Divine Light

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Divine Light is a treasure trove of rare luminosity on pure spirituality and is a fifth in the series of literature devoted to the teachings of the Saints by the author.

The first part of the book delineates the Path-the Ancient Wisdom that has come to mankind ever since the world was made and which remains its sole hope of release and salvation. It is this Path that all messengers of God come to reveal or uncover in all ages, climes and countries. It is natural and inherent in man. It was not designed by any human being. It is the design of the Creator and none can alter, amend or add to it. It is as ancient as man. The Creator, when He created man, designed this Path in him. It is man's exclusive patrimony and heritage. This pearl of great wisdom-the Divine Melody, the Voice of God, the Audible Life Stream, the Holy Ghost, the Word, the Logos, the Nam, the Kun, the Sarosha, the Music of the Spheres-lies hidden in the human body and reverberates at the third eye focus. It is to this point that the body consciousness has to be retraced, retained and put in the orbit of the ever-resounding Immanent Power through the help of a knowing Master. Then alone shall darkness give way to Light, ignorance to Knowledge and transience to Immortality.

Three principles epitomize the philosophy behind the timeless Path: (i) Word or Sound Current, with- out which there can be no escape from this vale of tragedy and tears, nor release from the cycle of birth and rebirth, (ii) Master, without whom the secret of the Word cannot be obtained and (iii) Divine Grace, without which the Master cannot be contacted. Such in essence is the Path of the Masters.

Only when we manifest the Lord within ourselves, can we see Him everywhere, in every leaf, in every grain, in every particle of sand, and realize that nothing can happen without Him. The entire creation and its motivation are His dispensation. He is the Doer behind all scenes. He is the player behind all games. He is the one who pulls the strings of the puppets be- hind all puppet shows.

The second part of the book contains excerpts from letters written by Maharaj Ji in reply to foreign disciples and to seekers, encompassing all aspects of the journey within. The Master has expounded therein the highest spiritual truths in a simple, lucid and touching manner. They vividly bring out the spiritual ingredients necessary to reach the Abode of God: stead- fast devotion, pure sparkling love, rock-like faith and solid tenacity to persevere on the Path. Every thought is conveyed completely, clearly and powerfully, and every word seems to be spiritualized, as it were, so that the reader cannot but become conscious of the tremendous edifying impact, the electrifying awareness and the exquisite magnetism of the Master. From the heart these thoughts spring and to the heart they doubtless penetrate.

Miss Louise Hilger and Mrs. Kathrine Wason of the U.S.A. typed the manuscript, and the former also compiled, indexed and supervised the book through the press along with Professor Bhatnagar. We are greatly beholden to them for their labour of love in the ser- vice of the Master.

The teachings of the Saints and their great exponent in modern times, Maharaj Charan Singh' of the Radha Soami Satsang Beas, have become so widely known throughout the world that they need no introduction from anyone. Maharaj Ji's first three books, Light on Sant Mat, Spiritual Discourses and The Master Answers, have become classics on Sant Mat philosophy. His present work, Divine Light, consists of excerpts from letters written by him in answer to those received from satsangis and seekers abroad. In my opinion, the epistolary form, supplemented by a concise statement on the teachings of Sant Mat, serves as a better vehicle for explaining the truths of the Saints' philosophy than a reflective essay or a philosophical disquisition. It has a most revealing section detailing "the Path" that all those desirous of God- realization must tread and which path Saints in all ages, in all climes, have brought to mankind.

Maharaj Ji's way of writing is unique and beautiful. Like the able lawyer that he was, he supports every statement of his by 'authoritative quotations'<-thou- sands of which he knows by heart-from past Saints and sages. He quotes not only the Indian Saints, but also the mystics of Persia and other oriental countries. By the use of simple and easy language, intricate and subtle metaphysical points have been brought within the comprehension of the novice and the person of the meanest intellect who would other- wise be baffled by them. Only a Perfect Guide, who is thoroughly familiar with the dark labyrinthine passage which a Sadhak-a traveller on the Internal Spiritual Path-has to tread and a Seasoned Captain who has braved stormy seas and knows the breakers ahead, can help a traveller on this hazardous path.

The path of God-realization is not manmade. It is the design of the Creator Himself, and is as ancient as man. Reference has been made to it in their religious books by the leaders of all great religions. But their followers, who came after them, have obscured the fundamental truths by superimposing on them rituals and ceremonies. Saints are sons of God sent by Him to all countries and climes and in all ages to show suffering humanity the path of release and salvation. The world has never been without such sons of God. It is not their intention to establish any new cult, creed or religion or to propagate their teachings by setting up a church. They do not care about these matters, nor worry about any rituals or ceremonies. In the simple language of the people they tell them that this world which was once the Garden of Eden has, by man's alienation from the Eternal, been turned into a place full of strife and conflict. It is man's assertion of his separate and, therefore, fractional consciousness against the Cosmic Consciousness of the Eternal that has brought misery and grief to this world. None is happy here. Peace and bliss one finds only by giving up self-assertion and in turning to God who is nowhere outside but is within the human body, which all the Saints have called the "temple of the Living God." The human body is the laboratory within which research is to be made for self-realization which will lead up to the realization of God. The kingdom of heaven is within us and God should be sought for there.

For this purpose we need a Guide. Without the help and assistance of an experienced captain, intimately acquainted with the sea and its perils, we cannot sail the uncharted ocean of spirituality. It is the will of God that such guides should always be present in the world. They tell us that in order to attain salvation it is not necessary to renounce the world or to change one's religion. They tell us to live in the society and the religion in which we are born and to do our duty by our family and children, but at the same time to exert ourselves to obtain release from the woe and misery and pain and suffering that prevail in this world. It needs no great argument to convince one that for learning the Science of Spirituality one needs a teacher as much as for learning any other branch of knowledge. And just as a school teacher who died long ago cannot impart any knowledge to us, just so past Masters, however great they may have been in their times, can be of no help to us now on the spiritual path. We want a perfect living Master who can take us to the eternal and immutable, the highest region beyond Dissolution and Grand Dissolution, from where there is no return-because there the illusion of time and space vanishes.

The method taught by the true Masters of all ages and countries for souls to get back to the Mansion of the Lord has always been the same and will always remain the same. It is called Surat Shabd Yoga and Anhad Shabd Marg in the writings of all Indian Saints. Muslim Saints have called it Sultan-ul- Azkar. In the Bible it is referred to as Word or Logos. This system or Yoga consists of the Master attaching the soul of his disciples to the Audible Life Stream-the Sweet Celestial Melody-that reverberates within the human body behind the eye centre. This Music of the Spheres issues forth from the House of the Lord, and by catching hold of it the disciple reaches the place from where it emanates. Blessed are those who in this dark age of materialism are able to attach their soul to the Sound Current through the grace of a Master.

May I end on a personal note? It was in the summer of 1964 that I read Daryai Lal's book, which was to me a revelation. It opened to me the door to Sant Mat-and I could hear the loving call of the present Master. It was a matter of a few weeks there- after that I came in personal contact with him-and there was no question of hesitation. Yet the Master administered a friendly caution, knowing that I had spent some years in other disciplines and had questioned the very need of a Guru, guide or Master. He gradually made a gift of Spiritual Gems to me and asked me to make a study of the deep lore it contains before I took a final decision. But I was quite impatient. After the December Bhandara, I sought initiation and the Master was pleased to accede to my request. And in a short time there came upon me a transformation, an inner tranquility and an unshakable faith which years of prayer and meditations had failed to achieve. I cannot describe the revolution in my inward life better than by quoting a Japanese poet:

Such has been the effect of the teaching. Such has been the miracle wrought by the Master's grace. But to progress along the Path one has to apply oneself with determination and carryon, while still performing one's worldly duties, one's allotted task of practising with single-minded devotion and deep concentration, Dhyan and Bhajan. This is the real Sewa of the Master, and this is really all that he expects from the disciples-if I may use that much misused word! While on the Path, each of us comes face to face with a variety of problems. Doubts assail us time and again. Human weaknesses try to drag us down often enough and make us feel, sadly, that we are not meant for so noble a Path, that we are unequal to the disciplines demanded of us. At such moments the Master's latest book will be of immense help.