In this Astpadi we receive the divine Truth about the glories of a Sant, a Braham Gyani, a SatGuru and a Sadh. This is from the divine knowledge hidden in Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is the Shabad Guru. It is the Mansarovar of Puran Braham Gyan, the Ocean of Divinity.
As Sikhs, we all call Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji our Guru. But, let us take a few minutes and truly look inside ourselves. Let us truly analyze our behavior by asking a few questions. Do we understand at all what the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us? If we do understand, then do we believe it? If we do understand and believe it, then are we trying to put it into practice? If we are not doing what Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is telling us, then are we really honoring it as a Guru?
If the answers to any of these questions or all of the questions are negative, then we are still doing what our mind is telling us to do. We are not doing what the Guru is telling us to do. We are still Munnmukhs (self-centred). Our mind is being controlled by and run by the five thieves plus jealousy, gossip and slander (Eerka, Nindya and Chugalee). Since our mind acts and reacts under the influence of these enemies of ours, then these are our real Gurus and not Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
This book is focused on showing you what you need to do for transforming your Hirda from Munnmukh to Gurmukh. Understanding, believing and practising the message contained in this Astpadi is one of the most important for you to achieve your spiritual goals. It shows you the process of moving from your current Munnmukh situation, onto a path that leads you to discover the Truth, Akal Purakh and Sach Khand.
The word Sadh means a Hirda which has been straightened out. It has been modified, changed, cleaned and moulded by Truth. There is no longer any effect of the five thieves, slander, gossip, hopes, wishes, desires and jealousy . A Sadh cannot be distracted by any aspect of Maya. A Sadh Hirdha has become completely truthful. It sees the Truth, listens to the Truth, speaks the Truth and serves the Truth. A Sadh has won over His mind and by doing so has conquered the entire universe, “Munn Jeetey Jag Jeet”. A Sadh is also known as a Gurmukh. To transform from Munnmukh to Gurmukh, we need to practice the divine knowledge given to us by the Almighty in the form of the Shabad Guru, the Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji.
The five thieves, slander, gossip, hopes, wishes, desires and jealousy are deep mental sicknesses. The Shabad Guru prescribes the medication to get rid of these sicknesses. If we keep reading the prescription, but never take the prescribed medicine, then we have not accepted Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji as our Guru. Just by reading, listening, singing and bowing to the prescription, we are just in a state of illusion. Why? Because our mind will not be cured unless we take the prescribed medicine. This is why people fail to achieve their spiritual goals because they are not doing what the Shabad Guru is telling them. This is the foremost reason for most of the Sangat remaining in or below Dharam Khand as described in Jap Ji by Guru Nanak Ji.
One of the prescriptions given to our sick mind by Guru Arjun Dev Ji in this Astpadi is about the greatness of an enlightened soul, the Sadh. Let us try to understand what this verse is telling us.
Salok.
Agam agaadhh paarabreham soe.
Jo jo kehai so mukathaa hoe.
Sun meetha nanak binvantaa.
Sadh junaa kee achraj kathaa.
The divine relationship between a Sadh and Paar Braham has been explained in this Astpadi. How we reach the One who is beyond a normal person’s reach is explained very simply in few divine words of this verse. Paar Braham is Agam, meaning that Supreme God cannot be reached by an ordinary person. Paar Braham is Agaadh, meaning that Supreme God is unlimited, infinite and cannot be measured. So how can we reach the normally Unreachable, Infinite and Unlimited One?
When we recite His Naam – Sat Naam, we can attain the normally unattainable Lord. This can be realised by whoever praises Him and whoever serves Him. The highest service of Akal Purakh is in doing Naam Simran. Whoever serves the Truth, controls their five thieves, kills their desires, hopes and wishes, and refrains from slander, gossip and jealousy becomes a Sadh. Such souls are very rare and their spiritual stories and achievements become very unique and surprising. They are absorbed in Almighty and become one with Him. Only such ones can truly be called Gurmukh.
Astpadi.
Sadh kai sang mukh oojal hoth.
Sadh sang mal sagalee khoth.
Sadh kai sang mittai abhimaan.
Sadh kai sang pragattai sugiaan.
Sadh kai sang bujhai prabh naeraa.
Sadh sang sabh hoth nibaeraa.
Sadh kai sang paaeae naam rathan.
Sadh kai sang eaek oopar jathan.
Sadh kee mehimaa baranai koun praanee.
Nanak sadh kee sobhaa prabh maahi samaanee 1.
We can make our lives sublime in the Sangat of such souls who have won over their mind and have become a Sadh. In the Sangat of the Sadh – the Sadh Sangat, we are relieved of the mental sicknesses. These mental sicknesses have made our mind filthy because all of our daily actions and reactions have been conducted under the influence of these enemies of ours. The Sangat of the Sadh helps us in cleaning up inside by winning over our mind. By doing so we become respected in the Dargah of Shri Akal Purakh Ji.
As long as you are controlled by these five thieves and other mental sicknesses you cannot become a Gurmukh. Only the Sangat of a Sadh can turn you from a Munnmukh to a Gurmukh. Only Sadh Sangat helps you to kill your ego. How? The Sadh has already killed His own ego. He knows how to do it and He teaches you and blesses you to kill yours too.
As long as you are suffering from ego, your soul will not be receptive to the Sadh’s perfect divine wisdom, Puran Tat Gyan. Once the mind becomes clean and self-pride has completely gone, then our own wisdom is erased. At that point the Puran Tat Gyan starts to flow inside us. At this time we begin to truly understand GurBani. However, only a Sadh will be able to fully extract all of the jewels and diamonds of divine knowledge.
In the Sangat of the Sadh, we are blessed by the Sadh. We are elevated into Karam Khand, the Realm of grace. The Sadh has become our Vichola (marriage arranger), “Har dargah ka baseet”, and God the Husband has accepted our soul as a bride. We become known as a Suhaagan. We begin to experience Samadhi. God appears physically in the Sangat of the Sadh when Suhaagans do Naam Simran. God is physically felt by such Suhaagans in their Samadhi. The spiritual power and vibrations are felt physically by such Suhaagans. When we reach this level of spirituality all of our mental sicknesses disappear further and eventually our mind and inside become absolutely clean and free from the effect of all of these enemies of ours.
Naam is a priceless diamond, which can be obtained in the Sangat of such souls who have become a Sadh, a Puran Sant Puran Braham Gyani, a Puran SatGuru. This is the point when the journey to Sach Khand, the journey to meet our beloved Paar Braham Parmeshwar begins. That is why it is called a GurParsaadi Game. This Game starts with the planting of Naam into our mind by the Sadh. The Sadh is such a Sant who has become absorbed in Akal Purakh Himself and has obtained His blessings to give the GurParsaadi Naam to the Sangat. Nobody can completely describe a Sadh, because such souls become one with Almighty and their Mahima becomes as unlimited, as immeasurable and as unexplainable as the Almighty Himself.
Sadh kai sang agochar milai.
Sadh kai sang sadhaa parafulai.
Sadh kai sang aavehi bas panchaa.
Sadh sang anmrith ras bhunchaa.
Sadh sang hoe sabh kee raen.
Sadh kai sang manohar bain.
Sadh kai sang n kathehoon dhhaavai.
Sadh sang asathhith man paavai.
Sadh kai sang maaeiaa thae bhinn.
Sadh sang nanak prabh suprasann 2.
Agochar mean the One who is beyond the reach of our five senses – Panj Gyan Indrees. There is only one who is Agochar and that is Paar Braham Parmeshwar. Where can we meet Him? In the Sangat of a Sadh. 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 are able to control the Panj Doots in the Sangat of a Sadh. By doing so we also taste the Amrit Ras. This means we continuously enjoy Naam Amrit when we go into Samadhi. Some of us who have already achieved this state of spirituality are already feeling the physical presence of the Almighty through the Amrit Ras when sitting in Samadhi and doing Naam Simran.
Such experiences can occur in the Sangat of Suhaagans and Sada Suhaagans. We become Suhaagan in Karam Khand when we are accepted as a bride of God under the blessings of our Sadh. We become Sada Suhaagan when our marriage with Akal Purakh takes place. Then we stay in Sach Khand. When we participate in the Sangat of these Sada Suhaagans and Suhaagans we learn how to kill our ego. By killing our ego we become very humble. We become so humble that we become the dust of the feet of everybody. That is what a Sada Suhaagan is or a Puran Sant is.
A Sadh lives in the dust of the feet of the entire universe and by such a virtue enjoys the Atam Ras. Atam Ras is the highest level of enjoyment and eternal happiness. A never ending eternal happiness, Sat Chit Anand and the 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. This happens only when the ego is completely killed. And that only happens in the Sangat of Suhaagans and Sada Suhaagans with Guru’s grace, GurKirpa. When we achieve such a humbleness by killing our ego, then we become Nirvair, this means that:-
- we have no animosity with anybody,
- we treat friends and foes the same, as we see all equally,
- we never hurt anybody,
- we always speak sweet words – one of the vital qualities of Akal Purakh.
At this level our words do wonders for others. Our words are effective. People will like to listen to these words and put them into practice. This is the trademark of a Sant. This is how we can recognize a Sant.
In the Sangat of a Sadh our mind becomes stable. It is not distracted by any of our mental enemies. It cannot be carried away by any untrue happenings around us. We are able to recognize the difference between truthful and untruthful deeds. We can restrain our mind from triggering any untruthful deeds, Asat Karams. Our mind always remains absorbed in the lotus feet of Akal Purakh, absorbed in Naam. We never do any actions which drain us of the Amrit.
In the Sangat of the Sadh we are not effected by worldly distractions. Our mind is stable and absorbed in the Almighty. This is the highest service of the Almighty. He is very happy with us and kind upon us. He takes us closer and closer to Him.
Sadh sang dhusaman sabh meeth.
Sadhoo kai sang mehaa puneeth.
Sadh sang kis sio nehee bair.
Sadh kai sang n beegaa pair.
Sadh kai sang naahee ko mandhaa.
Sadh sang jaanae paramaanandhaa.
Sadh kai sang naahee ho thaap.
Sadh kai sang thajai sabh aap.
Aapae jaanai sadh baddaaee.
Nanak sadh prabhoo ban aaee 3.
In the Sangat of such souls who have become a Sadh Hirda, Sada Suhaagans and Suhaagans, who enjoy the Amrit continuously, our mind and soul also become absolutely clean, pure and pious. Once that happens then everybody is equal for us. Then nobody appears to be our enemy. We start to love each and everyone. There is no hatred. There is love everywhere. All of our actions and reactions are full of love and sacrifice for others.
In the Sangat of a Sadh we become single vision, Ik Drisht, meaning we see everyone equally. There is no animosity anywhere in the life of such a soul. Everybody is a friend, no-one is regarded as an enemy, nobody is seen as bad. Every soul appears to have the Light (Jyot) of Akal Purakh. A Sadh loves everybody as much as much they 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 worldly distractions and bad deeds. All of our deeds become true and good and for the benefit of others. We develop a sense of sacrifice for others. We like to live for others and love to do good for others.
Ego is erased by extreme humbleness. This brings in us the eternal happiness, Param Anand and Sat Chit Anand and eventually Atam Ras. In the Sangat of such souls our ego is killed. Ego has been defined as a deep mental sickness, “Haumai deerag rog ha.” It forces us to operate under the influence of our own mind governed by the five thieves. When we are cured of this deep mental sickness we surrender ourselves completely to the Guru and become a Gurmukh. At this stage the Guru’s command is all we do, the Guru’s Hukam is our Karni. Due to the humbleness achieved as a result of winning over this deep mental sickness of ego, our Hirda becomes a Sadh. Sadh 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.
Sadh kai sang n kabehoo dhhaavai.
Sadh kai sang sadhaa sukh paavai.
Sadh sang basath agochar lehai.
Sadhoo kai sang ajar sehai.
Sadh kai sang basai thhaan oochai.
Sadhoo kai sang mehal pehoochai.
Sadh kai sang dhrirrai sabh dhharam.
Sadh kai sang kaeval paarabreham.
Sadh kai sang paaeae naam nidhhaan.
Nanak sadhoo kai kurabaan 4.
In the Sangat of a Hirda that has become Sadh we obtain the Basat Agochar. This is the Naam of Akal Purakh which is beyond the boundaries of our five senses – Panj Gyan Indrees. Due to the blessings of such souls and being in the Sangat of such souls our tolerance is enhanced to a very high level. We are able to tolerate the intolerable. Due to the Sangat of such spiritually elevated and enlightened souls we can also achieve spiritual conditions which are highly regarded in Dargah. Due to the Sangat of the Sadh we remain absorbed in the lotus feet of our beloved Almighty.
From a Sadh we learn what the real religion is. We learn that 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. 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 the Hirda that has become a Sadh. We should all surrender to the Hirda that has become a Sadh.
Sadh kai sang sabh kul oudhhaarai.
Sadh sang saajan meeth kuttanb nisathaarai.
Sadhoo kai sang so dhhan paavai.
Jis dhhan thae sabh ko varasaavai.
Sadh sang dhharam raae karae saevaa.
Sadh kai sang sobhaa suradhaevaa.
Sadhoo kai sang paap palaaein.
Sadh sang anmrith gun gaaein.
Sadh kai sang srab thhaan ganm.
Nanak sadh kai sang safal jananm 5.
The Sangat of a Sadh is so powerful and fruitful that we can achieve salvation – Jivan Mukti for generations of our family and friends past, present and future,. This doesn’t mean that by becoming a Sadh our selfwe automatically make everyone in our family Jivan Mukt as well. It means either our family and friends in the present will also get the blessings from our Sadh and then earn their Jivan Mukti. Or that once we become a Sadh and are given blessings by Akal Purakh to give Naam, then Sangat will come to us. And that Sangat is comprised of souls from our past life families and past life friends. Also spirits of our ancestors that are stuck in time as space as ghosts also come to the Sadh and beg to be released. The Sadh takes some of His own Bhagti and deposits it into their empty spiritual account. The Sadh asks Akal Purakh to release the spirit and to send them to the Light. From their they will get a chance to be reborn as a human, perhaps in the Sadh’s future generation, to then meet a Sadh of their own time, to get Naam and to achieve Jivan Mukti.
The achievement of the highest level of eternal treasures, which is Naam Dhann, can only be obtained in such a Sangat. Only the Hirda that becomes a Sadh gets the spiritual powers and authority to distribute this eternal treasure of Naam to the other Sangat. The Sangat of such an enlightened soul takes us to those heights of spirituality where even the divine judge – Dharam Raj serves us. This means that once we become a Sadh Hirda, or Sada Suhaagan, then our word is honored by Dharam Raj as well. We are dignified and honored by the other Devi-Devtas too. These things are physically experienced by the people who go into deep meditation, Sunn Samadhi and whose tenth gate, Dassam Duaar and inner eye, Gyan Netter are opened. There are a number of people in our Sangat who have had such experiences.
All of our sins disappear and we develop all kind of good qualities of head and heart. We achieve high spiritual level and thus we achieve the divine objective our life. We achieve salvation and come out of the cycle of death and birth.
Sadh kai sang nehee kashh ghaal.
Dharasan bhaettath hoth nihaal.
Sadh kai sang kalookhath harai.
Sadh kai sang narak pareharai.
Sadh kai sang eehaa oohaa suhaelaa.
Sadh sang bishhurath har maelaa.
Jo eishhai soee fal paavai.
Sadh kai sang n birathhaa jaavai.
Paarabreham sadh ridh basai.
Nanak oudhharai sadh sun rasai. 6.
We can easily do our Bhagti in the Sangat of a Sadh. In other words, the Sangat of Sada Suhaagans and Suhaagans is so powerful that we are able to win over our mind with great ease. This is how Bhai Lehna Ji completed His Bhagti in just three and a half years. This was due to Guru Nanak Patshah’s blessings and He became Guru Angad Patshah.
Otherwise, the way He was going by himself, it would have taken a lot longer, perhaps many more lifetimes.
Even just having the Darshan of a Sadh is very fruitful. 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 of the dirt which is clinging to our mind and soul from all of our previous lives. Thereby, we save our self from the dirty life we have been living in. We save our self from the future life of hell we have sown for our self. By cleaning up on the inside we enjoy our remaining life on this Earth as a completely truthful person. We are always engaged in doing good deeds and we remain absorbed in the love of the Almighty.
We will also enjoy a very dignified life after our soul leaves this body. We will live in Sach Khand for all ages to come. In this way our soul, which has been separated from God, 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 the Sangat of the Sadh are able to realize their spiritual goals and desires of becoming a Sadh Hirda, and other desires as well. But, for Puran Bhagti it is mandatory to kill our hopes, wishes and desires. So the desires should be limited to Bhagti and Seva of others, not for worldly wants.
Paar Braham lives in the Hirda of a Sadh and speaks from their tongue. The Sadh’s words are the same as the Almighty’s words and we should all listen to them. By bringing those words practically into our daily life, our life becomes sublime and we achieve our goal of salvation.
Sadh kai sang suno har naao.
Sadh sang har kae gun gaao.
Sadh kai sang n man thae bisarai.
Sadh sang sarapar nisatharai.
Sadh kai sang lagai prabh meet(h)aa.
Sadhoo kai sang ghatt ghatt ddeet(h)aa.
Sadh sang bheae aagiaakaaree.
Sadh sang gath bhee hamaaree.
Sadh kai sang mittae sabh rog.
Nanak sadh bhaettae sanjog. 7.
In the presence of the Sadh, GurBani Kirtan (singing divine words) has a very powerful effect on the Sangat doing Naam Simran. In the presence of the Sadh, the spiritual benefit of good religious acts are unbelievable. Otherwise religious acts don’t benefit us much, if at all. But, in the presence of the Sadh, even whilst performing religious acts we remain in constant remembrance of 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. This is how and why we are able to win over our mind and how we get it cured from all kinds of mental sicknesses.
Naam becomes spiritual food for our soul and becomes an essential ingredient of our daily life. We feel the eternal enjoyment all of 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 the divine will of God, Puran Hukam of Akal Purakh. All of 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 gives us salvation.
All of our mental weaknesses and all of our mental sicknesses are cured. Our mind becomes absolutely clean and truthful. Only very fortunate people get to the Sangat of a Hirda that has become a Sadh – a Sada Suhaagan completely absorbed in Akal Purakh.
Sadh kee mehimaa baedh n jaanehi.
Jaethaa sunehi thaethaa bakhiaanehi.
Sadh kee oupamaa thihu gun thae dhoor.
Sadh kee oupamaa rehee bharapoor.
Sadh kee sobhaa ka naahee anth.
Sadh kee sobhaa sadhaa baeanth.
Sadh kee sobhaa ooch thae oochee.
Sadh kee sobhaa mooch thae moochee.
Sadh kee sobhaa sadh ban aaee.
Nanak sadh prabh bhaedh n bhaaee 8.7.
There are no words that can completely describe the glories a Sadh. The Vedas – Hindu holy books, don’t know the greatness of such a Hirda that is a Sadh. 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.
The Sadh’s greatness is unlimited. It cannot be measured. There are no limits to 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 of these vital qualities of Hirda that has become a Sadh are the same as that of Akal Purakh. So there remains no difference between the Almighty and the Sadh.
We really can achieve our spiritual goals in the Sangat of a Sadh, a Sant, a Braham Gyani, a Sant SatGuru much easier than by our self. That is what GurBani is telling us through the divine knowledge of Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. We can involve ourselves in the GurParsaadi Game and meet our beloved Paar Braham with GurKirpa. We can transform our Hirda from being a Munnmukh into being a Sadh, a Gurmukh, a Sant and achieve the objective of our life and become a Puran Khalsa.