Talk by Dr Harbhajan Singh, January 1, 1991 (Sankt Gilgen)
Master said, “My children are scattered in the world. A time will come when they will all get together, and there will be a revolution of spirituality.”
How He sends His children into the world, all over the world, that is His work. And moreover He said that everyone has the contact, everyone has the background. So up to now, at least we have understood that the purpose of each one of us is one and the same. This purpose (of a human being) will never differ. I think this is possible because He brought us on one firm footing. And without selfless service, really, we cannot sit together.
If we work in one field, then we are the co-workers. And Master gave this work, it was His intention to give it, and He has given it to us.
Now some of our brothers and sisters, those who were initiated by the Master Himself (before His physical departure), some of them feel that Master could wind up all His work. But there (in Kirpal Sagar) He told to do something. So it has a special significance, there is a special reason for it, why He did so.
And we all are fulfilling the wish of the Master. Most of the things we have already explained to all of you, and you know all those things. But the main thing, which Master always tells us again and again, that is how to live together, and by living together, how to learn lots of things.
We really learn how to work in the Mission of the Master.
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On August 21, before He left His body, and this intravenous glucose infusion was given, He was most of the time pressing His hand like this (fingers around the thumb). I thought that, due to this glucose He felt some sensation, and maybe therefore He was doing like this. But then Master Himself explained, “After me, you live like this!” Then I asked, “Master, what do you mean by it?” Master said, “Keep the Master with you and you all remain close like this.”
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He told little, little signs which were full of meanings and we could make the best use of it. Master gave one example. Master said,
“Gods and goddesses, they work with four hands,
whereas the man works with two hands.
A time comes, when that Power
can work with thousands of hands.”
Whereas you know, Master most of the time told, “I have no person with me who can work, who can help me.”
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One time we were sitting there, Chandigarh people were there, we were there. Master said, “If you come here and do some work, it will be more easy for Me.” But during His lifetime we never knew that Master ever needed the help of some persons. At that time we saw no reason (to do anything) except to surrender and said, “No, now Master is every support, Master doesn’t need the help of anybody. He is the Doer, everything is okay.” But during His own time He wanted physical help. And Master said that physically, spiritually He had to work a lot.
And mostly, whenever some program was made, we told to do differently. We said, “Master, this is the easiest way. You should do it like this — let us do it the easiest way.” Many times it happened like this. I never wanted that Master should rush from one house to another house. In India there were very many problems during the time of Master.
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While in Amritsar on His last tour, some people only wanted to bring Him to their shops, to their houses. One person had already started a big work, and he wanted to take the Master to his store. And Master had to go there. It was a store for little, little seeds, out of which medicine is made. This man used to send it everywhere in the world. And he brought the Master to his store which was full of this seed. So we never liked that Master should do like this.
Then another person came, he had got some land, and (he said to Master) “Before we start, we want to have Your presence there.” And it was far from the city, but anyhow, Master went there. I said, “Master, well, You stay here, You can see it from far away, it is no problem. Why do You go to the very proper site?” Because the car could not go there, and it was such a long distance which was not easy for the Master to walk.
But very few people thought that Master is bound in this world with physical body due to us. He is the Word-personified-form, but He has to bear lots of our karmas and sins upon His own shoulder, and He did it.
While in Amritsar, Master said, “How many people really want the Master?”
Then a woman came who put some questions to Master, which Master would not follow. And Master asked me, “Doctor, do you understand what she tells?” I said, “Master, I don’t understand.” Then Master said, “Okay, well, you go.” She went. Another person came, he had some beautiful suits for his daughter. Both wife and husband came, they had to celebrate the marriage of their daughter. And this time I was sitting with Master and Master was dealing with everyone. Then He said, “Okay, go.” Master said, “What should I do with this cloth?” This woman said, “Master, this is for my daughter, please, You put Your attention on it.” Master said, “Yes, attention is there. Take it.” — “No, Master, You should also put Your hand on the cloth.” Master said, “Okay, take it.”
So like this four, five persons came, and no one came for the right purpose, no one came for His own blessing, no one came to the Master Himself, everyone wanted to tell something out of his worldly wishes. Master said, “What should I do with such disciples who do not want me, but want everything else from me?”
Then at midnight, there was a meeting of the Sevadars, all the workers.
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And it was a very good program. This last program in Amritsar was very nice, better than all before; there used to be many problems in Amritsar, but this was the first time when it was a very good program. Lots of people gathered. Even from our own village there were nearly four, five hundred people who went there to see the Master. It was in open ground, as so many people came there.
And the vibration of the Master was so exciting that everybody who went there, felt “Yes, we have heard about Spirituality, but we never knew how it was dealt with. Only today we knew that it is a subject of the heart, and not of the head.”
And some persons who had already been initiated by some masters, they even did not move. Master caught hold (of) their attention so much, that after the Satsang was over, they said, “Doctor, your Master really is a Master. Your Master is something, that we cannot explain. Alas, we also need such a Master!” I said, “Then, where is the hindrance, you can have Him! No problem.” But people say that to change a Master is a sin. I said, “Yes, it is a sin. But master must be a Master. If he is not the Master, then to change him is no problem — you can change him!”
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And then in the evening, we all gathered there. And this was the evening when Master told about His further Mission. He said, those who did some work, some selfless service, they were very happy. But during the time of the Master, there were some persons who never wanted to cooperate with each other.
So if you think that we live with different thought, then where is the necessity of a Master?
Whenever Masters come in the world, they bring us on one platform. Everyone recognizes the purpose, the very underlying purpose of human life. And everyone sees that the purpose of everybody is one and the same.
They all live with one opinion, their hearts are very clear for each and everybody.
So those people who worked with us, it was very nice to be with them. Because if we felt something in our heart, they also felt like this, as we are doing now. And when we do like this, when we serve the Master like this, then all possibilities of the Master are there. The Grace of the Master is there every time, every moment.
This time we were sitting — some persons were sitting and some were standing. And one of those who were standing said, “Master, how beautiful it would be, if You took us like this, as we are all together. You take us back like this!”
Master said, “Whom? Those who are sitting or those who are standing?”
Because there were many people who did a lot, but it was also a time when there were many problems. One person had come there along with some persons with bad intention. Master remained there for three days, on the fourth day He went. Day and night some people had to look after the stage of the Master — it was a big stage we had made — lest he may not put anything (some explosives) under it. And then we were very conscious about the whole Sangat. Those persons used to come in the Sangat and they used to create problems. They always told so many things against our Master. So this time we were very conscious.
So those who were working day and night, they were sitting, they were tired and sitting at the holy feet of the Master, and those persons, who never wanted to obey the Master but always obeyed the mind, they were mostly standing.
So Master said, “To whom? Those, sitting or standing?”
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You know that all the Masters throughout the world, always come with one purpose, and that very purpose has never been changed. Maybe some time they had to meet very severe consequences, but they never changed their purpose. But we people put labels on their Mission, we say, “No, He was like this, He was like this, He said like this.”
But whatever He said, very few people could understand. He tells the Truth, and this Truth is very difficult to understand as long as we do not live with the Truth. This is one problem. If one starts to live with the Truth, then it becomes very sweet, very lovable, and then he obeys whatever Master tells him. All people in the Sangat, having their different background, they take the same thing in different ways.
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At the time of Guru Gobind Singh, one learned person, a devotee of a different sect — one of those who only made paid preaching — he was very much disturbed when he heard something from the disciple of Guru Gobind Singh. That one had said, “We say like this and that, why do you say so? We otherwise cannot compromise with you.”
Then this man came to Guru Gobind Singh and told, “Well, your Sikh tell like this. It is in the holy scriptures, it is in the Vedas, that when one leaves the body, he has to remain with the angels of death for one year. Whereas your disciple says, No, the soul does not live with Yama, with the angel of death.” Guru Gobind Singh said, “Well, tomorrow when they come, you also come and we will decide, why they say like this, we will ask them.”
Guru Gobind Singh asked one of his disciples, “Well, if you have to leave the body and you have to go along with the angel of death, how much time will it take you to be there?” He said, “Master, with Your Grace the time of one year will be finished in six months.” So he said this from the level of his own intellect. He never knew the competency of his Master, therefore he said like this. Then Guru Gobind Singh asked another disciple. He said, “Master, even this can be minimized to three months.”
Then Guru Gobind Singh asked Bhai Daya Singh, “Well, Bhai Daya Singh, how much time will you take if you are handled like this?”
Bhai Daya Singh told, “Well Master, where is it said in the Teaching, that there is a necessity for the disciple of a competent Master to go with the angel of death? What has he to do? He goes straight to his home. He goes where his Father goes. And what does the Father do, what does the Guru do? With the twinkling of an eye, He can transcend you above the barriers of the three worlds.”
It is His beautiful work.
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At the time of death, you know what happens?
Farid told,
“O crows, you can eat up the whole flesh of my body,
you can even scatter my bone wherever you like,
but do not touch my eyes,
because these eyes thirst for the arrival of my Master.”
What happens at the time of death?
You know, the eyes of the Master and that of the disciple become one; He takes the soul through the eyes. When it is taken through the eyes, the heart of the Master lies over here (between the two eyebrows), and also the disciple’s heart is over here.
This is the physical heart, it only knows the attachment in the world. With this heart our mind has collaborated since long, long. And this heart and mind has never allowed us to be here (at the Third Eye), not even for a moment. So we never knew the love of the God, love of the Master Power.
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So when the four eyes become one, He withdraws the attention from here; there is not much written about this in the holy scriptures. If you happen to be with some disciple who leaves the body, who has surrendered to the Master Power and lives up to the commandments of the Master and has become one of his real disciples, he has learned all qualities from the Master. He who has detached from the world, he who has finished all his give and take from the world, and whose heart has become the abode of love for everybody, that one knows (that he will go with Master after death).
That one knows before going, not only what will happen at the time of going — he knows beforehand, because since he has left this body many times beforehand, he knows how to transcend this body, how to be with Master. But there are very rare persons who can do this job and they can accommodate the love of the Master in their heart.
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Once one transcends above the body consciousness, and gets a little drop of that consciousness, one is intoxicated. And what happens with such a person?
He loses his head and heart, and he wanders in the world, and that man becomes a useless man in the world. He can no more live in the world, he will always think as when he would go back.
Master takes it not as a privilege, but as a disadvantage. The reason is, that this man-body has been given to us, it is a capital. This man-body is connected with the Pralabdh Karma, for which this man-body was given to us. It has been given for a certain cause. You may say it is a reaction of the past life, why we came in this world. With this reaction (due to which we have got the man-body), we have to finish the reaction. So far reaction is with us, and we do not undo with it, we cannot go back. This is the reaction which brings us back into the world, again and again. Otherwise, there is no problem for the Master Power to take the soul at once.
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There are three types of Karmas: one is called the past karma — Sanchit Karma, second the Pralabdh Karma for which this man-body has been given. Then there is the present karma (Kriyaman Karma) which we are creating now, if we don’t act in the right way. These karmas again are stored with us as reactions, and those karmas turn into Pralabdh Karma. Then one has to come back into the man-body.
Therefore Master tells us how to become actionless while remaining in the world. Master has such a vibration in Him, and this means, (to finish with all). He gives only a drop of that consciousness and it is sufficient. Only one drop of His consciousness is sufficient. We are already one drop of the consciousness. It is only His attention that is working in all of us. When a little of this consciousness is given, it brings a very big effect on man’s life.
But when does Master give it?
When He knows that His disciple is now fit to continue his life in the world (in the right way). Master Power doesn’t give it to him to disturb his life. He says, “Well, you must know that you have to do, you have to live in the world.”
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I told you already when I was initiated, Master gave me much, much above much rather. And at once I thought, “O Master, I pledge before You.” It was my thought, not verbally, I spoke from the tongue (of thoughts). I said, “Well, Master, now I pledge that (this time) I will not die for You, at least I will live for You!” Because I knew, that I have to justify my Master.
Because those who do not justify or those who deny to justify the Master, they have to bear the reactions of their life, they have to bear the reactions of their karmas.
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Whatever we are doing, we should see, if this interests the Master or this interests otherwise. If this interests the Master, it is well and good, because what interests the Master, that also interests you. Master has no other function than to live for His children. He only comes for others, His purpose in the world is not like that of an ordinary person. We live for our children — He also lives for His children. But He knows how to detach them.
You know, when Guru Nanak left for the tour, his mother-in-law said, “Nanak, if really you have had to go from the house for such a long period, how will the children live in Your absence? Why did You give birth to them?” He said, “Mother, the problem which you want to create for me — I have come to remove this problem from the heart of other people. My purpose is a different one. I have come to remove the shackles of the people, you want to put shackles on me. I won’t do that.” He didn’t care, because she did not know that Master is not only the physical body; Master is something more.
When Guru Gobind Singh along with forty disciples of His, was fighting in the battlefield, some people thought, “O, our Master is only fighting and fighting, and we do not learn anything from Him.” They gave Him some paper, in which it was written: “From now onward, we are not Your disciple and You are not our Master.” This is what they wrote and happily they returned to their home.
But Guru Gobind Singh was the Word-personified-form. He used to look after the children, after all the family members. Those who were fighting, Master Power was giving shelter to them, giving consolation to them, rather He gave life for His kids and kins, for all people. And all the family members were very happy, they felt that their sons or husband had gone for a good cause. Children said, “Our father has gone for a good purpose.” They were very happy, but those whose attention was put to do some work, said to Master, “Well, You do this, this is Your work. You do it!” And they said, “We are not getting anything for it.” This, however, should have been selfless service.
You know, what the Master does — He gives the essence, He gives the cash-payment, He gives whatever we have earned throughout our life serving the Master Power. He will not even allow us to spend it in the world. He always keeps it with Him, because this selfless service bears devotion, and we have earned something for the Mission. This is something that is above the three worlds — selfless service gives life in the Mission of the Master.
You know, some Masters had to sacrifice their lives.
For what purpose?
To save the Mission — that is a selfless service. This is a sacrifice. Selfless service or to sacrifice our wishes for the higher cause is something unique — there is no parallel to it. Once Master said, “Okay, you do it!” — then it is our duty to do that.
When the son of Guru Gobind Singh was sent to the battlefield, he came back and asked for water from the father. Guru Gobind Singh didn’t give him the physical water. He said, “The water that you have to use for all the time, that has already been given to you, why do you come back to have the physical water? Go, and have the (eternal) water there.” He didn’t give it to him.
So the Master Power is above the worldly things, above the blood-relations, everything, because He gives life to everybody. Their purpose is very unique. So far we have not got this life. As common men, those who do not know how to serve the Master, they cannot get the life. It is an eternal law. The more selfless service and the more sacrifice for the cause of the Master, the faster His work is done, that goes into the heart of people.
You know, it is a law unlike this physical world. He who sacrifices, he who dies, he loses something in the world. Whereas anyone who swims across, he says, “Yes, my hand is up.” He finds the upper hand.
But with the Mission of the Master, this sacrifice takes all the power from the negative power. Negative power even after sacrifice cannot stand on his own legs. Then he has to run away, he has to vacate lots of things, lots of places just to get rid of this problem. Then his mission, the mission of the negative power is scattered everywhere in the world.
Lastly I would only tell you that, as everyone knows, the ultimate goal of life, the purpose of human life, is to meet a good end. With Master we multiply our attributes, with Master our virtues multiply and one becomes the abode of virtues. You know, Master is the abode of virtues, He has everything.
His treasure is unexhaustible. You may use as much as you like, but it will multiply more and more. As you use your intellect — it will become more, it will grow more.
But with the other way, with the negative way, by each wish we have to give something, we lose something. We lose our virtues when we have some wishes. With each wish we have to give something from the virtues. You know, a greedy person, he loses all the virtues, and then remains dependent upon others. If a man has many, many wishes, his life is also lessened. He loses the power also. He lives less time in the world. But if he lives, he lives like a dead person.
This is from different quotations, from different Masters. I am not speaking (from myself), I am telling you about some teaching from different Masters. Masters tell us, “Where are the problems that you do not live with Master, that you do not live with good thoughts, that you do not live with the right purpose which you know now?”
We are all sitting (together) and everyone knows the purpose of human life.
Then why delay? What is the cause of the delay?
You are not forced, everyone is free. If you do something, it will benefit all of you. It will benefit your home and home-affairs, it will benefit all around, where your attention goes. So Masters say that we are double benefited. If we obey the Master, then we are double benefited. We do not lose anything, but we gain the purpose of human life.
Our purpose is scattered everywhere in the world. Out attention was scattered in the world, and we went back, and to get this attention back we also came back again and again. So it is high time, those who could do something, they are very lovable to the Master, and those who have not done something, they are also lovable to the Master. For Master it is no problem. He loves everybody, but the problem which man creates for himself, he has to overcome it.
You know, whatever you sow, you have to reap, and then you have to thrash it also. There is no way out. It is a reaction which a Master cannot avoid. Master says, “Okay, you have sown, now you go, you finish with it!” So this whole creation, which (in our eyes) looks very nice, that is the creation created by man. We say, God has created it. No, God sent us, “You go and come back!” Simply He said so many things but the most important thing that was, “I was with you, I am with you and you can make the best use of it. When you get free, then you come along with me!”
How great this Power is that this Power never leaves us! He even does not leave the sinner, the most sinner person in the world. He also remains with that one. Because there is a hope for everybody, but when hope is put into delay and delay and delay, then a time comes when we cannot make the best use of the time, and then we have to go empty-handed.
Guru Gobind Singh gave us a demonstration outwardly, physically He gave this demonstration: He said to one person, “Yes, now after seven days, you will leave the body.” And this man didn’t take any food, he got very weak. On the seventh day, Guru Gobind Singh said, “Well, come up. What has happened to you?” He said, “I have to leave the body tomorrow.” He said, “You were given seven days, but I have no moment with me. I only live for God, and I do not know when He wants to take me back. When He sends the order, then immediately I have to go.”
No one is prepared — they are the conscious co-workers of the divine plan who ever remain prepared to go back. Because they know, they are sent in the world. When your work is finished, then you go back. You are serving somewhere, you immediately go back, you even do not put in one minute more.
You say, “Time is finished, I have to go back!” This is the condition of those who have solved the mystery of death. And we even want to escape at the time of death. Unfortunately, man cannot get away, man cannot run away, he is caught, and he goes back. Otherwise man always wants to live in the world out of his own wishes, out of his own attachments.
The purpose of telling all those things again and again is meant to do definitely something for ourselves; we should never forget it, we should do it at once. Master says, “Live now as you want to live. Think for a while, which is the most important thing for you.” You will discard everything, “This is also not good, this is also not good!”
Our attention has manifested. Our attention which has multiplied everywhere, that has surrounded us, and we do not find the way out. Master says, “You take one and then discard it. Use it only that much as you need, not more. Then do it with all, and you will see, that you will be disconnected from everything.” You will use them, but while using, you will be disconnected. I say, “Here I am not needed!”
Then why should I go there where I am not needed? If I go there, it will affect me badly, then why should I go there? People simply do not know how to detach from something.