22punjab-landoffiverivers

7/30/2019 22Punjab-LandofFiveRivers

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P u n j a b - T h e L a n d o f f i v e R i v e r s

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Di a r y, 6 AM, Apr il 4, 196 7: Myriads of small-bird twitteringsand raspy crow-caws resound from the ashram trees overhead asMohan and Ram Sa roop rope piles of luggage onto roof racks.Take your seat, please! Master points me to one of the waitingcars, while bidding farewel l to the gathering crowd, c losing inlike bees to ho neyc o m b. Soon, engin es w ill coug h to life and carr yus nort h w a rd to the Pu n j a b.

I came for God, but as unexpected bonus, I ve gained entry toIn d i as sa cre d hear t her peop le , hi st or y, an d sh rine s. Ex i t i n gDe l h is teeming laby rint h, we emb ark on the narrow cobb led ro a dwhich passes through hundreds of farming vil lages and towns. Ins e veral places the way is l ined with thos e who have beenpatiently waiting in the sun for hours, just for a gl impse from theSa t g u rus eyes . I ask, Mohan Ji, with out tele phone s or othe rmeans of communication, how do these people know when orw h e re Mahar aj Ji is comi ng? Some advanced sou ls talk withMaste r in medi tati on, he repl ies. Th ey know Ma s t e rs plan s andtell othe rs. I wond er if our dependence on gadg ets has re n d e re d

us less re c e p t i ve to such subt le re a l i t i e s .Pa t i e n t l y, e xpect ant ly, vil lag er s sa lut e the ir Prec ept or wit h han ds

p r a ye rful ly join ed or open , wafti ng over thei r fac es and headspalpable glances sent their way. Darshan i s an active but s i lentp roces s where the eyes bec ome cis te rns of a highe r, devo t i o n a lexistence. The tongue of Love is dumb and mute, Master saysf rom t he front seat. Then, in the sustaining b read and wat er ofl i f e aspec t of the Gu ru remin isc ent of Chr is th e adds, T h e yeat an d d rink me! He re and there, as we slowly pas s, I hear

p l a i n t i ve sig hs through the car s ope n win dows. Man y run aga into the fron t of the proc essi on, dars han aft er dars han. T h e re aresome for whom the Light is dimmed neither by the darkest nightnor by physical distance.

In the pres ence of Be a u t y, who can faul t the eye? Who is toblameth e lov er s or the Be l ove d ?


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Ch a n d i g h a r City of the Mo o n : By mid-afternoon, we arrive inC h a n d i g h a r, Pu n j a bs mode rn capi ta l, wh ich li es at th e fe et of th eblue Himalayas, hovering in the air to the north. Chandighar,City of th e Mo o n, was designed by Le Corbusier, whose uniqueimp rin t is evi dent eve ry w h e re in mas sive curv ing , almos t su rre a l

c o n c re te st ru c t u res , hou sin g pro jects , parks , ga rdens, and wid e,t ree -li ned boule va rds . The gre at French arc hit ect cap tu red In d i aspast and translated i t into a contemporary city of beauty.

Evening satsang is held on a field in the town center. A multi-c o l o red cano py hois ted on twenty- foot pole s, billow s overh ead inthe gusting win d. Ten thousand ha ve gathered to see an d hear theSaint from Delhi . I jot down but a few moments from his two-hour discourse:

This body is a wonderful house in which we live, but we havelo st th e In d we l l e r. T h e re wa s a simp le man who had hi s hor sestolen. When the theft was discove red i n the morning, hee xclaimed, T hank God I have bee n sa ved! People asked ina m a zemen t, Why are you so thankf ul? Ha ve nt you jus t los tyour horse ? Oh, had I been riding that horse, I would havebeen stolen also! The people laughed at his foolishness. Bu t ,t ruly speakin g, he was ve ry wise. Do we not lose t he rid er whilesaving the horse of the body? We are the rider, the Soul, acon scious entity, a dro p from the Oc ean of Al l - C o n s c i o u s n e s s .

After some time, tears begin f lowing down my interpre t e rscheeks and al l translation ceases. The famil iar words, py a r, pre m ,mohabat, i shq, and bhakti s weeten the discourse. These names inHindi and Urdu denote sta ges of divine Love. The audience swaysand ripples l ike a w heat field in a bre eze, and a won drousshimmeri ng netw ork of Lightlike an inve rted golden basketc overs al l , permeate s a l l . Withou t interpretati on, nothing nowremains to distract from the luminous presence. As the chantersings from the Adi Gra n t h , eac h ve r s es hidden meaning un fo lds .Both a re i ntui tivel y synch ro n i zed one sing ing a l ine, the Mast ercommentingand never a moments hesitation. The chargeda t m o s p h e re ris es to giddy hei ght s, one pla teau aft er another.

Worldly comparisons fal l short, though I am reminded of av i rtuoso sitar and tabla perform ance.

L a t e r, th e in te rp re te r re d i s c over s hi s tongue an d th e pen beginsto mov e :


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An oyster i s valued only when a pearl i s found within its shel l .Si m i l a rl y, ou r li fe is hi gh ly pr iz ed on ly af te r we have re a l i ze dthe priceless pearl of Realization.

W h e re there is reality and genu inene ss, you will also findimitators who are like the flowers of the s e e m u l t ree whi chbloom but carr y no fra g rance. Like the b a g l a [a small whiteh e ron, indigenous to India], they dress in white, seeminglymeditating, but as soon as they spot a frog or a fish, it is in theirbeak! Such poseurs prey on the unwary, and inspire lack of faith. . .Did not Christ in His time chase the moneylenders fro mthe Temple, saying Go ye out, Pharisees ! Ye have made myFa t h e rs Hous e a pl ace of bus ine ss !

April 5, 8:00 AM: Hu n d reds are put int o an hou rs si len tmedi tat ion. While walk ing through the sitt ers , Ma s t e rs garm ent

happens to brush my sleeve; without opening eyes, one knows i ti s he. Intense spiri tual currents surge through my body and innervi sion fo r the nex t twent y min ut es. Fi n a l l y, he tap s the mic ro-phone and asks , Leav e off medit ati on plea se! , but one for t u n a t ewoman has gone so deep, nothing avai l s in bringing her soulback. Only after Master directs Shei la Massi to massage her neckin a certain way, do es her attentio n partial ly des cend to the eye -focus. Absorbed in super-consci ousness, the return to the gro s sand dross of physicality leaves her to weep inconsolably.

Speaking of tears, i t i s a s ight to seetal l , strong, proud ti l lersof the soi l , discipl ined soldiers , pol ice officers , merchants, newbr ides , o ld wise women, and complete s trangersbecomingundone in the presence of the Friend. Su rely the garden o f thedivine is watered by tears, for whichever way I turn I see stoicsand skeptics, professors, doctors, lawyers, i l l i terate peasants, thewe al th y and po or es t of th e po or, po we rf ul an d pow e r l e s s ,Ea st er ne r an d We s t e r n e r, Hi nd u, Mus li m, Si kh , Ch ri st ia n,Buddhist, Zo roastrian and Jewall leveled by the common

denominator of l ove . Kindness, charity and a helping hand aresome of i ts vis ible manifestations.

Tears are the disti l lation of our body, mind, and soul. In a sin-gle tear shed in long ing for God, there are a thou sand ve r s e s ,songs and sacred books.


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Kalkaji, April 6: We leave Chandighar in the mornings half -l ight for the mountain-ashram at Kalkaji . After reaching ourdestination, we embark from the vehicles, c l imb to the top of ahigh hi l l , then descend a narrow footpath into a luxuriant ravine.In grassy meadows below stands a solitary, simple white-washedbric k stru c t u re with bill owing awnin gs spre ad out for shad e wherem o re than a thou sand wa it . Ma s t e r - j is th ri ll ing vo ice echoesa c ross an encir cling amphi thea ter of mount ains . T h ree or fou rlong-separated disciples break ranks and fl ing themselves beforethe ir Pre c e p t o r. Nimbly side -st epp ing the wou ld- be fee t-t ouche rs,he mounts the white-sheeted dais . His words bear the weight ofattainme nt, l ike the e arth t heir moun tains. The ve rdant hil ls , thesmok e-bl ue peaks and azur e sky form a per fec t back dro p. T h eworl d else w h e re is obl ivio us of this simpl e king tho ugh nopotentate of worldly domain is he, this emperor of hearts .

Sing O heavens and be joyful O earthAnd break forth into s inging O mountains ! .

Isaiah 49.13

In the lat ter par t of the nine teen th cent ury, Baba Sawan Si n g h ,as a disc iple , s tood at the side of his Ma s t e r, Baba Jaimal Singh inthe Mu r ree Hills. Sawan expressed appreciation of the beautif uls c e n e ry to Baba Ji, who repli ed, My chi ld, you do not und er -stand. You and I we re here bef ore the se hil ls we re even for m e d .

Pi n j o re Ga rdens: We depart Kalka around 11AM and by mid-af ternoon ar riv e at the fabled Ga rdens of Pi n j o re. I sit cro s s -legged on cool marble in the shade of a sandstone cupolas u p p o rted by slender colu mns, eyes riv eted on the Friend near byas he partakes of a smal l meal .1

My eyel ids c lose of themselves, as wave af ter wave of bl iss waftsf rom his dir ect ion, simul taneous ly wit hin . So m ew h e re along thew a y, mi schi evous Tai Ji pl aces an ice cube agai ns t my fo re h e a d ,testing my concentration. This drives attention deeper. After af ew m inutes, I beco me dim ly aware of g iggling at the p eripher y.

Eyes open grad uall y and refo cus on the Ma s t e r, ser iou sly star ingback at me from ten feet away. Minutes pass. With a swe e p i n garm, Master gestures to the s ta i rways , descending terraces ,fountains, and buildings f lanked by troop-l ike ranks of lushman go and lichee orc h a rds lai d out in per fect symme tr y sp re a d i n gfor miles into the valley below. Under his breath he mutters,T h e re are f i ve l e vel s. He a rt silently asks , How many leve ls aret h e re in your word s ?


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Majori Village:We re b o a rd and traverse a dusty, pot-holed dir t -path for several miles through farmland. After a sharp turn up awide path hedg ed by thorn -topped mud wal ls, we rea ch Ma j o r i .The artist in me is enamored with the congruity of the brightlan dsc ape and the och re tones of adobe arc h i t e c t u re . Bab a Lehna,

the v illage chief, rushe s fo rw a rd to bow re spect fully but instea d isembr aced a ffe cti ona te ly by the Ma s t e r. We are led through nar rowcorridors past fat, sleepy buffaloes, and arrive at Lehnas humbled welling. Seeing me unmindfu l in the hi gh-noon blaze (as Kiplingsaid, Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-days u n), Mas te r ca lls me to his side in the sha de . Hil ar iou s Pu n j a b itales are swapped, and the air is fi l led with intoxicating laughter.

After a while these rustics beseech Father to bless their humblehome s, and thu s begi ns a walki ng tou r where babi es, swe e t s ,f ruits, and scriptures are blessed. T hey offer eve rything , whi ch he

accepts for a moment and returns. Their grateful and bri l l iantsmiles are nt easi ly erased from the slate of my m ind. What Iexperience in his presence makes me want to dance and shoutf rom roof tops , He who sent us into this world has com e to take usb a c k ! But legs stumble and the tongue is dumb.

A saint is an ocean of love and when tides ri se in it, even thepeople s itting on the seashore get drenched. If you want toc u l t i vat e love, you mu st as soci ate wit h a Mas ter -so ul, for thenyou will both see and experience great ove r f l owing tides of love

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We return to Chandighar for three days, where I am board e dwith the Hastir family. Vishwanath Hastir is a well-placed civils e rvant , and a homeopathi c doctor who never charges for hise f f e c t i ve di ag no se s an d me di ci ne s. 3 My hosts anticipat e eve ryneed with such cheerful generosity that I am ashamed for my pastself ish ness. I re s o l ve to emula te the ir exam ple. We beli eve, hesaid, that the guest is Go d .

On our last evening, Vishwanath finds in me an eager l i stener:As a university student in 1 936, I of ten visited the ho use o f Sa n tKirpal Singh in Lahore during the time he was writing hismagnum opus, Gu rma t Si ddhan t ( Ph i l o s o p h y, or Wi s d o m o f theMa s t e r s ). In fact, we l ived on the same street, Ram Gall i Lane.Ram Gall i means the Lane of God, and because we had such ag reat Saint l iv ing next t o us, it seemed that God wa s indeed ne ar!Master detai led his son Darshan, who was also my close fr iend, to


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re s e a rch re l e vant ve rses f rom the scr ip tur al tre a s u re s of Pe r s i a nand Arabic mystics for inclusion in Gu rmat Si d d h a n t . I was alsog i ven some serv ice col lect ing quota tions . When comple ted,Gu rmat Si d d h a n ts a p p roxima te ly tw o thou sand page s we re re a db e f o re Baba Sawan Singh in the prese nce of many othe rs.

I int err upt, We re you the re?

Yes, I had the good fortune to be there also, at least for part ofthe read ing. When the reci tati on was complete d, Baba Sa w a nSing h re ve rent ly pla ce d Gu rmat Si d d h a n t on his head andp roclaimed, This is the greatest book o n spiri tuality written incenturies; l i stening to i t has the same upli ft ing effect as attendingsatsang. Although published in my name, Kirpal Singh is itsa u t h o r. Fo l l ow ing a Gu ru -d iscipl e tr ad it ion of yo re , Sant Ki rp alSingh si gned his wor k in the name of his Ma s t e r.

To give some idea of the si ze of Ha z u rs sa ts ang s at Bea s tow a rd sthe close of his mission, and of the enormous quantities of foodcooked and served freely to all who came, the daily quantity of saltalone was more than seven hundred pounds. I calculate that if thesalt content we re 2%, then the total food, inc luding chapatis, whicha re sal t-free, would have been in excess of 60,000 lb. p er day.

Apri l 7: Of the many initiated this morning, more than twiceas many women than men witness the luminous form of theMaster within. Fi ve women and four men expe rience totals e n s o ry with draw al from the phys ical body. I spe cifi call y ask theMaster why some col lapsed on the ground during si tt ing: If one

Sant Kirpal Singh giving satsang in the presence of Hazur - early 1940s


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sits erec t, fall ing over is avoi ded, he answe rs, and add s: Be c a u s eof their devotiona l nature, women often pro g ress faster thanmen. When I ask about the special posit ion for l i stening to theSo u n d - c u r ren t and the speed of tr ans cen sion, he confi rms myexper i ence : When s i t t ing in the bha jan pos ture , the soulwithdraws from the body faster than in any other posit ion.

Gobind in the Gu ru:At high noon we bid adieu to the Ha s t i rfamily and are on the road again. Twice our caravan stops alongthe winding, hil ly highway as hundreds of vil lagers seeking bless-ings surround Ma s t e rs car. In the midd le of a dese rte d stre tch of

jungled ravines and hil ls , Maharaj Ji suddenly te l ls Mohan to pul lthe car ove r. A second la ter, a jeep speeds past f rom t he oppos ited i rection. Its d river suddenly slams on the brakes, sl iding into a1 8 0 - d e g re e tu rn . Out leap s a Sik h in fu ll army un iform. Ma s t e r,in the back seat, opens his door and the Major runs over and

fl ings himself on his feet, blurting, My Lord, when driving past,I saw Gu ru Gobind Singh Ji appear in your form. Who are yo u ,Gu ruji? The Major had never seen orh e a rd of Sant Kirpal Sing h Ji be fo re .The prescient Master repl ies , I amonly a humble servant of theGu ru .

We have jus t passed Ba b aSawa n Si n g hs Der a at Be a s .

The golden domes of theSatsang Ghar shimmer inthe distance, and gradual lyd i sappear a s we movealong . Th is re m a rk a b l ebui lding was designed, andits const ructi on superv i s e dby Sawan Singh himsel f ,who by profess ion was a gi f te d en gi ne er. T h ro u g h

half-c losed eyes, I gl impseHa z u rs gho stl y ima ge rid inga white horse, keeping timewith our car. I turn around tolook at Ma s t e r. He is si lent , hi se yes br imming with a mi l l ionre m e m b r a n c e s .

A view of Dera Baba Jaimal Singh


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Hazur was a superb horseman. When his ghostly form followed besideMasters car, he was riding a white horse.


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Kiratpuri s our next halt . Ancient and rugged dun-colored hi l l sr ing the town on three s ides, a r iver to the west. Kiratpur gainedg reat sanc tity thro ugho ut the Punja b as the s ixt h Gu ru ,Hargobind, and his son Har Rai , the seventh, l ived here. A localfamily generously vacated their home for our use. I m given a bed

on the ro o f t o p, but whe n a light rai n beg ins to fal l, I am move dunder the verandah just three feet from the Master whom I cansee and hear through the unglazed window. Until past midnight,eager young Sikhs come seeking answers and the re m oval ofd o u b t .

Apri l 8:A round 3 AM, I rise for meditation; Master has beenresting for the past two hours in the darkness, c lose enough forme to hear his rhythmic breath. My meditation is re-chann eled asI become aware of a faint rustle of sheets. The Master s i ts up,

near ye t un seen . Un e x p e c t e d l y, and ba re ly audibl e, I hear himwhi spe r-s ing ing some ver ses . Hon ing in on his vo ice , I re c o g n i zel ines of the Ja p Jithe sacred ver ses com pos ed by Gu ru Na n a kf i ve hundr ed year s ear lier:

Ek On k a r, Sat Na a m . . .T h e re i s One Re a l i t y,The Un m a n i f e s t - Manife sted;Ever existent, True NaamConscious Spirit ,The Creator; pervading All;

Without fear; without enmity;Timel ess ; Un b o rn , Sel f-e xis ten t,Co mp le te wi th in It s e l f .T h rough the favo r of His tru e ser vant, the Gu ru,Go d may be re a l i ze d .

Truth was when there was noth ing,Truth was before all ages began,Truth exists now, O Nanak,And shall exist fore ve rm o re.

The Jap Ji s thirty-eight stanzas, one flowing into the next,p o rtray a beautif ul lyric tapestr y of the macrocosm , leading tothe f inale:

Air i s the Ma s t e r, Water the fa ther,and Ea rth the mothe r,

Day and Night are the two nurses in whose lapthe whole world is at play.


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Our actions: good and evil ,Will be brought before His court,And by our own deeds, shall we move higher

or be cast into the depths.Those who have communed with the Wo rd,Their toil s shall end.

And their faces shall f lame with glor y,Not onl y shall the y hav e sa lvat ion , O Na n a k ,But many more shall find freedom with them. 4

Master finishes, and the silence begins to resonate. In the ring-ing thunder, my soul skirts the awesome chasm between death andlife. The Adeptsand Master Kirpal is unquestionably one of theg reatestwing f ar beyond, administering to countless denizens onthe inner planes, as many disciples have, and do witness. I marve lthat while emancipated from the husks and shells of rituals, he still

o b s e rves and respects the trad iti ons into whi ch he was bor n. T h eSikh scriptures tell us, The true Master i s also the true Disciple.And, while the initiates may stop and start thousands of times, theMasters b e g i n simran only once.

While taking tea and f rui t with him at 7 AM, Gu ru d e vsoli citou sly inqui res afte r my we l f a re, to whic h I reply tha t I amve ry comfor tabl e and ve ry hap py ! By ei ght , Pa t h i - j is th ri ll ingvoice, amplified, echoes off the crenelated hil ls. Kiratpurs entirepopulace s i ts before the Master who proclaims the purpose of

existence. He moves amongst them, an ageless Messiah in anageless sett ing. The camel and ox, palm trees, adobe and stonebuildings, bearded patriarchs, wise mothers, and bright-eye dc h i l d ren ado rn the scene ; this is a page torn from the Bible . Ipluck a few pearls from his talk:

If even a dog will clean the ground with his tail beforesitting, how can we expect God, who is al l purity, to sit in anunclean place? If Go ds image is not reflected in us, it isbecause the mirror of our heart is not yet clear.

Naam is th e true pa ras , or Ph i l o s o p h e rs Stone, reputed to havealchemic pro p e rty of changing base metal into gold. Once, aman saved the life of an alchemis t and as re w a rd, was giftedwith the fabulous paras for one month only. Our man went tothe market to buy iron so he cou ld change it into gold. T h eprice of iron is too dear. I will wait for i ts price to dro p . Hewai ted until the nex t day, bu t the pr ice , ins tead of dro p p i n g ,


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had ri sen sharp ly. And thu s, eve ryday th ere a f t e r, the pr icecontinued rising. He kep t pro c rastinatin g until the month hadpassed. The magician re t u rned to claim his stone. Had the fool -ish man bought the iron, even at a high price, he could havet u rn ed it in to gol d. Si m i l a rly is the ca se wi th the di sc ip le s.What you have re c e i ved is of inf ini tel y great er valu e. Whi le the

Ph i l o s o p h e rs Stone may turn ir on into go ld , a Sa in t can turnyou into a Saint ! But i f you continue putt ing o f f yoursp ir itu al prac tic es, pro c ras tina tin g, fr it te ring away va l u a b l etime in outer pursuits, you will find this precious life gone.Then it will be too late. Do nt put off till tomorrow what yo ucan do today. Make hay while the sun shines!

Pa ramhansa R amakris hna was a simp le bhak ta (dev otee) andd i d nt po se l ik e ot her sadhu s; he had exper ienc e of tra n s c e n d e n tRe a l i t y. When ask ed by Na ren (Swami Vi vekananda), Ma s t e r,

h a ve you seen God? Ramakri shna repl ied, Yes, my son. No tonly have I seen God, but I see Him even more clearly than I seeyou! At another time Ramakrishna held open his hand beforeNa ren, s aying, If this is a plate of hon ey, and you a re a be e,h ow wil l you eat it? Na ren repl ied, I will come t o the edge toeat it , so that my wings may not become immersed in the honeyand I drow n . Ramakr ishna said , T his i s the sea of Im m o rt alit y! You w ill not die! Plung e head long int o it!

If the Master cannot give you experience b y opening your third

e ye then he too c annot s ee. Go to an able perso n. If a t eacher ison ly mat ri cul at e, he canno t giv e you a Ma s t e rs De g ree , but donot degrade lesser teachers, respect them. My advice is to go tosomeone of the highest degree, who not only sees and knows theReali ty in all its phas es, but who can also make you see T h a t .

Remember: wife without husband, elephant without tusks,b i rd wi thout f eathers, body without eyes and calf without milkis just lik e a sou l without a Ma s t e r. The barr en land , whichre c e i ves no rain , is no dif feren t than a human being bere ft of

Naam. A well without water, a house without light and ano rc h a rd with out fru it are lik e a soul cut off from Go ds div ineLi ght and Me l o d y. .

April 10 Kanpur is a s leepy l i tt le vi l lage at the end of a longdusty road where l ies the rustic beauty and soul of ancientBhara t. From the top of a thre e - t i e red br ick hou se, I look ac ro s sg o l d e n - g ree n fie lds spread ing into the dis tan ce, hem med by blue-


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purp le mountai ns that floa t above the va l l e y. Pea sant s bend andlabor in patches of alfalfa, wheat, onions, barley, tal l sugar caneand brig ht ye l l ow must ard. Di rectl y below me, hust le and bust lerise s from the langa r; devo ted hand s pre p a re spic y lent il dal,curried cauliflowe r, and potatoe s, pakoras (vegetab le fritters),rice pilau, and chapatis. Mo re than a thousand sit beneathawn ing s on a new ly har ves ted fi eld . Re s p o n s i ve chant ing ech oe s

a c ross the anci ent land.I m startled from my re verie by e xploding firecracker s, signaling

a r r i val. Like one long sepa rate d, I run to gree t and foll ow theMast er to the seco nd-fl oor. Pi c t u res of Saint s ado rn the wall s.Pointing to one of himself, he asks me, with a laugh, Who is thatf e l l ow? Do you know who he is? I know nothing, but manage toclick the shutter.

While tonights satsang concludes with a bhajan from Kabir,p l a i n t i ve ly re n d e red by Path i- ji , Ma s t e rs li on -l ike ey es ha lf cl os e,then turn up in their sockets for several minutes. He is l ike

Aslanthe mythic l ion of Narniain whose roar the unive r s emanifests and unmanifests .


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Gu ru in a Hu r ry: L a t e r, when alo ne with him in his roo m, Ie x p ress a troubled observa tion: Why is it that in so many placeswe have vis i ted, the fol lowers of ______ have tr ied to disturbyour satsangs and spread negative propaganda? I have seen themtearing down your tour posters . 5

Dur ing the ti me of my Ma s t e r, he answ er s, t h e re was muchopposit ion from the Akali s (an ult ra-o rt h o d ox segm ent of theSikh relig ion) . Th ey woul d say, Do nt loo k into the eyes of Sa w a nSin gh. Hes the Ne g a t i ve Powe r. But whoeve r was agains t Ha z u r,after seeing him, became his s taunchest followe r. O nce, whenHazur visite d my home vil lage of Sa y yed Kasran, Akalis came andt h rew st ones in the satsang . Hazur said, Than k you for your kindreception! And on these words, they we re cha nged. Just see theangle of vis ion he was coming from!

It is also happeni ng l ike that , e xcept now, opposit ion isf rom_____. They al so say, Do nt look in to Ki rp al Si n g hs eye s !Hell mesmeriz e you . Hes the Ne g a t i ve Power ! Mas te r sm iled, But whoever comes here gets fi rst-hand experience of what theycannot get els ew h e re. Hu n d red s come to me whe re they havesomething with Go ds Grace. The cat wi l l be out o f the bag, I tel lyou! I re c e i ved one le tter fr om thei r fo re runne r in the We s t ac h i ropra ctorwho wro te me, If any man has inner exp erie nce ofLight and Sound at initiation, his l ife-span will be cut short bytwo ye a r s . Can you imag ine? Now thei r foll owers are afra id of

asking for any experience. Would you like your l ife to be cuts h o rt by two yea rs? Has you r lif e been cut sho rt ?

I re p l y, laug hi ng , No.

In the lett er, he aske d, Does this expe rien ce affe ct the nerv o u ssyst em? I said , No, one beco mes fre s h e r, enli vened . Ligh t andSound are the Bread of Life. That letter i s with me in the ashram.Fu rt h e r, the y quot e from scrip ture which says : It is Satan-ish forthe disciple to be in a hurry, that hurry is the work of Kalthe

n e g a t i ve powe r. Yes, the di sc ip le sh ou ld no t be in a hu rr y. . . Bu tcan the disciple complain if the Gu ru is in a hur ry ? ! His laugh-ter i s f i l led with Light.

It was often the practice of Masters of antiquity to bestowinitiation upon only a select few and even then not unti l thep robationer s had pas sed throu gh extrem ely diffic ult trials testingthei r s incer i ty and fa i th . But in the present age, with i t s


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p a rt icula r nee ds, ti me lim ita ti ons and hum an fra ilt ies , Ma s t e r sh a ve opened up the floodgate s, making true spiritual ity moreaccessible than at any other time in history.

I have started tying a tur-ban , l e t t ing my ha i r andb e a rd grow, in emu lat ion ofthe Ma s t e r. He looked at meoddly earlier to day, but madeno comment. I am admitted-ly impulsive, infatuated, andt we n t y - t h re e .

Eve ry Sain t has a Past andEv e r y Si nner a Fu t u re :Ludh iana is on e of Pu n j a bs

major c i t i e s . The a shramh e reo ne of si xt y th ro u g h-out Indiais managed by Gobind Ram. As I get tok n ow this colo rfu l dis ciple , Id i s c ov er on e to ta l lym o t i va te d by lov ing ze al .

Gob ind Ram, tel l me yo u rs t o r y, I as k my gr iz zl ed

f r i e n d . Sa h i b, you do nt want to

k n ow !

Yes I do! Please tel l me soI can l earn . Af ter somecoaxing, he heaves a s igh, A a c h a a [al l rig ht] . Be f o re I cam e toMaharaj Ji , or shall I say before he picked me from the gutter, Iwas ve ry, ve ry bad . I was a gambler and a smug gler. I wasaddicted to drinking, opium, and ganja [marijuana]. My temperwas uncon trollable, a nd eve ryone f eared me, i ncluding the police.In broad dayl ight, I used to yank the gold necklaces and nose

j ewels f rom wealthy women. Al though I had hoarded up af o rtune, I was miserable and rest less ; my conscience neve ra l l owed me a m omen ts peace , think ing of all the suff erin g I hadcaused, but I was helpless to change. As I grew older, I began topray for deliverance, knowing I would have to pay dearly.


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A few year s ago Mahar aj Ji came to Ludhi ana . What a Go d l ybeauty! What a power! I f I could find any mercy in this world, Ik n ew it wou ld come through him! I p lead ed, Mahar aj! Gi ve thi sw o rthles s sinner your Naam! He said, Yes, you can be initiatedp roviding you mend your ways . You must return a l l youril l-gotten gains, or you wi ll never become free. De vote your l ife

to serving the needy and to the spiri tual practices, which wil l bere veale d to you.

Gobind Ram continues, Not knowing from whom I had stolen,I stuffed al l my i l l -gotten money and valuables into a big sackand went to the center of a busy intersection where I dumped itonto the ground. I cal led out as loudly as I could in al ld i rections, Come and t ake a ccording to your karma! The rush ofal l those people was a s ight to see!

I have met another ex-dacoit, whom I wil l refer to as Daku (nothis real name ). In 19 59, the Mast er gave a disco urse in Da k ushom e vi lla ge, the sub ject of whi ch was the re d e m p t i ve gra ce ofth e Sant Sa t g u ru s. Hi st or ic al ex am pl es we re gi ve n Ma r yMagdalene, the courtesan, saved by Jesus; Sajjan Thug saved byGu ru Nanak; Valmiki, a robber who became a Saint, and theauthor of the o riginal Ramayanato show that change is not onlydesirable, but possible, even for those who have trespassed al lmoral boundaries.

T h e re is hop e fo r eve ryo ne, prov idi ng the y are s i n c e re l yrepentant and de sire t o chan ge, but, Ma ster added, Not eve nGod can change one who doesnt want to be changed...Only thatsin is forgiven which is d one no more! Howe ve r, Master declinedto initiate Daku at this t ime.

After a few weeks the repentant Daku arrived at Sawan Ashramaccompani ed by a l l the members of his gang. They we re al linit iated and completely changed their l ives by adopting theMa s t e rs ethic al and spir itua l teac hing s. In time , the ir vill age aplace once known for evi l became known for good. Master oftenre f e r red to Daku , Now he is putt ing in six hour s of medi tat ion ad a y. Even rob bers can bec ome Saint s! Eve ry sain t has a past , ande ve ry sinn er a fu ture .

A few weeks ago at the ashram, Daku came down with a case ofacute appendicit i s . He was in obvious pain, and the doctorsadvi sed he be oper ated on imme diat ely, but Mast er sai d, w a i tand see. Another day passed, and Da k us suffering increased


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Boo k lea rni ng vs . Re a l i t y : Spea king of the vas t di ffe re n c eb e t ween academi c knowl edg e, and dire ct, immed iate myst icalexp eri enc e, Mahara j Ji rel at es the story of Kab ir and Sa r b a j i t :

Pe rhaps you have heard the story of Ka bir and the pund it?

After reading many books and winning many debates , thepundit announced, I am now to be addressed as Sarbajit , theInvincible! He went to his mother and declared, O mother,call me Sarbajit now. I have gained so much knowledge thatnobody can defeat me in religious debate! His mother, whowas ve ry wise, said, Go to Saint Kab ir and i f you can win himove r, on ly the n wi ll I ca ll you Sa r b a j i t . So , th e vai n punditloaded up a bullock cart full of books and went to the house of Kabir Sa h i b. When Kabi r asked abou t t he purpo se of his visi t,the pundit replied, Either you give me in writing that I am

Sarbajit the Invincible, or enter into debate with me.Kabir Sahib humbly acquiesced and gave him in writing,

Sarbajit is t he winner and Kab ir, the loser. But when he tookthis paper home to show his mother, it read, Sarbajit is thel o s e r, and Kab ir, the winne r. Sarba jit be came ve ry angr y andre t u rned to Kab ir wit h his demands. Aga in Kab ir wro t e , Sarbaji t is t he winne r and Kabir, the loser. Sarbaj it ran hometo show it to his mother, but again the paper read, Kabir is thewinner and Sarbaj it the lose r. A third time he re t u rn ed to

K a b i r, but this time Kab ir fla tly told him, O Pundi t, yo uspeak of what you have read and studied, whereas I speak of what I have experienced; the two can never agree. If you havesome inner exp eri ence of Re a l i t y, o nly then come and talk withm e .

Apr il 13 - Faqir Chand of Ho s h i a r p u r :Master lets me tag along in his car to a holyman conference inHo s h i a r p u r, abou t an hours dr ive from Ludh iana . Sad hus ins a f f ro n ro be s, an d ot he r re p re s e n t a t i ve s of Hin du and Sikh fa iths ,

g a ze out upon an audience of severa l hun dred from a la rge dais.Mast er Kirp al, as the gue st of honor, is warml y re c e i ved. Amon gthe holy men is Faqir Chand, head of this ashram and thesuccessor of Maharishi Shivbrat Lal . Rai Sal igram, who was oneof the chief disciples of Soami Ji of Agra, initiated Shivbrat Lal.Faqir Chand was l inked to the same path of Light and Sound, butt h rou gh a dif fer ent lin eag e than tha t of Baba Ji and Ma s t e rSa w a n .


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While smoking a hookah on stage, Fa qir Chand launches into ac o l o rfu l disco urse. In his descr iption of the inner spirit ualregions, I t ake notice when he mista kenly re verses t he experie ncesof the third and fourth planes.

After leaving Ho s h i a r p u r, Ma s t e r, from the front seat, care f u l l ycuts and peels an apple and passes the pieces around. From theback I ask, Maharaj J i , what i s the fate of those disciples of alesser Master who has advanced spiritually to, say, the second ort h i rd st age , but not the ult ima te Goa l [Sa ch Khand, the Fi f t hRegion]? I have Faqir Chand in mind.

Their pro g ress wil l st op, he answers. They will not be ab le togo farther than their guru.

Wil l the people who fol low them derive lasting benefit?

No.

End of discussion.

Lu d h i a n aQu estions & An s we r s :We re turn to the Ludhiana a shram la te in the a f te rnoon.Hu n d reds have been wait ing, med itat ing and singi ng bhaj ans.

After a brief rest , Master invites questions. A woman describesher diff iculties in st i l l ing the mind in meditation, a commoncomplaint.

M: Do you keep the diar y ?

Woman: No, I am i l l i terate .

M: Do you give f i fty rupees instead of f ive?

Woman: No.

M: If you can count up to fif ty and know the diff ere n c eb e t ween five and fift y, why cant you coun t you r mist akes ?Master chuckles. Keeping the diary means keeping track of theimpediments and imperfections in our l ives; then weed them out!If you dont check your lower tendencies, how can you go up inm e d i t a t i o n ?

An old grandmother s lowly rises to her feet . I dont seeanything in meditation now, but I used to see a lot before.

M: You are not med itat ing accu rate ly now. T h e re is some thinglack ing in your conc entr ati on. T h e re is a c ure for not seei ng, butt h e re is no cure fo r no t medi ta ti ng . Med itat e re g u l a r l y, wi th


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single-point ed attention in the manner already re vealed to yo u ,and the inner way will be opened again.

An elderly man stands with folded hands. Ma s t e r, I am adisciple of Baba Sawan Singh Ji. For man y ye ars I ha ve nt beenable to s it in bhaj an due t o seve re pains in m y hips, but n ow thatyou have come, I can si t and, with your blessings, the innervis ion has opened again.

Mast er humb ly repli es, It is all due to Ha z u rs grac e thatpeople are benefit ing. I am only a puppet in his hands.

A white-bearded Sa rdar comes forw a rd to confess: Maharaj Ji ,f o r g i ve me, I have sta rted drink ing. Plea se forgi ve me, I willn e ver dri nk again .

M: O Baba, it is pardoned, but dont drink again, and seet ow a rds your white beard. Your whit e hair s are a sign that theangel of death is approaching. What are you doing in your olda g e ?

Reci ta tio n without Na a m :A re n owned Ragi6 onc e came to Ba b aSawan Singh, l istened to his discourse which focused on thefutil ity of extern al religious practices uch as formulai c praye r s ,fast in g, ri tual s, bli nd faith and scr ipt ura l re a d i n g c o m p a r i n gthat with the supre me bless ing of being linked to the Un s t ru c kMelod y o f Naam, via the agenc y of a l ivin g Sa t g u ru. The Ragi wasp ro found ly af fe ct ed. Aft er the sa tsang was ove r, he app ro a c h e dthe grea t Mast er and aske d, Ha z u r, I have been read ing andreci ting the scri ptur es m ost of my l ife . I thou ght thi s wa s Na a m .Pray te l l m e, wha t is the benefit of this as co mpared to t he Na a mwhich you speak of?

Hazu r ask ed him to fill up a n earby piece of pape r with ze ro s ,and when the Ragi finished doing so, Hazur asked him, Bhai Ji[ respected brother], what is the value of the ze ros? The Ragirep lied, Not hing. They are jus t ze ro s .

Hazu r then ask ed him to put o n e b efor e the ze ros and asked, Now what is the valu e of what you have wri tten?

The Ragi replie d, Ha z u r, it is ines timab le. No one can coun tthat high.

Hazur concluded, Bhai Ji , singing the scriptures without Na a mis just l ike al l t he ze ros on t he paper. It has l ittle value, b ut when


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you get Naam from a perfect Saint, i t i s l ike putting One beforethem all . Then your lif e becomes inf ini tel y pre c i o u s .

Re f o rma tion of an alc oho li c:An alcoholic was init iated in Ludhiana on the 67 tour. W h i l e

h a l f - h e a rt edl y ag ree ing not to imb ibe again , wit hin a few days hi sold crav ing ove r p owe red both will and reason. Two year s ofsteady drinking and deterioration ensued. As much as he wantedto reform himself , he was helpless ly caught in the grip ofaddi ction. One day he ove rcame his shame, and trav eled to De l h ito see k the Ma s t e rs he lp be fore whom he ple ade d: Ma har aj Ji .plea se d ont make me promis e no t to drink for I know I hav e ntthe strength to keep it. I do not want to be fal se to you. Pl e a s ehelp me reform, for my l i fe i s in ruin, and my family is badlyaff ected. I cann ot chan ge myse lf. And he fell on his Sa t g u rusfeet, crying. Pleased with his confession and honesty, Master toldthe fel low, All right, you may drink, but promise me just onething. Master looked at him with a mixture of sternness andcom passi on. Promis e tha t you wil l nev er drink in My pre s e n c e !

After g iving his solemn word, the man returned home and keptthe bottle at bay. Howe ve r, after a couple of weeks the old crav-ing be gan tor ment ing hi m ag ai n. He re m e m b e red hi s pro m i s e ,but since Kirp al Singh was five hund red mile s away, he re a c h e dfo r a bot tle he had ear lie r hidden under his bed . With tr e m b l i n g

hands, he poured a glass , but as he raised i t to his l ips, he had theshock of his l ife, for the Master was standing across the ro o mlooking at him. He rubbed hise yes , but the Ma s t e rsform remained. Herea l l y wanted thatdrink! To avoid theMa s t e rs ga ze , heclosed his eyes andquickly raised thegl as s. Be f o re th eliquor was in hismout h, he re c e i ve da tremendous s lap.From that momenton, he never touchedl iquor again.

A dru n k a rd, a lover and a mothbegin their circling of the Fl a m e ;Friend, I found a great bargain,the sacrifice of mine and wine.Trading, I found the inebriate

e ye s of the Be l ove dDancing me in the tave rn

of the Ti m e l e s s .


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Raho, Bersian & Na w a n s h e r :From Ludhiana , we motor on to Raho, b i r thp lace of thegrandfather of Ram Chandra. By the 17th century, Raho hadbecome a flourish ing Mughal cente r, renamed as Si rhind. Gu ruGobin d Si n g hs two young sons we re crue lly brick ed up aliv e

insi de a wa ll by orde r of Si r h i n ds ru l e r. Wit hin tw o decade s,Sirhin d was raz ed to the groun d by the force s of Banda Ba h a d u r,an d it s or ig inal na me re s t o re d .

The ashram here is s i tuated in a large bui lding more than fourh u n d re d ye ar s ol d, on e of fe w th at es ca pe d de st ru c t i o n .O ve r g rown mound s of anci ent brick s and rubb le remai n sca ttere dt h roughout the largely abandoned town, mute reminder s of thepast . Ne a r by flows the lazy Satl uj Rive r, whe re my ance stor Lt.General Cripps and the Brit ish army came within a hair of losing

a decisive battle against the forces of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Wespend the night here on the ashrams roof beneath the stars. Inthe early morn while meditat ing, a small bird alights on my head.I feel honored. After breakfast, we move on to Bersian vi l lage,w h e re sa tsang is hel d in the fie ld s of a cu lti va t o r.

At its conclusion, an old man stands in the crowd and addre s s e sthe Master: Maharaj , my name is Amar Chand. Hazur blessed mewith Naam in the 1930s. Se veral weeks ago, my only son,Chanan Ram became deathly i l l . He did not have the benefit and

p rotection of in itiation. His voice quivers with emo tion as hecont inues, While sitt ing by h is side, I cl osed my eyes and Ha z u rsuddenly appeared in your company. Your radiant form camecloser and you gave the clear order to convey the secret of theFi ve Charg ed Names to my son, as his soul wa s about to dep artf rom the body. I there f o re dire cted him to close his eyes andrepeat the five names mentally. After a few minutes, he openedhis eyes and mouth and repeated, I am seeing the l ight-fi l ledimages of Hazur and Maharaj Kirpal . They are tel l ing me, Pre p a re to le ave thi s wor ld . It is not your pe rmanent place. Yo u

h a ve to le ave now. And so my fat he r, I bid you fa rewe l l . I wassatisfied. He then closed his eyes, and his soul took fl ight intothe Be yond. Grat eful tea rs rol l down Amar Chands we a t h e re dchee ks as he c onc ludes , As I am an init iate of Ha z u r, now m y sonis yours. The almighty power is One and we are b ound in i t for-e ve r.


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In the fierce heat of the afternoon (120 F. in the shade), I aminvi ted upst airs to tak e rest in the Ma s t e rs roo m. Myste riou s andalleviatin g cool bre ezes waf t through i t. Initial ly I am fear ful thatmy thought patterns, so apparent to him, might defi le the super-subl ime atmosphere. While lying upon the bare f loor with myhead tow a rds the nea rby reclinin g Ma s t e r, my anxie ty subs ide s as

g r a c e - c u r rent s al low my at tent ion to qu ickl y wi thd raw fr om th eexternal world and the senses.

L a t e r, I muse, How can a frai l bu lb wi th st and th e Powe r - h o u s e ?How may a broken cup contain the Ocean? It is said of him, Hed rank the seven seas and yet his l ips remained dry, w h e re as I canh a rdl y wi th stan d a fe w dro p s .

In the golden ripeness of late afternoon we drive a few moremi le s down the tre e- lined road to the town of Na w a n s h e r.

On the foll owing day, Maste r spea ks of grat itud e and re m e m-b r a n c e :

T h e re are so many moun tains and trees on the face of theEa rth, b ut s he does not gr umble. Once she was asked if t herewas any burden which wastoo grea t to bea r. T h eEa r th repl ie d, Ye s ,

the only burden Icanno t bear i s an ungra t e f u lh e a r t .

My Ma s t e r,Hazur Ba b aSa wan Si n g hused to say , For tho se

who re m e m b e rthe Lord inth e i r dreams , I am pre p a re d tomake shoe s f rom myown skin for their feet.

Giving Darshan(photo by Lucille Gunn, circa 1959)


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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. In an early undated hand-written memo to himself, Kirpal Singh out-lined his personal dietary, sunbathing and yoga exe rcise regimen. Hea l l owed himse lf only six to eigh t ounc es of food per day. This origi nal

memo is on display at Sawan Ashram.2. Kirpal Singh, Po rt rait of Pe rf e c t i o n, (Delhi & Bowling Green, VA: S.K.

Pu b., 1981 ), p. 285.

3. Homeopathy is widely accepted and practiced in India, England andEu rope.

4. Kirpal Singh, Ja p Jithe Message of Gu ru Na n a k, (De lh i & Bow l i n gGreen, VA: SK Publications, Sixth editi on, 1981)

5. I was taken aback by organized opposition to the Master and his mis-sion of love and peace, but this was nothing new, from a broad histori-cal perspe ctive .

6. Ragis are professional singers of Sikh scriptures and are held in ve ry highre g a rd. Some of the more g ifted enjoy almost super- star status within theirc o m m u n i t y. The Sa in ts of th e mysti c Wo rd, howe ve r, ha ve unequ ivo c a l l ystated that the most sublime outer music may help take one to the t h re s h -o l d of the astral world, and bestow a little taste of bliss, but music per se,is power less to eff ect fur ther ingres s into the spir itual re g i o n swhich arefar beyond the sense s and re l a t i v i t y. The inner Music of God brought aboutthe entire Creation, and is the means of the souls return to its So u rc e .Listening to the sweet, melodious strains of the inner Music, the mindsramifi cations are stil led; the more mind is stilled, or ove r p owe red by a forc emuch greater than itself, the more it e njoys bliss, peace and freedom fro mthe thralldom of the lower self.

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