The Paathi sings the Bani of Sant Kabir Sahib from the book: Kabeer Saaki Sangrah, pg 96
Ajapa simiran ghat bise,
Deenha sirjanhaar,
Ajapa simiran ghat bise,
Deenha sirjanhaar,
Taahi se man lagi raha,
Kahai kabir vichaar.
THIS IS THE BANI of Param Sant Satguru Kabir Sahib. Kabir Sahib is singing the praise
of that Naam, which is resonating at the Eye Center continuously.
That Sound Current
has come from God Almighty, Sat Lok-Sach Khand, and has come to the Eye Center.
And there, it is resonating and it is illuminating the entire body. So, Kabir Sahib
says, “If we manifest that Sound Current, then our work is done.”
To manifest that Sound Current, the Masters have told us to do Simran and the contemplation of the Master at the Eye Center. By doing Simran lovingly at the Eye Center, the thoughts, which are now scattered outward, they start gathering and becoming inward. And, when we keep doing this practice then, at some time, the attention of the soul starts getting collected at the Eye Center. So then, the soul gets connected to the Sound Current. That Sound Current is what the Masters call Naam.
So, Kabir Sahib says, “First, you have to do Simran.” Now, once we do our Simran, at some point, the Simran also becomes automatic. The mind starts doing the Simran by itself. And then, the Sound Current manifests after that.
Kabir maala manhi ki,
Aur sansaari bhekh,
Kabir maala manhi ki,
Aur sansaari bhekh,
Maala phere hari mile,
Tho gale rahat ke dekh.
Kabir Sahib says, “The Naam, which is kept within, the rosary of that Naam is the true rosary. Taking rosaries outside, and repeating by the tongue, is of no use.”
When the mind gets connected, after the Sound Current is manifested, it gets completely intoxicated in that. That is the rosary of that Naam. The resonating of that Naam is continuous at the Eye Center, and the mind gets so intoxicated and experiences so much bliss that is not found in any other thing in this world. Once that Sound Current manifests, even for once, or even for a second, the karmas that we are carrying for hundreds and millions of lives get destroyed or redeemed. And the same mind, which is our enemy today and which is not allowing us to go within and do our meditation, that same mind becomes our true friend in doing this.
Once the mind gets connected to the Sound Current, it also realizes that it belongs to the Brahm. It is an element of Brahm, and it has to go back there. Thereafter, the mind helps the soul to go within. And both of them then go and rise upwards.
So, Kabir Sahib says, “You take this rosary of the Naam within, and do your Simran and do your repetition of that Naam within.” Doing this outside rosary, holding a rosary and doing a repetition by the tongue, is of no use.
In northern India, when there was no electricity to get water from the canal, there used to be these wheels. And there would be vessels, which would be in the wheel. The wheel would have a number of vessels, and part of that wheel would be dipped in water. So, each time the wheel moved, the utensil would collect some water, and then throw it into the field. So, that is called a Rahat, and that is for giving water to the field.
So, Kabir Sahib says, “By moving a rosary in the hand, if one was to get salvation and go to God Almighty, then that person, who moves the rahat, that person should have got his salvation by now.”
Kabir Sahib says, “You should, therefore, move the rosary with your mind.” You should do the repetition with your mind, and then you will get the benefit.
Kabir maala kaat ki,
Bahut jatan ka pher,
Kabir maala kaat ki,
Bahut jatan ka pher,
Maala swaas uswaas ki,
Ja mein ghaat na mer.
Kabir Sahib says, “In the rosary, there is one big bead, and there is a knot tied there.” So, in the hundred and eight beads that are there, one has to be mindful of those knots and that bead, as it comes. But, instead, if one does the Simran with the breath, then each breath that comes in and goes, goes freely, and there is no knot there.
So, Kabir Sahib says, “That breath is continuous. We are continuously breathing when we are awake and asleep. If we are able to connect our repetition and our remembrance of God Almighty with each breath that we take, then our work will be done.”
Maala mo se ladi padi,
Kaa ferath hau moy,
Maala mo se ladi padi,
Kaa ferath hau moy,
Man ke maala feri le,
Guru se melaa hoy.
Kabir Sahib says, “Once, I sat with a rosary to do the repetition, but then, that rosary told me, ‘Why are you moving me around? Instead, you should do your Simran with the rosary of your mind. And then, your work will be done.' ”
So, you will see that in the Teachings, a rosary is not recognized. But, you will see in several images, or paintings, or photographs, people have shown rosaries in the hand of Guru Nanak Sahib, and they have shown the rosary in the hand of Kabir Sahib. So, all these are the imaginations of these painters. Because, when we move that rosary in our hand, our thoughts go outward. Whereas, the intention of Simran is to get the thoughts inwardly focused.
Kriya karein anguri ganai,
Man gaavai chahu aur,
Kriya karein anguri ganai,
Man gaavai chahu aur,
Jehi fere sai milae,
So bhaya kaat kator.
Kabir Sahib, when He was preaching, the people were mostly all outwardly focused in rituals and various practices. What often would be seen is that, on the riverbank, people would go and have a bath. And then, they would sit on the steps and they would sit with those rosaries and move those rosaries.
So, Kabir Sahib says, “Those people, who are moving rosaries like this in their hand, their mind has become like stone.” Kabir Sahib says, “These people, who are moving these rosaries by their hand, they’re wearing saffron clothes and having all these outward appearances, but inside, their mind is like stone. They do not have compassion for people and they are not dayal.” So, He says, “Instead of moving that rosary, if you move the rosary of your mind, then you will get your transformation.” Because, if we are moving that rosary by our hand, then the mind is still free, we are not touching our mind there. And the mind is going about freely, doing whatever it is doing. So, there is no transformation in the mind.
When we are doing our Simran, we are connecting with the mind, and we are making the mind do that Simran. So, that is how we should be doing our Simran. We should be always using the mind when we do our Simran. We initially do our Simran by the tongue, and we keep doing the meditation by the tongue until, gradually, the mind begins to do that repetition. And once the mind starts doing that repetition, it becomes ajapa, where the mind automatically starts doing that repetition. So, once the mind starts doing the repetition on its own, then you can be assured that the Simran that we have been doing is right. And then, the withdrawal of the attention of the soul also starts. So, when we start doing it with the tongue and, gradually, we are keeping the mind associated or connected with this, the mind also starts picking up that Simran, and it starts doing that Simran regularly. And, when it starts doing it automatically, that is known as ajapa jap. When the mind starts doing the repetition, then the karmas start getting reduced and the mind starts becoming purer.
Maala fere kaha bayo,
Hriday ghat nahi khoy,
Maala fere kaha bayo,
Hriday ghat nahi khoy,
Guru charanan chit rachiye,
Tho amarapur joy.
Kabir Sahib says, “There is no point in moving that rosary by your hand because, with that, your mind is becoming like a stone. There is no transformation in the mind. When we use the mind to do the repetition, the rosary is in the mind, then we will go to Amarapur, which is the land of immortality.”
Whenever we do a repetition, that repetition should result in a transformation of the mind, becoming more sublime, becoming more compassionate. Until that happens, there is no point of doing the repetition. Therefore, He says, “If you use the mind to do the repetition, then you will benefit a lot.”
Baahar kya dikhlaayiye,
Anthar japiye naam,
Baahar kya dikhlaayiye,
Anthar japiye naam,
Kaha mahola khalak se,
Pada dhani se kaam.
Kabir Sahib says, “By showing outwardly appearances of doing meditation, there is no point.” People wear these tikas, and they wear saffron clothes, and they take rosaries, and they sit down and show that they are doing a lot of meditation. All this is of no use.
What you should do is, do your meditation with your mind. So, by doing all of those outward things, if duality of your mind doesn't go, if compassion doesn't come in your mind, then there is no use. If you do it with your mind within, then your mind will stop chasing thoughts and attachments outside, and it will start focusing within. And slowly, slowly, you will get transformed, and the mind will also start identifying itself with the repetition. And your work will be done.
When we get experiences like this, when we are meditating, we should not share these experiences also. We should keep them to ourselves because our objective is to go to Sach Khand-Sat Lok. Because, when we share the experiences, what happens is, first, we build our own egos. That is one thing that happens. And the other thing is that the people to whom we are relating these experiences, they feel envious. So, that is why the experiences then stop. So, therefore, whatever we experience, we should keep that experience to ourselves.
Sahajehi dhun hoth hai,
Har dham ghat ke maahi,
Sahajehi dhun hoth hai,
Har dham ghat ke maahi,
Surat shabhd mela bhaya,
Mukh ki haazath naahi.
Kabir Sahib says, “That Sound Current is resonating very casually at the back of your Eye Center. So, once our mind goes there and manifests that Current and gets connected there, the enjoyment that it experiences, the happiness that it experiences, is beyond description.”
In Guru Granth Sahib, the manifestation of the Sound Current is akin to having a rain of nectar. Because all the wants and all the outwardly pulls of the mind come to a complete rest. The mind, immediately, gets transformed completely. And, what is an enemy today becomes a friend.
So, Mahatmas have sung the praise of the Sound Current, and it resonates twenty-four hours at our Eye Center.
Kabir Sahib has also said, “If you want peace and happiness, then go from the nine doors to the Tenth.” Because, when we go there, we will get true happiness, and all our outward desires will come to an end.
Maala tho kar mein firai,
Jeebha firai mukh maahi,
Maala tho kar mein firai,
Jeebha firai mukh maahi,
Manuva tho dahu disi firai,
Yeh tho simiran naahi.
Kabir Sahib says, “When we sit with the rosary, we move that rosary by our fingers. And by our tongue, we are repeating a name.” So, we repeat, say, ‘Ram’. By the tongue, we are saying ‘Ram’, and the rosary is moving in the hand. But, the mind is moving in all directions. So, Kabir Sahib says, “This is not Simran.”
Simran should be done by contemplating on the Feet of the Master within, or repeating and focusing on the Names given to us and by doing the Simran of those Names with your mind within.
Therefore, Masters say, “If you get the mind connected with the Naam and do Simran, then it will not have the luxury of wandering away in other thoughts.”
Tan tir man tir bachan tir,
Surat nirat tir hoy,
Tan tir man tir bachan tir,
Surat nirat tir hoy,
Kahe kabir is palak ko,
Kalp na paavai koy.
Kabir Sahib says, “When the body is still and the mind is still at the Eye Center, and the repetition of the Naam is being done at the Eye Center then, even in a fleeting second, the benefit, or the experience that we can get, one cannot get that by doing pranayamas for several yugas, or even a kalpa.”
Once there was an argument between Vishvamitra and Vashisht. And Vashisht said, “It is the Satsang, which is very important.” And Vishvamitra said, “It is the Yoga, which is important.” They both argued and they needed someone to arbitrate and decide as to whether tapasia, or austerity, was a bigger thing, or whether Satsang was a bigger thing.
So, they went to Lord Vishnu, and they asked him. Vishnu felt that, if he says anything, then Vishvamitra is a sage who is known for his anger. So, it wouldn’t be appropriate to say anything. Instead, he asked them to go to Brahma to get the resolution.
So, Brahma, again, realized that both of them were big sages and it would not be appropriate to give an answer and get a curse from either of them. He suggested that they both go to Shiva. So, they went to Shiva and they, again, posed the same questions.
Now, Lord Shiva, again, felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to give an answer now, so he suggested that they go to Lord Adi Shesh, who has been there forever, and they should go to Adi Shesh and get the resolution. So, they both went to Patal, below the earth. They went there to Adi Shesh and they asked him this.
Now, Adi Shesh said, “Yes, I can give you the answer. But, I have this burden of the earth on my head.” So, he told Vishvamitra first, “If you can hold the weight of this earth and relieve me for a few minutes, then I can resolve, I can think freely, and give you a proper answer.”
So, Vishvamitra then took water from his kamandalu, and he poured a few drops, and said, “Okay, I'm giving you the power of my 10,000 years of austerity and, with that, you will get relief.”
Now, with that, the earth just shook a bit. But then, it didn't come away from the head of Adi Shesh.
Thereafter, Adi Shesh called Vashisht, and he said, “Can you give me the benefit of your Satsangs and see if you can elevate the weight of this earth?”
So, Vashisht said, “Okay, I will give you the benefit of one hour of Satsang.” And, with that, the earth moved above and Adi Shesh was relieved for about two minutes. And then, the earth came back on his head.
Vishvamitra now got angry, and he said, “For two minutes you were relieved from the weight of the earth, but you didn't give me any answer.”
So, Adi Shesh said, “You have already seen evidence, the answer, yourself. You gave me 10,000 years of your austerity, and the earth just shook a bit. And Vashisht Ji gave one hour of Satsang and the earth was lifted for two minutes. So, that itself is evidence of what is superior.”
So, Kabir Sahib, therefore, says, “Devotion is very high when we do our Simran with love and affection.” We get our mind associated with it, and that is what he is praising.
Jaap marai ajapa marai,
Anahadh bhi marjaay,
Jaap marai ajapa marai,
Anahadh bhi marjaay,
Surat samaani shabad mein,
Taahi kaal nahi khaay.
Kabir Sahib says, “The jap that we are doing, the repetition that we are doing, that will eventually get destroyed. The mind then will be doing the ajapa on its own, repeating the Simran on its own. Even that will get destroyed, eventually. The Anahad Shabd, which is coming from below Par Brahm, and at the back of the Eye Center, which is within the realm of Kal, even that will get destroyed, eventually.” So, He says, “The Sar Shabd, which is there at the Par Brahm, that is above the realm of Kal, and that will never get destroyed.”
At the time of initiation, the Masters tie up the soul with the SarShabd. Kal ties up the soul with the Anahad Shabd at Sahasdal Kamal, and the Masters, at the time of initiation, untie that knot and tie it up with Sar Shabd. So, till the Sar Shabd is manifested, there is no question of salvation.
There are so many rishis and munis who have done various practices and have got connected with the Anahad Shabd, but they have not been able to go beyond Par Brahm. That is only possible with the Grace of the Masters. That Sar Shabd, then, from Par Brahm, takes the soul back to Sat Lok-Sach Khand.
Jaaki punji swaas hai,
Chin aave chin jaay,
Jaaki punji swaas hai,
Chin aave chin jaay,
Thaako aisa chahiye,
Rahai naam lau laay.
Kabir Sahib says, “The wealth of breath that has been given to us, we should make that useful by getting it connected with the Shabd.” A limited number of breaths have been given to everybody, and we are in this body till that number of breaths gets completed. As soon as the number of breaths given to us gets completed, the angels of death, immediately, come and take the soul.
Mahatmas say, “Our true wealth is the wealth of the breath that has been given to us. And, every day, we are taking 21,600 breaths.” That is the number of breaths in a day.
So, you can imagine how many are going in a month, and how many are going in the number of years that we have lived so far. Such priceless breaths are getting wasted.
Kabir Sahib says, “Value the wealth that has been given to you, and create the wealth of Naam.” So, only the breath that we take while were taking Naam is of use, every other breath is a waste. So, Kabir Sahib says, “I beat the drum, and I repeat several times that, with each breath, we are losing the wealth of the three worlds.” Kabir Sahib says, “Use that breath for Naam. Get connected to Naam with each breath. And then, the purpose of why you have come here will get fulfilled.”
Kahatha hu kah jaath hu,
Kaha bajaaye dol,
Kahatha hu kah jaath hu,
Kaha bajaaye dol,
Swaasa khaali jaath hai,
Teen lok ka mol.
Aise mahange mol ka,
Ek swaas jo jaay,
Aise mahange mol ka,
Ek swaas jo jaay,
Chaudha lok na pat thare,
Kaahe dhoor milaay.
Kabir Sahib further awakens us and says, “This priceless store that has been given to you of these breaths, why are you wasting these breaths? Your breath is of a higher value than all the fourteen planes that are there. We are giving no value to these breaths, and we are wasting these breaths in all our outward attachments, all the pursuits that we are doing in this world.” So, Kabir Sahib says, “Use this breath for the value that it holds for you. And, as your store of breaths is continuously getting depleted, make the most of each breath that you have, and get connected with the Naam with each of the breaths that you're taking, and make use of this life, which has been given to you.”
Because this whole world has been created by Kal and Maya as a delusion, as a deceit to the soul, so that the soul doesn’t leave the compound of Kal, and it gets entangled here itself.
This entire world and all the attachments and all the materials that we see are all kept by Kal and Maya to delude the soul. And, all this is done to deceive the soul, not allowing it to get freed from here.
Kabeer chudhaa hai kukari,
Karath bhajan mein bang,
Kabeer chudhaa hai kukari,
Karath bhajan mein bang,
Yaa ko tukada daar kari,
Simiran karo nisank.
Kabir Sahib says, “This stomach of ours is like a dog. Don't listen to it. Just keep throwing a roti from time to time to it.” For being successful on the Path, for doing Bhajan Simran, less talk, less food, less sleep is very necessary. When we eat less, the mind is also fresher, and there are fewer diseases that we are inflicting upon our body. By eating more, the body gets more prone to more diseases and, as a result, the mind also gets influenced by what we eat. So, we should keep a control on our stomach, because the stomach has this tendency that, if it gets good food, it starts eating a lot. It makes you eat a lot and, as a result, then laziness steps in. We feel lethargic and all of these vices step in.
So, by eating less, a human being becomes God. By eating more, a human being becomes an animal. Therefore, we should have a control of what we eat and eat limited quantities of food for being successful on the Path of devotion. Even the other senses, our ears, our eyes and nose, all of the other senses also have to be kept in control. If we control all of our senses, then we will get the benefit in the devotion, and the Master is also pleased.
Kabeer chudhaa hai kukari,
Karath bhajan mein bang,
Kabeer chudhaa hai kukari,
Karath bhajan mein bang,
Yaa ko tukada daar kari,
Simiran karo nisank.