The paathi is singing from the Bani of Swami Ji Maharaj from the book: Santo Ki Bani...
Guru ka charan pakad drud bhai,
Guru ka sang karo banayee.
Guru bachan karo aadhaaraa,
Guru daras nihaaro saara.
THIS IS THE BANI Param Sant Satguru Swami Ji Maharaj. Before I start the Bani, I pray to the Feet of Som-Ajaib Who have graced me and made me fit for doing this Seva. Otherwise, I was an ordinary person and not capable of doing anything. It is only with the Grace of these two great Masters that They have made me fit for this Seva.
One can never speak the praise of the Master adequately at the level of the mind and intellect. It is only that we can thank Them profusely. But we will never be able to thank Them enough within the mind and the intellect.
Swami Ji Maharaj, in this Bani, says, “You should hold the Feet of your Master very tightly because that is the first step on this Path of devotion.”
The reference to the ‘Feet’ — when He says ‘hold the Feet tightly’ — is not a reference to the outward feet of the Master that one would assume. It is the Light of all of the planes for which the Naam has been given.
At the time of initiation, we have been given the Names of the Lords of those planes. It is the Light of all of those planes that we have to have firm in our mind, and we should be forming our repetition on the Names and on the contemplation of the Master.
When we follow the Teachings of the Master and, with His Grace, we leave the nine doors and come to the Tenth Door and we manifest the Radiant Form of the Master – and the Radiant Feet of that Master there – from there, our Path starts.
Before we are able to manifest the Radiant Form within, we have to do the devotion of the Master and we have to follow the Teachings of the Master.
So, following His Teachings, we should sit for our meditation every day for two and a half hours and we should spend time doing our Simran and Bhajan. Also, when we do seva and we get the opportunity to go to the ashram — or, in any way, do seva selflessly for the Master or the sangat — doing seva for the sangat is like doing seva for the Master. We also are able to reduce the burden of karmas on us. That is also a devotion and that is also a seva.
To go within, we need to have a seamless love and affection and devotion for the Master. And, we should continuously be doing our Simran — whether we are farming or whether we are doing some business or any other thing — we should continuously be in touch with Simran and doing our meditation regularly.
That same love and devotion that we develop will, one day, take us to the Radiant Form of the Master within, and your Master has been waiting there from the time He has given you initiation. He is awaiting you to come there.
Outwardly, the Master, and the body of the Master, are governed by the amount of time that has been given to the Master to be in this world. So, there is no permanence of that. The permanence and essence of the Master is the Radiant Form, which is within you. The real Form of the Master is the Radiant Form of the Master within and, outside, He is adorned with this body so that He can awaken you and initiate you and bring you on this Path.
So, it is only from that limited requirement that he has to do this. But the essence of the Master is the Radiant Form of the Master within. And once we are able to manifest that Form then, He is with us – right up to taking us to Sach Khand-Sat Lok.
Guru ki gathi agam apaara,
Guru asthuthi karo sawaara.
Guru raakho hirde maahi,
Tho mite kaal parchaahee.
Kabir Sahib says, “The speed and the Radiance of the Master is limitless, and it is beyond explanation. So, it is only when we go and see the Form of the Master within, that we are able to understand and appreciate it.
They have done Their devotion to Their Masters and They have gone to God Almighty. And that is how They are radiant and that is Their True Self within. Outwardly, this body is only for a limited purpose and this body has to be left behind.
Sant Ji used to say, “Your Master never dies.” So, that is the Radiant Form of the Master within Who is always there with you.
Even if the Master initiates a disciple and leaves the body the next moment or the next day, He is always there with that disciple.
We should always have that faith and we should always have that love and affection and devotion for our Master. We should have a seamless love and affection and devotion for our Master.
By doing our Simran, we are able to gather our thoughts within, which are otherwise scattered outside in this world. So, by doing that Simran, we gather them and we come within. And when our love and attention and devotion for the Master become seamless and we are continuously in that devotion and love and affection of the Master, then our spiritual journey within starts and we are able to go within and manifest His Radiant Form.
Bhogo ki aasa tyaago,
Mansaa taz jag se bhaago.
Aasa guru shabd lagaao,
Mansa guru pad mein laao
So, what Swami Ji Maharaj says is, “Today, we have manifested the world in all our desires and we are drawn outwardly to these desires and this world.” He says, “You should hold the Feet of the Master and do your devotion to the Master so that you can go within and manifest that Form of the Master.” With His Grace, you will be able to go within and get all your attention focused within. And, automatically, one by one, all the vices that are drawing you outwards in these desires and in this world will be dropped by doing the Simran given by the Master.
We have spent so many lives — and we have sacrificed so many lives — in the realm of Maya by following our desires and all outward pursuits. And because all of these are there, even in the lower life forms, we have spent and wasted so many life forms like that.
It is only with the Grace of God Almighty and the Grace of the Master that we have got this human life now and we have got the company of the Masters. So, we are indeed fortunate for that opportunity and we should make the most of that opportunity and spend as much time as possible in the remembrance and in the devotion of our Masters. With His grace, if we use this opportunity and spend the time in His remembrance, then we will be able to get salvation in this life itself. We will be able to go within and, with His Grace, go back to God Almighty. And there, we go back to our True Home and to our True Father.
Otherwise, our desires here, and our attachment to this world and our wishes to be here, all of these are pulling us back into this cycle of life and death.
Aasa aur mansaa modee,
Man indri guru mein jodi.
Din raath rahe guru dhyaanaa,
Guru bin koi aur na jaana.
He says, “All our desires and wishes have all been manifested in this outward material world. If we are able to draw our attention within, then in this life itself, we will be able to get out of this.” For doing that, we should focus our attention and keep it on our Master and, at all times, we should be in His remembrance.
Even if, for a second, we forget our Master, then we should feel that it is like fifty years that we have not remembered Him. So, that way, we should keep our attention always in the remembrance of our Master and He should always be with us in our thought processes.
If we look at the history of our Masters, all of Them have spent Their lifetimes in the remembrance of Their Masters and the love and affection of Their Masters. They have resolute faith in Their Masters and They have seamless love for Their Masters and They are always in the remembrance of Their Masters. Day and night, They are in the remembrance of Their Masters.
So, that way, if we have unbroken or seamless love and affection for our Masters, then our spiritual journey becomes very easy. Because Their Grace — Their Hand of Grace — comes on our head and we are able to go through this journey very easily with Their Grace.
If we look at all the ten Sikh Masters from Guru Nanak Ji, we can see how much love and affection They had, and how much devotion They had, for Their Masters.
Bhai Lehna, while he was going to visit his deity goddess, on the way he just stopped for listening to Guru Nanak Ji. And thereafter, he sat and he didn’t leave that place. He listened to two or three Satsangs and decided to continue there and he was, after that, always in the love and affection and devotion of his Master. So, he sacrificed everything for his Master. He didn't bother about today and tomorrow or his future. He sacrificed everything and there he sat for devotion at the feet of his Master.
Even if we look at the life of Guru Amar Das Ji, He got the opportunity of going to his Master only at the age of seventy. But once he went to his Master, there was no coming back. From there, he continued with his Master only. And he used to carry water on his back for the langar because there was saline water near the ashram. So, he had to travel a distance to get sweet water and he used to carry that daily for the langar for twelve years, till he was eighty-two.
That way, all the Sikh Gurus had great love and affection and devotion for Their Masters.
If we consider Guru Arjan Dev, his Master was his biological father also. But he never looked at him as a father; he always considered him as a Master. And he spent his time in that devotion.
Even for a few days, when he was away from his Master — his father — he was so much lost in the pangs of separation that he wrote a letter to his father that is was so much filled with his love and affection and his devotion to his Master. He wrote this bhajan, “Guru Guru Guru, kar man mor, Guru bina main naahi hor”, which means, “O mind, you please say ‘GuruGuru’, you keep repeating that, because without Guru I am nothing”.
That is why we have to have seamless love for our Masters. There should be unbroken love and affection and devotion for our Masters. If we give that break or we allow that crack to come, then we are lost to the world because Maya and Kal will pull us towards the world and the materiality here and we will lose that Grace of the Master for that period.
So, like our fathers and our grandfathers — all of them — when they passed away, they repented because there was nothing that they have carried of this world with them. The same fate awaits us if we do not spend that time in the love and affection of our Master.
Guru swaas giraas na bisro,
Tu pal pal gaa guru jas re.
Guru hai hithkaaree tere,
Guru bin koi mitr na hai re.
By reading this Bani and listening to it, we can see how much love is there for the Master and how much devotion is there for the Master.
This Bani has been written by Saligram who was the disciple of Swami Ji Maharaj. He was a very learned person and he had done his M.A. in those days and he had a very high post of the Postmaster General in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
So, he was at such a high post, but he used to come to the ashram, and there, he would look after the cleanliness of the ashram. He would do selfless seva in the complete love and affection of his Master. He would carry water to the ashram from the nearby river. And, whenever he would be in the ashram, he would always be doing selfless seva there.
In the same period, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj also used to come to Swami Ji Maharaj's ashram – he was also the disciple.
Both of them usually would come on a Sunday because both of them would get a holiday on that day.
So, Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj was more inclined to do meditation, sitting for meditation and Bhajan. So, when he would get the Darshan of Swami Ji Maharaj, he would then sit down for meditation after that.
Whereas, Saligram, after the Darshan, would go and do the seva in the ashram and he would do very selfless seva.
If you look at seva that way — which you do physically also for the Master or for the ashram — if you do it completely selflessly and in the love and devotion of the Master, it is as good as sitting for meditation. In fact, it is like a cash transaction. You get immediate benefit by doing seva.
Saligram Ji also wrote another Bani called, “Prem Bani”, in which he has talked of his Master and he has written about the Path. And if one reads that Bani also, one understands how much devotion and love he had for his Master.
In this Bani, He has written, “When you are eating also, you should be in the remembrance of the Master.” So, even for that momentary activity of eating His food, He feels so much of love and devotion for his Master. And He is so much in the remembrance of the Master that He says, “Even during that time, we should constantly be in His remembrance.” So, one understands the depth of His devotion in such thoughts.
The relationship with our Master is permanent. The relationship that we have with our near and dear ones is all because of the relation with our body and the relation of our karmas with each other. So, at the time that we have to leave the body, we will automatically have to leave behind all these relationships with all the other people whom we hold so dearly today.
So, it is only the relationship with the Master that is permanent because He is always with us. And He will also come to us at the time of death and He will take us and give us salvation. And, even after death, He will take us back and He will hold our hand and not leave it till He takes us back to Sach Khand-Sat Lok and to Sat Purush.
Therefore, He says, “If there is one person who does not leave you, who is always with you, who holds your hand, even at the time of death, and who doesn't leave you until he takes you back to God Almighty – if that is one person – that is the Master.”
Guru fandh chudaave jam ke,
Guru marm lakhaave sam ke.
Bhoujal se paar uthaare,
Chin chin mein tujhe savaarein.
He says, “The amount of Grace and help that the Master extends to the disciple is immeasurable.” We are not able to understand it because we are blind. We do not understand that now. But when we go within and when we see for ourselves, the Master and what he is doing – how, for every second, you can observe that He is helping so many hundreds and thousands of disciples all over, and every second he is spending doing that – then we understand how much Grace He has showered on us and how much He is helping us. If we come to know that, then we will start dancing.
At the time of initiation, the Master takes all the karmas of that disciple, which are going to take him to hell. So, all such major karmas sins that he has done, and all those bad deeds, are assumed by the Master. And then, the Master goes and washes these sins and these bad deeds in the Mansarovar — on that very day of the initiation. And, thereafter, he also assumes a lot of the burden of that disciple. He takes over a lot of those karmas and He helps and handles the disciple, right up to taking him to God Almighty.
He alleviates our problems, our burden of karmas, and He redeems those karmas. He takes the soul back to God Almighty and cleanses it of all of its karmas. Such is the help of the Master. And what more help can we expect?
Jyo niz andaa seve kachchaa,
Thyo guru rakhein teri pachcha.
Guru sam aur nahi ko rakshak,
Kul kutumb sab jaano takshak
He gives the example of how the Master is helping us at all times. He gives the example of the turtle.
When the turtle lays its eggs, it comes to the beach and it makes a hole and lays all the eggs there and covers them with sand. Then, it doesn't wait there; it goes back into the sea. And there, it carries on whatever it is usually doing – it eats its food, it saves itself from predators, its swims, and it does all of that – but, at all times, every second, it is always having its attention on each of those eggs. And all its attention is always focused at all times on that egg, despite saving itself from predators or eating food or swimming or doing whatever.
So, if even for a second that attention is not there, then that egg gets spoiled. This attention is continuous till the time that those eggs hatch and the young ones come out and go to the sea. The turtle is, at all times, keeping its attention on each of those eggs.
Likewise, the Master focuses on all of us and He has His attention on all of us. When He initiates us, we are all connected with the Sound Current and, through that, He is able to keep His attention on each one of us. And, at all times, He is protecting us and keeping us on the Path.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “There is no one who is a bigger protector than the Master Who is protecting the soul at all times. And there is no one who was a bigger threat or a bigger danger to the soul than his family and all his near and dear ones because they are keeping his attention focused outwardly in this world.” Whereas, the Master is taking that attention inwards to God Almighty.
So, therefore, Swami Ji Maharaj says, “The Master protects us and He takes us within. He is our true protector. And all our family members and all the near and dear ones that we have are all drawing us outwardly in this world and, therefore, they are a great threat.”
Now, Saints say, “We have to stay in this world. But, when we are staying in this world, we have to be doing our duty to this world and keeping our love and attention at the Feet of the Master.” So, at all times, we should keep our mind and focus and attention to the Master and do the rest of our duties, as duties, to all the near and dear ones and all the family members that we have around us.
If we look to the past, we see all the great Masters have all lived in Their families but They have, at all times, done that and looked at that as a duty and focused Their attention and Their mind at the Feet of the Master.
By doing so, we also will then be able to have a happy life here at the physical level with our near and dear and family members, and we will also be able to achieve our true objective of going back to God Almighty while we are doing this.
Ta te guru ko kabhi na chhorro,
Kanak kaamini se man morro
Guru ki bhakti sada such daa’i,
Guru bin man buddhi bhi dukh-daa’i.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “Your Master is your true protector and, therefore, you should have your devotion to Him. Your love and affection and your attention should be with the Master. You should try to pull your mind away from the lust of materiality and the lust of the passion outside and keep that attention focused within at the Feet of the Master.”
Day and night, our attention should be at the Feet of our Master. And we should understand that, other than that, we have no help and we have no one else who isprotecting us, so we should have full faith and full devotion at the Feet of the Master, day and night. But, to do this, we really need in our heart that true love and affection and devotion for the Master. Just outwardly, if we try to do it — we just outwardly try to show affection for the Master — then we will not be able to achieve it.
Guru vishvaas chitt mein dhaaro,
Guru parshaad jagat se taro.
Maan moh mad guru sab haren,
Kaam krodh bhi tujh se daren.
Swami Maharaj says, “Have firm faith in the Master and the Parshad given by the Master – continuously use that Parshad. The Parshad He is referring to is not the food and other things that are given at a physical level by the Master. It is the initiation – the Naam that has been given to the disciple. That is the true Parshad that the Master gives the disciple. So, He says, “Use that Parshad. And with the help of that Parshad and the Grace of the Master, you will be able to go within.”
Instead of keeping your anxiety about the future in this world, keep that for the world that you have to actually go in – to the True Home. And, that way, you will be able to go in faster.
Lobh lahar sab dein nikaari,
Maaya mamta baazi haari.
Tujh se jeet sake nahi koi,
Guru ka bal jo man mein hoi.
If you stay in the remembrance of the Master at all times, and you manifest Him in your day-to-day activities, then you will be able to get yourself rid of all of the vices that have been given to you by Maya – which are lust, anger, greed, attachment, and ego. And, one by one, all of these will leave you when you are in the forever remembrance of the Master.
When you love your Master and you follow the Teachings of your Master and you do your BhajanSimran, then you get the Grace of the Master. And, with that Grace, you are able to go within and progress on your spiritual Path.
And then, even the forces of Kal, or any negative power, will not be able to disturb your soul.
Guru se pave naam rasaayan,
Ghat se bhaage trishna daayan.
Guru charna amrit guru parshaadi,
Preet sahit mite upaadhi.
Once we go within with the Grace of the Master and following His Teachings then, when we go within and we manifest His Form, this ‘witch’ of desires, this burning fire of desires, we are able to quench that completely; and we are not, thereafter, troubled by that fire of desires.
So, He says, “Once you have followed the Teachings of the Master and, with continuous remembrance of the Master, are able to go within, then you manifest that Radiant Form of the Master within and, with His grace, you manifest the Sound Current within.” Now, that is what Swami Ji Maharaj means by the ‘Feet of the Master’ – that is where we get the Darshan of the Feet of the Master.
Tulsi Sahib has also said, “Where you are able to manifest this Radiant Form of the Master, then your entire consciousness is illuminated. From inside, you can see Light; and this darkness, which we have today, is forever quelled with that Radiant Form of the Master.
Guru pai tan man dono vaaro,
Hirde mein guru roop nihaaro.
Guru hain daata guru hain daani,
Guru aaraadho chhin chhin praani
Swami Ji Maharaj says, “You should sacrifice your mind and body at the Feet of the Master because, with your sacrifice, you will be able to please your Master. There is no bigger and greater donor than your Master. There is no one who graces more than your Master – not only in this world but in all the sixteen planes. There is no one who is more generous than your Master.” So, please Him by the sacrifice of your mind and your body.
The Masters, Who have initiated each of Their disciples, are all awaiting them within – your Master awaits you within. Your fate is in the hands of your Master. All your deeds are in the hands of the Master and He is awaiting you to come within. So, you should do your meditation and go within and try to please Him.
So, pray at the Feet of your Master and please Him with following His Teachings. And, by doing that, you will be definitely getting the hand of His Grace on your head.
Sat purush satnaam guru hain,
Alakh roop aur agam guru hain.
Radhasoami guru ka naam,
Nij pad paaye karo bisraam.
Swami Ji Maharaj says, ”Love your Master because He is there in all the sixteen planes. He is the Sat Purush. He is there; he is in Anaami. He is in Agam. And, when you go there, Saints have kept His Name as Radhaswami.” So, He will enable you to go back to your True Home and your True Family. And that is your permanent family.
Everything that you have — all your family that you have today — is all associated with your body. And all this you will leave back when you go into your next life. You will have a different family. And continuing that way, when you go to the next life, you will have another family. So, these families are not permanent. They are only associated with your karmas and this body. And your True Family awaits you in Anaami where, with the Grace of your Master, you will be able to go.
Radhasoami guru ka naam,
Nij pad paaye karo bisraam.
Guru sab vidhi hain antarjaami,
Gaavo dhyaavo radhasoami.
Swami Ji Maharaj has very beautifully praised the greatness of the Master. He says, “The Master is your True Protector. He is there in all the planes. He is Sat Purush. He is Anaami. You call him Radhaswami, and with His Grace, you will be able to go within and you will be able to go to your True Home.
So, you should have very resolute faith in your Master and you should have a lot of love and affection and devotion towards your Master – because your Master is your True Protector and He is your True Father.
Radhasoami guru ka naam,
Nij pad paaye karo bisraam.
Guru sab vidhi hain antarjaami,
Gaavo dhyaavo radhasoami.
Radhaswami.
Closing Talk 15 August 2017– MorningWhen We Listen To Satsang, It Will Help Us To Not Get Swayed By Worldly Anxiety
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY of this program with all the foreigners. This program has been here for the last fifteen days and all of you have taken out your precious time and come here and you have left your dear family members behind. And you have come here to do your devotion. So, I pray to Baba Ji that, when you go back also, His Hand of Grace will be there on all of you so that all of your devotion and love and faith in the Master increases.
When you go back, you should try and attend the weekly or periodical Satsangs that you may have in your nearby places. And you should also listen to the Satsang on the DVD regularly. Because you should listen to your Satsang daily and it will help you, as we are all in anxiety about our day-to-day activities and all of that affects us. So, when we listen to Satsang, it will help us to not get swayed by that anxiety.
And you should make a timetable. And, in that timetable, you should regularly do your meditation. And I pray that you will be in touch with Baba Ji and Sant Ji and the Masters while you do your meditation and Satsang on a regular basis. I pray to Sant Ji and Baba Ji for that.
I once again pray at the feet of Sant Ji that your love and affection for your Master increases, your devotion increases.
I thank all of you.