The Ocean of Love Part 3-Kabir

8/14/2019 The Ocean of Love Part 3-Kabir

1/87

111 The oming of Kabir

I Before the Incarnations

Dharam Das said:

Lo rd You have satisfied me the very fortu na te one to whom

You have given Your darshan:

I cannot describe your greatness;

I

was an unconscious o ne whom

You have awakened.

like Your words-full of nectar. Hearing them attachment an d

ego run away.

Now please tell me the story: H ow did You com e into this world the

first time?

BY T H E ORDERS O F SAT PURU SH

KABIR SAH IB COMES T O AWAKEN TH E SOULS;

O N TH E WAY H E MEETS NIRANJAN

Dh aram Das now that you have asked me I will tell you the story

of each age.

W hen Sat Purush ordered me

I

stepped on to the earth for the jivas.

After saluting Him

I

started walking and came to the court of

Dharam Rai.

It was the first time that came for the souls and o n my head I had

the glory of Sat Purush.

By the order of Sa t Puru sh

I

came to the souls and

in

that age my

name was Achint.

W hen was coming I met the unjust Dh aram Rai who foug ht with

me.

I

ST E PPE D NTO HE

EARTH That is into the lower worlds. Kabir is not in-

carnated physically yet. The actual meeting with Kal takes place at the

very top of the causal plane as Kal does not exist in a personal form

below that.


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8 THE C O M I N G

O KABlR

Seeing me, he drew n ear. W ith anger an d excitement he asked me,

"Yogjit, why did you co m e here? Tell me. Did you c om e to kill me?

Tell me th e words of S at Purush "

Then

I

told him , "Listen, Dh aram Rai, 1 a m going to the world for

the souls."

Again

I

told him, "Listen, unjust one , you a re very clever an d have

deceived t he souls.

You have made the souls forget, and have continuously harassed

them.

Yo u have hidden the secret of S at Pu ru sh a n d have manifested y ou r

own glory t o the souls.

You burn the souls o n the red hot rock, an d af ter burning them you

eat them.

Yo u have given so muc h pain t o the souls -that is why Sat Pu rus h

has o rdered me:

Aw akening th e souls,

I

will take them back to Sat L ok an d will save

them fro m the sufferings of Kal.

S o I a m going into the world a n d will send the souls to Sat L ok af ter

giving them th e passport."

Hearing this, Kal became horrible and tried to frighten me.

Dh aram Rai said:

"I

served H im for seventy yugas, so Sat P uru sh gave m e this king-

d o m a nd this greatness.

And when

I

did His service for sixty-four yugas, Sat Purush gave

me th e eight divisions of creation.

You beat me an d threw me out So , Yogjit, now

I

will not leave

you "

Then I said, "Listen, D ha ram Rai,

I

am not af raid of you.

I

have Sa t Puru sh's light an d strength in me. Kal, a m not afraid

of you "

Then

I

did the Simran of Sat Purush's Light and at tacked the

Negative Power with the weapon of S hab da.

Right then

I

looked at him. His forehead had become black.

T o me the condit ion of Kal w s that of a bird when she loses her

wings.

He

became angry, but when he couldn' t d o anything, he came and

fell a t m y feet.


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1

BEFORE

T H E

INCARNATIONS

H Y M N

Niranjan said, "Listen, Gyani, I am pleading with you:

You a re my brothe r and still

I

opposed you-that is a mistake which

I

have made.

I

recognize you as equal to Sa t Pu rush, and

I

don 't have any other

feeling for you :

You are the great All-Conscious Lord. Now stretch over me the

umbrella of forgiveness "

COUPLET

As Sat Purush gave me the Kingdom, You also should give me a

gift:

You are the oldest of sixteen sons and are equal to Sat Purush."

Gyani said, "Listen, Rai Niranjan , you are a black spot in the

family.

I

am going to bring the souls back.

I

will make them firm in Sat

Shabda and Sat Naam.

I

have come with the orders of Sa t Pu rush to liberate the souls fr om

the Ocean of Life.

This time, through the Sound of Sat Puru sh, I will expel you in a

moment

Dharam Rai made this request: "I am your servant-don't under-

stan d me as somebody else's.

Gyani, this is my one request: Don't do anything to make me

lose.

As Sat Purush has given me the Kingdom, if you a lso give me som e-

thing my purpose can be served.

Now I will obey your words, Gyani; you can take the souls fro m

me.

But brother,

I

will tell you one thing; please accept it as true:

Th e jivas will not obey You . They will com e to me, an d find Your

words useless.

The snare in which they are entangled is very strong.

O L D E S T F S I X T E E NONS

Flattery. Kurma is the oldest. But Kabir as his

name yani indicates is an incarnation of the second son Gyan

so

perhaps it is not so misleading to refer to him this way.


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THE COMING O KABIR

I have created the Vedas, Shastras, Simritis an d m any kinds of attri-

butes, an d the daughter of Sa t,Pu rus h is the head of the three

gods.

All three of them have created many traps, a nd from their m ou ths

they give out m y knowledge.

They m ake th e souls worship temples, gods a nd stones, an d keep

their minds involved in pilgrimages, fasting,

japas

and

tapas

All the world performs the worship of God through sacrifices: I

have tied the souls in this principle.

I

have made austerities, sacrifices, daily rituals, rules of conduct,

an d m any other traps:

S o Gy ani, if you go in the world, the souls will not obey you.

Gya ni said, Listen, un just one, I will cut do wn all the traps and re-

lease the souls.

By means of the Sat Shabda, I will destroy all the traps you have

created.

T he soul who catches my S hab da will become free of all your traps.

When the soul recognizes my Shabda he will give up the illusion

created by you, an d will rise above your creation.

Making the souls understand the Sat Naam and liberating them,

I will take them back to Sat Lok.

H Y M N

I will m ake th e souls firm in the Shab da of the G racious Forgiver,

Sat Purush.

Such souls will be

Sahaj:

pure a nd c ontent. They will d o the devo-

tion of the soul,

A nd they will be the abod e of pure qualities. By doing the Sim ran

of Sa t Pu rus h they will sing the praise of the Immovable Naam.

I will send the souls t o Sat Lo k, keeping m y foo t on your head.

COUPLET

Spreading the Nectar of Naam I will awaken the souls.

Dha ram Rai, listen carefully. I will humble your arrogance.

By doing th e practice of devotion , they will get the passport a nd

I

will connect them with the N aam of Sa t Purus h.

Th e Negative Powe r can't com e near such a sou l, and he will bow

down t o them when he sees their union with Sa t Puru sh.


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1 BEFORE THE INCARNATIONS 89

Hearing this Kal was afraid, and folding his hands he made this

request:

0 Lord, You are the gracious giver; shower grace on me, my

brother.

Sat P ur us h has cursed m e so that I will devour o ne lakh jivas daily.

If all the sou ls go t o Sat Lo k, then how will my hu nger be satisfied?

Again, S at Purush showered grace on m e an d H e gave m e he King-

dom of this world.

You should also shower grace o n me. W hatever I ask for, grant me

that boon.

Sa t Yuga, Treta Yuga an d Dwapar-in all these three Yugas, just a

few souls should g o back.

W he n the Fo ur th Age-the Kali Yuga-comes, then ma ny souls

may come to you.

M ake this promise t o m e, an d then Y ou can g o into the world.

Gyani said:

0

Kal, you have created deception, you have kept the jivas in

suffering.

I understand your request;

0

arrogan t Kal, you have deceived me;

I

accept the request which you have made of m e. W hen the Fo urth

Age, the Kali Yuga comes, I will send my incarna tion.

HYMN

First the eight souls of the same essence of Suk rit will come in to the

world.

D A U G H T E RF SATP U R U S HAdhya or Maya. If the essence of Illusion her-

self is the d aug hter of Sat Pu ru sh , how strong a force it is.

PASSPORT his w ord , used frequently from here un , is a li teral t ranslat ion.

Th e initiation into Naam grants the initiate freedom of m ov em ent in the

inner w orlds .

Y o u H A V EDE CE IVE D E The M asters cannot refuse a request m ade to

them in hum ili ty and truth, an d this is wh at Kal has done . He has seem-

ingly been able to tak e advan tage of t he vuln erab ility of goodn ess for his

own gain, and in this sense he has deceived Kabir. But nothing is

ultimately lost; Kal may thin k he has accom plished som ethin g, but all

he has gained is Tim e- which from th e point of view of E ternity doesn't

amount to much .

EIG HT OUL S This refers to D haram Das and his family and is explained

later in the poem . So are the forty-two inca rnatio ns, he line of Masters

founded by Kabir in the Kali Yuga.


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9 T H E C O M I N G OF K BIR

Aft er tha t the new soul will go in the hom e of D ha ra m D as.

Fo r the sake of the souls, fo rty-twoinc arnations of Sat P urush will

com e into the world:

Establishing a nd teaching t he P a th in th e Kali Yuga, T he y will send

the souls back to S at Lok .

COUPLET

I will always be with t he souls t o w hom Th ey will give the passport

in to the Sat Shab da,

A nd such souls will never g o to Yama "

D har am Rai said:

0

Lo rd , You can establish th e Pat h. Liberating the souls, You can

take them back to S at Lok.

I will bow dow n to the soul on whom 1 see Your sign.

I have accepted the orders of Sat Purush and now

I

request this

of you,

0

Gyani:

Kal tells Kabir Sahib about his twelve paths

Yo u will establish o ne pa th a n d will send the souls back t o Sat Lo k.

I

will create twelve pa ths a n d in Yo ur na m e I will teach people.

I will send twelve Yamas in the world who will spread the path in

Your name.

Mritu Andha, my messenger, will be incarnated in the house of

Sukrit.

First m y messenger will be bor n a nd then Y our incarnation.

In this way

I

will delude the souls in the nam e of Sat Pu rus h.

Souls wh o com e o n these twelve paths will come into m y m outh .

I

am making only this request of you. Showering grace and for-

giving me , please gran t it.

Kal asks Kabir Sahib for the boon o establishing Jagannath

W hen the f irst part of the Iron Age comes I will take u p the bddy of

a Sadhu.

Then

I

will go t o King Indradam an, bearing the nam e of Jag ann ath.

The King will make my temple which will be repeatedly destroyed

by the water of the ocean.

M y son Vishnu, o n w ho m the seven ocea ns will take revenge, will

com e there.


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1 BEFORE THE INCARNATIONS

So the temple won't survive-the waves of the ocean will drow n it.

0

Gyani, d o this: first go to the shore of the oc ean.

Seeing you, the ocean will not cover You and will recede.

In this way I will be established and then You can send Your in-

carnation.

The n You can maintain the Pa th in the Ocean of Life and can save

the souls with the Naa m of Sat Purush.

Any soul who will come to the shore without the sign of un ion will

not find the way out.

H Y M N

Gyan i said:

0

Dharam Rai, I understand very well what you are asking me.

Maintaining the twelve paths is giving poison in place of nectar.

Now I will finish you and show you m y art:

Cutting the bonds of Yama, I will make the souls free and send

them t o the Plan e of Immortality.

COUPLET

I thoug ht: the W ord of Sat Purush cannot go astray;

Those who will be firm in Sat Shabda-I will make them reach

Home.

0 unjus t on e, I give you permission to establish twelve paths:

First your messenger will be bo rn an d then My Inca rnation will take

birth.

I will go to the shore of the ocean and I will see that the Jagann ath

is established.

After that I will maintain my Pat h a nd send the souls back to S at

Lok.

O N L YT H I SREQUESTThis request , and Kabir 's response, are important .

Jagannath me ans the temple of the wo rld, and the request wh ich is

fulfilled later, is sym bolic: Kal needs help in m aintaining the lower crea-

tion, which is in dang er of suc cum bing to internal stress. Kabir agrees,

ev en thou gh the man ifestation of the twelv e path s is no w a part of Kal's

world (th ese paths are described in detail later) because th e falling

apart of th e low er creation wou ld involve the souls in even more suffer-

ing, and because i t would deprive Him of the arena in which to work. He

also notes, aga in, that all that will e lost is Time.


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92

TH

COMING

O K B l R

Dharam Rai tries to deceive Kabir Sahib and get the Secret

Knowledge

Dharam Rai said:

0

Gyan i, tell me th e sign of union so that I may recognize t he souls

wh o bear i t .

will not co m e near those w ho will show m e tha t sign.

S o give me the sign of Na am , 0 Lo rd. Show er this grace on me."

Gyani said:

"If I tell you this sign, you will become th e means of suffering fo r

the sou ls.

have understood your d eception, Kal: you can 't play this trick.

D hara m Rai, I am telling you clearly:

I

have kept the glory of N aam

hidden within me

G o away; leave those who take my Na am .

If you try t o sto p such souls, 0 Kal, you won't survive "

Dh aram Rai said, "G o to the world an d bring the souls back with

the support of Naam .

I won't com e near th e souls who sing Your praise.

Puttin g their fo ot on my he ad, those w ho tak e refuge in Yo u will

cross the Ocean o f Life.

I was obstinate toward Y ou. Und erstanding You as my father, I be-

haved like a child:

Even if a child makes ten million mistakes, still the fathe r does no t

take even o ne m istake t o his heart.

If th e father turn s out th e son , then w ho will protect m e?"

Dha ram Rai got up a nd bow ed, an d Gyani came to this world.

Kabir said

t

Dharam Das

Wh en saw that Dh aram Rai was afraid

I

left that place.

Kabir says: wise D ha ra m Da s, then

I

came t o this world.

Kabir meets Brahma

met the Wise On e.

I

told him ab out the Shab da.

H e listened with attention an d asked m any questions abo ut recog-

nizing Sat P urus h.

Th en N iran jan th ou gh t, "My eldest so n Bra hm a is leaving me "

Niranjan resides in the mind within, so he changed Brahma's

intellect.


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1. BEFORE THE INCARNATIONS

9

Brahm a said:

"God is formless without any qualities and cannot be restricted. H e

is in the form of light and lives in the void.

Th e Vedas describe him as the Sat Pu rus h and accept the Vedas."

Kabir reaches Vishnu

Whe n saw Br ahma firmly believing in Kal, then fro m there I came

to Vishnu.

told the teachings of Sat Purush to Vishnu but, being controlled

by Kal, he couldn't receive my message.

Vishnu said, "Who is like me? I have four substances with me:

Karna Moksha Dharma Artha; can give these t o anyone like ''

Gyani said:

0

Vishnu, listen Where do you have the Moks ha with you?

Moks ha is beyond t he Akshar.

When you yourself are not stable, how can you m ake others stable?

Why are you lying and singing your own praise?"

Kabir said to Dharam Das:

Hearing my fearless speech, Vishnu was embarrassed, and in his

heart he becam e afraid for his own self.

Then I went to the world of snakes an d told Shesh Nag this:

"N obo dy knows the secret of Sat P urush; everyone has taken ref-

uge in Kal."

'Then Shesh Nag said, 0 Brother, recognize the saviour. H e is the

only one wh o will save you from Yam a.

W ho m B rahm a, Vishnu and R udra remember, even the Vedas sing

his praise.

Th at Pu rus h is my protecto r. A nd only he will protect you a s well."

I

told him, "There is anoth er Protec tor . If you believe in me, I can

make you meet Him."

KAMA,M O K SH A , H A R M A ,R T H AT he four great boons of the H indu tradi-

tion, one or the other of which is supposed to be every m an's goal.Karna

me ans sensual desire and pleasure; Artha weal th and power; Dharma

religion or law ; Moksha ultimate spiritual liberation. Vishnu d oes have

jurisdiction over the first thre e, as Kabir points ou t, but has nothing

whatever to do wi th Moksha.


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2.

I N

THE SAT YUGA

9

All the world was thus involved in the nam e of Ram a and nobody

understood the trap of Kal.

In this way the Nam e of Ram a was created D ha ram Das: Und er-

stand this.

Dharam Das said:

Perfect Satguru by Your sun of knowledge my darkness has

gone away.

Maya and attachm ent are dense darkness fro m which the jivas

cannot come out.

Since You have manifested Knowledge to me recognizing the

Sha bda my attachment has gone.

I

am a fortunate one to have You. You have awakened me the low

one.

Tell me further: Whom did You liberate in Sat Yuga?

2

In the Sat Yuga:

The Incarnation

as

Sat Sukrit

he

Satgum said:

Dh aram Das listen abou t the Sat Yuga.

I

will tell you ab out the

souls to whom I gave Naam .

R A M A Ra

means beyond ; the mantra of

Rama

is supposed to take its vo-

tary beyond Maya. But it cannot because it did not originate beyond

Maya. The word rama comes from a word meaning vibration in San-

skrit, and is applied to the Sound Current. Worship of

R a m N a a m

antedates the worship of the avatar Rama, who was an incarnation of

Vishnu in the second or Silver Age.

SATY U G A The Age of Truth, or Golden Age, the first and longest in the

mahayuga

or Day of Brahma- the cycle of four

yugas

According to Hin-

du tradition Sat Yuga was 1,728,000years in length, and the people lived

an average lifetime of 100,000years. The quality of life under these con-

ditions is incomprehensible, but this view of the universe can best be

understood as a wound-up watch operating at maximum efficiency

when first wound and then gradually deteriorating-winding down.

The universe as a whole is not evolving, it is involving; there is no ques-

tion of things getting better. What does evolve, in a sort of grand coun-

terpoint to the universe, is the individual spirit -at least when it is on the

upward swing of the wheel of eighty-four. Here the people of the Sat

Yuga were at a distinct disadvantage, even though they were able to go

up with ease: life was so good and so secure that very few understood


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9

TH

C O M I N G O F K A BIR

In Sat Yuga my name was Sat Sukrit and by the orders of Sat

Purush I awaken ed th e souls.

T H E S TO RY O F KIN G D H O N D H A L

went t o King Dhondhal an d m ade him hear the t rue Shabd a.

H e accepted my Sat Sh abda , so I ma de him see immediately.

H Y M N

King Dh ond hal, a saintly gentleman, caught my S ha bd a with deter-

mination.

He too k t he peace-giving Pars had an d the water, a fter touching it

to my feet.

H e was overwhelmed with Love-giving u p illusion, he shon e.

H e recognized the Essential S ha bd a and contemplated o n the feet

of th e Master.

T H E S TO RY O F K H E MS A RI

After awakening Dhondhal in Shabda ,

I

appeared in the city of

M a t h u r a .

Th ere Khemsari cam e running, with many wo men, old people and

children.

Khemsari said,

0

Ancient Ma n, fr om where have you come?

I told him th e teachings of Sh abda, ab out Sat Purush and a bou t the

form o f Yama.

He aring that--when he und erstood the decep tion of Yama-love

manifested within Khemsari.

Making hemsari have the darshan of Sat Lok

But he h ad on e dou bt: only after seeing Sat L ok would he believe.

S o keeping his body here, I took his soul within a m om ent to Sat

Lok.

After showing him Sat Lo k,

I

brought his soul back. Afte r return-

ing to his body , h e repented:

0 Lo rd, ta ke me t o that plane. He re there is to o much of Kal's

miseries.

S o I told him, Listen t o my words. Obe y whatever I say:

Sat Lok is achieved only after Tika is filled

Brother, until the

tika

is filled up, keep your attention attached to

Naam.


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2 I N T H E SAT

Y U C A

You 've seen my L ok , so give that teaching to the souls.

ruit

o

teaching the

souls

Even if on e soul comes in His refuge, such a soul is appreciated by

Sat Purush.

If a cow, a bout t o be eaten by a lion, is saved by some brave m an ,

that man is praised a lot.

Th e lion is afraid of the brave m an . In the sam e way the jiva is the

food of Kal, and

If one makes even one soul determined in

bhakti

he gets the fru it of

saving ten million cows.

Khemsari fell at my feet and said, 0 Lord, save me

Shower grace on me and enlighten me so that I may not fall in the

trap of Kal again."

at Sukrit said:

"Listen,

0

Khemsari. This is the coun try of Yama; w ithout N aa m

the fear cannot be removed.

By catching the rope of Sat Pu rush the soul breaks the straw traps

of Yama.

O ne who gets the gift of Sat Purush's Naa m does no t come back in

the ocean of life."

Khemsari said, "Give me the passport; freeing me from Yam a,

make me Your own.

And to the other souls in my house,

0

Lord, give them also the gift

of Naam.

the na tur e of the t rap they w ere in . Th at is w hy Kabir 's "concession" of

the f i rs t thre e yugas to Kal is essent ia l ly m eaningless: i t is only in th e

Kali Yuga that t he na tur e of exis tence becom es ob vious eno ugh for peo-

ple to recognize the tr p as a t rap . On ly in th e Kali Yuga ha ve s ignif icant

nu m be rs of peop le followed th e M asters ; only in the Kali Yuga do peo-

p le u nders tand tha t they a re as leep and so ma ke ef for ts to aw ake ; only in

the Kali Yuga is suffer ing the norm and substratum of l i fe on the

physical plane.

D E C E P T I O NF Y A M A D e a t h ; Yama is Kal 's name as Death God. Death of

cou rse is very far aw ay for most people in th e Sat Yuga.

TIK A Th e reservoi r behind the eyes : it has to

be

f i l led with the at tent ion

before the soul can go up .

B H A K T IThe loving devot ion of God or the Satguru.


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9

T H E

COMING OF KABIR

Please put Your feet in my house an d explain the m essage of libera-

tion t o the souls.


Th en in his house the Meeting of Love took place. T h e feet which

were full of nectar an d liberation-giving, stepped in tha t house.

Khemsari spo ke to everyone explaining, Brothers, all of you

make your life successful.

Khemsari said to the family:

Brothers, those who want liberation of the soul, accept the Sat-

guru Shabda.

H e is the only on e W h o can save you from Yam a; believe me, this is

true.


All the souls believed in him firmly, so they all came with K hem sari.

They came t o my feet and said,

0

Lo rd, liberate us so that Y ama

won't harass us an d we may chase away the pain o f birth after

birth.

When

I

saw the men a nd women so helpless,

I

said this t o them :

N o on e can sto p those wh o will accept my Sh ab da .

The suffering created by Kal will be finished for the soul who be-

lieves in my teachings.

Yam

R a j

will no t go near on e who gets the passport of Sat P uru sh's

Naam.

Sat S ukrit said to K hemsari:

Bring what is needed to perform th e

arti

so that may finish

your soul's pain, which was created by Kal.

Khemsari said, 0 Lord, explain to me what is needed for the

arti to be performed.

HYM N

Listen, Khemsari,

t

the meaning of arti which

I

will explain to

you.

Bring sweets, betel leaf, camphor, banana, eight kinds of dried

fruits,


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2

IN

THE S T

YUGA

Five vessels, a piece of white cloth, clean leaves of a banana tree,

A cocon ut, an d a white flower-and' ma ke a white

chauka

of san-

dalwood.

COUPLET

Khemsari, bring all these things and perform the

arti

Marking the bound ary with betelnut, perform the chauka by means

of the Shabda.

A nd bring other good pure things- the beautiful white ghee of th e

COW.


Hearing m y words Khemsari obeyed them; immediately he broug ht

everything.

He set up the white canopy and was determined to know how to

perform the

arti

With the wish of Sa t Purush, Five Sacred W ords were created.

Devotion, meditation, and Knowledge given by the Master were

also there.

I sat o n the chauka , and in the meditation the Indestructible Soun d

Cu rren t was manifested.

ART I This word is used in Hinduism to mean a ritual centering arou nd the

prese ntation of ligh t; here th e word is used m or e specifically to describe

a ceremony accompanying initiation which is an acted-out parable,

every d etail of w hich is symbolic of o ne or an oth er aspe ct of th e inn er

pa th . A com plete explanation of the inn er significance of this cerem on y

was given by Tulsi Sahib 1763-1843) ,a Master in the line of descent

from K abir, and m ay be consulted by the interested reader in Param Sant

Tulsi Sahib (tr an s. S.D . M ahe shw ari, Agra, n.d.1; in a pre-literate age,

ceremo nies of this type , in wh ich every detail has a specific mea ning

wh ich could be com mitted to memory and passed on to others , served as

convenient w ays to codify the teachings. The ou ter performance of th e

ritual has long since been ab and on ed by th e M asters, if indeed it ever

wa s performed in the literal sen se; the inne r Reality rem ains how eve r,

an d is still conveyed in the initiation as described he re.

FIVESA CR ED OR DS The m antra of the Basic Nam es of G od , referring to

the m anifestation of th e Naam or Sound Curre nt on each of the five in-

ner plan es , and taught by the Masters as the m eans for Simran or remem -

bran ce, was instituted at this tim e-t he first initiation into Sant Mat

ever performed. Not that the words themselves were necessarily the

same as they are given today; they have varied from language to

language an d today exist differenlly in Sanskrit and Arabic. But the sy m -

bolic relationship of th e words to the Naam or W ord is the sam e.


16/87

100 THE

OMING OF

KABIR

In the meditation the Indestructible So und of the Sh abd a came into

manifestation-No on e can sto p It in this world

At the appropriate time the chauka was performed an d the Radi-

ance of the In destructible Light was manifested.

W hen the ch auka was performed by means of the Shab da and the

coco nut was broken, Kal ran away.

W hen the coconut w as struck o n the rock, the head of Kal was split

open and all the pains went away.

W hen the coconut b roke, a fragrance came ou t which gave the mes-

sage of S at Purush .

I

told them the Five Words an d at that time they got the Naam of

Sat Purush.

Bro ther, for a m omen t Sa t Pu rush came and sat there. All the peo-

ple got up a nd performed the arti

Again the arti was performed in the house, a straw was broken , a nd

all the people dr an k water.

First Khemsari dran k th e water an d after him the o ther jivas dra nk

that w ith respect.

I

explained to them ab ou t Dhyan By contemplating on the Na am ,

their souls would be saved.

I explained to them the ways of living an d told them tha t by doing

the Simran of Naam their souls will go back Home.

H Y M N

After giving the knowledge of the Sa tguru to twelve souls I went t o

the Ocean of Peace;

touched the Lotus Feet of Sa t Purush , W h o, smiling, made m e sit

in His lap.

In m any ways the Ow ner of the Souls asked me ab ou t my well-being

and happiness.

Brother, I was happy looking at the glory of that p lace, which was

very b eautiful.

OUPLET

Dharam Das, the glory of the Light of the Soul cannot be de-

scribed.

In S at Lo k the light of on e soul is equal to the light of sixteen suns.

Fo r a few days I resided there, then

I

cam e to see my disciples.

Day an d night in this world I remained secretly, an d n o soul recog-

nized me.


17/87

3. IN THE TRETA YUGA

1 1

Th e souls whom

I

initiated

I

sent to Sat Lo k.

In Sat Lok they were living happily in the Eternal Spring of Sat

Purush.

Only he sees this who reaches that place. He who has created this

universe is saying this to aw aken the souls.

3

In

the Treta Yuga

T h e Incarnation as Maninder

Sat Yuga passed away and Treta Yuga came into being.

Bearing the name Maninder, I taught the souls.

When I came to teach them, Dharam Rai was afraid in his heart:

H e thought: Taking the souls back to the Cou rt of Sat Pu rus h,

He will ruin my ocean of the world.

I

have tried to solve this by playing tricks; bu t being afraid of G yani,

I

can't stand before Him.

Gyan i has the glory of S at Pu rush with H im . That is why my traps

d o not affect H im at all.

S o Kal got nothing. By the glory of Naam , the souls went back t o

their Hom e.

HYMN

Dharam Das, by the glory of Sat Naam souls go back to their

Home.

H E A D

F

KAL Not the macrocosm ic Kal, but the microcosm ic: th e mind in

each individual. Kal ran away and for a mo me nt Sat Puru sh came and

sat there both refer to the individ ual rising above min d (Ka l)and seeing

his soul or essence (Sat Pu rush ) for a short w hile. Th e So und and Light

give an indication of the way s in w hich Sat Puru sh m anifested in that

mo me nt. Ini tia tions performed in our t ime by the spiritual descend -

ants of Kabir could be d escribed in precisely these t er m s, altho ugh it

was no doubt easier in the Sat Yuga.

D H Y A NContem plation; one of the thre e practices taught at initiation.

S I M R A NF N A A M

Remem brance of th e W ord, done by repeating the Five

Sacred W ords referred to above. Another of th e thre e practices taught at

initiation.

R E M A I N E DECRETLY

is mission in Sat Yuga is a hidden one, due to his

prom ise to K al.

TR ET A U GA The Second or Silver Age; according to H indu tradit ion, its

durat ion was 1 296 000years and people lived u p to ten thousan d years ,

Vishnu incarnated during this age as Lord Rama, and the traditional

ev en ts of th e Ram ayan a took place at this time.


18/87

1 2 THE C O M I N G O K BIR

W he n the elephant looks a t the lion, he becomes terrified an d his

heart begins to thr ob .

T h e glory of the Naa m of S at Pu rush is the lion, a nd Kal is the ele-

phant:

Th e souls catching N aa m reach Sat Lok-accept my words as true.

OUPLET

Be absorbed in the Sh ab da of the Satguru an d act according t o the

Master's orders:

Keep the attention in Naam giving up all doership, illusions and

dictates of the m ind.

W hen Treta Yuga began

1

came in to this mortal world.

I

asked many souls, W ho will save you from Yama?

Being controlled by illusion, the innocent souls said, Ou r Cr eat or

is the ancient Pu rus h.

Vishnu is ou r pro tector forever, an d he is the o ne wh o will save us

from Yama.

Som e looked hopefully t o Mahesh; so me sang of Ch andi D evi;

Giving u p their hu sban d, they are fascinated by Kal:

The y are put again an d again in the house of Karm as, an d being en-

snared by Kal's trap s, they are being killed by him .

I thought: If I could get orders from Sat Puru sh, I could finish Kal

a n d tak e all th e souls back-

But if I use force I wou ld break my promise-so, teaching th e souls,

I

will gradually take them back.

T h e souls ar e serving him wh o is their devourer-unknowingly they

are going into his m outh .

S T O R Y O F V IC H I TR A B H A T I N L A N K A

A fter going in all fo ur directions I came to L ank a where I met Vichi-

tra Bhat, w ho had faith in me.

H e asked m e the message of l iberation an d I taught him the Knowl-

edge.

He aring it, Vichitra's illusion went aw ay. Becom ing very humb le he

fell at m y feet an d said,

0

Swami, take m e in your refuge. You are Sat Purush's abo de of

happiness.

To day satisfy me an d protect m y soul.

I told him ab ou t performing the rti as

I

ha d told Khemsari.


19/87

3 .

IN THE TRETA YUGA

1 3

Lovingly he brought what was needed-the arti was performed an d

the Sou nd of S habd a resounded.

Breaking the straw, I gave the gift to him; in his hom e, n o o ne else

understood me.

I gave him Simran an d Dhyan . I didn't hide the Perfect Rope fr om

him.

HYMN

Th e wife of Vichitra went t o the palace an d told the queen,

There is one beau tiful yogi wh o is a grea t sage.

I can't describe His greatness. H e is white and endlessly full of th e

highest qualities.

I have never seen anyone like Him .

My h usban d has taken refuge in Him an d has m ade his birth fruit-

ful.

T H E S T OR Y O F M A N D O D AR I

COUPLET

Hearing tha t, Quee n Ma ndo dari became restless to have darsha n.

Bringing her atte ndant with her, she came with gold a nd diam onds.

She bowed her head to His Feet-then Manin der gave her the

blessings.

Mand odari said, This is a n auspicious day for me. Folding my

hands, I a m begging from Y ou.

I have never seen a hermit like You. Your body is pure and your

clothes are also pure.

In whatever way my work can be done, tell me. Forgetting about

my caste an d family,

Om nipotent O ne, m ake me as a wom an whose husban d is alive.

Sup port me with Your hand an d save me from drowning in the

world.

Now Y ou are very dear to m e. You ar e gracious a n d my illusions

have run away.

Maninder said to Mandodari

Listen, dear wife of Rav ana, by the glory of N aa m the chains of

Yama a re cut .

L NK

An island just sou th of In dia, it is onc e again k no w n by this anci en t

na m e after centuries of being called Ceylon.


20/87


21/87

3 . IN THE TRETA YUG

1 5

You see with the sight of your knowledge; I am explaining to you

about the true and the false.

Sat Purush is immeasurable and immortal, a nd H e is the Un ique

One in the three worlds.

One who remembers that Lord becomes free from coming and

going."

Hearing my words, her illusion disappeared; and accepting my

words, love manifested in her mind:

0

Lo rd, take me in Your refuge and finish my births and deaths."

I gave her the initiation, connected her with the Ro pe of Sat Pu ru sh ,

and gave her H is signs.

She was very pleased to get the Rope that led to her home-as

pleased as the pauper who gains much wealth.

Th e queen bowed to my feet, and I went into the palace.

The story of the wife of Vichitra

Vichitra explained to his wife and told her t o take Refuge an d liber-

ate herself.

Vichitra's wife accepted his advice, and taking Initiation, became

free from illusion.

Maninder goes to the palace of Ravana

Th en I went to R avana's palace and sp oke to the gatekeeper.

I said to him, "Bring the King to me."

The gatekeeper politely answered, "King Ravana is very pow erful.

Because of the power of Shiva, he fears no on e, and d oesn 't believe

in anyone's words.

H e is arrogant an d his anger is limitless. If I go and tell him th is, he

will kill me in a moment."

Maninder said t o the gatekeeper:

"Obey my words and go this time, an d you will escape unscathed.

Believe my words are true G o bring Rav ana immediately."

Immediately the gatekeeper went. Folding his han ds he stoo d be-

KINGR V N

he fa m ou s villain of th Ramayana , h e is t radit ionally pic-

tured

both as a Vedic scholar or pundit and a s a m ons te r .


22/87

1 6 TH COMING OF KABIR

fore the King an d said, "One Siddha has come to me a nd told

m e t o call the K ing."

Ravana s anger at the gatekeeper

Hearing th at the King became angry a nd said,

0

Gatekeep er, you

are a foolish ma n.

W h o has taken your c om m on sense so that you have come to call

me?

No t even the sons of Shiva can have my da rshan, and you say that a

beggar is calling me?-

Gatekeepe r, l isten to me: Describe the f orm of th e Sidd ha.

Describe what clothes he is wearing. Tell me so tha t

I

will feel

I

have

seen him with my own eyes."

T h e gatekeeper said:

0

Ravana, his form is white. He has a white necklace, and his

tilak

is beautiful.

His beauty is as the moon His clothes are white an d everything he

has is white."

Mon dodar i , the Q ueen, said, 0 King R ava na, such is the beauty

of Sat Purush.

I f

you g o soon an d get connected t o Him , your kingdom can be-

com e firm.

0

King, give u p your nam e and fame. Tou ch his feet and bow d ow n

to him."

Kabir said to Dharam Das

Hearing that, Ravan a becam e angry-he sounded like ghee that

had been put in the fire.

H e go t up with a sword in his hand an d said, "I'll g o an d cut off his

head immediately

I will kill him His head will fall of f We 'll see wha t tha t beggar can

d o t o m e "

King Ra van a came t o Ma nind er an d seventy times he attacked him

with the sword he had brought.

Ma ninde r held a piece of straw a s a shield, and mighty Ra vana was

striking against th at .


23/87

3 . IN THE TRETA YUGA

1 7

HYMN

Because the King was very proud, Maninder used the straw for a

shield. He d id this so tha t Ravana might feel shame.

Mandodari said, "Listen, 0 King, give up the ego and be hum ble.

Bow down t o Sat Purush and hold H is Feet so that your kingdom

may remain forever."

Ravana said:

COUPLET

"I will serve Shiva who has given me this firm Kingdom.

I

will touch only his feet and bow down to him alone."

Hearing these words Maninder said,

0

Ravana, you are very

proud,

You haven't realized my secret, but I will give you one sign:

Ram chandra will com e and kill you, a nd not even dogs will eat your

flesh

Kabir said

to

Dharam Das

insulted Ravana and then I started for Avadh Nagar.

TH E STORY O F MADHUKAR

HYMN

After insulting Ravana I came to Avadh Nagar.

O n the way I met Ma dhukar the Brahmin, w ho had my darshan.

H e met m e by touching my feet, an d bowed his head to m e in de-

pendence.

H e requested me t o come to his hom e.

In many ways he showed his humility.

COUPLET

That poor Brahmin absorbed the knowledge within and loved me

very much.

H e accepted the nectar-like Knowledge of Sh ab da cheerfully.

I fou nd him completely in my refuge so told him to realize the

Knowledge.

MADHUKARH E BRAHMIN he grace of the Satguru easily outweighs Maya s

curse, and even Brahmins can be saved.


24/87

1 8 TH C O M I N G OF K BIR

1

gave him the message of Sat Purush, hearing which he became

very happy.

As the sprou ts burn u p without water but f lourish again when they

get enough-

As those sprouts become happy when they finally get soaked-in

the same way M adh uk ar became happy when he got Shab da.

Hearing abo ut Sat Pu rush, he happily said,

0 Saint , mak e me see Sat Lok ."

Maninder said:

"Come I will show you Sat Lo k, an d will bring you back after

ma king you see It."

Kabir said t Dharam Das

Keeping his body o n earth , I took his soul a n d ma de it reach the Im-

mortal Plane.

Looking at the glory of Sat L ok he became very happy, an d then

Madhukar 's mind believed.

Madhukar fel l at my feet and said, 0 Lord, now my thirst is

quenched.

No w take m e into the world again, where will give th e teaching to

th e jivas.

I'll proclaim the Pa th to the souls wh o com e to my ho me."

Kabir said

t

Dharam Das

Th en bro ug ht back his soul into the world a n d it entered into the

body for th e second time.

In the house of Madhukar were living sixteen souls to whom he

gave the message of Sat Purush.

"G o an d catch the Feet of the Perfect O ne. O nly H e will liberate

you from Yama."

All believed in Madhukar 's words and got the passport of l ibera-

tion.

M ad hu ka r said, "Listen to my request Give Sat Lok t o everybody

In this land o f Yam a, there is so much suffering N o o ne even gives

water to the soul .

0 Lord o f the souls an d mine, shower grace on us , 0 Lo rd, All-

Conscious One.


25/87

4.

IN THE DWAPAR YUGA

1 9

HYMN

This is the region of Mighty Yama , H e harasses all the souls.

Many kinds of subterfuge are here. Death an d birth prevail here.

Lust, anger and ha rd desire, greed an d maya are very strong.

They exist in the gods and sages, and they have destroyed millions

of souls.

COUPLET

These three worlds are the region of Yama, where the jivas never

have happiness even for a mo me nt.

Remove the suffering of Kal and take us to ou r Hom e.


I found him in my refuge, so I gave them Initiation.

Sixteen souls came within, an d were taken to Sat Lok .

The angels of Yama stood there looking like defeated wrestlers in

the arena.

Th e souls touched the Feet of Sat Puru sh, a nd said, You have

finished our problem of birth a nd death.

Sat Purush asked them abo ut their well-being. Dwij said, We are

fine after com ing here.

Dharam D as, this is a very strange bani-He who manifests this

hidden secret is the Gyani.

The souls were drenched in the clothes of Im mortality.

Getting the Imm ortal Body they were very hap py.

The radiance of the soul is equal to the light of sixteen suns, and

they eat only Nectar.

Getting Immortality, their bodies were satisfied.

Having the darshan of Sa t Purush they became very happy.

This happened in Tre ta Yuga: souls were liberated by the effect of

Naam.

4 n

the Dw apar Yuga

T h e Incarnation as Karunarnai

T H E C O M I N G

OF

K A RU N AMA I IN TH E TH IRD A G E

After the Treta Yuga came the Dw apar Yuga and again the souls

were attacked by the Negative Power.

D W A P A RU G A The Third or Copper Age. Its duration w a s 864 000 y e a r s


26/87

11

TH C O M I N G OF K BlR

W hen the Dw apar Yuga came, Sat Puru sh called.

Sat Puru sh said:

0

Gyani , g o in the world soon, and save the souls from Yama.

Kal is giving pain to the souls. G o an d cut their chains.

Finish Kal an d bring th e souls back. W hy should they g o into the

world again an d again?

Then

I

said these words to Sat Pu rush , Order me,

0

Shabda

Parwani.

Said Pu rus h, Listen, Yoga Santry an, l iberate the souls by making

them realize Shab da.

If this t ime Kal behaves unjustly, M y So n, chase him o ut with M y

Wor d .

T he souls are entrapped in Kal 's noose. Use an y means bu t bring

them back to the Sup reme Ecstacy.

All the souls will tak e refuge when K al's cha racter become s kn ow n

to them.

They don' t know how to recognize good knowledge and Our

advice.

The y don ' t know h ow to look at things.

G o into the world an d m anifest the Sehaj W ay there. Liberate the

souls by manifesting Yourself there.

T h e souls w ho accept You will achieve Me. Y am a will no t eat thos e

who believe in you.

G o and take out the souls . You have My G lory o n you.

Th ere is n o difference between You an d Me-just as the wave of

water end s inert in the ocean.

Th ose w ho understand You an d M e as tw o different things-Yama

will make his place in their heart.

Go quickly to the world and make souls cross the ocean of the

world.

Kabir said

to

Dharam Das

Bowing His head Gyani star ted,

and

with Purush's orders came

into the world.

W hen the So un d of Pu rush started resounding in the world,

0

Dha-

ram Das, Evil touched my feet.


27/87

4

IN T H E

DWAPAR YUGA

H Y M N

Com ing into my refuge, Dharam Rai questioned me in many ways:

"Why are you coming to the world this time?

Give me some knowledge of it. I beg you: do not wake up all the

world

You a re my elder brother,

I

am your younger. I fall at your feet."

Gyan i said:

COUPLET

"Listen to this, Dh ara m Rai. Rare are the souls who will recog-

nize me.

No one believes in Shabda, as you have deceived the souls so

cleverly."

Kabir said

to

Dharam Das:

Saying that put my feet on the mortal world an d once again called

ou t the Words of the spiritual way.

left the body of Sat Lok an d came into the hum an body.

I came into the mortal world and called the Sat Shabda for the

souls.

When

I

came in Dwapar Yuga

I

bore the nam e Karunamai.

No on e listened to my call, as they were tied by Kal in the chains of

Great Illusion.

an d people had l i fe-spans of up to one thousa nd years . Vishnu incar-

nated at i t s c lose as Lord Krishna, and the age, a long with the high

technical c ivi lizat ion it possessed, ended in catast ro phe an d f lame with

the Mahabhara ta War in

32

B .C . Although this war is descr ibed in

t radi tional term s in the epic of the s am e nam e, wri t ten in i t s presen t

form m uc h later , the Masters hav e indicated that it wa s in fact a very

sophis t icated war fought wi th nuclear- level weapons and had world-

wid e consequ ences: in addit ion to decima ting the popu lation of Ind ia, i t

wa s responsible for the f loods and al l ied catast rop hes ascr ibed by every

cul ture to this t ime . Th e Biblical record begins d uring th e Third Age, as

is eviden ced by t he life spans given in the ear ly c hapters of Gen esis , re-

cou nts the s tory of th e Flood, then depicts the Kali Yuga an d i ts peop le

with sharp ly reduc ed l ife spans .

SEHAJW AY The na tu ra l o r ( r e la t ive ly )easy way . Th e Yoga of th e Mas ters

is

often called Sehaj Yoga especia lly w hen i t

is

com pared to Hatha Yoga

or pranayam practices.


28/87

2

THE OMING

OF K BIR

TH E STORY O F QU EEN INDRA MAT1

Then I came to G arh G iri Nar where King Cha nd ra Vijay used t o

live.

In his hom e was an intelligent queen w ho worshiped the sadhu s, un-

derstanding their glory.

Standing on the ro of, she used t o look for sadhus: for the darshan

of Saints she was wasting away.

I knew the love which the Queen had, so I started on the road to her

house.

W hen the Q ueen saw me, she said to her servant,

G o quickly to the road and bring the sadh u who is there.

Th e servant came and clung to my feet, and told me the words of

the Queen.

T he servant said, My Queen has the desire to have your darsh an,

an d sends this message: 'Give me thy da rsh an , Din Dayal,

with your darsh an all my pain will go away .'

Th en Gyani said these words: I do n't go to the houses of kings an d

emperors.

Th e work of a kingdom is to give name a nd fam e.

I

am a sadhu and

will not go to a king's house.

Th e servant came back to th e Queen, and folding her hands she

said, Th e sadhu doesn't com e at my request.

H e says he doesn't go t o the homes of kings and em perors.

Hearing this, Indra Mati got up and came running to me, and

bowed down and saluted me.

Ind ra M ati said:

0

Lord, shower grace on me. Now please place your feet in my

house.

Kabir said t

haram

Das

Looking at her love,

I

came to her house. Th en I stepped into the

King's palace.

As the Queen had said, Come to my hom e. Your darshan has

m ade me happy.

So looking at her love I went to her home. I was given a thro ne, an d

she washed my feet.


29/87

4 IN

THE

DWAPAR Y U G A

3

She gave me a thro ne to sit on and washed my feet, and she gave me

a towel to wipe off my feet.

Again she washed my feet and d rank the water. Wiping my feet, she

understood her life as a blessed one.

Then she asked permission for foo d:

0

Lord, m ake me happy.

When your left-over food remains in my house,

I

will eat that

blessed parshad.

Karunamai said:

Listen, Queen, I do n't have any appetite, as only those who a re

involved with the five elements have this.

My food is the Nectar of Naam . Listen, Queen , I will tell you in

brief:

My body is different from th e bodies with elements an d gunas. Ele-

ments an d P rakritis are the creation of Kal.

PARSHADAny gift , of ten food, given by a M aster , carr ies his charging and

is called parshad; bu t t he highest t yp e of parshad is th e leftove rs of t he

Master 's plate or , by ext ensi on, an y food touched or even looked at by

him. The same veneration is given to charanamrit, or drinking the

washings from the Master 's feet described above. Both these practices

are considered dir ty an d degrading by H ind us, an d thu s their wil l-

ingness to break these taboos show s their veneration of the M aster. Both

these p ractices are alluded to in the G ospels: Jesu s was giving parshad

w he n he ins t ituted the Lord 's Supp er , [Mark

4:

22-24];charanamr i t i sa

kind of codification of the practice of kissing and washing the Master's

feet , as descr ibed in L uke 7:37-50and John 12 :3 -8 .Mo dern M asters give

parshad, but th ey are not interested in their disciples wa shin g their feet

and dr ink ing the wate r .

MY BODY

S D IFF ER EN T n e of th e implications of his promi se to Kal not to

fully manifest in t he f irst three Yugas is that h e is not co mpelled to in-

habit o ne of Kal's bodies. There is a sense in which he is not fully there ,

a l though he is cer ta inly there enough to communicate as ful ly as he

wa nts and to seem to be there to anyon e looking at hi m . It is som ething

like th e upp er reaches of D ante 's Paradiso, wher e th e inhabitants ca n be

seen and ta lked wi th b y the poe t , bu t they a re ac tua l ly in another d ime n-

s ion and a re only projecting enough of them selves toward th e poet to

grasp his a t tention. This is not tru e of those disciples w ho m Kabir takes

to Sat Lok and makes Masters, of course, nor is it true of any other

Ma ster, including Kabir in his Kali Yuga incarnat ion -alth oug h his Kali

Yuga a utobiog raphy, as given in this po em , is very cur ious , as we sh all

see . Kabir is an incarnation of Sat Purush 's second son , Gy an; a ll o ther

Maste rs of His s ixteenth son , Yoga and th e Saints ; per hap s this is one

w ay that dif ference manifests .


30/87

4 T H E C O M I N G O F K A B lR

Kal made eighty-five kinds of vital airs and made the perishable

body of five elements.

In that bo dy there is o n e Original 'Vital A ir, ' which is called the

soul , Sohang.

T he soul is of the essence of S at Pu rus h, a nd Kal stops him by in-

volving him in doubts.

H e has t rapp ed the souls in many traps. Giving him greed, Kal en-

tangled him in it.

have c om e into this world to l iberate th e souls, an d I l iberate those

w ho recognize me.

D ha ra m R ai has played such tricks H e ha s deceived the souls in

m any ways.

Kal created the artificial water and air , and when they finish, the

soul 's cond ition becomes very ba d.

My bo dy is different from these things, as my bo dy is not m ad e by

Kal.

Limitless S h ab d a is my body -understand this. have explained it

to you in brief."


Hearing these words she became surprised. Th en th e Queen spoke

these words:

0

Lor d ,

I

am amazed Th ere is no on e else of this nature."

H Y M N

Co m ing fully into my refuge, Ind ra Mati said,

0

Ab ode of Grace, shower grace on me.

O n e by o ne explain to m e all this mystery.

Th ere is n o on e equal to Vishnu, no t even

Mu nis l ike Mah esh an d Brahm a.

Th is perishable bod y is m ad e of five elemen ts.

T h e intelligent people a re n o exception.

C O U P L E T

0

Lo rd, how did You become different from them ?

Qu ench my thirst , giving m e Your recognition.

L o r d ,

I

am surpr i sed as there i s no one e l se

l i ke

this

W h o a r e Y o u a n d f r o m w h ere h av e Y o u c o m e ?

0

Lord , f rom where d id You ge t th i s wor ry less body?

O Gu rude va, what is Your nam e? E xplain all these mysteries t o me.


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4

I N THE DWAPAR

YUGA

5

I don 't know Yo ur secrets, that is why I'm asking You in this way."

Ka runa ma i said:

0

Indra Mati, listen to the beautiful story, and I will explain to

you the holy qualities.

My land is different from the three worlds. Yama doesn't exist

there. Tha t is the land of the Original Pe rson .

Th at beautiful land is Sa t Lo k. It can be reached only after accept-

ing the true N aam .

Purush's body is a marvelous Light; the beauty of the soul is very

charming there.

Th e Glory of Purush is so much-what example can I give from this

world?

There is nothing in these three worlds which can be given as an ex-

ample.

Th e moon a nd sun are in this plane, and there is no other thing as

radiant as they a re here.

In Sat Lok it is such that even one cell of tha t place can m ake crores

of moons feel shy

W hen the beauty of one cell of it is such, then how can describe the

beauty of His Face?

The Purush is lustrous and radiant. Now I will tell you about the

beauty of the souls.

One soul's light is equal to the radiance of sixteen suns. The souls

remain satisfied there with Agar Vasna.

There the night never comes. There the Light of Sat Pu rush's body

always remains.

W hat t o say? There is nothing else. Blessed is the soul who reaches

there.

I have come from that plane, my name is Karunamai. I'll tell you

the words of the hom e of happiness.

I

came in Sat Yuga, Tre ta and now D wapar too. In all ages I have

come. Those souls who aw aken, I send them to Sat Lok."

Indra Mata sa id :

0

Lord, You came in other ages. What were Your names in

those ages?"

Karunamai said:

"In Sa t Yuga I was called Sat Sukrit. In Tre ta my nam e was

Maninder.


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6

TH COMING OF KABIR

In all ages I had on e or an oth er name. I sent those wh o recognized

me t o S at Lok."

Kabir said

to

Dharam Dm

0 D ha ram Das, I explained everything t o her an d told her the story

of the First an d Second Ages-hearing which she became m ore

eager an d asked m any other things.

She asked abo ut the beginning and end of creation, a n d abo ut the

character of Yama-which

I

explained t o h er.

I told her ho w the sixteen sons were born; how Kurm a's stom ach

was torn an d the God dess was created-I explained all tha t to

her.

I told her how Kal swallowed Ashtangi and then took her ou t; and

how the earth a nd sky were created.

I told her how the three sons churned the ocean. I told her th e ways

in which Kal had deceived the souls.

H earin g all this, her previous illusion ran aw ay. Becoming happ y in

love, she caught my feet.

Impatiently she folded her hand s and said, 0 Lo rd, save me from

Yama.

I sacrifice this whole kingdom to You, and will give up all this

wealth a nd property.

Merciful Go d, take me into Your refuge C ut my chains an d make

me happy "

Karunamai said:

0 Indra M ati, listen to my words. Surely I'll cut your chains.

Recognize me a nd be determ ined in the fa ith. Now I'll give you the

Naam, the authority.

Perform arti an d take N aam , then Y ama will go very far away.

Recognize me an d have faith in me; tak e N aam an d cross the Ocean

of Life.

Bring wh at is needed for perform ing arti I have nothing t o d o with

your kingdom. I do n't like wealth a nd property, I have com e

into this world to awaken souls.

You have bro ught this wealth here-respect the Saints in a good

way.

All the souls are of the L ord Sa t Puru sh, but as they are compelled

by attachm ent, they are in darkness.


33/87

4. IN T H E DWAPAR YUGA

7

The essence of Sat Purush resides within everyone, but it is not

manifested; It remains hidden.

HYMN

All the souls are of Sat Purush, but because of attachment and illu-

sion, they have become another's.

All this is the trick of Yamraj. In the world the snare of illusion is

primary.

Being controlled by Kal, souls fight with me; and being controlled

by attachm ent, they do not recognize me.

Leaving nectar, they love poison; leaving ghee, they drink water.

COUPLET

Rare a re the souls who recognize me after testing Shabda

They run and meet their Beloved and give up the support of Kal."

Hearing the words of security, Indra Mati spoke very sweetly:

"You have given happiness to me-the lonely one-and with

Your grace I have recognized the fathomless Lord.

0 Lo rd, now I've recognized You -surely You are Sat Pu rush.

Sat Purush, W ho has created the planes, has graciously show-

ered grace on me.

In my heart I've believed tha t no one else is greater than You.

Now 0 Lord , tell me about arti-whatever is needed tell me."

Kabir said

to

Dharam Das:

0 Dharam D as,

I

told her

as

I had told Khemsari: "Perform chauka

and get ready. Then I will give you my Naam."

Then the Queen brought what was needed, and sitting on the

chauka she became determined to accept Shabda.

Performing the arti she was given the passport. Then she received

the Dhyan of Purush, His Simran and Naam.

Thus the Queen received Naam, and , after bowing her head, she got

UP

Then the Queen explained to the King, 0 Lord, you will not get

such an opportunity again.

Accept His refuge if you want liberation. Believe my word "

D H Y A N PU R U SHcon tem platio n of th e Person, i .e . , of th e Master

himself. H ere th e three practices still conveyed at S habda Yoga initia-

tions ar e listed together:

Naam

is a reference to the Sound C urren t , the

hea ring of w hi ch is called

Bhajan.


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118

TH C O M I N G O F K A BIR

King Ch an dr a Vijay said:

0 Queen, you a re my wife. O ur devo tion cannot be separated. 1'11

see your devotion-how you will make me liberated.

I'll see the glory of your devotion-how I will get to Sat Lok, end-

ing all the pain."

Kabir said

t

Dharam Das

Again the Queen cam e to me. I told her the character of K al.

W hen she came, I told her these words:

"Listen Qu een , to my one word . Kal plays tricks and deceives.

Kal will becom e a snake an d will come to you . He will bite you-1

am telling you.

I've made you my disciple. Knowing this, Kal Takshak will bite

you.

S o I will make you remem ber the mantra, doing which Kal's poison

will go away.

I have given you the Supreme Shabda, so Kal's poison will not

spread in you.

Th en again Yama will play anoth er deception- I am telling you the

character of tha t also.

Playing this decep tion, Yam a will come near you-1 a m telling you

this secret too.

He will disguise himself as the High Soul and will explain the

knowledge t o you as if he were me.

H e will tell you '0 Queen , recognize me. My nam e is Gyani an d I'm

the destroyer of Kal.'

In this way Kal will come to deceive you-But I will tell you how to

recognize him:

Kal's fo rehea d is narrow-I am telling you ab ou t the eyes of Kal.

I have told you ab out the identification of Kal-all of his body is

white."

Then the Queen hurriedly cam e and caught my feet an d requested,

0

Lord , take me t o Sat Lok.

This is the land of Yama Ta ke me to Sat Lok s o that all my prob-

lems may come to a n end.

This is the place of K al, 0 Lord Ta ke me to the Limitless Plane."

Then I told the Queen, "Listen to my words attentively. Now your


35/87

4

IN

THE

DWAPAR YUGA

9

connection with Yam a has broken, and you r illusion is gone as

you've been given the Knowledge.

Day a nd night repeat the Naam of mine, an d what evil can Kal do?

Keep yourself connected to Na am until your destiny is com-

pleted.

HYMN

Day a nd night repeat my N aam , and you will be in remembrance

whenever Kal would deceive you;

Until the destiny is settled, the soul cannot pe rmanently go.

Lo ok at the great creation of Kal-he comes as an elephan t in this

world.

But looking at the tiger, the elephant becomes afraid and doesn't

come before him again.

COUPLET

Kal is like tha t elephan t. The glory of Sat Pu rush is the tiger.

Always keep the shield of N aam. The sword of Kal will not prevail

against it."

Indra Mati said:

0 Lord, I understand what you are saying. I take your words to

my heart.

I request one thing of you , 0 Swami, as You are the All-Conscious

Lord.

Kal will harass me as a snake, an d then he will come in the f or m of

a

high soul:

0 Lord, please come again to me, and then take my soul to Sat

Lok "

Gyani said, "Listen, 0 Queen. I am telling you one thing clearly.

Kal will come with many tricks.

Don 't give him allegiance-looking a t me, Kal will run away.

After him I'll com e to you, an d I will make your soul reach Sat Lo k.

KALT A K S H A K a k sh a k

is an ancient serpe nt out of In dian m ythology, con-

sidered to be thoroug hly evil; here he is com pletely identified w ith Kal

wh o, wh en he functions as Tempter an d tr ies to prevent souls from go-

ing up , is from ou r point of view most S atanic.

D E S T I N Y

S

SETTLED

NOon e can die until their

prarabdha karma

or destiny is

worked through and fulfilled.


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12

THE C O M I N G O F K AB IR

I have given you t he S ha bd a. Day an d night repeat it attentively."

Kabir said

to

Dharam Das

After saying this much I disappeared. Then Kal came in the form of

Takshak.

Takshak came in the palace, and sat on the bed of th e Queen.

W hen half the night had passed, the Queen got u p after serving the

King.

She bowed h er head to th e King an d came t o her palace.

Wh en she lay down on the bed, the snake bit her on the forehead.

T he n ln d ra Ma ti called like this: "Ta kshak has bitten me " Hea r-

ing this, the King was afra id an d hurriedly cam e to her, calling

the poison remover.

T h e King said, "If you can ke ep my beloved alive, an d the poison of

the Tak sh ak goes awa y, I will give you a small kingd om ."

H Y M N

T he Que en was repeating the holy S ha bd a an d she kept her atten-

t ion towards the L ord.

T h e doc tors an d poison removers were dismissed, a s she said, "The

Lo rd of all mankind is not far away.

My S atguru has given me a ma ntra. T he poison will not affect me,

Just as the darkness goes away as soon as the l ight of the sun

comes.

OUPLET

Sh e said, "My Master is great " She got up , seeing which the King

beca me very happy.

Yam Do ot went to Brahma, Vishnu an d Mahesh:

H e said, "The power of the poison didn't act. I t ran awa y because

of th e wall of th e Glory of N aam."

Vishnu said, "Listen, Yam Do ot: M ak e yo ur body white. Deceive

the Que en an d bring her. Ob ey my words."

T he Messenger mad e his whole bod) white, an d with much e nthu-

siasm, he went t o the Quee n.

He spoke these words

to

her. "Why have you become sad,

Queen?


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4.

I N THE

DWAPAR YUGA

2

You know me -Why have you become the one who doesn't recog-

nize? I gave you initiation and the mantra.

Queen, my name is Gyani.

I

will kill and smash Kal. When Kal

came as Takshak to devour you, I came an d saved you.

Leave the bed and touch my feet. Give up your ego. Now I have

come to take you and to give you the darshan of God."

Then Indra M ati looked fo r the signs as her Lo rd had told her. She

became surprised looking at the three lines, which were yellow,

white and red in color.

Noticing his narrow forehead, she looked at that again, and her

doubts were confirmed.

She said, "Doot, go back to your country, as now I have recognized

your form.

Even if the crow puts on a lot of make-up, how can he have the

beauty of the hansa?

So I have seen your form; my Master is competent."

Hearing this, the Messenger became angry and told Indra Mati:

"Again and again I am explaining to you, but you don't

understand-your intellect has run away

Saying these words he came near Indra Mati and slapped her.

He slapped her face , and the Queen fell down on the ground.

SERVINGH KING

Sexually. While the Masters advocate chastity, they do

not advise married people to force it unilaterally on their partners,

especially if the partner is not initiated. If done with God's remem-

brance and love, for the purpose of strengthening the marriage, it can be

a form of seva or service.

THESNAKEITHER There is an evocative haunting quality to this scene, al-

most ritual in nature: Karunamai has told her it would happen, and so

indeed it does. Both this appearance of Kal as Takshak and his next one

as the pseudo-Master are final purges that Indra Mati has to go through

to make her ultimate liberation possible; her Master is protecting her

but not to the extent of preventing these tests from happening.

YAMDOOT Doot means messenger ;

am

Doot is usually translated angel

of death, as they are the messengers of Yama, the Death God.

LOOKEDORTHESIGNS Negative entities can imitate the Master's form but

not completely-only enough to fool someone who wants to be fooled.

They cannot manage the broad forehead of the Master- that appears to

be inherently beyond them-and while they can pick up the three ver-

tical lines from the Master's forehead, they get the colors all wrong.


38/87


39/87

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IN

THE DWAPAR YUGA

123

Then Indra Mati did Simran and said, 0 Master, Gyani, help

me

In many ways Kal has harassed me.

0

Lord, cut the noose of

Yama


I couldn't stay away after hearing her call: Listen, Dharam Das,

this is my nature.

When the Queen called me, in one m om ent I was there.

Seeing me, she became happy a nd from her mind the fear of Kal ran

away.

When I came there Kal went away and the Queen's body w as puri-

fied.

Then Indra Mati, folding her hands, said, 0 God, listen to one

request of mine:

Now I have recognized the shadow of Yama, an d I will not live in

this coun try anymore.

0 Lord, take me to my own country, as here there are many suffer-

ings of Kal."

After saying this she became sad and said, "Take me to the Sat

Purush right now "


First o f all I took the Queen with me an d finished the subject of the

difficult Kal.

Right then her destiny karm a was paid off, a nd then

I

went to Sat

Lo k, taking the Queen.

I took her to Mansarovar, which filled her with am azem ent.

I made her taste the Nectar from the Po ol of Amrit, then I put her

feet in the Kabir Sagar.

Beyond that is the Ocean of the Su rat. Reaching there, the Queen

became pure.

SIMRAN If she had bee n doing Sim ran earlie r, the Y am Doot could not have

slapped her and her M aster would have heard h er and com e. This is one

of the uses and pow ers of Sim ran , to protect th e disciple from N egative

harassment .

F INISHEDH E

DIFFICULT

A L Paid off h er outstanding karm ic debts to Kal,

so she can go up , as the next l ine m akes clear.


40/87

24

THE C O M I N G O F K A BIR

When

I

mad e her stand at the doo r of Sat Lok , the Queen became

very happy look ing at it.

The souls came and embraced her, sang the welcome song and

performed the arti.

All the souls honored her and said: "You are a blessed soul who has

realized the Satgu ru.

It is good th at you are free from the snare of K al, and all your pain

an d suffering is over.

Soul, come with us, have the darshan of S at Purush , an d bow yo ur

head to Him .

Indra M ati, com e with us and have the darshan of Sat Pu rush."

Indra Mati joined the other souls and, in excitement, sang the

happy song.

All the souls are walking and praying for the darshan of Sat P uru sh .

Then I requested Sat Puru sh, "Now give Your darshan to the souls

who have com e near.

Give them your darsh an, Din Dayal. Be gracious on them,

Liberator."

Then the Flower bloomed and these words were heard: "Listen,

Gyani,

Y

og Santayan

Bring the souls and mak e them have darshan."

H Y M N

Gyani then came near the souls an d took all of them.

T h e souls became beautiful after having the darshan of Sat P urus h.

After bowing dow n, all of them put their attention on Sat Pu rush .

Then He gave some fruit of Nectar which was received by all the

souls.

C O U P L E T

Jus t as the lotus blooms a fter getting the light of th e sun ,

In the sam e way the sufferings of the souls from ages an d ages are

finished after having the darshan of Sat Purush.

INDR

MATI'S AMAZEMENT, AFTER REACHING SAT

LOK, T O FIND KARUNAMAI AN D SAT PURUSH AS THE

S A M E F O R M

When the Queen saw the marvelous beauty of the Sat Purush,

an d th e wine of Nectar,

She became overwhelmed, and clung to His feet, as her soul was

wise an d

full

of g ood qualities.


41/87

4. IN T H E D W A P A R Y U G A

25

He put both His hands on her soul, and she became happy as the

lotus bloom s in the sunlight.

The Queen said, "Blessed are You, 0 Karunamai, Who brought

me here after finishing my illusion."

The n Sat Puru sh told the Queen, "Go and call Karunam ai."

Kabir said

to

Dharam Das

She came to me, and looking at my form, she, my servant, was

astonished.

The Queen said, "This is surprising I can't see any difference.

Whatever qualities I saw in the Sat Purush, in Karunam ai also I see

every single one

Running, she-the wise soul-touched the Feet an d said, 0 Lord,

now

I

know all your character.

You a re the Sat Pu rush a nd You called Yourself the servant. Where

did you hide this Glory?

In my mind I know this for sure: that You a re the Sat Purush an d

nobody else is.

I have seen this after coming here. I hail You, 0 Competent One,

W ho woke me up.

HYMN

0 Abode of Mercy, You are the Blessed One. Your wise Naam is

the remover of worries.

You are indescribable, unmoveable, immortal, steady, pure, glori-

ous and endless.

You are without dou bts, selfless, the support of the world, nam e-

less, firm an d indestructible.

0 Lord, You are the beginning of everything, and maker of all the

creatures.

COUPLET

You showered grace on me an d woke me up , understanding me as

Your own.

ou

ARET H E

SAT

P U R U S H

"I

a n d

y

Father are one" Uohn

1 :3 ]


42/87

126 TH C O M I N G OF K BlR

You cut the snare of Yama and You brought me to the Ocean of

Happiness."


The n the Lotu s closed, a n d the souls all went t o their ab odes.

Gyani told the Queen , "Tell me, 0 soul, about yourself.

Now your pain and complications have finished, and your beauty

has become like sixteen suns.

Such a grace Sa t Pu ru sh showered on you -He has finished your

dou bt a nd pain."

INDRA MATI'S REQUEST TO BRING HER HUSBAN D,

KING CHA ND RA VIJAY, T O SAT LOK

Folding both her hands Indra Mati said,

0

Lord, I have one

request.

I got You r feet because of my goo d fortun e, an d came here and had

the darshan of Sat Purus h.

My body is now very beautiful, but within me now resides one

worry.

I am controlled by attachm ent as the King is my hu sband .

0 H us ba nd o f Souls, go an d bring him -otherwise my King will go

in the mouth of Kal."

Gy ani said, "Clever soul T he King doesn 't have the passp ort.

Now you have got the form of H an sa , why are you calling the King?

H e has n ot d one the devotion; he has w andered

in

the world with-

out the Truth."

0

Lord, living in the world I did your devotion in many ways.

The King knew my devotion, and he, the wise one, never stopped

me from doing it.

T he natu re of th e world is very difficult.

If , leaving the husb and , the wife goes to ano ther place, all the world

calls her by obscene names, hearing which, the husband kills

her.

Th e work of the King involves much nam e an d fam e, hypocrisy,

anger an d cleverness-But when

I

used to serve the Sadh us and

Saints, the King was not afraid of anyb ody .


43/87

4

IN

TH DWAPAR YUGA

27

Whenever I served th e Saints, the King would becom e happy up on

hearing that.

If the King had not allowed me to d o the devotion then, Lo rd,

how would my work have been done?

HYMN

I was the beloved one of the King an d he never stopped me .

Daily

I

served the Sadhus to get the P at h of Shabd a.

If the King had forbidden me, how would I have reached Your

Feet?

I would not have got the drink of Na am, so how would my work

have been done?

COUPLET

Great is the wise King. Bring his soul.

You are the Master-the Abode of Mercy-please cut the bo nds of

the King."


Hearing this, G yani laughed, and w ithout delay he started.

Very so on he cam e to Ga rh Gi rnar, as the King's time of dea th was

drawing near.

H e was surroun ded by Yam raj, w ho was giving him much p ain.

The King was in deep trouble. Coming there, the Satguru called

him,

But Y am raj did n't leave the King. Brother, this is what hap pens

without the devotion:

Wh en the time is completed, Y am a greatly troubles the soul.

Quickly I caught the hand of C han dra Vijay an d came to Sat Lo k.

Seeing th e King, th e Queen cam e near him an d touched his feet.

In dr a Mati said, "Listen, King. Recognize me-I a m your wife."

The King said, "Listen, wise soul Your beau ty is like sixteen

moo ns and suns.

Every single part of you is shining. How can I call you my wife?

You did the devotion very well an d saved me also.

GO ANDBRING

H I M

Th e love of G od and th e Master does not d row n or can-

cel Indra Mat i' s love for her hu sba nd ; i t s trengthen s and en han ces i t .

YAMRAJ

"The King of De ath" ; th e Death Go d, Kal.


44/87

128 T H E

C O M I N G OF

K BIR

Hail to the M aster, W h o made you determined in devotion. And

with your devotion have reached my Real H om e.

For numerous births I did good deeds, and so

I

obtaine d a wife of

good karma.

I kept my mind in the affairs of the kingdom, an d couldn't achieve

the devotion of the Satgu ru.

If you had not been my wife I would have gone to hell. I cannot

describe your qualities.

Hail to the Great Master for such a wom an as I got

As go t a wife like you, may all the world get suc h a wife."

Kabi r sa id

t

D h a r a m

Das

Hearing these words the Gyani laughed, a nd then spoke to C han dra

Vijay:

"Listen, King, you ar e a wise one. T h e soul w ho accepts my

Shabda

Co me s t o the Cou rt of Sat Pu rush , a nd never sees the world again.

The men and women who obey me, take up the form of the

Hansa .

Th e King contemplated on the Form and had the Darshan of Sat

Pu rush , and taking o n the form of the Han sa, he became very

beautiful.

The King got the beauty of sixteen suns with the beauty of the

moon's light.

D h a r a m Das said:

H Y M N

D ha ram Da s makes this request: Tell m e more abo ut the souls in

the Yugas.

G rea t is Y ou r Na am , L or d, by which the King got established in

Sat Lok.

Even thou gh the King had not accepted the Tr uth , Your Dev otion

took him there.

Because of th e Glo ry of the Devotion of his wife, Yo u to ok the King

away from Yamraj

COUPLET

Gre at is the wisdom of the wom an w ho called her husband there

His coming an d going was finished, an d he didn't come again in the

world.


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4

IN T H E

DW P R YUG

Lord, what did You do af ter that?

Tell me that story, Com petent On e.

How did You come again in the ocean of the world?

Tell me th at, Lo rd of the Souls.

Kabir said

to

Dharam Das

Dh aram Das, when I came into the world I took the husb and of

the Queen to Sat Lo k.

Leaving him there, I came immediately into the world again: I

came in to the city of Kashi.

Giving the Na am to Sudarshan Su pach,

I

woke him up.

TH E S TO RY O F S U P A CH S U D A RS H A N

There used t o live a supach whose name was Sudarshan .

I

made him

firm in the S at Shabda.

H e was a wise and beautiful Saint who recognized the S ha bd a after

discrimination, and united with It.

He accepted my words firmly, and believing in them, his attach-

ments were severed.

gave him the Drink of Naam, the Message of Liberation, and

finished all his suffering from Kal.

I

gave him the

Shabda Dhyan

and made him firm in it, and he

happily did the Simran of Naam with all his attention.

Wholeheartedly he did the devotion of the Satguru, leaving all

deceptions and cleverness.

His father and mother became very happy and in their hearts they

had great love for him.

Dharam Das, this world is darkness. Without the Knowledge,

the jiva becomes the servant of Yama.

Look ing at the devotion the jiva becomes happy, bu t he doesn t

take my Naam.

The foolish on e doesn t recognize me even after seeing me, an d he

falls into the complicated sna re of Kal.

As the dog absorbs himself in the impure things, in the sam e way,

the people of the world leave the Nectar and merge into the

Poison.

SUPACH

Low caste

man

undesireable


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T H E

C O M I N G O K BIR

King Yuddhistra was a king in the Third Age who performed the

Yajna.

Killing his brothers, he was disgraced, so he thought of performing

the Yajna.

When they got permission from Krishna, the Pandavas brought

what was needed.

All the material for the Yajna was brought an d all the Sadhus from

near and far were called.

Krishna told the Pan davas, Understand that your Yajna is com -

pleted when you hear the bell in the sky.

Th en you'll get the complete fruit of the Yajna.

All the sanyasis, vairagis, brahmins a nd brahmacharis came.

Different types of food w ere made, an d with great love they were all

fed.

They all got the food as expected but the bell didn 't soun d, and the

King was embarrassed.

W hen the bell did not sound in the sky the King was amazed, and

his senses left him.

All the great rishis ate , but still the bell did n't sou nd , and the King

became confused.

Then the Pandavas went to Krishna and asked him about the

dou bts in their minds.

Yu ddhistra said:

Hav ing mercy on us, tell us, Yadu raja, why the bell did not

ring.

Krishna told them this reason: One sadh u did not eat the food.

T he Pan dav as were surprised and said, Millions of sadhu s ate the

food.

Now , Lo rd, where we can find the sadhu wh o did not eat? Tell

US.

Yadunata.

Krishna said:

Bring Supach Sudarshan, and feed Him with respect. He is the

only Sadhu-nobody else is.

Your Ya

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The Ocean of Love Part 3-Kabir