Ashok :
We’ll start with the question-answer session.
Question :
Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj had told Sant Ji that His fragrance would cross the seven seas and, indeed, one was drawn to the fragrance of Sant Ji. Can you tell us a little on the fragrance of a Saint?
Babaji :
Kirpal Singh Ji had referred to Sant Ji and He had said that your fragrance will cross the seven seas and it will attract people, and the reference of fragrance is with regard to spirituality. So, it is not an outward fragrance that is there of a Saint. It is always a fragrance that emanates from His spirituality, which attracts others.
Question :
Babaji, since a Saint lives in Par Brahm until all His initiates are taken back to Sach Khand, after leaving the physical body, what happens when His initiate becomes His Successor and the Successor, in turn, initiates many people. Now, since the Successor cannot return unless all His initiates are taken back to the SachKhand, the original Saint cannot merge back in Sach Khand till His Successor and all His initiates are taken back. So, my question is when will this cycle ever be completed?
Babaji :
So, Saints stay in the Par Brahm until all Their initiates are taken care of and they all go back to Sach Khand. Until such time, They wait in Par Brahmand to take them back. Now, in this reference, it is Their Successor Who is also Someone Who goes to the Sach Khand. So, the Saints are not really concerned with such Successors because They’re, anyways, going to Sach Khand. It is only the initiates who are stuck here that They have to take, and that is for them that They have to wait.
Question :
Will an initiate’s child who is not initiated have an effect of black magic?
Babaji :
The non-initiate child of the initiate, since there is someone who is doing Simran in that family, and that place has, therefore, become pure with Simran, there is no question of any such black magic taking effect, or any other ghost or any other such negative effects happening there to that initiate’s child also. Even the non-initiate dear ones of that satsangi, even if he is not a family member but there is someone who is dear to that initiate and that initiate is doing his Simran Bhajan, Masters even will protect those people.
Question :
Should a disciple be afraid of the Master? If yes, how does fear, love and devotion, all three, coexist together?
Babaji :
So, the disciple should have love and devotion to the Master and fear also for the Master. But, this fear is not like the fear we have for Kal or for some such other dangerous thing. It is basically a show of respect for the Master. And, fear that you do not do something, which He dislikes or you do not do a kind of small talk with Him. So, that is what is meant by fear for the Master and love and devotion to the Master.
Question :
How should the relationship of a guru and disciple be? Should it be like father-son? Or should it be like mother-son? Or like a friend who is always there with a helping hand, no matter what our problem and condition is?
Babaji :
The essence of the relationship is love and devotion. And whether you respect your Master as a father or as a mother or as a friend depends on your thought processes and how you are looking at it. But, the core and essence of it is that you should have love and devotion, and you should respect your Master.
Question :
When we asked Babaji to bless food and shawls and other things, is it important for us to specify who will receive each item?
Babaji :
When the Master blesses the food or shawl or whatever you are making as Prashad, it does not matter which of that Prashad you’re giving to whom. Because all of it is blessed and it’s not specific to a particular person.
Question :
While we are in the outer room preparing for Darshan, how should we conduct ourselves?
Babaji :
So, while you are standing, waiting for Darshan, or for meeting the Master, you should keep your mind pure and do your Simran. Avoid all other thoughts from coming in your mind, because that will get you the best effect of the Darshan of the Master.
Question :
Dear Babaji, the Satsang, Darshan, and Prashad of the Masters reduce the burden of the karmas of the initiates of the living Master. So, how about the disciples of the Masters Who are no longer in the physical body?
Babaji :
For those whose Master has left the body, they can sit with devotion and attend to Satsang and do their BhajanSimran with the same dedication and love and affection for their Master and they will get the same effect — like any other initiate who is getting it from a living Master. So, when anyone goes to take Darshan of a Master, of a Saint, whether he has been initiated by that Saint or initiated by some other Saint Who is no longer in the body, the Saint gives the blessings to everyone equally. So, everyone benefits from the Satsang and Darshan and the Prashad given by a Master, irrespective of whether he is an initiate of that Master or he is an initiate of any other Master.
Question :
Radhaswami, Babaji. How should the day-to-day life of a satsangi couple be?
Babaji :
This is a good question and it is important for everyone to understand this. So, as a satsangi couple, you should be an example to anybody on the outside world where they should understand that this is a couple, which is a satsangi couple, and they have got a true Master. Now, it is very important to have love and affection within the family and love and affection for each other, from each of the spouses. So, while making decisions, key decisions, it is important that you understand the opinion of the spouse and what that spouse wants. And, accordingly, both of you, jointly, should make decisions so that both are happy with them. The other thing is that it is only when you give love that you will get love. So, both of you should exchange love and affection with each other. It is not possible that you expect the other spouse to love you, but you are angry or you carry some hatred for that spouse. So, both have to love each other. As an example, the couple is the equivalent of a bullock cart. In the bullock cart you have two wheels, and if the married life is like a bullock cart with two wheels, then the wheels are the husband or wife and their spouse. For a smooth life to function, both the wheels have to be working together. And even if one of the wheels doesn't work, or is punctured, or is broken, then the smooth married life becomes difficult. So, it is important that you share that love and affection with each other, understand each other, and set an example for the rest of the world. Also, your neighbors and others around you, you should be affectionate to all of them so that they also exchange that affection and they also learn from the ideals that you have set in your life.
Question :
Radhaswami Babaji. I am married in a satsangi family and I myself am initiated by You. But my maternal family members are non-satsangis and they eat non-vegetarian food, etc. So, whenever I go back to my maternal home and do Simran, how does that effect or cause any influence? Can I influence them with my Simran, or will my Simran reduce because of what they are doing? So, how should I react among them because they are also my family?
Babaji :
So, it is quite normal to have non-satsangi members in your families. And it is important for you to do and continue your Simran and meditation and that will have a positive effect on them. But do not try to coerce them into following this Path or force them into thinking along the lines of what you are thinking. So, you will have a gradual effect if you continue to do your Bhajan Simran.
Question :
How can we develop respectful love for the Master without being clingy or demanding? How can we learn to surrender to His Will and develop contentment and serenity regardless of our condition?
Babaji :
So, respect, love, and devotion for the Master will come automatically when you do your Simran. Proximity to the Master — whether you stay in the same house or you stay at a distance — doesn't matter. These things will get developed when you are doing your Bhajan Simran and you're following the Teachings of the Master. So, when you respect His Teachings and you internalize those and you follow those Teachings, and when you do your Bhajan Simran, then automatically you will develop a respect for Him and you will develop love and affection for Him. And it is important to remember that — from a perspective of how others are viewing you with your following of this Path* — the same effect that you have when you're doing your Bhajan Simran, your contentment and all of these things, automatically come when you are doing your Bhajan Simran.
* This part of the answer extends beyond the parameters of the original question, but implies that external negative peer pressure or criticism from family or friends or others is ultimately rendered powerless by remaining devoted to one’s Simran and Bhajan.
So, the only thing that lacks in our lives is the lack of Simran. Because we are not doing our Simran, we have all these deficiencies — either less contentment, or less love and affection, or less respect for the Master. So, all of these automatically start happening if we simply do our Simran and we follow the Teachings of the Master.
Question :
I understand that the Masters do not normally take away the Pralabdh or fate karmas, though They can soften or speed up their payment. But what about when the Master saves the disciples from death, like gallows to a pinprick, or when Sant Ji saved the satsangis from the hotel fire in Delhi by having them come in one day later? So, do they begin a new life with the remaining Kriyamankarmas?
Babaji :
So, it is not that the Saints do not help us in redeeming our Pralabdhkarmas. The point that is being made is that everyone has to go through the Pralabdh karmas. So, whether the gallows is reduced to a pinprick, you still have to undergo that pain of a pinprick. So, that way, you cannot avoid a Pralabdh karma. With the Grace of the Masters, which is always there with us when we do our Bhajan Simran, that reduces our suffering as a result of our Pralabdh karmas. And, in this life, we have to pay and redeem both our Pralabdh and also our Kriyaman. So, some of the karmas that we incur in this lifetime itself, we have to redeem in this very life. And, some of those become Sanchitkarmas, which we then redeem in subsequent lives. So, Masters help us, redeeming both of these karmas.
Question :
When we do bodywork or counseling with others as a profession, is it appropriate to think of it as a Master working through us and use this guidance as much as possible? How can we minimize taking on other’s karmas in these professions?
Babaji :
So, while you do your practices of either bodywork or counseling or such activities, you should do it objectively. Now, the difference is that even doctors do operations on their patients and they also carry out procedures on their patients, but they do not incur the karmas of those patients because they do it like a duty. They do it objectively and they carry out their operations. Likewise, when we are counseling others, or we are carrying out other bodywork or such other things, we should not get involved emotionally in trying to assume that difficulty or the pain of that patient and try to go and plead to our Masters to try to alleviate that patient. We do such things, then that is an exchange of karmas and there is a possibility of that karma coming over. But, when you do it objectively as a duty, then there is no problem in this.
Question :
Is it okay for spouses to share some inner experience with each other for encouragement, or better not to do so?
Babaji :
Clearly, the sharing of experiences is prohibited and while being given an initiation also these are very clearly spelled out, that you should not share your inner experiences for various other effects that it has. So, whatever experiences you have, you may share it with a Master, but you should not share it with your spouse to encourage or motivate or do any such thing.
Question :
The other question is, "If we share an outer vision of the Master (like seeing the form change into other Masters) or dreams of the Master, is that the same as sharing our inner experience in meditation? Is it better to keep quiet?
Babaji :
It is only the experiences that you have while you do your meditation that you should not be sharing with others. Outwardly, if you are seeing or experiencing, as you have mentioned, or if you have dreams of the Masters, there is no problem sharing such experiences.
Question :
How can we develop discernment in sharing Babaji’s teaching so that they are not misunderstood or criticized? And do we just share a little and see how they respond?
Babaji :
While you are here and you are doing your meditation and what you have come here for, you should make sure you do as much Simran and Bhajan as possible and, instead of having discussions, you should focus on doing your seva and your Bhajan and Simran while you are here. With regard to sharing information about Sant Mat outside with the others, your friends, acquaintances, or some other people, you can. There is no problem in sharing that information. So, you can apply your own discretion and share that information.
Question :
When our Satsang includes disciples of other Sant Mat Masters, living and past, is it appropriate to watch DVDs of the various Masters, if all are in agreement about that?
Babaji :
There is no problem in listening to a Satsang of any Saints because all Saints talk on the same lines and there is no problem. And your love and affection for the Master grows that way, so there is no problem.
Question :
Is it hard for the Master with His heightened sense of perception to deal with the physical and karmic smells of the satsangis? When we are doing Simran is that like showering before seeing Him?
Babaji :
Doing Simran is always good because, by doing Simran, we make our mind pure.
Question :
Babaji talks about Kal’s older brother, Kurma, helping him with his creation of the lower worlds, who resides in the MahaSunn, and is still there in meditation. Babaji also said about Maha Sunn that it is beautiful and Sant Mat Masters bypass this place when taking Their souls back to Sach Khand. Where is Maha Sunn? Is it near Sach Khand?
Babaji :
So, below Sach Khand is Bhanwar Gupha and below that is Maha Sunn.
Question :
After the Master leaves the body, the ashram or his place of residence continues. When we go there, do we get the same Daya, or is it subject to the influence of Kal?
Babaji :
Once, I had requested Sant Ji, when He was giving the Bombay programs, that there are a lot of followers in Bangalore and we requested Him to come to Bangalore to give us a program here so that all could benefit from that program. And many people, who couldn't travel to Bombay, could come here to Bangalore. So, Sant Ji obliged and He had a program in Bangalore. So, he came here. And, after a couple of days in that program, while we were waiting for the Darshan, Narayan Shinkar went there to request Baba Ji if he could bless the ashram, which is the ashram belonging to Somanath Baba Ji, which was close by. That is in Kengiri. So, he requested Sant Ji that, "Since you have already come right up to Bangalore, if you could come to that ashram, then there are a lot of people in the ashram who would benefit from Your Darshan." And that's how he requested Sant Ji. So, Sant Ji said, "No, never mind. Don't worry about it." However, Narayan Shinkar asked twice if He could come, since He had already come all this distance. It was only a matter of a few minutes if he could come to that ashram. Then, Sant Ji got a little annoyed and He said, "See, you do not understand that once the Master leaves that place, the place is influenced by Kal. So, you should not insist for me to come there. The other thing is, of course, if I come there, then those people who are the sevadars there or who are staying in the ashram, they should not feel insecure because I've tried to come there as a Saint in that ashram. So, they should also not feel insecure about it." And then, he did not go to that place. So, the point that I'm making is that once the Saint leaves the place and He leaves the ashram, then there is definitely an influence of Kal that comes in that place. However, it is our devotion and when we go to the place it’s like when the Master was there in the place and we visited. We would get His blessings. We would get His Darshan. A lot of our karmas would reduce with His Darshan and His presence — His physical presence — being there. This does not happen after He has left His body and we go there to attend the place. However, there is nothing bad about attending or going to the ashram, or a place where He has stayed. It is better than going to any other place. So, there is no harm in going, or no problem going to a place where there has been an ashram.
Question :
My mother-in-law and my co-sister got initiated by Babaji about four to five years ago. My co-sister fell sick some time back and the doctor, it seems, advised and suggested that she eat non-vegetarian food for better recovery. Thereafter, she started getting non-vegetarian food and she is now also not following the Path and she is going to Swami Sarmath, whose practice allows her to eat non-vegetarian food. What would happen to her considering that she is no longer interested in following the Path and she is eating non-vegetarian food and following another path?
Babaji :
The seed of Naam will never perish. But, because she has swayed away from the Path and she has taken to eating non-vegetarian food and building up all the karmas, she will have to take another birth. She will be given another human birth. But, because of the Naam that has been given to her, she will have this impression from this life, and a Saint later will come and give an initiation and help her way.
Question :
Should we be respectful of disciples of other Sant Mat Masters if they are not respectful of our Master? Or is it better to just keep a distance?
Babaji :
So, this often happens and there are some people everywhere who bad-mouth others. So, one should not get into these discussions with them and stay focused on your meditation and Simran.