Mirabai, Mystic Experience, and Sant Ravidas
Sant Mirabai
{"Repeat the Name of your Beloved, day and night, again and again. With care in thought, word and deed, you will cross to the other shore." -- Dadu}
The inner spiritual experiences of all mystics, whether of the East or the West, are the same.
Like Namdev, Kabir, Paltu, Ravidas (Mira's Sant Satguru later in her life, also spelled Raidas -- see NOTE below ++), and other Saints, Mira gives indications of her inner experiences in some of her poems:
0 friend, the firmament within
Resounds with the Divine Melody.
Listen, my soul, to the clanging sound
That reverberates without any cymbals.
On the peak of Sunn* burns a lamp;
Forever it burns without any wick or oil.
Describing the bliss of one of the inner regions Mira says:
In Bhanwar Gupha** revel bumble bees#
in joy around flowers of bliss.
Flowers whose fragrance overwhelms
them with ecstasy.
Within Bhanwar Gupha swing souls
in exuberance;
Souls, who on getting the body
of five elements,+
Did light the lamp of divine knowledge
within it.
My eyes oblivious of all else now gaze
at the Beloved without blinking.
The stupor caused by endless wanderings
has vanished.
And the Beloved speaks to Mira directly..
--- Sant Mirabai,
(Encyclopaedia of Saints of India: Mirabai: Volume 16, Dr SR Bakshi and Dr Sangh Mittra, Criterion Publications, New Delhi)
NOTES
* Sunn: Void: The Third Level in the soul's journey into the inner spiritual regions..
** Bhanwar Gupha: Revolving Cave: The Fourth Level within..
# Souls -- also "bees" may elude to humming sound (Shabd/Nada Yoga)..
+ The human body..
++ Mirabai and Ravidas: Mira Bai was the daughter of Rana Rattan Singh Rathor of Merta and a great grand-daughter of Rao Jodhaji, the founder of Jodhpur. She was born at village Kudki in the Merta District in or about AD 1498. She was married to Bhoj Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sangram Singh (popularly known as Rana Sanga). But as ill luck would have it, Prince Bhoj Raj died three or four years after the marriage. Mira became widow at a very young age. A series of deaths in the family left her prostrate. She was broken-hearted and took to a life of devotion and ecstatic mysticism. In some of Mira's padas we find definite clues that she became a disciple of Ravidas..
Many scholars feel that Mira was a believer of Saguna Bhakti and a devotee of Lord Krishna who was an incarnation of Vishnu. Hence, it was not possible for her to become a disciple of Ravidas, who believed in Nirguna Bhakti [devotion to the Formless God]. In this regard it may be said: 'Though the Saguna Bhakti is generally devoted to the incarnation of Vishnu, yet Saguna Bhaktas do not disagree with Nirguna form of God.' The second possibility is that Mira had been a devotee of Lord Krishna before coming into contact with Ravidas. The possibility of a meeting between Mira Bai and Ravidas cannot be ruled out. After the death of her father in March 1527, Mira's devotion and ecstatic mysticism brought her insurmountable misery and suffering. She left her home and started living the life of a recluse and during that period she is said to have visited Kashi and other holy places. It may be that during her visit to Kashi late in 1527 she became a disciple of Ravidas. Ravidas breathed his last in 1584 Bikrmi Sambat (Nov--Dec AD 1527)"..
(Sant Ravidas and His Contemporaries, R Chandra and KL Chanchreek, Shree Publisher and Distributors, New Delhi)
Sant Ravidas
Radhasoami faith is the true religion and Radhasoami is the name of the true Supreme Being.
The Sant-satguru of the time is the Supreme Being incarnate. With all love and humility, the devotee should serve him with body, mind and soul. His satsang should be attended with full faith and attention.
The true name revealed by the Satguru is Radhasoami. It is Dhunyatmak naam or the supreme resonance of the highest division of creation; all others who have manifested themselves at lower spheres are subordinate to it. Radhasoami as such is the all-pervading spiritual resonance that harmonizes the sounds of different lower regions; hence Radhasoami is the sat-shabd or true holy name.
By implanting this true name within one's own self with all love and faith, the sumiran, dhyan and bhajan should be practiced [sumiran/simran: repeating God's Name (Radhasoami), dhyan: visualising the form of one's Sant-satguru/teacher and seeing inner Light; bhajan: meditating upon the inner Sound]. Bhajan or surat-shabd-yoga should be practiced in a secluded place regularly and with all reliance in the grace and mercy of Radhasoami Dayal [the Compassionate Lord of the Soul] and Satguru; whatever is observed and heard should be kept secret and should not be divulged to others under any circumstances.
A true satsangi should surrender himself entirely to the mauj [will] of the Satguru. Whatever comes to pass in his life, he should not complain; rather he should take it to be for his good.
Animal diet and intoxicants should be totally avoided. Use of rich food and over-eating should also be avoided. The period of sleep should be gradually reduced to six hours a day.
Attachment to the worldly people and the material objects should be reduced to the minimum. Worldly thoughts should not be allowed to overpower the mind. The mind and senses should be kept under control. Public and private duties should be performed with mental equanimity.
Feeling of pride and vanity in matters of caste, wealth, position and personal qualifications should not be allowed to grow. Love and humility are true virtues or real personal ornaments which should be adopted.
Jealousy, antagonism and anger should not be entertained. Time should not be wasted in useless pursuits and gossip. A habit of forgiveness and tolerance should be inculcated.
Feeling of love, affection and brotherhood for fellow satsangis should be cultivated. A true desire to fulfill the ideals of bhakti [love and devotion] should be nurtured.
Attention should in no case be diverted to activities, customs and functions detrimental to true spiritual pursuits. Fear of worldly gain should not distract the mind from fulfilling the requirements of the faith.
Benevolence and charity should be adhered to and a certain portion of the earnings should be spent in parmarthi activities.
One should deal with others in the same manner as one would wish others to behave with him. If one is not in a position to do good to others, he should under no circumstances cause any harm to them. Nothing should be done with the motive of gaining name and fame in the world.
The spiritual realization, inner secrets of the practice of surat-shabd-yoga [meditation upon the inner Sound of God (Radhasoami)], and inner revelations of His grace and mercy should at no cost be disclosed by a devotee to anybody except the Satguru.
Truth should be the guideline in the performance of all activities, spiritual or temporal, for a satsangi. Nothing that falls short of truth should be acceptable to him. ////////
Baba Sevi Sahab (1843---1919)
Love (Bhakti) is the Life or Soul of the Entire Universe
Sant Mat Fellowship:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SantMatFellowship
{"Do not live even a single day without inner meditation".. -- Baba Devi Sahab}
"So, we should go to that place where the way to remove these veils is taught. In the terminology of Sants and noble people, such a place is called `satsang' where methods are taught to inculcate bhakti [love and devotion] and remove the veils that keep it under-cover".. (Baba Devi Sahab)
"God and bhakti are otherwise one and the same thing".. (Baba Devi Sahab)
"In short, bhakti is such a thing without which no worldly or heavenly acts can be accomplished. He alone is a human being (in the true sense) who knows the key to or secret of bhakti. He whose heart is devoid of the spirit of love is not even as good as an animal; he is rather much more inferior to that".. (Baba Devi Sahab)
"Bhakti is that essential substance without which any work, either of this world or of the other world, can not be fulfilled; for all such tasks which a man performs with genuine zeal get accomplished well, and all other works in which we do not feel sincerely involved remain incomplete or are only half done".. (Baba Devi Sahab)
"What is most significant about bhakti is that is opens up inside man the easy pathway to God, treading on which man reaches his centre or destination from where he never (needs to) return".. (Baba Devi Sahab)
"The other Music or Sound is internal and the way to listen to that is by focussing our attention on the internal `Shabd' or Sound which is Ringing within each one of us. Shabd is a highly precious wealth in the life of every human being. So long as this Shabd is present in a man he is alive; as soon as the Shabd exits, it is the end of him.".. (Baba Devi Sahab)
"It is the highest duty of every individual to acquire experiential Knowledge of this Shabd, and to investigate or explore the Origin or Source from where this Shabd flows out".. (Baba Devi Sahab)
Below is a rare Sant Mat discourse by Baba Devi Sahab (of Hathras, who spent some time in Agra, eventually settling in Moradabad, where he established an ashram). He was connected with the sangat and lineage of Param Sant Tulsi Sahib of Hathras. This is translated for the very first time from Hindi into English..
Naam Bhakti, James
[Baba Devi Sahab used to travel widely to awaken the masses by propagating the precepts of Santmat. In this process, he had also traveled and delivered his discourses in a number of cities located in what is now Pakistan, such as Multan, Quetta, Karachi, etc. The following is an English rendering of one of his lectures in Hindi, gratefully excerpted from pages of http://sadgurumehi.com , delivered at Karachi on the topic of `bhakti' (devotion)]..
- Translated by Pravesh K. Singh
(http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sant_santati, http://blog.360.yahoo.com/praveshksingh )
Friends! At this time I want to say something to you on a topic which is often talked about, which is often in the tongue of all the people of the earth, but alas! They pay no attention at all to it and regard it as a petty thing. In my view this is an extremely valuable thing that has been considered by the sages of all faiths and creeds to be absolutely essential for accomplishment of their goals. They treat this as the Quintessential Principle and reckon all other principles as secondary and subservient to this. Also, they believe that without its help, no (other) principle can be effective, nor can success be achieved in any activity – this worldly or the other-worldly. If we choose to call it a `mystery', it undoubtedly deserves being called so, because that Supreme Soul (God) is the biggest of all Mysteries; but, in fact, its rank is no lesser than His. There is a relationship of equality between it and God, and even between the two, it holds the higher rank, God coming second after it. If God is considered as a lock, it is the key (to open that lock); because without its help, neither has the secret of God, nor the secret of creation been revealed to anybody. Whoever comes to possess even a precious little of this wealth also comes to know the secrets of above, and of the outer world, otherwise there are countless millions of souls who depart from this world without having realized the secrets of God and (His) creation..
Now the question is: what is this entity called and where is it to be found? Well! Its name is `bhakti', `ishq', and love. Seen superficially, these three words might appear to be different but in essence these are one and the same. Call it `bhakti' (devotion), call it `ishq' (Urdu equivalent of intense love) or call it love. This (bhakti) has the Quintessential and innate character to unite two things together and give birth to a new shape or form. These shapes may be of different kinds, small or big. Some of these shapes at this time are so large that we come to recognize that this is that. And, some shapes are so small that it is not possible to know them even with the help of a microscope. In such a situation how can such an intricate subject be easy to comprehend by common people?!..
Thus it is evident that these extremely tiny entities or atoms are definitely acted upon by some such thing which has a natural propensity of uniting. Had there been no such thing in action, all these bodies and things would not have come into existence; such a vast world would not have been there for us to see. Beginning from the atom to the whole world, there is a common thread running through all of these so that they can not budge from their position in any way, and that (thread) is bhakti. If that part of indwelling bhakti leaves these, the whole of world and its atoms would be disassembled and broken to pieces..
Therefore, we should understand that bhakti [love] is the life or soul of the entire universe; it is responsible for the existence of everything from the tiny atom to all the bodies and masses..
All these celestial bodies including the various stars and galaxies filling up the sky are constantly moving full of devotion, from the east to the west, and keep imparting their power i.e. light and life to this earth through their rays which are the source of all life on the earth. Inspired by the very same bhakti, the earth too is incessantly dancing (rotating and revolving) and injecting its innumerable currents of life-force in the form of juices (fluids) into the entire flora. The vegetable kingdom, also bubbling with the same devotion, infuses its currents of life-force in the form of food or grains into the animals which thus get their life. Again these animals, too, completely soaked in the spirit of devotion, impart their life-current into their offspring in the form of their milk..
Now we stand mesmerized - whether this is creation or a store-house of bhakti where each and every substance is radiating bhakti, with great pomp and éclat, keeping its favoured goal or deity before it, and is dissolving into its object of love. All these work so much till the end that they disappear merging into their objects of love. Look! These luminous stars, constellations, etc. gradually vanish in the process of enhancing minerals, etc, while these minerals slowly disappear serving the flora or the vegetable kingdom. Likewise, the vegetation destroy themselves working in the interest of animals..
So what should we call bhakti – Wine or Chloroform? The whole of world is going mad under an intoxicating effect!..
Just see! This bhakti is neither a fruit nor any dessert or sweet dish. Yet its taste is so wonderful that if anyone brings merely its name on his tongue and proclaims, Love! Devotion!, then it instantly generates a wave in the human heart, be it a child, youth or elderly, and permeates our veins throwing us into a kind of trance, a sort of intoxication. Bhakti has a unique characteristic so that it completely overpowers anyone towards whom does it turn its glance, even partially; and that person spontaneously becomes biased in its favour. He stands before it with folded hands… ready every moment to do its bidding, to follow its orders!..
Bhakti has made a thunderous proclamation all over the world about its miraculous exploits of bringing the gigantic and violent creatures under its control and making them dance to its tune like a woman or children do in a circus performing different feats. It is by dint of this bhakti that even a junior steno, clerk or peon makes his officer so amicable and favourable to him that the latter is ready to help him, even by going out of way, circumventing the official laws and orders. It is through the power of bhakti that an accountant or a servant attracts the attention of his master and gets things (in reward) which even the kiths and kins of the latter keep craving for. Not only this! With bhakti all the powers and all the deities can be brought under one's control… following the hint and inspiration of bhakti one can perform such miraculous feats which would leave people completely baffled who start calling (these feats): miracles, `siddhi', `maujajA', `sahar' or magic..
Bhakti establishes a connection of affection, a relationship between God and man… orders and counsellings regarding this world and the other world, comes into existence which people call `ilhAm'. With the power of bhakti, people can foretell future happenings, can convert the impossible into the possible and the vice versa. Bhakti is capable of destroying all the ill effects and attacks of black magic and various diseases. The prayers of a devout person alone are accepted (by God). Bhakti makes a person immensely wise and of pure intellect. Virtues such as of honesty and truthfulness stand with folded hands in attendance of a devout being. Bhakti is the religion/duty of the whole world; no creed, faith or sect can remain steady and stable in absence of it. What is most significant about bhakti is that is opens up inside man the easy pathway to God, treading on which man reaches his centre or destination from where he never (needs to) return..
In short, bhakti is such a thing without which no worldly or heavenly acts can be accomplished. He alone is a human being (in the true sense) who knows the key to or secret of bhakti. He whose heart is devoid of the spirit of love is not even as good as an animal; he is rather much more inferior to that..
Now the question is: what is this bhakti which has been so elaborately described? Is it a very old entity, or has it been born of something? What is this (bhakti)? Since the beginning of the creation, there has been three types of great people whom the world hail as wise and sacred souls; their understanding and thoughts have formed the foundation-stone of all the faiths, philosophies and sciences in the whole of world. Some of these great persons say that `bhakti' is the central thing and the very question of its antiquity or novelty is meaningless. Others are of the opinion that bhakti itself is the Supreme Lord or God; it has not been born of any other thing... God and bhakti are otherwise one and the same thing, differing only in their names. The third group of greats opines that bhakti is something which is born, and is superior to `jIvAtmA' (individual non-liberated soul) but inferior than the God..
A close examination, however, evinces that though bhakti appears to be of (above-mentioned) three forms, in reality it is the same entity; because if, going by the first point of view, it is taken to be the central thing, even then it is almost as respectable as God who is the repertoire of bhakti. If, on the other hand, as per the second opinion, bhakti itself is God, in that case too, God is its treasure-trove. Further, if the third school of thought is held to be true, bhakti is superior to jIvAtmA but lower than God, then also God is its origin or centre. In the last, I have to state that bhakti, whether it is a thing, is God Himself or something superior to jIvAtmA, its properties remain the same in every case. It also proves that its cause or source is only one, not many..
Bhakti is the animating force or the essence of the whole world. It is not that it has now disappeared or gone somewhere else; rather it is manifesting its influence in its various hues, hiding itself in cloaks of creation. To test if this is true, just have a look at the person closest to you. Had there been no part of bhakti in him, he would have been lying in the world like a dead pebble or stone. It is the very power of bhakti driven by which man is walking and performing various tasks; because for every effort, every inspiration that is driving the man or causing all his works to be discharged, bhakti is at the root. Bhakti is that essential substance without which any work, either of this world or of the other world, can not be fulfilled; for all such tasks which a man performs with genuine zeal get accomplished well, and all other works in which we do not feel sincerely involved remain incomplete or are only half done..
What I mean is that bhakti or love is an extremely essential ingredient for the successful completion of everything, every task, and, therefore, is regarded as special component in all the endeavours aimed at success in any field whatsoever. Hence, a wise man must examine, before starting any work, as to whether he possesses sufficient amount of bhakti for completing a given task. If yes, he should begin that work, otherwise he should keep mum and make an effort to enhance the quantum of bhakti within him. When adequate, bhakti would be acquired, the tasks would get automatically fulfilled..
Now the question arises that if bhakti is an unfailing means to the attainment of this-worldly and the other-worldly goals, where and how it is to be found? In this regard, ancient as well as current sages state that bhakti is inherently present in one and all; but there are some veils hanging in front of it which keeps it from manifesting itself. So, we should go to that place where the way to remove these veils is taught. In the terminology of Sants and noble people, such a place is called `satsang' where methods are taught to inculcate bhakti [love and devotion] and remove the veils that keep it under-cover. These processes are so simple and common that these may be followed by each and every person. The first of these is about the health of the body, second is about the health of organs, and the third about the health of the soul..
The way to ensure good bodily health is through intake of appropriate and pure/sacred food which has been procured through pure means or noble people, because the food we eat has an effect on our organs which in turn have an impact on the soul which ultimately affects the success in meditation on God. If the body is not healthy and strong, the inner power and ardour/fire needed for the purpose do not get fully developed in it, and the time devoted in meditation does not bear enough success; in absence of success, the goal of the practitioner is not achieved..
We should protect or shield our organs and mental propensities from the pride of worldly fame, wealth, education and lineage, because all such pride is enemy of bhakti; bhakti deserts those places which are inhabited by these. If bhakti is light, these are darkness. Bhakti gets displeased with whoever grants room in his heart to these enemies of bhakti. It is mandatory for the seekers of bhakti to keep away from the company of people who remain under the sway of their passionate desires or lists for such company is more lethal than even `halAhal' (the mythical deadly poison produced during the churning of the ocean by gods and demons). Listening to discussions of such people destroys our best virtues and kindles the fire of jealousy and greed within us leading to an ever worrisome and restless state of mind..
Health of the soul is ensured through proper utilization, internal as well as external, of three organs namely mouth, eyes, and ears. First, guarding ourselves against lying ,we should devote our talks to singing praises of God, and prayers. It is natural for any one to be happy and begin to love someone who praises him. So, if somebody praises God, God begins to love him. For example, if I tell you now that such and such person speaks high of you, you would naturally become pleased with him and feelings of affection towards him would to begin to surge within you. There is no other way more efficacious than this to please God. To counsel other people of the world and try to persuade them onto the noble path is also included within (the category of) praising God. So much about the external utilization of speech. Internal utilization of speech consists of speaking less, speaking with restraint, refraining from debates and discussions, and speaking ill of others..
Secondly, we should suitably use the organ of vision, the eyes, in careful observation of things, in such a way which makes us aware of the might of the Lord and the thinking of philosophers, which, in turn, strengthens our determination in religion that we are treading the straight path which has been used earlier also by (the wise) ones. This is about putting our faculty of seeing to right use in the external world. The way to proper utilization of this faculty in the inner world is different, which is known as `ilm-e-vasIrat', that is, the Knowledge acquired within through inner vision. This knowledge is such a unique Knowledge to acquire which Aflatoon had to devote a good thirteen years in the temples of Egypt..
By fixing the gaze in one's front in Inner Space, one gets to see the various prophets, incarnations, gods and sages exactly (as they were) and also the divine radiance & light. The two visions are of distinct nature. Sightings of incarnations, gods, etc... enable us to realize the hidden secrets as also what has been told (by the wise) through words or symbolic hints at different times. Whereas, by beholding the divine radiance & light, a range of sciences and disciplines never heard of or read about are revealed within; this is the main gateway to the revelation of various learning, skills, disciplines and sciences. Practice of this art of seeing is variously referred to as "Drishti SAdhan" or "Vindu DhyAn" --- meditation on the Infinitesimal Point within. We should guard ourselves against (contemplating) or fixing our sight upon gross substances (of the external world), for they lead to several unwanted and evil dispositions or tendencies such as insanity, poor memory, stupidity, deceit, hypocrisy, etc..
Thirdly, we should use our organ of hearing with the ears, in listening carefully to the speeches, sayings or discourses of preceptors, counsellors, gurus and lecturers, and concentrate on ([bhakti] devotional) songs. These breed bhakti and the soul gets its appropriate food which produces a unique, indescribable joy. Songs have a (magical) effect even on great scholars and wise people. They get lost in this [devotional] singing and their heads begin to sway in joy uttering praises. At such times, they become so engrossed, so absorbed, that they are not even mindful of the rules of the assembly/gathering (where such soulful renderings are being made). Persons engrossed in thoughts of God are lifted by such devotional songs into a state of mind that is called `wajd'. In such a state their heads begin to spontaneously swing in ecstasy, a bliss which is impossible of description. Even animals can not remain untouched by this joy; they also get drunk on joy and begin to dance. It is the magic spell of music only that soldiers perish on the battleground without caring for their lives. Music casts a direct influence on body, organs and the soul; diseases of body, organs and soul get cured by this (music). This is the explicit impact of sound which is concerned with the external use of ears..
The other Music or Sound is internal and the way to listen to that is by focussing our attention on the internal `Shabd' or Sound which is Ringing within each one of us. Shabd is a highly precious wealth in the life of every human being. So long as this Shabd is present in a man he is alive; as soon as the Shabd exits, it is the end of him. Thus, the difference between a corpse and a living man is that while a man is alive he walks and speaks, and when the Shabd leaves him, he is able to neither walk nor talk. The cycle of life is the result of the inspiration of Shabd only; Shabd itself is the essence or soul of all those books which are said to be `ilhAmi', `AsmAnI' or heavenly, through or with the help of which, people acquired longevity in ancient times, which sounds incredible today..
In the human mind, there are three more compartments apart from the natural (physical) part, namely: `Shabd' (Sound), `prakAsh' (light) and `andhakAr' (darkness). The waves or vibrations of Shabd permeate the whole of the body through light, darkness, the brain and the tiny blood vessels (arteries/veins), in that order. It exists in the body in the form of vitality or Life-Current; it exists in the mental sky in the form of Light, while it exists as Sound in the void. This Shabd is an immensely valuable entity. In ancient times Greeks, Egyptians, Romans and Hindus authored several books on Shabd. That is why, I say that it is the highest duty of every individual to acquire experiential Knowledge of this Shabd, and to investigate or explore the Origin or Source from where this Shabd flows out..
Friends, with this I end my talk on bhakti. I very humbly request you to pardon me please if anything of what I have said has not been to your liking.. (Baba Devi Sahab) ////////
