Saturday, October 18, 2008

A Soul’s Meeting with The Master.

Naamdaan the greatest gift of all.



Greetings dear traveler! A voice in the distance calls out to me. It’s midnight & the moon is shining in all its glory. We were traveling by road from Delhi airport to Punjab. During our pit stop at a local dhaba (small road side hotel for refreshments) we were expecting a small cup of tea & some biscuits instead I find myself on a lonely road with a small dhaba & a voice in the shadows calling me a traveler. The waiter was about to bring the tea & an old man, of about 80 or 90 years old, who was of sikh origins with his turban & flowing, long, snow white beard, glowing skin, a strong sturdy structure, eyes like that of an ocean, deep with wisdom & a strange power, aura like that of a yogi, voice like that of silver bells & an old lamp in his hand approached me. At first his face was not visible & as he came closer his aura was radiant with an unearthly light & luminance. Just with a glance I was awestruck & was wondering who is this man or shall I say an entity who seemed human but belonged to worlds eternal.



With reverence I bowed to him and greeted Saat Sri Akaal (a common greeting in Punjab - India). His face suddenly was captured with a sweet smile as if I was talking about someone he knew. He greeted me back & asked would you like to hear about a cosmic event which is about to happen in a few hours my dear traveler. I was totally bewildered as to what is he speaking about? Ofcourse we were dead tired & nothing more refreshing than sipping a hot cup of tea on a cool windy night & having this amazing being trying to tell us about some cosmic event, who cares if its true or not I was into it. Although no one else seemed to say or pay attention to this old man & somehow I found it weird, why weren’t they showing more enthusiasm anyways I was completely blown away by this man, this old mystic & wanted to know about what he wanted to convey.



As soon as I said, yes I would love to hear about it, I was thrown in a world different than I knew, wonderful colors came rushing in from all sides, it seemed like I was travelling at the speed of light. There were lights of explicit beauty, it seemed as if everything was made of light. I totally forgot to ask the old man where was I. I was completely enraptured by the beauty of this amazing world. Was it an out of body experience or astral travel I have no idea, I was sure of one thing that I was in for a ride. I knew that this old man had to do something with this but I was too busy to ask what & how. Suddenly we approached a house ones like that in villages of Punjab, big lawns & peaceful atmosphere. There we saw a young soul getting up & turning off his alarm. I looked at the time & it was 4:00 am in the morning, somehow we had timetraveled as well. In the background were the sweet sounds of gurbani sung by the local bhai ji (priest of gurudwara) at the nearby gurudwara. This whole vision was surreal in nature. The morning was chilly but had a comforting feel to it. This soul was in a hurry yet he had a sweet smile on his face, it seemed more like he was getting ready for something. From the looks of it I thought it was his wedding day. But there was something different in his acts & somehow the whole event looked divine in essence. He took a bath & dressed in pure white kurta & trousers & was ready to go somewhere. I asked the old man, where is he going so early in the morning? The old mystic simply replied he is going for the cosmic event for which even the greatest of entities wait & would die for. I was wondering what could be this event, for a minute I thought I was dreaming but then the reality I saw with my eyes was more real than the world I knew. Outside was a car waiting for him, his fellow residents in that house bid him farewell & he was off on the road to a place where this so called event was about to take place.



The old mystic & I followed him in our bodies of light. When we reached the destination it was a site to see. It looked as if we were in heaven. The beauty of that place is a site to witness not describe. Green trees covered the pathways, people in huge multitude had gathered for some gathering of some sort. Many were busy in their own work. The whole atmosphere radiated with divine presence. Everyone was so peaceful & carried a strange smile of peace on their faces. I asked the mystic what is this place? The old mystic looked deep into my eyes & with a smile he answered this place is where a great saint resides, within these walls is the Master's abode. I was thinking to myself if the atmosphere radiated bliss beyond measure, what would it be like to see that master who is responsible for such a divine atmosphere.

We followed the young soul & witnessed a gorgeous site where hundreds of people mostly dressed in white were sitting in huge lines waiting for something. Our young lad of 25 years looked at his receipt which said 30th September 2008 & had the details about the whereabouts of the place where he was suppose to go. Soon he joined others in the lines & they were all lead towards this huge hall. On the way towards the hall they were given new slippers & water to drink. They were treated with love, respect & were given a VIP treatment. When they entered the huge hall, everyone was made to sit in huge lines & await the master’s presence. Few instructions were imparted to these souls & then in the background chants were sung which were something like this ‘deen dayal bharose tere’ (oh merciful one we have faith on thee) & ‘charan kamal tere dhove dhove pivaan mere satguru deen dayala’ (I shall drink the waters with which I wash thy holy feet oh my merciful master).

The whole energy of that hall was suddenly transported to a realm of spiritual ecstasy. I no longer felt that we were humans instead the feeling in the core of my heart was that we were spiritual beings here for a celestial event. It is amazing that we make all these mental ideas & picture the meeting with the master in some way or the other but when the time really comes there’s nothing like it. The old mystic explained to me that this event is called naam daan when the master in his immense grace & mercy bestows on his chosen souls a key, a power, a ticket if you may call it,which will allow the receiver to transcend the physical realms & enter those hidden realms beyond mind & matter which are otherwise not accessible to the highest of yogis. Imagine for ages the poor soul wanders here & there in search of something, in search of purpose, in search of the path & finally the master shows mercy on such a lucky soul & accepts it under his wing. The master not only shows the soul its way home but also accompanies it on the greatest journey of all.

Sharp at 9 am everyone gathered there turned towards the doors & behold there he was. Waves of light & beauty were radiating from every pore of his body, his majestic look & an extraordinary face I can never forget, oh what a face it was. His eyes were radiating with peace & his appearance was such that a thousand suns would dive in shame. His white flowing beard adored his exhaulted status, he wore a white turban which seemed like a halo of spiritual grace & magnificence & he dressed in pure white as if all the purity of the cosmos had gathered together to form the garment worn by this amazing entity everyone called babaji (with love & respect). His aura was full of marvel & splendor, he looked like the embodiment of shabd, the core of everyone’s being, he was the reason of reasons, it was like watching the alpha & the omega right in front of my eyes & yet his beauty was beyond words would ever suffice. The grandeur of a saint is beyond our limited imagination. This was the great saint whom everyone had come to see & witness his amazing powers of love & mercy.



As everyone settled their heartbeats & composed themselves, babaji started walking towards each & everyone of them bestowing the jewel of naam through his eyes. It is said that saints transmit spiritual energy from the eyes or rather their surat or consciousness & today I witnessed this spectacle firsthand. He walked with grace & beauty, looking at him it seemed like the Lord of the universe was walking amongst us. Despite his powers he carried the face of a saint who was humble, loving & caring towards his children. There was a feeling of awe & yet he seemed approachable to every soul which came in contact with him. When he came near the soul we were with, time seemed to have stopped in its tracks. When the master looks deep into your eyes, you are spellbound & mesmerized. It feels like the master has spoken to your soul & you stand there helpless, alone & humble. That’s when you realize that all your knowledge, power & efforts towards your spiritual goal have no meaning at all because the master is the ocean of spirituality & you a mere droplet. This humility is the crown which every true devotee receives & it is only then that they truly understand their true place. In the presence of the master the ego is shattered & a new awakening dawns upon your soul which leads your consciousness towards higher understanding beyond your intellect. Only the experience of such an event can fully make one understand the depth of naamdaan. Its truly a soul’s new birth.



After those amazing moments spent with the master everyone was taken to another hall where seating arrangements were made. A few minutes later babaji arrived again & taught his children the deepest secrets of santmat or the path of the masters. He revealed to the souls the inner secrets & pitfalls one may face & showed everyone the way to worship the Lord in its true sense. His voice was sweet & firm. His face was radiant & his words were music to our ears. After spending approximately 2 hours with his devotees the master left for his abode & left his children wanting more as always. I can never forget the moments spent with the master & this whole experience was one magical ride.

Suddenly the horn sounds were heard & everyone around me was ready to move on with their journey. That’s when I realized that I had a cup of tea in my hand & my fellow travelers were asking me to get ready to move on from the dhaba where we had stopped. I was really amazed & shaken by this experience I just encountered & somehow a deep sense of comfort filled my heart, to see the master so close & to witness his power & bliss was enough to drainout my fatigue & I was completely rejuvenated. Suddenly I remembered where’s the old mystic who was responsible for such a wonderful experience I had? I wanted to thank him but I couldn’t see him around. I asked my friend hey where’s that old mystic who was here, my friend looked at my face with complete amazement & total confusion. When I insisted on asking about the whereabouts of that old man, my friend simply smiled & said “what old man are you talking about.....”



Payo ji meine ram rattan dhan payo
vastu amolik di mere satguru
Kirpa kar apnayo
Janam Janam ki poonji payi
jag mein sabhi khovayo
Kharche na khoote
chor na loote
din din badhat swayo
sat ki nav khiwatiya satguru
Bhav sagar tar aayo
meera ke prabhu girdhar nagar
harath harath jas gayo

I have found the treasure of naam,
My master gave me the priceless treasure
He accepted me with mercy
I received treasure beyond measure
And gaveup everything material
By spending it doesnt decrease
And no thief can steal it
Day by day it increases manifold
I have crossed the bhavsagar(river hades)
On the boat of truth with master as the boatman
Meera's God is Girdhar nagar
She sings of him in ecstasy

(English Translation by Ramnita Sharda)



The world we see around has many mysteries & enchantments which are beyond our comprehension but the greatest mystery is the master. Only he can reveal himself & his wonders...........there’s none like him, there’s none like him.