The Paathi sings a Bani by Sant Surdas....
Chaadi man har bimukhan ko sang,
Jinake sang kubuddhi upjaath hai
Parath bhajan mein bang.
Chaadi man har bimukhan ko sang,
Jinake sang kubuddhi upjaath hai
Parath bhajan mein bang.
THIS IS THE BANI of Sant Surdas. Before I take the Bani, I pray at the Feet of Som-Ajaib Who have made this poor person capable of doing seva. I got the opportunity of doing seva of Somanath Baba Ji for only three years, and of Sant Ji for eleven years. The two great Saints have molded this soul, this poor soul; otherwise, I was not capable of doing anything.
Somanath Baba Ji gave me the principles of Sant Mat. And He made me do Simran. And the experiences that He gave me were great, were very divine.
I used to do the night duty in the ashram and walk and guard the periphery of the ashram. And then I would do seva in the fields in the daytime. I used to sleep only between two and six in the afternoon. The seva He took in this difficult night duty was over a period of about one and a half years. As I would do that seva of walking on the periphery, I used to do Simran. He got me to do that Simran and He took that difficult duty from me. Otherwise, it was very difficult to do it. He made me capable of doing it. And, in about one and a half years time, because of doing that regular Simran in the night while doing the duty, my soul started going inwards.
So, Baba Somanath Ji set the shape of this soul. He set everything right for me and He got me to do Simran. Later, Sant Ji gave me a lot of further help on this Path. He asked me to come and do seva in Andhra Pradesh and He did not just ask me to come and do seva, but He helped me in all possible ways. He helped me in every possible way. He helped me spiritually. He helped me by giving me wealth to do this, and in all other ways that one could possibly imagine. And, even today, He is helping me.
So, today, it is only because of these two great Saints that I am sitting here and trying to explain, in bits and pieces, about the Sant Mat and the Bani. So, this is the Bani of Sant Surdas. It is well known that Surdas Ji used to be a devotee of Lord Krishna and He has written about him. But, less is known about His experiences in Sant Mat, where He met His Guru, Nibhadas, and He was initiated and He did His practice on the Sant Mat.
He was unlike the other sannyasis who have more outwardly appearances. He had a true longing for God Almighty and to go within. He was a Sarayu Brahmin. He had great love and affection for Lord Krishna. At a very young age of twelve years, he took to austerity and he went and stayed in a hut by the river. So, he used to spend his time in this devotion of Lord Krishna and he would go and ask for alms from only one or two houses. And with whatever little he would get, he would come and prepare his food out of that and sit in devotion of Lord Krishna thereafter.
So, when he was around sixteen years old, he had gone to the village to ask for alms, and at that time, a young girl gave him some flour in his bag. So, he took that alms from that young lady and he came back. Now, after he cooked his food and when he sat for meditation, contemplating on Lord Krishna, that girl's image kept coming into his mind who had given him that provision. And then, he kept trying again to contemplate on Lord Krishna. But, again, the image of that girl kept coming into his mind. So he, thereafter, got up, went to a shop in the village and purchased two needles. And then he took out his eyes with both the needles. Thereafter, he was called ‘Surdas’. He was not blind from birth. But, because of this situation that had happened, that he had blinded himself, he was called ‘Surdas’ thereafter.
So great was his devotion to Lord Krishna that, in his state of blindness, wherever he would walk, if there were thorns on the way, or if there was some well on the way, or if there was some ditch on the way, Lord Krishna would come himself and give him direction to walk around it. So, in that state of affection for Lord Krishna, in that state of meditation, he had been able to gather the attention of his soul at the Eye Center and he had reached the level Sahasdal Kamal.
In Sant Mat, initiation is not given to blind people because they are unable to see the Master and contemplate the Form of the Master within. But in the case of Surdas, though he was blind physically, his Inner Eye had opened and he was at the level of Sahasdal Kamal. That is why Nabhadas gave him initiation.
So, this is the Bani of Surdas. In the Bani, He says, "Keep a distance from those people who are not devoted to the Lord."
It is well known that the company of others has deep influences on us. And, according to the company we keep, so our mind becomes, and we also start behaving like those people in whose company we stay. The entire life of a human being is based on company and influence. Throughout, from the time of birth till the end, one is driven by the influences in the company that one keeps.
Right from birth, we are influenced by the company we keep. When a newborn baby is born, he learns from the first company of his parents. And he learns to talk and behave from his parents. He learns to have a lifestyle according to the lifestyle of his parents.
So, accordingly, if we wanted to go on the path of spirituality, we have to seek the company of people of spirituality, of those people who are imbibed in spirituality. If we leave the company of those people who are in spirituality and instead keep the company of unscrupulous people, then gradually, we will lose that influence of devotion and spirituality, which we are trying to imbibe. And we will be influenced by such unscrupulous people and imbibe their qualities. If we keep the company of such people, those people who are far away from spirituality, such people don't even like to see other people who are doing devotion and who are having a spiritual pursuit.
Therefore, when we are treading this path of spirituality, we should also be mindful of these nuances of keeping proper company and keeping away from unwanted company.
kahaa hoth pay paan karaaye,
bish nahi tajath bhujang,
He gives the example of a snake. He says, "If you feed milk to a snake, that milk is supposed to be like a nectar to the snake, but instead when the snake drinks that milk, he develops more poison and that milk gets converted into poison."
Similarly, if you try to influence unscrupulous people or people who are highly materialistic and are nowhere near spirituality, it will have the same or similar influence on them also.
This is an incident that happened near Anantapur and there was this family. It was a poor family, and though they did not have too much money, they had built a hut a little on the outskirts of Anantapur. And there was this wall and it was covered with hay, and they made a hut out of it.
Now, on the other side of the wall, there, gradually, termites had built an anthill, and that anthill had grown quite a lot and there were all termites inside that.
Now, following those termites and eating those termites, a snake had come into that anthill and it used to stay there. This family used to stay adjacent, just behind the wall. They used to often see this snake coming and going, and they started offering it milk, they started offering flowers to that snake. And that snake also got used to them. As a result, that snake would keep coming into that house and it lived quite normally along with them. So, while they slept, it would be there in the house. It was a very big snake. It was nearly about six, six and a half feet. It was a cobra. And these people used to keep offering milk and things like that.
Now, as a snake, it would come to eat those frogs or it would come to eat those rats, which possibly would be there in that hut. Otherwise, there was nothing for it there.
Despite all of this, it so happened one day that that snake bit the entire family. Now, in this family, there were five children − four boys, one girl − and the parents. So, all of them died because of that snake and it bit all of them.
So, this feeding and this giving milk and flowers and all of that is of no consequence.
So, Surdas Ji also says, "Giving milk to a snake, it is only increasing the poison in the snake. Otherwise, you're not going to be able to change the habit of the snake.”
kahaa hoth pay paan karaaye
bish nahi tajath bhujang,
kaagahi kaha kapoor chugaaye
shwaan nhavaaye gang.
Then Surdas gives another example. He says, "If you feed camphor to a crow, even though the incense is good, if you feed camphor to a crow, he is going to go in filth and he's going to eat rotten things only because that is his nature."
It is also similar to washing a dog with shampoo and soap and doing all of that and cleaning him. After the bath, he is going to go and lie down in the mud and play there. This is the habit of dogs in the villages. How much ever you bathe them they go and play in the mud.
Of course, those who have pets at home, that’s a different story because then they are used to sleeping on the bed and being kept very clean and all. So, it doesn't apply to them.
kharko kahaa argazaa-lepan,
markat bhooshan ang,
He gives another example of a donkey. Even if you put sandalwood on a donkey and you give him a clean bath and all, even then he is also going to go back after the bath, lie down, sleep on his back, and then get the mud on his back.
Like that, similarly, if you give a precious necklace to a monkey, he is going to bite it and break it and throw all the pieces of that.
So, likewise, all these unscrupulous people or people who are not into spirituality, whatever we do there is going to have a different effect on them.
There is this story in Ramayana also. After the war with Ravana, when all returned to Ayodhya, the army of monkeys, everyone, was given a reward. All the monkeys were given a reward. Only Hanuman was not given anything.
So, Sita felt a little shocked with this because she was the wife of Lord Rama and she said, “Hanuman had played such a major role in that entire war. He had jumped across the Indian subcontinent into Lanka and then he had destroyed Lanka and gone back and had played such a pivotal role. But you have not rewarded him?” So, she could not stand this. And so, what she did was, she took out her own necklace, which was full of precious stones, and she gave that as a garland to Hanuman.
So, as soon as he got that necklace, Hanuman climbed on a high place, and then he broke that necklace and then he took out each pearl from that necklace. He would look at that pearl, bite it, and throw it away. Then he would take the next pearl, see it, and then bite it and throw it away. So, he accordingly, took out each pearl and he looked into the pearl, bit it, and threw it off, and that way he destroyed that complete necklace. So, Sita was completely aghast with this and she asked Lord Rama, "Why is he behaving like this? I gave him such a precious necklace.”
So, Rama started laughing and he told her, "See, in each pearl, he is trying to see Lord Rama and Sita. If he is not able to see Lord Rama and Sita in each pearl, he is throwing each pearl away and he is saying that it is of no use."
Even Lord Sugriva, he was also a fellow in the army. And Lord Sugriva also rebuked Hanuman and he said, "What are you doing? You are throwing all these precious pearls away?"
Hanuman said, "But I am not seeing Rama and Sita in any of these pearls. So then, what use are these pearls to me?"
So, when Sita heard this, she asked him, "Why are you doing this?" So, Lord Rama explained to her, "He has Rama and Sita in his heart and he already has it in his heart and, therefore, all these outwardly things are of no use to him. That is why it is of no value, no meaning, to him."
So, she asked Hanuman as to whether he really had Rama and Sita in his heart. So, what he did was, he tore open his chest and he showed them, and there they saw and they had the Darshan of Rama and Sita, who were there in his chest.
kharko kahaa argazaa-lepan,
markat bhooshan ang,
gazako kaha nhavaaye saritha
bahuri dharai khahi chang.
He gives another example of an elephant. If you take an elephant and give him a bath in a lake, even if you give him a bath for two hours, when he comes out of that lake, he is going to take the mud and all the dust in his trunk and put it on his back and, again, get himself covered in dust.
So, therefore, if we try to influence such people, who are otherwise lost to spirituality, and they are too tied up in their own materiality, this is what happens.
So, therefore, Surdas says, "You stay away from such people who do not have God Almighty in their heart, or who do not have devotion in their heart."
phaahan pathith baas nahi bedhath,
reetho karath nishang, It is like in a rock, we cannot put a fragrance. It will
not accept that fragrance. Like that, for such people, we will not be able to influence
them by getting them to imbibe devotion.
phaahan pathith baas nahi bedhath,
reetho karath nishang,
surdas kal karee kaamari,
chadath na doojo rang.
He gives another example. On a black-colored blanket, if you try to put another color, it will not show that other color. It will continue to remain black. Unlike on a white blanket, you can put other colors and it will get the effect of those colors.
Like that, if you try to influence these people with talks of devotion, it is not going to have any effect on them.
murali dhun gaaza,
soor surathi sar saaja.
murali dhun gaaza,
soor surathi sar saaja.
Now, Surdas Ji is talking about an inner experience. And, with this, one can realize how much progress He has made within.
So, he says, "When my soul went into Bhanwar Gupha, I could hear the sound of the flute and it was such a melodious sound. It had limitless bliss in that.”
nirkhath kawal nain nabh oopar,
shabadh anahadh baaza.
nirkhath kawal nain nabh oopar,
shabadh anahadh baaza.
He says, " When I went into the eighth level, I could hear the Anahad Shabd and, with that, my mind was completely lost in that Sound."
Below the Eye Center, there are the Das Vidhi Nad. There are several Sound Currents. But, those Sound Currents do not have the power to attract and pull the mind as the Anahad Shabd does. Once the mind listens to and manifests the Anahad Shabd, it gets connected with the Anahad Shabd, and then is not willing to go elsewhere.
sun dhun meil mukar man maanjha,
paaya ami ras jhaanjaa.
Once the mind gets connected with the Anahad Shabd, it is not from one life, but from all our previous lives that all our karmas get cleaned out and the mind becomes as crystal-clear as a mirror. So, only Sanchit karmas are left, which are stored in the Brahm. Other than that, all the other karmas, which have an impression on the mind, all of those get cleared once it gets connected with the Anahad Shabd. There, once it becomes pure and sublime, it realizes that it belongs to the Brahm. It is an element of Brahm and it doesn't belong here.
surath sang shodh sat kaaja,
lakh lakh sabhadh samaaja.
When the soul reaches there, it sees that there are so many thousands of the pure souls who have gone and who are sitting there, and they have all made their efforts and they have all gone and reached that level.
So, a lot of rishis and munis who have done very difficult pranayamas, and a lot of yogis who have done a lot of austerity, they all are in that plane at that level. Only very, very few rishis or munis go up to the Brahm level. Otherwise, most of the yogis are at this level of Sahasdal Kamal. So, with the Grace of the Master, when one reaches the Sahasdal Kamal, he sees that all of these mahatmas are there, there are hordes of such mahatmas there. All of them are quite happy there. They have no problems and they have no pain or sorrow. They are in a state of happiness there. So long as their karmas are there, they will be at that place. But they are not out of the realm of karma because Sanchit karmas are still there. They still have a stock of that and the mind is still there.
ghat ghat kunj punj jaha chaajaa,
pind brahmaand biraaja.
So, Surdas Ji says, "The Brahmand is also within us. Sach Khand-Sat Lok is also within us. By making efforts, we should go in and we can see all this for ourselves."
So one may imagine that to see this, one has to get into the level of the sky and then he’s able to experience all these inner planes, which are outside of the body, or above. But, it is not so. All these planes are within the body, above and in the temple area. All these planes and this entire Creation are there itself. So, one doesn't have to go out of the body to see this.
fod aakash alalpach bhaaja,
ulat ke aap samaajha.
So, He gives the example of the alal pakshee , the alal bird again, and he talks about Brahmand. So, He says, "Once the soul reaches Brahmand, it is like the alal bird, which never comes on the ground. It is always in the sky. It lives, and its progeny, everything, is all in the sky only, and it never comes into or never touches the ground.
Like that, is the state when we go into the Brahmand. So, the alal bird is a mythical bird, the reference of which is only in Sant Mat. It is a bird, which stays in the sky and lives there, eats there, and has progeny there also. It lays the egg in the sky, and as the egg falls towards the earth, it hatches also, and the young one comes out and grows its wings and feet. And, before it touches the ground, it realizes that it has to stay in the sky and not on the ground. And it turns inwards and goes up again.
So, like that, those Who are mahatmas, Who are Saints and mahatmas, that is how They live in this world. When the soul crosses Par Brahm, it realizes that it belongs to Sach Khand-Sat Lok and it has a true longing to go back to its own home.
fod aakash alalpach bhaaja,
ulat ke aap samaajha.
aise surat nirakh niachhar,
kot krishn thah laaja.
Surdas Ji says, "When the soul goes into Bhanwar Gupha, it listens to the melodious flute there. The sound of the flute is so intoxicating and is so melodious that Lakhs of Krishnas who play flute will be put to shame by the sound of the flute there."
Surdas Ji says, "Below the eyes, it is called Kshar. And above the six levels below the Eye Center, and from the Inner Eye to the Par Brahm, it is Akshar. And, from the Par Brahm to the Bhanwar Gupha, it is called Ni-Akshar. And, after that, it is called to Sahaj.” So, these are the different states that the soul goes through, and these are the different states of these creations. After the Sahaj, it goes into Sach Khand. And there, it bows to God Almighty.
So, Surdas Ji says, "I have crossed Kshar, Akshar, Ni-Akshar, and Sahaj, and now I pray to You at Your Feet."
So, the Path of the Masters is the Path of Sahaj. It is the Path of the birds.
surdaas saar lakh paaya,
lakh lakh alakh akaaya.
satguru gagan gali ghar paaya,
sindh mein bundh samaaya.
Surdas Ji says, "With the Grace of my Master, I have crossed the And-Pind-Brahmand and have gone into Sach Khand-Sat Lok. And, like a drop in the ocean, I have now merged with the Ocean of God Almighty.
So, with this, we come to know that Surdas Ji was a Saint and He had reached Sach Khand. But outside people and many followers believe that Surdas Ji was a devotee of Lord Krishna, and that is the limited knowledge that they have of Him. Likewise, they also believe that Mira Bai was also a devotee of Lord Krishna. But She had gone and got initiated by Ravidas Ji. She was also Saint. She had gone to Sach Khand-Sat Lok .
Likewise, in U.P., Tulsi Das was there. Tulsi Das was a devotee of Lord Rama and people believed Him to be a devotee of Lord Rama. But He was a very thorough, devout person and He also had inner experiences. His friend was Nabhadas Who was the Master of Sunderdas Ji. And later, He went and got initiation from Nabhadas and He also became a great Saint and He went within.
He wrote the Ghat Ramayana, which talks about the entire philosophy of Sant Mat. It is entirely based on the within. But, when He publicized His writing, it was thoroughly opposed by those people who were all idol deity worshipers in that period. And, as a result, he had to keep those writings secret.
And, later, he had to reincarnate as Tulsi Sahib, Who then wrote it out. So, Tulsi Das then, after having all this opposition, He wrote again on Ramayana itself.
So, when the souls are pure, even if they are on a different path, God Almighty brings them in His fold. He gives them and shows them direction and brings them to a True Master.
Even Namdev Ji, he was also a great soul, but he also got on a different path and he also became a devotee of Vithal, who was a deity of Lord Vishnu. And he was also very pure soul and he was quite devoted to Vithal who used to give him darshan three times a day, every day. And it was Vithal only who then directed Namdev that he should go and seek a True Master. And, on his direction then, Namdev Ji went to Vishoba Kechar and he got initiation from Vishoba Kechar, Who was a Saint. And that’s how he then progressed within.
surdaas saar lakh paaya,
lakh lakh alakh akaaya.
satguru gagan gali ghar paaya,
sindh mein bundh samaaya.