2. In The Company Of The Saint

This is in continuation of our effort to bring the divine truth about the glories of a Sant, a Braham Gyani, a Satguru and a Sadh from the divine knowledge hidden in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji – Shabad Guru, which is the Ocean of Divinity (Mansarover of Puran Braham Gyan).

All of us Sikhs call Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji our Guru – but let us take a few minutes and look inside ourselves and analyze our own behavior and ask a few questions to ourselves –

Do we sincerely believe in what the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us?

Do we exercise what the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us to do?

Do we understand at all what the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us?

And if we know what Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us, then do we believe in it or not?

Are we trying to do what the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us to do?

And if we are not doing what the Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us to do then are we really honoring the Guru Granth Sahib Ji as a Guru?

And if the answers to any of these questions or all the questions are negative then we are doing what our mind is telling us to do.  We are not doing what the Guru is telling us to do.  If that is true than we are Manmukhs (self-centred).  Our mind is being controlled by and run by the 5 thieves plus jealousy, gossip and slander.   Since our mind acts and reacts under the influence of these enemies of ours, then it will not be wrong to say that these enemies are our Gurus and not Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

All our efforts are focused to tell the Sangat what we all should be doing for turning us from a Mankukh Hirda to a Sant Hirda, to a Gurmukh Hirda, to a Sadh Hirda.   This message is one of the very important links in the process of moving us from our current situation to a path that goes to discover the Truth – Akal Purakh – Sach Khand and achieve our spiritual goals. 

The word “Sadh” means a Hirda (spiritual heart) which has been straightened out.  That means it has been modified, changed, cleaned and molded in such a condition that there is no effect of  the 5 thieves, slander, gossip, hopes, wishes, desires, jealousy .  It can’t be distracted by any of the worldly Maya things.  It has become completely truthful, it sees the truth, listens the truth, speaks the truth and serves the truth. Such a soul who has won over his mind and by doing so has conquered the entire universe –“Munn Jeetey Jag Jeet”, becomes a Sadh.  Such a Hirda is a Gurmukh Hirda.

It is not possible to transform a Manmukh to Gurmukh with out practicing the divine knowledge given to us by the Almighty in the form of Shabad Guru – Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.

The 5 thieves, slander, gossip, hopes, wishes, desires and jealousy are the deep mental sicknesses and Shabad Guru prescribes the medication to get rid of these sicknesses.  If we don’t take the prescriptions, and the way they are prescribed to be taken, then we have not accepted Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as our Guru.  We are just in a state of illusion, and our inside will not get cured completely unless we take the prescriptions given by the Shabad Guru. Our act of not taking the divine prescriptions as prescribed by the Shabad Guru is responsible for not achieving our spiritual goals. This is the reason why most of the Sangat remains in or below Dharam Khand as described in Jap Ji by Guru Nanak ji. 

One of the prescriptions as explained by Guru Arjun Dev Ji in the prayer “Sukhmani” is about the greatness of an enlightened soul – a Sadh. Let us try to understand what does this verse of Sukhmani is telling us. 

Unapproachable and Unfathomable is the Supreme Lord God;
whoever speaks of Him shall be liberated.
Nanak prays : Listen, O friends, to the wonderful story of the Holy. ||1||
SGGS 271

The divine relationship between a Sadh and Paarbraham has been explained in this Ashtpadi and we will learn that when we go through the complete discussion on this divine knowledge given in Sukhmani Bani. How one can reach the Almighty is given in few words of this divine shalok –

Paarbraham is Agam – Supreme God can’t be reached by an ordinary person,

Paarbraham is Agadh – Supreme God is unlimited – infinite and can’t be measured.

How can we reach Him?

When we recite His Naam – Satnaam (as very clearly explained in Mool Manter) – we can attain the unattianable Lord.  This can be realised by whosoever praises Him and whosoever serves Him.  The highest service of Akal Purakh is in His Naam Simran (the first verse explains that Naam Simran is the highest level of service of Almighy).   And whosoever becomes capable of serving the Truth by controlling the 5 thieves and killing their desire, hopes and wishes and restraining from doing slander, gossip and jealousy becomes a Sadh soul.

Such souls are very rare and their spiritual stories and achievements become very unique and surprising in nature.  They get absorbed in Almighty and become one with Him and only such souls are Gurmukh souls. 

In the Company of the Holy, one’s face becomes radiant.
In the Company of the Holy, all filth is removed.
In the Company of the Holy, egotism is eliminated.
In the Company of the Holy, spiritual wisdom is revealed.
In the Company of the Holy, God is understood to be near at hand.
In the Company of the Holy, all conflicts are settled.
In the Company of the Holy, one obtains the jewel of the Naam.
In the Company of the Holy, one’s efforts are directed toward the One Lord.
What mortal can speak of the Glorious Praises of the Holy?
O Nanak, the glory of the Holy people merges into God. ||1||
SGGS 271

In the Sangat of such souls who have won their mind and have become a Sadh Hirda.  We can make our lives sublime.  That is where we can be relieved of the effect of the all of the mental sicknesses.  These mental sicknesses have made our mind filthy and all our day today actions and reactions are conducted under the influence of these enemies of ours.  

The Sangat of such a soul will help us in cleaning our inside and win over our mind, and by doing so we will be respected in the Dargah of Shri Akal Purakh Ji.

As long as we are operated by these 5 thieves and other mental sicknesses we can’t become a Gurmukh, a Sadh.  Only the Sangat of a Sadh can turn us from a Manmukh to a Gurmukh. Only such a Sangat will help us in killing our ego – and how does that happen? The Sadh has killed His own ego and knows the way to do so and only He can teach us and bless us to kill ours.

Our souls will not be receptive to the perfect divine wisdom (Puran Tat Gyan) as long as we are suffering from ego.  Once the mind and inside becomes clean and self-pride has gone, then our own wisdom becomes zero and at that point the Puran Tat Gyan starts to flow in ourselves. This is the point where we start to understand the Gurbani.  But only such a soul who has become a Sadh – Gurmukh will be able to stir the Gurbani and take out the jewels and diamonds of divine knowledge and divinity from the Gurbani. 

This is what is Suhagan and how it appears in our souls and mind. God appears physically in the Sangat of such souls when Suhagans do Naam Simran.  And is physically felt by such Suhagans in their Smadhi.  The spiritual power and vibrations are felt physically by such Suhagan souls who are blessed in Karam Khand – Smadhi.

When we reach such a state in spirituality, which again happens in the Sangat of Sadh, Sant, Braham Gyani and Gurmukhs, at that point all our mental sicknesses as described above start to disappear and eventually our mind and inside becomes absolutely clean and free from the effect of all these enemies of ours.

The Naam is a priceless diamond, which can be obtained in the Sangat of such souls who have become a Sadh, a Puran Sant, a Puran Braham Gyani, a Puran Satguru. This is the point when the journey to Sach Khand, the journey to meet our beloved Paarbraham Parmeshwar begins.   That is why it is called a Gurparsadi Game, which starts with the planting of Naam in the mind of ours by such a Sant who himself has become absorbed in Akal Purakh Himself and obtained His blessings to give Gurparsadi Naam to His Sangat.

Nobody can explain such souls, who have become a Sadh Hirda, because such souls become one with Almighty and their Mahima becomes as unlimited, as un-measurable, as unexplainable as Almighty Himself. 

In the Company of the Holy, one meets the Incomprehensible Lord.
In the Company of the Holy, one flourishes forever.
In the Company of the Holy, the five passions are brought to rest.
In the Company of the Holy, one enjoys the essence of ambrosia.
In the Company of the Holy, one becomes the dust of all.
In the Company of the Holy, one’s speech is enticing.
In the Company of the Holy, the mind does not wander.
In the Company of the Holy, the mind becomes stable.
In the Company of the Holy, one is rid of Maya.
In the Company of the Holy, O Nanak, God is totally pleased. ||2||
SGGS 271

Agochar – is the one who is beyond the reach of our five senses – Panj Gyan Inderey.  There is only one who is Agochar and  that is Paarbraham Parmeshwar. 

Where we can meet Him? In the Sangat of a Sadh.  That is what happens by doing Sangat of such souls we realize the Almighty.  Once we do that then there is an achievement of eternal happiness and eternal silence inside our mind and soul. We will be able to control over the Panj Doots in the Sangat of such souls who have become a Sadh Hirda. By doing so we will also taste the Amrit Ras which means is that we will be continuously enjoying the Naam Amrit when we go into Smadhi.  Some of you who are already achieved that state of spirituality must be feeling the physical presence of Almighty and Amrit Ras coming in when sitting in Smadhi and doing the Naam Simran.

Such experiences can occur in the Sangat of Sada Suhagans and Suhagans. When we participate in the Sangat of Sada Suhagans and Suhagans then we learn how to kill our ego as described earlier. By killing our ego we become very humble, we become so humble that we become dust of the feet of everybody, and that is what a Sada Suhagan or a Puran Sant is. 

Such a soul lives in the dust of the feet of the entire universe, and by such a virtue enjoys the Atam Ras –which is the highest level of enjoyment and eternal happiness. A never ending eternal happiness – “Sat Chit Anand”  and pure light of the Lord ( Param Jyot Puran Parkash Darshan). The utmost humbleness is the key to the Dargah of Akal Purakh and Sach Khand, which comes when the ego is completely killed, and that happens in the Sangat of Suhagans and Sada Suhagans with Guru’s grace (Gurkirpa).

When we achieve such a humbleness by killing our ego, then we become Nirvair :

• we don’t have any animosity with anybody,
• we treat friends and foes the same – with single vision,
• we never hurt anybody,
• we always speak sweet words –  which is one of the vital qualities of Akal Purakh

 My Dear Lord and Master, my Friend, speaks so sweetly.
SGGS 784

At this level our words will do wonders to others.  They will be effective.  People will like to listen to these words and put them into practice.  And this is the trademark of a Sant, this is how we can recognize a Sant.

In the Sangat of such souls our mind will become stable.  It will not be distracted by any of the mental enemies of ours.  It can’t be carried away by any untrue happenings around us.  We will be able to recognize the difference between truth and non-truth deeds.  We will restrain from doing any non-truth deeds (Asat Karams). Our mind always remain absorbed in the lotus feet of Akal Purakh, absorbed in Naam.   We will never do any such actions which will drain us of the Amrit.

In the Sangat of such souls we will not be affected by any worldly distractions.  Our mind will be stable, absorbed in Almighty and this will be the highest service of the Almighty.   He will be very happy on us and kind on us and will take us up closer and closer to Him. 

In the Company of the Holy, all one’s enemies become friends.
In the Company of the Holy, there is great purity.
In the Company of the Holy, no one is hated.
In the Company of the Holy, one’s feet do not wander.
In the Company of the Holy, no one seems evil.
In the Company of the Holy, supreme bliss is known.
In the Company of the Holy, the fever of ego departs.
In the Company of the Holy, one renounces all selfishness.
He Himself knows the greatness of the Holy.
O Nanak, the Holy are at one with God. ||3||
SGGS 271

In the Sangat of such souls who have become a Sadh Hirda, Sada Suhagans and Suhagans, who enjoy the Amrit on a continuous basis, our mind and soul will also become absolutely clean, pure and pious.   Once that happens then for us everybody will be equal, then nobody appears to be our enemy, we start to love each and everyone, there is no hatred, there is love every where, all our actions and reactions are full of love and sacrifice for others.

One becomes a single vision – Ek Drisht, there is no animosity anywhere in the life of such a soul. Every body is a friend, no enemies, nobody is bad, every soul appears to have the Light (Jyot) of Akal Purakh, we love every body as much as much we love Akal Purakh and this is the true love.

In the Sangat of such souls the effect of bad company (Ku-sangat) disappears.  We don’t step into the distractions and bad deeds.  All our deeds become true and good for others. We develop a sence of sacrifice for others, we like to live for others and do good to others.

This is the extreme humbleness, no ego, and which brings in us the eternal happiness – “Paramanand” and  “Sat Chit Anand” and “Atam Ras” eventually. In the Sangat of such souls our ego is killed.  This has been defined as a deep mental sickness.  It forces us to operate under the influence of our own mind governed by five thives.  When we are cured of this deep mental sickness, then we surrender ourselves completely to the Guru and so we become a Gurmukh.

At this stage the Guru’s command is all we do (Guru’s Hukam is our Karni).  And due to the humbleness achieved as a result of winning over this deep mental sickness of ego, our Hirda will become a Sadh Hirda.

Such souls are praised in God’s court (the Dargah of Akal Purakh), because they develop a never breaking relationship of eternal love with the Almighty. 

In the Company of the Holy, the mind never wanders.
In the Company of the Holy, one obtains everlasting peace.
In the Company of the Holy, one grasps the Incomprehensible.
In the Company of the Holy, one can endure the unendurable.
In the Company of the Holy, one abides in the loftiest place.
In the Company of the Holy, one attains the Mansion of the Lord’s Presence.
In the Company of the Holy, one’s Dharmic faith is firmly established.
In the Company of the Holy, one dwells with the Supreme Lord God.
In the Company of the Holy, one obtains the treasure of the Naam.
O Nanak, I am a sacrifice to the Holy. ||4||
SGGS 271

In the Sangat of such souls who have become Sadh Hirda, who have become Suhagans and Sada Suhagans, we will obtain the “Basat Agochar”.  This is the Naam of Akal Purakh which is beyond the boundaries of five senses of ours  (five Gyan Indereys).

Due to the blessings of such souls and being in the Sangat of such souls our tolerance power is enhanced to a very high level and we can tolerate any kind of un-tolerable situation for a common person.

Due to the Sangat of such spiritually elevated and enlightened souls, we can also achieve such high spiritual conditions which are highly regarded in the Dargah, and we will remain absorbed in the lotus feet of our beloved  Almighty.

We learn the real religion in the Sangat of such souls or we learn what is the real religion from such souls, and the highest and most pious and pure religion is Akal Purakh Himself, His Naam is the highest level of religion, that is why remembering the Lord is the highest. 

The Naam Amrit, which is the biggest eternal treasure of all ages in the past and all ages to come, is blessed upon the Sangat by such souls who have become a Sadh Hirda.

We should all therefore, surrender to such souls who have become a Sadh.  

In the Company of the Holy, all one’s family is saved.
In the Company of the Holy, one’s friends, acquaintances and relatives are redeemed.
In the Company of the Holy, that wealth is obtained.
Everyone benefits from that wealth.
In the Company of the Holy, the Lord of Dharma serves.
In the Company of the Holy, the divine, angelic beings sing God’s Praises.
In the Company of the Holy, one’s sins fly away.
In the Company of the Holy, one sings the Ambrosial Glories.
In the Company of the Holy, all places are within reach.
O Nanak, in the Company of the Holy, one’s life becomes fruitful. ||5||
SGGS 271

The Sangat of such Sadh souls is so powerful and fruitful that we can achieve salvation – Jivan Mukti for our entire family, for 21 generations to come and also our friends by participating in the Sangat of Sada Suhagans and Suhagans.

The achievement of the highest level of eternal treasures, which is the Naam Dhan can only be obtained in such a Sangat, and only such souls who become Sadh Hirda Sada Suhagans, get the spiritual powers and authority to distribute this eternal treasure of Naam to the other Sangat.

The Sangat of such enlightened souls will take us to those heights of spirituality where even the Divine Judge (Dharam Raj) will serve us.  This means that once we become a Sadh Hirda , or Sada Suhagan, then our word will be honored by Dharam Raj as well.  We will be dignified and honored by the other Devtas (demi-gods).

These things are physically experienced by the people who go in to deep meditation – Sun Smadhi, and whose tenth gate (Dassam Duaar) and inner eye (Gyan Netter) are opened.

There are a number of people in our Sangat who had such experiences. All our sins disappear and we develop all kind of good qualities of head and heart in ourselves in the Sangat of such souls whose Hirda has become a Sadh Hirda, we achieve high spiritual level and thus we achieve the divine objective our life and we achieve salvation, come out of the cycle of death and birth. 

In the Company of the Holy, there is no suffering.
The Blessed Vision of their Darshan brings a sublime, happy peace.
In the Company of the Holy, blemishes are removed.
In the Company of the Holy, hell is far away.
In the Company of the Holy, one is happy here and hereafter.
In the Company of the Holy, the separated ones are reunited with the Lord.
The fruits of one’s desires are obtained.
In the Company of the Holy, no one goes empty-handed.
The Supreme Lord God dwells in the hearts of the Holy.
O Nanak, listening to the sweet words of the Holy, one is saved. ||6||
SGGS 272

We can easily do our mediation on loving devotion (Bhagtee) in the Sangat of Gurmukh souls, where we will not have to do very hard work to complete our Bhagtee. In other words the Sangat of Sada Suhagans and Suhagans is so powerful that we are able to win over our mind with great ease.  This how Bhai Lehna Ji completed His Bhagtee, in the Sangat of Guru Nanak Patshah Ji in a much shorter time of about three and a half years, due to Guru Nanak Patshah’s blessings and became Guru Angad Patshah Himself.  Otherwise it might take a lot longer time to complete our Bhagtee.

The Darshan of such souls alone is very fruitful –

 The Darshan, the Blessed Vision of the God-conscious being,
is obtained by great good fortune.
SGGS 273

Seeing and meeting such great souls help us a great deal in cleaning our inside and winning over our mind. We are able to clean up all the dirt which is clinging to our inside mind and soul from all our previous lives.  Thereby, we can save ourselves from the dirty life we have been living in, the life of hell for all ages to come. By doing so we will enjoy our remaining life on this earth as a completely truthful person, always engaged and absorbed in the good deeds and Almighty.

We will also enjoy a very dignified life after our soul leaves this body eventually, and live in Sach Khand for all ages to come.  This way our soul which have been separated from the God for ages will go back and live with Him for all times to come. 

We will be relieved of the cycle of life and death which is regarded the biggest sorrow of our lives. The souls who go to such a Sangat will be able to realize their spiritual goals and spiritual desires and desires of becoming a Sadh Hirda, and other desires as well.  But for Puran Bhagtee it is mandatory to kill your hopes, wishes and desires (Asa, Trishna and Mansha).  So the desires should be limited to Bhagtee and Seva of others.

Paarbraham (God) lives in the Hirda (spiritual heart) of a Sadh (Saint), and speaks on the tongue of such a soul.   The Sadh’s words are same as Almighty’s words, and we should all listen to them and bring them in our daily lives to make our lives sublime and achieve our goal of salvation. 

In the Company of the Holy, listen to the Name of the Lord.
In the Company of the Holy, sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord.
In the Company of the Holy, do not forget Him from your mind.
In the Company of the Holy, you shall surely be saved.
In the Company of the Holy, God seems very sweet.
In the Company of the Holy, He is seen in each and every heart.
In the Company of the Holy, we become obedient to the Lord.
In the Company of the Holy, we obtain the state of salvation.
In the Company of the Holy, all diseases are cured.
O Nanak, one meets with the Holy, by highest destiny. ||7||
SGGS 272

The Naam Simran and the Kirtan of the Gurbani has a very powerful effect on the Sangat where such Gurmukh – Sadh souls are present. The eternal enjoyment of such religious acts is unbelievable, under such circumstances, we remain in constant remembrance of the Akal Purakh.  His Naam never disappears from our mind, it always stays inside us and eventually makes a permanent house inside our soul and mind, which is how and why we are able to win over our mind by getting it cured from all kinds of mental sicknesses.

The Naam becomes our spiritual food for the soul and becomes an essential ingredient of our daily life, and we feel the eternal enjoyment all the time emanating from His Naam. We see God in everyone around us, that means we love everyone around us, we don’t hurt anybody and feel the presence of God in each and every soul.

We operate under divine will of God (Puran Hukam of Akal Purakh).  All our deeds become true deeds (Sat Karams).  We start to serve the truth, and by doing so we achieve a very high spiritual condition, which achieves us salvation.

All our mental weaknesses, all our mental sicknesses are cured and our mind and inside becomes absolutely clean and truthful. Only very fortunate people get to the Sangat of such souls who have a Sadh Hirda, Sada Suhagans and completely absorbed in Akal Purakh. 

The glory of the Holy people is not known to the Vedas.
They can describe only what they have heard.
The greatness of the Holy people is beyond the three qualities.
The greatness of the Holy people is all-pervading.
The glory of the Holy people has no limit.
The glory of the Holy people is infinite and eternal.
The glory of the Holy people is the highest of the high.
The glory of the Holy people is the greatest of the great.
The glory of the Holy people is theirs alone;
O Nanak, there is no difference between the Holy people and God. ||8||7||
SGGS 272

There is no words that can completely describe the glories a Sadh Hirda.  All the Vedas (hindu holy books) also don’t know the greatness of such a soul who is a Sadh Hirda.  The praise of a Sadh is beyond description, because such a soul is beyond the three dimensions which create the definition of  matter (beyond the three parts of maya). Meaning that there is nobody on this earth who can completely describe the greatness of a Sadh Hirda.

Because the Sadh’s greatness is unlimited, can’t be measured, there are no dimensions of the powers of such a soul and Hirda, it is infinite, it is the highest of the highest in the entire universe. Only a Sadh can understand the glories of a Sadh and can try to describe it. All these vital qualities of a Sadh Hirda are same as that of Akal Purakh, so there remains no difference between Almighty and a Sadh. 

The bottom line is that we can really achieve our spiritual goals in the Sangat of a Sadh, a Sant, a Braham Gyani, a Sant Satguru much easier and without putting in a lot of efforts, and that is what Gurbani is telling us through the divine knowledge of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji (SGGS).

We can involve ourselves in a Gurparsadi Game and meet our beloved Paarbraham with Gurkirpa. We can transform ourselves from a Manmukh soul to a Gurmukh Hirda, a Sadh Hirda, a Sant Hirda and achieve the objective of our life and become a Puran Khalsa.

Dassan Das (Slave Of God’s Slaves)