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about the translator.. .Kirpal Singh, a mo dern Sain t in the direct line of G uru N an ak ,was born in 189 4 in the Punjab in India (no w part of Pakistan).His long life, saturated with love for God and humanity, broughtpeace and fulfillment to approximately 120,000 disciples, scat-tered all over the world. He taught the natural way to find Godwhile living; and his life was the embodiment of his teachings.He made three world tours, was President of the World Fel-lowship of Religions for fourteen years, and convened the gigan-tic World Conference on Unity of Man in February 1974,attended by religious, social and political leaders from all overthe world. He died on August 2 1, 19 74 , in his eighty-first year,stepping out of his body in full consciousness; his last wordswere of love for his disciples. His life bears eloquent testimonythat th e age of the p rophets is not over; that it is still possible forhuman beings to find God and reflect His will.


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BY KIRPAL SINGH

T h e Jap Ji: T h e Message of Gu ru Nan akPrayer: Its Nature and Technique

Spirituality.. What It IsN a a m o r W o r d

Baba Jaimul Singh: Hi s Li fe and TeachingsT h e Cro wn of Li fe : A Study in Yog a

Seven Puths to PerfectionT h e W he el of Li fe; T h e LU W of Act ion and React ion

G o d m a nSpiritual Elixir

T h e M y s f e r y o f D ea thMorning Talks

T h e Night is a Jungle and Oth er DiscoursesHeart- to-Heart Ta lks

T h e W a y of t he saint^: Collected Short WritingsT H E T E A CH IN G S O F K IRPA L SIN G H

(COMPILED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES):I . T he Ho l y P a th11. Self-Introspection/Meditat ion111. T h e New Life


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THE JAP JIThe Message of Guru Nanak

Literal Tran slation from th e Original Punjabi Textwith Introduction, Commentary, Notes, and a

Biographical Study of G ur u Nanak b yKIRPAL SINGH

SANT BANI ASHRAMSanbornton, New Hampshire1977


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The rights in this book are not reservedsince it belongs to mankind.

First Edition 1959Second Edition 1964Third Edition 1967Fourth Edition 1972Fifth Edition 1976Second Printing 1977Photographed from the Third Edition, and lithographed, withthe addition of "Guru Nanak and His Teachings," in the UnitedStates of America by The Sant Bani Press, Inc., Tilton, N. H.Binding by the New Hampshire Bindery, Concord, N. H.ISBN: 0-89142-029-0


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Dedicatedto the Almighty Godworking through all Masters who have come

and Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaja t whose lotus feet

the translator imbibed sweet elixir ofHoly Naam-the Word


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Table of ContentsP R E F A C E . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .N T R O D U C T I O N . . . . .E L I G I O N : B J E C T I V E N D S U B J E C T I V E. . . . . .I V I N EWILL-HOW IS IT REV EA LED ?T H EO B J E C T I V EN D S U B J E C T I V ES P E C T S F N A A M .. . . .V I D E N C EROM THE V A R I O U SELIGIONSChristianity . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hinduism . . . . . . . .Mohammedanism . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .O U N DD I F F E R E N T I A T E D . . . . . . . .isery and Pleasure DefinedAdvantages Accruing from Inner Communion of the. . . .oul with Naam or Surat Shabd Yoga. . . . .IMRAN-WHAT T ME A N S N D IT SUSES . . .H R E E R A N D IV IS IO N SN D T H E I R E A T U R E SMan is an Ep itome of the Three G ran d D ivisions ofthe Creation . . . . . . . .Possibility of Communion of the Microcosm with theM acrocosm Regions . . . . . . . . . .Concentration of Spirit Current Is Necessary BeforeIt Can Rise Into Higher Spiritual Planes . . .Uses of the Three Restrictions and their Process . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .O D - M A NWithout a God-Man, the Mystery of Soul is NeverRevealed . . . . . . . . . . . . .Three Essentials for the Progress of Soul to the LordExplained . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . .ualifications of a God-ManScriptures Incompetent to Awaken Spirituality . .. . . . . . . . .ecessity of a God-ManWho Is the Guru? . . . . . . . .God-Man Is the Only True Friend . . . . . .. . . . . . . . .ow to Know a God-ManT R I N I T YN R E L IG I O N. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .H EP U R P O S EF L I F E


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Text - nglish Version and Commentary(W ord s shown in italics are ad ded for reference to first line ofeach stanza in original text.)Stanza Page

-PROLOGUE - n Praise of the Almighty . . 871 (Soche soch -Futility of me ntal endeavo ursna hovayi. . ) and observances to know theD i v i n e W i l l . . 882 (Hu km i hovan

aakaar . ..)3 (Gaave k ota a n . . )4 (SachaSahib. . .)5 (Thap ya nuj a y e . . .)6 (Tirathnaavaan . ..)7 (Je jugchaare. ..)8 (Suniye siddhpir .. )9 (Suniye IsarBrahmu...)10 (Suniye satsantokh...)1 1 (Suniy e saragunan.. )12 (Manne kigat ...)1 3 (Mannesurat .. )14 (Mannemaarag .. )15 (Manne

-How the Divine Will works? . 8 9-Divine Will holds the creationin Its control . 90-The para do x of salvation :Human effort and Divine Grace-Greatness of the Holy W ordand of the Word personified . 90--Salvation comes throu gh Gra ceandworthiness . 93-To win goodwill of G od , yogicpractices are not enough. . 94

7I -Fruits of com mu nion with the1 Holy Word :1 At-one-menr with the DivineI Will - ith all honour andI glory . . . . . . . 5-96IJ

pave ...)

I -The Holy W ord is an expressionI of the Divine Will.\ Th e Power of the W ord is greatI and he who practises the W ordI is t ru ly blessed . . . . . 7-981I


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Stanza16 (Punchpantaan...

17 (Asankhjap ...)18 (Asankhmoorakh...)19 (Asankhnaao ...)20 (Bhariye harhpair. . )21 (Tirath tapdaya ...)

-In praise of Saints and thePower of the W ord which is all-pervading and immanent in allforms, upholding the universewith all therein . . . . .-Good deeds per se fail to give. . . . . .od-vision-World abo und s with the im-pious . . . . . . .-His manifold beauty and vastcreation baffle all description .-Communion with the W ordpurifies the mind and frees thesoul from bondage . . . .-Ingress into the 'Til' is thehighest of virtues . . . .

22 (Paa taala paataal -Vastness of Go d's creation islakh. . ) beyond human comprehension23 (Saalaahi ..aalaah .)24 (Ant naSF. .)25. (Bahuta

Karam. . )26 Amul gun amulvaapaar.. )27 (S o darkeha. . )28 (Mundasantokh.. )

29. (Bhugat gyandayaa. ..)

-Love of G od is the greatest gift-Exalted is the H oly W ord andstill more exalted is the DivineGrace that quickens it . . .-All share His bounties equally :

But the bounty of the EternalSong is His Greatest Gift . .-God's attribute s and His Re-gents are equally unique andpeerless . . . . . .-All bow in holy reverence un toHim and sing His praises . .-Inner discipline and catholicoutlook an d not adherence tocodes of ou ter ritual can bringabout transformation . . .-Inner spiritual discipline ex-plained . . . . . . .


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30 (Ek aa maaee -The principles on which God'sjugat. . .) creationworks . . . . .31 (Aasan loye -God's plan is infallible andloye . . ) e t e r n a l . . . . . . .

32 (Ik dujibho -Simran or constan t remem-lakh . .) brance leads Godw ards and sal-vation comes throug h effortscoupled with His Grace andWill . . . . . . .33 (Aakhan jor -Divine Will is the be-all an d

chupe.. ) end-all in all things includingsalvation . . . . . .34 (R aa ti ruti thiti -Description of the realmsvaar . . ) thro ugh which the soul journeysGodwards . . . . . .35 (Dharam Khand - i) Dharam Khand, Realm ofKa ..) Action : Earth and its in-. . . . .abitants36 (Gian Khand - ii) Gian Khand, Realm ofme n. . ) Knowledge : Its godlydwellers and manlfoldnature . . . . . .-(iii) Sarm Khand, Realm ofEcstasy : Its beauty and. . . .trangeness37 (Karm Khand -(iv) Karm Khand, Realm ofKi Bani . . ) Grace : Word is all in allhere and nothing else , .38 (Jut - v) Such Khand, Realm ofPaahaaraa . ) Truth : Seat of the Form-less One . . . . .Finale (Pavan -Bird's-eye view of human life,Guru. .) its nature, purpose, and salva-tion . . . . . .. . . . .U R U N A N A K A N D H IS T EA C HIN G SA Biogruphical S tudy

. . . . . .LOSSARY OFORIENTALTERMS. . . . . . .HE JA P J1 : Original P u n j a b i T e x t


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T H E P R E F A C EThe following version of Jap Ji, or the message of GuruN ana k, is sent ou t into the world in order to feed hungrysouls, and quench their thirst for true knowledge of the

higher life.The original Punjabi text of the Jap Ji is exquisitelywritten an d it is impossible to trans late it without some loss.An effort, however, has been made in these pages to presenta literal translation of the text to the public. Where the reade r.might lose the true imp ort, recourse has been made t o afree rendering.The Jap Ji deals with the practical aspect of the problemof spirituality mo re than with m ere theory. Neither is it amere work of literature. Earlier translations into Eng lish havetended to ignore this an d have often failed to convey the tru eimport of the original. In this rendering, an effort has beenmade to concentrate upon the message tha t the Jap Ji con-tains, rather tha n to indulge in a literary exercise. Th e studyof this work will help a ll people, irrespective of th e religionth at they may profess.

True religious thought is ingrained in the hearts of allbeings. It is inherent and appears in the form of a searchafter Peace Everlasting an d Joy Suprem e. When this aw aken-ing comes to m an from w ithin, he takes to the religiouspursuits as prescribed by on e or the other form of religion.H e also begins a keen and a passionate study of the holyscriptures. These are the elementary steps tow ards G od -realisation an d are necessary. But he who does no t go beyondthis stage, thinking it t o be the be-all a nd the end-all ofreligion, never enters the realm of higher consciousness.These are primary means. He has to advance a step further,to quiet the spiritual unrest seizing his mind.


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12 T H E JAP J IM an has to tak e to the subjective side of things, ultimately

to commune with Shabd-Bani. This Eternal Divine Music isthe Cau se of all cre atio n, an d perm eates it. Christ refers to itas the Word , the Mohammedan saints as Kalma, Zoroaster asSraosha, the Hindu scriptures as Shruti, Udgeet, Nad, orAkash Bani. T he Science of the "Word" has been practised andtaug ht by almo st all the Saints. I t is th e quickest, th e easiestand most natural of all the sciences that exist for attainingcom plete oneness with the Lo rd. A study of this book willafford food for the soul th at aspires to take a step fur the rinto the Inner Realm of the spiritual life.These teachings are addressed to all humanity and nosectarianism is inculcated. T he M aste r is for all m ankind an dfor all t imes. Let us hope tha t this a ttem pt a t translation willgive us a deeper insight into the problems of the Self and God.Loving acknowledgement is here m ade to t h e teachings ofthe Gre at M asters who came in the past, an d to later writers,like Tennyson, Huxley and others who have been referred toin the Introduction.My thanks go to Shri Bhadra Sena and others who tookkeen interest in going through the ma nuscript and spent m anyhours in this labour of love.


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I N T R O D U C T I O NWhat is J a p J i ? Ja p J i is the beautiful hymn of G ur u N anakwhich appears as a prologue to the Guru Granth Sahib, thevoluminous scriptural treasure of the Sikhs, which comprisesover 1400 pages. The Jap Ji lays down the basic principles of

his teachings an d explains :the means to achieve at-one-mentwith th e O ne Being, the Creato r of all.Th e title "Jap Ji" is composed of two words - Jap" and"Ji." "Jap" stands for me ditation o n a certain object to a degreeth at one loses his consciousness an d merges in to the veryobject of meditation. By this Japa the meditator is trans-formed into that very object, losing all sense of his ownsep arate existence. Here this word conveys the idea of deepconcentration or internal repetition of th e Wo rd, t o the extentth a t it will efface the tint of ego in man, letting in Divinitywhich already exists in him with full expressive effulgence-spiritu al life tak ing the place of physical existence. "Ji" meansa new life - ife achieved through meditation on the Word -which brings us in closer communion with the Ever-ExistentSource of Life. This title thus contains within itself the solu-tion of th e mystery of life. I t is really life-giving- rue-life-giving - y contacting the D ivine W ord within."Only he is alive, 0 Nan ak, who is attuned with H im; a llelse ar e dead." - ajh War 131.1Therefo re if you wish to have life w orth living, uniteyourself w ith the Divine Wo rd th at is already within you.Without realisation of God within, the body is but abellows tha t breathes in and breathes ou t without any pur-pose. To live in communion with Him is the chief object setforth by the Great Master. The Ja p J i commences with thebasic principles of life, and concludes by giving the sub-stance of his teachings: Equ ality of m an in the sight of G od ,


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14 T H E J A P J Iall being endowed with equal privileges; their approximationand separation due to their respective actions; their finalemancipation throu gh com mun ion with the Divine W ord, theEternal Song; and competence of the Master-soul in raisingothe rs to find the Ever-Active-Will diffused in the world. I tdeals with the views of different schools of thought; andthro ug h questions and counter-qu estions, it seeks to establishthe One Reality working at the back of all creation.G ur u N an ak begins by laying dow n the principle (in stanzasI , I1 an d 111 of the text) th at we must make His Will our ow n,in order to achieve oneness with Him. Communion with HisHoly Naam - he D ivine W ord , which is an em anation fromthe One Being - eveals to us His Will. The Holy Naam isthe Eternal Divine Song, reverberating throughout the wholecreation.The one thing which helps communion is Simran, the con-stant remembrance of the Lord. This, and the elementarysteps ensuring success tow ards this end by meeting th e qua li-fications befitting a n aspirant for taking up the pa th of T ru th ,and the different spiritual planes through which the soul hasto pass before achieving oneness with the Lord , form thesubject matter of the thirty-eight stanzas of the text of Jap Ji.The Jap Ji is a compendium of the teachings of the Master.G ur u Gra nth Sahib, the supreme treasure of Sikh sacredliterature, is, in a sense, an elaborate exposition of this pre-liminary statement. We will take up each subject as dealtwith by the Master, in turn, and try to explain how He solvedthe riddle of life which has perplexed so many. Let us havethe patience to study it carefully. Then we can see to w hatheights of spirituality the Master is calling each one of us.

R E L I G I O N : OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVEReligion, as it is generally understood today, has beengrossly misconceived. Prayers consisting of set phrases,forced ceremo nials, time-consum ing rituals, adherenceto outward sym bols a t the sacrifice of their inner


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spiritual meaning and superiority of one creed over ano ther -these and similar other absurdities have usurped the title ofreligion. One religion is waging war against the other;broth ers are fighting with b rothe rs, o n th e plea of differencesof opinion regarding the means to salvation. Bloodshed, false-ho od , hatred, intolerance a nd bigotry have often been preachedin the name of religion while the vital offices of religion, theFatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, are seta t naught.

Reason has been banished altogether, reducing religionto a mere profession of creeds and dogmas. Words have re-placed deeds. Religion n o longer seems to be concerned withsuch ennobling issues as the knowledge of one's self, andunion with the Divine origin. T he seeking of G o d in th e ob -servance of outw ard means, and the repetition of verbalform ulae, the h aunting of pilgrimages a nd synagogues amidstunfeeling hearts, reveal the dep ths to which religion ha s sunk.Many God-gifted men in the past when faced with similarsituations revolted against the fossilized religions and theritualistic codes of priestcraft.

Is not all this deplorab le? It is a sad spectacle, indeed !Fortun ately, all this is du e to h um an ignorance of true religionwhich knows no artificiality or fabrication. The slavery of thepriestcraft is no t the aim of religion. Its aim is no t to bind bu tto set m an free from its slavery.The Master prescribes a religion which teaches the equalityof Man. Nature does not distinguish between a Hindu, aMohammedan or a Christian. All belong to the one hum anityon earth. G uru Nanak exhorts us t o accept this - he brother-hood of man - s the grandest religion (stanza XXVIII).We sho uld consider all men o u r equals, irrespective ofcolo ur o r creed. Ju st as in a class, boys of all sects an d de-nominations sit together, play together, love each other andlearn the sam e lessons from one and the same teacher, just sothe whole world should be as one class. No distinction of casteo r colour should be observed. The Fatherhood of G o d an d


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T H E J A P J Ithe brotherhoo d of m an are the true essence of religion. Allhum anity are alike, n o ma tter if they pose unde r the ga rb o fSikhs, Hindus, Mohammedans, Jews, Christians, Buddhistsor the materialists."All living beings are at Thy Feet, 0 Lord, Thou carestfor them all,

W hatever pleaseth Thee is good, N an ak beseecheth Th eein this wise." - ilawal M.lTh e M aster loves Na ture and conforms to all the lawsof Nature . H e knows no artificiality or fabrication. N atu re isbeautiful, except when tormented by man. He therefore leavesNa ture to take care of the outer m an a nd to preserve it as bestit may. Th e majority of the sages bo th in the East and West- hrist, Buddha, Ramakrishna and others - id not interferein the least with the bodily form N at ur e gave the m . The re isin fact no higher religion than this. It is one aspect of religion,the objective side. But there exists also the othe r aspect whichmay be termed the subjective - he inner side of it of whichwe have no knowledge at all. In this respect the M asterteaches us to develop the subjective life by the na tura l mean s,which consists in living in D ivinity an d realising th e presenceof G od in ou r souls. T his is the tr ue nature of religion. I t isn o t merely an oral profession, b u t a highly practical andliving essence.

The first lesson to be learnt is to realise the existence ofthe Divinity in man and to feel, nay- ee, its very presenceeverywhere. I t is an ever-active an d moving principle dif-fused throughout creation that accounts for the existence ofthe universe itself. Natu re, with her imm utab le laws, infinity offorms and phenomena, is not a mere edifice of chance. Byone Supreme Ruler is this universe pervaded, held in controland kept in order.M a n must reap the fruit of what he sows here or hereafter.All are subject to the dom ain of the Karm as and non e isexempt therefrom. The only com petent means for obtainingemancipation from bondage to the inexorable law of K arm as


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is com mun ion with the Holy Naam-the Divine W ord, learntat the feet of a Gurmukh, a Master. When one has understoodthis, one is fit enough to take the next step.All men are equal an d carry with them the spark of theDivine Light, ever effulgent and eternal. T he rites of thesynagogue or the mosque, the H indu ways of worship or theMuslim prayers or the devotional services of the Ch ristians,are but different ways of offering love to the one SupremeLord.All of us are playing in the lap of D am e Nature, day andnight, serving in the capacity of either m ale or female, onethe ever-active and the other passive. All live on th e sameearth, under the same sky, breathe the same air, drink thesame water. In a few words, all are nourished by the sameelements of earth, water, fire, air and ether.Again, all enjoy the same privileges. All have the sam eeyes t o see, the same ears to hear, the sam e limbs to moveabo ut and the power of articulation to speak. No ne is deprivedof Nature 's instruments, fo r Nature extends the sam e facilitiesto all alike an d grants equal protection t o each.All hum an beings-here, there an d everywhere-are thechildren of one Fathe r, and form the links in the unbrea kablechain of Divinity, like beads o n one string. If you try t o tampe rwith a ny one of them, you are boun d to affect the whole chain.Therefore, molest no t anyone is the injunction of the Saints.Baba Farid says in Guru Granth Sahib:"If th ou hank ereth after a union with the Lord , torm entnot the heart of anyone." -Shalok FaridG ur u N ana k would have each one of us breathe affinityto the whole creation, and look upon the world with boundlesscom passion from the very core of ou r hea rts, wishing peaceun to all. H e has set forth the above in beautiful words :

" 0 N an ak , may we rise up on the current of th e HolyNaam-the Divine W ord- to Thy Presence.And wish peace unto all the world, under Thy Will."W hy, then, does there exist all this variety in the outward


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18 T H E JAP J1symbols and external observance of the different religions'?Th is, the M aster explains, is du e to the different forma litiesan d cu st o n ~ s revailing in different countries. H e says :

"Hindu temples and the mosques of the Muslims are allthe same.The Hindu ways of worship and the Naivaz (Muslim modeof prayer) are all the same unto Him.All mank ind is but an em ana tion from the same source

of life.The differences between the men of various creeds-Turks, Hindu s an d others-are du e to the customs an d modesof living in their different countries." -Guru Gobind Sing11Let us take one instance : To go about bareheaded is asign of respect in the West, whereas in the East it is takenas disrespect. Th is evidently changes the ou tward m ode ofworship of the West from tha t of the East. Th e Ch ristianscon duc t their services in churches bareh ead ed, b ut in the Eas tdevotees perform their prayers with their hea ds alwayscovered.Th e climatic influences also play a gre at pa rt in determiningthe mo de of r i tual . In Arabia, the cradle of M oham med anism,for exam ple, the A rab s, because of the scarcity of water, per-form Nanzaz (offer prayers), after Wazu (washing of the face,han ds and feet) ; bu t where water is not to be fou nd at al l,they have to be content with Tayum um , which is the use ofsan d fo r cleansing their l imbs, before saying prayers. W iththe Hindu s, in Ind ia, th e use of water is profuse an d a bathis considered necessary before observing religious practices.Such is also the case with dress an d othe r similar ma tters.These regional practices were assimilated into the religionswhich spran g up there ; an d i t is this which accounts for thedifferences in the rituals and customs that we find amongvarious religions tod ay . A ga in, there are differences in tem-peranlent of the peop le in different pa rts of the wo rld. Wheneach one has his own inclinations and his own modes ofthink ing, it w ould be sim ply cruel if on e were to force th e


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sam e views on all. As a result of this tendency, we have th edifferent systems o r schools of thought as they exist today,and these keep on increasing and multiplying with the progressof time. All are, of course, meant to make progress in thedevelopment of men's intellects. All men must thereforechoose what is best fo r themselves, until at last they cometo the subjective aspect of religion, which is one and the samefor all humanity.

The subjective o r the true religion, then , refers to aneternal principle, not to ou ter form s and custom s, and is,therefore, universal. I t insists o n the internal spiritual adva n-cement, instead of attaching mind to external formulae. I t isthe on e aspect where all religions meet. T he same strain thro bsin the teachings of all spiritual Masters who visited this earthof ours. We will see the truth borne out in the following pages,by giving illustrations and quotations to support this view.

There are then two aspects of religion : the one is the outer,which is the shell and th e othe r the subjective, which is. th epith or substance. Man has begun to realise that outer religionaims at the social reformation of a certain class of peopleonly. Their advancement in the way of religion, each estab-lishing its own rules an d laws fo r observance, makes th e con-duct of life easy in weal o r woe. It mean s giving up one's allfo r the service of that class of people alon e. Th is, of course, isnecessary for a m an to live in the wo rld. Following outercustom s results in the several societies an d communities a sthey exist today. Th is may be defined as social religion.

But the subjective religion is quite independent of thesocieties and communities, although they are the superstructurebased on this solid foundation . D eterioration is the featu re oftime. Th ose who started the social religions, being fully awareof the subjective side, have left traces of Truth gleamingthrough their codes of ou ter rites and observances on whichthey were based. As time wears on , posterity simply han dsdown these codes, growing mo re and mo re igno rant of t he


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20 THE JAP J Igreat and noble truths around which they were originallybuilt. In these circumstances, adherence to outward ritualsand form s inevitably takes the place of the inner mea ning theyonce symbolised. Th us th e m aterial aspect remains an d theessence is lost. Fanaticism, bigotry, caste-ism and sectarianismthen are the inevitable resu lts, as the followers of all religionsbetray in on e form or an oth er in the condu ct of their lives.I t is this that explains the corru ption tha t has entered intothe vitals of religion, m aking it no t the bo nd of union , bu tthe apple of disco rd.

Th e subjective aspect of religion gleams thro ug h the teach-ings of all the great scriptures of th e wo rld. Th ere is noreligion without a spark of Tr uth in it . All faiths are to berespected fro m this point of view. Th e subjective side of thereligion is what all the M asters taugh t. I t is on e and thesame for all. N o distinction is ma de for any creed or class.All are welcome to partak e of T ruth without detriment orinterference with their respective c reeds. It is pa rt an dparcel of all the creeds, an d affords men a deeper insight intotheir particular faiths . Subjective religion is n o t a ma tter ofbooks. I t is ou r own experience w hich stand s to prove thetruths taught by the various religions.We will now go on to attem pt an examination of this innerphase of religion, as conceived by G ur u Na nak .

T he Master explains the basic principles. The re is O neBeing, who is the Crea tor an d the Uncaused Cause of all. H eha s created the whole universe thro ug h His Ever-Active Willwhich is diffused thro ug ho ut. Th e scientists have now com eto find a unity in the varieties of the world's great ph eno m ena .They trace the whole creation back to the one primal causefro m which it evolved. It irresistibly follows th at there is on ecause alone which upho lds the whole creation. Like theSu n, which is a responsible agent for the changes of seasonsan d grow th of the vegetable kingdo m, there is such anExistence responsible for all the phenomena of the world.The M aster spea ks of it as "There is On e Being." Th is num eral


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"One" is used only to denote the Absolute-the W ordless.Since we are finite, we express Him in finite terms."Tho u a rt beyond all finiteness; we, being finite, praiseT he e in finite terms.

How can we know how great Thou art?" --Soruth M . 5"Whoever knows th e mystery expressed by num eral 'One'he becomes on e with Him." -Ramkali M . 1

DIVIN E WILL-HOW IS IT REVEALED?"To make His Will one's own," is the means to achieveHim . Will, itself, baffles all description. Still, to give us anidea of it, N an ak explains it to some extent in stanza 2. I tmay be defined as something making and unm aking theuniverse, with a conscious entity a t its back. Th e Ab solute is

W ordless, Imageless an d Nameless. W hen It came into being,It was called Word or Naam which is the cause of all creation.T he Word m ight be taken as the All-Pervading Spirit, workingo u t the wo rld's great phenomena. T he Will is identical withthis All-Pervading Spirit, bu t we must not imagine it as blind-for it is intelligent, sentient and purposive. Th is Ever-ActiveWill, ensh rouded by the illusive matter, can only be revealedby attuning one's will to it. All other means fail. Man's w aysare all in vain. The Master says :

"He who gives himself up to His supreme Will, wins thegoal;

N o other actions count in achieving this end." -RamkaliWar M.1

T he Divine Will is revealed unto man by com munion withthe Holy Naam-the Divine W ord. Th e words Na am , Bani,Akath katha (indescribable song), Nad, Shabd, Gurmat, havebeen used by th e M aster in His discourses for the one "con-scious entity" working at the back of all creation.


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THE .TAP JITHE OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE ASPECTS

OF NAAMThis Principle has two aspects, the one objective and theother subjective. The objective refers to the various qualitiespertaining to His manifestations. It has its own use whichwill be dealt with later under the heading of Simran. The

subjective is the "quin tessentia l reality" which is at the core ofall religious books. Without it there can be no creation. nospiritual advancement. Without it, nothing whatsoever cancome into existence. This can be understood by a simpleexample. say that of water. The word "water" is the name.and not the thing itself which it represents. Just the same,Naam, or Word, has its two aspects: one the name and thesecond the "conscious spirit" it represents-working at theback of all creation. It is very difficult to describe thisin words.

The Naam, or the subjective Reality or Word, had beenthere from the very beginning, and was there before thecreation. It was a "Nameless-Something" which was God,from whose Coliscious Manifestation a wish projected, accom-panied by vibration which expressed itself in Sound and LightPrinciples. As the conscious current flowed down, it formedspiritual planes. With its further descent, it became the sourceof creation of the spiritual-material and the material planes.This Current-Consciousness emanated from God and is theCreator and Sustainer of all the universe with various planesand sub-planes. The term Shabd or Word as used by Nanak,signifies that Spiritual Current which expresses itself in LightPrinciple and resounds in fulness in its subtle spiritual planes.This Naam or Word helps in the elevation and edification ofspirit, which being essentially of the same substance as Naam,is attracted by the latter, for "Spirit is the Breath of God" -(Bible). "It is the soul of God"--(Quran). All the saints ofthe world who came either before or after Guru Nanak, havesung the praises of this creative Life Principle or Word. A few


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qu ota tio ns will enable the reader to be convinced of this basicT ru th as given in all the religious books.

E V I D E N C E S F R O M THE V A RI O U S RELI G I O N SClzristianity: Saint John has stated in his Gospel:"In the beginning was the W ord, a nd the W ord was with

G od , and the W ord was God . Th e same was in the beginningwith God. All things were m ade by Him, an d with out Himwas not anything made that was made." -St. John I: 1-3"By the W or d of the Lo rd were the heavens made. ' 'Again, "He spo ke an d it was done." -Psalm 33: 6 , 9

"U pho lding all things by the W ord of His Power." -Hebrews 1: 3"Th e grass withereth, the flower f ad eth but the W ord ofG o d shall s tand forever ." -Isaiah 40: 8"Forever, 0 Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven." -Psalm 119: 89St. Pau l said: "Fo r the W ord of G o d is quick (living) an dpowerful and sharper th an any two-edged sword, piercingeven to the dividing asunder of sou l a n d spirit a nd of thejoints a nd marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts an d interestsof heart." -Hebrews 4: 12

Hinduism: According to the Hindu theological bo oks , thewhole creation was m ade throu gh N ad . They also refer to I tas Akash Bani (voice coming dow n from the Heavens). W ehave references to It even in the Vedas, the ancient scrip-tures of the world. W e read of I t in the Upan ishads, as forinstance, the Na d Bind Upanishads, which deal with them atter in a very lucid mann er. T he Hatha Yoga Pradipakaalso speaks of this Sou nd Principle."He has taken the suppo rt of th e W ord , the melodiousTune." -Chandogya Upanislzad"Let Yogi sit on Sidh Asan and while practising theVaisnavi m udra , he should hear the So und throu gh his rightear." --Nod Binrl Upauishnd


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24 T H E J A P J I"By com mu nion with the W ord he will becom e deaf t o

the external sound s, and will at tain the Turiya Pa d or a sta teof equipoise within a fortnight." -Nod Bind Upanishad"First the m urm uring sou nds resembling those of thewaves of ocean s, the fall of rain an d th e run nin g rivulets an dthe n Bheri will be he ard interming led with the so un ds ofbell a nd co nc h, etc."Madame Blavatsky, the founder of the THEOSOPHICALSOCIETY,n her bo ok "Voice of the Silence," states th a t severalsou nds are hea rd when holding com m unio n. "The first is l ikethe nightingale's sweet voice, cha ntin g a p artin g song to itsm ate. T h e next, resembles the sou nd of silver cym bals ofthe Dh yan is, awaken ing the twinkling stars. I t is followed bythe plain melodies of th e ocean's spirit , imprisoned in theconch shell , which in tu rn gives place to the cha nt of Vina.Th e melodious flute-like symp hony is then hea rd. It changesinto a trumpet-blast, vibrating like the dull rumbling of athunder cloud. The seventh swallows all other sound s. Theydie and then are heard no more."Mohammedanism: Am ong th e Muslim Sufis, it is kno wnas Sultan -ul-Az kar, ( the king of prayers). An other order ofSufis calls it Sa ut-i-S arm ad i, (the Divine Song). Th ey alsocal l i t Nida-i-Asmani , ( the sound coming down from theHeavens) , Kalam-i-Qadim (the ancient sound) and the Ka lmaor W ord. T he fourteen regions were ma de by the Kalma-the Word.Khawaja Hafiz, a great divine, says:"F rom the turret of th e H eaven a call bids thee Hom e.

But fallen into the snares thou listeneth not.No one knows where the Mansion of the Beloved lies,But sure enough the chiming of the bells proceedstherefrom."Again:"Take the stop-cock from thy ears, an d hear thou th e voiceof emancipation, coming to thee.Attach no t to the material world.


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he Elixir of life is showering from above.The beat of love while sounding in the Heavens,Sou nds blessings to the souls of the devotees."M aulana Rum i, in his Mcrsnnvi says:"Grow not sceptical, but attun e thyself to the So und comingdown from the Heavens.Thy soul shall have revelations from afar.What are these but glimpses of the Unrevealed:W ere I to speak of these sweet n~ elod iesEven the de ad shall rise from their graves."Again:"Rise above the horizon, 0 brave sou l, an d hear themelodious song coming from the highest heaven."Prophet Mohammed says:"The Voice of G od comes un to my ears as any o thersounds."Sh ah Niaz, another Muslim devotee, says:"Soul is the Will and the Secret of G od . Its med itation iscarried without the help of tongue and pdate. Alas ! thou ar tstuck fast in the physical bondage an d do not hear the HolySou nd of G od . My Beloved is speaking to thee all the while,but woe to thee for thou heareth not the Voice.""Th e whole universe is resounding with the So u nd , an dthou hast only to open the door of thine ear.""F or opening the ea r. it is sufficient to stop hearing theou ter soun ds. If you do this; you will hear the perpe tual an dunending Sou nd. It is infinite an d has no beginning nor en d,and on account of that, i t is called Anhad (without anylimits). W ithou t this Word-the Ete rna l Sound--an infiniteexpression of the Infinite, the world could not have come intoexistence. Hold communion with the Melodious So und andlose yourself in it! 0 wise man."Kabir Sahib says:"W ithout the W ord, Sound or Eternal Song, the soul seesnot. W here could she go? As she cannot fathoni the mystery

of the 'W ord ;' she is wandering from place to place."-Ktrbir


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26 T H E J A P J I"M ind hanke reth after evils; through the Wo rd, the M aster

restraineth it." -Guru Teg Bahadur"Through the medium of Word, soul doth cross the endlessocean of m atter. Lowly N an ak , therefore, glorifies His N aa m(the W ord)." -Ram Kali M . I

"The W or d is both earth an d ether. These had their beingthrou gh the W or d. This W ord expressed itself in other aspectsas well . Th e w hole creation spra ng up after the W ord. 0N a n a k , th at endless W ord is reverberating in each heart ."

"The al l-pervading W ord has at t racted al l my mind. Wha telse have I to th ink o f ? Comm union of the soul with the Wordcreates everlasting Bliss. At-one-men t with the L ord procuresthe Essence of Joy and Peace." -Shri Rag M . l"I a m emancipated. The G od-M an has unfettered me.

Through the comm union of soul with the W ord. I have gainedthe resplendent seat of hon our : 0 Nanak, the al l -pervadingNaam or the Word dwelleth in the hearts of all . The companyof the Gurmukhs procures communion with It ." -Malor M . l, 'F a r off. on the other shore. is my Beloved. Th e Go d-M an'sW or d, alon e, carries the sou l across. In the company of saints.man is in clover and never repents." -Tukhari M . 1"How can the igno rant get to the principle of union ofsoul with the W ord ? W ithout comm union with the W ord , soulcomes an d goes. 0 N an ak , the G urm uk h who is himselfem anc ipated , meets by the merciful W rit of the Lord."-Maru M. 1"Th e crea tion a nd the ultima te dissolution of the universeis caused through the Wo rd. Aga in, through W ord , it takes itsexistence anew." -Mag11 M . 3"By good luck, the L ord consort has become ou rs. TheEndless Song (the W or d) , resounding everywhere, gives aclue to His Court." -Bilauwl M.5

"The W ord made al l the earthly and heavenly sys ten~ s."-Gauri M .5Tulsi Das says:"He is the true saint, who talks abo ut the secret of the


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INTRODUCTION 27Divine Word (the Eternal Song). Having scrutinised theUnknow able an d the Un thinkab le. H e has realised the B ani(the Eternal Song)."Doolan Sahib speaketh:"Word is the lock an d W ord is the key thereto,With the chains of the W ord, all are bound.Th e Lo rd resideth in the form of the W ord, I bow my headat Its Feet."Charan Dass speaks:

"Ever since I heard the limitless Divine Song (Anhad),reverberating throughout,The Indrayas (organs) have become tired of going out,And the mind has shed all its ramifications,All desires have been satisfied. Like a mad m an , I have lostmyself in the Word, and obtained complete oneness with It."Swami Sh iv Daya l Singh Ji describes the W ord as:"The Sound or the Word is the prime cause of all. It isalso the be-all and the end-all. T he three regions an d th efourth were made by It. The Word and the spirit are of thesame origin and both spring from the essence of the Name-less One. It is bo th the cause an d the effect, an d all werecreated by It. The Word is the preceptor, as well as thedisciple an d is resounding in the hea rt of everyone. Th e W ordis water an d I t is th e fish, also. Kabir spoke only ofthis W ord. N anak and Tulsi proclaimed the same Truth. Th eking an d the minister, bo th are W ord personified. R ad haSoam ni (the Lo rd of the Spirit) says: 'My brave son , listento It. ' "Th e W ord (Sound) is echoing an d re-echoing in the wholeof creation. Th ere is no place withou t It . I t is resounding inthe living temple of the human body.Th e W ord forms a connecting link between man an d Go d.Thus each body is the abode of the Almighty. This is HolyNaam--the W ord permeating through all the pores of o u rbodies. With the help of i t , we have to trace back our stepsto the source from which we emanated. This is truly the onlyway back to God. There is no other way.


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28 T H E J A P J IThe Master says:"By taking to countless outward forn~ ular ie sand r i tuals, wecannot escape the inner fires of at tachmen t a n d lu st , etc.

Millions of way you may ad op t an d countless fornis you maymak e. bu t n ot one is acceptable at His Co urt ."The W ord withdraws us from the outer connections an drecedes back into Its Origin. It is the way that Guru Nanaktaught , and so did the nine Sikh Gurus af ter him. Namdev,Ravidas, K abir and others whose composi tions have found placein the Guru Granth Sahib, were one and al l the teachers ofthe Su rat Shabd Yog a, or the Science of comm union of the soulwith the W ord . Th ere have been others. too . such as D hru va,Prahlad, Tulsi . Sham as Tabrez. M ulan a Rum i, Hafiz Shirazi.and Chr is t , who pract i sed the Word. Dadu, Pal tu and SoamiShib Da yal Singh! each taught the same Tr uth , in his own t ime.Th e Holy N aa m , or W ord, can be pract ised by all al ike,witho ut the agency of tongue or palate. I t does not requireadherence to the ou twa rd observances of the social religions.This Wo rd ma y be defined as the spirit-current which erna n-ates from the One Being. It forms all the spiritual and materialplanes as I t comes dow n, from plane to plane, reverberatingin and out of all of them . As the lower planes are less subtlean d more material than those above, the W ord accordinglychanges in s oun d as I t comes dow n. Since It ha s to passthrough five planes, It takes on five different sounds. Theseare five aspects of the one and the same W ord . G uru N an akdeals with this at full length in stanza XV of the Jap Ji.The whole of the Guru Granth Sahib is fi l led with beautifulpen-pictures, i llustrative of the W ord . Th ere is no hym nwhich do es not speak of It. A few qu ot ati on s will suffice here.Fo r exhaustive references, the rea de r is reques ted to refer t othe voluminous treasure-house itself .

"T hro ug h the writ of the Ever-flowing Pen of the C re at or ,we were attune d with the L ord , according to the instructionsof t h e Master. We hea rd the five sou nds , sounding in H isPresence an d thu s rejoiced at ou r union with the Lord."-Alali M.5


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"Day and night, I am in communion with the Lord, withmy mind fully convinced. The temple of my body has thusbeen beautified. The five Sounds of the limitless Music-theWord-are resounding. 0 , the Lord has entered my body."-Suhi M. I"The five Sounds become audible through the instructionsof the Gurmukh-the Personified Word. Great is the luck ofhim who hears Them. The source of Joy and Peace (Word),I see as pervading everywhere. Through the Word, the Lordmade His appearance and became manifest." -Kanra M.4"The tive Sounds of the limitless Music (Word) are re-sounding within me. I am attracted to Them, as the Sarangor the sea-bird is attracted by the sight of water. Thy bonds-man, Kabir, thus glorifies in Thee, 0 Lord, the Unknowableand above all human ken." -Parbhati Kabir"The Lord, revealing Himself in five Sounds of the Word,has come."Guru Nanak speaketh:"He is the true Preceptor who shows the real Home withinthe temple of the body wherein five different Sound Currentsare resounding and gives a clue of the Holy Naam." -MolarW ar M.l

"Word is the Guru. Soul is the disciple of the Word-themelodious song." -Ramkali M.1"All the handmaids that meet the five Sounds. become theGurmukh (or the devoted disciples) and reach their TrueHome, within. Whoever by practice of the Word finds out hisTrue Home, Nanak, shall serve him truly." -Malar War M.lBhai Gurdas, a Sikh sage, tells us in no ambiguous terms:"These five Sounds are heard when we rise above thebody made of five elements.""When the sphere of five elements is transcended, you hear

the five Sounds in all their sweet and powerful melody."The other saints have likewise spoken on the same theme,as the following:"Everyday there are the flares of five drums at His


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30 THE JAP JIthreshold, proclaiming His Greatness. One who hears thatdrum-beat, he is freed from egotism and envy and passesbeyond finite existence." -Shamas Tabrez"Silence thyself and listen thou to the melody of the fivetrumpets coming down from Heaven-the Heaven that isabove all the skies overhead. I laid the ears of my soul at thethreshold of my heart and heard the shrouded mystery butdid not see anyone opening his mouth." -Hafiz Sahib

SOUND DIFFERENTIATEDThere are many kinds of sounds echoing and re-echoingin the various regions of the creation and may, for convenience.be classified into two categories:(1) Sounds proceeding from the left side. These are nega-tive and material sounds and are connected with the respectiveingrained seeds of inner passions. The devotee is willy-nillyattracted by these sounds. If one is fascinated by any one ofthese siren-songs on the left, one may find oneself hurled

down into the deepest depths of the abysmal chasms of thepassion to which the particular sound relates. for such soundshave a pull that is outward and downward. In such a sadpredicament, the labour of years becomes of no avail andodds go against the pilgrim-soul. These are, therefore, to beavoided scrupulously, for they lead one astray from thespiritual Path.

(2) Next there are sounds that proceed from the rightside. These are sounds from the spiritual planes and as suchare positive in character and purely spiritual with a charac-teristic pull that is inward and upward.These two kinds of sounds are so very similar and soclosely resemble each other that one can hardly distinguishbetween them. Maulana Rumi, therefore, warns us to becareful in differentiating the right type of sounds. He says:"There are sounds of a lower nature which very muchresemble those of the higher,Yet they have a downward pull and drag one to one'sdoom."The particular Sounds that have an upward pull are five


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in number, as stated by the various Saints, and may be appre-hended through their grace and contacted in Their company.Such Sounds carry with them the effect of the spiritual planesfrom which they proceed and in turn produce the same effecton him who comes in contact with them. They have their ownheavenly melodies, the rapturous strains of which deper-sonalises the soul by freeing it from the chains of mundane life.

Whoever comes near the fire, gets warmth, no matterwhether he does so of his own accord or not. So the Holy Naamor the Divine Song, cannot but influence you when you comein contact with It, whether you will it or not and are in timeor out of time. The Power of God cannot but influence you,should you get in touch with It.The outer music has a marvellous effect on all living beings.I t shakes off the grievous burden of the oppressive sorrowand unrest under which one incessantly groans and drivesaway all thoughts. It washes away the dirt of everyday lifeby its melodious tunes and captivates the soul. It withdrawsthe mind from the tumultuous hubbub of the objective world.It concentrates the mind, naturally, without having recourseto any fabricated methods. Music, indeed, has ever been theart of saints."What passion cannot music raise or quell." -DrydenHow marvellous is the effect of the external music ! Whatthen will be the charm of the internal Divine Melody? It hasits own inimitable fascination. It is exuberant with the spiritualvitality which takes man above all the pains and ills to whichthe flesh is heir. In times of storm and stress, one may har-monise one's self with the internal tunes and pass off un-scathed from the pinching effects of worldly life.These spiritual sounds are aids on the spiritual Path. ACompetent Master, at the time of initiation, gives full instruc-tions on how to differentiate between them from plane toplane, as well as how to catch hold of them on the onwardmarch to the highest spiritual realm. Herein then lies theneed for a Master-soul, for He is the inspirer of Hari Naam-


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32 THE JAP JIthe Divine W ord, in the depths of one's soul. W ithout H im,the Eterna l Song ever remains a shrou ded mystery with noaccess thereto. As Music personified, it is within His co m-petence to manifest it, make it audible an d thus lead one tothe seat of the Almighty.

"A Gurmukh (saint) can free millions of souls by thequickening influence of his life-impulse (the Holy Naam)."--Soruth M.5

Mi sery and Pleasure Dejn ed: It is a matter of commonexperience th a t we lose ourselves when we ar e fully engrossedin anything. This blessed state of self-forgetfulness comesonly with the fixity of attention an d the mo me nt we are forcedou t of it, we become sensitive to ou r surroun dings an d feelupset even with the trivialities of life. Since all our lives wehave been seeking pleasure in worldly pursu its an d objects.we have become identified with them . Thu s, we know no thingof the real an d permanen t bliss tha t lies far from the m . in thedepths of one's own self o r sou l. We can no t possibly weanourselves from the so-called pleasures of the world un til weare m ade to introvert and taste something better w ithin.T he whole world is going astray in its search for the centreof true happiness o r bliss. M aterial objects ca nn ot give us blisso n account of the constant change t o which. by their very

nature, they are subject, every moment of their existence.Again, external objects per se have no pleasure in themselves.b ut it is our attachment to them tha t gives us pleasing sensa-tions. But these objects, on account of their ephe me ral na ture ,have to follow the changing pa no ram a of existence. By thesekaleidoscopic changes, the mind naturally gets bewildered,distracted an d very often feels miserable. Everlasting Bliss orTrue Happ iness can be had only by attachment to somethingtha t is perm ane nt, unchanging and eternal. Th e evanescentcharms of Dame Nature cannot afford man any happiness inthe true sense of the word.

Gu ru Na nak says:


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"Whosoever searches for Joy Etern al, let him seek th at inAll-Pervading Spirit (Naam)." -Shalok M. 9T o relieve the mind fro m the outgoing senses, it m ust beattu ned to the sweet symphonies of the inner M usic of thesoul, the Word, reverberating in and through all. As this iseternal, so also will be ou r attachm ent to It an d we will knowno change an d no pain. The mind will no longer wander awayto external objects, once it gets steeped in the strains of theEternal Song. With Its help, the world-weary soul rises intothe higher spiritual planes. The Word has Its own innateeffulgent Light an d Song-ineffable a n d sweet. W here thereis vibration, there is sou nd . It is a scientific tru th . Light isalso the inevitable result of vibration as both light an d soun dgo hand in hand.

"Where there is scintillating Light, there the LimitlessSon g is sounding." -Soruth Na~ndev

G uru Na nak h as dealt with the countless benefits th ataccrue from comm union with the internal Sound-the W ord-from stanzas V IIl to XV of Jap ji.Advantages Acwuing //.om hzner Con~ ml-~nioiz f' the SOLIIccitli Naam-or Sw at-S habrl-Yo ga: These benefits may be

grou ped under phy sical, m oral, mental an d spiritual aspectsof the inner communion.N aam keeps the mind and body in a state of equipoise.Peace reigns suprem e in its devotee; the ramifications of m ind

ar e do ne away with forever. All lusts cease to have their holdon the m ind. The brain gets a soothing balm. It puts an endto wasteful hu rry , an d with it go all nervous tensions an dmental strains an d stress. N aa m gives one imm unity fro m allbodily a n d worldly pains a nd trou bles. By w ithdraw ing th eatte ntio n within, the min d is stilled an d th e soul is freed ofall m ental conflicts. Even the sense of egotism itself-them ost ancient malady-loses itself into airy noth ing a n dwith it, the perpetua l dance of coming in an d going ou t ofthe world comes to an end. Th e process of transmig ration of


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T H E J A P J It lie soul is bu t the na tur al conc om itant of the self-asser tivewill or egotism.G u r u N a n a k sa ys :

"When ever on e asser ts the l i tt le ego, 'I.' as doing th ings ,on e assumes the unending role of an ever-active agent responsiblefor his act ions a n d is caug ht in the intr icate net of t ransm igra-tion." -Gauri Sulthunio~iiM.5

T he el imination of egoism is, then. the only remedy forl ibera tion f rom the unending cycle of bir ths a n d dea ths . I t isa clear tes t of those who have real ised at-one-ment with theEve r-Existing Divinity-the spir ilua l current diffused in theworld. All lab ou r undergone for tot al self-effacement is aneffort in the s ight direct ion. I t is cal led dis imprisonment ofthe soul f rom the facts of l i fe or disenfranchisement fro m al lth at is wordly. In a wo rd. the secret lies in depersonalis ingth e s o u l of al l that is personal in i t . for then one s tr ikes atthe roo t of all evil. T he m an y recipes for this losing of the' I -consciousness . ' that f loods the world today, fai l to gain forus the goal of l iberat ion. Fo r with such m ethod s, the egofeeds i tself an d grows fro m streng th to s trength an d is noteffaced. Unless on e becom es a conscious co-worker with theDivin e P lan . he can not become selfless.

Th e very fact tha t we exis t m akes us want to und ers tandthe process of l ife. H ow a n d whence have we com e intoexis tence an d wh at hap pens af ter death ? Th e discovery of thetheory of evolution by m ode rn sciem e. doe s no t ful ly satisfyus for i t deals with t l ie physical s ide only and does not accountfor the higher planes of manifes tat ion. which are the spir i tualones . Th e ancient sages rea lised tha t there could be no evo lu -t ion wi thout involu t ion . Th e fact th a t something cann ot com eou t of nothin g proves tha t involution must precede evolutio n.T o know the la t ter we mu s t unders tand the former . just asto know the effec t we m us t k now the cause . The two areinseparable.Th e gross body is not a l l. I t has two o the r subtle bodiesinside , the ast ral and the menta l . which are com posed of f inera n d less destructible mater ials . These bodies consis t of mi nd


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o r intellect an d the sense of the little ego 'I. ' In then1 aresto red up the impressions gathe red in various lives. Only bystudy ing the inner m an: the mystery of evolu tion is und er-sto od . Th e soul is perpetua lly struggling t o cast off thebondage of the mat ter an d of the ~ n i n d nd soar upwards toG o d from whom it em ana ted. This struggle is ended 3nlywhen it rises abo ve the three regions: physical. as tral an dca us al, an d loses all sense of eg oism. the cause of tran s-migration.Huxley posited:"Like the doctrine of evolution itself, tha t of trans m igra-tion has its ;;jots in tht realm of reality:

None but hacty thinkers will r e k t it on the grou nd ofmherent absurdity."

Self-effacement can be achieved by no oth er m ea ns exceptcom mu nion with the Shabd-the W or d, as will be evincedfrom the sayings of the M aster.He says:

(1) "0 N a n a k ! through the favour of the Guru, we weresav ed and the ego was consumed in co n ~ n ~ u n i o nith theShabd (Word)." - W o c i l ~ o m W a r M .3

( 2 ) "In egoism, the peoples of the world are being con-sumed-they go rou nd the endless cycle of births an d death s.Th e ignorant (those attached to the cringing nature of them ind), do no t realise the Shab d. They will go to the otherworld as dishonoured." -Siri Rag M . 3

(3) "Th e whole world is going astra y in the egoistic asser-t ion of I-ness. W ithout the Shab d (W or d) , there can be norelease from the ego. 0 Nanak , by con~muni onwith theNaam, the ego is effaced and oneness with the True Lord isachieved." -As0 Af . 3

(4) "In m isery an d pleasu re, the whole world is stuckfast. All their do ings are directed by assertion of egotism.W ithout the Shab d (W ord ), supersti tion cannot be ende d,an d the ego cannot be lost." -Siri Ra,? M .3

( 5 ) "All desires an d at tachm ents get singed b j the Shab d.


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36 TH E JAP J IA Gnrmukh f inds the Heavenly Light within." -

Ranlkali M . 1Tru e renunciat ion within com es through comm union with

the Shab d alone. N at ur e with a ll her evanescent charms ceasesto have attrac tion fo r the renouncer. By renouncing every-thing. on e penetrates into th e al l-pervading spiri t . His a t tach-ment to the environm ents is d on e away with an d his bond ageto mat te r is ended. Thu s , no more bi rths an d dea ths awaithim. Hereafter the life of the senses an d th e glam our of thewor ld fascinates him no t . on his way to the Lord .

The Master says:"By satu rat ion with the true Shab d (Wo rd), ma n truly

renounces the world-and his coming an d going is ended."-Mum M. 3Detachm ent in a t tachmen t is a lso at ta ined only with the

aid of S ha bd . W hatever he doe s, he does just with a sense ofduty-with no attachm ent to the fruit thereof. Th e root-causeof misery lies in the fact of one's a ttachm ent. W e are caug htby whatever we do-in o u r inability to detach ourselves fr omeverything. We mu st reserve th e power of remaining detac hedfro m all things, however precious they may be. or howevermuch one may yearn for them.

"Wo rk constantly. W or k, bu t be not a t tached to i ts f ruit .T hu s learn ye th e secret of work." -GitaWhat i s it tha t a ids in acquir ing the power of detachingourselves? No ne else bu t the com mu nion with the Sha bd. TheM aster speaks of this so beautiful ly:

' .Unat tach ed is only he , who com munes wi th the Shabd."-Majli M.5

Again:'c S ou l comes to be filled t o the br im with th e flow of lifefrom th e Fo un tain-H ead of all , which makes her increasinglysubtle from d ay to day. This enables her to r ise into the higherspiritual planes until she reaches her Divine G o al in SachKh an d. Here , above the bounds of annihi la tion in Pra lay a


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(dissolution), and Maha-Pralaya (grand dissolution), sheattains complete union with the Formless One."Man is now endowed with all higher and supernaturalpowers. He knows the spirit of the scriptures, the secret ofcommunion, the mystery of Self and of God, and becomes theabode of all virtues. He is overjoyed at the time of death,unlike others who are in dire agony at that time, since he hasbeen accustomed to withdraw life-currents from the body atwill. He is saved from all the misery that attends the deathprocess.This process of withdrawing the spirit from the physicalbody is what is enjoined by all the saints, and is abso-lutely necessary for a probationer to have access into thehigher planes.

Guru Nanak stated:"The Home you have to get to after death, reach there by

withdrawing your spirit from the body, in your lifetime."-Siri Rag M.l"Nanak, die (withdraw your spirit) while you are alive,such a Yoga you should practise." -Suhi M.Dadu affirmed:"Dadu, die (withdraw your spirit) before you are dead.All men die in the usual course.""Learn to die so that you may begin to live." -Bible'.Die (withdraw your spirit) before you are dead." -QuranMaulana Rumi has well defined what this death means.He averred:"Die, 0 friend, before you are dead, if you want ever-lasting life;Through suck a death alone, Adris (a saint) reachedheaven before us.You have striven very hard, but still the veil of matter isnot rent asunder, because the death which was real you couldnot attain.SO long as you do not die, your coming and going cannot


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38 T H E JAP JIbe ended. Until you ascend to the highest rung of the ladder.you cannot get to the roof.Just as if a man ascends only 98 out of 100 rungs ofa ladd er, he cann ot reach the roof.

O r just as a man who has only 99 yards of cord, cannot getwater in the bucket from a well 100 yards deep.So long as you d o not completely withdraw you r spiritfro m the bo dy , the cycle of deaths an d births is extend ed. Letthe flaming light of your candle (soul) lose itself into the light

of the Morn.So long as ou r s tars are not hidden, rest assured. the sunalso remains out of sight.Just the same, 0 wise man ! the Lord does not make Hisappearance unless the veil of matter is rent asunder.Therefore, choose the de ath , an d in this way rend asund erthe veil.This death is not the death th at carries you to the grave.

It is only a withdrawal of the spirit-a chang e to give youa life upwards.M ustafa has said to the seeker of T ru th , H e wants to seeyou dead so that you may have everlasting life.So tha t while alive you may move on earth a n d when de ad .your soul may fly into the heavens.Th e soul has her Ho me in the H igh Heavens. If once it iswithdrawn: no transmigration awaits it .Because he has learnt to withdraw his spirit while alive,this death cannot be conceived of as a possibility.So long as you do no t die, wh at benefit can you derive? G oan d die, so that you m ay reap the fru it of your earthly life.Th e mystery of dying before death is this, tha t throughsuch a death, the Grace of the Lord descends."Kabir s ta ted:"De ath from which the whole world shrinks is welcomeunto me,

I rejoice as it -is a h arbin ger of perfect peace an d joy."-Sholok Kabir


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Such a liberated one goes to meet death m ore th an halfway. At the time of departure from the bod y, he himselfjoyously withdraws the spirit cur ren ts within, as he ha s beenaccustomed to do so as a m att er of his daily routine. Such adeath is unattended by any kind of pain or misery that awaitsall others a t the last m om ent. The Hin du scriptures describethe pain at leaving the body to be as that of a thou sandscorpions stinging together at one time. The M uslims com pareit to the anguish th at w ould be felt on passing a thorny bushthrou gh the alimentary canal right from the rectum to them outh . Of course, everybody has at one time or ano ther beenan eye witness to the death pangs at a death-bed. Lastly, onegains access to the Ma nsion of G od . He is thus saved throu ghcomm union with the Shabd and made competent to helpm any an oth er to atta in the highest heights of Spirituality.

Th e application of this practice is called "the Sura t Sh ab dYoga--Yoga of the Sou nd-C urren t- the comm union withthe Divine Lord." It is the only effective m eans prescribed byGuru N an ak . for the liberation of the soul from the bondageof the mind a nd matter. an d for the ultimate complete onenesswith the Lord . H e says:

"Live tho u, uncon tamin ated in the world, just like a lotusflower with its head above the mu ddy po ol, or like a sea-fowlthat springs into the air with wings unaffected by the water.0 Nan ak! Sur at Shabd Yoga (comnlunion of the soul withthe W ord ) is th e only means whereby on e can safely crossover the endless ocean of matter-a ttune ye with it.""Without contact with t h e Shabd (W ord) , ye cannotmeet the Lord G od a nd thy coming into the world goesin vain.". 'Without the Shabd none can ford over to the DivineG O ~ I . ~ '

All effo rts pu t in for securing conlmunion with the Sh abd(W ord) are efforts in the r ight direction. Guru G ran th Sahibamply bears this out:"When S ha bd is com mu ned with, the Lo rd is met. All of


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40 T H E JA P J Iman 's efforts in this dire ctio n, are crowned with success.There is no other way, but this."

S I MRA N - WH A T IT M E A N S , A N D I T S U SE S:Co mm unio n with the Word-the Eternal Music-is pos-

sible with a life of Sim ran, o r the cons tant remembrance ofthe Lo rd. It does not mean mere mechanical mu ttering, whichis discarded by the Master. Kabir affirmed:

"While the rosary moves in the han d and the tongue wagsin the m ou th , the mind is con centrated o n external effects.T hi s iS n o S imran."Again:"Once th e rosary quarrelled with m e, saying: W hy, 0 m a n ,dost thou moveth me rou nd and round? Just turn the bead of

thy mind an d I will introduce thee to the all-pervading Go d.""Th ou . shalt not take the n ame of G od in vain," bu t takeit with some purp ose in view. Th e constan t remembrance ofthe Lo rd is b u t anoth er form of love. W ho m you love dearly-you think of always. T his con stant thou ght of the Lor dis what the M aster exhorts all to d o , for as you think soyou become.Sim ran is the remem brance of the Lo rd do ne mentally(with the tongu e of tho ug ht). with the hea rt filled with de-voted love, concen trating on a particular centre in the body.It is an act of centering th e self an d occupying the mindwith the con stan t idea of the L or d, casting ou t all ideas ofthe objective world. The constant dwelling o n ou r environ -ments, has so tak en hold of th e mind that we cann ot evenfor a single moment drive away the thoughts of externalobjects. Fro m infancy o nw ard s, this practice has been goingon in full swing, and it has now grown into a regular habitof our lives.

H ab it is said to be the second natu re of m an. It is atthis stage rather difficult to extricate the mind from externalobjects. T h e more you try to do so, the m ore it becomes restiveand the more i t r uns ou t into the m un dan e affairs of life. It


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has form ed a strong alliance with all th at is external. It isalways think ing of wha t is foreign an d exotic an d is carriedaway by the glamour an d fascination of the world. W hateverhabit we have form ed, we can unm ake it as well. T hethoughts of the world an d of all that is worldly is the sourceof bond age to outside things. T he Master to o uses the samemeans inwardly as does Dame Nature to bind us to theexternal world, and m akes the mind purely one-pointed. Th econstan t though t of th e Lo rd, by mentally dwelling o n theHoly Na am , brings the mind back from the w orld and holdsit to one place. A t the outset it is difficult to concentrate asit takes time to bring the mind unde r control. But there isnothing to be disheartened abo ut. Failures are steppingstones to success. W here there is a will, there is a way. Wemust stick to the process until the mind is channelled. Theglory of N aa m always reminds one of the highest ideal o fhum an life. It soothes the mind a nd prevents it fromgoing astray.Th e constant remembrance of Naa m withdraws the mindfrom the outer objects and concentrates it o n the Divine andthe supern atural. It makes the mind self-centred so tha tdesires fail to draw it o u t an d th e siren songs of the worldlose all their magic attraction. This pa rt of the practice istechnically termed by Guru Nanak as Simran. It further helpsin the withdrawal of the spirit-current from the body to itsseat, situated at the ganglion between and behind the twoeyes called Ajana Chakra. Unless the sou l current is w ith-drawn completely a t one focus, further ascent of the soul isno t possible. This process of w ithdrawal from the body isthe one thing th at is absolutely necessary in spiritual advance-ment. It is achieved through the simple preliminary me thodof Simran. W ith the help of a G urm uk h M aster, the processof inversion an d self-analysis becomes qu ite easy an d natu ralto practice.In Simran lie the seeds that help in the development ofthe soul. Na na k reveals this secret in the concluding por tionsof stanzas V, VI and XXIII, and at full length in stanza


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42 THE JA P JIXXXIII of the Jop Ji. Fortunate indeed is the man who alwaysrevels in the blessings of hjs Master.Attac hm ent to the outer world is the outcome of con stantrememb rance which makes man adh ere to his environments.throu gh the law of cause an d effect. All impressions ingrainedin one 's mind must bear frui t in due course. No ne can escapethe result. I t is these imp ressions th at we have to nullify byconstant remembrance of the L or d, an d by making this theruling principle of ou r life. In tran sm igra tion , m an is led toenvironmen ts to which he ha s been mostly attache d. W henyou think of the Lo rd al l the t ime, nothing can bind you tomatter ; hence you do no t have any reb ir ths , for i t is said:

Thro ugh Simran of the Lord , you do not pass through thewomb." -Gauri Sukhmani M.5Sim ran makes man introspective an d concentrative. Ex tra-

ordinary pow ers inevitably follow as a result of th e concen-tration of mind in th e jnner planes, for "Ridhis an d Sidhis(extrao rdinary powers) are- the slaves of N aam ." -GauriM.5. Th e M aster, however. warns the prob atione r against theuse of them . for these lead him to the oute r pu rsuits an destrange him from the goal he has set up before him. Simranprocures true knowledge, high meditation an d unerringintellect. It causes one to lose all sense o f individu ality.which fades away in to the Bound less Being, creating a sor tof w aking trance. Th is state is utterly beyo nd wo rds bu t isa sure reality beyond the ken of death . Th e hold of the egois loosened , the spirit-currents are withdrawn an d one risesinto a halo of l ight . Th e body appears as something not ofoneself. One's life, as com pared to higher life, may be likenedas a spark to the sun..,Sim ran washes away the dirt of sins from off the mind."-Gauri M.5

Sim ran befits a person fo r receiving an d enjoying thesweet nectar of the Holy N aam . G u ru N an ak explains this indetail by giving illustrations in stanza XX of the Jap J i ."Las tly, through Simran on e hears the sweet music of the


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unending Song of the Un ~v erse (the W ord) and has experi-ences ineffable." -Gauri M.5Tennyson, in his poem "The Ancient Sage," gives a de-scription of w hat can be achieved by repetition even of one'sown name. In a letter he also refers to the grander life achievedby him, by m editating o n his own name. He says:

"A kind of waking trance I have frequently had quite upfrom childho od. This h as generally come upon me throug hrepeating my own, nam e two o r three times to myself, silently,till all a t once, 2s it were, ou t of the intensity of consciousnessof individuality, the individual itself seemed to dissolve andfade away into Boundless Being, an d this no t a confused stat e,bu t the clearest of the clearest, the surest of the surest, th ewisest of t he w isest, utterly beyond words, where dea th werean almost laughable impossibility, the loss of personality (ifso it were) seeming bu t the only true life I am asham ed ofmy feeble description."Peter the Gre at, Czar zf Rus sla, was also accustomed tothis practice of concen tration. H e lost all his consciousness ofpersonality by concentrating upon his own name. The Master,however, enjoins the Simran of the L or d and not of one's o wnname. Meditation on one's name leads to a dip into one's ownconsciousness which is sm all, as com pared to the HigherConsciousness of God.

There are several ways of performing Simran. When it isdone (i) with the help of tongue, it is called Baikhri, (ii)when done in the gullet by touching th e tip of the tonguew ~ t h he palate, it is known as Madhama, (iii) when done inrhy thm with th e b eat of the hea rt, it is described as Pashhantiand (iv) with the flow of one's breath, it is called Para. Thelast me thod is practised by Yogins. M asters, however, d o n otrecommend this. The first three methods also do not givecomplete concentration, as the mind more often than notskips ab ou t while repetition is being done mechanically. TheM aster , therefore, advises men tal Simran -done with thetongue of thoush t - ermed Zikre-i-Ruhi.


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44 T H E J A P J IThe practice of Simran begins with the repetition of the

Lord's objective names slowly with a mental poise. At firstthe process is objective, but in course of time it becomessubjective. Then the constant thought of the Lord continueswithout cessation. The M aster refers to this when H e says:

"0 N an ak, a Gu rmu kh s ta rts the repe ti tion of Naa m onlyonce." - auri Sukhmani M.5

Once this starts, the remem brance becomes a utom atic,continuou s and con stant and o ne never forgets the Lo rd.

"0 K ab ir, there is a great m ystery in the repetition of theLord ' s name an d one mu st t ry to discover the same:

For many repeat that name, without any frui t .But others with w ondro us results ." -Shalok KabirAgain, the Master says:"Al l repea t the name of G od , but none can fa thom the

mystery of It.If through the favour of a God-Man it gets ingrained inthe mind, only then one reaps the fruit thereof." - auri M.3Let us pause, an d summarise wh at has been said beforewe proceed further. According to the Master, the purpose of

human life is to achieve complete oneness with the Lord.Aye, we must reunite with the Source from whence we onceeman ated. But how can we reach this Goal?

"Complete at-one-ment with the Lord comes throughknowing H is Will,An d H is Will is revealed through com mu nion with theHoly N aa m . Th is, in tur n, is helped by a life of Simran."Non -assertion of egoism o r humility is the w ay th at helpsin knowing His Will through Simran. I t has a lready been men-tioned that Simran helps in the withdrawal of spirit-currents

fro m the body. After complete withdrawal is achieved, onlythe n the ascent of the sou l into higher sp iritual planesbecomes possible. To understand this an d the mystery ofself and the universe, requires a brief exp lanatio n.


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T H R E E G R A N D D I V I S I O N S A N D T H E I R F E A T U R E SGuru Nanak says that creation is divided in to three mainG ra n d D ivisions."The first is the 'Region of Truth and Pure Spirit ' unmixedwith matter." -Ramkali M.5Here the spirit reigns supreme and there is total absenceof matter. This is the region where the Lord Himself dwellsa n d may be defined as the purely Spiritual Region. This is

free from the ha un t of death a nd destruction. W hoeverreaches its do ma in, obtains true Salvation. Th e Ma ster says:"Once you reach the region of the Formless, you obtainth e ab ode of everlasting Joy an d Peace." -Sorath M.1Again:"The Formless dwells in the Pure Spiritual Region." -Jap

Ji Stanza XXXV I IThe Second Grand Division consists of Pure Spirit and asubtle form of m atte r combined in varying degrees. T heupper part of it is called Par Brahmand, wherein the spiritis more to be compared with the subtle forms of matter. Inthe lower parts called Dasam Dwar, both are in equal part .Th is is the region of the universal mind and is termed byvar ious names by various Masters. Here the Spirit is mixedwith ma tter in its subtlest form , the latter being totallysubo rdinate to the former. Spirit in this region predominatesand is pre-eminently the ruling force. This region undergoesa change a t the d estruction of the universe in the G ra ndDissolution (Maha Pralaya), and in Dissolution (Pralaya). Aman in this domain is safer than in the one below it.Th e third region is the Gr an d Division of spirit an d ma tterin its grossest form an d is called "And." It is comprised ofTrikuti and Sahansrar planes. It is the sphere of May a o rmatter. In this region matter has the upper han d an d spiritis subordinate to it, so much so, that the latter feels depen-den t o n the former for its manifestation. In this region thespirit, o n account of its association with matter, undergoesuntold miseries an d is subjected to the law of transmigration.


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46 T H E J A P J IBoth these divisions are referred to as Ka al and M ah a Kaalrespectively.In going upw ard , after rising above the body-conscious-ness, we first find ourselves hemmed in by matter all aroundin the And (the Third G ra nd Division). Then we have torise into the Bra hm and , the region of the Universal M ind.There we feel much b etter, b ut still we a re no t imm une fromdanger or destruction. The first region or haven of safety isthe Sach Khand, or the Realm of Truth, which is above thereach of M ah a K aal or the G ran d Dissolution. This, in brief, isa sketch of the macrocosm-the G reat W orld Universe.These three divisions also exist in man on a miniature scale.If you want t o know abou t macrocosm, you must first knowab ou t the microcosm.

Gu ru Nanak says:"In the body itself there is everything: the spiritual region,

the beavenly plateaux and the material planes.In the body dwells the Lord Supreme who nourishes all.In the body lives the formless, the inconceivable, beyondthe human ken.Those who have material eyes only: seek Him in vain, inoutward things.In th e body there are the priceless jewels of Divinity.In the body there are all the material realms and planes.In the body is the treasure of the Holy N aa m , reached onlythrough meditation on the Word of the M aster.In the body are all the gods: the Br ahm a, the Vishnu an dthe S l~ iv a , nd the w hole creation itself."-Rag S u h i M.3Another saint also has said the same thing:..Brahmand is in man on a miniature scale, and whoever

seeks it , will find it.0 Pipa , the highest Tru th may be realised only throu gha Master." -Dhonasri PipaThis very truth is also enunciated by the Muslim saintswho state:


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"Macrocosm is in the microcosm and thus you get to God."In the human body, we trace the three divisions referredto above on a miniature scale:M a n Is an Epitom e of the Three Grand Divisions of the

Creation:1. Spirit or the soul, represents the region of the spiritual

division.2. Mind or the mental plane, refers to that of the universalmind.3. Physical body or the material planes, consist of threebodies: the causal, the astral and the gross.The gross body is the fleshy sheath we have. It consists of

the gross matter and gross organs of actions and senses: eyes,ears, nose, tongue, skin and excretory and generative organs.It is shaken off at the time of physical death.

The astral body consists of subtle matter and subtle organsand is active in dreamland state. In this is located the mind.The causal body is the root-cause of the other two bodies.Its activity is confined to the deep sleep state. The latter twobodies along with the mind continue to exist after death andcreate a new form or physical frame at each rebirth.Macrocosm thus exists in the microcosm of the humanbody. The knowledge of the latter serves as means to thecomprehension of the former. If one could succeed in attainingthe Region of the Spirit within himself, by shaking off thesesheaths, he can cast off all pain and misery and enjoy incessantBliss and Peace untold. A life of matter is all misery whichone cannot escape until one is able to separate oneself from it.The attainment of the Region of Spirit then is the thingthat is required, for it can lead to the abode of Perpetual Joyand Supreme Happiness, even while living in this physicalbody. It is only by riding the current of the Holy Naam, (theeternal Music in man), that this state is reached, with thehelp of the True Master. The Holy Naam-The Word-comesdown from the highest spiritual planes, the region of Truth,


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TH E JAP J Iinto the material planes. It is the saving lifeline th at can ca rrysouls into the plane beyond the reach of dissolution. All ot he rmeans fall short of the goal.

Th e kingdom of G od is within you; you may seek it there.It is within your finite body that com mu nion with the W ordcan be held. This ultimately brings you to th e Region ofInfinite Truth-the Sach K ha nd .

Possibi li ty of Com munion of the Microcosm with the Macro-cosm Regions: Now we will see wh ether there is a possibilityof com mu nion between the m icrocosm an d the mac rocosm .M an is an epitome of the macrocosm. There are in M an nervecentres, lying in a do rm an t sta te, an d these ca n be quickenedby the practice of the Divine Word-the Sou nd Principle.

There are six reflex centres in the P lnd o r the body .corresponding to the six centres in the Bra hm and or Cosm os.These in their tu rn , are reflections of those in Pa r-B rahmor the purely spiritual region.The lower six centres are the ganglions at the rectum,the generative organ, the navel, the hea rt, the th ro at and thesixth midway between the eyebrows, which is called Ti1 orAjna (see stanza XXI of the Jap ji) an d is the seat of thesoul in m an. It is from here that the spirit-current descendsinto the bo dy , giving life an d strength to the physical framean d its respective limbs. Th is spirit-current plays a n im po rtan tpart in the nourishment of the body and if this is cut off fromany pa rt, it loses all vitality an d forthw ith ceases to func tion.Th e six centres of the Brahm and an d of the spiritualregions are also to be foun d within us. W hen the sp irit-curren t is brou ght into play with these centres, one can havecontact with their corresponding planes.

Concentration of Spirit-Current Is Nec essary Before It Ca nRise Into the Higher Spiritual Planes: These centres corres-pond with those of the macrocosm in the Brahmand andspiritual regions. Th e spirit-current enables one to peep intothose gran d divisions. T he development of the elementary


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pow ers of spirit is, therefore, mo st necessary. I t is the concen -tratio n of this spirit cu rren t which plays the greatest pa rt inthe achievement. If it is applied to the physical bod y, on egains strength. If it dwells upon the intellect, one developsgreat me ntal powers. I n the sam e way, if spirit is mad e th eobject of concentration. spiritual life inevitably follows andsupreme bliss is attained. The re is a n unseen nerve th atconnects all these centres which is called Sushumna Nari o rShah-rug. I t is throu gh this tha t the spirit current passes fro mthe lowest region to tha t of the highest region of Tru th.Th e concentration of the spirit then is the opening process,so th at the spirit may progress to the higher regions. Un til alloutgoing faculties are self-centred or inwardly focused, thespirit does no t gain strength enough to go up. There are tenoutgoing faculties o r indriyas:-five ar e the gross-eyes, ears ,nose, tongu e an d skin throug h which the five others-thesubtle indriyas-of sight, audition , smell, taste a n d touchkeep m an attached to the outer world. I t would thus app earth at it ,is the co nst an t tho ug ht of these faculties whichexternalises man.We constantly think of the world through three ma insources. First, we have the eyes tha t visualise the ou tw ardphenom ena a nd bring them within the mental gaze. Th roug hthe eyes we gather in no less th an 83 percent of our impres-sions from outside. Th e second source is th at of th e ea rswhich pull our attention to outward sounds an d remind usof things in the objective world. Th rough the e ar s we get14 percent of our ou ter impressions. Th e third source is tha tof the tongue (palate) which, through taste an d speech, keepsthe mem ory of the outw ard world always afresh. Th e remain-ing three percent of the outward impressions are receivedthrou gh tongue an d the rest of the sense organs. I t is throu ghthese three main faculties that man remains constantly intouch with the o uter world an d is ever engaged either inreceiving impressions from without or impressing others withhis ow n thoug hts. Th e energy of the mind is thus drainedaway, leaving one bankrupt. Th e M aster tells us no t t o


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50 T H E J A P JIexhaust ou r energy. We m ust accum ulate an d preserve ourenergy, so that we m ay be able to rend asunde r the varioussheaths of matter which encase the self within us.Th e spirit or soul is attache d to the objective world outside,o n accou nt of objective impressions. Unless the outgoingfaculties are controlled and the spirit is freed from the bondageof life, it can no t rise above body-consciousness. T he th reefaculties of speech or taste, sight and audition cause a con-stan t outflow of energy throu gh their respective sense orga ns.For the depersonalisation of the soul, i t is necessary tochannelise ou r energy inwards an d upw ards thro ugh theprocesses of inversion an d self-analysis.The Master explains the process in these words:"It is by puttin g the three organs under constant restraintthat one hears A nhad.

0 Na nak, in the deep trance state , one knows n o evenor dawn."Boo Ali Qa landar, a M oham m edan saint, speaks of thisprocess, as follows:"Close thine eyes, ears an d ton gue, an d if with all these.the secret of T ru th is n ot revealed un to thee, th ou may scoffat me forthright."Kabir also describes the same thing in his own inimitableway:

"The G uru has shown me the channels through which themind stuff flows out,By stopping the outgoing faculties, I hear the Melodiesof the Eternal Song" -Soruth Kcbir"Fix thy soul on the remembrance of the L or d an d lockthy tongue,Closing down all the outer doors, peep thou within."-Kabir

Guru Arjan says:"Whosoever keeps under control his ten senses,H e shall see the Light of God dawn within him." -GauriSukhmani M . 5


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These organs of tongue, eyes an d ears, etc., are a t workin the physical frame , while one is in a wakeful state a n dthey work likewise in the astral plane when one is in a dreamstate. T he faculties of these organ s get enhanced a n d becomepow erful if one were to restrict their ou tward flow. I t is thenth at one gains strength to fath om the subjective world,for witho ut the quickening life-impulse of the sou l theylie dorm ant.Uses o f t h e Three Restrictions and Their Process: The threerestraints are to be exercised by training the faculties to workinwards. Th e first restraint, th at of speech, consists in doingSimran or the constant repetition of the nam e of the Lo rdwith the tongue of thought. The agency of lips and tongueis no t needed. The use an d the effect of simran have beendwelt upo n in the previous pages. Th e second restraintrefers to the faculty of sight, an d consists in contem plation ofthe spiritual patterns within, which op en o u t in full effulgence.If you practise Tratak or concentration at some black spotoutside, with your eyes fixed on it, your own inner light isprojected outside. Accordingly, when you fix your inner gazejust midway between an d behind the two eyebrows (theseat of the soul in m an ), you see your own light inside. T ha tlight is yours and is already there an d you have to fix yourinner gaze o n it. W h

japji 01 intro

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