The Purpose of This Human Form -- Verses of Sant Dadu Dayal, the Compassionate Mystic

The Purpose of This Human Form -- Verses of Sant Dadu Dayal, the Compassionate Mystic

One dedicated to the immutable

is established in the immutable,

While one in pursuit of the transient

is lost in the transient.

Give up all things transient, says Dadu,

And be absorbed in the immutable.

What is the use of living for ten million years?

What is to be gained by being immortal?

Without the Nectar of love and devotion to God,

What worth is there in life, O Dadu? 

Eaten by rust day by day,

iron is slowly reduced to dust.

Without God – the philosopher's stone – life,

like iron, is simply lost somewhere, says Dadu. 

Through contact with the philospher's stone,

iron transforms its nature;

Through contact with one’s Beloved,

one is likewise converted into gold, says Dadu. 

Kicking aside the diamond,

one picks up a pebble.

Casting aside the Supreme Lord,

one is engrossed in worldly life. 

All are buying waste materials;

no one takes the diamond.

A jeweller will take the diamond

and will pay whatever price is asked. 

One is left with remorse that his life

could not be concentrated on its proper goal

This body is simply wasted

if not utilized in the service of God. 

Time was passes in useless rambling;

nothing was achieved.

Without devotion to the Lord

one repents, says Dadu. 

So priceless is this birth, O friend,

That by assuming it, the Supreme Lord can be met.

The soul herein drinks the Nectar of love

And enjoys the bliss of eternal union.

The soul comes to be absorbed in God and regains

The heritage of immortal treasure in its entirety.

She touches and sees the Lord directly;

On meeting the Supreme Lord, she merges in Him.

Such a birth cannot be obtained again, O friend.

Why do you waste this jewel? says Dadu.

Verses of Sant Dadu Dayal, the Compassionate Mystic

Verses of Sant Dadu Dayal, the Compassionate Mystic

Saints are true redeemers;

They make one see the Creator face to face.

Having themselves crossed the ocean of the world [samsara],

they take others across;

They are the saviours of beings.

Dyed in the colour of the Supreme Lord,

They have the blameless Name as their support.

Always truthful, disciplined, blissful and contented,

Their wisdom and reach knows no bounds.

In eternal love, in eternal ecstasy,

In eternal company with the essential Truth;

In eternal union, in eternal life,

In eternal knowledge and contemplation

are they absorbed.

Crown jewel of all, bestower of bliss to all,

They are rare in this world.

They are the swans, the dwellers of the ocean of bliss,

Who come for the good of others, O Dadu.

SatyaRaam! [Sacred Name of God, the Lord of Spirits, The Timeless, Formless Ocean of Love)

IMAGE: A Young Sant Dadu Dayal, the great Saint of Rajasthan meeting Sant Buddhan (who looks a bit like Kabir): "According to the traditions of the Dadu Order, Dadu first met his Guru, known as Brdhanand (Buddhan), at the age of eleven when he was playing with his friends at the Kankariya pond." (Dadu, The Compassionate Mystic)

Dadu Dayal, Poet-Mystic from Rajasthan

Dadu Dayal, Poet-Mystic from Rajasthan

 

Dadu is one of my all-time favorite classic Sants of India. He was a great poet-mystic and spiritual Master of Divine Light, Sound, and Nirguna Bhakti from Rajasthan in the lineage of Guru Kabir. Anyone who studies his teachings will encounter a very genuine, pure version of Sant Mat with the perfect balance of God and guru bhakti, love and mysticism (Surat Shabd Yoga, meditation).

Translations of Dadu bhajans are quite rare in English. Volume 25 in the glorious Encyclopaedia of Saints Series represents the most complete collection of the works of Sant Dadu Dayal in English to date. It is published by Criterion of New Delhi (distributed by Deep & Deep Publications). Nataraj Books is one source where this volume can be ordered from in North America. See link below.

Enjoy! Happy New Year! Meditate!

James
https://santmatradhasoami.blogspot.com

Sant Dadu Dayal, Encyclopaedia of Saints Series (Volume 25),
Edited by Bakshi and Mittra, Criterion Publications, New Delhi, India
https://www.VedamsBooks.com/no28758.htm
https://www.NatarajBooks.com

Background on Dadu from the Preface

Sant Dadu Dayal was a Saint from Rajasthan. 'Dadu' means brother and 'Dayal' means "the Compassionate One." He lived in the second half of the sixteenth century (1544-1603). His songs are in a Hindi dialect known as Braj Bhasa, being a mixture of Hindi and Rajasthani. Like the earlier Saint Kabir, Dadu came from one of the many low artisan castes that had converted to Islam. He lived in the Jaipur region of Rajasthan, most probably as a pinjari, a cotton carder. He married and had a family of two sons and two daughters.

Dadu gathered around himself a group of followers, which became known as the Dadu-panth. This organisation has continued in Rajasthan to the present day, and has been a major source of early manuscripts containing songs by the North Indian Saints [the Panch Vani]. He himself did not write down any of his compositions. These were recorded by his disciple Rajjab. Another disciple, Jana Gopal wrote the earliest biography. [A translation of the Janma Lila by Jana Gopal is also included in this book]. Dadu clearly experienced the bliss of Sahaja and alluded to it in his songs. Surviving songs do not record the name of Dadu's guru. Certainly much of the imagery used in his songs is similar to that used by Kabir, and similar also to that used by the earlier Sahajiya Buddhists and Nath Yogis.

Some Mystic Verses of Sant Dadu Dayal, a Lover of the Beloved

Results of True Love --- The Vision of the Beloved

One sits fearlessly by repeating God's Name;
the Negative Power can never consume him.
When thou ridest the elephant, 0 Dadu,
then dogs bark in vain.
When love and devotion arise,
one is firmly established in blissful meditation.
With the grace of the Master,
he then drinks the divine Nectar, 0 Dadu.
By being dedicated to the Lord,
millions of obstacles are removed.
A tiny spark the size of a mustard seed
burns a huge amount of wood, 0 Dadu.
Impurities and blemishes of the mind
are burnt up in the fire of separation.
The separated lover will now see
the vision of the Beloved, 0 Dadu.

An Outer Guru that is not an Inner Guru, not a Qualified Teacher

The whole world makes an outer display,
whereas the practice of the Saint is within.
This is the difference between the two;
hence no accord is found between them.

A new pot taken from the potter's furnace
may be decorated with many pictures outside;
But of what use will it be to thee,
0 Dadu, without any contents?
Such are the ones who make outer display of religiosity.

From one who bears no outer religious symbols,
but has unfathomable riches within,
Receive the wealth and keep it within
thy heart, 0 Dadu, and be obedient to such a Saint.

There is a great difference between a Saint and a mimic,
the two are as far apart as earth and sky.
The Saint is absorbed in God, whereas
the mimic pins his hopes on the world.

The One alone dwells within my heart,
Day and night I repeat His Name.
The Name of God alone is true;
keep that within thy heart.
Forsake all hypocrisies and cumbrous practices;
this is the teaching of all Saints, 0 Dadu.

True Sants Focus Our Attention Upon God

Sadagati Sadhava re

Saints are the true redeemers,
They make one see the Creator face to face.
Having themselves crossed the ocean
of the world, they take others across;
They are the saviors of beings.
Dyed in the colour of the Supreme Lord,
They have the blameless Name
as their support;
Always truthful, disciplined, blissful and contented,-
Their wisdom and reach knows no bounds.
In eternal love, in eternal ecstasy,
In eternal company with the essential Truth;
In eternal union, in eternal life,
In eternal knowledge and contemplation are they absorbed.
Crest-jewel of all, bestower of bliss to all,
They are rare in this world.
They are the Swans, the dwellers of the Ocean of Bliss,
Who come for the good of others, 0 Dadu.

While Alive We Can Experience the Heavens

While Alive We Can Experience the Heavens

Radhasoami Reality:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Radhasoami-Reality
{Radhaswami Dayal ki Daya Radhaswami Sahai:
"Grant Merciful Radhasoami Thy Grace and Protection"}





Param Sant Tulsi Sahib, Saint of Hathras, India:

"In this life the concept of salvation all
describe;
To meet the Lord by dying while living,
none discloses.
They all speak of the goal of salvation after
death;
How to attain it while living, no one says.
Were they to reveal the method of attaining
release while living,
Then alone would Tulsi be convinced of
their words.

Who speak, after seeing with their own eyes,
And teach the method of salvation during
life,
Are of the stage and stature of Saints,
For they reveal the quintessence of the soul."

The following is an Arabic inscription at the site of a mosque at Fatehpur Sikri, India attributed to Isa or Yeshua: "The world is a bridge. Pass over it, but do not build your dwelling there." It reminds me of a similar saying, also attributed to Jesus, found in the Gospel of Thomas that was unearthed in Egypt: "Become passers-by." One translator renders this as: "Come into being as you pass away."





There is a wonderful book of Sant Dadu Dayal's mystic-poems recently published by Criterion Publications in New Delhi, volume 25 in their "Encyclopaedia of Saints of India" series.

Urgency of Realisation

This fragile and transient human life is speedily coming to its end. It is high time that we seek refuge in the Lord of Love. Only while living as a human being can the work be accomplished, not after death.





Sant Dadu Dayal

The mind is a deer, sayeth Dadu.
Looking at the green forest of the world.
This foolish one runs around puffed up
with pleasure.
It is destined to be a victim of Kal [lord of time, lord of death], the hunter.
The body is like a passer-by,
sayeth Dadu.
No sooner dost thou look at him, that he goes out of sight.
Be dedicated to the Name of God
As long as there is breath in thy body.
Hurry up, O passer-by, the journey hangs over thy head.
Delay no more.
What art thou doing sitting idle? Repeat God's Name.
Evening has set in while the traveller is still in the forest.
He must move briskly.
This is not the time to be slack, warns Dadu.
Go Home quickly.

Gone is the time, and lost is the opportunity.
Where shalt thou find this priceless birth once it slips out of hand?
Catching hold of our hand, the Negative Power [Kal] is drawing us close day by day.
The self does not awaken even now.
Its time is spent asleep.
While watching, 0 Dadu, the hair has grown white from black.
Body, mind, and youth are all gone, and even now thou turnest not to God!
While alive one can transcend bodily qualities.
While alive one can be liberated;
While alive one can shed all Karmas.
That truly is called liberation.
While alive one can cross over what is hard to cross,
While alive can one go to the other shore.
While alive one can find the Master of the world,
And can attain discrimination and wisdom.
If the meeting is not accomplished while alive,
If the contact is not made while alive,
If the Lord of the universe is not found while alive,
The one is simply drowned.
One is freed while alive,
One is not freed after death, sayeth Dadu
If one were to be free after death,
Then all will come under that.
Some say one can secure abode in paradise after death;
They preach liberation after death.
They, indeed, are making the world
insane, O Dadu...............

Japi Gobinda bisari jini jai

Do the repetition of God [God's Name] and forget
Him not.
Fulfil the purpose of thy birth
by practising concentration.
Be steadfast in the remembrance of God.
Practice meditation with love, and sing
the glory of God.
The human body is the door to salvation.
Do the repetitions of God, the Creator
of the universe.