03/29/2023
SAR BACHAN RADHASOAMI (PROSE): PART 1, SECTIONS 27-28
PART 1, SECTION 27
HOW THE TEACHINGS WERE FORGOTTEN:
“It appears necessary to state here that when the ancient Sadhs, Yogeshwars and Mahatmas found that the secrets of the higher regions were very subtle, everybody could not understand them and it was also very difficult to practice Pranayam for attaining them, especially during the later days when none but a Brahman was allowed to read religious books, they only revealed the secrets of the lower regions in the first instance and kept to themselves the secrets of the higher ones. The idea was that as the devotee progressed, he would be initiated gradually into the secrets of the higher regions. But this path and its practices got so out of date that even adepts of the lower order became rare.
So, gradually, the great men of those days considered it expedient to inculcate the outward worship of incarnations and gods among the common people who were quite ignorant. The object was that they should familiarize themselves with their names and forms, which, in fact, referred to the internal centres, and should first adopt them outwardly and gradually transfer their devotion internally.
But the generality failed to do even this much correctly and fully. Therefore, with a view to facilitating internal practices, some devotees set up the images of incarnations and gods of high order for contemplation and concentration.
Professionals took advantage of this opportunity. They induced the rich by clever persuasion to build temples and images of incarnations and gods of high order. In the interest of their procession, they pushed on this worship with zeal and enthusiasm. At the same time, they began to conceal the old books which dealt with the secrets of devotion and internal practices.
This led gradually to the general adoption of idolatrous worship of incarnations and gods. As nobody found it difficult to perform this kind of worship, all of them took to it exclusively. Day by day, inner secrets were forgotten and everybody became a worshipper of the superficial. Gradually, this sort of worship was established throughout the country, for it appealed to the worldly and pleasure loving persons very much, as they could perform it in the way they liked and could freely indulge in sensual pleasures.”
PART 1, SECTION 28
SATGURUS COME TO RENEW THE SHABDA TEACHINGS
“Now finding that Kali Yuga is at its zenith and that human beings are in great trouble and misery such as poverty, diseases and pestilence, quarrels and strife caused by mutual enmity and jealousy etc., and they are being led astray very far from the right path, Sat Purush Radhasoami was moved to pity and He mercifully came down as Sant Sat Guru in this world. He gave out the secrets of the true faith and path openly and in clear words. He found that, for the sake of their livelihood, Brahmans had acted very cunningly and had concealed the original books from the public.
So, out of mercy and grace He was pleased to explain the whole secret lucidly in the vernacular. He also initiated the people. But such were the deceptions created all round by the Brahmans that it was difficult for the teachings of Sants to be readily accepted. In spite of all this, those who enquired into and appreciated the truth, gradually accepted the teachings and adopted the religion of Sants as, for instance, the religion preached by Kabir Saheb, Guru Nanak, Jagjwan Saheb, Paltu Saheb and Garib Das, which was promulgated during the last seven hundred years at different places.”
In yesterday’s reading and today’s, we can see how the essential teachings of Surat Shabda (the path of Communing with the Word – the path of Soul-Shabda-God) gradually faded from common understanding. People who studied a tiered initiation format over time forgot some of the initiation words, remembering some and not others. Some religious leaders aspired to control, and kept the truth of Naam from the community, teaching instead focusing the attention on books, specific temporal deities, great Masters who had come in the past, etc. Others sought power and fame, and so crafted the teachings to appeal to the vanity of financial contributors who would give them wealth and build extravagant temples for them.
And yet – as Soamiji teaches us in Section 28 – in the midst of this increasing obscurity of the Teachings, God – Sat Purush Radhasoami – expresses ITSelf in human form. There is always a human instrument of God and Naam on this planet, grounding the Current and initiating those are receptive the Word and ready to go Home. And this instrument expresses the Word in the language and culture of their time. As Soamiji says, “He was pleased to explain the whole secret lucidly in the vernacular”. Moreover, these Living True Shabda Teachers (Satgurus) keep the teachings pure. There is no adulteration or interpretation of what the Master means about the Way of Shabda and living spirituality – because the Teacher is right here, right now, to explain things, answer questions, clear up any misconceptions, and serve as a living human matrix of the Shabda ITSelf. This is one of God’s greatest blessings, and an incredible gift to us all.
Please consider Soamiji’s words here, and allow the inner form of the Gurudev to be your point of focus as you meditate. Know that the expression of Sat Purush is constant and unwavering – pure light, sound and love. As we make this our point of focus, we can also make IT our tuning fork – our way of bringing our lives – right here and now – in tune with the pure harmonic of the LightSong of Naam.
Have a beautiful day!
In the LightSong of Eternal Love,
Michael
