When we got home after the 23rd February Birthday Sangat - aka Guru Pooja / Baba Hardev Singh ji's Birthday (observed on Sunday
February 26th) - I found a package in my mail box. It was a gift from a friend who recently came back from India. There were two books in that package – one of them was ‘Ashtavakra Gita’– written exactly in the form that I was looking for – with the original Sanskrit text and its word to word meaning, along with brief but precise translation.
I was quite excited to find what I was looking for, and randomly opened the book and looked at the page in front of me. It was the eighteenth Shloka of chapter one.
साकारमनृतं विद्धि निराकारं तु निश्चलम
एतत्तत्वोपदेशेन न पुनर्भव सम्भवः
Saakaaram-Anritam viddhi Niraakaaram tu Nicshchalam
Etat-Tattvopadeshna Na Punarbhav-Sambhavah
“Know that which has ‘form’ - to be false.
And the Formless to be changeless.
Through this ‘Tattva-Gyaana’ (true knowledge),
You shall escape the cycle of re-birth.”
That which remains changeless in the past, present and future is the ‘Real’ and that which was not from beginning and will not be in the future, but seems to exist temporarily in a certain period of time, is ‘unreal’.
Regardless of how much physical and emotional value we place upon an object, which has a physical form is changeable and perishable. Whereas only Nirankar, the Formless, remains unchanged and constant.
I was astonished, and had to read the shloka again.
It was a moment of ‘soul-searching’ for me – to look deep into my heart to see what do I really believe in...
Nirankar or Sakaar?
Though a follower of the 'Nirankari' Mission, what do I really value more...
The ‘Formless or a particular ‘Form’?...
Accept the present or believe in the past?
I thought…. What a co-incidence it was - that opening this sacred book randomly right after coming back from the above mentioned event- I would accidentally come across this particular Shloka.
But then...
I started to wonder….
Was it really a co-incidence or a message from ‘Beyond’?
‘Rajan Sachdeva’
I was quite excited to find what I was looking for, and randomly opened the book and looked at the page in front of me. It was the eighteenth Shloka of chapter one.
साकारमनृतं विद्धि निराकारं तु निश्चलम
एतत्तत्वोपदेशेन न पुनर्भव सम्भवः
Saakaaram-Anritam viddhi Niraakaaram tu Nicshchalam
Etat-Tattvopadeshna Na Punarbhav-Sambhavah
“Know that which has ‘form’ - to be false.
And the Formless to be changeless.
Through this ‘Tattva-Gyaana’ (true knowledge),
You shall escape the cycle of re-birth.”
That which remains changeless in the past, present and future is the ‘Real’ and that which was not from beginning and will not be in the future, but seems to exist temporarily in a certain period of time, is ‘unreal’.
Regardless of how much physical and emotional value we place upon an object, which has a physical form is changeable and perishable. Whereas only Nirankar, the Formless, remains unchanged and constant.
I was astonished, and had to read the shloka again.
It was a moment of ‘soul-searching’ for me – to look deep into my heart to see what do I really believe in...
Nirankar or Sakaar?
Though a follower of the 'Nirankari' Mission, what do I really value more...
The ‘Formless or a particular ‘Form’?...
Accept the present or believe in the past?
I thought…. What a co-incidence it was - that opening this sacred book randomly right after coming back from the above mentioned event- I would accidentally come across this particular Shloka.
But then...
I started to wonder….
Was it really a co-incidence or a message from ‘Beyond’?
‘Rajan Sachdeva’
Very Nice Thought. I think if I believe that it is a message then it is a message otherwise it is just a co-incidence. anyways it gives a great message.
ReplyDeleteKeep blessing. Dhan Nirankar Ji.
Beautiful and i am afraid to say that we as a Mission have tipped too far into Sakar that we are missing the bliss of Nirankar. May God Bless us !
ReplyDeleteAlso it is from beyond the mesaage #
DeleteThank you for sharing this experience. This is a true miracle.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a message from 'Beyond' for all of us and certainly NOT a coincidence. May Nirankar bless you ALWAYS.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on this topic Rajan Ji. This topic of "focus on Nirankar v/s Sakar" been going on in my mind a lot, specially since I came back from Maharashtra samagam .... I noticed that Sadguru has changed form but is doing exactly what Sadguru has done for ages and its time for me to change myself and "Do" what Sadguru has asked me to do, to focus on "Nirankar" .... Please bless ....
ReplyDeleteThank you Datta ji
ReplyDeleteAnd I am sure you recognized that the book I mentioned here is the one you brought for me from Mumbai and mailed it to me.Thanks for adding your thoughts and of course a big Thanks for this beautiful book.
Very nice thought Uncle Ji. If you had read the verse at any other time you probably woud not have appreciated its impacthe and depth. I agree with David, too much emphasis has been placed on the Sarkaar. It is a sad reality that most of the public are incapable of understanding the formless abstract nature of God ...even when they spend hours and days with the prophet explaining it. Some people are bound by their simple 5 senses to understand the world.
ReplyDeleteVery nice thought Uncle Ji. If you had read the verse at any other time you probably woud not have appreciated its impacthe and depth. I agree with David, too much emphasis has been placed on the Sarkaar. It is a sad reality that most of the public are incapable of understanding the formless abstract nature of God ...even when they spend hours and days with the prophet explaining it. Some people are bound by their simple 5 senses to understand the world.
ReplyDeletewonderful timely reminder as we are more indulging in other aspects of guru or mission, as discussion or gyan charcha is getting thinner ... During your visits to Jammu, once during vichar you said that we can only have one relationship with "nirankar" and i.e of "yadd" or remembrance ... Avatar Bani to says "mann apne de jyot jagga kr mann wich yadd basa layee ey'..... for remembrance to have continuity we have to live in present moment .... some would say gyan yog :) .. i personally feel that everything available to us has a consumable form ..water might be in abandance but when it reaches my glass through all processes it becomes beneficial .. so is earth , air, fire etc ... so Guru or saints like you is physical form are consumable form of nirankar ....who will again remind us that anything under the influence of change is not real.... exchange of thoughts and experiences or even memories created so on are just added perks to have got physical experience of living guru or saints .... gyan is the ultimate and supreme ... it is the word of guru and soul of mission ... Baba ji once while passing through samba satsang bhawan in J&K said "we have to live this gyan"...... again ... reminder which we always received from saints that gyan is the ultimate message of the prophets ... thanks again ,, dnkg
ReplyDeleteDhan Nirankar Rajan ji
ReplyDeleteYour blog has been very inspiring and educating. I have a question santo.
I have only known Baba Hardev ji as my satguru. and for almost 20 years I always prayed to him or with his picture in front of me or in my heart. I find it hard to accept the change. I know that Mata Savinder ji is satguru now but whenever I pray or want to do simaran I think of Baba ji and not Mata ji. I think you have gone through these changes 3-4 times and seen 4 Gurus. How did yo accept the change. What should I do? Please guide.
NK
In order to accept the change - to make peace with the present - one has to let go of the past. It is important to know and analyze the past so we can learn from it but we cannot accept the present or improve our future by constantly living and keep on glorifying the past. Sometimes, letting go of the past may not be easy .... but then....the road to Spirituality is not really an easy path.
ReplyDeleteRajan
Thanks for saying these words above. I realized that by living in the past I am missing out on the present. May we continue to live in the present. Thank you Uncle ji.
ReplyDelete