The paathi sings the Bani of Swami Ji Maharaj...
Naam nirnay karoo bhai,
Dudha bidhi bhed batlai.
Naam nirnay karoo bhai,
Dudha bidhi bhed batlai.
THIS IS THE BANI of Param Sant Satguru Swami Ji Maharaj. In this Bani Swami Ji Maharaj has illustrated and talked about Naam. That Naam is of two types. One is Varnatmak Naam and the other is Dhunatmak Naam.
Varnatmak Naam is the Naam that we can read and write that is written in the Scriptures. It is how we communicate with each other by word. Varnatmak Naam is contained in the fifty-two letters in the Hindi script. There are fifty-two letters. So, everything is contained in this. What is spoken is that Varnatmak, and all that is written, which is contained within these fifty-two letters, will, at one point, all be destroyed. And it will be only Dhunatmak that will be there after that.
All the Vedas, all the Scriptures, all the Puranas, all the religious books are all contained and written in this Varnatmak Naam. So, all the Scriptures, everything, is contained in Varnatmak Naam. The initiation that is given by the Masters, that is beyond Varnatmak Naam. So, Varnatmak is what we can listen to, what we can speak, and what we can write. The initiation that is being given by the Masters is beyond this. So, one wonders, how is the initiation is given, which is beyond what is written or what can be spoken? So, that question arises within us.
The Dhunatmak Naam is the Sound Current, the Holy Sound Current, which is coming from God Almighty, and it is resonating at the back of the Eye Center. At the back of the Eye Center is the place where our soul sits, and that is the place where the Master sits also and the Holy Sound Current resonates.
At the time of initiation, the Master goes within and He connects the soul with the Holy Sound Current. Initiation is that connection of the soul with that Holy Sound Current. That Sound Current cannot be heard by our outer ears. It cannot be written and it cannot be spoken. It can only be heard by the ‘ears’ of our soul and it can only be seen by the ‘eyes’ of our soul. There are two faculties of the soul. These are called surat and nirat. The faculty by which the soul listens, that is called surat. And the faculty by which the soul sees is called nirat.
So, Swami Ji Maharaj in this Bani has explained and illustrated what is Dhunatmak and what is Varnatmak.
Naam nirnay karoo bhai,
Dudha bidhi bhed batlai.
Varn dhunaatmak gaaon,
Douka bhed darsaaoon.
Varn kahu chaahu kahu akshar,
Jo bola jaaye rasna kar.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “I will show you and tell you the difference between these two.” What can be heard and what can be talked and written, that is Varnatmak. And what cannot be written, talked, or heard, that is Dhunatmak.
Likhan aur parrhan mein aaya,
Use varnaatmak gaaya.
Lakhaayak hai yahi dhun ka,
Bina guru phal nahi kinka.
So, Varnatmak Naam is the Naam that can be written or it can be read or spoken, but the Naam that is given by the Masters, until Their charging is there in that Naam, it is not really an initiation. It is just like any other word. So, the Five Names that are given at the time of initiation, they are given with the charging of the Masters. Ordinarily, these Names may even be written in some of the writings, or referred to in some of the writings, but that does not carry the same weight and meaning as the initiation of these Five Names when they are given by the Masters to us. The Masters have done a lot of Simran and They have a lot of charging behind these Names, and these Names are then given to us for repetition. That carries a lot of the efforts that the Masters have put earlier into these Names. Any other name that is ordinarily given is subject to destruction.
Milen guru naam dhun bhedi,
Surat dhun dhuni sang bedhi.
Ekta naam aur naami,
Karaaven jo mile swaami.
He says that when you meet a Master Who has gone on this Path and Who knows this Path, only He can show you this Path. And only He can give you the initiation and take you safely on this Path. So, till you get a True Master, there is no meaning in the names that are given to you. Only a True Master with the Names with His charging, when they are given to you, that carries the power of cleansing your soul. And that charging is there in the Naam given by the Master.
We are carrying all outwardly, worldly thoughts. Now, to cut iron you need iron, too. Likewise, for the Naam that is given is a worldly naam. These Five Names that are given can be written and can be read. And the outward form, the contemplation of the Master that we do within when we are sitting for meditation that, also, is worldly. So you need this contemplation of the Form of the Master and this repetition of the Naam, both of which are of this world only for cutting out our other, worldly thoughts.
Our thoughts are scattered outside with worldly thoughts, with worldly pursuits, with worldly desires. Our thoughts have all got scattered outside. And we are identifying ourselves outside with this world. The Naam given to us is from this world — and the contemplation of the Form of the Master that is given — is from this world. And when we contemplate on His Form and when we repeat the Naam within, it is these same thoughts, which are scattered outside in our desires, attachments, and everything outside, that come within and turn inwards.
So, with the help of these Five Names, and the contemplation of the Form of the Master at the back of the Eye Center, we gradually are able to get our thoughts, which are scattered outside in the world, back within. And then we are able to leave the nine doors, the nine outward doors of this body, and start focusing and come to the Tenth Door within. And there, once we come to the back of the Eye Center again, the Sound Current with which we have been connected at the time of initiation, that Sound Current manifests. And then, we see the Radiant Form of the Master within.
Naam varnaatmatk gaaya,
Naami dhunaatmak paaya.
Varn se surat man maanjo,
Bahuri chaarrh gagan dhun saadho.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “The Varnatmak Naam helps us to get our scattered thoughts back within. And it is with the Varnatmak Naam that we are able to cleanse our mind and purify our mind.” As soon as the mind gets purified and gets pure, it settles down. It is no longer turbulent. And as soon as it settles down, immediately, we can see the manifestation of the Radiant Form of the Master within and we go within. So, the same form of the Master that we have been contemplating outside, that transforms into a Radiant Form within. It is the same form of the Master outside that we see within that is in the Radiant Form.
In each plane that we transcend within, the form of the soul, our outward appearance and form, and the Form of the Master as we have seen, both keep changing. We are now in this physical plane, so we have to take the help of our physical body to be here. As we go within into the astral, we need the astral body to be used in that plane. And further, when we go into the causal, we need the causal body to go and travel in that plane. And, finally, when we cross Brahm, all these bodies are shed off by the soul, and it comes into its own.
In the Par Brahm, when it goes and bathes in the Pool of Nectar in Mansarovar, it sheds off all these bodies that it has, the causal, astral and the physical, and it comes into its own Light and Sound form. So, therefore, if you do not get a Master Who is knowledgeable about the Sound Current, getting an initiation is not going to help from any other master.
Dhuni dhun ek kar jaano,
Surat se shabd pahichaano.
Shabd aur surat bhaye eka,
Naam dhunaatmak dekha.
Then, He says that when the soul connects with the Sound Current, then you come to know what is Dhunatmak Naam.
Many people believe that all the naams are the same. And they believe that just doing the meditation on the Varnatmak Naam is enough. But that doesn’t serve the purpose.
However, if we do the recitation or we do the devotion of a particular deity; for example, we do the worship of Shiva, and we do the mantra of Shiva, we do the repetition of that, then we can possibly go to Kailash, which is the place where Shiva resides.
Likewise, if we recite the Naam and we are devoted to Vishnu, then we will probably be able to go up to Vaikuntha, where Vishnu resides. And similarly, if we do the devotion of all the other gods and goddesses, then we will possibly go to heaven where they reside. So, that way, we will only be able to only go up to the level of that particular deity. So, we will get limited salvation only up to that place. We will not get a salvation of the soul.
Even these forms, these deities and gods, they are also of a limited lifespan, and when we go there by doing the meditation of that particular deity, we go there and the life elongates, and we are able to stay there for a long period of time, and there is limited bliss in that period of stay there. But, eventually, when the benefit of your meditation is exhausted, you have to come back to this same world.
So, again, everything that we otherwise enjoy here is the same thing that we do there. So, eventually, you have to come back into this world.
Guru bin aur bina karni,
Mile kas kaho yah rahni.
Chaah anuraag jis hoi,
Bhaag barr gurumukhi soi.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “Even if you get a True Living Master and He gives you the initiation, if we are not doing our meditation and we are not following the practice and the Path, then that Naam again does not do anything.” So, if we are not doing our meditation and we are not following the Path and the Teachings of the Masters, then neither the Naam can do anything, nor the Guru can do anything for us.
So, we should consider ourselves indeed fortunate if we have the pangs of separation of the God Almighty and of our Master within, and we follow that Path and we do our meditation with love and affection. That way, if we do our meditation daily with love and affection, our mind also becomes purer, the burden of karmas also is lessened, and the mind, which is scattered all over the place, also gets focused within, and the attention gets focused within.
And if we do not do our meditation, then the mind, which is impure, continues to remain impure and keeps building up the karmas.
Naam naami dou gaay,
Abhedi bhed samjaaya.
Guru ki mauj mein sab kuchh,
jise chaahen karen gurumukh.
Swami Ji Maharaj says now that He has explained what Naam means, what are the types of Naams, and what is the credibility and what is the strength of the Master Who gives this Naam to us. He goes on to say that, finally, it is in the Will of the Master. All of this is contained in the Will of the Master. It is in the Will of the Master to shower His Grace on people who have come with impressions from the past, and He can convert them into gurumukhs.
So, if we sit for our meditation every day, then our mind will also become pure and we will get the Grace of the Master also.
Guru mukh hoye tan dan se,
Kare fir preeth niz man se.
Lage tab jaay sun dhun se,
Gaaye tab teen gun tan se.
When the devotee gives his mind and body to the Master and he does the seva, and he does regular practice, then very easily the soul also withdraws from the body and goes within. So, these two, the body and the mind, are the impediments, and if we are able to surrender these to the Master, then we can easily withdraw within.
What should have been was that the soul controls the mind and the mind controls the senses and, accordingly, the body. But, what has happened is the reverse. The senses have started controlling the mind and the mind is controlling the soul. So, therefore, it has got inverted.
Wherever our senses are pulling us, the mind is getting pulled. And the mind is pulling the soul, and the body is, accordingly, enacting that. As a result, our karmas keep increasing and we get further away from our devotion. So, we will get successful when the soul will control the mind and the mind will control its senses.
Varn dhun bhedh dou baranaa,
Baach aur lakshya in kahanaa.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “I have explained to you about Varnatmak and Dhunatmak. Varnatmak is what can be read and Dhunatmak is what can be seen and heard by attention.” So, when we focus our mind and soul within and we focus our attention within, we can hear the Sound Current and see the Light inside.
Vaach varnatmak jaano,
Lakshy dhun dhuni pahichaano.
Varn mein bhekh jag bhoola,
Marm dhun sant koyee tola.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “The Varnatamak really rules everybody. And the munis and all the outward sadhus, they all do and follow only the Varnatmak Naam. And Varnatmak is subject to destruction.”
So, only a True Master, Who is fully aware of the Dhunatmak, can initiate a disciple in the Dhunatmak Naam. Everybody else, generally, follows the Varnatmak Naam. And Varnatmak is very limited in reach, and people can only go, at best, up to Vaikuntha, or Kailash, or the heaven, and will have to come back here. So, everybody follows the Varnatmak.
Once, there was an argument between Vishramitra and Vashisht. Both were great sages. And Vishramitra had the power of a lot of austerity and penance that he had done. So, both had this argument as to which is stronger? Is it penance and austerity, or is it Satsang?
The sage Vashisht was saying that Satsang is far stronger than penance, whereas Vishramitra was saying that it is penance that is far stronger. So, they felt, “We should have an arbitrator, someone to sort this out.”
So, they went to Lord Shiva and they posed this same question. Vishramitra said that penance is stronger, and Vashisht wanted to say that it is Satsang, which is stronger.
Now, when Lord Shiva heard both of these, he felt, “Both of these sages are stronger than I am, they are both powerful. And, if I agree with one of them and the other gets disgruntled, then he may curse me.” So, he thought, “Best not to give a decision here.” So, he said, “I am unable to resolve this, so you should go and take this question to Lord Brahma.”
So, when they went to Brahma, again, Brahma also realized the same thing, “If I give a judgment in anyone's favor, the other will get unhappy and he will curse me.” So, he said, “Why don't you take this to Lord Vishnu? He will probably be able to resolve this.”
When they went to Vishnu, again, Vishnu also faced this same situation. And what he told them was, “Look, I cannot solve this problem. I cannot resolve this for you. But you should go to Adi Shesh. That is the serpent on whose head this Earth is balanced.” So, he said, “Why don’t you pose this question to Nag Shesh, because he should be able to resolve this?”
So, then they went to Adi Shesh. Adi Shesh is in the Patal Lok, which is the realm below the world. So, they went there and they posed the same questions to him. He also saw this and then he told them, “Look, I have such a heavy burden of this Earth on my head. It’s very heavy. But if you just help me hold the weight of this Earth for some time, then I will be able to think clearly and give you a resolution.”
When he told this to them, Vishramitra immediately took water from his kamandalu on his hand and he charged this for Adi Shesh. And he said, “Look, I will give you my penance of ten thousand years, and with this ten thousand years this Earth will get lifted from your head.”
Now, as a result of that, the Earth just shook a little, it just shook an inch or two and it again settled back.
So then, it was the turn of Vashisht. And Vashisht said, “Okay, I will give the benefit of one hour of Satsang, and let the Earth get lifted.” And then the Earth was lifted above the head of Adi Shesh and went up about one foot and was there for about two minutes.
After two minutes when the weight of the Earth came back on Adi Shesh’s head, Vishramitra said, “You’ve had two minutes to decide when the Earth was up. So, what happened? What is your decision?”
So, Adi Shesh said, “But, the decision is already there in front of you! You gave your penance of ten thousand years and the Earth barely moved. And Vashisht Ji gave the benefit of only one hour of Satsang, and the Earth was lifted for two minutes. I think the decision lies therein only.” So then, humbled, Vishramitra left from there.
So, therefore, by doing Varnatmak we may get a very limited salvation of going up to Vikunta or Kailash or, at best, with all the pranayamas and everything, we can go up to Brahm. But, even then, the covering of the soul, that is, these bodies, will still continue. As long as you have the covering and the soul is encased in these bodies, it does not have its own salvation.
Varn jap jap pache bekhee,
Mile kuch phal nahi nekhi.
Bhedh dhun ka nahee paayaa,
Naam fal haath nahi aaaya.
By doing the devotion of this Varnatmak Naam, some of the sadhus get very limited powers of being able to satisfy some of their wishes. But, beyond this, there is very little that can be achieved by doing the devotion of only the Varnatmak Naam. So, by doing this devotion of Varnatmak Naam, we can get limited salvation of going up. At best, we will get to go to either Vaikunta, or Kailash, or Brahm, and then come back. If the penance and austerities and our devotion for that Varnatmak Naam are very strong, we may come back as a king, or as a ruler of a place. If it is not so strong, we may come back as a rich businessman, or we will be well off when we come. But, we do get the benefit of doing that devotion. It is not that you do not get any benefit from doing that. But, that is very limited and it will all ultimately end. Until a perfect Master gives us initiation, we will not be able to leave the compound of Kal.
Jape nith sahas aur laakhaa,
Khule nahi nekh un aankhaa.
Timar sansaar nahi jaave,
Moh madh kaam bharmaave.
Many of these sadhus, munis, they do the penance and the repetition of this Varnatmak Naam. Some do a hundred thousand times, some do crores of times. So, all of this does not give them salvation. It does not give them control of their mind, because they are still dragged by attachment, lust, ego, and we often hear and see these munis and sadhus giving curses, or they’re cursing people, or giving boons to people.
So, all this is being done under the realm of the mind and following the attachments that they have or following lust that they have. They are not able to control their mind, despite doing so much penance and repetitions of these Varnatmak Naams.
Dhuni dhun bhedh nahi cheenah,
Surat aur shabdh nahi leenha.
Milaa nahi guru dhun bedhi,
Lakhaave dhun mite khedhi.
If we do not get a True Master and He does not give us initiation, and we do not get connected to the Sound Current, our salvation from the cycle of life and death doesn't end.
There was a yogi once in the Himalayas. He had been there for thousands of years doing penance. And it was some of his past impressions for which Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj manifested in his vision. He got a vision of Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj and he was told to come to the ashram, to Beas.
So, when he got this vision, he told Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj in the vision, “Look, my feet have dried up, because of my austerity.” While doing pranayamas, he only survived on taking some juice of some neem leaves and cleansing his stomach. So, there was very little nutrition taken and, as a result, the legs and body had become extremely weak. So, he said, “I will come to Beas, but it will take me some time to come there.”
In those days, there weren’t trains and buses, and it took this yogi almost six months to come to Beas. So, in that vision, Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj had shown him His foot and had identified a mark on the foot, so that he could recognize Him when they would actually meet.
After six months, when he arrived at Beas and he asked for Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, he was escorted to Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. And, upon seeing Him, he wanted to see that identity mark.
So, when he met Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, he bowed at His feet. And he was trying to hold Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj‘s feet to see and recognize that mark. But, Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj was pulling back His feet. He was bowing down and, finally, he told Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, “You came all the way to me and you asked me to come here. So, why are You holding back Your feet now? Please, show me that identity mark.”
So, when he saw that, he recognized it, and after that Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj gave him initiation and He made him listen to the Satsangs. And after bhandara, He told him, “You go back to the same place where you were doing your penance, and now you do the practice and devotion of the Surat Shabd Yoga and you follow this. Don't do all your earlier penances.”
Likewise, Somanath Baba Ji also, for twenty-five years, he did pranayamas. And he only got peace, inner peace, after he met Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj and he was given initiation.
Even Sant Ji, he also had initiation of Two Words from Baba Bishan Das and he also was doing a lot of austerity and penance for a lot of years. And then, finally, he also got inner peace when Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj initiated him. So, they also had mystic powers, but they got peace only when they were initiated.
Therefore, by doing the devotion, by doing repetition of only Varnatmak Naam, the person can go and rise within and go as high as Brahm, but he cannot go beyond that. And, finally, if the austerity is good, if the penance is good, he will come back into this world as a ruler, as a king, or as a politician or, if he hasn't done so much austerity, then he’ll come back as a rich businessman or something like that.
So, you get the benefit of Varnatmak Naam, of your devotion and your repetition there, but salvation is only when we get initiated by a True Master Who is aware of the Path of the Surat Shabd Yoga. And there is no other way we can get salvation of the soul.
Most worldly people believe otherwise. They are unaware of this Path and they believe that it is these deities who are gods. Or some people, who do the pranayamas, they believe that Brahm or Par Brahm is God. So, these people are all limited in what they see and what they follow and perceive. These people do not have the knowledge of anything beyond Par Brahm.
It is only a True Master Who is fully aware of the Par Brahm and the Path to God Almighty. Only He can initiate and take us back to our True Home, to God Almighty.
Kaal ne buddhi un chhedhee,
Muft nar deh un dedhee.
Daya kar sant gohraave,
Jaraa nahi chitt mein laave.
Kal has so wonderfully deluded people that he makes them do these austerities, and makes them work for salvation, and yet, they remain under the realm of Kal. So, he has made some people follow deities. He has made some people follow pranayamas. He has created this full delusion, and people are unaware of this unless they get awakened by a True Master by way of a Satsang. And everyone is blindly following these paths, which have all been created as a delusion by Kal. So, some people follow the worshipping of trees, some people worship idols, some people go to pilgrimages and so many other means of delusions that are there. And, by doing this, everyone is trying to pursue their devotion for God, but they still remain within the purview and within the compound of Kal.
Kaal ne buddhi un chhedhee,
Muft nar deh un dedhee.
Daya kar sant gohraave,
Jaraa nahi chitt mein laave.
Radhaswami.