Baba Ji, what is the difference between dharma and spirituality?

Normally we consider dharma and religion to be the same thing.

In fact, dharma is not religion, dharma is responsibility,

because our destiny is formed according to our karma

and responsibility stems from the karma.

Fulfilling that responsibility is our dharma.

Spirituality is the purpose for which we have come into the world.

So, yes, spirituality too is our responsibility,

Karma and dharma are linked to one another,

spirituality is the goal.

Baba Ji, Shabd, Word or akshar

is mentioned in the scriptures, religious texts and books over and over again.

What is Shabd? Could you please explain this to us in detail?

Ordinarily, if we were to look at its literal translation,

the word 'shabd' indicates a written word, but in the scriptures,

what the Gurus and all others have referred to is not a written or spoken word.

As Kabir Sahib said:

"Through these 52 letters, the three worlds and all else are described.

"These letters shall perish, but that eternal Letter, by which the Lord can be
described is not among these."

He has stated the difference between the two.

Now, in order to describe anything, it has to be explained.

Therefore words are needed.

Guru Sahib has expounded on this further in the Adi Granth, saying:

"This merchandise, which you have come to obtain -

the Lord's Nam is obtained in the home of the Saints."

That Shabd can be realized in the company of the true devotees.

In the sanctuary of the saints, true realization is attained.

Now, what is written in the Adi Granth about Shabd?

"The Shabd created the earth and the sky, through the Shabd, light was manifested."
"The created universe is the manifestation of your Nam. Without your Nam there is
no place at all."

Everything is created through that Shabd, through Nam,

without it, nothing can exist here.

"Creation and dissolution occur through the Lord's Word.

And through the Word, creation manifests again."

The creation is sustained by the Shabd.

When the Lord withdraws the Shabd

the creation will cease to exist;

dissolution and grand dissolution will take place.

When, is His will, He wishes to create it again, how will it be created?

"Through the Word, creation manifests again."

So, Shabd is that power, that creative power,

the audible life stream; it is not a word, okay?

Now, this was from our scriptures.

Let us refer to the writings of other saints. Dadu Sahib said:

"Dadu, all are bound by the Shabd, through the Shabd all will perish,

everything is born of the Shabd and shall merge into the Shabd."

The Lord has strung the entire cosmos together with the Shabd,

and when the Lord withdraws the Shabd, everything will disintegrate.

Whether it is the creation or the earth,

all of it is sustained by the Shabd.

"From Nam we originate and into Nam shall pass."

Now we refer to Christianity, how does the New Testament begin?

How would we translate 'Shabd' into English?

We would call it 'Word', so in Christianity, it says,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Okay? Shabd is Guru. So Shabd is a power, not a word.

These written and spoken words are only used to describe the power.

We take them literally.

So, we have to seek the Truth.

"The Lord's Nam is the creator of everything."

The Lord's Nam, yes?

And Guru Sahib has gone so far as to say:

"True worship is contemplation of the Lord's Nam

for without the Nam, there is no worship."

We have to connect to that power

which has brought the creation into being and

that power is not outside of us, it is within.

"Within this body is the treasure of the Lord's Nam,

and one finds it through the love of the Guru."

"The nectar Nam of the Lord is the nine treasures and its seat is in the body
itself."

It is within us, it is found ...

The scriptures praise its glory,

they describe it,

they tell us about the path,

they explain how, through devotion,

through meditation, we can turn our attention inwards

and connect ourselves with that power

which has brought the creation into existence.

Therefore, let us not consider it to be written or spoken word.

Guru Sahib has instructed us saying: "Go there where you may obtain Nam, the Name
of the Lord.

By the Guru's grace, perform good deeds."

Where the praises of Nam are sung,

where Nam is talked about and its power is described,

that is where your devotion will bear fruit.

External forms of devotion will keep the attention outside

and to make it clear to us, Guru Sahib said:

"My tongue utters your attributive names.

The True Nam is your primal, ancient Nam."

The words that we utter with the tongue

are attributive names, the true Nam is ...

"The One Nam emancipates in all the four ages."

That Nam, which is the redeeming power in the four ages.

It has been in existence ever since the creation began,

and it is not a written or spoken word.

That is why Kabir Sahib gave the same message -

what we utter with the tongue ...

I think it is Paltu Sahib who said:

"If one is in search of Nam, let it be known that is nameless.

It cannot be written or read, it transcends symbols and words."

So it is not a written or spoken word.

Thank you, Baba Ji.

Baba ji, it is said that God

does not call the qualified,

He qualifies the called.

What does that mean?

Well, those so-called qualified ones are the ones

who are intellectual, who are knowledgeable,

and we see knowledge, more often than not,

takes you away. It creates a certain ego within us,

where we think we know everything

and the fact is that in spirituality,

the more you go forward, the more you realize

that you do not know anything.

Now, let us take the story of Ravan.

Ravan was a teekaakaar pandit (learned scholar).

We show him having so many heads.

It was very symbolic that he had the knowledge,

he had so much knowledge that

it could be contained in so many heads, okay?

But that knowledge did not get him anywhere.

There is a beautiful story about Socrates that

Socrates said, "When I was young,

I claimed that I knew everything.

But as I grew up, I realized there is a lot I do not know."

And he says that "at the ending of my life,

I can say for a fact,

that I do not know anything."

So the more knowledge you have,

the more you know how limited we are.

Baba Ji, that takes us to the confusion between

you know, how to distinguish between

your intuition and ego, the knowledge,

because, you know what the right thing is,

you know what the right thing to do is.

Yet your own self comes in the way and

says that, let me do it my way,

and that often ...

What is 'my way'?

You see, I mean, we are very limited,

and if we are limited, then 'my way' is also limited.

Whereas, what we are seeking through the spiritual path

is a greater awareness.

And as we become more aware,

we understand that, you know,

there is very little that I actually know.

Everyday is a new day.

Everyday is a new learning.

And if you open yourself out to learn every day,

you will go forward.

But if I get stuck with my ego

and I claim that I know everything, ...

you know, in normal talk also,

you talk to somebody, and before you finish the sentence,

he or she says, 'I know.'

If you know, then why are you questioning?

The very fact that you are questioning,

is that you do not know.

That is what you want and

that is what our life should be,

that we do not know,

and if you realize that you do not know,

then you are learning.

The moment you say 'I know,'

your learning process has stopped.

Ji, thank you.

Baba Ji, it is said that love is blind.

In the world when we love someone dearly and see a fault in that person,

is it better to overlook the fault or point it out to them?

Is it better to be blind in love?

Well, the love that we feel, the relationships we have, are physical relationships.

It is more like a physical love.

True love is beyond all these things.

In true love, one will never be afraid.

In true love, we go forward, we cannot go backward.

Just as a mother who loves her child,

at times she will explain to the child,

but often, in front of the others she will cover up for the child.

However, the responsibility that comes with true love is that,

is that, in our own way, we do not hurt his feelings,

but we should definitely at least explain to him what is wrong and what is right.

Because if a mother conceals his faults all her life

and does not explain to the child,

then he will continue to make more mistakes.

So, there should be that maturity in love

where she doesn't make his faults knows to others,

but in her own way, definitely explains to him what is right and what is wrong.

Baba Ji, we all love our Master immensely and have full faith.

How can we deepen that love and faith?

Look, we think that in our manner, or with our practice,

we can do something to deepen this relationship

but this will happen with time.

No one can establish a relationship in one day.

If we have followed a certain Guru,

it took us time to understand, accept and take the step.

Similarly, on the path of spirituality, nothing can be accomplished in one day.

Rome was not built in a day.

An entire city cannot be built in one day. It takes time.

Placing one brick on another, cementing them together, a building is constructed.

So ... love is His blessing.

We will not be able to fulfill it unless He so wills,

But we ... It is true, that we have to try to make ourselves worthy of Him.

As Hazur used to say, "Keep your vessel clean."

So we ... when He blesses us with love, we will be able to safeguard it.

Now if our vessel is dirty, then whatever we get will also become part of that
dirt, right?
So it is our responsibility to have the vessel in our hands,

and the vessel should be clean.

Filling the vessel is His responsibility.

He will bless us with love.

Let us build our capacity so that

we can cherish it and digest it.

Thank you, Baba Ji.

Baba Ji, we keep hearing about love,

vireh, longing, in all satsangs.

But this is all, I think, associated with the mind.

And during meditation, we are told to listen to the Shabd,

I mean, there should be no involvement of mind.

So, why the emphasis on vireh

which is an emotion of the mind,

when we are supposed to go beyond the mind?

I mean, there are two different stages out here,

states out here.

No, you see, today we are in the realm of the mind.

Till you do not go beyond mind and matter,

everything that we do stems from the mind.

Now, Hazur used to say: mind - if it is in your control,

you cannot have a better friend.

If the mind is not in your control,

you cannot have a worst enemy.

So today the tendency of the mind

is to pull us downward and outward.

So we need to start thinking for ourselves,

as to what is good for us. Okay?

Now, it is like swimming against the current.

When you swim against the current,

as long as you are swimming,

you are making progress.

But the moment you stop swimming,

because the current is going downward,

it will again pull you downward.

So we need something to hold on to.

And, that is where our meditation comes in,

that is where our bhajan - simran comes in.

So with bhajan simran we want to hold on

to that real treasure which is within us.

The tendency of the mind is to spread your consciousness.

Now, you are trying to make it work in reverse,

by trying to focus the consciousness.

So, to the extent that we can do, we have to do.

Vireh is a gift from Him.

Sheikh Farid said, “Many talk of the pain and suffering of separation; O pain, you
are the ruler of all.”

That those whom He wants to draw to Himself,

He will give him that vireh, that longing.

Because the fire of longing, when it burns in your heart, that makes you ...

make that sacrifice.

Mind is a very strong entity,

and unless the mind does not really desire something,

mind is not going to make the sacrifice.

So when we hear satsang,

when we read the scriptures,

that gives us a certain ...

it creates a certain longing within us,

that I also want to attain this,

I also want to feel this.

I also want to reach this stage.

And that longing, as it increases,

helps us to put in the effort.

So we can only make the effort;

results are not in our hands.

But every effort that you make,

His grace will be there, multifold.

And so, every step that you take,

He will give you that push

to achieve much more.

So, this state of the mind, again,

the longing part, eventually has to reach to that state of nothingness,

I mean, for a better word, where there is no mind involvement.

It will culminate in that. It will,

but that is only when you go beyond mind and matter.

Today, everything stems from a desire, from a want.

Today, as long as the mind is active,

it is always desiring something,

always wanting something.

Even the desire for the Lord is a desire.

So that desire is going to be there.

You need to channelize those desires.

Desires channelized will give you devotion.

Desires unchannelized breaks it up into emotion.

Thank you, Baba Ji.

Baba Ji, knowingly or unknowingly,

one may hurt the feelings of another,

and often it may even happen that someone hurts you over and over again.

So in anger, one may purposely hurt the other person, how is this ...
Could you tell us something about this, Baba Ji?

We should be careful not to hurt anyone's feelings.

When we are trying to enter the realm of love,

in love everything should be positive, not negative.

So, we should not hurt anyone's feelings.

Now, it is true that we cannot please everyone in the world.

When we do some work or fulfill a duty, for example, in an office,

if someone has to complete a task,

now it is not necessary that everyone will approve of it.

One does it quickly, another does it slowly.

When one is reprimanded,

he is definitely going to be hurt.

However, fulfilling one's responsibility is one thing,

hurting someone is quite another.

Now, while fulfilling one's responsibility,

if someone is offended, then that is different.

But if we knowingly hurt someone,

then we will have to bear the burden.

Is this the worst crime Baba Ji ... hurting someone's feelings?

The worst crime is taking your own life – suicide.

Hurting someone ... I feel even if you

try your best to do the right thing in life, someone will end up getting hurt.

So at some point, someone will not like it, will not be pleased with it.

Try your best to never knowingly hurt someone.

But as we go on in life, some will like it and some won't.

Yes. Thank you, Baba Ji.

Baba Ji, about the migrant workers, due to Covid 19,

they started walking hundreds of miles from their homes,

Many helpless people died along the way.

Some reached satsang centres where they are being looked after so well,
they receive food and water, they do yoga,

everything ... I mean, they listen to satsang too.

They have never seen this in their lives; this has never happened to them.

No, we shouldn't ...

Was it in their destiny?

We shouldn't think like that, they ...

The governments are trying to take care of them.

You know about satsang because you are associated with it.

That's why we know more about it.

But each in their own manner, whether it is a gurdwara, temple or mosque, NGO's,

all are making an effort to take care of them.

In times of pain and sorrow,

everyone should come forward to try to help others.

Now it is not necessary that if someone has come to satsang,

then automatically they will be affected by it.

Maharaj Ji travelled to many countries, many places,

but not everyone accepted his teachings, right?

So it depends on one's receptivity.

One who is ready will listen and accept as well,

and for one who is not ready,

even if you sit him down and try to explain to him, his mind does not accept it.

Yes. Thank you Baba Ji.

Baba Ji, when the Master showers his grace

and a fortunate person begins to hear the Shabd within,

can he sit in a comfortable posture and listen to it?

Or does he have to sit in the prescribed posture?

No, when the consciousness truly starts to rise

then even though one is not seated in a particular posture, it makes no difference.

Because the Shabd resounds within us 24 hours a day.

We do not have the capacity to hear it,

that is why we have to sit in that posture,

in order to build up that association,

to create the atmosphere so that we are receptive to it,

but we should listen to it 24 hours of the day.

We should reach such a state where we hear it for all 24 hours,

and that is what saints call "dying while living."

"Die to live", Maharaj Ji used to say. "Die to live."

Meditation, in fact,

teaches us how to withdraw the attention from the nine portals of the body

and focus it behind the eyes.

And this is what 'die to live' means.

Kabir Sahib said:

"Death is terrifying to all, but it brings joy to my heart;

by dying I will meet the true, blissful Lord."

In the Adi Granth, we read:

"Nanak says, die while living, practice such a yoga."

True yoga is not an outward practice; it is inner union.

"Yoga lies neither in ochre robes nor is soiled garments.

Says Nanak: By guidance of the Master's teaching, may yoga be attained in one's own
home."

What is that method of yoga, by adopting which we can called true yogis?

Guru Sahib said: "Die while living."

Now an elderly man asked Christ the same question,

and Christ said: "Unless a man be born again,

you cannot enter into the gates of heaven."

Unless a man is born again, he cannot reach the Lord.

So an elderly man, Nicodemus, puts forth this question:

"Lord, at his age, do I have to take birth from my mother's womb again

in order to attain salvation?"

So Christ explains to him saying:

"Verily verily, I say unto thee,

that which is born of flesh is flesh,

that which is born of spirit is spirit."

He stated the difference between the two.

One is taking birth from the mother's womb,

the other is our spiritual birth,

which is when we attune ourselves to Nam.

So until we die while living ...

in the Bible Saint Paul said, "I die daily."

Now, what does 'die daily' mean?

We go to the saints to learn this technique,

of how to die while living, by which we can attain salvation.

One little more thing Baba Ji,

You always say that if you hear the Sound ...

... You must enjoy it ... whatever

If the grace is there and we enjoy it,

but because we have not gone beyond the realm of the mind yet,

somewhere or the other we have the hope that

the Master will shower his grace and pull us upwards,

and we get stuck there. What should we do then?

No, we get stuck because of desire.

We are always analyzing,

"Where have I reached, what is happening?"

"What am I hearing, what light am I seeing?"

Analysis comes from the mind.

When you analyze, the mind gets involved

and immediately the attention starts to fail.

If we enjoy it, if we derive joy from it,

we will get to such a state where the pull is there

and the consciousness rises even higher.

So we should not analyze.

If we analyze, then we will get the result of our efforts.

Our efforts can never be enough.

Based on the result of our efforts, not just in one lifetime,

even if we took birth many times, our goal would not be accomplished.

When it happens, it will happen with His grace.

So we should do our meditation, obeying His hukum.

"Obeying His hukum, one obtains everything."

In the entire Adi Granth, there is just one hukum, one command.

the rest are suggestions to help us follow it.

What is His hukum?

"The one Nam is the Lord's command; O Nanak, the true Guru has given me this
understanding."

It is meditation on Nam, on Shabd,

and Guru Sahib goes, to the extent of saying:

"In Nanak's home resounds only the Nam."

In His home, only one thing is taken into account;

nothing else is of significance.

Your wealth and position, your family, none of these are important.

At that time only one thing is taken into account - your meditation.

We pay attention to everything else and forget meditation,

which is the one thing that is accepted.

Thank you, Baba Ji.

Baba Ji, we were talking about vireh and about longing.

Before I was initiated, when I came to this path,

in the beginning, the question was "Why does this happen to me?"

There are many things that I did not do,

because of which many changes took place in my life.

So then one understood the concept of karma,

and then one understood the concept of many lives,

and then 8.4 million species

but the mind always goes back to one question.

And that is one which has not been explained much, in fact, not at all.

Why did these souls, we, who are here, we have come here Baba Ji,

we got separated from the Lord

the answer to this is not given anywhere.

It has not been given because our intellect is limited and we cannot understand it.

A little child says: "How was I born?"

So the parents tell him some story or the other,

as the child cannot understand at that time,

As the child ... as the child grows up, goes to school and college,

he broadens his horizons and he understands all of this.

Now, if we take any religion -

every religion has explained to us in different ways, how the creation came into
being.

The Vedas and Shastras tell us in their own way,

in Kabir Sahib's writings he explains it differently;

in the Bible it is stated in a different manner.

Now, the creation is just one,

and it could not have been created in different ways.

So these examples were given to explain to us

that the creation came into being; it was for a certain purpose -

you have come here with a certain objective,

and fulfilling that objective, we are to realize the Truth.

Now, we forget these things, and limit ourselves.

Imagine that you are walking along a street, a car hits you,

you are injured, bleeding, in severe pain and in agony.

Now what should you do?

Should I first think: "Why this car hit me?"

Or I should get up and go to a hospital, get myself treated,

get relief from the pain, and then think of these things?

Now we have come here,

we have an objective before us, we have to accomplish that objective.

Now, if we get into the history of "Why have I come here?"

I have come here, now I am here.

Now how can I get back?

When I go back, I will understand the reason why I had come here.

Baba Ji you have always explained to us that

the true Guru is actually the Shabd,

but whenever we are in the presence of our Master,

the feeling that we experience cannot be explained, I mean …

That is because you are in the … you know,

we are using human emotion, we need to channelize this emotion to make it devotion.

And then we are able to go beyond the physical.

Today we are in the physical realm,

and as long as you are in the physical realm,

you will still be attracted by the physical.

But the idea is to use the physical to access the spiritual,

and once you access the spiritual,

I am not saying that the love for the physical will become any less.

I mean, if you see the history of

most of the souls who were what we call ‘Sant Mahatmas’

or elevated souls, no matter where they reached,

their love for their own Master never decreased.

Each one of them said that if I can have my Master’s presence,

I am willing to give up my neck for that,

my head for that! So it only …

because … like I said, the more we learn,

the more we understand, you know,

the meaning of the presence of everything in our life.

Including Master?

Including Master, today I would say it is more physical.

We have to look at the spiritual aspect of it.

Physical will change, spiritual will not change.

Physical – from being young, he will become old,

hair which were black have become white,

physical aspects will keep on changing.

We are searching for the truth;

truth is eternal, truth does not change.

And that you can only achieve on the spiritual realm,

not in the physical realm.

Because in the physical, everything is subject to change,

everything is subject to time.

Love should be eternal, which goes beyond time.