HAZUR MAHARAJ BABA SAW AN SINGH JI 1858-1948









DISCOURSES ON SANT MAT



PREFACE


With a rapid rise in the number of English knowing satsangis there has grown a keen demand for further literature on SantMat, in English. Seeing what mine of esoteric wealth is contained inthe discourses which Maharaj Baba Sawan Singh Ji delivered in the Punjabi language over a period of nearly four decades, the present Master, Maharaj Charan Singh Ji, asked for these Satsangs to be rendered into English for all the English knowing initiates and seekers. He personally selected the Satsangs to be so translated and gave constant guidance and inspiration during the progress of this work, explaining at length the meaning of the various Shabds and quotations used by Hazur Maharaj Ji. The present volume is meant to meet the demand and is the first of the series to be
published. The Master has also graciously passed on the copyright, in respect of these publications, to the society, viz: Radhasoami Satsang, Beas. It is hoped that this series will meet a long felt want and will greatly benefit all those who wish to understand the great purpose of life and endeavour to realise it.
It may, however, be pointed out that no English translation can ever possess the quality of the original work either in freshness or in vigour of thought. For one thing, it is difficult always to find exact equivalents in a foreign language, and for another, idioms, aphorisms and phraseology in their new clothes lose much of their
subtlety. For aDy failings, therefore, in not being able to bring out fully the elegance and excellence of the original Satsangs, the responsibility is entirely ours and we seek the indulgence of our readers.
The translation has been a team work lovingly undertaken by several devoted satsangis : Mr. Joseph Leeming of Washington, U.S.A., Professor A.P. Kapur of the Arya College, Ludhiana, and Mr. K.L. Khanna of the Radhasoami Colony, Beas. Both Professor Gopal Das Kapur of the Sanatan Dharma College, Ambala, and Professor Janak Raj Puri of the Government College, Patiala, also cheerfully gave of their time in the early stage of this work. The entire typing work has been done by Dr. Mrs. Edna Stone of Chicago,U.S.A., who has laboured hard and long hours in utter love and devotion to complete the book. Sri Ramdas Chadda of the Radha- soami Colony, Beas has been a source of help, throughout, in pro- perly placing the quotations and references.


We greatly appreciate their labour of love in the service of the Beloved Master.

Radhasoami Satsang Beas Punjab, India



FOREWORD


I vividly recall Hazur Maharaj Ji's satsangs. For four decades, they were looked upto as nothing else had been by tens of thousands of people. Every word and every syllable that He uttered became the very life of His disciples. The satsangs thrilled. They inspired. They enthralled the mind and heart of men. They answered all their questions. They resolved all their pressing problems. They met all their needs. Every word was a healing balm that soothed their anguished hearts. Every word was an ambrosial drop that quenched their thirsty souls. Tt was a memorable sight to watch the vast multitudes listening with rapt attention; men, women and children sitting in pin-drop silence; their faces lit with light, love and peace. The deep and melodious voice of the Master created a musical effect that completely magnetised the audience. Everybody was edified beyond measure and inwardly refreshed.
The satsangs given in this volume are so penetrating in thought, so profound in wisdom, so rich in spirituality and yet so lucid, discerning and practical that they leave no room for any addition or elaboration. To do so would be to hold a candle to the sun.
Saints of all ages and countries have sung the same one song. They have all preached the same one Truth. They have all empha- sized the unity of God and brotherhood of man. Their message has always been the same one of love, compassion and humility. They come not to found new creeds and religions. They come not to gain suzerainty and dominion over lands. They come to unite, not to divide. Their mission is to take the longing souls back to their Home, not to take them further astray. They come to lift mankind out of the cobwebs of illusion, not to sink them deeper into the mire. Their life is one of labour and love, work and worship, service and sacrifice. They are entirely wedded to poverty, purity and spirituality.
Belief in one God is the cornerstone of all religions. They are different roads, leading to the same destination. The soul of religion is, indeed, one; only it is encased in a multitude of forms. 'Many roads hast thou fashioned: all of them lead to light.' Doubt- less their rites and rituals, their customs and ceremonials, their rules and conventions are diverse, but the substance of Reality, the essence of Truth, the basis of Spirituality, underlying them all, is one and the same. The Saints, the lovers of the Lord, turn away from the outer religion of form and ceremony to the inner religion of the heart. They discard the shell and hold on to the kernel. They preach pure and untarnished spirituality, for while the outer differences tend to divide us, the inner silver-cord assuredly makes us all one. 'The object of sight is one, but the angles of vision are many. Even so, Truth is one but we see it from different levels.' Only deep understanding of this underlying oneness will enable us to meet on one platform and bring peace to the intolerant and the strife-torn world.
Nobody denies that God is one; that He has created the world; that we can gain salvation by meeting the Lord, the Creator, alone; that the Lord resides not in forest retreats and mountain caves, but in the inner recesses of the heart; that to meet Him, research has to be carried out within the human body and nowhere else; that none has ever found Him outside nor will anyone do so hereafter.
They all admit that mind is the veil between man and God; that He can be seen only when this blinding screen is removed. Mind revels in pleasures of the senses. It can be weaned from them only when it gets something supremely superior, sweeter and nobler. The Saints say that this 'something' is the Divine Melody, the Audible Life Stream, the Voice of God, the Holy Ghost, the Word, the Logos, the Nam, that ceaselessly reverberates at the third eye. It is here that the Supreme Giver bestows His gifts; where flows the ambrosial nectar and it is to this point that the body consciousness has to be retraced, retained and put in the orbit of ever-resounding immanent power. Then shall we gain God-realization.
This process calls for no change in religion, no shift in avocation or profession, no distinctive garment or the like. The path is as easily trodden by young as by old. The Saints do not make cowards of men. They explicitly enjoin upon all who come under their influence to do their duty by their parents, family and children, friends and relations, the poor and the downcast. Those who love the Creator love His creation, too.
Self surrender is the key to God-realization. 'It gives strength to the weak, sight to the seeker, Beloved to the lover, God to the devotee, happiness to the server, holiness to the sinner, freedom to the bound,and immortality to the mortal man.'

Hazur Maharaj Ji has very lucidly dealt with these and other points in His satsangs. He has brought to us a practical way of searching God within us and realizing Him here and now. I hope that those who are real seekers will benefit from the book.


"His Love is infinitely inexpressible, How shall I describe it ?"

Charan Singh

( to be continued. P #10 )





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I do not quote from the scriptures;
I simply see what I see.


~ Kabir