The Spiritual Journey According to Sant Dariya Sahib and the Dariya Sahib Satsang
By James Bean
{Radhaswami Dayal ki Daya Radhaswami Sahai:
"Grant Merciful Radhasoami Thy Grace and Protection"}
(The Satsang/Sangat/Sant Mat Path Founded by Dariya)
The Wisdom of Sant Dariya Sahib and the Dariya Panth
Sant Dariya Sahib was born in 1674 and supposedly passed on in 1780. Both he and Tulsi Sahib of Hathras, Sant Mat Master, and author of the "Ghat Ramayana", would have been alive at the same time, and Dariya passed on only 38 years before the birth of Swami Ji Maharaj,
the Saint of Agra.
According to the introduction of the book, "Dariya Sahib - Saint of Bihar," by K. N. Upadhyaya, the Dariya Panth of Sant Mat alive & well in Bihar as well as Dharkandha, India at the present time. These groups apparently have many branches and living Masters, "hundreds of Sants" according to the webmaster of the Dariya website. Dariya appointed two successor Satgurus. One of those eventually died and was succeeded by another Master. Thus, that Master, along with the other Satguru appointed by Sant Dariya, were alive at the same time Param Sant Tulsi Sahib had his satsang at Hathras.
Sant Dariya said that his satsang would continue to live on in the world so long as the Path of the Sound Current continues to be taught and experienced in the satsangs of his lineage of Sant Mat. When the inner Gnosis or spiritual Knowledge gets lost and replaced by organizational politics, rites and rituals, Dariya said that he will come again, reincarnating and re-establishing Sant Mat in the world again with a new lineage of Sant Satgurus.
Some in the Dariya Panth believe that Sant Dariya was the
reincarnation of Guru Kabir. Indeed, the style and vocabulary of Dariya's hymns and mystic poems reminds me very much of the Anurag Sagar and other literature used in the Kabir/Dharamdasi branch of Sant Mat.
As far as I know, this translation by Upadhyaya published by RS Books is currently the only book in the English language featuring the teachings of Sant Dariya. There is also one English website: The Sant Dariya Sahib Website: http://www.geocities.com/santdariya/home.html
An Introduction to the Teachings of Dariya and Sant Mat
Satpurush [God] sends his son to the world to save the living beings from the clutches of Kal [universal mind, lord of time]. Sant Dariya Saheb came to the world under the instructions of the Lord to save Jivas [souls]. Satpurush came to Dharkandha (a village in Bihar, India) to instruct Dariya Saheb. The Lord enthroned Sant Dariya and assured him to save the souls that followed his teachings [he became a Sant Satguru].
Sant Dariya preached ahimsa (non-violence) against all living
beings. According to him, unless lamp of kindness is lighted, the soul cannot find the path that leads to the Lord.
The teaching of Dariya Saheb is above sects, castes and religions. People belonging to any race, religion and caste can be benefited from His teaching. According to the teachings of this Sant [saint], all the men and women are the creation of the Satpurush. One should love and respect others as one expects love and respect from others. Harsh words should not be spoken. One should see his own image in others. Sant Dariya preached love and devotion to Satpurush only. According to Him no purpose is served by visiting places of pilgrimage if true devotion to the Lord is missing. Sant Dariya preached against ritualism. The human body has all the sixty eight tirthas (places of pilgrimage). It is the true mandir/masjid [temple of God] in which the Lord could be discovered and worshipped.
Satpurush is unborn, eternal, all-powerful, creator of everything. He does not take birth and meet death. He is beyond description. The soul [jiva] is the resident of Satlok [the True, Eternal Realm]. It has got entangled into the snare of Kal and is wandering in samsara (material universe, world of changes) in different forms. Satpurush sends Satgurus to the world of samsara to teach the misguided souls. Only the Satguru knows the path that liberates souls from the snares of Kal. The soul by following the teachings of the Satguru, gets liberated and goes to his permanent abode, that is Satlok.
Devotion to Satpurush alone can free the souls from the clutches of kal. Worship to poly-gods, ghosts and other celestial objects have been discouraged by the Sants (saints). Observance of rituals and wandering in places of pilgrimage without true devotion to the Lord serve no purpose. One should take vegetarian food only. Eating of meat is completely prohibited in his order [the order of Sant Dariya Sahib].
Sant Dariya has advocated two paths only for attainment of nirvana:
1. Thr Path of Knowledge (Gnosis)
2. The Path of Bhakti (Devotion)
This human birth is most precious and it should not be lost in mere satisfaction of sensuous pleasures, accumulation of wealth and wielding power. Human birth should be utilised for the realisation of Pad-Nirvan (God). If this opportunity is lost, none can say when one would be fortunate to get the human birth again. The getting of human birth is rare. One does not become high or low from his origin of birth. By acquiring virtues and doing good deeds only, one becomes high.
Like all other saints of Nirguna School [devotees of the Formless Lord of Love], Dariya Saheb discarded Avatarbad (belief in incarnations). He did not believe in the theory of Divine creation of four classes of people as Brahman. Kshatriya, Vaisya and Sudra .
The soul and God are two different entities. The soul takes
different forms (Rupas) in Samsara whereas God [Anadi Satpurush] is beyond Samsara. God is one while souls are many. Souls get tainted by the load of deeds and reaps the fruits of his actions [karma]. God is nirlep ( beyond getting tainted).
The Teachings of the Saints [Sant Mat] could be summarised in the following three:
1. Right Gahani (Understanding)
2. Right Rahani (Living)
3. Simran (Mindfulness, Repeating God's Name, Meditation)
Some Mystic Poetry of Sant Dariya Sahib, Saint of Bihar, India
Be not intimidated by any fear.
Hold fast to the Naam [The Light-Sound, Lifestream]
which is always there to help.
Having come to this world
I will emancipate the souls
By giving them the mark of the Sound Current.
That Living Lord who shatters pride
And dissolves sin is always there to help.
The holy places of Mecca and Madina
are within this heart,
Look within it and you will find them there.
The Lord is my Beloved,
Who is close to the heart of the lover.
He is seen in each heart,
In each heart His palace is alike.
I have told you again and again,
He is seen close by, although seems far off.
The One who has built this house (body),
Dwells within it and is ever present there.
See the manifestation of the Lord within the heart,
says Dariya,
By using the collyruim of the Guru's wisdom.
By contemplating his holy feet within the heart,
One can have easy access to the goal
of the Inaccessible Path.
The inner moon is the luminous lamp,
In the Light of which the lover finds the Beloved.
A great rejoicing goes on within the inner Garden,
And the sight of the dear Beloved pleases the heart.
One thus enters the Abode of the Lord,
And serves at his door as a true Saint.
Let your heart be the mirror,
Within it will be seen your unparalleled Home.
Your true Home is visible in this mirror,
And therein is seen a Refulgent Form.
God shines clearly as the polar star,
His splendor is spread behind the inner veil.
Search for the Saint, the remover of the rust,
Then cleanse all the rust of your mirror.
As the mirror of your heart is gradually cleansed,
Its light and luster will increase day by day.
The technique of love is truly the root of spirituality.
Follow this technique as imparted by the Master.
When with his grace the inner lamp is lighted,
The true Naam [inner Light & Sound], the support of all, comes to sight.
Without love there can be no devotion and wisdom.
With love arisen, they can be experienced
with the Guru's grace.
With intensification of love, one comes in contact
with the True Sound,
And like a lotus in water, abides in its peace and bliss.
The true Lord resides within this body,
Recognize Him through the manifestation of true love.
By entering within yourself,
See the manifestation of the true wisdom.
Entering the cave of the inner sky,
See the manifestation of the boundless Sound.
By dwelling upon the Unstruck Divine Music,
the inner experience opens up.
And with the realization of the Truth,
one reaches the other shore.
This realization is beyond the experience
of the three worlds.
It is the realization of the Primeval Lord,
the very goal of our love.
This is the Fearless Realm where fear is destroyed,
One becomes immortal and rejoices forever.
It is the Primeval Sound which carries one to this Abode,
And it is the Satguru who makes it known.
There the passage is made through the eye of the needle.
Gems glitter there in the refulgence of Light.
Our path is through subtle regions,
There the inner sight illumines our way.
He, who carries on the practice of the true Sound,
Beholds the Truth from the beginning to the end
within his body.
By realizing the true Sound with rapt attention,
He attains the status of a pure swan.
Such a devotee reaches the Immortal Abode,
And there he sees mysterious and wondrous sights.
With the bright sun of the Satguru's Sound [Shabda]
arisen within,
He becomes pure and can never be touched by blemishes.
Without love there can be no devotion and wisdom.
With love arisen, they can be experienced
with the Satguru's grace.
With intensification of love, one comes in contact
with the True Sound,
And like a lotus in water, abides in its peace and bliss.
When love and endearment are firmly engrained,
One attains the elixir of Nam, and enjoys its bliss.
Being firmly entrenched in love and endearment,
And being well-steeped in devotion,
one obtains the true love.
Have love for the lotus feet of the Satguru, 0 wise men.
This life is short.
Give up needlessly extended discussions.
With love and wisdom arisen,
One moves with detachment in the world.
He who finds a Satguru,
Has the true recognition of the path, says Dariya.
So long as the lover is not immersed in love,
His sins and evil thoughts are not washed off.
If one's attention is not absorbed in the inner sky,
How can he see the wondrous inner sights?
So long as the intense longing for the Beloved
does not arise,
And the heart is not filled with love;
The spiritual goal cannot be attained
By mere observance of religious practices,
vows and rituals.
Whatever be the bulk of one's charity and virtuous deeds,
One can find no foothold anywhere without devotion.
Have firm faith in love and devotion.
Love is the essence of spiritual truth.
Reflect on this saying of the Saints,
By this alone, one is saved from the ocean of the world.
Without love, one goes to the abode of Yama,
But being endowed with love, one attains the immortal fruit.
Blessed is the eye which is permeated with love.
Without love it is like a pebble or stone.
Like a gardener without a garden,
the eye remains empty without love.
What is the state of a human being without love?
He is like one who is denied all delicacies,
and whose mouth is filled only with dust.
Without love one does not find the flow
of the Sound Current.
But when the flower of love blossoms,
its fragrance is praised by all.
Many are the paths prevalent in this world
Knowing the proper wisdom, work out your own salvation.
He who obtains a wise and discriminating Saint,
Recognizes the path of salvation.
The technique of love is truly the root of spirituality.
Follow this technique as imparted by the Master.
When with his grace the inner lamp is lighted,
The true Nam, the support of all, comes to sight.
Just as the lotus resides in water,
It does not come to bloom by water.
Only when the light of the sun appears,
Does the lotus open its petals,
As the contemplative (inner) eye opens to see.
The spiritual lotus likewise resides in the human body
which is like a pond.
Its sustaining water is close to the lotus.
But only when love for the Satguru arises,
Does the inner lotus bloom,
And one becomes a devotee of the Lord's holy feet.
Without love, there is no spiritual path.
The path lives in love.
With intensification of love, one comes in contact
with the True Sound,
And like a lotus in water, abides in its peace and bliss.
When love and endearment are firmly engrained,
One attains the elixir of Nam, and enjoys its bliss.
Being firmly entrenched in love and endearment,
And being well-steeped in devotion,
one obtains the true love.
Without love one does not find the flow
of the Sound Current.
But when the flower of love blossoms,
its fragrance is praised by all.
-- Sant Dariya Sahib,
"Dariya Sahib - Saint of Bihar"
by K. N. Upadhyaya
