The Yoga of the Perfect Masters: Part II: The Yoga of Light and Sound; Part III: The Grace of the Masters

By R.K. Rajput

The book is a historical glance at the varied yogic traditions that have evolved over the millennia, juxtaposed with surat shabd yoga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Apr 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9781483463810

Book preview

INDEX

Chapter I Yoga of Light and Sound (Surat Shabad Yoga)

Chapter II Master’s Words

Chapter III Melody of Shabad

Chapter IV Role of Guru in Shabad

Chapter V Vibration of Shabad

Chapter VI Surat Shabad Yoga and Dhyan Yoga

Chapter VII God Lives Outside and Inside Us and Still Is Only One

Chapter VIII Faith and Love In Shabad

Chapter IX Bliss of Shabad

Chapter X Salvation Through Shabad Power

Chapter XI Power of Prayer in Shabad

Chapter XII Universe in Shabad

Chapter XIII Inspiring Answers from the Master

Chapter XIV Acquiring Peace and Zeal in Shabad

Chapter XV True Service of Shabad Guru

Chapter XVI Praise of Guru

INTRODUCTION

I n this modern age no one has the time to go through the holy books written by the past Masters as well as the current Perfect Living Masters. Day by day people’s lives are somewhere in the family, in business or in the social field and with each passing day life becomes busier and busier. So, I decided to pick up some words of the holiest saints and write them in a book, giving the introduction to the need for a Perfect Living Master. The spiritual Masters of the past also wrote about the need of the spiritual teacher. Even Lord Rama and Lord Krishna set an example of having a Perfect Master to achieve the spiritual science. Being the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, they set the example to human beings of this age that there is no salvation without the spiritual Master. In short I have spent much time in searching the books of the saints and their writings and I only used writings expressing the love for the Guru and how he teaches the easy way to achieve salvation. In this way I myself have learned a lot and hope every reader should develop love for the true Guru in order to become a true disciple and make his Guru happy.

CHAPTER I

YOGA OF LIGHT AND SOUND (SURAT SHABAD YOGA)

F loating in the ocean of light are the seekers to the realms beyond this physical realm. Sound is the light of the lights. Creator, creation and creatures are nothing but sound. All that is, that will be and that was, is nothing but sound. (Radha-Soami)

What is the Sound or Word?

Word is life, light and love. Life descends and ascends in vibratory form and the sound current which produces music is inborn. This sound gives happiness to the heart of the listener. It is bliss and love. Light is the middle aspect of both. It is everything, the all in all.

One can know the sound with the help of the Perfect Master who is always in touch with the sound. They are blessed who are in tune with their Master within. From below to above, there is nothing but sound. The perfect disciple knows the process of controlling the mind with the power of the sound within. There is no need to describe this sound when the true devotee with his true love and devotion for his Master listens to the sound every moment. Sound uplifts the soul and produces light to raise it high into the inner regions. He travels through all of these regions with the union of sound and light. He enjoys the glimpse of his Master side by side. This yoga system of sound and light takes him to the realm of Satpurush where he finds himself floating in the ocean of light.

For this blissful inner life it is necessary to find the Perfect Guru, teacher or Master and achieve initiation from him to know the path of spiritual practice of sound and light in meditation. The Master will guide him during the initiation.

The Master gives the instructions of meditating on only one point which is located in the center of the two eyebrows. It is called bliss sheath or the 3rd eye center which continues to Satlok, the realm of supreme power and truth and beyond. This is the top most part of the crown of the head from where the universal sound is coming all the time in everyone. Here the Naam form of the Master appears. Beyond this there is no place. There is neither unity nor trinity. It is inexplicable in words.

This yoga is neither mystic nor impracticable. According to the Masters of Sant-Mat this method is easy for attaining permanent bliss in life. This yoga is only realized in the self. It can never be defined in concrete terms.

The disciple needs three things to succeed:

1. Follow the directions of his Master.

2. True love and devotion for his Master.

3. True Faith and the company of his Master by serving him through obeying his directions in everyday life.

Also:

1. Simran or reciting the words of his Master.

2. Dhyan, mental meditation that lights the path within. This is where the disciple contemplates the form of his Master, inside, in meditation.

3. Mental- hearing of the holy sound which directs the devotee to the holy adobe within.

Light is the result of meditation which makes the mind so blissful that the mind forces the man to sit in meditation all the time and the world becomes unreal for him. Then there is the Heavenly sound whose melody is neither vowels nor consonants nor uttered by the mouth of mortals. The devotee can listen only with the grace of his Master. One who surrenders himself completely to his Master can have true bliss. An efficient Master can pave the path as smoothly as possible.

Dissolution is the reverse of creation, as death is the reverse of life. In the Sarbachan, the holy book of Radha Soami, Soami Shiv Dyal Maharaj Ji explains this fact, The body is made of Earth. So, when the time of dissolution comes, it’s vitality, being withdrawn in loads gets concentrated in the ganglion of the rectum, for that is the proper region of mud and Earth. All below it is cold and rendered lifeless and there is no spark of vitality left therein.

Earth is the outcome of water or rather it is water that gives birth to Earth just as the water of the sea produces foam and Earth is nothing but the foam condensed.

Again as water is produced from fire, fire being the original source of water, it is turned upward getting sucked up and dried by fire. Now the ganglion of the navel, the seat of fire is hot, while below, it is icy.

Now Fire has the motion of the wind. So, its current is drawn up and submerged in the gland of the heart. The heart is beating but below, all is lifeless. Thus, fire got assimilated in the wind or air.

Now it is out of ether (akash) that the air had its existence. The current of air itself turned upwards and became one with ether or akash. The ganglion of the throat is acting while all below is life less.

Then the life-current is withdrawn upward to the primary-ganglion, the region of Para-Brahm and thus the effects have withdrawn themselves into the cause. There is no dissolution in the fourth stage (Satlok.)

Man is awake, then he dreams and he sleeps. It is nothing. They are the gross, the subtle and the causal planes in his body. He is awake in gross form, he dreams in subtle form and he gets absorbed in the causal. In the causal he has his ego divided in three, sat, raj and tam which are the principles of existence, passion and darkness. The Master explains and divides the human’s body into two parts: above the eye-brows is real while below it is unreal.

Now the sound lives in the human body above and below the eyebrows. Whatever we speak, learn and sing verbally and whatever we write or read, this is below the eyebrows and the power is in the Earth. The above sound is universal and real and can’t be listened to with physical ears.

In ancient times yogis used only the method of Pranayam to listen to the sound, but these days this method will not lead to success. Radha Soami appeared in this age in the form of a saint. He pointed out the mistakes of the ancient yogis. He said, "This is the age of reason. So it is a good chance to look for the truth inside the zone inter-locking the spiritual and material zones, matter and spirit. The three principles:

1. Mental repetition of holy words.

2. Mental meditation of holy words.

3. Mental hearing of holy words.

The holy sound will lead the man from below to above and help in the attainment of the fourth stage. It is bliss-giving. It is natural.

Breathing is not about the air. There is a principal of energy or force which is the secret of the physical, mental and causal universes. This force is called Pran, (up and down energy) from the throat to the navel and the navel back to the throat all during the life of the human body. This reservoir of pran is the source of energy of all physical life on Earth. It is both inner and outer. It is visible and invisible energy in the outer world. Solar energy vibrates in all the objects of the Earth, so it is like the inner Sun in the human head supplying the energy from head to foot and from foot to head to the inner senses of the physical body on the Earth. The inner Sun and outer Sun associate with each other doing similar work. The vibration results in radiation and all other movements in nature, giving life to all physical living beings and all kinds of plants.

1. Pran: Has its seat in the heart. It controls the process of breathing.

2. Apan: Has its seat in the anus. It goes downwards and governs the elimination functions of the body.

3. Vyan: It is everywhere in the body. Its work is to make all the parts of body combine into one whole system or one unit. It regulates and controls the system of the whole.

4. Udan: Its seat is in the throat. It ascends upward. Breathing and inhaling.

5. Saman: Its place is in the navel. It works with the digestive system. It gives and controls the physical heat in the navel. So this method is called pranayam when a yogi does his meditation reciting the name of God and merges the word within the breathing up and down with force and is called Hath Yoga. But this Hatha Yoga and pranayam does not work in this age without proper training. It is risky for human health. So the Master does not allow adopting this method to achieve the goal of life. Everything should be done in as natural a way as possible according to the Radha Soami method. Let all the vital forces do their work as assigned to them by nature. It is attention only that is needed for the practice of meditation. Detachment from the outer world goes along with attachment to the inner world which is more beautiful, peaceful and blissful than that of the outer world. If you properly concentrate the mind, pran does not interfere in meditation. Pran neither lengthens nor does it shorten. Pran is a separate, independent principal relating to vitality in matter and not to consciousness. It rises upwards. It goes downwards. It digests food and drink only. It is present everywhere in the body. It is an independent force. Let it work independently as nature works for nature itself.

Pran and it’s up and down motion helps during the stage where the sound is in the middle condition, where the sound is conjoined. When this stage is reached, proceed further and the pranayam will help the uplift a little more. But internal sound is internal and external sound is external. As the Perfect Master tells, with inward attention there is a stage of soundless sound but the realm of sound is still within every being. The region where the natural tune of sound is independently in full play is called ‘Para Sound’ which is heard without the auditory organ. The process is natural. Spiritual elevation takes place in its real sense. This is the key to open the golden gate of immortality and thus get rid of the cycle of births and deaths and all the pains and pleasures of this temporary world.

Detachment from the external sounds and attachment to the internal sound grows and we ascend higher into the soundless-sound-region and become in tune with the divine tune that it is. It is the place of rest in Heaven which knows neither name nor form. It is the subject of self-realization. It is where egoism, differentiation, intellectualism, mentality and mind-stuff all cease to exist.

At this stage the devotee is fully intoxicated with the love of his Master. All of the senses inside and outside work in a union of true love and intoxication for the Master. So the human life is only to attain this goal. The human goal is to reach the realm of God from where he came on this Earth after facing the cycle of births and deaths. Human birth is the last birth from the cycle. So he should always remember the name of his father, the true father of man. The Master of every age reminded man of his father and his real destination. So the Masters of this age are lovingly explaining the method of doing meditation and reciting the name of God within. The recitation of the names during his daily life is powerful and gives peace of mind. It is the best way of developing in meditation.

The following are quotes of the Masters of recent times:

Indian Saint Amrit Rai: The tongue that does not utter the name of God is useless. Why does that tongue exist which does not utter the name of God?

The Koran says: He created man by means of a sound, which resembles the sound of an Earthen jar or pot.

Greek Saint Zoroaster: Worship of the word is the highest worship of the Lord. The followers of Zoroaster are called Zoroastrians.

Shamas Tabriz: The entire world is filled with sound. You only open your inner ears to hear it. To open these ears you must close your ears to the worldly noises. Then you will hear the unceasing sound which has neither beginning nor end.

The book Gatha (meaning hymn) believes in the word; Salavation is the source from where man and God are one. The saints of Persia also believed in the power of word. The Gatha and other books of Zoroaster explain the word (sound) as the power that carries the soul back to the supreme soul and repeated prayers are made in the Gathas that the word may be revealed to the worshipper. Sraosh is the Zoroastrian equivalent for word. Its help is invoked in difficulties and especially at the time of death and for three consecutive days and nights thereafter. Perfect Living Masters give the five words of the positive power, the power that takes us upward.

Sraosh comes from Sanskrit language. Shru means to hear. Zoroaster explains this word in prayer.

Rabbi Eliezer: Oh Mazala, may Sraosh go together with Vahu and Mano to the person whom thou loveth. Do not give the holy word to a heretic or a fool as it is like giving a tongue to a wolf.

Kabirji Says: One who speaks about devotion to the word is a granddaughter of mine, but one who puts it in deed and practices devotion is my son.

Rabbi Eliezer: The throne of a Perfect Master is never vacant.

Sahjo Bhai: She lived in the 18th century. She was the disciple of saint Charan Das who lived from 1704-1783. Saho Bhai writes that without the Perfect Master everything is ruination. Gaze at your Master with devotion and serve your Master by following his instructions with love and devotion.

Daya Bhai: She was also the disciple of saint Charan Das. She writes, Master sees you’re surrendering yourself to him and takes responsibility of protecting you along the spiritual path.

Another Indian saint Grile Das (1718-1779) wrote ten thousand devotional songs. He writes, The Perfect Master is the supreme God who is the God of gods. If you want to do real devotion then go and serve your Master and his people.

Tulsi Sahib(1820-1900): Soami Ji Maharaj Shiv Dyal, the founder of the Radha Soami Sant-Mat path received the treasure of light from him. The Perfect Master lineage in Punjab (India) is the spiritual descendant and Beas is connected with Maharashtra (State in India).

Kabir Sahib(1455-1575): He wrote devotional songs and poetry in praise of the Perfect Masters. They all are awe inspiring writings for everyone today. He writes Even if I turn the entire planet into paper, all the forests into pen-holders, and all the seven seas into ink, I would not be able to describe the glory and greatness of the Master. He further says, If God disappeared you can still take shelter with the Master, but if the Master (Guru) is displeased to whom will you run or go?

Baba Jaimal Singh Ji: The successor of Soami Ji in Beas says One will not be saved by any but the living Master.

Maharaj Sawan Singh Ji: The Guru or the Master is the fountain head of the knowledge of God and he is more valuable than our physical body, our mind and all our wealth. Therefore we should sacrifice all things to win his grace. The object of the devotee is not achieved as long as he does not get a Guru in his time.

The Bible: The Bible calls the body the temple of the living God. It says And God said, let us makes man in our image and after our likeness. So God created man in his own image in the image of God created he and him. (Genesis 1:26, 27)

the Koran: Mohammad says, Die after you die.

Guru Granth Sahib: In this cave (body) is indescribable spiritual treasure. In this body resides the indescribable, the unfathomable and boundless Lord.

Saint Benedict: He writes The world was gathered together when his eyes were not. The Heaven and Earth drawn in any lesser form than they be of themselves, but the soul, or the beholder was more enlarged.

Maharaj Sawan Singh Ji: Why did the soul lose its supremacy? Because it lost touch with the word (sound) and associated with the mind. Therefore there is only one effective method for the soul to regain its supremacy and that is to bring the soul in touch with the word (sound) again.

Sardar Bahadur Ji (2nd successor in Beas): Beware of the mind and its tricks. Those who obey the dictates of mind flounder in the ocean of illusion and never find true happiness.

Ibid: you are not running this world. Leave that to him whose function it is.

Maharaj Sawan Singh Ji: The seeker should adhere to truth, contentment and mercy. This is the basis of all spiritual practice. With his own state of poverty he is content even while he sees others prospering.

Maharaj Charan Singh Ji (3rd Successor to Hazur, Beas): Mind is the obstruction between God and soul, so it must be subjugated. To be mad after sense enjoyment it runs after worldly pleasures.

Sardar Bahadarji: If we love the things of the world, we are drawn to the world. If we love Guru who is embodiment of the Shabad (sound) we are drawn towards Shabad, (sound) and our true home.

Kabir Sahib: I have gone out to find the evil and when I looked into my heart there was no evil except me.

According to every Master in the past and today, Even the deaf can hear the universal word inside and the blind can see the light within from head to foot. Only the perfect disciple in this world can do it with the