Satsang by Sant Khem Singh

This Satsang is also available as a PDF pamphlet (German only).

— Unless otherwise cited, all quotes are from Adi Granth —

Dear brothers and sisters,

On the occasion of Maharaj ji’s birth anniversary, I extend my greetings to everyone…heartiest congratulations that you got to know that human manifestation of the supreme power, who came to this world to bestow upon us the experiences of Light (= jyoti) and Sound (= naad)… The Light and Sound are always within us but until we come across a Guru in this world, until we receive initiation from a Guru, we cannot have their experiences. It is because that Light is the primal lord himself, the supreme consciousness, the Guru and the Sound is also a form of that primal lord only. It is indeed a matter of great blessing if someone is initiated by a perfect living master. May you all prosper, my best wishes to you all. On 26th March … we all remembered and missed Him… but the Guru is in every part of us, all the time by our side; the Guru never leaves us.

My Guru is always by my side
I cherish meditating on him over and over again

So, if you remember the Guru in every walk of your life, every single moment…. by remembrance we mean no matter what task you are upto, always have Simran and Sound at the back of your mind… then as your practice intensifies, so does the sound current. And that will fill you with unfathomable joy. We have come to this world in human form …which is a gift that does not come to one easily. Even gods and goddesses yearn for human birth. We are fortunate to have it… but what is the goal of a human life? It is given to us so that we find a Guru and so that we discover the ultimate truth. Unless we find a Guru, we cannot find the primal lord. The role of a Guru is very important in this world. So, if we have found that authority and if we have been initiated by him… then we must value every single second preciously. We should not waste any time in the worldly matters. A lot of time is spent in eating, drinking and hollow pleasures of the world. Only if we remember the almighty being every precious second of our lives, does our life become fulfilling. The time will keep on passing by. We never get back the time we lose. We never go back in time, we only repent later for wasting it. So put efforts towards spending each precious second fruitfully well.

So,

The Guru came as a thunder*
And as the dazzling light of truth
That seed (of Naam) was sown within me
Now I yearn to reap its fruit

(*Thunder here refers to the sound form of the Guru i.e. Shabad)

So, when the Guru bestows upon us the gift of initiation, we get connected to that ‘light’ which is forever glowing within us and the boundless ‘Shabad’, which is an unfathomable melody. This experience of inner realms at initiation strengthens our yearning for spiritual enlightenment. Souls who reach their primal home, do not feel devoid of anything. When we achieve that goal, we feel we have achieved everything. When we soar to higher planes, we are able to distinguish between the soul and the body, our consciousness or chetna merges with the consciousness of the Guru and we rejoice in the bliss of his darshan. So, unless this happens that is, we reach a point where the soul is untied from the shackles of body and drifted to higher realms, we have achieved nothing…. My master Param Sant (Thakar Singh ji) used to say that we should value the time we have in hand… he often said, “no matter how much I ask you to practice and value time, you do not pay heed to my words.” Anyways, now you get onto it! Start devoting time for this work that is meditation. Day and night work towards it… this is the purpose of every human life… a human life is a golden opportunity, don’t let it go waste. We have to make our lives fulfilling. As we practice, our resolve and hope to reach the goal of our lives fortify. Those who reach the ultimate truth, achieve everything in life. We should pay attention to what the Guru says; honour his words with high regards. It is said that only the very fortunate ones are able to pay heed to the words of the Guru… they are indeed fortunate souls who can truly abide by what he says.

Buddha often used to say that it seems we are miles away from the Guru, but in real sense the Guru is not far off; the Guru is closer than anybody else. If we want to achieve anything in this world, we have to work hard towards it. We may have to travel places, we may have to pull up a nice cart to go around. But if we wish to meet the Guru, if we wish to meet the Paramatma (=the supreme lord), then all we have to do is withdraw our attention from matters of the world and contemplate on Him. Guru is always by our side. We must believe that. He is nearer than anything else. Never afar, he is closest to us. Huzur, our Maharaj ji, my Satguru used to say:

The Guru may reside far away in Varanasi
And the disciple across the sea
Remember Him with every blink of your eye
Nurture this habit for he is always close by

(*Varanasi/ Banaras is an old city in north India famous for past mystics and temples on the bank of river Ganges.)

So, a Guru may be residing in Banaras and his disciple could be across seven seas. It does not matter; the Guru is never far off. We do not need to travel miles to meet the Guru. We can meet the Guru every single second, every single moment. Tear away the veil of attachment (=moh maya)!… You may continue with your worldly tasks; nobody is stopping you. You have responsibilities towards your family, your children, your near and dear ones, your job… spiritual pursuits should not hinder them. Fulfil them with a sense of duty and pursue the ultimate truth with strong resolve. In this context, it is often said:

Let your hands and feet do the duties
Let the mind be fixed on the almighty

Use your hands and feet to do your daily chores but keep your attention fixed steadily at the holy feet of the Guru. Only then your spiritual pursuits will bear fruits. We gain the wealth of spiritual knowledge only when we nurture this habit. It is being said that:

The spiritual knowledge
is a treasure beyond measure

When we gain that knowledge, which is above any wealth of the world, which is higher than any heavenly treasure and which is forever sustaining this universe… we then realize how precious it is. One who gains it, gains everything. That person feels devoid of nothing. This das* urges you, as Maharaj (Thakar Singh ji) also used to urge you, to please meditate everyday so that the secret of soul being separate from this body is revealed unto you. It does not matter how many miles away the Guru is, if you are practising, this secret will be revealed; it will definitely unfold. And you will also understand that the Guru has been with you all along.

(*das= disciple; Maharaj Khem Singh ji sometimes refers to himself as das during the satsang when he wants to request us for something. He tries to avoid usage of “I”)

So, this das is requesting all of you, just as Maharaj ji used to say, please believe that the Guru is always by your side. Until our astral eye opens up, we are able to perceive only our physical body and how we appear to be to the outer world. This body will merge into dust one day, it is merely a sandcastle. That is why it is being said:

Oh fool! why do you take delight
in appearance of this sandcastle?
Bow down to the Lord, day and night,
Bow down to the Lord, day and night.
Start searching that almighty bright!

Kabir Sahib

So we mistake this sandcastle, that is this body, to be everything. But one day we will have to vacate it. We should look for that Guru who is sitting inside us… whose throne is inside us. We are trapped in this sandcastle and when we come out of it… who are we? We are souls… so when we, the souls, come out of our sandcastles we become qualified to pursue spiritual enlightenment; we become capable of seeking Paramatma. As such, we don’t really think of ourselves as souls; we believe that we are our physical bodies. We must understand that a body is perishable. It will merge into dust one day. It is a sandcastle which will get erased. It will end up in smoke. So, we have to look for that eternal thing having found which we will be devoid of nothing; having discovered which we would feel we have achieved everything.

Ram Naam is an antidote
which the Satguru has given you.
Says Kabir, please meditate!
And enshrine the lord in your inner core

So Ram Naam, that is the Naam which you have received, is the only cure…. the more we meditate the sooner we would be able to reach the Paramatma.

(Maharaj ji repeats…)

Ram Naam is an antidote
which the Satguru has given you.

Guru will only show us the way, but we have to tread the path ourselves. In this path, it is doing the work that matters. It is not a subject of logical debates and reasoning. If keep thinking that okay today I will sit for meditation, or tomorrow I’ll give it more time- if our thoughts juggle between today and tomorrow, we cannot do this work meaningfully. The quicker we are at devoting time to meditation, and the longer we sit through it, the more we reap its fruits. If we keep oscillating between today and tomorrow, we will only end up wasting time. So, we should fix a time table for our meditation as well as other tasks that we have to do…. then meditation will become a part of our routine. We will automatically sit for it at its schedule. And then we can work towards achieving our goal. If we follow this, we will not be deceived.

There is no deception where
His praises are sung

If we do Parmatma’s bhajan with devotion, if we do the Simran of his name, if we offer supplication to the Guru… then we will definitely be successful.

So Huzur used to say that:

Ram is calling me back,
Kabir is tearful
The peace one gets through Satsangs
One cannot get that even in Vaikuntha*

(*Baikuntha or Vaikuntha = a spiritual realm where God resides; name of abode of Vishnu in Hindu scriptures)

The bliss one gets by attending a Satsang is unsurpassable. The priceless words of the Guru… that is what the reference is to.

As within, so without
this is what the Guru has taught.
Says Nanak, unless thee know thyself
The veil of illusions cannot be lifted.

Until we discover who we really are, the illusions cannot be removed. Without knowledge, we remain unaware of what lies within and how deceptive the outer world is.

As within, so without
this is what the Guru has taught.

(Above verses Kabir seemingly wrote when he knew his time is nearing its end and he will have to leave his body; he meant to say that he is going to miss Satsangs, because the peace he gets through them, he won’t experience that even in God’s home.)

So the master whom you can see outside is personification of the one you will find inside; they are same. Go within, he is waiting.

Kabir sahib said:

Ram is calling me back,
Kabir is tearful

So when lord Ram asked Kabir to come back when he was nearing his end, Kabir Sahib started crying that the joy he got in the company of sangat (i.e. truth seekers) he would not get that in His home so he requested the lord to extend his stay. So, we must understand the greatness of a Satsang. The Satsang, in which we get to sit near the Guru’s feet, and listen to his precious words, which are worthier than millions and millions of dollars, which we honour with high regards- that is one kind of Satsang we attend. There is another kind- the one which is eternally going on, which never gets over, which can be attended all 24 hours… there is not a single second, not a single moment that it is not there. But we are unaware of this Satsang. We are ignorant. Until we get connected to the Naam… that Naam which is far ahead right now… until we get there and do the work we are asked to, until we walk the path of the Guru, the Perfect Living Master and until we reach the goal of our path, we remain ignorant.

So, as you practice and reach there, you will feel blessed to have achieved it (=Naam).

Having received the jewel of Naam,
all other longings I lay aside.
As I reached my home in sat lok
the noose of Kal got untied.

So we escape the trap of Kal when we reach our destination. We would gleam with joy that we have received the jewel of Naam. But where do find that jewel of Naam?

Kal governs the three planes
In the fourth realm Naam Dayal reigns

So, it is when we reach the fourth plane that we get connected to the Naam.

Through Naam, the Mind is gratified
Without Naam we are wasting life

Ramdas ji

As such, we are just whiling away our time and wasting our lives. But if we are able to connect with Naam, then the contentment we experience defies description.

Through Naam, the Mind is gratified
Without Naam we are wasting life

So it makes our life meaningful. We should look for that jewel of Naam. Right now it seems afar, but don’t consider it to be so. Every time we meditate, we get closer to it.

That is why Guru sahib has said:

Close your eyes, ears and mouth
Chant the Name of Niranjan
As the outer doors close
the inner gateway shall open

So, everyone is immersed in outer perceptions through the nine doors of the body, but the inner eye opens up only when we close these physical eyes and ears. We have to seal the nine doors and withdraw our attention from the outer world… if we stay steadfast on this practice, we will definitely be successful.

Kabir Sahib used to say:

Close your eyes, ears and mouth
Chant the Name of Niranjan

Until we are able to hear that audible stream i.e. Naam, until our consciousness connects with it, our inner eye does not open up. The eye opens when that melody starts playing… that experience makes life blissful.

So, that is why we should yearn for that Naam which we cannot hear right now. We have to earn it, we have to work towards it. As we will meditate, that eye will definitely open up one day and so will our inner ears. With that, our course of Simran and contemplation gets completed, that sound current starts playing and pulls us up regarding which Kabir Sahib has said:

Without Shabad, the Surat is blind
Tell me, where should it go?

Without Shabad, the whole world is blind (with ignorance). We enter this world as ignorant beings and remain ignorant even as we leave. We remain blind until that eye opens up. We cannot see reality without it. What we are able to perceive right now is an illusion, a trickery. We would be successful only when we will open our inner eye.

So,

Without Shabad, the Surat is blind…

Without Shabad, nobody can behold the truth; we are blind when we enter this world and remain so as we leave. However, the one who comes across a Guru, a perfect living master… who gives us a glimpse into the inner realms at initiation itself, can fare through. After that everything depends on how we practice and earn this wealth. If we pursue it ardently, we will indeed fill our coffers. No kind of agony will affect us. We will be able to reach our ultimate repose.

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So, Kabir Sahib has said:

You move the beads of rosary in your hands
As you chant, you move your tongue in your mouth
But your mind moves out in ten different directions at once
This is not called Simran!

You have been reciting rosary for ages
But have not been able to control the mind
Leave these beads aside
Get hold of the beads of mind

So, until we are steadfast in meditation, until we get connected to that sound current, we remain ignorant. Just as a child remains uneducated unless he is coached by a teacher, similarly we remain ignorant unless we are guided by an experienced master. One can hardly know anything without a qualified guide. The Guru takes us under his wings from the first day itself…whether we are able to view the inner light or not, the Guru always takes care of us. But if the disciple meditates with devotion, then his efforts do pay off. Without efforts we cannot fill our cup and we remain ignorant. Therefore, it is being said:

Until the door to Shabad opens
One just wanders here and there

That is, until we get to the stage of sound current, we are simply wandering; we remain dismal. We remain entangled in the maze of creation, the cycle of death and birth, for eons and eons. We don’t know when we will get this opportunity again. But since we have this blessing with us right now, we must practise to reach Shabad, else we stray.

Until the door to Shabad opens
One just wanders here and there

We keep reciting rosaries, instead of pining for Shabad… we move the beads of rosaries, chant spells and wear charms. But to reach the Sound Current we don’t need to chant anything (verbally). There is an eternal chanting going on inside us, which is a blessing by the master, the Guru- we have to catch that sound. This chant cannot be worded. We have to catch this unspoken chant. The words, which we recite verbally through our tongues, do not constitute the real chanting. We have to catch that audible stream, because only that Shabad can pull us up and make us successful in our pursuit. So we have to reach upto that ambrosial Shabad. It is being said that:

None fares through without catching the Shabad
Practising rules, rituals, charity and ethics
with ego dwelling in our hearts
Says Nanak, thesw won’t yield anything
It is same as an elephant bathing in a muddy water

So, None fares through without catching the Shabad…
We have to get absorbed in this ambrosial Shabad and meditate on it to cross this ocean of existence (= bhavsagar). Nobody can cross this vast ocean by themselves. It is said that:

The ocean of existence is too vast
The sailors lay aghast
Get onto that ark of Naam
Its captain (=the Guru) will fare you through
The near and dear ones whom you met on this earth
Will not come with you
As you shed the body
The day of judgement you have to face
Be alert and watchout!
Only the perfect living master can shower a grace

So, it is important that we pay attention to our task of meditation timely and catch the ambrosial Shabad …. because only Shabad pulls us up from this body, which is like a grave. The Guru is Shabad personified. We have to catch this current. The ambrosial Shabad beguiles us; it has a strong pull; it gives us an indescribable bliss. No honey, no nectar can match its sweetness. No taste can delight us as much. Nobody can describe its appeal.

It is endless, boundless, limitless.

The soul takes so much delight in that melody, it rejoices and meditates on it to reach its primal home; it becomes capable of doing that. Catch the Shabad! Therefore it has been said that
“none fares through without catching the Shabad…”

Having received the jewel of Naam
All other longings I lay aside

So, as we practice we do receive that jewel of Naam.

Kal governs the three planes
In the fourth realm Naam Dayal reigns

As we soar to the fourth plane… when we reach there, we get connected to the Naam, we gain the jewel of Naam. We find the Guru sitting there waiting for us; at this point our Guru bhakti (i.e. devotion) finds fulfilment. When we reach that stage, we get attached to Naam. Then we become qualified to fulfil our work.

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So it has been said that:

Naam is the essence of everything
Without Satguru this Naam would not flow

Whatever creation has happened, the planets, the sky, the universe, the cosmos- everything is an expression of Naam. Naam has created everything. Naam is that power, that authority from which everything originated. When we get attached to the Naam, the noose of Kal breaks loose. We then become free. Then nothing remains unachieved. The life becomes blissful. We always have his (Kal’s) noose around us, he can pull it tight for anyone whenever he wants. He grinds everyone as he likes. He is always grinding and crushing the souls of the world. His creation is a great deception. He traps everyone, spares none. Every day he lets 125 thousand souls take birth while he churns and feeds on 100 thousand other souls. This whole world is his creation. He leaves no one. Only those who get attached to Naam can escape Kal’s web. Naam is the essence of everything. Naam is the essence of every life…. until we connect with that Naam, we cannot be successful The secret of Naam unfolds to us only after we get attached to it. Only then we are truly able to understand how everything is a manifestation of Naam only.

So,

This rare form that you have got
after experiencing millions of lives
don’t let it go waste
Be Alert! Remember God every second that passes by

So, the prefect living masters always advise us to chant the name of God with every single breadth!

Think of Him every single moment….

The more we nurture this habit, the closer we get to the Naam. Those who catch that sound, will eventually be pulled up to its originator, the Naami too.

And then we start pining for our final destination. The one who is able to catch Naam, understands that my true home is elsewhere and yearns to complete the journey. The soul then endeavours to go higher. But some of us ascend at a snail’s pace, some at a horse’s pace, some soar swiftly like a bird; some are as fast as the speed of *Sudarshan chakra (of lord Krishna)- that is the fastest speed; some souls do ascend that rapidly. So, some are slow, some are swift. We have to catch speed to reach our home. Our destination is not close, we are quite far away from it. So, we should work towards connecting with that tool (i.e. Naam) which will fare us through. We are getting there, but at a very slow pace. So, speed up!

(*Sudarshan chakra = a spinning disc which is used as a weapon by lord Krishna)

So,

Without the Guru, the Giver, none finds the
Truth though one may make millions of attempts

One may try various methods, people anyways try variety of things, to connect with the almighty, but none yields the truth. Only by Guru’s grace does one gain anything.

Without the Guru, the Giver, none finds the Truth

Without the Guru, all efforts are futile. When we seal the nine doors and ascend higher, we realize that it is the grace of Guru that has brought us here. And only with His grace can we ascend further, because there are many hurdles on the way- gifts of great powers, granting of wishes, treasures etc which can entice one to stray. Once a soul…which may not have adequate faith in the Guru, goes astray, its descent begins. Therefore, they say:

Have firm faith, steady belief,
and unwavering conviction
The Guru’s feet are like pious swaanti* raindrops
While Tulsidas is a rainbird

(*Swaanti : There is a mythological belief that the rainbird never alights to earth to drink from rivers and ponds. Instead, it flies around with its beak open to the heavens, constantly crying for the pure raindrops, called swaanti, to quench its thirst. These swaanti raindrops are very precious and they turn into pearls if they strike pearl shells. In above verses the Guru’s feet are compared with pure swaanti drops and a devotee is compared to a rainbird.)

So, we should have a staunch faith in the Guru. If our faith is strong then nothing can weaken our resolve or hinder our path.

Guru is the moon; and devotee a moonbird who keeps admiring Him all the time
Chant Guru, Guru, Guru, oh my heart
I have none other than the Guru
I lean upon the Guru, day and night
No one can take away his grace

The Guru treats us with such bounties that never get over, but we are not receptive to his grace. If we receive his grace, all our endeavours will be successful. We can fail at nothing when we have that. Life becomes fruitful. So, we should remember the Guru every second, every moment of our lives because without the Guru we cannot achieve anything. Even in this world, if you wish to gain any knowledge, you have to first find a Guru who can educate you for that. If you keep a steadfast faith on the Guru, an unwavering trust, then all your goals will be accomplished. The Guru will become your constant companion. You will feel devoid of nothing. Nobody can hinder your path, because the Guru is always by your side. Only the Guru can take us out of the web of Kal, the fear of Kal; and He only takes us beyond the boundaries of Kal’s creation. That is why have a steady belief in the Guru, complete faith; be convinced about His grace. And you are very lucky that you have found the Guru. It is very rare that a soul finds a Guru in this world; there are barely 2 to 3 % such souls who have found the Guru, the supreme lord, the supreme consciousness. Everyone in the world is busy managing conflicts in their lives, all are under some sort of suffering, bearing agonies, catching maladies and grieving about different miseries.

It is so true when it is being said that:

The one who forgets God,
gets trapped in negativity.
As one gives up uttering Ram,
the miseries of transmigration take over.

Such is the maze of this creation. We can escape it only by the grace of the Guru. We start getting rid of all sorts of maladies, agonies, woes and sufferings. Then that divine melody (=the Gurbani) starts flowing, that audible stream, which gives us incessant bliss. The soul rejoices in it. A beautiful orchestra plays, bells resound …and the soul is exalted as it reaches its destination. The welcoming strains of that melody give us immense joy. It cannot be expressed in words. So ideally, this is what the life should lead us to. Unfortunately, we don’t pursue these things. However, everyone in the world needs a fruitful life like that. If one is not blessed with a life like that, then that soul continues to wander, for God knows how long. It will have to burn in hells, rot through lives. Right now, we are lured by the ideas of robbing wealth, ridiculing others, gathering resources from here and there… but none of these things are of any use…. we only earn sins and virtues. Always stay unattached! Don’t entangle yourself in sins and virtues, don’t be greedy about gathering resources. There is a saying about fishes:

I laugh whenever I behold a thirsty fish in any pond

Kabir Sahib

When a fish is taken out of water, it withers in agony. It cannot survive without water. Similarly, the Naam sustains every life, the Guru is the essence of our life, without the Guru we can have nothing. If there is ever a true bond then that is between a Guru and a disciple. Every other bond is sustained by transactions. They are all about give and take, stealing, lying and conflicts. That’s how this world is. That is why we should have firm faith on Him, be receptive to Him, practice with the aim of establishing contact with that sound and then one day we will indeed reach our primal home.

So, we know how dear a child is to his parents…. just as a mother cleanses her child who has dirtied himself in mud and filth while playing, similarly the Guru cleanses us too. After this cleansing only we become capable of meeting the lord. He really takes care of us. That is why Kabir Sahib has said:

The Guru is like a washerman and the disciple is like a fabric
Whom He scrubs
Over the rock of Naam (or Surat)
And makes him bright and clean

Kabir Sahib

So the Guru cleanses us of our imperfections and how well he does that is indescribable.

He washes the soul over the rock of Surat
And makes one bright and clean

So as the Guru scrubs and polishes us, the veils of ignorance start lifting up… By the Guru’s grace the soul starts returning to its pristine form. All flaws and imperfections are removed, and we become eligible to meet the supreme lord. After that there is no transmigration. One escapes the cycle of death and birth.

Sufferings, pleasures, fears, maladies
All cease as we chant the name of supreme lord

… so it gives one eternal joy, eternal bliss.

So many souls take birth and die. Visits and exits are continuously going on. But only a fortunate one reaches the true home.

Dadu, stop being proud (of any claims)!
Live your life sans ego
So many transactions are being made
in this grocery called the World

Many people like to blow their trumpets- I am this, I am that. They waste their time in making great claims. Their time gets over with no accomplishments in life. That is how many of us exit this world. They achieve nothing in life. Then they have to undergo transmigration and burn through hells. They will have to wander through different life forms. But the ones who spend their time in earning spiritual wealth, they alone are successful. That is why we should meditate as much as we can, during the day, through the night. We have to be determined. The worldly matters will go on. The people may wonder how will they get time to eat, how will they take out time for this and that… but all these things are mere deception. Always remember, that no one can take away what the supreme lord has wished for you to have. You will certainly have that. You will have to take all that bounty. It can never be taken away. So, it is okay if you have worldly duties and chores to take care of, keep working on them. But please stay steadfast on your main work, that is meditation, because time waits for none. We all pass through three main stages in life- first is the childhood phase (=balyavastha) in one is emotionally sensitive, then comes the middle age (=madhyamavastha) in which one is greedy to gather things and finally the old age (=jara awastha) which is full of pain and agony and ends in death. In old age, we may not be able devote adequate time for spiritual pursuits to connect with the Naam of Paramatma. Our bodies will be in declining phase. The woes of old age may render it difficult for us to focus on chanting Naam. If we devote ourselves to it when we are younger, we will be successful sooner. Some of us may stray but even getting back is easier in younger age. As we devote time to it, we will eventually get connected to that indescribable ambrosial sound. It gives us so much bliss, the nectar tastes so sweet that we cannot express it in words. We would be devoid of nothing. We will accomplish all this only if we are steadfast.

The best form of worship
lies in service to the Guru
When we enshrine Him in our hearts
All sufferings cease
Worship Ram, the one divine Lord
The true cleansing lies in service to the Guru

So, the service which is offered to the Guru becomes a remedy against all sufferings; it is the highest form of devotion.

The best for of worship is in service to the Guru…

But what do we mean by a service to the Guru? Maharaj ji used to say they are of different types- manual service which is by body and brain, next is monetary service i.e. offering honest earnings and thirdly, the service that comes from mind…which is by keeping it involved in bhajan. When we sit for bhajan- we offer the highest form of service or seva. This is how we truly serve the Guru. One who is devoted to this service, accomplishes his goal, achieves what he solicits. The real success is possible only through this seva. Then all our efforts bear fruits. Without bhajan, without simran, there is no success, yet we dilly dally…. That is why Maharaj ji often used to say one thing… you might have heard that from Maharaj ji, our Satguru in satsangs: “I am tired of requesting you to please devote time (for meditation) but you do not listen to me, you do not pay heed, you are going about it at your ease. This will not yield results. This saddens me.” Maharaj ji used to be upset about this. We should take refuge in the Guru’s feet and offer the highest regards to his precious words. Only then our life would be successful. Only then we would achieve our goal. We all know how parents wish the best for their children and give them wise advices about what they should do, how should they perform, how can they progress etc… a child who follows the parental advice does not lurch. Similarly, a disciple who abides by the instructions of the Guru, a devotee who follows His words, does not stumble, his efforts bear fruits. Therefore, have a firm belief in what the Guru says, trust Him strongly. He alone can take you across the ocean of existence (=the bhavsagar) else we continue to wander.