, therefore, He doesn't then listen to you.
But, when we do our devotion when there are pleasant times, when we are happy, and we also do His devotion when there is difficulty, then God Almighty definitely listens. Because both happiness and sorrow, both are false. Both are temporary. Happiness is also temporary. And sorrow is also temporary.
The truth is that we have to go back to our True Home. We have to go back to God Almighty. So, it is in pursuit of that truth that we should be detached from these falsehoods of joy and sorrow, and we should work towards going back to our True Home, to go back to God Almighty.
Sukh mein simiran naa kiya,
Dukh mein kiyaa yaad,
Sukh mein simiran naa kiya,
Dukh mein kiyaa yaad,
Kahe kabir tha daas ki,
Kaun sune fariyaad.
Simiran ki sudhi yo karai,
Jaise kaami kaam,
Simiran ki sudhi yo karai,
Jaise kaami kaam,
Ek palak bisarein naahi,
Nis din aato jaam.
After explaining to us the process of doing Simran, the intent of doing Simran, now, Kabir Sahib tells how that Simran should be done. He gives the example, now, of two lovers. Even if they are across continents but, at all times, they are forever remembering each other, and they have completely identified themselves with the other. Like that, Kabir Sahib says, “We should have our attention focused on our Master. We should have the loving memory and the fondness towards our Master that, whenever we get up, we go anywhere, or we sit, we eat, we dine, or do our work, at all times, our love and affection should be with the Master. We should identify ourselves with our Masters.”
Simiran ki sudhi yo karo,
Jyon gaagar panihaaar,
Simiran ki sudhi yo karo,
Jyon gaagar panihaaar,
Haalai dolai surati mein,
Kahe kabir bichaar.
Then Kabir Sahib tells us, “We often wonder how this is going to be possible? We are worldly people. We have families to attend to. We have work to attend to.” Thus, Kabir Sahib has given different examples, and He has explained, despite being in this world and attending to everything around us, how we should do our devotion.
Kabir Sahib gives us an example. In the hilly terrain, like in Maharashtra, or in other hilly regions of India, you often find villages and settlements at the top of the hills. And, because the water table is down, most of the wells, or the water sources, are at the foothill. He gives the example of these girls, who stay in those settlements, and how they take water back to their houses. They come down in groups, along with their friends, and they talk to each other. They carry these small pots in which they carry the water back. So, they come to the foothill, and then, they draw water from those wells. And then, they carry about four or five pots, or six pots sometimes, two on the head and one in each hand, below the elbow. And that's how they fill the water. And, talking with their friends, they climb back up the hill. So, once they fill the water, they go back to their homes.
Now, while they are going back, it is hilly terrain, there are lots of ups and downs as they climb up, and the track is also quite difficult. But, they climb up and they are also continuing to talk with their friends. And, at all times, their attention is on those pots, which are kept on their heads. So, their attention is always focused on the balance of those pots, which are kept on their heads.
Like that, Kabir Sahib says, “When you are doing your worldly, mundane activities, you're doing your work, you’re looking after your families, your attention should always be focused within at the Feet of your Masters.”
simiran ki sudhi yo karau,
jyo surasri suth maahi,
simiran ki sudhi yo karau,
jyo surasri suth maahi,
kahe kabir chaara charath,
bisarath kabahu naahi.
Again, Kabir Sahib gives another example of how we should do our Simran. He gives the example of a cow and her calf. So, the farmers often tie the calves at home, and they free the cow for grazing. Then, the cow goes out and starts grazing. And it starts going further and further away from the farm, and it continues to graze but, at all times, its attention is always there on its calf. So, that cow keeps grazing, but whenever it sees any danger to its calf, some crow or some dog, or something like that, it immediately runs back to the calf.
So, like that, when we are going about our daily routines, we should keep our attention and our focus on our devotion and our Simran within.
Simiran ki sudhi yo karau,
Jaise daam kangaal,
Simiran ki sudhi yo karau,
Jaise daam kangaal,
Kahe kabir bisare nahi,
Pal pal lehi samhaal.
Kabir Sahib gives another example of how devotion and Simran should be done. He gives the example of a greedy person, and how he has his attention focused on money all the time. So, this miser, he keeps his money, and then he lends it and collects interest on that and, at all times, he is constantly focused on that money. This miser, forever, is thinking about his money. His attention is also on the money. His repetition, his mind, is constantly thinking about money. And, when he sleeps also, he dreams about money only.
Like that, Kabir Sahib says, “A devotee should have his attention and focus on Simran and Dhyan.”
Simiran se man laiye,
Jaise naad kurang,
Simiran se man laiye,
Jaise naad kurang,
Kahe kabir bisarein nahee,
Praan tajai tehi sang.
Now, Kabir Sahib gives another example. He gives the example of a deer. To a deer, the sound is a very great attraction. There is a particular sound that deer love. It is very difficult to catch a deer.
So, these hunters, when they want to catch a deer, they take this instrument, and they get rid of their clothes and cover themselves with leaves, and they play this instrument. They cover themselves completely with leaves so that no part of their body can be seen. They only leave a little space for the eyes. And, they play this instrument.
Now, when the deer listens to this instrument, it starts getting drawn towards that instrument. And, when it sees that there is no one around and that instrument is playing because it is unable to distinguish the hunter because of those leaves, it comes and lays its head on that instrument. So, it gets so intoxicated with that sound that it completely forgets about its own body, and it comes and reclines on that instrument and puts its balance entirely on that instrument. And, that way, that hunter can easily get hold of that deer.
So, Kabir Sahib says, “Like that deer, when it is intoxicated within, in the love of that sound, it completely forgets its body and its surroundings. Like that, a satsangi should forget about everything else and get intoxicated in the Naam.”
Sant Ji also used to relate this story of Bua Das. Some people would call him Bangali Babu. And some people also referred to him as Bua Das. He was a Bengali. He worked at the Beas Railway Station and, it’s a very long story, but when he got initiated by Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, he was so completely transformed. Because of this, he would come home, and when his servant would serve him food, his dinner, he would set aside that dinner. So, when he would come home, have a bath, and his servant would serve him food, he would keep that plate in front of him and he would cover the plate. And then, he would sit for meditation and tell his mind, “If I get some enjoyment in the meditation, and I get connected or I gather the happiness of meditation today, only then, I will give you this food and allow you to eat this food.”
Sometimes the mind wouldn't listen and it would take a long time for him to get focused within. And, sometimes, it would also be past midnight when this would happen. So, till then, he would not eat and he would wait. Sometimes, it also happened that the mind wouldn't listen and he wouldn't be able to focus within, and this would happen all night, and the sun would rise the next day. So, in such events, he would take that food and give it to some animal. He wouldn’t eat that food.
This went on for almost a year. And, finally, he was able to concentrate his attention within, and go within and manifest the Form of the Master within.
So once, during the bandara, Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj called him and, after the Satsang, gave him the mic and He told him to relate how he had been able to control his mind. So then, Bua Das related his experience of how it took him about a year and the rigorous fight with the mind. And, only after about a year of doing this, he was able to go within, focus his attention, and then, manifest the Sound Current and the Master within, because devotion and Dhyan is a fight with the mind. And, if we give into the whims of the mind, the mind will never allow us to go within.
Mahatmas often say, “There is no enemy outside. Your enemy is the mind and he is within you.”
All the people outside are all children of God Almighty. It is your mind, which is within you, that is your enemy. So, for a satsangi, the enemy is the mind. And, when we sit for meditation, we know the strength and the power of the mind. Because, until we go within and we sit for our meditation, and we do our Simran and Dhyan within, we will not know the power of the mind, we will not be able to tackle the mind. Otherwise, if we are not doing this, then it is completely at the behest of the mind that we’re doing everything. We sit because the mind says so. We sleep because the mind says so. We eat because of the mind saying that. So, we will never know the strength and the power of the mind till we actually sit and do our meditation.
It is only when we oppose the mind that we come to know the power of the mind. And, when we do our meditation, that is being in opposition to the mind, because the mind does not want you to go within.
Ever since we have come here into this world, we have been getting these karmas, and all this has been maligning the mind. And the mind is now impure with all of these karmas, and all of these layers of karmas on it.
So, till we purify the mind, we will not be able to go within. It is only after we do Simran that we, gradually, start cleaning the mind. And when the mind, after Simran, becomes pure, then it starts realizing that it is not what it is identifying itself with outside here, but it is an element of Brahm, and it has to go within.
It is the same mind which, after this realization, becomes a friend of the soul and helps the soul to go within. So, therefore, we should do as much Simran and Dhyan as possible, and try to keep purifying the mind. And, this same mind, once it is pure, is converted from our worst enemy to our best friend.
So, we should keep our attention on Simran when we are walking, we are eating, sitting, we are idle, or whenever possible. And, that way, we will keep cleansing our mind.
Simiran se man laiye,
Jaise naad kurang,
Simiran se man laiye,
Jaise naad kurang,
Kahe kabir bisarein nahee,
Praan tajai tehi sang.