The Paathi sings the Bani of Sant Kabir Sahib from the book: Kabeer Saaki Sangrah
Bhakti katin durlabh mahaa,
Bhesh sugam niz soy,
Bhakti katin durlabh mahaa,
Bhesh sugam niz soy,
Bhakti niyaari bhesh te,
Yeh jaane sab koy.
THIS IS THE BANI of Param Sant Satguru Kabir Sahib. In this Bani, Kabir Sahib has talked and tried to explain, “What is bhakti? What is devotion?” Kabir Sahib says, “There is a lot of difference between devotion and outward appearances.”
What is a Bhes? Bhesis one’s outwardly appearances? Many people adorn saffron clothes, they wear the rudraksha, maalaas or garlands, and they carry this Kamandalu, and they roam around. Outwardly, they appear austere, but inwardly, they have all the attachments of the world. But, there is a huge difference between devotion and such outwardly appearances.
Devotion is something, which is far above all of these outward appearances. In devotion, one is forever attuned to God Almighty and is completely intoxicated with the love and affection for God Almighty and his Master. For that devotee, even if he is going about all his worldly activities, he is still attuned within at the Feet of his Master, or God Almighty, and that is the difference. So, even if he is attached outwardly, he is doing actions outwardly, he is attached to God within.
It is the mind, which is the reason for us to be here. All of this, relating to salvation and being bound here, is all related to the mind. We may leave one body, but the mind will still be there.
The soul has free will. The soul belongs to God Almighty. All the bondage that it is going through, and all the attachments that it has, are all caused by the mind. So, it is the mind, which carries all of the filth of the karmas, and it keeps the soul bound. The soul is in love with the mind today. And that is why it is getting pushed and pulled in the chaurasi.
The body is simply a house on rent. It is something that we will be leaving here. So, the salvation lies in getting the soul freed from the mind, and that is the Path, which is shown to us by the Masters through Their satsangs. When the mind listens to the Satsangs, the impressions of the Satsangs come on it, and then, gradually, it starts getting transformed as a result of that. Once the mind is freed, then the soul is freed. So, the crux of it is to ensure that the mind and the soul get unshackled. The mind gets free of all of these attachments and baggage that it is carrying.
Therefore, there is a difference between outwardly adorning our body, which we are going to be leaving back here. That adornment is immaterial. It is the mind that has to be free. So, in all of the life forms that the soul gets encaged in, it is always with the mind. So, the mind and the soul are attached together in all of the life forms. These bodies, we keep shedding off one by one. So, bodies keep changing. It is the mind and the soul, which are attached. And, therefore, the transition from bondage to salvation lies in freeing the mind.
So, all the measures that the Masters have made, and all the practices that They have created, are all about getting the mind freed up. And with the Satsang, Simran, Dhyan, Bhajan, all these are measures to ensure that the mind gets free. And when the mind starts focusing within, as opposed to outwardly, then it leaves the six chakras and comes behind the Eye Center. And, at the Eye Center, once it is connected with the Sound Current, then it comes to know what it is. And then, it gets free at that time.
Therefore, Kabir Sahib is making a distinction between a devotee and devotion, and his outward appearance. He says, “Outward appearance is just the adornment of the body. But, the devotion is about doing your Simran,Dhyan,Bhajan, and continuously remaining attuned within.”
Bhakti padaarath jab mile,
Jab guru hoy sahaay,
Bhakti padaarath jab mile,
Jab guru hoy sahaay,
Prem preet ki bhakti jo,
Pooran bhaag milaay.
Kabir Sahib says, “It is the Master Who graces us, and He brings us on the Path of devotion.” So, devotion is a boon given by the Masters to us. Once we get in the company of a True Master then, following the Teachings of the Master, when the mind starts getting attuned within, then that devotion commences.
Otherwise, what happens is people try to do their devotion, but that outwardly devotion, without the Grace of a True Master, is all within the realm of the mind. So, they’re being fooled by their own mind in doing their devotion.
So, it is with great fortune and Grace that we get true devotion as a boon to us.
I told this story about Rajjab earlier. He was a soul with past impressions. However, a lot of deeds and karmas were there around him. Now, he was getting married and he was going to be taken in that wedding procession. This was about a hundred, a hundred fifty years back. And, in those days, these wedding processions would be on foot, people would carry the bridegroom on a horse, and there would be a long procession that would accompany that.
So, there were about two hundred people, and they were taking Rajjab for getting him married, and they were going in this marriage procession. When this procession had gone about ten to twelve kilometers, the ashram of Dadu Dayal Sahib was there on the way. And, while they were passing that in the early morning, Dadu Dayal Ji was sitting below a tree and He was brushing His teeth.
When Rajjab saw this, he said, “That is good fortune to see the Master on the way to my marriage.” So, he thought of getting off his horse and going and taking the blessings of the Master.
When he bowed down to take the blessings of Dadu Dayal, Dadu Dayal Ji saw Rajjab and saw that he had a lot of devotion within him. So, He just uttered this line, “Rajjab, you're doing a hilarious thing. You have come to this world for doing devotion. This body has been given to you for doing your devotion, but then, you are making a way, you are making a path, for Kal.”
Now, what Dadu Dayal Ji uttered made a deep impression on Rajjab and, immediately, he came and sat there besides Dadu Dayal. So, he sat there next to Dadu Dayal Ji, and said, “I've decided I'm not going to get married now.” There was this whole procession around with all these people, and they all started shouting at him. And then, they all started shouting at Dadu Dayal Ji also, and they said, “We think that You have done some Mantra, or You have used some mystic power and converted this person, and his mind has suddenly changed.”
But, Dadu Dayal Ji said, “I have not given any curse, nor have I said anything like that. You are free to take him for the marriage.”
So then, people still were trying to convince him a lot to come, but he refused. And then, finally, what he did was, he took off all his clothes, which he had worn for the marriage, and he just sat there in his Banyan and underwear and he kept his clothes away. Then, people tried to convince him but, finally, he refused. So, they made his younger brother wear those clothes, and then, they took him for that marriage.
So, thereafter, Rajjab never left Dadu Dayal Ji’s ashram. He was there. He would do Seva and he would do Bhajan. Continuously, he was in Seva and Bhajan, and he became a great gurumukh, after some time, of Dadu Dayal Ji. So, after Dadu Dayal Ji, Rajjab continued in that ashram, and that gaddi of Dadu Dayal Ji was given to Rajjab only.
So, therefore, this love and affection, this devotion with such love and affection, is the uppermost.
Sabse kahai pukaar ke,
Kya pandit kya sekh,
Sabse kahai pukaar ke,
Kya pandit kya sekh,
Bhakti tani sabhade gahai,
Bahuri na kaachai bhekh.
Kabir Sahib says, “I keep repeating, again and again, to everyone, from a pundit to a sheikh, and I keep telling them that they should do their devotion, they should do their BhajanSimran. And I keep repeating this to everybody.”
Kabir Sahib was preaching in those days when deity worship and all of these outwardly rituals, practices, were very prevalent, and everyone was completely, outwardly, doing all these practices. So, it was during that time that Kabir Sahib manifested Himself in a human life and He did these preachings. He had to change the very orthodox thought in those days.
All of these people were very orthodox, and they had to be brought on the Path of Sant Mat. A lot of priests felt offended by this, and it got to the point where the kazis decided to punish Him. They tied Kabir Sahib with chains. His legs and hands were chained, and then they threw Him in a river. But, nothing happened to Kabir Sahib. Thereafter, they tried to, again, kill Him by intoxicating a wild elephant. And they put Kabir Sahib in the same compound with that elephant but, again, nothing happened. The elephant didn't do anything to Him. So, after this, they again tried to put Him in a big cauldron, and they boiled that water. In that boiling water, they put Kabir Sahib. Whenever they did such things, it always appeared that, when they did this action against Him, He would always appear sitting next to Sikandar Lodi, the king of that place. So, looking at this, Sikandar Lodi was amazed. And, finally, Sikandar Lodi got initiated by Kabir Sahib.
Dekha dekhi bhakti ka, Kabahu na chadasi rang,
Bipati pade yo chaadasi,
Dekha dekhi bhakti ka,
Kabahu na chadasi rang,
Jyon kenchuli buvang.
Now, Kabir Sahib says, “When one goes to attend a Satsang, seeing him attend, there is another person who joins him then, so on, so forth, a third and fourth person joins in, just because the others are going to Satsang.” So, Kabir Sahib says, “For such people who attend, they will not get colored in the meaning of the Satsang.” He says, “You should go with the love and affection to God Almighty, and with the thought of doing devotion. You should realize that you have been given this human life for doing this devotion. And then, with that love and affection, when you go and listen to the Masters, you get success on this Path.”
What happens is, in a family, when someone takes initiation or goes to Satsangs and is devoted in this, then, sometimes they insist that the other members of the family also should attend the Satsang. They should also get initiated. And then, they make these other members of their family also take initiation. But, oftentimes, what happens is that such people, who have not taken that initiation with that faith and affection and love for the Master and have no understanding of why they are doing this, such people, later in life, when they face difficulties, they quickly fall off the Path.
So, therefore, Kabir Sahib says, “Those people, who just see others doing it, and they blindly just do it because someone else is doing it, for such people, they will not then get the color of devotion.”
Tote mein bhakti karein,
Tha ka naam sapooth,
Tote mein bhakti karein,
Tha ka naam sapooth,
Maaya dhaari maskare,
Kethe hi gaye ooth.
Kabir Sahib says, “Those who, despite difficulties, continue to stay on the Path, and continue to have love and affection for their Master, they are the true ‘sons’ of the Masters. And they will be successful on this Path.”
Everyone has his measure of joy and sorrow, which he enjoys or he suffers as a result of the past deeds, of his past karmas, that he has been given for this lifespan. But, those people who get swayed by such ups and downs, and they get off the Path and do not continue with their love and affection for the Master, they fall away from devotion. For those who have also got a lot of wealth and who have got a lot of joy, they also tend to forget their Masters, because they then start enjoying that luxury of that wealth. They start figuring out different ways of enjoying that good fortune that they have had. Even such people fall away from the Path and they fall away from their devotion.
So, we should look at both sides of our experiences, our ups and downs, our joys and sorrows, with equanimity. And we should stay focused on our purpose of devotion. That is what is required on this Path because this Path is relieving us of this whole the sorrow of life and death. And, this wealth and this joy, which we face for a very temporary phase, takes us to hell after this. So, whatever it be, whether it is pleasure, or whether it is sorrow, we should continue to have our love and affection at the feet of our Master.
Ajaib Singh Ji’s foster parents were very wealthy, and they had hundreds of acres of land, which Sant Ji, ultimately, donated. He did not take all of that wealth. He simply donated all of that. So, He gave it to a lot of poor people, about four or five acres each, He donated like that. And He was, forever, in the love and affection for his Master Kirpal, and He was always devoted to Master Kirpal.
Why do we do all this devotion? This is so that we can get out of this sorrow of life and death.
Dekha dekhi pakadsi,
Gayi chinak mein choot.
Dekha dekhi pakadsi,
Gayi chinak mein choot.
Koi birala jan baahure,
Satguru swami moot.
Kabir Sahib says, "Seeing one satsangi, another comes, and so on, so forth. People look at each other and come for this, on this Path. But then, at the slightest difficulty, all of these people walk away from this Path, because these people do not have true love and affection for God Almighty and for their Master. And, therefore, the mind deludes them very quickly.” Because, if we do not have love and affection for our Master, then we will not be successful in our Bhajan also, because our mind will forever be lost in the attachments outside. So, therefore, we’ll not be successful in the Bhajan. Because the mind is attached outside in worldly matters, it is always inclined towards that.
So, when we sit for our Bhajan also, that focus is towards all of the worldly matters. And, since there is no love and affection at the Feet of the Master, the focus and attention do not come within.
Therefore, Masters say, “You have to stay and live in this world and do all of your activities that you are doing, take care of your families, and do everything else. But, within, you should always be having love and affection at the Feet of the Master.” Your focus within should always be at the Feet of the Master, because all the outward attachments that we have are only there for a few days. And, once we leave this body, then all of these are going to be left back behind anyways.
If there is one true relation, that relation is between the Master and the disciple because, at the time of death, which is the most difficult of times, when the whole world stands aside, it is only the Master Who comes. And then, He gives His Grace and Darshan to the soul and protects the soul.
So, who can we say is ours? It is only one who is ours in this lifetime and who will be ours after this lifetime. So this, whom we can call ours, is only the Master, because here, when we do our BhajanSimran, the Master tries to help the disciple as far as possible. And later, within also, the Master helps the soul. And in higher planes also, when the soul is traveling through those planes, the Master is forever along with the soul. So, therefore, it is the Master only Who is going to be with us here, and after this.
Mahatmas say, “Whatever duties you have here, whatever give-and-take you have here, you should perform that.” That is as per your karmas. But don't identify yourself with all of these outwardly things that are there, all this give-and-take. You should not identify with that. You should, forever, believe that all this belongs to your Master. And that should be the attitude for going about our lives.
Gyaan sampooran na bidha,
Hirada nahi judai,
Gyaan sampooran na bidha,
Hirada nahi judai,
Dekha dekhi bhakti ka,
Rang nahi taharaayi.
Kabir Sahib says, “Till we go within and we see the Radiant Form of the Master, which manifests within, till then, we cannot say that we have true devotion. Because, inside, when we see the Radiant Form of the Master, we also see what He is actually, and how He's helping so many souls and His devotees.” We, automatically, start loving, and our affection, automatically, builds up, once we go within.
So, until such time that we go within and manifest the Radiant Form of the Master, outwardly also, when we are sitting, it is important for us to do our devotion of doing Simran and Bhajan regularly. When we sit for our Simran and Bhajan and Dhyan, the Master is always within. He is always seeing what you're doing, and He showers His Grace on you also.
So, we should do our Bhajan Simran every day. We should listen to Satsang, and do our Bhajan and Simran every day.
Prem bina jo bhakti hai,
So niz dimbh vichaar,
Prem bina jo bhakti hai,
So niz dimbh vichaar,
Udr bharan ke kaarane,
Janam gavaayo saar.
Kabir Sahib says, “When we do devotion without love, it is not as useful or as potent. But, nevertheless, we should do it, even if we do not have that much love and affection. We should still continue doing our devotion.” What we do as worldly people is, basically, we give priority to all our outward activities, all of the worldly activities that we do, are a priority to us. And we give much less priority, or lower priority, to our BhajanSimran and devotion. But, this world that we are giving priority to, and which is all our focus today, that, at the time of death, is going to leave us. We, oftentimes, see our relatives also. They come empty-handed, after that, they go back empty-handed. We have seen that. But yet, we somehow do not get motivated to do our devotion completely at the Feet of our Master, because the mind often deludes us. The mind always deludes us, and it throws us far away from the devotion of the Masters.
So, therefore, Masters say, “As you do more and more of your Simran, and you try to do as much Simran as possible, with that, each Simran that we do, our karmas keep getting reduced. And, as our karmas get reduced, our love and affection towards our Master increases.”
Jaan bhakti ka nit maran,
Anjaane ka raaz,
Jaan bhakti ka nit maran,
Anjaane ka raaz,
Sar avsar samje nahi,
Pet bharan se kaaz.
Kabir Sahib says, “For a worldly person, he doesn't understand devotion, because his whole life goes away in just attending to mundane activities and filling his stomach. But, a devotee understands what devotion is because he lives every day and he dies every day. When he does his devotion, he withdraws and he comes back in the body every day.”
So, that living and dying is the study that Sant Mat teaches us, that is, this Path. Because, once we come to know about how to die, that fear of death goes away. As a satsangi, since we know how this process happens, we lose the fear of death. And, for a satsangi, the time of death is like the joy of a bridegroom at the time of his marriage. So, when we do our devotion with love and affection at the Feet of the Master then, with the Grace of the Master, this will happen.
Khet bigadiyo khartuaa,
Sabha bigaari koor,
Khet bigadiyo khartuaa,
Sabha bigaari koor,
Bhakti bigaari laalchi,
Jyo kesar mein dhoor.
Kabir Sahib says, “The seeds that we plant in the field, they get spoiled with this unwanted grass that comes around it.” So, in the same way, in a meeting, in a gathering, where someone is sitting with anger, such a person spoils the entire gathering. Like that, our greed also destroys our devotion. In the same way, like when some other dust or some other filth mixes with saffron, it reduces the value of saffron.
Devotion gets destroyed by our greed, the same way an angry person destroys a peaceful gathering, or the same way unwanted grass pulls out all the nutrients that are required for the seeds that we have planted in the field and do not let those seeds fructify.
So, therefore, Kabir Sahib says, “Those who are greedy or angry or are lustful, they will not be able to get success on this Path.” He says, “Greed will destroy our devotion.”
Timir gaya rabi dekhte,
Kubudhi gayi guru gyaan,
Timir gaya rabi dekhte,
Kubudhi gayi guru gyaan,
Sumati gayi ik lobh tein,
Bhakti gayi abhimaan.
Kabir Sahib says, “Like the darkness of the night engulfs everything but, in the morning, with the first ray of the sun, the darkness disappears, and no one knows where it goes.” The same way, with the manifestation of the Master within, our ignorance gets permanently scattered. Our lack of our understanding of all this gets completely dissipated, or completely destroyed, once we manifest the Form of the Master within.
So, the darkness of our ignorance, which we have carried for so many millions of lives, that darkness or ignorance is completely removed with the first ray of the Master, when He manifests Himself within. Like that, our devotion, which we have for the Masters, that also gets destroyed when we get greedy, or we fall to our greed. He also says, “Those people, who are ignorant about all of this, they do not understand this. And then, they denigrate the Masters.”
Bhakti bhaav bhaadon nadi,
Sabai chaleen ghahraaye;
Bhakti bhaav bhaadon nadi,
Sabai chaleen ghahraaye;
Sarita soi saraahiye,
Jo jeth maas thahraaye.
Kabir Sahib says, “The devotion is not like that river which is caused by the rains. So, when the rains come, it floods, and then the river flows. And then, after the rains, it dries up. So, this is not devotion.”
So it is similar when we go to the ashram, we go to our Master, and we get all the facilities there and we do our devotion. But then, at the slightest difficulty, we forget all of that. We leave all of that. That is not devotion. Devotion is like that river, which flows perennially, and it doesn't dry up in the summer.
So, during difficult times, or where we are faced with some difficulties, if we do not sway from this Path and we continue to remain devoted, that is true devotion, because we will get our joys and sorrows as per our karmas. They keep coming. But we should not get swayed by that and forget about our devotion, and get carried away by those things. We should continue to remain unfaltering in our devotion, despite our ups and downs. We should be continuous in our practices. We should do our Simran and Bhajan every day. And, as we do our practice, and we do more Simran, we will be successful that much faster. So, even when you go back from here, when you go back to your respective homes, then you should continue to do your Bhajan Simran. And, even when you have spare time there, you should use that time for doing your devotion, because that is our true work.
Everything else that we are doing is working for others. So, like that, we work for our families, when we do our jobs, or we do our businesses, we are working for that employer, or working for our business. Our true work is for our soul. And, that is something we should not forget because, if we don't do that, then the rest is all futile.
Bhakti bhaav bhaadon nadi,
Sabai chaleen ghahraaye;
Bhakti bhaav bhaadon nadi,
Sabai chaleen ghahraaye;
Sarita soi saraahiye,
Jo jeth maas thahraaye.