The paathi sings the Bani of Sant Tulsi Sahib......
Tulsi ya sansaar mein, Paanch rattan hain saar Sadh sang satguru saran, Daya deen upkaar.
THIS IS THE BANI of Param Sant Satguru Tulsi Sahib. Tulsi Das was from Banaras, whereas Tulsi Sahib was from Pune. He was born in the Peshwa family in Pune, Maharashtra and he was the eldest son.
His father always wanted to engage him in his regular worldly duties, but Tulsi Sahib was always busy with his devotional practices. Tulsi Sahib liked to sit in solitude and contemplate on God Almighty.
His father, the king, however, wanted him to ascend to his throne. So, he gave him all the knowledge of horse riding, archery, warfare and all of the other things required to be a king.
Tulsi Sahib learned all of these arts, however, he always preferred to be in solitude and contemplating on the Almighty.
Looking at this attitude of Tulsi Sahib, his father got him married at a very early age of sixteen years. Then his name was Shyam Rao and his younger brother’s name was Baji Rao.
Around three years after his marriage, Tulsi Sahib left the family quietly and he moved around in the north of Uttar Pradesh. He later set up an ashram in Aligarh near Agra at Hathras. He set up a village there called ‘Jogiawala Gaon’.
In this Bani, Tulsi Sahib is talking about the five gems of devotion and He says these are immensely valuable or priceless gems of devotion. He says these five virtues are difficult to imbibe, and if we attain or imbibe these five virtues, then to meet the God Almighty and be with the God Almighty is not too distant or far-fetched. The five virtues He talks of are: the company of the Masters, the surrender to the Master or getting Naam Daan or initiation, compassion, humility, and selfless help to others. Thus, after one is initiated, one should move on the Spiritual Path with compassion, humility, and selflessness. If one is compassionate and humble in his behavior, then it becomes easy for him to get the Mercy of his Master.
Saints say that if one is not compassionate, however great a person may be, he is equivalent to a butcher. So, the necklace, or the jewelry of a Sadhu, is humility, and helpfulness, and compassion, and love for one and all.
So, these are the key traits of Masters Who, despite having everything, lead a simple life with humility and compassion. The Almighty says, “I have everything, but if you want to gift Me something, then you gift Me compassion and gift Me humility.“ So, the Almighty has everything and the only thing that a devotee can offer Him is humility.
Jaiso taiso paatki, Aavai guru ki ot Gaanthi baandhai sant se, Na parkhain khar khot.
Tulsi Sahib says that however big a sinner is, and however big his sins are, if he goes in the company of the Master and gets initiation and surrenders to the Master, then the Master does not look at those sins. Because the Saints always look at the soul, and the soul, being a part of Almighty, is pure. It has come from the Almighty. All the sins are all associated with the mind and the Saints look at the soul.
Sant Ji used to often tell us a story of Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj. He used to go from village to village and spend five to ten days at each of these places.
In those days, the practice of Sant Mat was not very prevalent and known. So, it would take a longer time to explain and for people to get faith in it.
So, once He had gone to a place for five days. He was accompanied by one of His good disciples, Moti Ram Tailor. Moti Ram Tailor one day brought a person called Hukam Singh along with him. Moti Ram requested Him in private that if Hukam Singh is initiated or he comes into the Sant Mat, then it will help the other villagers to get attracted towards Sant Mat also because Hukam Singh was a big farmer. He had a lot of land and he was the chief of the village. So, all this was requested by Moti Ram Tailor of Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj.
Maharaj replied to him that “You request for any other thing, but don't request me for giving initiation to Hukam Singh.”
Moti Ram Tailor again pleaded with his Master that “Please give him initiation. If You don't give, who will give him initiation?"
Master Jaimal Singh Ji told him that “Please do not be persistent in this. If you want any other thing you ask me, I will grant it to you. But don't ask me to give initiation to Hukam Singh."
However, Moti Ram persisted with his request and he was very keen that Hukam Singh be given initiation. So, he again humbly requested and kept repeating that.
Finally, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj told him that “Okay, I have come to attend this program for five days. Today is the second day. If you are insisting that I give him initiation tomorrow, then I will give him initiation, and then I will leave back for my place immediately."
So, Moti Ram said, "Okay, we could, in that case, come to Beas to listen to Your Satsangs. But I still request You to kindly shower Your Grace on Hukam Singh and give him initiation tomorrow."
Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj told him that “Okay, next day, ask him to have his bath and come for initiation. And you kindly prepare a carriage for me to immediately leave for my residence."
So, the next day, as planned, Hukam Singh came for the initiation. The horse cart, or carriage, was arranged and all the luggage, etc. was packed. So, as soon as the initiation was given to Hukam Singh, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj took the carriage to the railway station because He had to embark on a train from Agra to Beas.
When He reached His residence, He advised His helpers there that “Look, I will be secluded for seven days. Do not disturb me. I will not want water. I will not want any food. And no one should be disturbing me for the next seven days."
Bibi Rukko was one of the disciples and she was very worried and she started crying after she heard Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj. She feared that by not having food and water for seven days the Master is leaving His body. So, she was extremely worried and she started crying.
Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj reassured her that “Do not think that way. I will not be leaving the body, but I will not be wanting to eat anything or drink anything for the next seven days. But you don't worry."
So, on the fourth day of this seclusion, Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj came there. He usually came once in a month when he would get a holiday for a day. He would visit Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj and take His Darshan.
So, on the fourth day, Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj entered the residence. The volunteers, the sevadars, went and very worriedly told Him the entire incident. And they said, “For seven days He is choosing to remain secluded. And we are very worried. We have not gone inside the room. However, you are a gurumukh. You are a very devout follower and you are very close to Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj. So, please go inside and check on Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj."
Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj replied to them, “If the Master has instructed like this, it is not correct to disturb Him." And he said, “We should follow His instruction and wait."
Thereafter, Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj extended his holiday and decided to continue to stay there himself because he was also very worried.
Then, on the seventh day, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj opened the door and Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj was the first to enter inside, and he wept at the feet of the Master when he went inside. He inquired with the Master as to why, for seven days, He had chosen not to eat anything, not to drink anything, not to meet anyone for seven days, and why was it that He chose to do this.
So, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj replied to him, “This is not something that you should ask me and this is something to which I will choose not to reply."
Upon the insistence of Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, who was very curious to find out, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj told him, “Okay, since you have gone within and you have seen the Radiant Form of the Master and you are a gurumukh, I will share this with you, and only you. I will not share this with anybody else. And you have to promise me that, as long as I am in this body, you will not tell this to anybody. And you will keep this completely with yourself."
So, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj told Sawan Singh Ji, “This is how it happened. I had gone to this place for the program where Moti Ram Tailor insisted that I should give initiation to Hukam Singh." He said, "Upon a lot of insistence of Moti Ram Tailor, I initiated Hukam Singh. Now, Hukam Singh’s karmas were so burdensome and onerous, that he was destined to spend seven lives in hell. Not one life, but seven lives in hell. And he was, in these seven lives, to sit on a red-hot plate in hell. So, those were the kinds of karmas that Hukam Singh was carrying. And, since I initiated him, I had to take over his karmas and settle the karmas with Kal. So, in those seven days, I was redeeming his karmas."
After that Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj did not relate this incident while Maharaj Jaimal Singh Ji was in His body. After that, He would often narrate this incident.
Kal is very strict. When a disciple is initiated, the Saints assume his karmas from his previous lives, which would take him to hell, and redeem the larger of these karmas on Their body, and the smaller karmas They wash off in Par Brahm in the Mansarovar.
For the larger deeds that are there, for the more sinful deeds that the devotees carry, Kal asks for an account from the Master because for Kal, someone has to pay for those deeds. So, if it is not the disciple, the Master has to pay. So, it is the Master Who then suffers it on His own body and redeems those deeds.
It is like taking a truckload of material across the border and paying for the octroi, or the taxes, when you enter a new region. So, at that point, the taxes have to be paid. Either the driver pays it, or the owner of the truck pays it.
Sona kaa’i nahi lagai, Loha ghun nahi khaaye, Bura bhala jo gur-bhagat, Kabahoon narak na jaaye.
Tulsi Sahib says gold never catches rust, whether it is in mud, it is in water, or in any condition, however long. Likewise, iron is never eaten by insects. Unlike wood, which is eaten by insects. So, like the gold never catches rust, or the iron is never eaten by insects, likewise, any initiate, however heavy the sins be, never goes to hell.
In the Satsangs, Masters keep explaining to the disciples about how they should conduct themselves. However, some devotees do not listen to the Master and they forget and get into bad practices after being initiated also. They also end up eating non-vegetarian food and consuming alcohol, and they do several other sinful activities.
Now, for such initiates, at the time of death, the Master doesn't come Himself to take the soul. But He deputes Dharam Raj. Dharam Raj is the god who keeps an account of all the deeds of a person and on Judgment Day he puts this entire account in front. So, he has the power to look at that entire life account and passes judgment on the soul.
So, the Masters send Dharam Raj at the time of death, instead of coming Themselves. Dharam Raj follows the instruction of the Master. And the Master instructs him that he has to then put this soul back into another life, another human form in a particular family or place, in order to get the disciple back on the Path.
Once a person has been initiated by a Master that seed of initiation is never lost. And for even those initiates who take the initiation and don't follow, they are then given another life, and in that other life, they are again made to follow the Path. It could be that there would be a different Master Who will then initiate that reincarnated disciple in the next life. Because it is a new birth and it is a new life. So, it could be a new Master, but the seed of initiation continues. And then that soul comes back into the fold of Sant Mat and follows the practice. And his karmas are redeemed during that second life, and then he is absorbed and taken up and shown the Radiant Form.
So, even for initiates who have a love for the Master, but who may have drifted away from the Path, but they, nevertheless, love their Master, for such devotees also the Master comes Himself at the time of death. And then, instead of giving another life to that soul, the Master keeps such a soul on a higher plane. And there the Master makes the disciple do the meditation and then redeem his karmas.
For souls who follow the Teachings of the Master and who do Simran and they do meditation on a daily basis, and they spend two and half hours of every day doing this, even if they do not have experiences while they have been meditating, at the time of death the Master comes. And, if they do not have any pending wish or any unfinished desire, then the Master straightaway takes the soul to Sach Khand-Sat Lok.
Likewise, even if a soul does not have attachment to others or to any other thing from a worldly perspective, and even though he is not meditating much, then even for such souls the Masters take them straight away to Sach Khand and Sat Lok. For devotees who follow the Teachings of the Master and progress according to the Teachings of the Master, for them, during their lifetime only, they can reach Sach Khand-Sat Lok.
So, what brings us back again and again to take rebirth? It is the love for the world and worldly desires, or the unfulfilled desires.
So, if one has love for the Master, it is the love of the Master that takes the soul to Sach Khand and Sat Lok. The Master takes them there because there is no other desire to continue or no desire for any other matters in the world. That is why Masters insist on listening to Satsang, continuity of Simran, and contemplation of the Master. As one does the Simran, the attachments with other things in the world gradually diminish and the love for the Master increases.
Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj also advised Ajaib Singh Ji Maharaj to do his practice and Ajaib Singh Ji Maharaj did the practice underground and he did his Simran. And for eight years he did his practices of contemplating on the Master and following the Path shown by Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj.
Really, I do not have any qualities. It was Ajaib Singh Ji Maharaj Who made me do the practices and go back to Andhra Pradesh. And it is He only Who has done all the things that you see today.
It is the love for worldly matters and the desires that make us sad. So the paradox is that people who have more desires are the sad people and people who have fewer desires are the happy and contented people.
Dar darbaari saadh hain, Un se sab kuchh hoye. Dar darbaari saadh hain, Un se sab kuchh hoye. Turat milaavain naam se, Unhain milaye jo koye.
Tulsi Sahib says that the Masters are connected with the Court of the Almighty, and all those people who get connected with the Masters with love get connected with the Almighty. So, this is the means for salvation because Almighty has graced the Masters by giving Them this power of redeeming souls and getting them connected with the Almighty.
kaam krodh mad lobh ki, jab lag man me khaan tulsi pandit moorkha, dono ek samaan.
The Masters say that those who are drawn by lust, anger, greed, and attachment, whether it is a learned person or it is an idiot, both are the same. So, it is lust, anger, greed, and attachment, which take us away from the Path and increase our karmas. The Masters say that with the Simran given by the Masters and the contemplation of the Master, one can get the strength with the Grace of the Masters to gradually get riddance from lust, anger, greed, and attachment. Otherwise, a soul and the mind are quite incompetent to detach on their own from these things.
Simran has been given the power by Saints. It is with Simran that, from the world and worldly desires, our attention gets focused inwards towards Naam and Shabd and, with that, the Radiant Form of the Master manifests within.
pani baarrho naave main, ghar mein baaroh daam dono haath uleechiye, yahi sayaano kaam.
Tulsi Sahib is giving us an example. If one is sitting in a boat in water and there is a hole in the boat and the water starts seeping inside, then we get scared inside the boat as water starts filling in. So, the persons sitting inside the boat then are very desperate and they use both hands to throw out that water. So, like a lot of water accumulating inside the boat sinks the boat, a lot of accumulation of wealth sinks the meditation and spiritual progress.
Like taking out water from the boat, we should spend this wealth selflessly on the Path of Spirituality. It is said that “saadhu gaath na bandhyee, udaar samaana lay, aage peeche har karen, jab maange tab de.” Saints have faith in God and They do not create huge bank balances or deposits. They keep spending on the Path of Spirituality with compassion. They know that Almighty is giving Them today and will also give tomorrow. They have faith in God Almighty.
We should use that wealth for compassionate purposes, spending it for spiritual practices. So, if wealth is accumulated, it is actually counterproductive on the Path of Spirituality.
If a hall is being built for Satsang or for meditation, then those people who benefit by the hall and sit in that hall and meditate, part of the benefit of that meditation is also given to the person who actually donates that wealth for creating this facility.
So, Masters always channelize this wealth of the devotees for good purposes and don’t use it for Their own. They have Their own means of livelihood.
Somanath Maharaj, for example, had hardly any needs. He had only one loincloth in which he used to move around. For twenty-five years he did these practices. And he used to only have one pot for water and he would move in a loincloth. So, his needs were very, very limited. As a sadhu, he used to ask for alms also because that was required for him to eat his food when he was a yogi.
When he got in touch with Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj, then Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj said, "As a yogi, you used to ask for alms, but now going forward, you should not do that. You have to earn your own livelihood and carry on your duties of doing Satsang."
Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj gave him the rail fare to come back to Mumbai. And when he came back he had saved five rupees from that rail fare. And five rupees in those days were the equivalent of about five thousand rupees today. So, with that five rupees, he bought a container, which he could carry strapped on his back and neck. And he bought an earthen pot in which he would put coal. And he would sell peanuts.
So, the peanuts would be heated by that earthen container. And, like that, he started selling peanuts. And there was a long marina at Worli in Mumbai. He would take that container with him and walk across that shore, and people who were sitting there would buy those peanuts from him.
After a few days, somebody gave him employment in a cloth mill. He would work until evening and, after that, he would then take his bicycle. And on that bicycle, he would take those cut pieces of cloth and sell them.
So, that way, he worked for eight years and he saved some money. And with that money he opened a retail shop initially at Worli Naka and, with the Grace of the Master, he got into the wholesale business from there.
So, only after He purchased the shop, He had a place in which He could then do His Satsangs at one place. Otherwise, He used to carry out His Satsangs in a garden or in a public park and in such open areas only.
So, with the Grace of the Master, the business grew. The wholesale business of cloth, in which He was trading cloth, grew.
And, thereafter, He sold that business. And with that money, He purchased one hundred and one acres of land in Bangalore, which is the Kengeri Ashram.
Thereafter, with the offerings of the devotees, He opened fourteen other ashrams at various places like Davangere and Nizamabad, etc.
The Masters say that you should have your own livelihood. You should do your devotion and with whatever you have, you eat your own food, and then, if somebody comes, you offer them also food and have honest means and an honest livelihood and do your continued practice of Simran and the contemplation of the Master. There is immense power in the Word of the Master.
So, when the Master gives a directive or an instruction, there is immense power in that. And it is that instruction, which the Master gives, that actually works.
Pani baarrho naave main, Ghar mein baaroh daam. Pani baarrho naave main, Ghar mein baaroh daam. Dono haath uleechiye, Yahi sayaano kaam.
Radhaswami