Divine Light Magazine Vol 1, No 5, February 1972

Satsang from Mahatma Gurucharnand Ji, published in Divine Light Vol 1 No 5, Magazine of Divine Light Mission, February 1972.

Dear sisters and brothers,

How blessed we are who have approached the Holy Lotus Feet of our glorious Master whose radiance is Divine, whose Knowledge is perfect, whose Love is Nectar. It is not really the result of our good actions that we have found Him in this dark age. It is His boundless compassion and mercy alone that has enabled us to take eternal refuge in His Holy Lotus Feet and has made us able to become His humble disciples.

There is nothing higher and holier, no greater good fortune, than to become the humble devotee of the living Perfect Master. Even the gods and angels are very anxious to serve the Lotus Feet of the Divine Master. Not just to talk of them.

What a beautiful universal garland our beloved Lord has made, picking us like flowers from the various gardens of the world. No evil power is able to break it because He has planted the sincere love in our hearts and by His almighty grace, He is always taking care of us.

The first purpose of our life is to discover the Truth which, by His compassion, we have fulfilled. Now the most important duty is to meditate upon it unceasingly and serve Him wholeheartedly with mind, body, and wealth. Let our life become His instrument, for He knows its proper utilization. Let us throw the burden of our life at His Lotus Feet, for He is capable of carrying it, and let us trust solely in Him, for He alone is trustworthy in this changing world.

It is not child's play to become lost into pure consciousness, it can only be achieved by the Divine Grace of the Perfect Master which comes to those devotees who have totally dedicated themselves in order to spread His Sacred Knowledge for the sake of humanity. He who pleases his Spiritual Master through sincere devotion and selfless service reaches the highest goal of life in the twinkling of an eye. By the boundless compassion of the Perfect Master every human being becomes capable not merely of knowing about the ultimate Truth, they can also merge into it and receive direct experience instantaneously. This immediate experience unites the knower with that which is known.

The supreme Lord knows human weaknesses, therefore He manifests Himself in the form of Satguru to reveal the mystery of His own Divinity and to give to His devotees the opportunity of performing service at His Holy Lotus Feet.

Those who have been blessed with the Divine presence of Satguru will undoubtedly be saved and never be abandoned to the clutches of birth and death. Such devotees are always in peace and attain the state of immortal bliss.

Truth does not depend on any intellectual assent or dissent, any doctrine or dogma. Truth stands on its own evidence. One does not need any external method to discover it, for it lies in the innermost recesses of the heart. What one needs is the assistance of a living Spiritual Master who has discovered and is at one with the Truth. Guru Nanak says, "Guru's devotees get inner rhythm and bliss, Guru's devotees get True Knowledge and happiness. God resides in thc heart of Guru's devotees. Guru's devotees are the index of God's mind". He says, "The universe is the temple of God but without the Guru, darkness reigns."

Guru Maharaj Ji has revealed to us the fundamental unity of all faiths and religions and the oneness of all men, and the need of such a Perfect Master has never been more imperative than at the present time. Everybody requires the assistance of a competent Guru who can guide him on the path of truth safely and perfectly. With regard to the ultimate aim of human life, which is the discovery of the absolute Truth, all the religions of the world are in complete agreement, but through lack of practical experience they have adopted different external methods which have created conflict in their minds and lead them astray from the right path of Truth.

Shri Ramakrishna Param Hans says, "In trying to reach God one must implicitly follow the advice of one single Satguru who knows the way to God, one must have faith in thc Guru's words. The Satguru is none other than the Lord Himself. If you only follow His instructions like a child you will undoubtedly reach God."

Devotion is developed by the company of saints who always sing the praises of the Lord and remember His Holy Name. Without the company of saints there is no talk of the Lord, and one cannot be rid of doubts except through satsang. And until one's doubts are dispelled one cannot have deep rooted affection for the Lotus Feet of the Supreme Lord Guru Maharaj Ji. Doubts are only eradicated when one enjoys the fellowship of saints for a long time and listens to the delightful stories of the Perfect Master. When the Lord assumes human form He performs various lilas (divine actions) which can only be recognized by the faithful devotees but not by those who are steeped in lust, greed, anger and arrogance. The attributeless aspect of Godhead is easy to understand but no-one can comprehend the embodied form. Even the sages are bewildered on hearing of the various exploits of the Lord. The real devotee knows His lilas because he loves God for the sake of love alone, and asks nothing more than devotion.

I would like to tell you the most inspiring conversation about devotion between Lord Rama and His devotee Kakbhusundi, written in the Ramayana.

Once the Lord was very pleased with His devotee, so He spoke in words which were not only soft and pleasing, but profound at the same time, "Kakbhusundi, ask of me a boon, knowing me to be highly pleased with you. Be it mystic powers, fabulous wealth and final beautitude which is the fountain of all joy, spiritual wisdom, critical judgement, dispassion, realization and numerous other virtues that cannot be easily attained in this world even by the sages. Today I am prepared to give you all undoubtedly. Therefore, ask whatever pleases your mind."

On hearing the words of the Lord, Kakbhusundi was overwhelmed with love and began to reason thus within himself.

The Lord, it is true, has promised to give me all kinds of blessings, but He did not offer to grant me devotion to His own Lotus Feet. Without such devotion all sorts of virtues and blessings are like so many auxiliary dishes without salt. Of what avail is any blessing without devotion? Pondering thus, he replied as follows.

"if it is your pleasure, my Lord, to grant me a boon, and if you are kind and affectionate to me, I ask my cherished boon O Master, for you are generous and know the secrets of all hearts. O my Lord! The tree of paradise to the devotees, friend of thc suppliant, ocean of compassion and abode of bliss, in your mercy grant me that devotion to your Lotus Feet, uninterrupted and unalloyed, which the Vedas and holy scriptures extol, which is sought after by sages and great yogis but attained by few and that too by the Lord's Grace."

"So be it!" said the Lord, and continued in these most pleasing terms. "Listen Kakbhusundi, I am very pleased to see your sagacity in that you have sought devotion which is extremely dear to my heart. By my grace, now all good qualities shall abide in your heart. Devotion, spiritual wisdom, realization, dispassion and yoga. By my Grace, you shall obtain insight into all these. Truly I say to you, no-one in this world is so highly blessed as you, since you have sought the gift of al I blessings."

If Guru Maharaj Ji tells us to go to hell, let us go there cheerfully, without any hesitation, for He has the power which can convert hell into heaven. Therefore, my blessed brothers and sisters, obey Guru Maharaj Ji implicitly, serve Him wholeheartedly and love Him for the sake of love alone. Ask nothing, want nothing in return, just devotion. Devote to Him what you have to devote. It will come back multiplied a millionfold, but do not think of that now. Remember! Guru Maharaj Ji is not hungry of our possessions. He is always selfcontented, perfect in His Divinity, His Knowledge is infinite in its application. His soul is the foundation of immortal bliss. What He wants from us is only pure love and devotion, and really He is the only source of love and devotion. We poor people have got nothing but hatred, jealousy, envy, pride and so on. Truly, He loves the whole world selflessly He has devoted His whole life for the sake of humanity.

Let us drink His Divine love continuously. Let us follow in His Divine footprints. Let us beg Him sincerely to grant us His devotion and love and nothing else. Really blessed are those devotees who have bathed in the intense love and the unalloyed devotion of the Lotus Feet of Shri Guru Maharaj Ji, who is the highest manifestation of God and the embodiment of truth, love and compassion.

After receiving Knowledge, meditation, satsang, service, obedience and the darshan of Guru Maharaj Ji are absolutely necessary. Meditation on the primordial Word is the infallible technique to awaken the spiritual awareness which lies deep in the innermost center of our being, it will also cultivate firm conviction and unshakable faith in the Master's Knowledge. Satsang is the only key to unlock the door of Divine wisdom, the discriminative faculty and right understanding of our fellow men. Service is the true way to reach the Holy Lotus Feet of the Perfect Master. It spontaneously brings about intense love, pure devotion and humility. Darshan of the glorious Master is the divine resource to unfold the fountain of immortal bliss and Joy. Obedience of the Spiritual Master's commandments is the only means to get security from the secret enemies of man, i.e. pride, ego, greed, lust and jealousy, which are hidden in the evil propensities of mind.

If a devotee possesses these qualities he is undoubtedly the most fortunate one and he will be the sublime channel for the pure love of his beloved Master to flow as well as the Divine melody of His Spiritual Knowledge, simultaneously. But after initiation, if a disciple does not pursue all of these ideals then he will depreciate the value of his own life.

What is the use to receive Knowledge if we do not follow these ideals? What profit will we gain after initiation f we neglect these spiritual instructions? And of what avail is this life if we do not realize the significance of them?

So my beloved brothers and sisters, awaken from the dream of false ideas, give up all laziness and stand firm on the path of Truth. Put all the spiritual ideals into practice, change your life, and be a perfect shining example, spreading the sacred Knowledge of Guru Maharaj Ji throughout the world. Let even every child know and realize the glory of our Perfect Master. Let the Himalayas begin to float on the surface of the oceans and the waves of the ocean climb to the top of the highest mountains, but our faith in Guru Maharaj Ji should never be shaken for an instant.

O Almighty Master! grant us the unalloyed devotion of Thy Holy Lotus Feet, that we may be able to serve you better.

O Lord! grant us strength that we may march forward smilingly facing all difficulties to spread thy Holy Knowledge.

Jai Sat Chit anand



Mahatma Gurucharnand Ji