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Divine Light Special Internet Issue Containing the discourses of Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, father of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji. Salutations at the Lotus Feet of Satgurudev Volume 2, No 1

Content The Goal of Human Life : "In human form, a man not only enjoys or suffers the fruits of actions performed in egoism and without devotion in previous lives" - "God realization is the only goal of human life...Material prosperity in its many forms can never provide constant satisfaction" - "Realization of this divine light and Knowledge of the Holy Name brings love for God - and from love for God will come selfless service to Him and obedience to His commands" - "It must be clearly understood that only He who can bestow God-vision instantaneously within oneself is the Satguru of the time, and no one else. In reality, He is God incarnate" - "Dedicate body, mind, speech, and all actions to the Satguru, which will then give rise to Bhakti, the devotional source of all happiness and peace." Give Us this Day our Daily Breath : "Can you imagine how happy you would feel if you were to concentrate on God, who is truly the consciousness of Bliss? But you attach your mind to His creation instead." - ""In all the three worlds, none is greater than Satguru. Even the mighty Creator is quite unable to function before Him. His Will is what happens. Let us adore Him." - "Prostrate yourself before the True, and serve Them with a guileless heart. When They are pleased, They will impart the Knowledge of the Truth to you." Indestructible, Ambrosial, Holy and True : "One who does not listen to satsang attentively talks like a crow, without understanding. But if he listens to it attentively, and understands the Knowledge, he gets rid of crow-like talking and begins to speak sweetly like a cuckoo." - "If you put milk mixed with water in a vessel, a heron will either drink it or leave it, but a swan will drink the milk only and leave the water. Similarly after listening to satsang attentively a man with a heron's nature receives the essence-like milk and leaves an insubstantial thing like water. Nobody should be surprised to hear this because the glory of Satsang is not hidden." - "Although one may be a king, or whatever one is doing, all is meant for the belly. Like swine all are roaming here and there for pleasure and have forgotten God." - "You may acquire wealth worth millions and billions and rule an empire which extends from where the sun rises to where it sets; but of what use are these transitory possessions?" The Meaning of Religion : "Peace is liked and accepted by all, but peace is of two kinds - external and internal. The first one is temporary, but the second is permanent. Though temporary peace is available from food, clothing and shelter, internal suffering is not conquered by these things." - "People of two beliefs live in the world. Christians and Muslims do not believe in rebirth. They believe that the soul is enclosed in the grave. The other group believes in rebirth amongst the 8.4 million species." - "Religion means to know one's Master." - "The people whose only aim is to enjoy sensual pleasures like a swine, consider salvation insignificant, and even risk their lives for the sake of attaining worldly pleasures." - " The religion of man is to see the Divine Light. Up to this time only human beings have seen it and in future also only human beings will see it There is no difference between a man who is satisfied with seeing the three types of external light and a dog or a donkey." Remembrance is the Unbreakable Devotion : "In all the activity the world is engaged in today, there is no peace or pleasure." - "The source of happiness, the source of peace, is devotion to God. Everyone today has devotion, but they place their devotion in false things." - "By meditating upon the very nails of the Feet of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji, the divine eyes of the heart are opened and the darkness of ignorance is ended" - "There are countless blessings for Shri Guru Maharaj Ji, who turned me into God from a man in a second." How to Save Mankind from Extinction : "Man can be cured of his warring tendencies by infusing his mind with the vision of God. This will kill the germs of man's warring tendencies and completely change his outlook." - "It is the Satguru who is responsible for the maintenance and control of the universe." - "The brotherhood of man can only be established by accepting the Fatherhood of God." The Real Shrine : "A human being is like that king, mind is like the elephant, attachment is the wine. With these, a person comes to see the world. Here, mind has thrown the human being down into the ditch of rebirth. The being has been held by a very thin root which is being eaten away by the rats of day and night. As soon as life comes to an end, the human being will go to the cycle of rebirth, where he will have to face various sorts of miseries that arise due to lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. The poor being hopes that he will get bliss some day, but he doesn't get it. Thus, his life comes to an end, and he supposedly experiences various types of sufferings by entering the cycle of rebirth. Beings can get rid of these vicious elements, that cause them miseries only during human life." Satsang and the Thief : "The nature of a man is changed from a heron's nature to a swan's nature by attending satsang." - "The world is made up of matter and spirit, virtues and vices. But saints, similar to the swan, retain the essence, the milk, and reject the useless objects which lead to deterioration. There is happiness and miseries, virtues and sins, high and low in this world, but saints take virtues only." - "Even if one listens to satsang by mistake, he will get a great benefit thereby."

The Goal of Human Life The following discourse was given by Yogiraj Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, Father of Guru Maharaj in June, 1961, at Prem Nagar, India. On this whole planet, man is the only rational being. Because of this quality of rationality, human birth is superior to all other births. In all other bodies, instincts alone are working to guide actions. They are devoid of discrimination and do not have the power of invention. They can neither grow nor prepare any kind of food, but they can instinctively devour it when it is prepared and offered by man. Non-human births are bestowed to suffer the fruits of action - good or bad - performed with egoism and ignorance of the true self during human life. Even the most laudable actions performed with egoism and in the darkness of ignorance, bestow at best the life of a lion to reign over the kingdom of the jungle or that of an elephant to adorn the palace of a king. In human form, on the other hand, a man not only enjoys or suffers the fruits of actions performed in egoism and without devotion in previous lives, but he is also free to choose his present line of actions by which he can direct his future life. But human birth itself is not obtained because of the merit of previous actions. It is due only to the extreme grace of the Almighty. Of the graces by which salvation is obtained, human birth is the first and primary. With extreme kindness, but without any consideration, God gives human life at His pleasure. Only in human life can the individual soul throw off the veil of delusion and realize its true self. Only in human life can it lose its seemingly separate identity and become completely immersed in the Creator. Obtaining a human birth is the greatest fortune of the soul because here alone is self realization, or God realization, possible. The great saint Kag Bhusundi who attained Knowledge, immortality, and perfection because of his extreme devotion, said, "There is no life like human life. All souls in both movable and immovable bodies aspire to it. Human life is a staircase which leads to hell, heaven and salvation. Only in human life can one obtain Knowledge, detachment, and Bhakti (devotion)." It is thus for man himself to discriminate and choose which path to tread on. The individual soul itself is nothing but a fragment of the cosmic soul, but having fallen under the influence of delusion it has lost control over the mind, and mind with its unsteady, turbulent, and tenacious nature has been causing untold suffering. But when through the grace of God, the soul obtains human life, a divine opportunity is opened to it to pierce the veil of delusion, to destroy the ignorance from which sprouts all sufferings, and to realize as a consequence its true self, which is satchitananda: its existence, its life-force, and its bliss. Having realized its true self, it can fix its mind on the divine light and by constant meditation acquire unity and tranquility, from which come untainted joy and eternal bliss, the inherent qualities of the soul. When the individual soul reaches this stage it is called salvation, which means deliverance from all miseries and sufferings. So salvation is only obtainable during human life, and salvation cannot be obtained without God realization, which is the only goal of human life. True wisdom, therefore, lies in taking full advantage of this divine opportunity to achieve salvation. It is the state of pure joy that a man is trying to achieve from birth to death. But because of delusion and ignorance, all his efforts are misdirected. The way to find pure or permanent joy is unknown to him. Usually a man believes it might be found in material prosperity and therefore undergoes hardships in order to acquire immense wealth, position or fame. But he soon becomes bewildered, as fear of losing these acquisitions becomes an obsession which robs his mind of peace and happiness, instead of bestowing them. In fact, instead of finding perpetual joy, he finds perpetual anxiety. Material prosperity in its many forms can never provide constant satisfaction, for matter itself is subject to decay; hence any satisfaction it gives must inevitably be lost. Man is in reality divine, free, and one with the supreme, but he forgets his true nature and identifies himself with matter, which is only an illusory appearance. And this is the real cause of man's bondage and suffering. There cannot be any liberation in a state of multiplicity. The state of complete oneness with God is the only goal to be aspired to, and towards which the entire creation is slowly moving. Happiness is dependent on peace, which is a sublime faculty of mind, and peace comes from evenmindedness. This is only achieved through devotion achieved by submersion of the mind into the ever-existent divine light within oneself and by constant meditation on the holy Name of God. This Name cannot be written or spoken, yet it provides life-force to all movable and immovable beings. Realization of this divine light and Knowledge of the Holy Name brings love for God - and from love for God will come selfless service to Him and obedience to His commands. Hence the prerequisites for sublime devotion are first, God realization; then, supreme love for Him; and lastly, submersion of the mid into His Name, which automatically leads to selfless service and complete obedience. God is both with form and without form. Butter still in milk can be said to be without form, and when it is churned out, with form. In the same way, the divine Light which is self-existent in all beings is God without physique, whereas the Satguru of the time, or the realized soul, is God with the physique. Submersion of the mind into the divine light; obedience and service to Satguru together with supreme love for Him; consecration of body, mind, and all activities to Him; together with a great anguish for the slightest forgetfulness of Him, constitute sublime devotion. Hence perpetual peace, eternal bliss and salvation within the lifetime are ensured. There is absolutely no other way to achieve them. This is universally substantiated and experienced by every saint, no matter where and when he lived. It is written in the scriptures, "One who desires to have happiness without Bhakti (devotion) is a great fool. To reach real happiness by other means is like trying to cross the ocean without a boat. Bhakti is a most precious diamond. One who has this diamond in his heart knows not even the slightest misery." Lord Krishna said, "He whose mind is detached from external enjoyments achieves through meditation that pure joy that is the inherent quality of the soul. Such a man who has realized God within himself, and has completely identified himself with the divine, enjoys eternal bliss." Sublime devotion, however, comes from implicit faith and confidence in the Satguru of the time, and it must be clearly understood that only He who can bestow God-vision instantaneously within oneself is the Satguru of the time, and no one else. In reality, He is God incarnate. It is impossible to have unflinching confidence without personal experience of this divine light. All scriptures and all saints unequivocally proclaim that God is omnipresent: He is present in all places and at all times. He is Satchitananda: ever-existing life force and absolute bliss. He is existent as divine Light in all beings. Realization of this creates absolute confidence in Satguru, without whose kindness and help it is never realized. Lord Krishna said to his disciple, "Arjuna, being pleased with you, through my own power I have shown you this supreme, primal, and infinite universal divine Light, which cannot be seen in any other way. Neither by reading scriptures nor by many acts of worship can I be seen in my immortal form as divine light." Therefore, to realize the divine light within, the kindness of the Satguru of the time is absolutely indispensable. At this time only does it become possible to dedicate body, mind, speech, and all actions to the Satguru, which will then give rise to Bhakti, the devotional source of all happiness and peace. So this is like a circle. First, humility and service to the Satguru will obtain his pleasure, and only then will he bestow God-vision for realization of divine light. And after God realization, faith and confidence in Satguru will lead to service, dedication, and devotion. Hence is achieved eternal happiness and salvation which is the ultimate goal of human life. It should therefore be the first endeavor of a human being to find the Satguru so that in the end this goal of human life can be achieved. Give Us this Day our Daily Breath This Discourse was delivered by Yogiraj Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, in June 1966, at Dehra Dun, near the Himalayas. Dear lovers of the Truth, Lord Rama says: "Of all the forms the soul can wear, the human form is the most rare, most highly praised in Sacred Writ, and we, most fortunate that it is ours, which even gods would dearly love to gain, yet gain but rarely." So we should not waste this human body. It was given us as a gift, so that we could obtain liberation, and we are most fortunate to have received it. There are four kinds of liberation and the gift of the human body is the first, for only in a human body can union with God be realized. The company and discourses of the saints is the second freedom, freedom from the chatter of idle minds. To be given Knowledge of the radiant form of God is the third, the freedom to enter the Kingdom of Heaven which is within us. And the final freedom is the total freedom of complete union with the Divine Light and Word of God. In the Ramayana we read that devotion is the crowning ornament of meditation, a jewel whose properties are to dispel darkness, to eradicate poverty of spirit, and to negate the poisons of worldly living. Not everyone who has a human body gains this pearl of great price. It is the Grace of God alone which bestows this human body, the very gods themselves wish to obtain it, but only those on whom the Almighty's Grace is showered receive it. It is said: "There's very many people never meet a Saint, but wander through life blind. Those whom Fortune leads to Holy Feet are very blest, for peace they find in freedom from the shackles of the mind." It is the presence of Guru Maharaj Ji that opens life up. There is a song which goes: "O Lord, simply seeing Your face has opened my life to Grace. My sunlight and moonlight You are, and I am Your little star. You are my Ganges, my Jumna too, and I'm a drain before You. You are the cream on the milk's top, and I am a spilt drop. You are Creator, You are the Word. May we sit at Your Feet, Lord? You are my Father, my Mother mild, and I am Your tiniest child. You're my ocean, You are so kind, You wash sins from the mind, You freely teach us Holy Knowledge. I beg to serve in Your college." Suppose someone has an empire that extends from where the sun rises to where it sets, he is still nothing before Guru Maharaj Ji. It is said: "In all the three worlds, none is greater than Satguru. Even the mighty Creator is quite unable to function before Him. His Will is what happens. Let us adore Him." The leaders of today do not listen. When I meet them, they tell me they have no time to spare. Yet what are they doing'? The President of India said in a lecture that only the Knowledge of God can bring happiness to mankind, and yet when I wrote to him about this Knowledge, his reply read, "Your communication is noted with thanks," and that was all. That is the way things are today. My meaning is this. The human body is not something that you can buy for cash. It is a rare possession, and you should use it well. Those who have human bodies should definitely take Knowledge of God. The scriptures say that this whole creation was made so that we might know God. Man only becomes tangled in the universe, and suffers, when he has no Knowledge. Saint Tulsi says: "God is in each human frame, and the greatest shame is not to see Him, to be blind from cataract, from mind." And Saint Kabir: "With his nose glued to the ground, the musk deer searches around for musk, although it's inside him; and human hearts, likewise, hide Him who made us, yet we who search for Him, stupidly seek Him in church!" God is truly the consciousness of Bliss within the heart, but we are looking for Him outside ourselves. Musk is in the musk deer's stomach, and when he urinates, the smell of musk is very strong, and the deer searches for the source of the smell in the hedges and all around him. But how can he find that outside, when it comes from within him? You have been deceived in the selfsame way. You do not know where Bliss is to be found. Come to me, I will let you know where God is living inside you, definitely I shall. You feel some pleasure when you go to the cinema, or when you eat good food, or wear good clothes. But the pleasure does not lie in those things, it is inside you, though you imagine it is outside. That is illusion. It's the same thing, when a dog digs up a bone and begins to chew it. His own jaw begins to bleed, and when he tastes his blood, he imagines it is coming from the bone. If his master takes the bone away from him, the dog runs after him angrily and tries to bite him, because he thinks that bone is the source of his happiness. In the same way, you feel you take pleasure in sensual experiences, when there is actually no pleasure in them. You go to the cinema, and you focus on the film, and your concentration gives you pleasure. But it is only a film, it is artificial, an imitation. You see the sea on the screen, but the screen is not wet. You see a fire, but the screen is not burning. If these things were real, the cinema would burn down. Can you imagine how happy you would feel if you were to concentrate on God, who is truly the consciousness of Bliss? But you attach your mind to His creation instead. Saint Kabir says: "If you sit for meditation, but your mind's somewhere outside, you will feel no dedication, for a starched cloth can't be dyed." Your mind keeps thinking, "Well, that's enough of that, I'd better get home, or there may be a burglary," or "That was my friends on the phone, must get down to the club while it's still open, and have a drink." What good is all that'? It is a complete waste of this human body, which is so precious that even the gods beg to obtain it. "There were thousands of different forms in the cycle by which we were bound before this one chance to be man came around. At times we were angels, at times worms. Guru Nanak Ji warns us this human frame is lent us, so we may remember the Holy Name. If we forget now, our last breath will tie us again to the wheel of Death." This is the highest form of body that exists. This is the body in which it is possible both to make an action, and reap the consequences. A man can prepare food for himself, and eat it. Other forms of life can eat food that men have cooked, but they cannot cook it for themselves. Fish, flesh and fowl will all eat food that human beings have prepared. The Almighty gave man an intellect. Man built the airplane by using it, and even managed to reach the moon. We should know that Almighty Father who gave that intellect to us. We should love our Father Almighty as much as the Chakor bird loves the moon. It is always longing to meet the moon, but how can it fly there? It would soon become thirsty. The technique by which we can meet that Almighty Father is given here. You see, God definitely lies within the heart. His Name is definitely in every heart. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Arjuna, I cannot be seen by merely mortal sight. I therefore give you Sight Divine to see my form of Light." Scriptures talk about Divine Light. But you won't find Divine Light in scriptures, you will only find descriptions of it. Guru Maharaj Ji gives people the same eve which Lord Krishna was explaining to His disciple Arjuna. Guru Maharaj Ji does not give people any mantras, He gives them Knowledge of that Name by which the mind is controlled. He teaches us to recognize Truth from untruth. In the same way, chanting and ceremonies are all false. You can find them in the scriptures, but I want to ask you what it was the saints who wrote those scriptures knew, that taught them so much? It was Knowledge of the Supreme. Guru Nanak says: "I suffered from an eye complaint, but Guru's drops made darkness flee. Amazing Grace, He sent His saint to one as blind as I. And now I see." What eye lotion did Nanak Dev Ji use? Tell me one thing, when you are chanting and singing, where is your mind fixed? Devotion has to do with three distinct things, the devotee, God, and devotion. When we fix our concentration on God, the link between us and God is called devotion, and we are known as devotees. But when you don't know the point upon which to meditate, where can you fasten your mind? Saint Kabir says: "You thumb your rosary, and wag your tongue with mantra chants, until your mind is flapping like a flag. Such things will never make it still." He also says: "Chants and rites aren't worth a single dime, so says Kabir, so don't waste time. Unless you know God's Word, His silent Breath, you'll never get across the seas of Death." So please don't be deluded. Don't waste your life in ignorance of this Word. The true rosary is secret, it is within you. You should request saints and mahatmas to show you that rosary which lasts forever. Lord Krishna says: "Prostrate yourself before the True, and serve Them with a guileless heart. When They are pleased, They will impart the Knowledge of the Truth to you." After Shri Guru Maharaj Ji had finished speaking, His youngest Son, the present Satguru, Who was then eight years old, addressed the gathering. He said: "You have all understood what Guru Maharaj Ji has said. The main point of His whole satsang is that we should recognize God."   Indestructible, Ambrosial, Holy and True Discourse by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj in Gitabhavan, Karnla Nagar, Delhi, 8th February 1953 Dear premies, behold the innumerable beauties of God's creation. Here is a garland of marigold flowers. How beautiful is their color. In what large quantities are they produced every year. Ages have passed but neither the flowers nor their color have ceased. There is no limit to the creation of God. Look at the ocean. From time immemorial rivers have flowed to join the ocean. But the sea never gets filled to the brim. How wonderful is the creation of the Lord! When Ravana was on his death-bed, Rama sent His brother Lakshman to him to learn the art of politics. Lakshman went to Ravana and stood by his head, but Ravana did not speak, so he became angry and returned to Rama, telling Him that the rope had been burnt to ashes yet the twist was still in it. Rama asked him at which end of Ravana he had taken his stand, and Lakshman replied that he had stood by his head. Rama then said, "Go back and stand by his feet." Lakshman did so, whereupon Ravana spoke, telling him that if a good thing is to be done it should not be left for tomorrow, and if the thing is bad, then it should be postponed until the next day. Just now you heard a song of Mirabai, which said that while others were engaged in collecting gold, silver, pearls and diamonds, she was the most fortunate, for she had obtained the priceless Name of God. All this wealth which people are collecting will not be of any avail to them during their last moments. People may consider it to be real, but Mirabai considered the Name of God to be the only real wealth, the most unique treasure. All the eight siddhis (occult powers) and all the nine nidhis (the nine gems of Kuvera, the God of Wealth) are ready to serve one who has the Word in his heart. The Word is very important. You can adopt any name by which men call God, but that Name mentioned here is not known to the people of the world. It was this Name that Hanuman showed by opening his heart. The sages of today say that Name is Rama. But Hanuman showed it within his heart. Did he not have any intelligence? What was the necessity of opening his heart? Could he not have spoken Rama through his mouth? Behold, you have a watch. I can see it only if you show it to me. By your speaking the word watch, I do not see it. In the same way, everybody has got the Lord within his heart, but by speaking a worldly name for Him, He does not appear. His True Name is with Him in the heart and that is why Hanuman showed it there. You must be aware of the fact that there are four types of vibrations producing sound, para, pashyanti, madhyama, and baikhari. You know of baikhari vani, which constitutes the words we use in our speech. But nobody discusses para vani, which is the Primordial Vibration. Read the Gita. In chapter 15 verse 6, Lord Krishna says, "Where there is no light of sun, nor of moon, nor of fire, that is my abode; reaching there the soul returns not." I ask, do you know that abode? No, you do not know it, although you have read about it. Suppose I have a choice of two persons to teach me English. One among them knows English, the other does not. Who will I choose? Only he who knows English can teach me. Similarly, how can one who does not know that abode make others know it? People do not understand this. They never think about it. Yet until one attends satsang and asks about it, one cannot get the Knowledge. If you leave this body without knowing that abode, then tell me, what benefit do you derive from having this precious gift of human life? Such a life is wasted. Muslims and Christians do not believe in transmigration while the Hindus do believe in it. If transmigration takes place, it cannot be stopped by the former's disbelief, and if it does not take place, it cannot be caused to happen because of the latter's belief in it. The sun will continue to rise and set whether you believe it or not. A Christian believes that your soul is judged, and if you have performed good deeds you will attain heaven and if you have performed bad actions you will have to go to hell, while according to the Hindu doctrine, when transmigration takes place, you will become an elephant, a pig, a dog, or any of 8.4 million species. But whatever happens to you, will you then see that abode where there is no light of sun nor of moon nor even of fire? In that supreme abode there is self-effulgent Light and the spirit does not return from there. I mean to say that if, by doing whatever you are doing - praying, reading scriptures, sacrificing, leading a virtuous life, fasting, going on pilgrimages or doing charitable work - you have not yet seen the Divine Light, how can you see it tomorrow? Many people think that it is not visible to men because their bad actions do not allow them to see it. But if it cannot be seen, what is the use of reading scriptures? It is written in the Ramayana that devotion is unconditional and the source of all happiness, but it cannot be attained by people without satsang. You may not like my language. If I were reciting scriptures and speaking in an interesting tone, then you would have said that He recites the Ramayana very well and He is a great scholar. But never mind that: what about what the Ramayana says? Devotion is unconditional, and exists as Divine Light, for which lamp, fuel or wick is not required. One in whose heart such devotion exists never feels unhappy even during a dream. If you are performing devotion, then why are you unhappy? Has Saint Tulsidas written wrongly? No, he has written correctly but the actions in which you are engaged are not devotion. Devotion to God is the Divine Light. It is within everybody but people do not know how to untie the knot, for the knot cannot be untied without satsang. Therefore you should attend satsang. Lord Rama says that one who obtains this human body is very fortunate because he can then attend satsang, receive Knowledge and acquire devotion. This human body is very difficult to obtain, but what are we doing after getting it? We are spending it in the service of pleasure. People pray for health and wealth, or jobs or the return of their departed sons, yet it is not written anywhere that this is devotion. It is written that devotion is unconditional but is not available without satsang. Therefore one should attend satsang and attentively listen to it. One should ask questions to the saints about it. One should also serve the Guru who will give the Knowledge of that devotion. You might read the Gita and listen to satsang but why don't you get devotion as a result? Because to get devotion is not a matter of merely reading and listening. The reward for good and bad actions will be available to you after death. For instance, one horse pulls a cart throughout the day and continuously gets severe beatings. Yet another horse is tied up in a stable, with several servants at its service; not even mosquitoes can bite it. Similarly, there is a dog who is hit by everybody and another dog sits on the throne of a king, gets good food and man serves it. This is the result of their actions in previous lives but satsang is an act which gives instant results. Saint Tulsidas says that if a person with a crow's nature listens to satsang attentively, he will be changed into a man with a cockoo's nature. Nobody likes crowing but everybody likes the calling of the cuckoo. In other words, one who does not listen to satsang attentively talks like a crow, without understanding. But if he listens to it attentively, and understands the Knowledge, he gets rid of crow-like talking and begins to speak sweetly like a cuckoo. A man with a heron's nature is converted into a man with a swan's nature. If you put milk mixed with water in a vessel, a heron will either drink it or leave it, but a swan will drink the milk only and leave the water. Similarly after listening to satsang attentively a man with a heron's nature receives the essence-like milk and leaves an insubstantial thing like water. Nobody should be surprised to hear this because the glory of Satsang is not hidden. Behold what a great sinner Valmiki previously was. How wicked were his acts. He used to kill a traveler first then search his body for plunder afterwards. But when he received satsang, he was completely changed. He meditated and merged with God. Today, there are many saints, seers and great scholars, but when they are asked, "When satsang gives an instant result and God exists within everybody, why is He not visible?" they reply that due to sin, confusion and obstruction, our mind is engrossed in different desires, so He is not visible. But you should think over this, that when human life is the only life in which we can perform deliberative actions as well as enjoy pleasures, while all other beings are merely able to enjoy, what is that action which can purify our minds so that we can see God and realize Him? Name any pleasure in which the world is engrossed today which is not available in the animal kingdom. Behold, an article which is available with much difficulty now can be obtained very easily as an animal. For instance, if milk is required, you have to keep a cow and feed it. Then only can you get milk. But if you keep that milk in a pot, a cat may come and drink it. The cat need not bother about keeping a cow; it still gets an article which is difficult for a man to obtain. Similarly a dog can easily obtain curd. Behold, these pleasures which are not available to us comfortably are very easily available to animals, but then deliberative actions cannot be performed. So satsang is available in this human life only, and only in this human life can you discover that action by which the mind can be purified and God realized. Saint Tulsidas says that however good your life may be, if you have not seen God in spite of His existence in your heart, it is worthless. The world has developed a cataract. When one gets a cataract, one goes to a doctor, undergoes an operation and then one is able to see again, but Saint Tulsidas says that the world has developed a cataract. How can that be removed, and who will operate upon it? People talk of purifying the heart but they go to Hardwar to bathe; they have to purify the heart but instead they are cleansing the body. Many advise the performance of different kinds of sacrifice but will these purify the heart? Or will the heart be purified by going into the temple and worshipping? Lord Krishna says in the Gita, "I am present in all beings like the thread in a garland of flowers." Behold, the same thread runs through a small flower as well as a big flower in the same garland. Similarly, God is present in all, as much in an elephant as in an ant, but He is not visible because the heart is covered. It is not pure. So the heart has to be purified. You approach some people who are supposed to be able to purify your heart but they only advise you to shave the head. Others will give you a string of beads to wear. Others will give you a saffron cloth and others Will advise you to sacrifice something. Others will tell you to utter certain words. But none of this will purify the heart. Devotion is unconditional and the source of all pleasures, but it is not available without satsang. Lord Krishna says, "One who dies remembering my Name comes to me." Can we remember God by doing these other things? When one is paralyzed, he cannot count beads or do any of these things. It is very difficult also to do so at the time of death because, you might have observed, at that time the hands and the tongue get cramped and all the organs become senseless. If we cannot go anywhere nor count beads then where does our devotion go at that time? When it is subject to the tongue or hands or feet, how can it be unconditional? Have you ever searched for unconditional devotion? No! Then how will it be available? Lord Krishna has said in the Gita, chapter 18, "one who propagates my devotion is most dear to me." Behold many of you have come from Pakistan. You might have had a hundred times more wealth there than what you have now, but did you get rid of transmigration by that? Although you left all your wealth behind because of the disorder there, after coming here, now you have started acquiring it again. It is quite possible that disorder may prevail again and your wealth will again be lost, because it is not lasting. The lasting wealth is the precious Name for which you have not searched. You may erect a stand today to provide water for travelers. But after travelling a short distance, the travelers will feel thirsty again. You may arrange a free kitchen but people who eat today will feel hungry again tomorrow.' You may provide clothes for the poor this winter but next year winter will come again. A man may be provided with all the necessities for his present life but when he is reborn will there be no necessity? No. All these things are transitory and they will be required again. Lord Krishna says that Knowledge of God is such that after knowing it, nothing remains to be known. After attaining it one merges with supreme bliss. One may be donated the wealth of the whole world but it is of no use without Knowledge. All actions are useless without Knowledge. You should think about that devotion which cannot be known without satsang. You may consider devotion as chanting mantras or visiting or building churches, mosques and temples, or observing fasts, or reading scriptures or performing rituals and worship, or visiting shrines. Well, the same amount of devotion obtained from these practices can also be obtained by watching other people perform them. But what is that devotion which can not be attained without satsang? Lord Krishna instructs us to know that in the Gita, chapter 4, verse 34. He says, "You should go to a realized saint, serve Him, prostrate before Him and ask Him with humility. When His soul will be pleased, that realized saint will baptize you with the Holy Knowledge." Saint Kabir said that while turning the rosary with your hand and uttering Rama, Rama with your mouth, your mind just roams here and there. Chanting mantras to concentrate the mind is not meditation. So you should think about that mantra by which the mind can really be concentrated, By chanting the Gaytri Mantra or Om Namo Bhagvate Vasudevoy or Rama, Rama how is the mind concentrated? Tell me, when you chant your tantras and mantras, where does your mind fix itself? Even at this time your mind roams about like a finger on the typewriter or like a neon sign which blinks off and on. How is the mind concentrated? Consciousness is blind without the Word. Until you know that True Name, that Golden Word, until you have its gate opened to you, your mind will remain wandering. If the mind cannot even be concentrated while chanting mantras, how will it be concentrated when you are not chanting mantras? Therefore, it is said that an age can pass in counting rosary beads but the doubts of the mind do not vanish; the mind still remains engrossed in pleasures. So count the beads of the mind, the True Name of God, which alone can divert the mind. Although the mind is happy counting beads on a rosary, it does no good. But when the rosary of the mind is counted, then the heart will be illuminated. Without that True Name and true devotion in the form of Divine Light, however pious you may be, however learned people call you, devotion will not come to you. There will be no benefit. Instead the false pride of learning and the show of devotion is bound to drown you in the ocean of the world. Many people say, "We follow Rama. We regard Him as the best among men who maintained propriety of conduct." But when they do not comply with what He said then how do they follow Him? They simply deceive other people and their own souls. Lord Rama said, "I say humbly to all that True Knowledge is a secret doctrine and man cannot get my devotion without it." Do you not count yourself among all? If you do, and you follow Lord Rama, then you should comply with His sayings also. Until you know and take True Knowledge, as Lord Rama has said, you cannot be His devotee. Many think that offering water to Shiva or reciting the mantra Om Namo Shiva is True Knowledge, but this is not it. True Knowledge is that which is described as even greater than Brahman, the divine source of the universe. It was realized by Lord Shiva in his heart out of a thousand million mantras. True Knowledge is that Name which Lord Shiva Himself used to remember. It is also called the mahamantra. Today, many say that Rama is the mahamantra, but it is written in the Ramayana that the mahamantra is even greater than Rama. Tell me how can that name be Rama? Tell me any verse where it is written that Rama is that mahamantra which was remembered by Lord Shiva Himself and preached in Benares as the way to liberation? Any mantra you repeat, irrespective of it being a Christian or a Mohammedan or a Buddhist mantra, has got a beginning and an end, but the mahamantra has no beginning and no end, has neither commencement nor extinction. It is described as indestructible, ambrosial, holy and true. The Name of Rama is a lamp-like gem, which shines day and night. Neither fire, sun, moon, oil or wick is required for that Light. Saint Tulsidas says, "That man who wishes to have Light within as well as outside should hold to that Name," but today people take that Name to be Rama. This is not so. That Name is in the form of Divine Light. Dhruva repeated the Name of Hari (God) by which he reached the unprecedented stationary stage from where the spirit does not return. By remembering the same Holy Name, Hanuman tamed Rama. So did Dhruva utter Hari, Hari and did Hanuman utter Holy, Holy? While praising the same Name, Saint Tulsidas called it Ram Nam, Param Nam and Hari Nam, so why do you who chant Ram Ram not chant Hari Hari, Holy Holy or any of those other names by which that Supreme Name has been called? No. The Name has been denominated by various words but it is the Name itself which should be known. By knowing the glory of the Name, Ganesh was worshipped as first among the gods and poison turned into nectar for Lord Shiva. That Name can transform poison into nectar, it can liberate one from transmigration and can make one immortal. Although you may have enough wealth to buy all things in the world, priceless is the Name, and the most excellent wealth. Mira has said. " I have the wealth of that precious Name. This priceless thing has been given to me by my Satguru who kindly accepted me." You might have heard about Rana, the husband of Mira, who gave her a cup of poison which turned into nectar. This is the influence of that Name which is known as the mahamantra and which is beyond alphabets. That Name is not subject to the three attributes or the five elements. Nor is it a subject of the mind and intellect. Why is it not visible? Saint Kabir says because all are busy earning their living. All actions which you are doing are for the sake of the stomach. Therefore, Saint Surdas says, "Who is as ungrateful, crooked, lustful and wicked as I would be, if I were to forget God who has given me such a beautiful body?" God protected us in our mother's womb, arranged food there, brought us out of that darkness and provided milk in our mother's breast, when we had no teeth. What an affection He gave to our mother that she was not repulsed by our excretion. When our teeth grew, we found four types of food: bread and the like for chewing; sauce and the like for licking; sugarcane and the like for sucking; and milk the like for drinking. Behold how beautifully the body is made. If He had not made the leg and had not provided a joint in it, then how could we sit or stand? Many use spectacles but if the eyes were not there, how could we see at all? Similarly, if this world was not created, what could we see? If our nose was not made, how could we smell fragrances? Being engrossed in occupations, we have forgotten Him who has created such a beautiful creation. Even though we can now fly in the sky, how much more comfortably will we be able to fly when we become a crow or an eagle after transmigration into the 8.4 million species. Neither passport nor petrol will be required there. A11 the scriptures, including the Gita, and all the saints and seers say that the last wish of a dying person is his fate. Guru Nanak says that one who dies remembering money is bound to become a snake. Similarly, if you wish for an airplane at the time of your death, you will become a crow or an eagle. Is this the only substance of human life? We are spending it on pleasures which are also available in the 8.4 million bodies as well. Saint Surdas says that when a swine goes out in the morning, is it for a walk? No, it goes out to eat excrement. Similarly whatever occupation one is carrying on is all for enjoying pleasures and making excreta. You might have observed that a juggler makes a monkey dance and afterwards asks it, "For what have you done all this?" Then the monkey puts its hand on its stomach to say, " For my stomach." Once I saw a policeman on the road, signaling with his hands. After some time he came off duty, so I asked him "Why were you moving your hands here and there?" He said, "It is my duty." I asked "For what do you perform your duty?" Then he said, "Thereby I get pay which is used for feeding my family." Similarly, although one may be a king, or whatever one is doing, all is meant for the belly. Like swine all are roaming here and there for pleasure and have forgotten God. Even if God is remembered, then in what way is He remembered? A small chamber is made in the house. An idol and all items required for worship are kept therein. The owner takes a rosary and sits inside for two hours so that he becomes famous as a great devotee. Is that meditation? Guru Nanak says that those who remember the Name while sitting, standing, sleeping, walking and at all times, all their desires are fulfilled. So says Lord Krishna, "Remember me at all times and fight." Now, you should ask yourself, "However many mantras I may have, can I repeat them while sleeping or performing all other actions?" When you are not conscious during sleep and the senses are not active, then how can you remember your mantras? Lord Krishna says, "One who shall remember me at the last moment will attain my real form." So, Guru Nanak says, "Remember the One who dwells within everybody's heart, in Water, on earth and everywhere. Why should you remember any other which originates and subsides?" When all the saints and seers have instructed mankind that liberation cannot be attained by all these mantras of yours, you should not remain in doubt. You should know the Word which was in the beginning and which can be remembered secretly. Only a rare person tries to know it. This is the mahamantra which was remembered by Lord Shiva and preached by Him at Benares and it was the one which Hanuman showed by opening his heart. Today, many people chant the Gaytri Mantra, which says, "We meditate on your Light. Please put our intellect on the virtuous path." Is meditation on the Light performed by simply saying that we meditate on the Light? When sweetness does not come to your taste by chanting candy, candy, then can your intellect be put on the right path by merely saying so? After getting such a grand human body, if you do not know the True Name of God and His form of Divine Light, and continue to read the scriptures throughout your life, when will you meditate on Him? And when will you know that Light, which has been described by Guru Nanak as having the brightness of a hundred thousand suns yet there is darkness without a Guru? One who has not found the Satguru cannot attain the supreme abode which is in the form of Divine Light. The same Param Prakash is termed as Elahi Noor in the Koran and Divine Light in the Bible, where four types of light are mentioned; sunlight, moonlight and firelight. All see these three types of light but people do not try to see the fourth one, the Divine Light. Premies, you are listening very attentively. I wish to tell you more but time is short. Behold, Saint Tulsidas says, "I salute the lotus feet of Satgurudev who is the ocean of compassion and God in human form. His Word destroys the darkness of ignorance and allurement as the night vanishes on the rising of the sun." The Satguru's Word is that which is called satnam, mahamantra, sarshabd, and the gurumantra. Lord Rama says that one who does not liberate himself after getting a human body is a dunce who meets the fate of a suicide. Saint Surdas calls him ungrateful and compares him to a swine. Saint Tulsidas says that you may acquire wealth worth millions and billions and rule an empire which extends from where the sun rises to where it sets; but of what use are these transitory possessions? Behold, how much wealth Alexander the Great acquired, but in the end he went empty-handed from the world. Previously, kings used to be appreciators of merits. They used to remove the difficulties of the public. They used to be ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of religion. They used to follow advice and accept the guidance of one who talked about their welfare and interest. They used to respect them. They used to serve the learned saints and seers. But today, they say something but act differently. They do not even know religion or what to say to the people about saints and seers. Even if God were to manifest, and however beneficially He might talk to them for the benefit of their welfare, they would not have time to listen to Him. Today the whole world is trying day and night to collect wealth. But Samartha Ramdas, the Guru of Shiva, says that wealth is a shadow. As long as you run after a shadow. It will run ahead of you. When you turn back from the shadow and run towards the light, then the shadow will follow you. Once Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, was serving Lord Vishnu, massaging His lotus feet. Lord Vishnu closed His eyes and Lakshmi asked, "O Lord, about whom are you thinking?" The Lord replied that He was thinking about His devotees. Hearing this, Lakshmi laughed. Observing this, the Lord asked, "Tell me frankly, why did you laugh?" Then Lakshmi apologized and said, " I got such an idea into my mind that is not worth mentioning." When the Lord insisted very much and said, "I will pardon you if you are found guilty in it, so speak frankly," Lakshmi said, "You think of your devotees but they are all mine. There is no devotee of yours at all, so about whom do you think?" Lord Vishnu said, " Let us go, I will show you whose devotees they are." So they set off. Lord Vishnu, disguised as a sadbu brahmin, sat on the bank of the River Jamuna, and Lakshmi, disguised as an ascetic lady, sat nearby. In the meanwhile, a seth (a wealthy person), returning from bathing, saw the aged brahmin and thought that he could live at his place and perform his worship in the temple in his house. Thereby he would get a watchman and he could earn fame as a great philanthropic devotee. Thinking this, the seth asked the brahmin, "Maharaj, why are you sitting here? Please come to my place. It is very beautiful. You can stay there and perform worship and get food." Hearing this, the old brahmin said, "No. It is okay here. After some time you may say, 'leave this place', then where shall I go? So it is okay here." The seth said, "Throughout life, I will never ask you to go. I shall consider myself very fortunate to have an opportunity to serve you. I will serve you very much." So the sadhu brahmin accompanied the seth and on the way they met Lakshmi. The seth told her, "It is time to eat. Please come to my place and take food there." So she accompanied him also. The seth served food for them both in the porch, but the ascetic lady said that she did not take food in such vessels, and bringing out from her bag golden vessels, asked him to serve food into them. After she had eaten her food, she asked him to throw her golden vessels away because she could create a new set of vessels daily, and liked to take her food once only in each new set of vessels. The seth took the used set of golden vessels to his wife. Both were pleased and started serving very good food to her. One day Lakshmi said, "I will go today. I feel hurt because you serve me better food than that brahmin in your house. So as long as he stays here, I cannot take food." Hearing this, the seth immediately went to the brahmin and said, "Maharaj, flowing water and a travelling ascetic are good; so please go and stay elsewhere." The brahmin said, "O seth, on that day you promised me that you would never ask me to go, so why are you saying so now?" The seth was greedy for gold. He could not resist the temptation offered by the miracle of Lakshmi and he said, "No, you cannot stay here. You go of your own accord or else I shall ask the servants to send you out." So the Brahmin went and he was followed by Lakshmi because where there is God, the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, also goes. Behold, except meditation, all other things disincline one from God. Therefore Samartha Ramdas says that if you want wealth, you should remember God and perform devotion to Him. It is written in the Ramayana that maya (wealth) and bhakti (devotion) are both feminine. All know this. But devotion is dear to God, so wealth is afraid lest devotion complains against her and she may be punished. Where there is devotion, wealth works as a servant, and where there is no devotion, it becomes a master. Today people read the Srimat Bhagwat, where it is written that a seer cursed a king, saying that a snake will sting him on the seventh day. The king left his kingdom and went to meditate so that he could get salvation and so that his human life may not go astray. But people these days do not think that a snake in the form of death will sting us too on the seventh day. A new eighth day will not emerge for anybody. Therefore we should also meditate. We should not spend this human life in vain. First of all, it is difficult to get a human life again, and if it is available, when we do not meditate now, then that life will also be wasted. To get rid of transmigration in this world, this human body is the only gate. There was a very big castle, where there was only one gate. One blind man entered through it into the courtyard. It was summer and the sand on the ground was very hot. Soon the blind man wished to leave that place but he could not find the gate. After some time a kind gentleman came. He saw that the blind man wished to go out and he told him that he should go along keeping his hand on the wall of the castle, and when the wall ended he would know that was the gate, and he would be able to go out. The blind man did accordingly but he had an itch on his head. When he had almost reached the gate, he took his hand from the wall and started scratching his head and in this way crossed by the gate without realizing it. I mean to say that 8.4 million species is a very huge wall. This world is a castle. And to get out of it, in other words to get liberation, this human body is the only gate. As this gate approaches, one gets the itch of lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. For instance, one thinks himself a very great scholar or a beautiful person or a very rich man or a very great king, or a prime minister or a dictator or a minister or a president or the owner of a huge business. This is all attachment and ego because when the gate in the form of human body is missed then there is nothing. Then there is the same cycle of transmigration in 8.4 million species. There is only one way to get out of this. The Word of God should be remembered. Lord Rama while instructing Bhilani said, "l am only interested in devotion. The first devotion is to keep the company of saints, the second is to meditate on God and the third is to become egoless and serve the Guru." But how much ego people have today! They think that because they have obtained great degrees, there is nobody equal to them. Will these degrees liberate them? No. By being involved in worldly affairs all have forgotten God. Mahatma Ghandi used to say that non-attached action should be performed, but did he ever think what non-attached action was? Many claim that all their actions are surrendered to Lord Krishna. But are actions surrendered merely by speaking, " I surrender al I my actions to Lord Krishna"? If it is so, when one feels thirsty and hungry, one would say, "I surrender my thirst and hunger to Lord Krishna," and one should not feel thirsty or hungry. Surrender does not take place by merely speaking. Similarly non-attached action does not take place by merely mouthing words. When an action is not performed without desire, how can we think that it is taking place without attachment? When even the Word of God, which exists in the heart, is not remembered without desire, how can worldly affairs like government service or administration be non-attached? To explain this point, Lord Krishna, in the Gita, chapter 4, verse 17, explains what action and inaction is. Even great intellectuals do not understand it. Instead they think that they have made great progress on their own, like an oilman's bull, who thinks that he has walked a distance of fifteen miles in one day but finds himself on the same spot when he is untied and his blindfold removed. The same is the fate of all. He who sees inaction in action and action in inaction understands the secret of action. It is not a matter that can be understood by merely reading the scriptures; this cannot be understood without a Guru. Therefore that supreme abode in the form of Light from where the spirit does not return should be known. You can know that only during this life, otherwise this human life is wasted. You think that you do not have to go from here, but you are wrong. Saint Kabir says that a man who does not even come to listen to satsang complicates himself in whatever he does. One who involves himself in worldly enjoyments has to die. The world is a forest of illusion, and the Name of the Satguru is the only way out. Premies, after listening to satsang at Gandhi Grounds, a few people asked why I do not tell everyone the Name which is called the mahamantra? Now, I tell this before all of you. Behold, there are six mudras (postures). Among these this is the posture of Knowledge, (he demonstrates). In this, consciousness and the Word are harmonized, soul and God are united. In this way, by keeping the body firm, this Name should be meditated upon in the heart. (For some time He demonstrates how to meditate). You may ask me to speak the Word by mouth but if I speak with my mouth then words will be uttered, and that Name is beyond alphabets. The whole world is roaming in alphabets. So I ask you to know the Holy Name which is beyond alphabets and to meditate upon it in your heart.   The Meaning of Religion Discourse by Yogiraj Shri Hans Ji Maharaj - Parliament of Religions; Constitution Club, New Delhi - 27 March, 1954 Dear Gentlemen, Three questions are before us today. Which religion can be acceptable and beneficial to all? How and when can a man see the Divine Light as described in all scriptures and which is beyond the light of sun, moon and fire? What is the simplest method, compatible with all religions, for internal concentration of the mind? There is also another question. What was the necessity for us to organize this parliament while several learned people, well-versed in religion, are already organizing religious forums in several places? I went to see some Russians, and they said that they do not believe in any religion. I asked them in what did they believe, and they replied that they believed in peace. But we should think about how peace can be achieved. For a thirsty man a glass of water brings peace; for a hungry person eating food means peace; and for an unemployed person peace is getting a job. Maybe for a single person peace lies in having a family. However people view it, peace is liked and accepted by all, but peace is of two kinds - external and internal. The first one is temporary, but the second is permanent. Though temporary peace is available from food, clothing and shelter, internal suffering is not conquered by these things. Today people have no knowledge of religion at all. People have forgotten religion. Christians worship Jesus Christ, followers of Islam worship Prophet Mohammed, followers of the Sanatan religion worship idols, and others worship the scriptures and perform sacrifice But none of them even consider why so many different religions should have sprung up. After all, what is the source of all these religions? Whatever I am saying, it is for sake of religion. A man can cook as well as eat pudding and pastry with this human body, but not even gods can cook. Lord Rama said, "The human body is attained by great luck. It is difficult for even gods to attain it." He said these words for those people who were blindly worshipping gods and goddesses. If they had known that this human life is difficult to attain even for gods, they would not have wasted it in service of those gods. In fact, no god or goddess, animal bird, reptile or fish can cook food, though all of them can eat. To eat is an enjoyment and to cook is an action; when food cannot be cooked in any other body, knowledge of the religion by which peace can be achieved can only be attained in human body. People of two beliefs live in the world. Christians and Muslims do not believe in rebirth. They believe that the soul is enclosed in the grave. The other group believes in rebirth amongst the 8.4 million species. Will we know the true religion which can give us peace either when we enter the cycle of rebirth or when our souls are enclosed in graves? No, it is now when we must act, but instead, people express their views for a short while and are acclaimed, then they leave the world. Religion means to know one's Master. One who does not remember the Almighty after getting a human body is an ungrateful person. How beautiful is this body which God has given us. What nice food He has made for us. But by forgetting the obligations of God and travelling around the world for the sake of enjoyment, our fate is like that of a swine which roams around the village in the morning in order to eat excrement. Man also wanders here and there only for enjoying sensual pleasures. A being gets four graces. The first grace is of God. How would a being get a human body if God had not made the human frame when He created the world? After getting such a beautiful and precious human body, one who does not remember God can only be called ungrateful. The second grace is that of the scriptures which tell that salvation cannot be obtained without a Perfect Master. I n scriptures, four voices have been described. They are Para, Pashyanti, Madhyamd and Baikhari. We speak through the Baikhari voice. Madhayama originates from the throat and Pashyanti from the abdomen. Beyond these is the Para voice which cannot be known without the help of the Perfect Master. If someone does not want to know it, let him not. I do not lose in any way. You have come to the door of salvation, but it cannot be entered without receiving the Knowledge and practicing the primordial vibration, otherwise you will have to go into the cycle of rebirth and suffer various sorts of pains. Once, due to the Grace of Guru Maharaj Ji, a plane arrived from heaven to take Harish Chandra there. He said, "I would like to go, but first I have to pay a debt I owe to a sweeper. So only if he can come, can I go with you." The angels of Lord Vishnu then told the sweeper, "Though you have not performed such good actions as Harish Chandra, you may come to heaven because of the influence of his virtues." The sweeper said that he reared swine. If they could go to heaven also, then he would come. So the angels told the swine, "Though you do not deserve it through your own actions, you can still go to heaven because of the good karma of Harish Chandra." But the swine asked, "Will we get excrement to eat in heaven? " The angels replied, "Ambrosia is drunk in heaven. Excreta is not available there." The swine then said that they would have nothing to do with such a heaven. What I mean to say is that the people whose only aim is to enjoy sensual pleasures like a swine, consider salvation insignificant, and even risk their lives for the sake of attaining worldly pleasures. Such a person approaches scores of teachers to learn languages and other worldly things but says there is no need of a teacher for spiritual learning which consists of that Light which is not illumined by the sun, the moon or fire. Guru Nanak said, "I revere you, Guru Maharaj Ji, again and again. You took no time in transforming me from a man into a god. If a hundred moons and a thousand suns rise together, such a Light can be seen within, but without the Perfect Master there is dense darkness." Until one knows that Fourth Light, he is guruless, because Saint Kabir says, "In the horizon of the spiritual sky there shines a Light. A guruless person cannot reach there. Only a disciple of the Perfect Master can reach there." There are many gurus who prescribe mantras and occult practices, but the mind is not concentrated by these things. So from where can an unsteady mind get peace? A rosary can rotate in the hand and the tongue can articulate mantras and prayers in the mouth while the mind wanders in ten directions at once. This is not meditation. Know the real Name of God. Concentrate your mind on it and remember it constantly, irrespective of your faith which may be Christianity, Islam, Sikh or Jain. The Name which can be remembered during both sleep and dream should be known and meditated upon. A being remembers the same Name in the womb of the mother but forgets it on taking birth. About the same Name it is said in the Gita, chapter 8, verse 7, "Remember Me at all times and fight." Nobody can say that he cannot meditate. The Name pervades in everybody's heart. Hanuman showed by opening his heart that it pervades throughout the body. But until one meets the Perfect Master who imparts the Knowledge of that Name, which exists in the heart, it cannot be known. The Name is beyond the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. It is beyond expression. It is described in the Gita that the duration of the four ages - Satyug, Treta, Dwapar and Kallyug - is 4,320,000 years. One thousand such periods constitute one day and a similar period constitutes one night of Lord Brahma who has a life span of a hundred years with this calculation. After that even Lord Brahma takes rest. But what remains even after that is called origin. 1 am telling you to know only that. Lord Shiva spoke His experience to His wife Uma, "Meditation on God is truth and the whole world is like a dream. All worship, scripture reading, sacrifice, offerings to fire, prayer, offerings, rituals etc, are like actions performed during a dream. Remembrance of the Name of God is the truth which is beyond this dream. Subsequently, the third grace is of the Guru who imparts that Name and Light. One who removes darkness and shows Light is called Guru. 'Gu' denotes darkness and 'ru' denotes light. The fourth grace is one's own, by which we discard ego of all types and take the shelter of the Perfect Master and realize the True Name and Light. The religion of man is to see the Divine Light. Up to this time only human beings have seen it and in future also only human beings will see it There is no difference between a man who is satisfied with seeing the three types of external light and a dog or a donkey. Behold, Ravana had ten heads and twenty hands. When he was approaching death, Lord Rama sent Lakshman to him to learn political wisdom. He told Lakshman, "The lesson of my life in a nutshell is not to postpone a good action but to do it immediately, and always to postpone an evil action for tomorrow." If you consider it worthwhile to know the Light of God which cannot be paralleled by the light of thousands of suns and that Name which has been mentioned in the Ramayana as it was remembered and preached by Lord Shiva, you should resolve to know it today. And if you consider it worthless, then leave it for tomorrow. If somebody is hurt at heart by my words, I beseech his pardon. That is the method of controlling mind. It is also called yoga, the mean which we can reach God. This is the religion. If we do not understand this yoga, we will have to suffer various sorts of hardships. Religion means happiness. You will become happy only when you will adopt religion. There is darkness on one side and light on the other. If you will continue to live in darkness, you will have to suffer various types of pains and if you live in light, you will enjoy happiness. O Lord, let it be so.   Remembrance is the Unbreakable Devotion Shri Hans Ji Maharaj. March, 1964 Dear gentlemen, you just listened to this premie give satsang and he gave an example from the Gita. In the Gita Krishna told Arjuna that My Knowledge cannot be achieved by any yoga, rituals, or concentration, or by reading scriptures. The only true form of meditation, the only true form of concentration, is Knowledge of the real form of God. When the real Knowledge of God is known, then we can have our true relationship with Him. All the saints have said that there are three things: this being, the maya, and God. Those who study the scriptures - the Vedas - today say they are realizing God, but do they really experience Satchitanand: the Truth, consciousness and bliss? Because God is filled with pleasures. We desire many things but they don't fulfil us. God is all-powerful. He is complete within Himself. Pleasure, happiness and peace are all one. Truth, consciousness and bliss are all one. You see, God and His True Name are also one. But without real Knowledge there ends up being different sects, different religions, different philosophies - all these different ideas crop up. You can see that by saying "Ram is Lord" and "Mohammed is Lord" one country turned into two: Hindustan and Pakistan. If Hindus and Moslems really had that real Knowledge then they would have realized and determined that God is One, not two. By not realizing this, what they thought was going to bring them pleasure ended up being the cause of so much of their trouble. I mean, obviously all people in this world, and I also, want happiness. We want peace. Whatever material things anybody desires, he wants those things for happiness and peace. But how does he get them? He is searching in materialistic things, in temporary things, in things that one day vanish. Only God is of those three natures: truth - which never changes, which never vanishes, and which is not temporary consciousness and bliss; and so only in God's company can we have the real happiness and peace. But people aren't doing what's been pointed out by the Perfect Masters. Instead, they are doing things that are more like what animals do. There's the example of the musk deer. It smells the musk and then searches for it. It tries to get it from the grass. Isn't this what man does? So isn't it fair to say that man is also an animal? He is searching for peace and happiness outside of himself. So what is the difference between him and that musk deer? Just as fragrance is found in the nature of a flower, and oil is contained in the nature of a sesame seed, peace is within the nature of a man. You know, you can say the sky is omnipresent in a way. I mean, you look up and it seems to be everywhere. But it's also empty. It can't give us anything. But when I say that God is omnipresent, it isn't like that. God is full and has everything to give us. But how are we going to know Him? Sometimes the example is used that God is like the thread running through a garland. This means that God is within everyone. And that means He is within me, too. If we are going to see Him, if we are going to understand His omnipresence - if He is omnipresent, He will feel the same within us as He would feel anywhere. If we want to taste something, we have to actually taste it with our own tongue. If someone else tastes it, we don't experience anything from that. You can't tell if something is sweet or sour or tastes terrible if someone else is doing the tasting. But in this world, that's what people do. They go by what other people tell them is so. Everyone tries to "taste" things by relying on other people's opinions. Saint Tulsidas said that whatever we want to know and see, we can only know a thing or see a thing through this human body we have. There are scholars today who claim that having a human body is the result of doing good deeds. But having this body, to me, happens only by the blessings of God. Now what can we do to make this human life successful? How can we realize real happiness and peace? Because in all the activity the world is engaged in today, there is no peace or pleasure. If there were peace and pleasure in them, then how come there's so much trouble going on? I mean, obviously, if you keep having trouble, that's not an indication of permanent peace and happiness. People become restless so they go to the movies. And at the cinema, they see picture after picture. This doesn't calm the mind; this doesn't bring concentration that will last. Material things are always changing, everything is moving. So how can they check mind? This is something that only a man can understand, not an animal. The source of happiness, the source of peace, is devotion to God. Everyone today has devotion, but they place their devotion in false things. To experience devotion, they do everything from standing in the water for days on end, to hanging upside down, to letting their hair and fingernails grow long. But there's never been a Perfect Master, there's never been a saint, that has said these things have anything to do with devotion. (Look at the Ramayana and the Gita and you'll see that the scriptures don't say that those things help either.) In devotion there are three things: the devotee, the object of his devotion and his devotion. There is an awareness, an object of awareness and the concentration that links them. If God is the object of concentration, then how are you going to concentrate upon Him to make that trilogy complete? If you don't know God, then even if you have the concentration, how are you going to meditate upon Him? If God isn't realized, then how can you be devoted and how can you do service? I mean, what kind of devotion and service can you do? If you don't eat food, you can't taste it. You can't get any satisfaction from it. If you don't realize God, you can't experience His qualities. So the first thing to know is God, but that can't be done by reading, writing, reciting or listening. You know, people say these days that everything is contained in the scriptures. I know this example is given a lot but look at it, how simple it is. In those scriptures God's many forms are described. But I've never experienced God in the Himalayas or the Ganges or in the sun or fire or from eating or drinking. If you put your hand in a fire, it will be burnt. That's a form of God, too. So if God is in the Vedas, how come you don't burn your hand when you pick it up? Okay, so we need to know in which way God is present in all those forms. We need to know how that is true. Concentration is acquired by infinite devotion and devotion is acquired from Satguru, from the Perfect Master. What is devotion to God? I fix my attention upon God. That is my devotion to God. Except for that, everything else is an exercise. This is my idea. Other people may say concentration can be achieved by standing on one leg. To me, that's just a good way to destroy those beautiful legs that have been given to us by God. So where do we find this devotion? In the Gita Krishna says that if a person remembers Me at the time of his death, he obtains Me. If there's any other idea, he obtains that. So if you want to go with Me, fix your mind upon My Light and then remember Me regularly. Guru Nanak says that one who remembers while standing, sitting, sleeping, and during his work, will be successful in knowing God. Do you tell yourself to do that? The other day I met a man who said he was a staunch believer in the Ramayana. He was a great scholar but he had no devotion to God. Consider that when you do rituals like devil worship or mantras, or holy rituals does your mind remain with those? Your mind wanders no matter what you do. Even if you don t do all these things, your mind still wanders. I once asked a Moslem if, when he offered prayers, didn't he have to think about when he had to get up, when he had to sit down, when he had to speak, and when he had to hold his ears? If he has to think about all that, then how can he say his mind is fixed upon God? It's the same thing with priests and holymen. A11 these people want is peace, happiness, pleasure. But when mind is not fixed upon God, how can they get it? How should we do meditation? There was a mahatma who was meditating and a long procession of a rich king passed by. But he didn't know it. Because in meditation, there is no acknowledgement of external things. When you forget your body in meditation, you'll forget all the external things. There's just no comparison between what's real and what's an imitation. The mind can only be fixed upon God, not upon bells, books and garlands. The Sikhs try to obtain satisfaction only by saying Wahe Guru Satnam. They don't think about how that name could be omnipresent, how that name can be in the water, in the earth, in all the things of creation. Guru Nanak said, and Saint Tulsidas said, that anyone can become even like Brahma or Shiva, but without the Perfect Master, without the True Guru, there can be no upliftment whatsoever. Knowledge only comes from Satguru. Okay, so how do we recognize the Satguru? How do we recognize that Perfect Master? That Perfect Master - there are countless blessings for Shri Guru Maharaj Ji, who turned me into God from a man in a second! Though there was Light greater than a hundred moons and a thousand suns, without Guru there was still a deep darkness in my heart. Guru Maharaj Ji, using infinite devotion, opened my eyes and brought Light to my heart. And that's why Guru Nanak said that it is Guru who Lights this heart. Tulsidas has also spoken about the signs for the Guru. I praise, I proclaim, I salute, the Lotus Feet of Guru Maharaj Ji, who is God in human form, and by whose Word the darkness of deep ignorance is vanquished, just like the sun rising in the morning makes the night go away. By meditating upon the very nails of the Feet of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji, the divine eyes of the heart are opened and the darkness of ignorance is ended. The greatest fortune is for the one who meditates in remembrance of the Feet of Guru Maharaj Ji! Look! When you open your eyes you see. Did you ever think about what darkness is? What ignorance is? The idea that you were in darkness probably never occurred to you. Today, people learn the 26 letters of the alphabet and get their B.A. and M.A., and yet they can't tell the meaning of even one little three-line verse in a simple scripture! The educators of the day don't even know the meaning of a single line in their books. "A." The letter "A" has been taught like it existed since the beginning of time. Did you really think that? So who are the children going to ask if their teachers and educators don't know anything? What they hear is just told to them by others. When there is no meaning to the scriptures - it's just poetry to them - then they can't be followed. So what's the use of reading and teaching in schools and temples? Take the example of the Ramayana. People read it and then think that the name of God is "Rama Rama." But the Name is what's never ending and always was. It has no start, no end, no middle. The Ramayana states that. It says that the glory of the Name is never-ending. So shouldn't people consider that? Saint Kabir and Saint Tulsidas explained that the Great Mantra - the maha mantra - has nothing to do with names and words. The "mantra" you people should put your faith in, Kabir said, is the Word which mind can only find from the Perfect Master. You acquire that Name from His Shelter, in Satguru, and it is not the result of good deeds. It is the goal of this human body. (The Ramayana explains that, too.) When you are away from God, you might as well be a hog. There is no shelter or place for you. I mean, I have no objection if you want to continue your readings and mantras, but every saint has told us there's no good in it. Let me give an example. There was a rich man and he had only one son. He grew up and for some reason had a dispute with his father and left home to become a renunciate. So the boy left his home and met the Master in the forest and asked if he could become a disciple. The Master recognized that even though the boy was asking to be a renunciate, he was used to the previous pleasures of his rich childhood. So he refused him as a disciple. The young man continued to ask and beg to be a disciple and told the Master that he would give all of his wealth. But the Master said he didn't need all those material things. He asked instead if the young man would go and bring him the dirtiest, worst thing in the world. So the boy thought about it and decided that the worst and dirtiest thing must be cow dung. Then he realized, Wait a minute. They burn cow dung for fuel and it gets used for fertilizer." So then he thought that human excrement would be the worst and dirtiest thing. But just as he was thinking that he saw a hog come upon some and eat it with relish. He was shocked. "A thing like that I mean, to this pig, this was some kind of wonderful food. So it can't be the worst thing." Then he started walking along, feeling downcast. So he spotted the dust and looked about. He could see people would put things over their noses to avoid it and he could see that hogs were ignoring it and not eating it. So he figures, "Ah. This must be the worst and dirtiest thing in the world." Then there was a sweeper there and he sees this man try to pick up some of this dust. He said, "What are you doing? What do you want that for?" So he tells his story and asks if he can just take this dust. And the way the story goes, there's a voice that explains something at that point. Maybe it's the sweeper trying to explain. But the soul of that soil - we can say the voice is the soul of that soil - said, "How can you consider me the worst and dirtiest thing in the world? When I was mixed in the form of glass, the fancy shopkeepers used to care for me and wash me every day. When I was transformed into fruit people like you ate me with relish. When I am taken up into a tree, people gaze at my beauty. So now what will you do with me? You're the dirtiest and worst thing. I can't go with you." So the young man suddenly realized something and felt very sorry. And he went back to the Master and told the Master that, "In reality I'm the dirtiest and the worst. Please accept me." And the Master said that the dirtiest and the worst is one who would take what God has given and destroy it. And he told the young man that it was good, after all that he could feel this humility, because in that way he might feel obliged to the Master and do meditation and remember him - Him who gave him such a beautiful body, who put all the water, milk, oranges, sugarcane, rice and bread upon the Earth so that he could taste and enjoy them. You know, there can't be anything to compare to the gifts He's given us. Alright I know there are doctors who claim they can fix eyes and repair teeth. But could those doctors actually make that eye or tooth in the first place? So the point is that people have forgotten God today. They've forgotten the Giver and they've forgotten the Master can give them Knowledge. They say there are four blessings: the body, the scriptures, Guru Maharaj Ji, and the effort of a person who fixes his mind upon the Truth and obeys the agya of his Guru Maharaj Ji. So, I don't personally object if you walk away from Guru; but you should do according to the shastras you say you believe in. Because I am not saying these things on my part. I am giving you examples from the scriptures you yourselves read. Every Veda tells you to adopt a Guru who can take you from darkness and bring you to the Light. Whatever anyone gives you, make sure it is the real thing that the scriptures speak of. The essence of those scriptures is to point you in the direction of that super Light of devotion to God which is within your heart. It is the Light that needs no lamp, no flame, no fuel, and it is the Light which banishes anxiety and trouble. It is the Light of peace and happiness. Your deeds and your actions are just the opposite. You are engaged in reciting with rosebead rosaries and waving holy flames. Distress and disease don t go away from doing that and that's been pointed out in the Ramayana. What is devotion to God? It's putting your attention in God. What is the meaning of herbs and medicines? What is the herb that is life itself, that gives breath itself? Hanuman speaks of It, so the description of It can be found in that scripture. There was a jeweler and he was speaking with a man who said he had a pearl that came from a pond. But the jeweler knew that pearls cannot be found in ponds; they come from the sea. Pearls form in deep water and deep water is like you needing to concentrate your mind deeply. To control the mind you have to practice meditation and remember the Holy Name. Krishna told Arjuna that everything was within Him, within Krishna. But that didn't mean that Arjuna turned around and had a fight with Krishna. I mean, Krishna told him to remember the Name and fight and you should respect and obey the orders of Guru Maharaj Ji. But, you see, there is an understanding about what Krishna revealed to Arjuna that is necessary. Mira Bai adopted Raidass as her Guru and he was tied into the bondage of the low caste of shoemakers. What would make her do such a thing? So you have to dive deep to obtain a pearl. And then, if you do dive deep and you do in fact have a pearl, what benefit will it bring you if you take it up halfway and then let go of it? So if you receive that pearl of Knowledge from your Guru Maharaj Ji and leave his orders and do not obey his direction, what use is it? So as I said before, there is a saying that there are four steps to salvation. The first is to obtain the human body, the second is to hear satsang - which will point us toward Truth - the scriptures maybe can do that for you, and the third is to meet Guru Maharaj Ji and receive his Knowledge. The fourth is to "mix yourself" in that form, to join yourself with that Name. Obviously if you do not have Knowledge from Guru Maharaj Ji, the rest of the steps are useless. Without Guru Maharaj Ji, no blessing is possible and that's true for everyone. President Kennedy had everything but without that breath of life, he could not speak even a single word to his wife, even though she was sitting right next to him. So be conscious that human life is a precious opportunity. At the time of your death, there maybe a hundred telephones around you but you won't be able to use a single one of them. Like Kennedy, you will not be able to speak. So if you want to meet God, to love every breath, then remember every breath. If you want reality and happiness and peace, then remember what saints like Kabir have told you. What did Draupadi do? She remembered in her heart. And then the impossible became possible. Her prestige before a large gathering of people was saved. What happened with Prahlad? He remembered. He meditated. And because of that, their lives were successful. Because of that, there was immortality. Everything comes from that remembrance of that Holy Name. Except for the remembrance of that Name, everything else is capable of being destroyed. When my Guru Maharaj Ji gave me the Knowledge, he said those who do not have this Knowledge - what can they follow? They cannot know anything and if they cannot remember, then what will their condition be? So there are all the sayings of all the past Perfect Masters and yet today no one gives them any attention. Everybody's interested in inaugurations, but you won't get anything from an inauguration, only from the Name. There is no hope for this body when it goes. But salvation can only be had while living in this body. So wake up and engage yourself in the true bhajans, the true prayers - otherwise you will lament afterwards. So you have human life and you have the agya of Guru Maharaj Ji. So you can achieve salvation. Remembrance is the unbreakable devotion. Don't put it off until tomorrow. Do as much remembrance and practice as you can and do it now. So gentlemen, what I've had to say and all the examples I have given are from the scriptures and have been given before by the saints. It is for your good. If you feel good, then whether you do it or not that's up to you. But peace and happiness will come to you by doing as has been explained. Blessings.   How to Save Mankind from Extinction Satsang given by Param Sant Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj at Prem Nagar Ashram, Hardwar, India The burning question of the day is: how to save man from extinction? Although this has been the problem of the century, never before has it assumed the tremendous proportions that it has today. The scientific invention of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have made mankind apprehensive about the extinction of the human race in the event of another world war. Leaders all over the world have tried to solve this problem. They genuinely feel that only permanent peace can save mankind, but they grope in darkness trying to find a way to achieve permanent peace. They meet and disperse; they discuss and disagree; they hope and become frustrated. Every ray of hope seems to recede beyond their reach, and the desired solution remains invisible and inaccessible to them. There is, however, absolutely no reason for despair, for peace is not invisible, neither is it inaccessible; it can be achieved. Many people have acquired peace, and many more can as well. In fact, peace can be permanently established on this earth if the right efforts are made in the right direction. Peace is not simply the negation of war, but it is the negation of the warring tendencies in man. War exists in the mind of man and it is from there that it must be uprooted. Man can be cured of his warring tendencies by infusing his mind with the vision of God. This will kill the germs of man's warring tendencies and completely change his outlook. Permanent peace can be achieved when lust, greed, hatred and fear are overcome by people en-masse. But this is only possible by the control and concentration of mind. Only Knowledge of God's Holy Name and realization of Divine Light enables man to gain the concentration necessary to achieve eternal bliss. Naturally the realization of Divine Light and the Knowledge of Holy Name is only possible when one knows what they are. Much confusion has been created as to what Divine Light, the Holy Name of God and concentration of mind exactly are. Some people maintain that concentration of mind can be attained by the regular study of the scriptures and the performance of rituals and sacrifices. Others feel that it can be achieved by the practice of austerity. But all this is delusion - total deception. If concentration of mind could be achieved by the mere study of scriptures like the Vedas, the Gita, the Ramayana, the Upanishads, the Bible, the Koran, the Guru Granth Sahib and the like, or by the performance of outward rituals and sacrifices as preached and practiced by so-called religious men, there would have been no conflicts and peace would have been established long ago. But it has not been so. On the contrary, so-called religions have been responsible for many great conflicts, and they have caused destruction of many cultures and civilizations. These religious practices have not changed man's gross nature, and they have brought about no change of heart. Really they cannot do so, for they are not the right way. However, the inherent quality of the Holy Name of the Al mighty is to make the heart sacred and pure the moment that it is known and realized. The case of Ratnaker can be cited as an example of the power of the Holy Name. He was a ferocious bandit but as soon as he received Knowledge of the Holy Name he was transformed and became a great saint. People have been made to believe that names like Ram, Krishna, God, Om, Elahi, Jehovah and Akhbar are the real Name of God and that He can be realized by uttering these names. This is also a delusion - a mere deception, for these names only signify His attributes, they are just adjectives. They are not His real Name. If they were His real Name, the performance of prayers would have helped people realize God and acquire Absolute Truth, eternal bliss and everlasting peace, and mankind would have been freed from all fears. This obviously has not been so, and it proves beyond all shadow of a doubt that mind can neither be concentrated by merely studying the scriptures and performing outward rituals and sacrifices, nor can Truth, eternal bliss and permanent peace be realized by the recitation of adjectives that describe God. The question again arises, how is concentration of mind possible and how can Truth, peace and bliss be attained? The answer to this has been provided in all the scriptures of the world, the way has been shown by all the saints and prophets of all time, but confusion has been purposely created by ignorant and selfish interpreters of the scriptures. The answer has been clouded with myth and ignorance. It is a simple truth that human life is the only means by which Absolute Truth, eternal bliss and perpetual peace can be realized. What cannot be acquired and realized during the life of a man can certainly not be realized after death or in animal life. Hence, only man can attain peace and establish peace on earth. A man's birth is rendered useless if God is not realized by him during his lifetime. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna says, "Seek the shelter of the Perfect Master who has realized God; He will show you the way to realize Him. The Satguru or Realized Soul is the only shelter and it is He alone that can provide you with the vision of God." Lord Christ said, "Come to me and I shall deliver you from all troubles'" Prophet Mohammed and other prophets have all said the same thing. The question now arises, how to know and recognize the Satguru who can bestow the vision of God. Lord Krishna was the Satguru of His time; He bestowed the vision of God to His disciple Arjuna. But where to find the present living Satguru? Although this might appear to be a difficult question, it is not really so. God has been described as Vergo in the Vedas, Jyoti in the Upanishads, Param Prakesh in the Ramayana, Chandna in the Guru Granth Sahib, Noor-e-Elahi in the Koran and Divine Light in the Bible. Arjuna was shown the Divine Light by his Guru, Lord Krishna. Christ and Mohammed saw the same Light; Buddha also realized this Light. The saint who can reveal this Divine Light instantaneously is really the Satguru, or Realized Soul of His time. A man who cannot do so, cannot be a Satguru, however great he may be in other aspects of life. Lord Krishna in The Bhagavad Gita declares, "I come in every age, but one who sincerely seeks finds the Perfect Master." The next question that arises is: is there such a Satguru these days? The answer is emphatically yes. Satguru is here. In the Gita, Lord Krishna says, "The seed does not perish. The moment the seed perishes, it will be the end of the universe." The existence of the universe logically proves that the seed of Satguru is here, for it is the Satguru who is responsible for the maintenance and control of the universe. It is He who is competent to bestow the vision of God; He reveals Divine Light to all those who aspire for it and seek His guidance. The very word 'guru' connotes a person who dispels darkness and shows Light. The only test to recognize the Satguru is whether He can reveal Divine Light instantaneously or not. Truth can be realized and peace established by the realization of Divine Light and the Holy Name of God, but this is only possible through the help and guidance of the Satguru of the time and by no other means whatsoever. The concentration of mind necessary for peace is only possible through the Knowledge of the Divine Light and the Holy Name of God. But what is the Holy Name? God's Holy Name has been called Pak Nam, Sat Nam or True Name. It is something other than mere adjectives that begin and end with letters which scholars and philosophers have attributed to it. God's Holy Name is imperishable and ever-existent. It is the same for all men, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, nationality, region and language. It cannot be different. The Creator is One and His Name is One for all. The teachings of all the world's scriptures signify that His Name is One. It has to be realized. The outward differences in preaching is due to the selfish and egotistic interpreters. The sum total of ten plus ten is always twenty, irrespective of the number of people who work it out. If the sum total is worked out to be anything other than twenty, the answer must be incorrect. If anyone says that there are different names of God, he betrays his ignorance of the real Name of God. One can meditate on God's real Name at all times day or night, whether awake or asleep, whether in the womb or after being born. It is always the same. The Holy Name must be known and meditated upon, for it is not only necessary but indispensable for concentration of mind. Only the Satguru of the time can reveal what this Holy Name is. If the people of the whole world acquire this Knowledge of the Absolute Truth and concentrate their minds on the Holy Name of God, their gross nature will be transformed and man will look upon each other as brothers and not as objects of hatred and suspicion; there will remain no cause for unrest and fear and not only will permanent peace be established on earth but the earth will be turned into heaven. This is the only way in which man will be able to save himself from extinction! The brotherhood of man can only be established by accepting the Fatherhood of God. Hari Om Tat Sat. The Real Shrine Satsang of Param Hans Satgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj given at Company Bagh, Delhi, India on May 9, 1954 Dear people, devotion can be understood by everyone, regardless of their caste and education. Saint Mirabai says, "Human birth is not available again and again." This precious human life isn't even accessible to gods. But most people don't understand that. They think that this human body is only meant for enjoying worldly pleasures. They are not guilty because of this, because when they go abroad and see huge buildings, wide streets and large factories, they think that the progress of a country comes from erecting huge buildings and establishing large industries. But they don't think about the fact that all these things will have to be left here at the time of death. Just as a fallen leaf can't be put back on a tree again, the human body is not available again after death. One can act, as well as enjoy, in a human body. Animals can eat pudding and pastry but can't cook it, while man can cook as well as eat. In rural areas, a mill-stone is used for grinding grains while they use large flour-mills and produce different kinds of flour to meet the demands of the cities. A poor man takes simple food and excretes while a king takes sumptuous meals and excretes. So, consider a poor man equivalent to a mill-stone and a wealthy man equivalent to a flour-mill. A big silk worm makes silk in larger quantity than a small silk worm. So we can call the poor small, excreta-producing worms and the affluent big, excreta-producing worms. There's a saying that life is decreasing every second. It never increases, even by a second. It comes to an end in no time. These days, eminent people celebrate their birthdays. A person thinks that his age is advancing. But we are all approaching death every moment. Childhood is followed by youth, which is usually passed in merry-making. But it fades away and we grow old. In the Mahabharat it says in a chapter on Shanti Parva that King Yudhistar once asked an elder statesman named Bhisma how to attain peace. Bhisma told a story about a king who made his elephant drink a lot of wine and then he rode it on a sight-seeing trip. On the way, the elephant threw the king off. Terrified by the elephant, the king ran to save his life and fell into a well. He managed to grab hold of the roots of a holy fig tree, standing over the well. After a short while, the elephant reached there and was trumpeting away. In the meantime, the king saw one black rat and one white rat biting on the root that held him up. He looked down, and saw that snakes and scorpions were waiting there to sting him if he fell down. On the other hand, the elephant was still waiting outside the well to kill the king. Then the king saw a bee hive. He opened his mouth in anticipation of eating honey. He forgot everything except that honey is sweet. He didn't even think that if honey did happen to drop down so that it could reach him, then the hive would have emptied out a long time ago. Similarly, a human being is like that king, mind is like the elephant, attachment is the wine. With these, a person comes to see the world. Here, mind has thrown the human being down into the ditch of rebirth. The being has been held by a very thin root which is being eaten away by the rats of day and night. As soon as life comes to an end, the human being will go to the cycle of rebirth, where he will have to face various sorts of miseries that arise due to lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. The poor being hopes that he will get bliss some day, but he doesn't get it. Thus, his life comes to an end, and he supposedly experiences various types of sufferings by entering the cycle of rebirth. Beings can get rid of these vicious elements, that cause them miseries only during human life. No bird or animal can be removed from darkness. Only man lives in light and then only after removing darkness with the help of something like a lamp and electricity. Why has God endowed man with intellect? A man can only walk four miles in an hour, but he has developed the airplane which enables him to travel 700 miles in an hour. Although God created only one type of fruit in a seed, a gardener gets varieties of fruits from one tree by grafting. It's said about man that he isn't God, but the Light of God exists in everybody. It has been described by Guru Nanak in the Granth Saheb as "Chandana," Saint Kabir calls it "Noor," the Upanishads describe it as "Jyoti," the Vedas as "Bhargo," the Koran as "Elahinoor," and Jesus Christ in the Bible calls it "Divine Light." (All these terms are synonyms for light.) About it Lord Krishna says in the Gita in Chapter 15, Verse 6, that it is not a light from the sun, moon, or fire. "Where there is self-effulgence that is My supreme abode. Reaching there, a being doesn't return." I also tell you all to see the same Light. To explain this to all of us, Lord Krishna told Arjuna in Chapter 4, Verse 34, "Arjuna, approach the Perfect Master with a guileless heart, serve him and humbly ask him for this Knowledge of the Truth. He, the Knower of Truth, will be kind enough to impart the Knowledge to you." Although Lord was standing before Arjuna, for our sake, He still said, "Approach the Perfect Master." I don't say, "Ask me." No. You should ask the theologians, scholars, monks, and high priests in your respective areas. But you must know it. Because there are two possibilities after death. The soul will be enclosed in the grave like the Christians and Muslims believe or it will enter the cycle of rebirth according to the Hindu philosophy. But you can't know about it after reaching there, because you can't act there, even if you could enjoy the pleasures there. The Muslims say "Rahim" while the Hindus say "Rama." Prosperity and happiness prevail all around by remembering the Name, but not by chanting "Rama, Rama" because even birds like parrots and starlings can also speak "Rama, Rama." A saint says, "Everybody chants 'Rama, Rama' but nobody realizes the Name, that Name which can only be realized through the Satguru." Even Lord Rama couldn't sing the glory of that Name, which is also called the supreme Word (Mahamantra). Lord Shiva remembered it and imparted it to people for their welfare at Benares. About the same Word, Guru Nanakdevji says, "In the beginning it was True, it has been True for ages, it is True and it will be True." In other words, that Word was there before we were born, now it is within us and it will remain after our death. Where is the real shrine? It is in the heart. How will you benefit by visiting shrines if you do not realize the Holy Name of God in your heart and remember it? Guru Nanakdev says, "I will not be subject to rebirth due to the Word which has settled in my breaths." Saint Kabir says, "An age has passed by counting beads on a rosary, but movement of mind could not be traced. So, discard the rosary beads and count the bead of the mind." This verse is being taught in graduate and post-graduate classes, but what the bead of the mind is isn't known. So, how can a person count the bead of mind ? A person can count it only when he knows about it. All the millions of words that are prevalent in the world make up all of the languages. One will not be liberated through them because all of them are artificial. The natural Word is the only Word for all human beings in the world. It's within everybody's heart. All the tantras and mantras are false. Don't be confused by them because nobody could be liberated from this world without knowing the secret Word. If you consider these tantras and mantras true, think it over. Where does your consciousness go when you chant mantras? A saint says, "Without the Word, consciousness doesn't find the way. So it keeps on wandering." Only after realizing the Word can consciousness reach its destination. Then, there will be no need for counting beads on a rosary. And wherever you live, you'll be able to remember the Name of God constantly, whether you're sitting, standing, waking or sleeping. Saint Mansur also says, "If you wish to see your Lord, remember Him constantly." A saint says, "Remember Him with every breath. Do not waste even a single breath, because who knows whether the next breath will be there or not?" After all, what is that Word, which has been praised so much by the saints? Saint Tulsidas says, "l bow to the feet of Guru, who is the ocean of mercy, and God in human form. His words remove the great ignorance as the sun removes great darkness." Although everybody lights their lamps and search-lights in order to remove the darkness brought on by night, the real darkness is not removed. But when the sun rises in the morning, all these little lights fade and the night vanishes. In the same way, through the use of the Word revealed by Guru Maharaj Ji, great ignorance, in the form of attachment, vanishes. Satsang and the Thief This story is an excerpt from a satsang given by Shri Hans Ji Maharaj, father of Guru Maharaj Ji, on August 7, 1952 in Gandhi Ground, Delhi. People do not appreciate the importance of satsang nowadays. Satsang is the greatest pilgrimage. The nature of a man is changed from a heron's nature to a swan's nature by attending satsang. For instance, if you put water mixed with milk before a heron, either it will drink the whole, or it will leave it untouched; but a swan will drink the milk only and leave the water. So a man, having acquired a nature similar to a swan, will retain the essence and leave useless things. The world is made up of matter and spirit, virtues and vices. But saints, similar to the swan, retain the essence, the milk, and reject the useless objects which lead to deterioration. There is happiness and miseries, virtues and sins, high and low in this world, but saints take virtues only. The glory of satsang is endless, how much can I speak? Satsang can never be exhausted. You should listen to satsang very attentively. Saints listen to the characteristics of God and give up liberation. Even if one listens to satsang by mistake, he will get a great benefit thereby. For instance, there was a robber who instructed his son that he should never attend satsang, and if he happens to find himself in a place of satsang, he should close his ears by putting his fingers in them. Once, the son was going to steal something. He happened to pass through a satsang. He heard that gods have three characteristics: their eyes do not blink, a garland around their neck never fades. and they do not have shadows. As soon as he listened to this, he remembered his father's instructions, closed his ears, and ran away. He stole the precious necklace of the queen that day, and hid it in the forest. He himself fell asleep. The next morning the queen noticed that her necklace was missing. She told the king that if thieves dare to steal from the palace, what will the fate of the public be? And she insisted upon finding the culprit. She cursed the king, and told him that she did not want to remain a queen in such a kingdom. She gave up taking food. The king strictly ordered his staff to find the lost necklace. The officials searched everywhere, but they could not find it. So they found the robber's son sleeping in the forest. They brought him to the king, and said. "He looks to be the thief. It seems that he has stolen the necklace." The son was given a severe beating. His body started bleeding. The queen witnessed the scene. She was wise. She thought, "If he is not the culprit, and dies of injuries, it will amount to sin for us." So, she told the king to put him in prison. While the boy was in prison, he started remembering the goddess Shakti. Everybody remembers his deity in the time of distress. The boy was in great trouble. so he was devotedly remembering his deity. On the other hand, the queen remembered that thieves worship Shakti. so she disguised herself as Shakti, and went to the prison. Seeing her, the boy immediately prostrated before her and said. "You are very kind to me in such distress. I feel secure now." She told him, "As you remembered me in distress, I have come. But please tell me, where have you kept the necklace?" Listening to this, the boy remembered what he had heard in satsang. Then he noticed that the queen had a shadow, her eyes were blinking, and the garland around her neck was faded. "So." he thought, "she is a spy." Like the C.I.A., nowadays. He thought it over for a moment, and then spoke in the earlier tone, "O Goddess! You are omnipresent. You know everything. so please let me know where I have kept this necklace? When I have not stolen it. how can I tell its whereabouts?" She asked him again and again, in different ways, but all in vain. She returned at last, and told the king that she had a dream in which a goddess told her that the boy was innocent. "He should be released. otherwise your kingdom will be ruined." The next day, the king arranged for the boy's treatment. As soon as he recovered, the king gave him a lot of money, and sent him away with respect. See the glory of satsang, how much it is. The boy's life was saved, and he got a handsome amount of money by listening to satsang, even by mistake.