The Teachings of Sant Dariya Sahib and Sant Mat, The Path of the Masters

The Teachings of Sant Dariya Sahib and Sant Mat, The Path of the Masters
 
{"This mysterious path is described in the holy books, but it cannot be found simply by the study of sacred texts. It is found by the grace and guidance of an accomplished teacher." -- Swami Santsevi Ji Maharaj}

The Teachings of Sant Dariya Sahib and Sant Mat, The Path of the Masters


Brief Background

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 perhaps only 38 years before the birth of Swami Ji Maharaj, the Saint of Agra.

Some in the Dariya Panth or branch of Santmat believe that Sant Dariya was the reincarnation of Guru Kabir. Indeed, the style and vocabulary of Dariya's hymns and mystic poems do remind me very much of the Anurag Sagar and other literature used in the Guru Kabir-Dharamdasi lineages.

As far as I know, the translation into English by K. N. Upadhyaya: "Dariya Sahib -- Saint of Bihar", in the Mystics of the East Series, RS Book Department, is currently the only major book in the English language featuring the teachings of Sant Dariya. There is also one English site online: The Sant Dariya Sahib Website:
https://web.archive.org/web/20030711210812/http://www.geocities.com/santdariya/teachings.html


Selections from the Sant Dariya Sahib Website -- Teachings of the Dariya Branch of Santmat

Satpurush [God, True Eternal Being] 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 the 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 [God, the True, Eternal Being] 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. The Path of Knowledge (Gnosis, Mystical Experience Within)

2. The Path of Bhakti (Devotion, Love)

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)

A Shabd of Sant Dariya Sahib (from the Sant Daria Website)

Budh Jan Chalahu Agam Panth Bhari

Budha jan chalahu agam panth bhari
tumse kaho samajhu jab aabe, abari ke bar sambhari
kat na kush paahan nahi tahava, nahi bitap van jhari
ved kiteb pandit nahi tahaba,binu masi ank sambari
nahi taha ganapati phanipati gyata, nahi taha sristri sambari
nahi taha sarita samundra na ganga, gyan ki gami ujiyari
swarg patal mirtyu lok ke bahar, taha purush mathadhari
kahe Dariya taha darsan sat hai, sant jana lehu vichari.

(Darya invites people to accompany him to Amarpur, the place of the Lord. He further, says that when you understand the message, let the opportunity be not wasted in trifles. In subsequent verses, Dariya describes the details of the place, which is beyond description. That Lok is fully illuminated by the Light of jnana.One sees the Truth with his own eyes.)


Selections from the Mystic Vereses of the Dariya Sagar


The Boundless Supreme Lord who

is in the beginning and the end,

Has descended to this earth.

Aeon after aeon He has been coming to impart wisdom to you.

Understand His teachings

And be immersed in His wisdom.

When one looks within one's heart,

being awakened,

One is pulled up by a magnet-like Divine Sound.

Without that Sound, a living being

comprises mere of bones and blood,

Covered with skin on the outside.

In a moment life comes to an end,

And all our kith and kin are left behind.

But if the disciple follows

the instructions imparted by the Guru,

And takes to heart the words from the Satguru's tongue,

Then one's inner eye is illumined

And one finds the Source,

Laden with blooming flowers of immortality.

One then attains the pure-swan state,

And is rid of the vices of the wicked crow.

Such a one joins the family of the pure swans,

And is never lost in the ocean of the world, says Dariya.

Hold fast to the Sound Current,

And offer your body and mind to it.

Have love and endearment for Naam,

And you will not be lost in the ocean of the world.

There can be no devotion without love.

The inner lotus will wither without the water of love.

So long as the technique of love is not gained,

Whatever one talks of knowledge is in vain.

But when one is merged

into the Satguru's tranquil Sound Current,

One automatically obtains the taste of the nectar of love.

Just as the bee is allured by the lotus flower,

And being unable to bear the agony of separation unites with the flower;

Or just as the moon-bird's heart is absorbed in the moon;

So should one be in love with the Sound Current

without ever being forgetful.

(Dariya Sahib -- Saint of Bihar)

 

 

The Vedas and Santmat

The Vedas and Santmat

Sant Mat Fellowship:
{"This mysterious path is described in the holy books,
but it cannot be found simply by the study of sacred texts.
It is found by the grace and guidance of an accomplished teacher."}

 

 

[Maharshi Mehi Paramhans (28.04.1885-08.06.1986) studied deeply the four Vedas and the Upanishads to churn out their essence and came out with the unambiguous conclusion that the quintessential wisdom of the Vedas is very much in consonance with the spiritual experiences and preaching of the sants. Thus, he played a harmonising role, acting as a bridge between the Scriptures and the Santmat. He published a book titled "Ved Darshan Yoga" (The Philosophy of Vedas) wherein he shortlisted some of the very important hymns of Vedas with their translation (by Pandit Shri Jayadev Sharma, Vidyalankar, Mimansateerth, published by Arya Sahitya Mandal Ltd., Ajmer, Rajasthan, India) and put his own commentary buttressed by quotes from numerous sants, thus emphatically underscoring the harmony between the Vedas and Sants. Below is attempted a translation of the above book of Maharshi Mehi Paramhans, which will be brought out in phases. It is important to make out here that translating the hymns or poems of sants, which is very cryptic at times, is an extremely difficult task (because of the esoteric knowledge they contain) which, to be honest, calls for experiential knowledge that comes only through elevated stages of spiritual meditation, a qualification that is totally lacking in me. In his original book (in Hindi), Maharshi Mehi has only produced the original verses of different sants and has not offered their translation, the presumption, presumably, being that it is not required for the readers who know Hindi (and hence can supposedly make out their essence). However, considering their unintelligibility to the English speaking readership, I have made a humble and petty attempt to translate (all such translations are enclosed in square brackets, such as […]) these verses, taking help of Maharshi Mehi's and Maharshi Santsewi's discourses I have gone through, an attempt which might very well be fraught with errors. All these errors (despite my best efforts not to let these creep in), it must be acknowledged plainly & honestly, are mine & mine alone, and I hope that the learned readers might generously pardon me for the same. Jai Guru!
– Pravesh K. Singh http://blog.360.yahoo.com/praveshksingh]

Rig Veda Samhita

1. "Uduttamam varun paashamasmadavaadhamam vi madhyamam shrathaay. Athaa wayamaaditya vrate tavaanaagaso aditaye syaam." (Chap. 2, Varg 15|15 Sookta 24)

Translation:

O Highest (Absolute) Lord! You weaken or diminish the best quality or saattvik (sattva gun or satogun means the quality or attributes of purity or goodness – one of the three gunas or qualities constituting the nature or the universe) attachments by means of experiences or gratifications of highest quality. You exhaust or dull the lowliest or taamasik (tamas or tamogun means the quality or attributes of ignorance or darkness or error – one of the three gunas or qualities constituting the nature or the universe) ties by sending (us or jiv) to suffer in the lowest order of species, and you abate, dissipate or quell the attachments of the intermediate category – raajasik attachments (rajas or rajogun means the quality or attributes of activity or passion – one of the three gunas or qualities constituting the nature or the universe) by making to suffer the experiences in miscellaneous types of species. Having experienced all these bhogs (gratifications or sufferings or experiences) we pray to you, O Protector, Shelter-giver and Illuminator as-radiant-as-the-Sun, may we become sinless, pure & pristine by following the righteous path of duties as illumined by You and attain the eternal bliss and moksha (liberation from the cycles of birth & death)!

Commentary:
(By Maharshi Mehi Paramhans)

Eternal bliss can not be experienced if the liberation achieved is not for ever or permanent. Thus Vedas also accept or believe in the "liberation for ever", just as it is accepted by sants such as Kabir Sahab, Guru Nanak Sahab etc. For instance (consider the following sayings of some of the sants):

"Guru mili taake khule kapaat. Bahuri na aawe yonee baat." (Sant Kabir Sahab)

[Doors (of the Lord's Kingdom) open up for him (her) who has found a true Guru (and practises as instructed by the latter) so that he (she) has never to come back again in the cycle of birth & death.]

" Gadaa nissaan tanh sunna ke beech me,
Ulati ke surat fir nahi aawe.
Doodh ko matthi kari ghirt niyaaraa kiyaa,
bahuri fir tatta me naa samaawe.
Maadi matthaan tanh paanch ulataa kiyaa,
naam nauneeti le surati feree.
Kahai Kabir yon sant nirbhaya huaa,
janm au maran kee mitee feree." (Sant Kabir Sahab)

[That flag, sign, symbol or mark is etched in the Void (within us). He who reverts his surat (current of consciousness or attention) inwards (towards that symbol) does not have to come back again (in this world or trap of birth & death). Once ghee (clarified butter referring to jivatma here) has been separated out of milk (reference is to the composite of the gross body, mind along with ten organs, intellect, other subtler bodies etc.) by churning (meditation process) the latter i.e., milk, it (ghee) can not be converted back into its original element i.e. milk (the meaning being, once the liberation is attained by separating the soul from all the layers enveloping it, the soul can not again mingle with body). The practitioner turns the sense organs inwardly or withdraws the current of consciousness flowing out to the sense organs and thus reverts the surat with the help of butter of Divine word or sound. Practising thus, says Kabir, a sant severs the ties or knots of births & deaths and becomes fearless.]

"Jal tarang jiu jalahi samaaiaa,
tiu jotee sang jotee milaaiaa.
Kah Nanak bhram kate kiwaadaa,
bahuri na hoiai jaulaa jeeu." (Guru Nanak Sahab)

[Just as the waves (that rise on the surface of a water body) merge back into the water body itself, (the spiritual practitioner) merges the light (of individual soul) into the light (of the Ultimate Lord). Thus the doors of illusion, says Nanak, are cut open, and the jiv (unliberated individual soul) does not have to fall again into the bondage.]

Taji yog paawak deh haripad leen bhai janh nahi firai" (Goswami Tulsi Das)

[Lighting the fire of yoga, she (reference here is to Shabree, the great devotee of Lord Shri Ram) quit her body into it (lifted herself above body) and merged or reached herself into that place wherefrom one does not have to come back.]

"Koti jnaanee jnaan gaavanhi,
shabd bin sab baanchahee.
Shabd sajeevan mool aynak,
ajapaa daras dekhaawahee.
sattashabd santosh dhari dhari,
prem mangal gaavahee.
milahi satguru shabd paavahi,
pheri na bhavajal aavahee."
(Sant Dariya Sahab 'Bihari' from his book "Granth Dariya Sagar)

[True knowledge is not acquired without grasping the Divine Word, however much one may flaunt his learning, erudition or scholarship. The nectar of word is the mirror which reveals the ajapaa (one who can not be described in words or by chanting i.e. God). Having perceived the Divine Word which brings about complete & true contentment, (the practitioner) gratefully & lovingly keeps on singing His praise. He who has realised that Word with the grace of a true Guru never comes back to the ocean of existence.]