On Hymns of Paltu Sahib

Maharaj Kirpal Singh tells us that the Saints lead the seeking souls into the life of the spirit “each in his own time, according to the then prevailing conditions and people’s aspirations; for they (Masters) always try to lead them from the line of least resistance and dole out the basic goodness in terms that may readily appeal to and fit in with their mental make-up, for a step higher in the process of evolution or unfoldment of the of the spirit.”

When Hazur Sawan Singh instructed Baba Somanath to leave the Dera and return to South India to propagate the teaching of Sant Mat, He said: “Somanath, the body in which your soul dwells is highly suitable for spreading the teaching of Sant Mat in South India for you have both the understanding of the ways of the people of the South and with the Grace of the Masters have perfected the meditation after passing through every lower stage of the journey. Go and commence the work of Satsang.”

We find that Baba Somanath’s Satsangs are filled with a wealth of words, names, places and concepts from the Sanskrit epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharat, from Hindu traditions prevalent at the time of His mission, and from Vedanta and other branches of Indian philosophy. To translate this feast of spirituality into English with no reference to His original words would be disservice to His meaning and to the deep devotional atmosphere that pervades His discourses. Further, Baba Somanath loved to draw on puns and folk etymology to explain complex spiritual truths to His sangat that was comprised, to a large degree, of farmers and mill workers; and much of His meaning would be lost without reference to the original Hindi.  Therefore, many Hindi and Sanskrit words appear in the translations, and it may be helpful here to say a few words about the methodology employed to transliterate them.

The transliteration scheme used in these Satsangs has one goal — to give an intuitive approximation of the correct pronunciation of the Hindi sounds for readers who are unfamiliar with the sound systems of Indian languages. The transliteration follows the familiar pattern used in the bhajan book In Praise of Kirpal. A little extra information has been added with diacritics drawn from IAST (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration) and from other established historic usage. If you encounter an unfamiliar Hindi word, diacritics can offer clues to how that word is pronounced.

VOWELS
If you are going to remember only one thing while reading the transliterated Hindi, let it be the distinction between the short “a” (as in “alive”) and the long “ā” (as in “father).  Short vowels have no added diacritic. Long vowels have a dash (macron) above the vowel. You can safely ignore everything else about the transliteration scheme and do just fine. 

If you are up for a little more detail, here is the full list of long and short vowels:

a   as in alive, achieve

ā   as in calm, mom

i    as in sit, knit

ī    as in sweet, Rita

u   as in foot, brook

ū   as in school, rule

And to round out the vowels, here’s what remains:

e         like hay, rain (but not a diphthong, that is, no “ee” sound at the end)

ai        like west, zest (regionally, may also be pronounced like cat, sat)

au       like draw, shawl

ri/rhi  pronounced like “ri” in ridge or “ru” in ruse, depending on the region

An informational side note here: all Hindi vowels (with the exception of the vocalic “ri”) can be nasalized. You don’t need to give much attention to this point, but just be aware that when you see a vowel with a tilde (ã, ẽ, ĩ, õ, ũ, aĩ, aũ, ā̃, ī̃, etc.) it means the vowel is nasalized. If you are a French speaker this will be a snap for you, because nasalized vowels are common in French (bon, maison, lavande, Antibes). Otherwise, you can think of vowels pronounced through the nose with a country and western twang.

CONSONANTS
Consonants should be fairly intuitive and should not present any difficulty. Simply pronounce them as you would in English and you’ll be fine.  

But if you’d like to know a little more about the sound systeml, read on…

A distinction that you may already be familiar with from In Praise of Kirpal is that some consonants are followed by a “h”, indicating that Hindi speakers pronounce those letters with an extra puff of air (aspirated). You can safely disregard this extra aspiration and pronounce “th” as “t,” or “dh” as “d” and so forth.

Also, sometimes you’ll notice a dot under a consonant. These dots usually indicate retroflex sounds, that is, consonants pronounced slightly farther back in the mouth than their equivalent English consonants.  In fact, the English pronunciation is already close enough to the Hindi retroflex to make it an acceptable substitute. (The one tricky set is “ṛ” and “ṛh.”  You can just pronounce them both as the “r” in “rhyme” and be close enough. You can also approximate the “ṛ” sound more closely by pronouncing it as the “rd” in the word “Urdu.” The tongue bends back, strikes the palate and flips forward. But, unless you are actually learning to speak Hindi, there is no need to master that sound set.)

Sometimes, the dots with consonants can indicate a Perso-Arabic sounds in loan words. These words are common in Sufi literature and in the ecumenical Sant literature drawn, as it is, from a vast array of religious traditions. If you encounter these letters, you can just pronounce them as you would in English and disregard the dots. (For instance, kḥ is usually pronounced simply as “kh” in modern standard Hindi, but the Perso-Arabic letter actually sounds like the “ch” in the Scottish “loch” or the German “Bach.”)

Nasal consonants have been simplified. All nasal consonants are transcribed as “n”, “m”, or “ṇ” (retroflex n). We have already mentioned that nasalized vowels are marked with a tilde (ã, ĩ, õ, etc.)  No distinction is made for ṅ, and ñ; both are transliterated as “n”. Usually, no distinction is made within a word between between anusvāra and anunāsika. Final anunāsika is transcribed as the appropriate vowel with a tilde rather than using the IAST transcription “ṃ”.

Also, IAST transliterates regular “sh” as “ś” and retroflex “sh” as “ṣ”.  Since most readers would be unfamiliar with IAST conventions, we have chosen to use regular “sh” as “sh” and retroflex “sh” as “ṣh”.

It is worth mentioning the letter “v.” In some regions, “v” is pronounced as “w” and is often represented in English spellings of Hindi words as “w,” for instance, in the word “Swami.” So, in the case of “v,” we use “v” when specifically transliterating a Hindi word, but in the text, we stick with the English spelling for words such as “Swami” that have a commonly accepted English form. 

Finally, we don’t usually add diacritics to commonly known words such as “prana.” But if those words appear in lists where diacritics are necessary for unfamiliar words, we add diacritics to everything for consistency, for instance, in this sequence describing the koshas or sheaths: “annamaya, the food sheath; prāṇamaya, the sheath of the vital airs; manomaya, the mental sheath; vigyānamaya, the sheath of knowledge, with two aspects, gyān and vigyān (gyānamaya, concerned with knowledge of the material planes and vigyānamaya, concerned with enlightenment in the spiritual planes)  and, lastly, anandamaya, the sheath of bliss, the final gossamer-thin kosha covering the soul.”

SANSKRIT vs. HINDI

The inherent “a” at the end of words is silent in modern Hindi, and so is not usually transcribed. However, it may be included for words taken directly from Sanskrit. Visarga is transcribed as ḥ, but again it is confined to Sanskrit words. The Sanskrit conjunct “jña” is transcribed as “gya” which is the more common modern pronunciation.

For the grammatical form of Sanskrit words in the text, we have been guided by Baba Somanath’s own usage. For instance, He usually favors “ātmā” (nominative singular) over “ātman” (the neutral “dictionary” form) to indicate “soul” or “self,” and we follow His lead.

Paltu Sahib

Just like there is fire in the wood and fragrance in the flower

Jaise kāṭh mẽ agin hai, phul mẽ hai jyõ bās
जैसे काठ में अगिन है, फूल में है ज्यों बास।
हरि जन में हरि रहत है, ऐसे पलटूदास ।। ४९ ।।
मिंहदी में लाली रहै, दूध माहिं घिव होय ।
पवटू तैसे संत हैं, हरि बिन रहै न कोय ।। ५० ।।
छोड़ै जग की आस को, काम क्रोध मिटि जाय ।
पलटू ऐसे दास को, देखत लोग डेराय ।। ५१ ।।
अस्थुति निन्दा कोउ करै, लगै न तेहि के साथ ।
पलटू ऐसे दास के, सब कोई नावै माथ ।। ५२ ।।
आठ पहर लागी रहै, भजन तेल की धार ।
पलटू ऐसे तास को कोऊ न पावै पार ।। ५३ ।।
Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, Part 3, Sakhī, Bhakt Jan, sakhī  49-53

Just like there is fire in the wood and fragrance in the flower,
O Paltu, in the same way, the Lord dwells within His devotee.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib. Nowadays, many people are atheists. They say, “There is no God. You people are believing in fantasy and falsehood.” From their point of view, this is true because their intellect is limited to the gross, material world. They do not realize that God is something rarefied and spiritual, so they assert: “There is no God.” They do not see Him, so they say, “What is the point of all this rigmarole?”

To help us understand the reality, Paltu Sahib Ji explains about the nature of the Lord. He says: “The Lord is like the fire hidden in the wood.” If you casually observe a piece of wood, you don’t see any fire. But in a big forest, fires ignite spontaneously when the branches rub together in the blowing wind. This rubbing produces heat that sets the trees on fire, and in the end, the whole forest is burnt. Likewise, there is fragrance in the flower. We cannot see that fragrance; it is hidden from our eyes. But through the nose, the sense of smell, we become aware of the hidden fragrance. 

In the same way, the Almighty Lord remains hidden in the heart of the devotee. The devotee is conscious of that Power and says, “The Lord dwells within me. I see Him clearly.”  But to those with gross, blind intellects, this seems like make-believe.

Just like there is redness in the henna leaves and butter in the milk,
O Paltu, the Saints see that the Lord dwells within all.

Now, consider the leaves of the henna plant. On the surface, they look green, but the leaves have redness within them. Similarly, ghee (clarified butter) is hidden in the milk. When you warm the milk and add some starter culture, then the milk firms up into yogurt. If you churn that yogurt, the butter separates out, and when you heat that butter, any remaining water evaporates, and only ghee remains. If you put that ghee into milk, it will float on the top; the ghee will not mix with the milk.

In the same way, the Lord is within us in His hidden form. We have to become seekers after God. The gurumukhs and devotees come to know the Inner Secret. When they search their own hearts, they discover the Almighty Lord. The Lord is not sitting somewhere outside.

The one who gives up the desires of the world destroys lust and anger.
O Paltu, seeing such a devotee, the worldly people bow down with respect.

He says, “Give up the desires of the world.” What is the root of all these desires?  Lust and anger. If a person gives up both of these and searches within, then the Lord’s Naam will manifest. Beholding such devotees, even the wealthy merchants, the kings, and emperors spontaneously bow down before them. What worldly goods do these devotees possess? Outwardly, they have only a loincloth or some simple garment. But the Power manifested within them commands so much respect — even from the worldly people. So, you should become absorbed in the Lord, following the example of the Gurumukhs. But this is not an easy thing to accomplish. When, with whole-hearted devotion, we surrender to the Guru, giving up our ego and arrogance — when our love becomes totally absorbed in the Lord — then we achieve such an exalted state.

If someone indulges in criticism and praise, abandon their company.
O Paltu, everyone bows before those devotees who free themselves from these ills.

Some people praise you; some people criticize you. You do not achieve greatness through other people’s praise. And you are not diminished through other people’s criticism. These people are criticizing and praising others based on their own understanding and motives. Therefore, shun their company.  Guru Amardas Ji says:

निन्दा भली किसी की नाहीं, मनमुख मुगुध करन्
मुंह काले तिनु निन्दका, नरके घोर परन्न्

It is never good to criticize anyone;
only the foolish manmukhs indulge in this.
Those who criticize others, their faces are blackened,
and they are thrown into the deepest hells.

Never criticize anyone. Even if someone is the worst of the worst, never have a critical thought or utter a harsh word about them.

Once Emperor Akbar was sitting with his assembly of ministers and advisors. Addressing them, he said, “What punishment should be meted out to those who indulge in criticism and backbiting?” Everyone kept quiet; no one replied to his question. Whenever someone wants to criticize others, they never do it openly. They whisper their secrets in the ear; they want to unpack their wares behind closed doors. So how could such people be caught and punished?

Just then, Birbal joined the assembly, and Akbar put the question to him: “People who criticize others, what punishment should they receive?” Instantly, Birbal replied, “What to speak of the one who criticizes, even the one who listens to criticism should have their ears cut off.” Akbar asked him why he favored such a punishment, and Birbal explained: “The person who listens to criticism adds their own embellishments to the tales they hear and then they pass those stories on to others. And when the critic finds such a willing ear, he will definitely return the next day, to share more gossip.”

If someone comes to you with vicious tales, instead of listening, you should tell them, “Brother, why are you finding fault with others? You should keep your mind riveted in the remembrance of the Lord and give up this bad habit of criticism.” If you explain like this to the critics, they will not return and bother you again. Therefore, it is said, “Avoid the company of those who criticize others and sing their own praises.” If you want to praise anyone, praise the Almighty Lord. If you want to criticize anyone, criticize your own self. 

Go on with the devotion all the hours of the day and night,
   like the unbroken stream of oil.
O Paltu, otherwise how can you reach the other shore?

Remain absorbed in the devotion to the Lord, all the eight watches (24 hours) of the day. Keep your eye fixed on your goal. Don’t forget the Lord, even for a moment.  Guru Nanak tells us: “If I were to forget you even for a moment, O Lord, it would be like fifty years.”

If you become such a seeker after God, you will find that He is not far away from you — He is the knower of your heart. Many people take initiation but do not even remember the five Holy Names. Somebody might say, “Well, I do remember one of the Names.” When you ask: “Which Name do you remember?” they reply, “I remember Sat Naam. But the other four? I’ve completely forgotten them.” They tell me, “Next time you give initiation, I will sit in and refresh my memory.” Friend, what can you gain through such discipleship?

Audio: H010

Paltu Sahib

Scale the heights of Trikuti with caution.

Tirakuṭī ghāṭ ko utaru samhāri kai

तिरकुटी घाट को उतरु सम्हारि कै,
सुषमना खैंचु गुन बाँधि खूँटा ।
बीच पहार में साँकरी गली है,
गली में कुंड जल परै टूटा ।।
भंवर को देखि कै नाव मुरेरु तू,
चली है नाव तब कुंड छूटा ।
दास पलटू कहै नाव सम्हारना,
सोत में सोत ब्रह्मंड फूटा ।। ७७ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg dūsrā, Reḳhtā, Bhed, reḳhtā 77

Scale the heights of Trikuti with caution.
Capture the three gunas and mental oscillations; tie them to a stake and enter into the Sushumna.

Paltu Sahib is describing the ascent to Trikuti. In the region of Trikuti, there are very steep mountains.  “Scale the heights of Trikuti with caution.” Take care when climbing those slopes, because the ascent is very treacherous. You begin your climb through the Sushumna, the subtle, central artery in the forehead between the two eyes that leads upward to Trikuti.  First, free yourself from the mental oscillations and the three gunas — rajo guna, tamo guna, and sattva guna; you must tie them up securely. No thought should arise in your within. Then your soul can enter into the Sushumna and contemplate there with fixed attention, free of the three gunas.

Between the mountains, there is a path through a narrow pass.
That path is blocked by the waters of a lake.

Mountains lie on both sides. A narrow, subtle path runs in between them. Following that path a short distance, you come to a deep lake. People may ask how all this can be located in the forehead.  “How did all these huge mountains come to be there? How can there be a lake there?” He tells us that these things are hidden behind the curtain of the mind. They cannot be located looking only at the gross, material body. If they were in the physical head, then nowadays, the doctors would have removed them and exhibited them. But these things are not located on the physical plane; they lie beyond the realm of mind.  

Beware of the whirlpools; steer your boat around them.
Cross over, and leave that lake behind you.

At this place, many great rishis, munis, renunciates, and ascetics have become trapped in these whirlpools and have lost their way. They faltered in their quest and were deluded. For this reason, by the grace of the Satguru, maneuver carefully around these whirlpools and pilot your boat to the far shore.

Das Paltu says, “You have to navigate your boat carefully.”
The stream will merge into the Greater Stream, and you will break through Brahmand.

When you constantly remain alert and keep the conscious Power of your attention fixed within you, what will be the result? You will reach Brahmand and merge into Brahm. But if you do not remain watchful and steadfast, you will not be capable of breaking through the Brahmand. You should merge the stream of your individual consciousness into the stream of Universal Consciousness; then you will become a Brahmgyani — the knower of Brahm. But the goal still lies ahead. Through your meditation practice, pierce through Brahmand to the regions beyond.

But if we don’t break through Brahmand in this lifetime through meditation, the worldly people are under the delusion that liberation can be achieved by rites and rituals. When someone dies and their corpse is burned on the funeral pyre, then the lead mourner takes a bamboo stake and pierces the “Brahmand” — that is, the skull — to release the soul from the body so it can achieve salvation: “Friend, you didn’t break through to emancipation while you were living, so now we’ll smash your skull and release you.”

Audio: H024, 0:00

Paltu Sahib

Maya, the tavern keeper, dispenses a terrible poison.

Māyā kalavārinī det viṣh ghori kai

माया कलवारिनी देत बिष घोरि कै,
पिये बिष सबै ना कोऊ भागै ।
संसार बौराइ गा भया बेहोस सब,
लेत नंगियाय ना कोऊ जागै ।।
अमल बाँका बड़ा छुटै ना चीसका,
जीब के संग जब मुहें लागै ।
एक ठौ परे हैं धूरि मेँ लोटते,
दास पलटू एक चोखि माँगै ।।८३।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg dūsrā, Reḳhtā, Māyā, reḳhtā 83

Maya, the tavern keeper, dispenses a terrible poison.
Everyone drinks it down; no one escapes.

Maya is a tavern keeper. Day and night, she is serving up endless cups of poison to all the world.  Intoxicated in the sense pleasures, everyone remains in a dumb stupor. Forgetting their true selves, they are engrossed in the worldly enjoyments.  No one can escape drinking this inebriating poison.

If you read the stories of the gods and goddesses, you come to know that Indra was the king of the gods. Being attracted to Ahalya, the wife of the sage Gautama Rishi, Indra had to leave his throne in heaven and come down into this mortal world. And Chandra, the god of the moon, came along to help him. Those gods drank the cups of poison and drowned in the intoxication of Maya.

In the same way, Bhasmasura became attracted to Lord Shiva’s wife Parvati, and began to chase Shiva. 1To destroy Bhasmasura and rescue Shiva, Lord Vishnu took on the form of the beautiful, alluring Mohini Bhasmasura was a devotee of Lord Shiva and served Shiva by bringing him ashes to rub on his body. Shiva became pleased and granted him the boon that whoever he touched on the head would be burned to ashes (bhasma). But because of his low nature, Bhasmasura abused the boon and began destroying everyone in sight. Then, because he coveted Shiva’s wife, Parvati, he even started chasing Shiva, trying to turn him to ashes.  Coming to Shiva’s aid, Lord Vishnu incarnated as the beautiful, alluring Mohini. When Bhasmasura also became attracted to her, Mohini (Lord Vishnu in disguise) tricked him into touching his own head while he was dancing, and Bhasmasura was reduced to ashes on the spot.   This is the condition of the mighty gods and goddesses.

Maya plies her wares in every household, and we have become enslaved. Daily she serves us cups of poison and, drinking that poison, we remain in a perpetual state of drunkenness.

कामी का गुरु कामिनी , लोभी का गुरु दाम |
कबीर का गुरु सन्त है, संतन का गुरु राम ||

The lustful person’s guru is his beloved,
The greedy person’s guru is his wealth.
But Kabir’s Guru is the Saint,
And the Saint’s Guru is God Himself.

You have to abandon these first two gurus and accept the third Guru. Until you give up lust and greed, how can you become the Saint’s disciple? Therefore, He tells us that Maya — the tavern keeper — serves up cups of poison through the sense pleasures and lulls everyone into a drunken sleep. No one can raise the slightest protest.  

All the world has gone mad and has fallen unconscious.
They lie stripped naked, and no one awakes.

In this madness, all the world has fallen down unconscious. Maya has plundered everything from them — even their clothes. They are lying naked and aren’t even aware of their pitiful state.  No one ever takes the time to think, “What is my condition?”  All are entangled in their children, their spouse, or mother, or sister or wealth, or name and fame, or caste or clan. Everyone is running after one thing or another. They never manage to free themselves from these attachments.

This addiction is so strong that the craving cannot be removed,
Once the tongue has tasted this poison.

He says that their addiction is so strong that no medicine can remove it. In the outer way, if you consume opium or if you drink liquor, there might be some remedy for these addictions. But we have had been drinking Maya’s poison for millions of yugas and millions of lifetimes, and still, we are enslaved to it. He says, “This addiction is so strong that the craving cannot be removed.” Once we have tasted that poison, we go on craving it. We think there is no way to reduce that dependence. We moan and complain: “How is it possible? O Friend, I cannot live without it. I would simply die. What can I do? I am helpless.”

Falling on the ground, they roll in the dust.
The servant Paltu prays for that which is genuine and pure.

Everyone is rolling in the dirt of the gutter, lost in intoxication. Seeing everyone in this drunken state, Paltu Sahib says, “I have become detached from all this.” Everyone has been fooled by falsehood. In this regard, Kabir Sahib has said:

माखन माखन हमने चाकी
छाछ जगत भरमाया

I have tasted the real butter,
But all the world is deceived by the buttermilk.

Paltu Sahib tells us, “I have extracted the pure butter, but all the world is intoxicated with the residue — the sour buttermilk – mistaking it for the real thing.”

Audio: H024, 4:34

Paltu Sahib
Maayaa hai Raam ki lagaigi dauri kai

Maya belongs to the Lord; she always runs after Him.
O Fakir, stay on your guard.

माया है राम की लगैगी दौरि कै,
यार फ़क्कीर सम्हारि रहना ।

लोभ औ मोह की बात ना मानिये,
भूख औ नींद जरूर सहना ।।

भली औ बुरी संसार सब कहैगा,
गुरु के सबद की ओट गहना ।

दास पलटू कहै समय पर बोलिये,
बात सब छोड़ि दे फास कहना ।। ८४ ।।

                                                Paltu Sahib ki Bani, part 2, Rekhta, Maya, v 84

Maya belongs to the Lord; she always runs after Him.
O Fakir, stay on your guard.

In order to awaken the sadhus and devotees, in order to warn them, He says that Maya does not belong to someone else. Maya belongs to the Lord Himself. If she belonged to someone else, He would have chased Maya over to her owners. But she doesn’t belong to someone else; she belongs to God Almighty.  And if you go a little ahead on the path, she will follow after you. He says, “O Fakir, remain vigilant and alert.”  Maya has the habits of the dog. In what way? If you are loving to the dog, it will lick your face. If you oppose it, the dog will bite you. If you try to go away and leave that dog behind, the dog will trail after you. But if you call to the dog to follow you, it won’t budge. The dog has that contrary nature. No one can defend themselves against Maya; only some rare devotees understand her true nature.

Don’t obey the dictates of greed and attachment.
You will have to control hunger and sleep.

He says that we are always thinking, “I need this thing. I need that thing.” This is called greed. And when your attention becomes captivated by the beauty of some outer thing, this is called attachment. Don’t obey either greed or attachment. They will tie you up and carry you away.

Also further, you have to save yourself from sleep and hunger.

राम नाम के आलसी भोजन के होशियार। 
तुलसी ऐसे नर को बार बार धिक्कार।।

Slothful repeating Ram Naam, but greedy for every meal.
Tulsi says: Such a person is cursed, over and over again.

You stuff your stomach up to your throat, so much so that you cannot breathe.  Then you stretch out to sleep like Kumbakarna (younger brother of Ravana, known for his prodigious feats of sleep). And in this way, you throw away your whole life.

Therefore he tells us that sleep and hunger are also the limbs of Maya. When you are enslaved to the tastes of the tongue, many other cravings follow in their wake. You must guard against them. 

The worldly people may claim that this is good and that is bad,
But you should take shelter in the refuge of the Guru’s Shabd.

He tells us, “You are always punctual for every meal.” When you go to Mathura, there you find a Brahman caste called the Chaubes. They think it is their dharma, their sacred duty, to consume huge quantities of food.  And when a Chaube comes for a meal, people ask, “Would you like a seer of food, or two seers, or five seers, or ten seers, or half a maund or a whole maund?”  Now, think about it.  They stuff their bodies so full of food that they need assistance from the people around them even to move.  The Chaubes consider it to be a very virtuous deed to assist these people. But is such “dharma” virtue or sin?  What merit can you earn from carrying such foolish people about?  What righteousness can be gained through all this indulgence? In such an incapacitated state, these people are not capable of doing any devotion or meditation of God Almighty. They have not achieved any spiritual benefit, so what reward can you hope for from doing their seva? Paltu Sahib says, “Friend, when you are enslaved to the taste of food, how can you enjoy the taste of the Lord’s Naam?” Until you shed your craving for the outer things, you cannot develop love for the inner thing.

When you follow this Path of devotion, you will find there is a conflict between the practice of spirituality and the blind traditions of caste and creed. Kabir tells us it is like the elephant and the dogs:

हाथी चलत है, अपने गत मो, कुत्ता भौंकत तो वाको भुँकवा दे ।
The elephant saunters by at its own gait; if the dogs bark, let them bark.

It is the nature of the worldly people to bark.  And so, when you walk on this Path of true devotion, the worldly people will definitely be pressing their ideas of good and bad upon you. Don’t even give them a thought. If the worldly people say that what you are doing is good, does that mean you will ascend to the heavens? Or if they criticize you, will you be thrown into the hells?  What people say about you has no effect or importance. You will receive your reward according to your own deeds. Don’t pay any attention at all to the worldly people; this is the way of the devotee. If you act according to the advice of the worldly people, you won’t be able to perfect your devotion and attain the highest level.  

The servant Paltu says, “Speak out when the time is right.
Set aside all ambivalence and proclaim the Truth openly.”

When the appropriate time to speak comes, do not run away without saying anything.  At that moment, proclaim the Truth openly. Don’t speak twisted words. Don’t hold one thing within your heart and give out something different with your tongue. Abandon cleverness and cunning. In this regard, it is said: “Your deeds will reveal the feelings in your heart.”

Whatever is hidden in your within will definitely come out into the open.  No matter how much you try to conceal it, the cat will be out of the bag. When doctors fill clear glass bottles with medicine, it is not necessary for them to open each bottle to know what is inside. They can see plainly what every bottle contains. In the same way, whatever is in your heart will be plainly revealed by your behavior. Therefore, when you speak, do not allow ego and arrogance to come in your within. Your words should be kind and pleasing to the heart; you should not speak harsh and demeaning words. What you say should be beneficial to others. You should not make fun of others for you own enjoyment. Your speech should always be courteous and agreeable.  

Audio: H024, 10:29

Paltu Sahib

Only the one who has experienced the pain of separation can understand it.

Jā ke lagī soi tan jānai

जा के लगी सोई तन जानै, दूजो कवन हाल पहिचानै ।। टेक
है कोइ भेदी भेद बतावै, कैसे बिरहिनि दिवस गँवावै ।। १ ।।
मारग दूर पथिक सब हारे, उतरन को भवसागर पारे ।। २ ।।
उकठा पेड़ सींचै जो माली, घायल फिरौं भई मतवाली ।। ३ ।।
एक तो लागी प्रेम की गाँसी, दूजे सहौं जक्त उपहासी ।। ४ ।।
लागी लगन टरै नहिं टारे, क्या करै औषद वैद बेचारे ।। ५ ।।
पलटूदास लगी तन मेरे, घायल फिरैं और बहुतेरे ।। ६ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg tīsrā,
Shabd, Viraha, shabd 36

Only the one who has experienced the pain of separation can understand it.
Who else can fathom this condition?

This is the bani of Hazur Paltu Sahib Ji. He says that you cannot achieve spirituality through superficial efforts – not through rites and rituals, not through repetitions and austerities, not through renunciation and asceticism. Spirituality is achieved through love and devotion, and through viraha, the pain of separation. Until true viraha awakens in your within, the rubbish of the world cannot be burned away. Superficial cleansing makes no difference; until you cleanse your heart and make it pure, you cannot have the inner darshan of the Almighty Lord.

Therefore, describing our condition, Kabir Sahib tells us:

हृदय शुद्ध किये नहीं बाउरे, कहत सुनत दिन बीता रे

O crazy one! You have not purified your heart,
And you pass your days listening to hearsay.

That Almighty Lord is sitting in our within, witnessing everything; He knows the condition of the inner mind. How can we please that all-seeing God by offering flower garlands and rice pudding (pāyasam) and by putting on traditional clothes? There is no power in these outer things to earn the Lord’s pleasure. He is the Knower of the Heart. If you search your heart, you will realize your true inner state. Do you have a real desire for spirituality, or is your heart full of the world?  Examine yourself like a strict judge, and you will see where you stand. Everyone displays an outer show of devotion, but only when you make your heart true will the fire of viraha flare up within you and reduce the garbage of worldly thoughts to ashes.

Whether we are outwardly singing the hymns of the Saints or whether we are sitting for the inner meditation practice, still our mind remains engaged in worldly thoughts. It has not become concentrated on the outer devotion or the internal meditation. Until we feel the pain of separation, the mind does not awaken. Therefore He tells us, “Only the one who has experienced this pain can understand it. No one else can know their condition.” Only the person burning in the fire of separation knows the power and intensity of viraha.  

Once I placed a question before Maharaj Sawan Singh Ji. It was after nine o’clock at night, and all the Sangat had departed. Maharaj Ji was sitting all alone. I asked Him, “Maharaj Ji, is there any spiritual practice other than the Simran of Naam?” He sat quietly for a while and then after two or three minutes, He replied, “What do you mean? Are you thinking of complete surrender to the Guru and viraha, the pain of separation? This is the way of the Gurumukh.” I answered, “Yes, Maharaj Ji.” Then He said, “This is a very difficult way to travel. If you are absorbed in the viraha every moment for twelve years and then if your faith in the Guru wavers even one day, you will lose all the benefit of those twelve years of devotion. But if the disciples go on doing the Simran and Bhajan practices, when they fall down they can get up again and continue their journey. Stumbling along, sooner or later they will reach the True Home. But when you are following the path of viraha, if even once your faith in the Guru wavers, then all of your entire edifice of spirituality is reduced to ruins. For this reason, the Saints teach the path of Simran and Bhajan; it is a good way that everyone can follow. But the level the Gurumukh has attained is very lofty; it is beyond description.”

When the pain of separation flared up within Guru Nanak, then his bones became parched and dry. His father called many well-known ayurvedic physicians. They would prescribe medicines and explain the abstentions to observe, and then they would pocket their fees and depart.  One day Nanak’s father brought a very experienced and expert doctor to examine his son. The doctor read Nanak’s pulse and said he should take this and that herb to bring about his recovery. Then Guru Nanak Dev Ji addressed him, saying: “O doctor! You cannot even diagnose your own disease. So what medicine can you prescribe to heal me?  Please leave me now and go back the way you came.” Hearing this, Guru Nanak’s father became very angry and threw Nanak out of the house.

So, this experience of viraha is something unique.  But through the practices, through the repetition of Naam Simran, everyone can make gradual progress. Doing the meditation and going on with our worldly works, little by little, we can reach our spiritual goal. That is one thing. But the fire of viraha, the pain of separation, is something different.

When the pangs of separation take hold of the devotee’s heart from within, the worldly people, looking on from outside, cannot comprehend what has happened. When Mira Bai became absorbed in viraha, the king was baffled and confused; he felt she was bringing disgrace upon the family. To be rid of her, first, he gave Mira a cup of poison to drink, but the poison turned to amrit. Then he sent a poisonous snake in a basket, but the snake changed into a garland of flowers. When the devotee is consumed in viraha, all consciousness of the self vanishes. The devotee’s love merges into the cherished Lord, and no harm can touch such a lover. This is the true state of viraha.  

O Knower of the Secret, reveal it to me.  
How does the virahinī pass her days?

Paltu Sahib is asking about the devotee who knows the secret of viraha. He says, “How does the virahinī — the woman experiencing the pangs of separation — pass her days? By what sign can we know her?”

The path is very long; all the travelers are confounded.
May someone ferry me across the ocean of existence.

He says we have to travel very far. We might be able to devise some means to measure the nine divisions of the earth. But the Path we have to tread on to reach Sat Lok, the realm of Truth, stretches across such a fathomless distance that it is beyond description. Many people aspire to journey on that Path to their True Home, Sat Lok, but because that Path is immeasurably long, they halt somewhere along the way and give up their quest. They do not reach the further shore of the ocean of existence. Maya and attachment are formidable powers. Maya attracts the devotees to herself and binds them in attachment.  She may take the form of children, or of wealth and possessions, or of worldly rulership, or of an enemy, or of physical suffering, or any other form through which she can gain influence over them.

The gardener waters the withered tree.
I am wounded and wander about like one gone mad.

The virahinī is not aware of anything around her.  All her concern is for the Lord’s love; nothing else has any meaning. She knows that all the dealings and relations of the world are colored by self-interest. None of this has any hold on her. 

No matter how much water you pour on a withered tree, it cannot become green and growing again. But the virahinī’s goal is to resurrect that dried up tree; it is the fire of viraha that can restore the withered tree and make it fruitful and flourishing once more. Viraha is such a mighty force.   

First, I am pierced by the arrow of love.
And furthermore, I must endure the ridicule of the world.

The virahinī suffering the pangs of separation is caught between the two blades of the scissors. Inwardly, the noose of viraha has been placed around her neck; the fire of separation is raging. And outwardly that lover also has to endure insults and ridicule from the world as well. This suffering is very difficult to bear. It is one thing to practice the meditation and ascend within. But it is something very different to endure the pain of viraha.   

Once you have been struck with that arrow, no one can remove your pain.
Poor doctor! What good can your herbs accomplish?

Once the pain of separation takes hold of you, who can remove that pain? No medicine can help you. No doctor, or hakīm (unani physician), or vaidya (ayurvedic physician) can cure you.  The One who created that pain of separation within you is the only Doctor who can help. His darshan is the only medicine that can effect a cure; all other medicine is useless.

Paltu Das says that arrow has struck my heart,
Wounded, I wander from place to place.

Paltu Sahib says, “That fire of viraha is burning in my heart. I am wounded, and I am wandering in all the four directions. I do not know in which direction I am going. I go on searching for Him, not knowing whether He will meet me or not.”  

Audio: H058, 0:00

Paltu Sahib

Love the Guru as the fish loves the water

Jal aur mīn samān, Guru se prīti jo kījai

जल और मीन समान, गुरु से प्रीति जो कीजै ।। टेक ।।
जल से बिछुरै तनिक एक जो, छोड़ि देत है प्रान ।। १ ।।
मीन कँहै लै छीर में राखै, जल बिनु है हैरान ।। २ ।।
जो कुछ है सो मीन के जल है, जल के हाथ बिकान ।। ३ ।।
पलटूदास प्रीति करै ऐसी, प्रीति सोई परमान ।। ५ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg 3,
Shabd, Prem, shabd 48

Love the Guru as the fish loves the water.

Paltu Sahib explains to us about Gurubhakti — the love the disciple should have for the Guru. In the beginning, we people do not understand the real nature of the Guru. We go to some gathering or other, and the swami there whispers a mantra in our ear. Then we think, “This person is the guru, and I am the disciple.” It goes no further than that. But the Guru is not a person. The Guru is not a swami. The Guru is not any outer thing. The Guru is that Power which unites us with the Almighty Lord. You can call that Power as Guru, Naam, Soul (Ātmā), Almighty Lord (Paramātmā), or Truth (Sat). All of these words describe one and the same Power. The Saints and Mahatmas use different words in different contexts according to the need — in some places Paramatma, in some places Atma, in some places Guru, in some places Naam. All of these words refer to that inner Power.

There are only two powers.  One is changeless and the other changeable. One is invisible and the other visible. One is true, and the other is illusory and false. Now we are all trapped in the false dream of this world. Illusions continually arise within the heart, but it is all unreal – mother and father, sisters and brothers, children, grandfather, great-grandfather, castes, clans, societies, countries, authorities, and officials. It is all a creation of the mind.  When you were born from the mother’s womb, you did not bring any of these things with you. And when you die, you will not carry any of them back to the other world. But in between birth and death, you will definitely have to endure suffering and enjoy happiness according to your karmas.

In this arena of karma, you act according to the oscillations of your mind and then one day, when the karmas that brought you into this life are exhausted, you will have to leave this world.  But the soul within you remains unchanging, eternal, and unborn.  Now that soul is spread out in the five gross, material elements. The Satguru tells us how to become detached from the unconscious things of this world and how to attach our love to the Conscious Power within us.

That Conscious Power is formless, undivided, unmanifested, and inaccessible to the intellect.   

मनोवाँगतीतं
He dwells beyond the realm of mind and speech.

So the question arises, how can we contemplate on that which has no form? What devotion and love can we offer to that formless God? He lies beyond the grasp of our intellect. So how can we develop love for Him? Guru Arjan tells us:

बिनु पेखे कहु कैसो धिआनु ॥
How can we contemplate on what we have not seen?

But we have seen the Guru, and therefore, we can fix our attention on Him. So, our first step is to develop love for the Guru. Now, in this regard, He asks, “How should we love the Guru?” We people say, “I was initiated forty years ago. I am a devotee of Naam; I am a satsangi. I am this and that.” Even though so much time has passed, still you have not understood the secret of love. Everyone loves the Guru outwardly only.  

We say, “Today is Saturday, so I went to the Hanuman temple. On the way, I bought a coconut and some flowers. I made an offering of them at the temple, and I broke the coconut. One of the priests accepted my offering, did a little puja, and gave me some prashad. Then I folded my hands to him, and I went home.” This is the way we offer our love and devotion to the gods and goddesses we are worshiping. If we offer our love and devotion to the Guru in the same shallow, outer way, what can we gain from that? When we worship the gods and goddesses, we get nothing; we come away empty handed. In the same way, if we offer this kind of superficial love and devotion to the Guru, we can get no benefit from Him — we remain empty.

It is your responsibility to awaken that love for the Guru within yourself. Love is the nature of the soul and is already within you. But at present, that love is hidden, and further, it has been attached to the unreal things of this world.  You have to withdraw your love from the outer things and focus your attention on the Guru within; then the love for the Guru will manifest. The mirror never tells you: “Please come look in me, and see your face.” The mirror doesn’t summon you. If you want to see the reflection of your face, you must pick up the mirror yourself and look into it.  Just as the mirror doesn’t need for us to look into it, in the same way, the Guru has no need of our contemplation and love. We need to develop that love for our own benefit. When we focus our attention on the Guru alone, then the love of the soul already within us flares up. It is not a question of putting something in from outside.

You should love the Guru as the fish loves the water. If the fish is taken out of the water even for a moment, it thrashes about in agony and gives up its life. It has been said: “If I forget the Beloved even for a moment, it is like fifty years to me.”

If even for one moment our soul is separated from that Power of love within us, if our consciousness of that love falters even for an instant, it is as though fifty years of separation had passed. He explains to us that just like the fish loves the water,  our attention should remain riveted on the love of the soul within us. In this way, our love for the Guru is perfected.

If the fish is separated from the water even for a moment, it gives up its life.

If the fish is taken away from the water for a fraction of a moment, it dies. When the love of the Guru awakens within you, then the Almighty Lord is not far away, He is with you.  Kabir Sahib says:

मोको कहाँ ढूँढ़े बन्दे, मैं तो तेरे पास मे।
ना मैं आकाश ना मैं पाताल, खोजी होय तो तुर्त मिलूँ ।।

O, man! Why do you search for me outside? I am dwelling with you.
I am not in the heavens, nor in the nether worlds;
Look within yourself, and in just a moment you will discover me.

Even if someone takes the fish and places it in milk, still it suffers without the water.

Now, if someone tries to help the fish by taking it from the water and placing it in milk, still the fish will thrash about. The fish and the water are precious to each other; the fish’s love is only for the water. It is the same for the Lord’s true devotees. Their whole love is for the Guru; they have no need of any other god.

Once, when Kabir Sahib was lost in contemplation, God Almighty and his Guru both came and stood before him. At that time, Kabir thought to himself, “If I pay obeisance to my Guru and ignore God Almighty, God will be angry. But if I bow before God and ignore my Guru, then He will be angry with me.” He found himself plunged into a dilemma and tells us:

गुरू गोविन्द दोऊ खड़े, काके लागूं पांय।
बलिहारी गुरू अपने गोविन्द दियो बताय।।

If my Guru and Almighty God both stand before me, to whom will I make my obeisance?
I sacrifice myself to my Guru, who showed me the Path to God. 

At that time he became resolute within and fell at the feet of his Guru. “If God is angry, let Him be angry.” Why? He explains: “When I was enduring birth and death in the 84 lakh forms of life, that God was with me.  When I came as a donkey, God was there. When I took on the bodies of the insects, that God was there also. But He never comforted me, He never protected me, and He never showed me the Path to emancipation. He became invisible and sat within me, never uttering a word. But when I met the perfect Satguru, He told me about God and showed me the means by which I could meet Him. When the Guru gave me initiation and showed me the way, then I realized God. Before meeting the Guru, what knowledge did I have of that God?”

Water is everything to the fish, it depends on the water for its life.

Water is the life of the fish.  The fish is dependent upon the water; the fish belongs to the water. In the same way, if you surrender yourself completely to the Guru, then He will become yours. What is the meaning of spirituality? If you become His, He will become yours. This is the whole meaning of spirituality. When you belong to the Almighty Lord, then He also belongs to you. Then there is no need for the Vedas, or Shastras, or Puranas.

Paltu Das says: “Love the Lord in this way.  Through love, you will realize Him.”

Paltu Sahib Ji says that if you want to meet the Lord in this very lifetime, then you must take firm hold of this love because God is Love. Until that Love of God manifests in your within, you will not be able to perform true bhakti, true devotion. If you are one thing inside, and you are showing something else outside, this is not true devotion. This is just a business transaction, the work of a broker.

Audio: H058, 15:15

Paltu Sahib

O seeker, I no longer practice mediation

Ham bhajanīk mẽ nāhĩ avadhū

हम भजनीक में नाहीं अवधू, आँखि मूँदि नहिं जाहीं ।। टेक ।।
इक भजनीक भजन है इक ठो, तब वह भजन में जावै ।
भजनी भजन एक भा दूनों, वा के भजन न आवै ।। १ ।।
खसम की मजा परी है जिनको, सो क्या नैहर आवै ।
हुमा पच्छी रहै गगन में, वा के जगत न भावै ।। २ ।।
बुंद परा सागर के माहीं, वह ना बुंद कहावै ।
लोन की डेरी परी पानी में, कहवाँ से फिरि पावै ।। ३ ।।
तेल कि धार लगी निसि बासर, जोति में जोति समानी ।
पलटुदास जो आवै जावै, सो चौथाई ज्ञानी ।। ४ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg tīsrā, Shabd, Prem, 58

O seeker, I no longer practice mediation; I don’t sit with closed eyes.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji.  Many people teach that God can be met through acquiring intellectual knowledge, or through practicing renunciation, yoga, repetition, or austerities. And the practice of meditation is considered to be the highest of all. But here, Paltu Sahib is telling us: ”I no longer even practice the meditation. I neither close my eyes nor do I need to contemplate on the Lord within. I don’t engage in bhajan and dhyan. I have left these practices behind.”

When the contemplation becomes one-pointed, the meditator becomes absorbed in the meditation.

When the one practicing the meditation merges with the object of their devotion through the meditation practice — when the two become one — then who remains to do the meditation and who will they contemplate on?

Just like when we are traveling to our village, to our native place. As long as we have not reached our destination, as long as we are still on the way, we continue traveling along the road. But once we have reached our village, when we have arrived at our goal, then the road has no more meaning for us — it has served its purpose.

Once the meditator merges into the object of devotion, then no more meditation remains to be done.

When the meditator and the object of the meditation become one, then what more remains to be done? As long as you are separated from the Lord and are filled with the intense desire to meet Him, you have to go on doing the meditation. But after you have merged with the Lord, then you have achieved the goal of meditation. What more remains to be done? 

The wife who enjoys the love of her husband, doesn’t long for her parents’ home.

When the wife is in love with the husband and enjoys being with him, why would she want to return to her parents’ home? Her heart is with her husband; she understands his home as her own. She used to belong with her parents, but once her love becomes attached to her husband, she is no longer drawn to her former life. In the same way, before we become absorbed in the love of the Lord, we go on meditating on the Lord, and we remain engaged in the spiritual practices. But once we contact the Lord within and become His form, then we leave off our previous practices; they have no more meaning for us.

The anul bird lives in the sky; it doesn’t like to descend to the earth.

The anul bird always remains in the sky. The world has no attraction for that bird. It never descends to earth; it lives its whole life in the sky. In the same way, when the conscious Power of the soul ascends within and meets with the self-existing Power of the Lord, why would it turn again toward this world?

When the drop of water falls into the ocean, it is no longer called a drop.

When a drop of water or a drop of rain falls into the sea, it merges with the sea and becomes its form. Then it is no longer a drop; it has become the sea. Likewise, the embodied soul, the jiva, is a drop of the Lord. When the soul of the jiva merges into the ever-present, all-knowing Power of the Lord, then that conscious Power of the soul is no longer separate from the Lord. It is no longer called a jiva.

When a lump of salt is thrown into the water, how can you take it back?

When you throw a lump of salt into the water, the salt dissolves in the water and becomes the form of the water. Then, even if you want to, you won’t be able to retrieve that lump of salt. It has vanished into the water and has become the water itself. In the same way, the soul is called jiva as long as it remains bound to the inert elements.  When the soul abandons the egotism of the five gross, material elements and merges into its true form, then it no longer has any sense of separateness. Uniting with the Lord, it becomes the image of the Lord. 

Day and night, the flow of the oil is unbroken; the Light merges into the Greater Light.

Similarly, when the soul becomes absorbed within, it is like pouring oil — that oil flows down smoothly in an unbroken stream. But when we pour water, it splashes and splatters into separate drops. So, until the soul unites with that inner Power, we sometimes slip into forgetfulness and our inner connection breaks. Sometimes the thoughts of the world crowd into our within and separate us from that inner Power. But the Saints and Mahatmas stay continually connected. They remain absorbed within. Their devotion is just like the flow of the oil that never breaks. Their Light has merged into the Greater Light within.

The servant Paltu says, “The devotee whose love comes and goes is only a quarter of gyānī.”

Sometimes, our thoughts incline us towards acquiring gyān, or spiritual knowledge. At that time, we think of ourselves as gyānīs, and we engage in the study of sacred texts. But then, we are drawn back to our outer pursuits, and once again, we become the puppet of the world. [break in tape] 

Our attention wavers. Sometimes the wave of gyān comes in our mind; sometimes gyān is forgotten. In this unsteadiness, we can never perfect our gyān. We remain stuck fast in outer bookish knowledge and never gain a peep into the book of true Spirituality within.

Audio: H127, 0:00

Paltu Sahib

What can you achieve through explanations? The Knowledge comes of itself.

Samujhāye se kyā bhayā, jab gyān āp se hoya

समुझाये से क्या भया जब ज्ञान आपु से होय ।।
ज्ञान आपु से होय हंस को कौन सिखावै ।
छीर करत है पान नीर को वह अलगावै ।।
अललपच्छ इक रहै गगन में अंडा देवै ।
बच्चा सुरति सम्हार उलटि कै फिर घर लेवै ।।
केहरि के सिसु कँहै कौन उपदेस बतावै ।
कुंजर देहि गिराइ बात में बिलम्ब न लावै ।।
पलटू सतगुरु रहनि को परखि लेय जो कोय ।
समुझाये से क्या भया जब ज्ञान आपु से होय ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Gyān, 149

What can you achieve through explanations? The Knowledge comes of itself.

No matter how much you may instruct others on the subject of spirituality, how will anyone understand your explanations?  If someone’s inner mind and intellect are wrapped up in the affairs of the world, if they have become the image of the world and are attached to things of this world, what can they understand? This subject lies beyond outer words, beyond the thoughts and waverings of the intellect. So you can explain to such people as much as you like, but what will you accomplish?

Therefore, in one place, Kabir Sahib tells us that even if you sit for ages explaining to a fool, your wisdom will be wasted. Further He says: “Assess the worth of the sword, and let the scabbard lie.”

Many gyanis take a vow of silence. But this silence, or maun, is also full of falsehood. It’s true these gyanis aren’t speaking words outwardly. But when they ask for money, they show how much they need by raising their fingers.  When the opportunity arises to get more money, they may even break their silence and speak out loud. If they are hungry, they make a sign that they want food, and if they are thirsty, they make a sign for water. This is not keeping silence. Silence is when no thought or desire arises in the heart. That is true silence or maun.  Such gyanis who maintain outer silence may refrain from speaking with their mouths, but the thoughts and desires are raging in their inner mind.  Therefore, Paltu Sahib tells us that if we try to explain the inner spiritual mysteries to such people, how will they understand? They cannot grasp what we are trying to convey because they have not had that experience themselves; they have not yet reached that level.

Knowledge comes of itself. Who taught the hansa to separate milk from the water?

Now, Paltu Sahib gives us the example of the hansa or swan. He asks, “Who taught the swan to separate milk from the water?” This knowledge is natural to the swan; it arises within unbidden.  Similarly, when you sit for meditation, adopting a fixed position, then, with the grace of the Lord, the inner knowledge manifests by itself. You may try to accomplish this through your own effort, but without the Lord’s grace, you will never get the inner understanding.

मोको कहाँ ढूँढ़े बन्दे, मैं तो तेरे पास में।
O, man! Why do you search for me outside? I am dwelling within you.

If you become absorbed in the inner Love, even for a moment, then that inherent knowledge manifests within you, and your soul is attracted towards it. In this way, you can perfect your samadhi. Until you uncover that inner knowledge, even though the Conscious Power pervades your within, how can you perceive it? What proof do you have that it exists? If you do not get this direct experience, then you will waste your whole life in inference and speculation.

So in this example, Paltu Sahib asks, “Who taught the swan to separate milk from the water?” Nowadays the merchants mix water with the milk [to earn more profit], and the city government has made attempts to remove that extra water. But all they can do is report that the milk has been adulterated. Even though they can tell you how much water has been added, still they are not able to remove that extra water from the milk. But the swan has this innate quality of knowing how to extract milk from water.

Similarly, the devotees and spiritual aspirants, through using the immaculate Power within, can discard the water of the world and extract the essence — the Power of the soul. Those who remain absorbed in this practice are called hansas. Therefore, the Saints refer to the soul within us as the hansa — the swan. They also call those engaged in the inner practices as paramahansas — the supreme swans.

The anul bird lays its egg in the sky.
The hatched chick, remembering its true home, soars heavenward.

The anul bird is born in the sky; it lives in the sky; it takes all of its food and drink from the sky. When the anul bird lays its egg, that egg falls from the sky, and the chick is hatched as the egg descends. Then, when the chick remembers its home in the sky, instead of falling to earth, it automatically flies heavenward. The Saints have witnessed this, but most people have never seen it. They think the anul bird is just a fairy tale.

In the same way, the soul has come down from the Realm of Truth and is a particle of Truth.  The great souls — leaving the world and the worldly pleasures behind — fly back to the True Home, Sat Lok.

Does anyone instruct the lion cub?
Still, without delay, the lion brings down the elephant.

Many people are so weak in their devotion that they say, “This is too hard. We can’t do it.” Friend, do you expect someone to sit on your head and make you do it? If you want to accomplish this work, it is up to you to make the effort. You can succeed, but only when you manifest that Power already residing within you. If you try to force the bullock forward by twisting its tail, how far can the poor animal go? No one will force you to do the practices; this is your responsibility.

Now consider the example of the lion cub; no one teaches that cub what it means to be a lion. But within that cub, the inherent knowledge of a lion’s nature is already present. And when the cub grows into a lion, in an instant it can bring down an elephant. In the same way, the Power of the soul is working within us. When that Power awakens, it drives away falsehood and illusion.

O Paltu, study the ways of the Satguru.
What can you gain from outer explanations? True knowledge comes of itself.

When you understand the ways of the Satguru — His conduct, His way of dealing, His gestures and hints — then knowledge will come of itself. The Satguru is merged in Truth. He is in contact with the Power of the inner Sound Current, and that Power exerts an influence on the hearts of the people. He reveals to us the inherent knowledge already lying within us. Even if we go on listening to spiritual talks and stories, day and night, what can we gain? We gain outer knowledge at the intellectual level, but our intellect doesn’t have the Power to grasp the true Knowledge within.

Audio: H127, 9:10

Paltu Sahib

A letter has come from my Beloved

Pāti āī more pītam kī, sāī̃ turat bulāyo ho

पाती आई मोरे पीतम की, साईं तुरत बुलायो हो ।। टेक ।।
इक अँधियारी कोठरी, दूजे दिया न बाती ।
बाँह पकरि जम ले चले, कोइ संग न साथी ।। १ ।।
सावन की अँधियारिया, भादों निज राती ।
चौमुख पवन झकोरही, धड़के मोरि छाती ।। २ ।।
चलना तो हमैं जरूर है, रहना यहँ नाहीं ।
का लैके मिलब हजूर से, गाँठी कछु नाहीं ।। ३ ।।
पलटुदास जग आय के, नैनन भरि रोया ।
जीवन जनम गँवाय के, आपै से खोया ।। ४ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg tīsrā,
Shabd, Chitāvanī, 28

A letter has come from my Beloved; the Lord says, “Come quickly.”

When the time of death approaches, the notices announcing its coming start to arrive. You start to feel ill. You get pain in your stomach. You get pain in your head. You get a fever. Some disease or other appears. To try and cancel these notices, you go to such and such hospital; you go to such and such doctor. By any means possible, you want to ignore the notices and avoid responding to them. You say: “Oh, he has been called away. He is not at home. Please return this notice to the sender.” You will do anything to ward off the inevitable.

First, you are in a small dark room, and further,
there is neither light nor lamp.
The angel of death seizes you by the arm,
and no one comes to your aid.

In the end, when you don’t reply, a warrant is issued to take you into custody. “No matter where he may be, seize him. We sent him so many notices, but still, he didn’t come. So now we are issuing a warrant.” In this way, the angels of death arrive, and no one sees them coming. In that small dark room, there is no lamp or light; there is nothing at all. In that darkness, the angels of death lay hold of your soul and drag you away, but no one knows where they have taken you.  

In Sawan, the skies grow dark,
and the clouds pour down rain day and night.
The gusts of wind assail me from every direction,
and my heart is full of fear.

At that time, the soul is greatly distressed. The pranas, along with the consciousness, are wrenched from the body, and in every cell, we feel such a stabbing pain that it seems like hundreds of scorpions are stinging all at once. In the month of Sawan, the clouds gather and the storms rage day and night; the rain pours down, and it becomes so black that a lamp cannot dispel the darkness. Such difficult times come to us even while we are still living in this world. But at the time of death, the rain of misery thunders down on our heads, and we are plunged into densest darkness.

Definitely, we have to go; no one can remain here.
What will we take with us when we meet the Lord? We have collected no wealth in our bag.

Without question, whoever takes birth has to die one day.

जो दिसे सो नाशे, परे आज की काल
What we see will be destroyed, if not today then tomorrow.

It has been said:

राम गयो रावण गयो, जाको बहु परिवार
अंत काल कोइ थिर ना रहे, स्वपने ज्यों संसार

Rama departed, and Ravana departed, with all their kith and kin.
At the end time, nothing remains; this world is like a dream.

At present, we people know nothing of death. Even though we witness it with our own eyes, still we cannot understand what the experience is like. At the end time, everyone has to undergo this suffering. Therefore, He warns us, “One day you surely have to leave. No one remains here forever.”

When you go to meet the Lord, what will you have to show? Children, wealth, and possessions do not accompany you there. Only your meditation, Naam Simran, and devotion will accompany you. But you have not accumulated any of this true wealth for your journey into the Beyond.

Paltu Das says, “When you come into this world,
your eyes are shedding tears.
And when the human birth goes out of your hands,
it is you yourself who have wasted this precious opportunity.”

What do we do in this earth life? We fill our bellies, and we go on weeping. We come into this world sobbing; when the child is born, at that time, it begins to cry. We go on crying till our last breath, and then we depart from this world weeping. No one escapes this lifelong lament. Whether you ask the king or the pauper, the tale is the same; everyone is weeping. Outwardly we look alright, but within everyone is shedding tears. Kabir Sahib says:

कुशल-कुशल ही पूछते, जग में रहा न कोय ।
जरा मुअई  ना भय मुआ, कुशल कहाँ से होय ।।

We inquire about the well-being of others,
but no one remains in this world forever.
Everyone grows old and dies, but fear does not die.
So where is the question of well-being?

As long as we have fear of any kind in our heart, we will go on crying within. If you ask anyone about their condition, they will tell you, “What can I do? I have so many sorrows.” If you tell them they should put aside the things that are causing them unhappiness, they will reply, “I cannot leave these things. How can I set them aside?” Suffering has taken a firm hold of them; there is no happiness to be found. They clutch on to the things of this world that give rise to their suffering mistaking them for the source of happiness. And later they get the result of their deeds. When you have itchy skin, it feels very soothing to scratch it. But afterward, your skin burns and becomes inflamed. Similarly, our whole life long, we are caught up in scratching the itch of the senses and worldly pleasures. But at our end time, we have to suffer in the fire.

Audio: H129

Paltu Sahib

Whoever loses the little self becomes a dervish.

Ḳhudī khoya ko hovai soī hai durves

ख़ुदी खोय को खोवै सोई है दुरवेस ।।
सोई है दुरवेस रूह की करै सफाई ।
दिल अंदर दीदार नबी का दरसन पाई ।।
बिन बादल बरसात अबर बिन बरसत पानी ।
गरमी आतम बिना जबाँ बिन बोलत बानी ।।
लामकान बेचून लाहुत को दिल दौड़ावै ।
फना को करै कबूल साई बह काबा पावै ।।
पलटू जारै फिकर को रहै जिकर  पेस ।
खुदी खोय को खोवै सोई है दुरवेस ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, part 1, Kuṇḍaliyā, Mān, v 166

Whoever loses the little self becomes a dervish.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. He is telling us about egotism — the sense of self. He says that ahankar, or egotism, is the source of the entire creation. Egotism is the cause of birth and death. Under the influence of ego, we go on creating karmas. The whole world is dancing to the tune of the ego.

Therefore, He tells us that the beginning of spirituality is escape from thralldom to the petty ego.  You must cast off the false sense of self. Otherwise, no matter how many righteous deeds you may perform, they are all subject to egotism. Outwardly, your deeds are righteous, but inwardly, you are harboring some selfish motive.  

Therefore, Paltu Sahib Ji says, “Whoever eschews egotism is the true dervish (sadhu), the true practitioner, the true spiritual seeker.” The one who gives up “I and mine” can be called a sadhu. Someone may perform countless outer rituals, hoping to reach Vaikunth and the other heaven worlds, but even if they ascend to those celestial realms, still they cannot escape from the domain of ego. Such people cannot be called sadhus. They remain inmates in the prison of this mortal world, and when the fruits of their righteous deeds are depleted, then they must take birth and come back again into the arena of action.

The dervish becomes purified within and is blessed with the darshan of the Nābi (Prophet).

The dervish always cultivates a state of perfect inner purity. When you do not allow any evil to come near you, this is called continence. Many people think that continence refers to the control of only one sense organ. However, if we control one sense organ and allow the other four to run riot as before, then our within will remain full of defects. This cannot be called continence.  

When you control the mind and senses, when you constantly remember God Almighty in your heart, when your soul regains its pristine purity and merges into the immaculate Naam — this is true continence. Through that purity, you can discover the Almighty Lord within yourself. Your heart has become unalloyed, and when you achieve this purity, there is no need to cry out for the Lord; He will come there of His own to give you His darshan.

Rain pours down without clouds or sky.

Now He tells us the signs of the true inner darshan. How do we achieve that darshan, and what are its characteristics? The rain falls — without clouds, without sky. The inner nectar of Naam showers down of its own. This is a sign of true darshan.

Without heat, the flame glows. Without a tongue, Sound fills the air.

In that realm, there is no heat; there is no cold. In that realm, the Celestial Name resounds of itself; no tongue speaks that Word. These are the signs of true darshan. Someone may tell you, “I have seen the Lord.” But if you ask them, “Friend, what are the signs of having His darshan?” They will say, “There are no signs. God pervades everywhere. That God is within us.”  But just repeating words we have heard from others proves nothing. We have to see the Lord for ourselves.

The heart soars up to Lahūt (Sunn), the region without space or form.
Whoever destroys the sense of self attains the Kāba — the True House of God.

No one can describe this experience of the Infinite. It has no limits. This is the principle of darshan; this is the sign of meeting with the Lord.

Paltu says: “When you remain engaged in His Remembrance,
worry is reduced to ashes.
Whoever loses the little self becomes a dervish.”

Fikar is the word for worry, and zikar is the word for repeating the Naam Simran.  When you go on repeating the Simran of Naam (zikar), your heart becomes free from all worry (fikar).  When your heart is cleansed of the sense of self, then you merge into the Almighty Lord and become His form. This is called prataksh pramān — direct experience of the Lord.

Audio: H139, 0:00

Paltu Sahib

The mind becomes rarefied,
when the Lord blesses you with His hand of grace.

Man mihīn kari lījiye jab piu lāgai hāth

मन मिहीन करि लीजिये जब पिउ लागै हाथ ।।
जब पिउ लागै हाथ नीच है सब से रहना ।
पच्छा पच्छी त्यागि ऊँच बानी नहिं कहना ।।
मान बड़ाई खोय खाक मैं जीते मिलना ।
गारी कोउ दै जाय छिमा करि चुपके रहना ।।
सब की करै तारीफ़ आप को छोटा जानै ।
पहिले हाथ उठाय सीस पर सब को आनै ।।
पलटू सोई सुहागिनी हीरा झलकै माथ ।
मन मिहीन करि लीजिये अब पिउ लागै हाथ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Dīnatā, 162

The mind becomes rarefied, when the Lord blesses you with His hand of grace.

The mind is the cause of both bondage and liberation. Becoming enmeshed in the outer, inert objects, the mind itself has become inert – the mind has become the source of its own bondage. But when the mind becomes the most rarefied of the rarefied, when it leaves the gross world behind, then, meeting with the Lord, it becomes the very form of the Lord.

Therefore, Ramdas Swami says:

मना तू चंदना परी झीजे
Oh mind, become fine like sandalwood powder.

He tells the mind to become like the powder produced from rubbing sandalwood. A sweet fragrance issues forth from that powder. Similarly, when you separate your mind from the outer objects, when you scrub the mind with the Simran of Naam, then it is freed from all material grossness and becomes separate from all that is inert. Then your mind becomes the subtlest of the subtle. Then you merge into the immaculate, exalted Power within you and become one with it.

When the Lord blesses you with His hand of grace,
then you understand yourself as the lowliest of all.
You abandon all bigotry; you never utter harsh words.

What is the proof that you have met the Lord? What are the signs of the person who has become free from the gross world, and has merged with the Purest of the Pure — the Conscious Power within — and has become the form of that Power? Such a devotee thinks, “I am the lowest of all. Everyone is this world is greater than I am.” Renouncing high and low, criticism and praise, profit and loss, honor and disgrace, the true devotee becomes absorbed in the love of the Lord with one-pointed attention. The disciples who have shed all grossness from their minds, understand them as one with the Almighty Lord.

But what about the person, who flies into a rage if someone else corrects them or criticizes them? Previously, that same person had been reverently folding their hands to all, touching everyone’s feet with respect, showing all the outer signs of humility. But then, if anyone says even a little word against them, they burst out in anger. This cannot be called humility. 

Reduce desire for praise and honor to dust — then victory is yours.
If someone hurls insults at you, forgive them; never offer abuse in return.

We should burn our egotism to ashes, and smear those ashes on our body. If someone speaks insultingly to you and those words do not touch your heart, then you should understand that your heart has become pure. If we go on blowing air, trying to extinguish the sun, that air will blow back in our face, but it will not affect the sun at all.  In the same way, if we make our heart pure, the harsh words of others cannot touch us.

Praise the greatness of others and understand yourself as the lowly one.
When you meet others, be the first to fold your hands and bow your head in greeting.

Always go on praising others; understand yourself as the one of no account. When you meet anyone, before they can greet you, fold your hands respectfully to greet them. Humility is such a great power that it should pervade all our deeds; we should avoid all ostentation and false display. We exhibit false humility just to fulfill our own selfish motives. Outwardly, we fold our hands in respect, touch the feet of others, and act humble in every way — but within we are harboring egotism and self-interest. This cannot be called humility.

When we enjoy the darshan of the Lord, we become free from the petty ego; gentleness and lowliness fill our within — this is true humility.

O Paltu, the diamond glitters on the forehead of the fortunate bride.
The mind becomes rarefied, when the Lord blesses you with His hand of grace.

He says the diamond tilak is sparkling on the forehead of the fortunate, happily-married wife.  Some people apply tilaks of fragrant sandalwood paste, and some apply tilaks of ashes. Women wear many different types of tilaks; sometimes brides wear tilaks with sparkling jewels. But these are all outer tilaks, whether of sandalwood paste, or ashes, or jewels. The word “tilak” itself —“ti” + “lak” — points toward its real significance. “Ti” is an elision of jyoti, the inner Light, and “lak” is taken from lakhnā, meaning “to behold.’  The one who applies the true tilak beholds the Self-Existing Light within and becomes its very image. Such a devotee — the fortunate bride of the Lord — is truly blessed. The Lord is ever-present for the one who has applied the diamond tilak — the one who has beheld the inner Light. For that blessed soul, the cycle of birth and death has come to an end. 

Audio: H139, 7:40

Paltu Sahib

Knowledge is not achieved through yogic practices

Jog jugat nā gyān kachhu guru dāsan ko dās

जोग जुगत ना ज्ञान कछु गुरु दासन को दास ।।
गुरु दासन को दास सन्तन ने गिन्ही दाया ।
सहज बात कछु गहिनि छुड़ाइनि हरि की माया ।।
ताकिनि तनिक कटाच्छ भक्ति भूतल उर जागी ।
स्वस्ता मन में आई जगत की भ्रमना भागी ।।
भक्ति अभय पद दीन्ह सनातन मारग वा की ।
अबिरल ओकर नाम लगै ना कबहीं टाँकी ।।
पलटू ज्ञान न ध्यान तप महा पुरुष कै आस ।
जोग जुगत ना ज्ञान कछु गुरु दासन को दास ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Dīnatā, v 163

Knowledge is not achieved through yogic practices — serve the servant of the Guru.

Now He says, “What is the fundamental spiritual practice?”  Some people adopt yoga and other artificial techniques; some pursue spiritual knowledge through studying scriptures; some perform rites and rituals, formulaic worship, repetitions, austerities, and other sadhanas. What is the aim of all these endeavors? Elimination of the ego. Therefore, He says, “The best way to become free of the ego, is to serve the servants of the Guru. Service to the Guru’s devotees is the highest, the noblest of all practices.” This method requires no strenuous methods — no pranayama, no extreme abstinence, no fasting or running away to the lonely places.

When the Saints becomes gracious, you get the seva of the Guru’s devotees.
Then you easily attain the state of Sahaj — the Lord frees you from the grip of Maya.

He says that you receive this opportunity only through the grace of the Saints.  Then the state of Sahaj — or Natural Equipoise — manifests within you.  Such service is the most efficacious of all sadhanas. Through this practice, illusion evaporates — you become free of Maya.  It is easy to talk about seva, but it very difficult to accept that servitude. Only a few rare ones have fathomed the secret of seva; only those devotees who have cultivated the spirit of service and have been blessed with inner experience are capable of appreciating the opportunity. As long as a speck of ego remains in your within, you cannot perfect that seva. 

When You cast even a brief glance of grace, devotion dawns in the soil of the heart.

When the Satguru looks with mercy on His servant, in a moment, the fetters of Maya fall off. When the sun rises and the darkness of night flees; in the same way, with the advent of the Satguru and the Almighty Lord, egotism and Maya depart. 

The mind is filled with peace, and worldly illusion runs away.

When the true devotion awakens, you get peace in your mind, and all the love of the world departs. This is the sign that your practices have borne fruit.  Until you perform the seva and manifest the spirit of service within yourself, true spirituality is still far away.  Many people think that they have achieved emancipation just by taking Naam initiation.  They say, “I have received initiation into Naam. Now I am liberated from the cycle of birth and death. From now on, I don’t have to make any efforts; Satguru will do everything.”  Friend, the Satguru gave you Naam initiation so that you could perform the practices. He didn’t tell you, “Okay, now you don’t have to do anything at all. I will see to your liberation.”  You took Naam initiation so that you would be able to do the meditation.  Many lazy people say, “I don’t feel like waking up in the morning. If the Guru is gracious on me, then I won’t feel sleepy, and I will get up and sit for meditation.”   Guru was gracious on you when He gave you initiation. Now it is your duty to do the meditation.  Do your work and become worthy of the Guru’s grace. Then your heart will become pure. If you do not purify yourself, where can the Guru bestow His grace?  Even a dog will not sit amidst the garbage, so how can you expect the Guru to place His immaculate grace in a dirty heart?  Your heart is impure and full of egotism. If you lack any worldly thing, you rush after that thing as well. So where is there any room left for the grace of the Guru?  For this reason, you need to clean your heart and make it pure through Bhajan and Simran — you alone can do that meditation. 

Devotion takes you to the Fearless Realm; follow that ancient Path.  
There the Sound of the Naam goes on unceasingly, without a break.

Then the true devotion awakens of itself. Merge into that Naam and never leave it. Becoming the form of that Naam, keep your heart engaged in contemplation of the Sound Current. Never forget it even for a moment. If you lose that remembrance, however briefly, then the power of falsehood will enter your heart.  When your attention remains continuously absorbed in the Naam, then your devotion can be called true.

O Paltu, you cannot hope to reach the Almighty Lord through acquiring bookish knowledge or contemplation of the lower chakras or performing austerities.
Knowledge isn’t achieved through yogic practices — serve the servant of the Guru.

Paltu Sahib explains to us that you do not gain anything through contemplation of the chakras, or study of scriptures, or repetition of mantras, or performance of austerities. The highest practice of all is to serve the devotees of the Guru. It is said:

हेंचि दान देगा देवा, नित्य धरो तुझे सेवा
O Lord, please grant me the boon of serving You
all the hours of the day and night.

When you become the true servant, then you will easily merge into the Lord and become His form.  But the first difficulty is to become a real sevadar.

Audio: H139, 15:03

Paltu Sahib

As long as the curtain is drawn shut, we remain engrossed in illusion.

Jaũ lagi pardā paṛā hai, dhokhā rahā samāy

जौं लगि परदा पड़ा है धोखा रहा समाय ।।
धोखा रहा समाय जानै दूजा है कोई ।
भीतर बाहर एक तसल्ली देखे होई ।।
जो देखा सो गया रहा जो देखा नाहीं ।
चोकर लड्डू खाँड़ खाय दोऊ पछिताहीं ।।
जोई पहुँचा जाय सोई उस घर का मालिक ।
रहे नाम में डूबि ठिकाने पहुँचे सालिक ।।
पलटू परदा टारि दे दिल का धोखा जाय ।
जौं लगि परदा पड़ा है धोखा रहा समाय ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Karam Bharam, 200

As long as the curtain is drawn shut, we remain engrossed in illusion.

Understand that as long as the veil of egotism and Maya separates us from the Lord within, we are living a false life.  From morning till night, all of our deeds are under the control of deception. The veil obscures our vision. Behind that veil of illusion, the Lord sits waiting for us, but we are bound in the chains of Maya.  When that veil is rent in two, when we meet with the Lord and become His form, then our heart becomes free from the works of Maya.

We remain engrossed in illusion; we think God is separate from us.
But when we see the One Lord within and without, we find peace.  

Now He explains to us about the nature of deception.  We understand that Almighty Lord as something separate from ourselves.  We say He dwells in Kailash or Vaikunt. We think He can be found in the heaven worlds or in the nether realms.  But whoever thinks of the Lord as far away is laboring under an illusion. God Almighty is the form of Oneness, and whoever draws back the inner veil will find Him and become one with Him.  His darshan destroys all illusion. If we think that the Lord is separate from us, then we will go on searching for Him — in Rāmeshvaram, in Pandarināth, 2Pandarināth Temple, Aliamber  in Badrinārāyaṇ (Badrināth), in Dvārakā, in Vīranāth. 3Veerabhadreshwar Temple, Aliamber  Our understanding is enshrouded in a thick veil of ignorance, and therefore, even if we travel to all the holy places, illusion accompanies us. Even if we perform all the righteous deeds, we do not find the Lord. We are squandering our whole life in this deception.

There is One Lord pervading everything — both within and without.  We all say, “The Lord is within us; He is present within everyone.”  We read these things in the Vedas and Shastras, and then we repeat them.  But what does Paltu Sahib tell us? Seeing Him, we achieve peace and contentment.  When we develop one-pointed attention, both within and without, then we come in contact with Oneness.  And through that experience of Oneness, we come to know that the Lord is everywhere.  

Those who have seen Him became one with Him; those who have not seen Him remain separate.
With sugar and flour, we prepare the laddu; both tastes mix to become something different.

Whoever has seen the Lord has become His form.  When we merge into Him, our little selves are eradicated, and we become something different.  But what can those who have not seen the Lord tell us about Him? 

When we merge into the Lord, it is like making laddus. When grains of wheat are milled, the bran remains in the whole wheat flour, isn’t that so?  And when we mix that bran flour with sugar to make laddus (an Indian sweet), then neither the taste of the sugar nor the taste of the bran remains — the taste of the laddu when we eat it is something different from both of them.  

But those who have not gone within and seen the Lord, how can they teach others about Him? All their explanations are based on inference and confusion. As long as they are not faced with any difficulties, they go on loudly proclaiming their knowledge and telling spiritual stories. But if they are confronted with any worldly problem, then all their veneer of spirituality falls away, and they are shown to be only brass.  Applying gold plating over brass cannot turn it into gold.  We spread a superficial layer of gold on top, but brass remains brass.  Only when the brass of our petty ego is removed can we be converted into something precious.  Then we become gold through and through — 100% pure.  This is the proof of our spirituality.

Whoever ascends within, unites with the Lord of the True Home.
By remaining absorbed in the Naam, the meditator arrives at the destination.

He says, “Whoever has the darshan of the Lord becomes His form.”  Uniting with the Naam, you become the Naam — your little self is lost in the Greater Self.  The darkness of night is dispelled, and illusion fades away. Merging into the Immaculate One, you become immaculate as well.

O Paltu, when we pull back the curtain, deception is driven from the heart.
But as long as the curtain is drawn shut, we remain enshrouded in illusion.

As long as the curtain obscures your within, understand that you are living a false life.  When the curtain is removed, when you meet with the Almighty Lord within and become His form, then all the deception flies away.

Audio: H139, 22:43

Paltu Sahib

First, break away from worldly attachment

Pahile sansār se tori āvai, tab bāt piyā kī pūchiye jī

पहिले संसार से तोरि आवै, तब बात पिया की पूछिये जी ।
तरवार दुइ ठो है म्यान एकै, किस भाँति से वा में कीजिये जी ।।
मीठे प्याले को दूर करौ, करू प्रेम पियाला पीजिये जी ।
पलटू जब सीस उतारि धरै, तब राह पिया की लीजिये जी ।। २७

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Jhūlnā, Prem, 27

First, break away from worldly attachment,
Then enquire about meeting the Beloved.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji.  He tells us, “If you wish to do the devotion of the Lord, first of all, surrender your love of the world, your egotism, your attachment to the worldly pleasures. Then come and ask about the Almighty Lord.  Your within has become full of dirt and garbage.  Still, you go to the Saint and ask Him, “How can I meet the Lord?” But the Saints know our hearts, and He replies, “Friend, who do you really want to meet? What you wish for, you will receive.”

So many people went to Swami Ji to discuss spirituality. But one lady was living in Swami Ji’s home, and before you could talk to Swami Ji, you had to explain to her the purpose of your visit. Everyone called that lady ____. She would ask each one, “Why have you come here?” One person would say, “I have come to meet with Swami Ji. I need to discuss such and such a matter with Him.” Another would say, “I have come to ask Him a question about spirituality.”  So, she would tell them, “First, talk to me. Now, tell me the truth. What desire do you have in your heart?” That dear one would reply, “My only desire is for the Almighty Lord.” Then she would enquire further, “What kind of Almighty Lord do you really want?”  Then, whatever falsehood might be lingering in their within, she brought it to the surface so they could consider the matter more carefully. In that way, they would become confused and go away. She would tell them, “He has no time for you today. Come back another time.”  

A few rare ones were lucky enough to come into Swami Ji’s presence, and He Himself would tell them, “First, think over carefully what your inner mind is really craving. Then speak to me of spirituality.” Only a few rare ones — the true lovers, those suffering the pangs of separation, those desiring liberation — came before Him. They asked about the spiritual Path and told Him of their deep, inner desire. Then, Swami Ji explained to them about the true Path to God.

In the same way, most people say, “I wish for liberation. I want to meet the Almighty Lord and become free from the pain of birth and death.” But often that wish does not run very deep. Kabir Sahib says:

     देखा-देखी भक्ति का, कबहुँ न चढ़सी रंग ।

     The devotee who is only imitating others cannot be dyed in the true color.

Someone thinks, “Come on. They are going to see the Guru. I will go also.” Such a devotee cannot meet the Almighty Lord. Therefore, He says: “First remove the worldly thoughts from your heart; then, enquire about the spiritual secrets.”

You can’t put two swords in one scabbard,
No matter how hard you try.

You have two swords, but only one scabbard. Similarly, you have only one heart. How can you fill that one heart with both the love of the world and the pursuit of spirituality? This world is the form of desire. But spirituality is desireless; it is content and asks for nothing. But this illusory creation is filled with expectation and discontent. Desire and desirelessness — how can the two coexist? Craving and contentment cannot dwell together in one place, just as two swords cannot reside in one scabbard.

Set aside the sweet cup of the world,
And drink the bitter cup of Love.

Spirituality is not easily obtained. If you take gold to a goldsmith, first, he will rub that gold with a touchstone. How can he tell if that gold is 100% pure? If that gold is not completely pure, then when he rubs it with the touchstone, the line that gold makes on the stone will not match the line made by pure gold. After the goldsmith has tested your gold with the touchstone, he will then throw it into the fire and observe the result. If the color of the gold remains unaltered, then it is 100% pure. In the same way, when the purity of your heart is tested by happiness, sorrow, profit, loss, and all the other vicissitudes of life, if you do not waver, if you do not abandon the way of Truth and Oneness, then understand that genuine spirituality has come within you.

He says that we should stop running after the sweet taste of the illusory worldly pleasures. He refers to all the difficulties we undergo in this world as the bitter cup, and when we are willing to drink that cup of suffering, then we become true spiritual aspirants. If we aspire for Godhead but still think there is no harm in hankering after all the worldly pleasures, how can we hope to meet with the Almighty Lord?   

O Paltu, when you cut off your head and offer it to Him,
Then you are ready to set out on the Path to the Beloved.

In the end, He tells us, “Cut off your head and offer it to Him. Then take up the Path leading to God Almighty.” You will meet the Lord, but this is not a task to be undertaken lightly.

Audio: H149

Paltu Sahib

Another devotee earned the karma, but it was written in my account.

Karam rahe dui likhai patra ekai mãhai

करम रहे दुइ लिखै पत्र एकै मंहै ।
महा पुरुष कै अंस दिया पापी कंहै ।।
भक्ती और को रही धोखै में मोहिं दिया ।
अरे हाँ पलटू आख़िर बड़े की चूक दिया फिर ना लिया ।। ११३ ।।
बनियाँ जाति मैं अधम बड़ा हौं पातकी ।
अधरम आठो गाँठि तनिक नहिं सातुकी ।।
दूसर पलटू रहा भक्ति ओहि कँह रही ।
अरे हाँ पलटू भूलि गया भगवान दिया मो कँब सही ।। ११४ ।।
नवनि गरीबी दया भक्ति का मूल है ।
इतना गुन ना होय बास बिनु फूल है ।।
बड़ा भया किस गाम करै इंगार है ।
अरे हाँ पलटू मीठ कूप जल पिवै समुंदर खार है ।। ११५ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Aril, Dīnatā, 113-115

Another devotee earned the karma, but it was written in my account.
The devotion that belonged a Great Soul was bestowed on a sinner.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji.  He says that until you develop humility within, you cannot become free of egotism.  Humility is the one weapon that drives away vanity and pride.  The ego ensnares us, and humility sets us free. But that humility must arise from the depths of the heart; it must be genuine. When we need to get some worldly work accomplished or when we need to secure a favor from someone, then we make a show of outer humility — we fold our hands in respect, we prostrate ourselves, we make ingratiating entreaties, we do so many things.  But such humility is superficial — that humility remains only as long as it serves our purpose. Real humility is an inner experience; it is the form of Bliss. Explaining the quality of humility, Paltu Sahib says, “I was a sinner — wretched and base. But somehow, by accident, the Almighty Lord wrote the devotion of some other Sant Mahatma into the account of my karmas. The Lord made an error.”

Someone else performed the devotion, but, by mistake, the Lord gave all the credit to me.
O Paltu, it was a grave error, but He didn’t take that devotion back again.

He says, “Some great devotee did that bhakti, but when the time came to write down the karmas, the Almighty Lord inadvertently entered that devotion in my name. It was a big mistake. But the Lord is True — through and through — and once He had written that bhakti in my account, He didn’t take it back again. This is all His greatness.  For my part, I have searched my heart, and I can honestly say that I was not worthy of His gift.”

I am a Baniyā by caste; I am lowly, a great sinner.
I am wicked through and through; there is not a speck of truth in me.

He says, “I am a Baniyā by caste.” The Baniyās are traders, and traders never tell the truth. From the time they are born, they learn to speak nothing but lies. They start doing the trading right from their childhood because trading is the profession of their fathers. And they go on telling one lie after another. Therefore, He says: “I am very base and lowly. I come from the Baniyā caste.  Day and night, within my heart, the knot of falsehood is tied. I bring falsehood with me when I get up in the morning; all day long, I earn falsehood, and then I carry falsehood with me when I go to sleep at night. How could a person like me earn the fruits of true bhakti? There is not a trace of truth in my heart. I am not worthy of doing the devotion.”

There must be some other Paltu, but what happened to his devotion?
O Paltu! Bhagwan must have made an error because He gave me the fruits of that bhakti.

Paltu Sahib says: “There must be another mahatma named Paltu.  And since my name is also Paltu, maybe his devotion was written in my name.” He tells us: “There must be some other devotee name Paltu. But once the Lord has showered His grace, when He has written the devotion in my account by mistake, that God Almighty will not take it back again. He has given it to me once and for all. This is His Grace and mercy.”

Humility, lowliness, and mercy — these form the root of devotion.

Now, what is bhakti? We all practice bhakti, so why don’t we taste the nectar of devotion?  The happily married woman is called saubhāgyavatī. The saubhāgyavatī can be recognized by many auspicious signs of good fortune. “Sau” means “one hundred,” and “bhāgyavatī” means “the one with good fortune.”  The saubhāgyavatī is blessed not just once, but a hundred times.  

Similarly, there are signs and indications of bhakti or devotion.  First of all, the devotee is humble. You will have observed that the wealthy bankers and merchants do not conduct themselves with humility. We should be humble before everyone.  Second, the devotee is lowly and modest. We should never speak arrogantly. Our words should be sweet and gentle. And finally, the devotee is respectful and shows mercy and kindness to all living beings. These three qualities — humility, lowliness, and mercy —  are the signs of true bhakti, and they shed glory on the practice of devotion.

But you have seen the swamis — each one tries to become greater than all the rest. When such and such swami goes out for a stroll, he is carried in a palanquin, and his retinue accompanies him in a procession. In his mind, he thinks: “I am a very important swami. I am the greatest of all.” Friend, what kind of swami is this? What meaning is there in all this outer show? When you manifest humility, lowliness, and mercy, then you are practicing real bhakti.

If you have not developed these qualities within yourself, you are like a flower without fragrance.

If the so-called devotee doesn’t have these qualities, they are just like a lovely flower that emits no fragrance. Outwardly they look alright, but within they haven’t manifested even one aspect of devotion. For the true devotee, there is no question of defeat and victory. They always think of themselves as the one who has lost; the thought of winning doesn’t arise.

What is the use of becoming important? It only burdens you down with pride.
O Paltu, you can drink the sweet water from the well, but the ocean’s water is brackish.

You may achieve greatness in the outer world, but what purpose will it serve?  The water of a well resides in a very narrow space, but it tastes sweet and can quench many people’s thirst. On the other hand, the water of the ocean spreads across a vast, fathomless expanse, but it remains brackish and unfit to drink. 

In the same way, however exalted you may be in the eyes of the world, still, at the end time, you will come crashing down, and you will be cast again into the wheel of 84 lakhs births and deaths.  On the other hand, the truly humble one always remains small and lowly — and even God Himself comes under their control. But the humility has to come from the heart. Those who only exhibit humility outwardly, who bow, and fold their hands respectfully, and touch other people’s feet, that’s another matter altogether.

Audio: H219, 0:00

Paltu Sahib

You cannot catch hold of the mind; he is a bold youth.

Man nā pakarā jāy bahādur jvān hai

मन ना पकरा जाय बहादुर ज्वान है ।
करत रहै खुरखुन्द बड़ा सैतान है ।।
ऐसा यार हरीफ रहत मन हलक में ।
अरे हाँ पलटू उड़ता कोस हजार पच्छ बिनु पलक में ।। ११६ ।।
काम क्रोध बसि किहा नींद अरु भूख को ।
लोभ मोह बसि किया दुक्ख औ सुक्ख को ।।
पल में कोस हजार जाय यह डोलता ।
अरे हाँ पलटू वह ना लागा हाथ जौन यह बोलता ।। ११७ ।।
नापै चारिउ खूँट थहावै समुँद को ।
सब परबत को तौलि गनै फिर बूँद को ।।
हारा सब संसार बात है फेर का।
अरे हाँ पलटू वह नहिं लागै हाथ जो चालिस सेर का ।। ११८ ।।
जानि बूझि के परै आप से भाड़ मे ।
ता से काह बिसाय खुसी जो मार में ।।
पीटा गा बहु बार तनिक नहिं डेरत है ।
अरे हाँ पलटू वह मन भया चमार चमारो करत है ।। ११९ ।।
सहज कूप में परै सहज रन जूझना ।
सहजै सिंह सिकार अगिन कै कूदना ।।
कितनी करै हियाब बात सब गर्द है ।
अरे हाँ पलटू मन को राखै मार सिपाही मर्द है ।। १२० ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Aril, Man kā Ang, 116-120

You cannot catch hold of the mind; he is a bold youth.
He is always misbehaving; he is a mischievous imp.
The mind is a cunning friend; he will seize you by the throat.
O Paltu, in a moment, he flies a thousand miles without wings.

The basis of all spirituality is to catch hold of the mind. Controlling the mind is called spirituality, devotion, God Himself. Until you bring the mind under control, you cannot accomplish anything at all. The mind is not a small power.  The mind is the king and the subject. The mind is the ant and the elephant. Mind is Lord Indra, the heavens, and Lord Vishnu’s paradise — Vaikunth. Everything is the play of the mind. The mind dwells below the seven nether regions; the mind soars above the twenty-one heavens. The mind is active everywhere. 

To control such a mind is called bhakti or devotion.  Whoever seeks to control the mind through the practices of bhakti, comes to understand the nature of the mind. The mind has involved everyone in the outer practices. It has involved some in repetitions and rotating the rosary in their hands, and some are wandering from place to place completing the outer pilgrimages. The mind has led some to give up food and remain hungry; the Jains sometimes go three months at a time without eating. This is all the work of the mind.  It entangles us in one practice or another; it leads us here and there. The mind makes one person into a king and another into a beggar; it makes one into a sadhu and another into a scoundrel. It sets one person up as a thief and another person as a banker.  This is all the mind’s play. Controlling the mind is called devotion, but this is no simple matter.  When you try to capture the mind, it becomes both the thief and the one chasing the thief. When the mind becomes both, how will you lay hold of it?

No one has ever created a power that can travel through space with the same agility as the mind. We have voyaged to the moon, we have created atom bombs, we can sail on the sea, and we have constructed airplanes to fly in the sky. But no one has ever been able to invent anything capable of defeating the mind, nor will they do so in the future. In a moment, the mind brain goes below the seven nether regions. In one moment it flies beyond the heavens to the Almighty Lord. The heavens and Vaikunth are of no consequence to the mind.  The mind is such a mighty force that only very rare devotees can capture it; only the beloveds of the Guru who have been blessed with the Guru’s grace succeed.  If the Guru is gracious, then you take the culprit into custody; otherwise, it is not an easy thing to rein in the mind.

You have brought lust, anger, sleep, and hunger under your control.
You have conquered greed, attachment, sorrow, and happiness.
But in just a moment, the mind races a thousand miles away.
O Paltu, you have not laid hands on the one who is running the show.

Many people bring the senses under their control.  They replace anger with the practice of forgiveness. They become free of greed. They embody all the noble virtues. But to capture the mind is particularly challenging because the mind is highly elusive. The virtues are qualities of the mind, not the mind itself. The mind arouses the quality of lust, and then the desire to indulge arises. The mind incites the quality of anger, and then we pick up a stick to beat someone. The mind encourages the quality of greed, and we begin telling lies and snatching the property of others.

The mind itself is the commander of all of these qualities. You can perfect your practice of true bhakti only when you succeed in catching hold of the mind. No doubt there is some benefit to be gained from developing all the noble qualities; but as long as the mind roams free, one day, it will demolish everything that you have accomplished. We can collect all the virtues, but we have still not yet laid hands on the mind who is giving orders to all the others.

Even if you measure all the four directions and plumb the depths of the ocean,
Even if you weigh all the mountains and count every drop of water—

He says, “You can measure the four directions. You can calculate the width and breadth of the seven seas; you can plumb their depths and measure out all the ocean’s water; you can weigh the massive mountains in the scales.  

You have conquered the whole world, but you have neglected your real task. 
O Paltu, you have not subdued the one that weighs forty seers.

You are able to measure all of the things of this world, but you have not gained control the one (the mind) that weighs 40 seers. Forty seers equals one maund (man). The Hindi word “man” means “mind,” but “man” is also the Hindi word for “one maund,” that is, 40 seers. So He says, “The mind (man) that weighs 40 seers (man or maund) has not come under your control.”

What are the forty seers that Paltu Sahib is referring to? The twenty-five prakritis, the five sense enjoyments, and the ten organs of sense make up the forty. The mind is present in these 40 qualities, and these 40 qualities make up the mind. Until that one mind (man) comes under your control, even if you measure all the oceans and weigh all the mountains — what difference does it make?

Knowingly, they leap into the firepit.
How can you stop someone who is happy to take the beating?

All the jivas build the firepits with their own hands, and they themselves leap into that fire. No one is doing anything to them from outside. They themselves kindle the fire, and they themselves burn their lives to ashes. How? From our childhood, we have been stoking the fire of desire. And as that fire goes on increasing and increasing, it takes on the image of the world. We have been lighting the fire of self-importance over caste and clan; the fire of the sense pleasures and spouse, children and grandchildren; the fire of caring for the family and maintaining family honor; the fire of falsehood and deception. We ourselves set all these fires ablaze.  We even understand that this burning fire of desire is harmful and that we will receive no reward for the worldly things at our end time. Seeing all this clearly, still, we devote our whole lives to our own destruction.

You have been thrashed many times, but still, you are not afraid.
O Paltu, this mind is a cobbler and goes on tanning skins.

We have incarnated into this world countless times. Sometimes we came as the insects, sometimes as vegetation, sometimes as creatures of the sea, sometimes as beasts of the jungle, sometimes as human beings, sometimes as gods and goddesses. We have taken on form after form, too many times to be counted. Overwhelmed by the whirlwind of Maya and burning in the fire of desire, we destroy our lives.  In the inner realms, we have to pay the karmas that we have created; we have to endure the beatings and torments of the angels of death. And then, when we once again go into the womb of the mother, we go through untold suffering there as well. When we come out at birth, then we go on paying our karmic debt, and the cycle of sorrow and happiness continues.

Therefore He says: “You have endured so many blows, but still you are unashamed.” When you come into this world, you forget all about the time you have suffered. What is the reason? For the sake of physical and mental pleasures, you have forgotten the Eternal Happiness, and in this way, you earn more suffering.

And we go on happily enduring these beatings. No matter how many blows fall, still we don’t remember. When a baby is born, the mother and father rejoice, “A child has been born to us. Distribute sweets. Make all the arrangements. Hire a band to play. Invite everyone for a feast.” The baby has had to endure so much hardship on its journey into this world, but the parents are celebrating and don’t understand the suffering it has been through.

Further, He tells us that the mind is a chamār — a cobbler — and is skilled at working with skins.  What is the real meaning of chamār?  We people think that a chamār is one who makes shoes and other leather goods from tanned skins. Friend, the real chamar, the mind, is sitting within us.  And the mind remains infatuated with all the outer things — the skins. Therefore, Ramdas Swami says:

चर्म दृष्टी न लखे, ज्ञान चक्षू निर्खें ।
These eyes of flesh cannot see him;
You can behold the Lord only with the eye of Knowledge (inner eye).

Abandoning those eyes of flesh, look with the eye of knowledge; then your Conscious Self will enjoy His darshan within.  Only when we close these eyes of flesh will the eye of Knowledge manifest.

As long as our attention is extroverted, we go on looking only at the skin; we see nothing but the destructible things of this world. We are looking only with our outer eyes, not with our conscious seeing faculty. And if we don’t open our inner divine eye in this lifetime, then we depart from this world no different from when we arrived. The beating goes on and on.

It is easy to jump into the well; it is easy to fight on the battlefield.
It is easy to hunt the lion, and it is easy to leap into the fire.
But no matter how much courage you show in outer things, it is all in vain.
O Paltu, whoever slays the mind is a mighty warrior.

It is not difficult to die — you can fight on the field of battle, grapple with a lion, leap into a fire, or jump into a well. But to conquer the mind is extremely difficult. One Saint has said, “If anyone tells me that they have brought the mind under their control, I am not ready even to listen to them, because this is not possible.” The mind is such a formidable power that it does not easily come under control. But when the Lord showers His immeasurable grace on His devotees, then, day and night, they remain absorbed in the devotion. Without His grace, we can achieve no peace.  But when His grace descends, the mind gets stilled, becomes concentrated within, and unites with the inner Power of the Lord. Then the mind leaves the turbulence of this world behind.

We people want to have our meals three times a day and four times if the opportunity arises.

कंठ में आये तक डुबाये
We stuff food down our throats till we drown in it.

And on top that, we have tea, and fruit, and other snacks. There is no account of how much we have eaten. And then we stretch out to sleep like Kumbhakarna. We don’t get up in the morning to meditate, but when it comes time for tall talk, we can bring heaven and earth together. The Almighty Lord is formless and without attributes. He is inaccessible and unknowable. He is Sat — the Truth; He is Anami, — the Nameless One. We say that when we go into a state of deep sleep, we meet with the Anami, but this is not the true Anami — this is only the anami of overeating. It is not an exaggeration to say that controlling the mind and practicing the devotion is beyond the reach of such people.  

Audio: H219, 9:35

Audio: H219, 9:35

Paltu Sahib

O brother, you will experience death in life

Muye soyī jīvate bhāī

मुए सोई जीवते भाई, झिन्हा लगी सबद की चोट ।। टेक ।।
उनको काऊ कुछ कहै, उन तजी है जक्त की लाज ।
वो सहज परायन होइ गये, उन सुफल किहा सब काज ।। १ ।।
उनको और न भावई, इक भावत है सतसंग ।
वो लोहा से कंचन भये, लगि पारस के परसंग ।। २ ।।
जिन्र ने सबद बिचारिया, तिन्ह तुच्छ लगै सेसार ।
वो आय पड़े सतसंग में, सब डारि दिहा सिर भार ।। ३ ।।
सबद छुड़ावै राज को, फिरि सबदै कहै फकीर ।
पलटुदास वो ना जियै, जिन्ह लगा सबद का तीर ।। ४ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg tīsrā, Shabd, “Shabd,” 16

O brother, you will experience death in life when you are wounded by the Shabd.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. To die means to become free of the petty ego, to erase all sense of “I and mine.” As long as “I and mine” dwells in your within, the veil of egotism remains. And while that veil obscures your vision, you will go on revolving in the wheel of birth and death.  The basis of all spirituality is to become free of the ego — to die while alive. In order to experience death in life, you must guard against any intrusion from your individual ego.  No taint of self should color your actions, or thoughts, or speech, or any of your worldly dealings; this is the meaning of dying while living. We think that death is the destruction of the body. But the dissolution of this physical body cannot be called death,   because, through such a death, you are only making preparations to take up another body; then you will have to die over and over again in the wheel of transmigration. Ravidas says:

ऐसा मरण मरो, फिर न मरना होय
Die such a death that you will never have to die again.

He tells us you should die the real death so that you will not have to worry about dying again in the future. He is referring to dying while living, dying while you are still residing in this physical body. But how can you die before death? The Shabd or Naam is the form of Oneness; that Shabd, which is both Light and Sound, permeates within and without. Merge into the Shabd and become its very form. When all assertion of “I and mine” ceases, know it for certain that the mind has died. Then no power can bring you again into the cycle of birth and death because the mind is the source of birth and death. When the mind itself has died, all coming and going ceases.

The one who dies while alive become deathless. That devotee becomes truly alive and achieves immortality. Whoever has been wounded by the Shabd — that is, whoever merges themselves into the Radiance of Naam — lives forever.

You can say anything to such devotees; they care nothing for the opinion of the world.
They have become intoxicated in the state of Natural Equipoise, and all their works are successful.

You may speak any words to the devotees. They have no attachment to profit or loss, victory or defeat, honor or disgrace, happiness or sorrow. Whatever you say to them, they won’t mind — they care only for the Almighty Lord.

तू तो नाम सुमर जग लड़वा दे
हाथी चलत अपनी गत मो
खुत्तर भूँकत तो वाको भूँकवा दे
तू तो नाम सुमर जग लड़वा दे

Do the Simran of Naam, even if the world opposes you.
The elephant saunters by at its own gait;
If the dogs bark at you, let them bark.
Do the Simran of Naam, even if the world opposes you.

Someone may say, “You are blind and crazy into the bargain,” but no matter how much abuse the ignorant people may heap upon the devotees, they pay no attention; they have become detached and remain indifferent to the opinion of the world.

Merging into the state of Sahaj (Natural Equipoise), the real devotees make their lives successful. They have no connection with the world.  Their coming and going in the cycle of birth and death has ceased, so how could the turbulence of this world disturb them?

Nothing else pleases them; all their love is for the Satsang.
Iron turns into gold through the touch of the philosopher’s stone.

No other thought enters the heart of the devotees. All their love is for one thing only. Only the Satsang pleases them. What is the meaning of Satsang? Some people recite spiritual stories; some relate the history of the exalted Souls who have come in the past; some tell us about the gods and goddesses from the Puranas; some recite the Gita; some recite the Ramayana, but none of this can be called Satsang.

सत्संग उत्थे जाणिये, जित्थे एको नाम बखाणिये
Understand that place as Satsang, where the One Naam is spoken of.

Call that place as Satsang where the praise of Naam is sung. Satsang is the place where your soul comes in contact with Truth and unites with that Truth. Therefore, He says that the devotees need only one thing. What is that? The devotees’ only wish is to meet with the True One — the Almighty Lord; their hearts are not crowded with countless desires. This can be called true devotion to Naam.

Iron turns into gold through the touch of the philosopher’s stone.

As long as we are subservient to the mind, as long as we act according to the bidding of the mind, as long as our within is heaped up with pride and vanity — we are nothing but iron. We have no value at all. But Naam is a philosopher’s stone, and when our attention comes in contact with that Naam, then the iron of the mind is converted into pure gold.

When we contemplate on the Shabd, this world seems worthless.
When we go into the Satsang, we throw down the heavy burden from our heads.

Within our heart, we can cherish only one power. We can fill our heart with either the world or with the Lord. If someone claims that they can maintain both powers within them, eventually they will have to give up one or the other. Otherwise, they will be cut to pieces, caught between the two blades of the scissors. There is a saying: “The washerman’s dog does not belong to the home or the riverside.” At night, the dog guards the washerman’s home, and in the day, it watches over the laundered clothes laid out on the rocks by the riverside; he serves in both places but isn’t accepted or honored in either.

Similarly, if we act like worldly people in our day-to-day life, and then become spiritual only when we come to the Satsang, this cannot be called true spirituality. Tulsi Sahib says:

एक दिल लाखों तमन्ना
One heart, but thousands of desires

The heart is only one. But if thousands of desires arise there, we cannot connect it with the Immaculate One. For this reason, He says, “In the heart of the devotees, there is only one desire.” For this reason, they remain aloof from this world. The world has no meaning for them.  

When such devotees come into the Satsang, they cast aside the bundle of worldly karmas and impressions they have been carrying. Both within and without they become merged in the Naam. This can be called devotion; this can be called Satsang.

Shabd makes the king abandon his kingdom; Shabd turns him into a fakir.
The servant Paltu says, “The one struck with the arrow of Shabd cannot go on living.”

There is such Power in the Shabd that if even one word of the Guru takes root in your heart, if even one time the inner Shabd manifests within you, then the heavens of Indra will seem like a slum by comparison. Lost in the intoxication of Shabd, you take up the way of the fakir.

The king of Balkh Bukhara possessed thousands of horses, a royal palace, and all the luxuries and conveniences. Even though he was a king, the thought arose in his mind to become a fakir, and he set out in search of a Guru. Eventually, his travels led him to Kāshī  (Varānasī), and when he arrived there, he found his way to the home of Kabir. Kabir Sahib was a Muslim weaver; He made his living weaving cloth. When the king came to Kabir’s house, he said, “Maharaj Ji, please give me some seva to do. I want to stay here with you.” Kabir Sahib replied, “Brother, what kind of seva can you do? I am a low caste weaver, and as you know, the weaver is always cleaning and dying the cloth, so you would have to handle dirty water; it is lowly work. Besides, why do you want to serve me here? What is your purpose?” The king told Kabir Sahib, “Please, give me the seva. I don’t understand my purpose myself. I just want to be in Your presence and serve You. Please grant me the boon of Your seva.”  So Kabir Sahib replied: “Alright, if you wish to stay and serve here, then you may.”

In this way, the king went on doing the seva for six years. No thought of high and low entered his mind.  One day, Mata Loi, Kabir’s foremost disciple, said, “Maharaj Ji, this man has given up his kingship and has accepted this lowly seva. There is not a whiff of egotism in him. Please grant him initiation into Naam. Please fulfill his wish.”  Then Kabir Sahib said, “Dear one, from outside he looks alright. But I have to put a very precious thing within him. I have to purify the vessel first.” But Loi insisted: “No, Maharaj Ji, he is very good. He performs his seva selflessly. Please shower grace on him.” So, Kabir Sahib told her, “Very well. Let’s test him, and then you will see.  Tomorrow morning around four or five o’clock, collect all the garbage and filth and gutter water and take it up on the roof.  When the king walks by below you, toss it all down on his head. So, as Kabir Sahib had instructed, she went about here and there collecting all the garbage and rubbish, and then she went up and sat on the roof. When the king walked by, she threw all that garbage on top of him. Then the king looked up and said, “What wicked person has done such a thing? If I were still king, heads would fly.”  Then Loi went quietly back to Kabir Sahib, bowed down to Him and said, “Maharaj, he is burning within. That inner fire has not left him.” And after this, she said no more about it.

When a full twelve years had passed, Kabir Sahib told Loi, “Now, I will grant him the gift of Naam.” Mata Loi replied, “I can’t believe he is ready. He seems the same as before.” But Kabir Sahib told her, “No, no, now the vessel is purified. You should test him again as you did before. Collect the water from the gutter and all the other filth, and throw it down on him.” So again, Mata Loi filled up the bucket and went upstairs. When the king walked by below, she threw it all down on his head. He looked up, closed his eyes, and said, “What exalted being has thrown all this garbage? My heart is full of filth far worse than this. What a blessed soul you are. You are deserving of many thanks.”  In this way, the king went on praising the perpetrator of that deed. Then Mata Loi came down and bowed before him, and she gave orders that his bath should be prepared.

At that time, Kabir Sahib imparted initiation to him, and as soon as the king heard the instructions, his soul soared into the higher realms because his within was clean and pure.  He became lost in intoxication and remained there with Kabir.

One day Kabir Sahib said to him, “Well, brother, now you should visit your own city one last time.” But the king replied, “Maharaj, where is my own city? Where is my own place?  Nothing is mine now.” Still, Kabir Sahib was firm: “No, you should go there once at least.” So, bowing to the order of the Guru, he set out on the journey. By this time, his appearance was much changed, and his beard and mustache had grown long. He took along with him one tattered quilt, and as he went, he mended and patched that quilt with scraps of cloth that he found lying about here and there.

When he finally reached his old kingdom, he went and sat down beside the river that flowed near the palace and started sewing on that patchwork quilt. He had left the kingdom in the charge of his prime minister when he set out on his spiritual quest, and that minister had increased the size of the kingdom while the king was away. As evening fell, the prime minister looked out from the palace, and he saw someone in the distance, sitting on the bank of the river. He thought to himself, “That man sitting there looks just like the king, but why would our king be sitting out there in such a pitiful condition.” He doubted the evidence of his own eyes. Then slowly and carefully, he made his way towards the seated figure, and as he drew near the minister saw that it was indeed the king himself sitting there. Weeping, the minister bowed before him and said, “Maharaj, I have expanded your kingdom ten times over. Now, you please come back. Take your seat on the throne and become the ruler again.” But the king replied, “Is that throne mine? Is that kingdom mine? You are the one who has increased it; so, now, you should sit on that throne and see to everything. What need do I have of worldly kingdoms?”

Still, the minister was determined, and he was firm that the king should come back. So the king said, “Alright. If you can complete one task for me, then I will return with you.” The minister said, “What is your order?” The king took the needle he held in his hand and flung it into the flowing river. “Fetch that needle from the water, and give it back to me; then I will come and sit upon your throne.”  But how could the minister retrieve that needle? How could he know where it had fallen? It might be stuck in the sandy river bottom or anywhere. So he said, “If you will wait for just a short time, I can send for as many needles as you may want.” But the king replied, “My friend, I don’t want those needles. Bring me that needle that I just tossed into the river.” The minister implored, “Maharaj, how can I find it?” At that time, the king sat in meditation and commanded a fish that was swimming nearby to bring up the needle. The fish took the needle in its mouth and, swimming to the surface, dropped that needle at the king’s feet and dove back into the water. The king explained to his minister, “All the living creatures of this earth obey my commands. My Lord dwells within everyone. He is always my support. Why should I give up such a Lord to come and sit on the throne of a small worldly kingdom? You go now and take care of the kingdom. I will not come along. I have journeyed here only because it was my Satguru’s order. In the future, I will not return.” Then the king left that place and made his way back to Kashi.

Such is the Power that resides in the Shabd. By the Power of the Shabd, the devotee can abandon attachment to kingdoms, luxuries and comforts, children and family, the heavens and paradises. Shabd is the support of the devotee. It is only through the Power of the Shabd that the devotee walks on the path of the fakir.

The one who is struck by the arrow of the Shabd cannot go on living; the one pierced struck by that arrow becomes dead to the world.  But that arrow has to pierce the heart. If we have a heart of stone, it doesn’t matter how many arrows strike it; over and over, they clatter to the ground. Those arrows cannot pierce that stone. Therefore, Swami Ji Maharaj says

कोमल चित्त दया मन धारो
फिर परमार्थ का खोज लगाना
Make your heart tender and fill your mind with mercy.
Then set out on your quest for spirituality.

First, make your heart soft and tender; then, free your mind from all thoughts of the world. When only the desire for the one Naam remains, then the Naam will manifest within you.

Audio: H227

Paltu Sahib

It is said that Rām dwells in the East and Ḳhudā in the West

Purab rām hai pachim khudāy hai

पूरब में राम है पच्छिम खुदाय है, उत्तर औ दक्खिन कहो कौन रहता ।
साहिब वह कहाँ है कहाँ फिर नहीं है, हिन्दू और तुरुक तोफान करता ।।
हिन्दू औ तुरुक मिलि परे हैं खैंचि में, आपनी बर्ग दोउ दीन बहता ।
दास पलटू कहै साहिब सब में रहै, जुदा ना तनिक मैं साच करता ।। १० ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Reḳhtā, Sarva Vyāpak, 10

It is said that Rām dwells in the East and Ḳhudā in the West.
But tell me – who resides in the North and the South?

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji.  People of many faiths worship in India, but two major religions predominate and boast legions of orthodox followers. Which religions am I referring to? Hindu and Muslim. The Hindus believe God is found in the East, and Muslims say that He is found in the West. The Hindus worship the sun and the Muslims revere the moon. One worships the daytime and the other the night, but whether you worship in the day or the night, one important question remains unanswered — where can the Almighty Lord be found?  So, Paltu Sahib says that if some worship God in the East and some in the West, what can we say about North and South? Since the Lord is everywhere, doesn’t He dwell in those places also?  

Where does the Lord dwell? Is there any place without Him?
Still, the Hindus and Turks (Muslims) hurl abuse at one another.

Where does the Lord reside? Is there any place without Him? The Lord is omnipresent — He dwells in all places at once. He dwells in the East and the West. He is present in the North and the South. There is no place where He is not.  

But both religions, stuck fast in their own beliefs, try to claim that the Almighty Lord is theirs alone, and then they unleash a barrage of insults on each other.   When the Hindus and Muslims quarrel, the Hindus say that Rām, the Hindu God, is the greatest; the Muslims say that Rahīm, the Muslim God, is greater still. Then such a battle ensues that Rām kills Rahīm, and Rahīm destroys Rām. But the truth is that neither group has any idea where God is dwelling; these outer religions cannot lead you on the Path to liberation. All this religious conflict grows out of artificial, man-made divisions, just like caste and clan.

The Hindu and Turk (Muslim) tug on opposite ends of the rope,
But both are washed away in the torrent of their own beliefs.

Hindus and Muslims are both pulled back and forth in a tug-of-war. One says, “My religion is the greatest” — the other says, “No, my religion is far greater.”  But, in reality, there is no high; there is no low; all this friction is due to our wrong way of thinking.

The Hindus and the Muslims each have their own rites and rituals, but the sacred objects they fashion are not made up of different kinds of matter. Their temples and mosques and outer trappings are all assembled from the same material elements — earth, water, fire, air and ether. If the temples and mosques were put together from different kinds of matter, then we might think that they had been created by different Gods. But Hindus and Muslims use the same matter, composed of five elements, to build their places of worship and to create all the outer things used in devotion, putting them together according to their own different ways of thinking. In that way, separate religions are formed.

The sun that rises in the East also sets in the West. If it did not set in the West, how would it rise again each morning in the East? You can’t have East without West; they are linked together.  But when we describe a place as lying to the East, we are speaking relative to where we are standing; someone standing in another location may say that place lies to the West. We are both describing the very same place, but since our viewpoints are different, we start to quarrel over the words we are using, and in this way, all this disturbance arises over nothing. In such a confused condition, we don’t meet with Ḳhuda; we don’t meet with Rām; and we don’t attain liberation. Instead, we wander about getting kicked and knocked, until we have to depart from this world.

The servant Paltu says, “The Lord dwells within all;
No one is even a little bit separate from Him — all I am telling you is the Truth.”

The Almighty Lord dwells within everyone; no one is without Him. He is not near to us or far away. He is Unchangeable Permanence. In your thoughts, you may imagine Him as separate from you, but the Almighty Lord is not distant or close; this is all a creation of the mind. If you sit in solitude and turn your attention within, you will find Him waiting there. But if you imagine the Lord is far away, then He will be just as far from you as you think He is.  However you conceive of Him, He takes on that form.

People believe that trimming the moustache very short or shaving it off entirely makes you a Muslim; and further they think that shaving the head is the religious duty of a Muslim (during the Hajj to Mecca, devout Muslims shave their heads). In this way, they make the hair of the head into a religion, but never think of sacrificing that head (the ego) to the Almighty Lord. The Hindus are also concerned with the hair. The Brahmins prescribe shaving the head and keeping only a choṭi — a small tuft of hair at the crown (this rule applies to anyone reciting the Vedas or performing the yagyas, or ritual sacrifices). The Brahmins say that wearing the choṭi is the Brahmins’ religious duty; and the Muslims, in order to distinguish themselves from the non-Muslims, remove the moustache and, when completing a sacred pilgrimage, shave their heads as well.

But what does any of this have to do with true spirituality? Friend, the orthodox people have made a religion of their hair, isn’t that so? But you do not become a true Hindu through these practices; you do not become a true Muslim. Your only concern is with the hair. Therefore, He tells us that the Almighty Lord never comes and never goes. It is only we people who think that He is near to us or far away. He is as close or distant as we imagine Him to be. When your mind becomes still and concentrated within, then you will become His very form. Everything lies within you; you do not need to go or come anywhere outside.

Audio: H239

Paltu Sahib

The elephant stands patiently and eats its fill.

Santosh ke dhare se khāy gaj peṭ bhari

संतोष के धरे से खाय गज पेट भरि, स्वान एक टूक को केतिक धावै ।
संत की वृत्ति अजदहा की चाहिये, चले बिनु फिरे आहार पावै ।।
सिंह आहार को करत है सहज में, स्यार दस बीस घर मूड़ नावै ।
दास पलटू कहै और कछु ना करै, भक्ति कै मूल संतोष लावै ।।४०।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Reḳhtā, Santoṣh, v 40

The elephant stands patiently and eats its fill.
But the dog cannot find a scrap to eat, even after running from door to door.

[Initial audio missing: The dog says,] “If I just sit here, who will care if I eat or not? Who will feed me?”  Similarly, we people say, “I have to stir about; I have to do my worldly work; I have to look after my children. If I neglect all my duties and meditate all day, what will get done?”  But Paltu Sahib replies, “This is all due to your lack of faith. If you would practice your meditation with firm faith and love, then the Lord Himself would bring the food to your door. You would have no more worries.”  As long as our belief in the Lord is not resolute, we are still responsible for attending to our worldly work. But once our faith is perfected, then we entrust everything to the Almighty Lord, so, what reason is there for our attention to remain entangled in the affairs and disputes of this world?

What is the condition of the elephant? The elephant is content; it stays happily in its own place and has a personal servant to care for all its needs. At feeding time, the servant brings it food to eat and water to drink.  But the poor dog has to wander to ten or even a hundred doors in order to fill its stomach. Why? Because it has no patience or contentment. Similarly, whatever understanding we keep in our hearts determines how we will act. If our faith is not firm, then we ask, “How will I make my living? How will I get by?”  Because we lack faith, we also end up wandering here and there. What other choice do we have?

The Saints should follow the example of the python.
Without going anywhere, it still receives nourishment.

Paltu Sahib tells us that the Saints and Sadhus should conduct themselves with equanimity, like the snake, who sits contentedly in one place. Its nourishment comes of itself and the snake eats and drinks. Similarly, the saints and sadhus are the abode of contentment. In their hearts, they request nothing except the Naam. And the all-pervading Lord hears their plea.  

Once Shivaji Maharaj was constructing a fort. He had thousands of men working at this task. One day, egotism entered into his within. He thought, “It is only because of me that so many people can fill their stomachs. Who is equal to me?” His Guru, Samrath Ramdas Swami, came to know of this, and thought, “My disciple is getting puffed up. Whoever is controlled by pride and egotism cannot make any progress. He is in danger of a fall.” So he went to visit Shivaji at the fort. The construction work was underway, and a large, heavy boulder had fallen in front of the main entrance to the fort. Shiva Ji wanted to have it dug out and split into pieces, but that boulder was very heavy and very hard. The workers tried for many days, but they couldn’t smash it or shift it. Finally, Shiva Ji decided that they should complete the fort first and deal with the boulder afterward.

In the meantime, Ramdas Swami came there and said, “Shivaji, there is a huge boulder blocking this entryway. You should split it up and move it out of the way before going any further.” Shiva Ji replied, “No, Maharaj Ji. We will break it up later. First, let us complete the fort.” But Ramdas Swami said, “No, I don’t like the way the entrance looks. Break up this boulder now.”  These were the orders of the Guru and could not be ignored. All the workers put their whole energy into smashing that boulder. Finally, it split into two pieces, and a small frog hopped out.  Everyone standing there saw that there was a store of food and water inside the huge boulder to nourish that frog. So, Ramdas Swami said to his disciple, “Look, Shivaji.  Who was providing this food for the frog? How was it maintaining itself? Your within had become filled with egotism, and to remove your pride, I have shown you that it is the Lord Himself who cares for all of His creatures.”

The Lord is omnipresent — He is sitting within all. According to our deeds, according to our faith, He rewards us. Whoever thinks that they have to go from door-to-door begging for their food, the Lord lets them go begging. On the other hand, if we remain content and go on remembering the Naam and singing the Lord’s praise, then the Lord Himself will bring our food to us ready-made. But those who wander from door to door like the dogs, go away empty-handed — they get nothing to fill their stomachs.

The lion obtains its food easily,
But the jackal wanders to ten or twenty places, bowing down over and over.

The lion easily finds its food. But the jackal doesn’t know where to look; it wanders here and there, trying to find a way to scrounge the food it needs, and even then, it has a difficult time. Similarly, if you put full faith in the inner Power of the soul, the Satguru and the Naam, if you fix your undivided attention in the Naam Simran and inner contemplation, then the problems of the world will no longer torment you. All the worldly problems that arise — whether they are physical or mental — are swept away. The Lord is all-pervading; He is the knower of your heart. When your heart merges into the Almighty Lord, then your difficulties come to an end. But because of our wavering faith, we go on suffering, wandering from place to place.

Das Paltu says, don’t perform other practices.
Develop contentment, which is the cornerstone of devotion.

Now Paltu Sahib says, “What is the cornerstone of devotion? It is contentment.”  The beginning of devotion is contentment, and the end of devotion is also contentment. When desires enter in your heart, contentment departs; but when you remove all those desires, then contentment fills your within again.  As long as your heart is longing for the things of this world, you will be chasing after those desires day and night.

चाह चूहड़ी चाह चमारी चाह नीचन की नीच
तूं तो पूर्ण ब्रह्म था, चाह न होती बीच

Desires are like the sweepers and tanners wives;
desires the lowliest of the low.
You would have become the Lord (Brahm) Himself
if desires had not come between.

We are born in desire, and in desire, we die. Desire is the source of all our bondage. But if we cast away desire, nothing remains to chain us to this world.

Audio: H241

Paltu Sahib

Wherever the mother may be, her attention remains riveted on her child.

Mātā bālak kãhai rākhtī prān hai

माता बालक कंहै राखती प्रान है ।
फनि मनि धरै उतारि ओही पर ध्यान है ।।
माली रच्छा करै सींचता पेड़ ज्यौं ।
अरे हां पलटू भक्त संग भगवान गऊ औ बच्छ त्यौं ।। १०८ ।।

साहिब के दरबार कमी किस बात की ।
चूक चाकरी माहिं परी दिन रात की ।।
जल थल जीव चराचर की सुधी लेत है ।
अरे हाँ परटू कुसवारी में कीटहिं चारा देत है ।। १०९ ।।

कौन सकस करि जाय नाहिं कंछु खबर है ।
बीच में सब के देइ बड़ा वह जबर है ।।
हरि धरि मेरो रूप करै सब काम है ।
अरे हाँ पलटू बीच मंहै  इक नाम मोर बदनाम है ।। ११० ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Aril, Dayā, 108-110

Wherever the mother may be, her attention remains riveted on her child.
The serpent may remove the jewel from its forehead, but its contemplation on the jewel does not waver.

[This is the bani of Paltu Sahib. He says, “Wherever the mother may be, her attention is riveted on her child.”]  In the same way, the devotee should have love for the Lord. The Lord tenderly watches over such devotees. This is the nature of the relationship between the Guru and the disciple – just like the love between the mother and the child. When the child is very young, at that time it has no idea how to eat or drink, or how to bathe itself.  At that time the mother takes care of the child with great love and concern.  And likewise, all the child’s love is for the mother. No one teaches the child to have that love; it arises naturally. The bond of love between mother and child is forged before the child is born.

Similarly, in the dense, dark forest, there lives a type of snake that has a jewel in its forehead, and that jewel is very dear to the snake.  At night, when the snake comes out of its burrow, it removes that jewel and sets it to one side. Then, by the light of that sparkling jewel, the snake can eat its food, drink water, and move about.  But the attention of the snake always remains focused on the jewel. If we are like that snake and keep our concentration fixed on the Simran and contemplation of the Lord, then even while living in the material world, we can stay focused on our true work while tending to our worldly duties — we will not be the losers.

In the same way, the mother’s thoughts are turned toward her child, even when she is busy with her other work.  Even after the infant is born, the mother makes sure that the rest of the household does not go hungry.  She looks after the child, and at the same time, she attends to all her other responsibilities.  Following her example, we should take care of our worldly duties, while focusing our love and devotion toward the Almighty Lord — this will be to our benefit.

The gardener plants the trees and then gives them water.
O Paltu, the devotee and the Lord are just like the calf and the cow.

The relationship between the devotee and the Lord is just like the gardener and the trees. The gardener plants the trees and then tends them carefully, giving them water and all the things they need to flourish.  Similarly, the Satguru, who is the form of God Almighty, is always striving to uplift His devotees. He never seeks to throw them down. The Satguru is ever at hand, offering all feasible help.  It has been said that through all the four yugas, the world has shown enmity toward the devotees. The worldly people and the devotees can never get on together. When anyone begins to practice the devotion, the worldly people start to give them a hard time. When a monkey comes into a village; the children see it and chase after it.  So, in the same way, the worldly people chase the devotees and harass them. But the devotees endure all of that abuse and attend to their own real work. They remain lovingly devoted to the Almighty Lord and are striving to become liberated from this mortal world.

The devotees follow after the Lord as the calf runs after the cow. For this reason, the Lord is called Bhagat Bachhal Gopal, the Protector of the child disciple. Bachhal means calf or child. 

There is no lacking in the Court of the Lord;
The shortcoming lies in our service, and our devotion falls short.

Many people say, “If we close our eyes and sit in meditation, then our children will die of hunger.” What kind of bhakti is this? Friend, if you bring thoughts of your children along with you when you sit for devotion, what bhakti will you be able to perform? The devotees should enshrine the form of the Lord in their hearts. If our heart is filled with thoughts of our children, then where is the room for the Lord’s love?  The Lord and the devotee must become one; the Lord dwells in the heart of the devotee, and the devotee resides in the heart of the Lord. When the two become one — this is called bhakti.  When our devotion is superficial and half-hearted, no matter how much meditation we may perform, still the inner veil will not be removed.  As long as we have not lifted that veil, all our connection is with the world. How can we develop love for the Lord who hides behind that veil? We have to lift the veil and go within, isn’t it so?  

That Lord who bestows his blessings on all the world – on the worms, and insects and moths, and all the other types of bugs and crawling creatures – would such a Lord let His devotes die of hunger? Would He give them anguish and distress? He would never harm them. Those who have not surrendered to the Lord, those who have no faith and trust in Him, they have to carry their own burdens.  But when, with a sincere heart, we become His, then He becomes ours.

When you belong to the Lord, your problems become His. So why would you need to worry about money or food or drink? He will shower all these blessings, and if He chooses not to give these things to you, then He has a reason. This is all His Will.

He is aware of all the creatures, whether in the water or on the land. He knows the animate and the inanimate.
O Paltu, He gives nourishment to the silkworm, wrapped in its cocoon.

The earth is divided into water and land. So many creatures dwell in the oceans, and the Lord gives food to all of them.  The air is filled with microscopic creatures, too subtle and tiny to be seen with the naked eye. But whatever food they require, the Lord provides for each of them according to their needs.

When we are sitting in His devotion, do you think He will not give us what we need? He will definitely take care of His devotees and will provide everything we require. But our devotion has to be sincere. If we acquire some worldly power or wealth or possessions, people start respecting us. They will fold their hands to us and say, “He has become a Swami.” Then we puff up with egotism and think, “If it weren’t for me, how could all this be happening? This is all because of me.”  

In this way, our devotion is spoiled. The ego forms a wall between the Guru and the disciple, and our bhakti becomes like barren soil.  One day Raja Shiva Ji was somewhere building a fort. Thousands of men were working on its construction.  A thought of ego came into Shiva Ji’s mind: “If it weren’t for me, how would these thousands of poor laborers be earning their living? This is all happening because of me.” 

Meanwhile, Shiva Ji’s Guru Maharaj, Ramdas Swami, arrived at that place.  Before one of the gates of the fort, a large, heavy stone had fallen. The workers had tried to break up that stone, but it was too strenuous a task, and they decided to deal with it when all the other construction was complete. Seeing this stone, Ramdas Swami said, “First of all, remove this boulder.” Shiva Ji replied, “No, Maharaj. It is impossible to break this stone.” But Ramdas Swami insisted: “No, no. It doesn’t matter how much effort you have to make or how many workers you have to assign to that job; you must break it open.”   When they finally split the boulder open, they found water inside, and a frog hopped out of the water. Then
Ramdas Swami told His disciple, “Shiva Ji, I have removed the egotism that had entered your heart. You thought all this work was going on because of you.  But can you tell me who poured the water into this stone? Can you tell me who put this frog inside? Can you tell me who provided food for that frog to live?”

In this way, the Lord cares for all the creatures. As long as you think you have to take care of your own self, then the responsibility is yours. But when you direct all your effort toward becoming one with the Lord, He will worry for you.

Why have we not surrendered to the Lord? Because there is some mistake in our service, in our devotion.  We remain in the company of the Guru, but we don’t do the work He has told us to do.  We think that we are devoted to the Naam. Someone asks you, “How long have you been initiated?” You reply, “I have been initiated for a long time. I am an old satsangi.” You’re right; you are an old satsangi, and old things are full of worms. The worms devour them. You have been present with the Guru physically, but you have not done the practices that He has enjoined. Until you actually apply yourself to the meditation, egotism will not leave you.  And when you are full of ego, how can you entrust yourself to the Lord? How can you gain the protection of the Lord?

Who is that Power? I can get no news of Him.
All the lesser powers come in between, but He is the greatest of all.

What Power is Paltu Sahib describing?  He is speaking of the Supreme Power. Many other great powers exist in the creation. Many other powers have performed mighty deeds. But who is the One who is greatest of all? The Almighty Lord is that Power.  

The Lord has taken on my form and is doing all my work.
O Paltu, my name comes in between, and all the credit is going to this unworthy one.

That Lord has taken on my name and my form, and in this form He is doing all my works. Since my name comes in between, all the credit, all the glory and praise is coming to me, and I feel very embarrassed.  The Lord is the All-Doer. Sitting in my body, He is doing His work, but when people start giving all the praise to me, at that time I feel very embarrassed.

Audio: H250

Paltu Sahib

Just look — some mad merchant has opened up a shop of Spiritual Knowledge.

Dekho ik baniyā̃ baurānā, gyān kī kare dukānā

देखो इक बनियाँ बौराना । ज्ञान की करै दुकाना ।। टेक ।।
बेचै अमृत बिष सम लागै, गाहक कोऊ न आवै ।
खारी माँगै खाँड़ दिखावै, आपुहि से बगदावै ।। १ ।।
देइ उधार बिना वादे पर, सब से पूछै लेवो ।
जो लेवै सो खुस होइ जावै, कबहुँ न कहै कि देवो ।। २ ।।
छिमा तराजू पुरा बाट लै, सबसे मीठी बोलै ।
नाम रतन की ढेरी लागी, बिना दाम वह तोलै ।। ३ ।।
कुंजी सुरत सबद का तारा, जोग जुगति से बोलै ।
पलटूदास सत्त का सौदा, आठ पहर ना डोलै ।। ४ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, bhāg tīsrā,
Shabd, Mishrit, 131

The people say, “Just look — some mad merchant has opened up a shop of Spiritual Knowledge.”

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. Paltu Sahib came from the baniya caste. The baniyas are merchants and shopkeepers. So, Paltu Sahib tells us about His shop: “What type of business should I be doing?”


I am selling Amrit, but the customers think it is poison; no customer comes to buy my wares.
They ask for salt, but I show them sugar, so they leave my shop and return home.

He tells us, “I think I will open a shop of Spiritual Knowledge.” But no customers go to that shop. They all say, “This merchant has gone mad. He has nothing here that appeals to us, so what can we buy from him?” All the customers go back to their homes, and the merchant thinks, “I have opened my shop, but I am sitting here all alone. I have set up a shop of Spiritual Knowledge, and I want to sell Ambrosial Nectar, but no one wants to buy it. They are demanding salty things, thinking they are full of sweetness, but I don’t stock such things here. And so, all my customers are leaving. I have not found anyone who wants to buy my wares. I have stocked my shelves with the deep Spiritual Knowledge of the soul. But the worldly people who are coming here are demanding children, or money, or name and fame, and all the other things with a brackish, disagreeable taste. I want to distribute the honey-sweet Amrit, but they are demanding salt. I don’t have such things for sale, so all the foolish customers turn away and go back home. What is there for them here?”

I will give it on credit, without any conditions; I am encouraging everyone to buy.
Whoever takes these wares will be lost in bliss, and I will never remind them to repay me.

Now, what does He say? “I will even offer to give my goods on credit. Friend, you can give me the payment at a later date; when you have the money, then you can pay me. Even though I am offering to sell on credit, still no one is interested. If they would take this Amrit only once, they would never need to come back again.”

 He goes on: “If they would purchase these goods just one time, then they would become satisfied within. Then they would have no more desire for the things of this world – they would attain peace.  This is what I am offering for sale in my shop. But only a very few rare customers want to purchase this valuable merchandise.  Otherwise, so many people crowd around, looking to buy the useless goods of this world.”

If you put the true weight on the scale of forgiveness, then you will speak sweetly to all.
The merchant heaps the jewels of Naam on the scale to weigh them but distributes them free of charge.

Now He describes the scale of forgiveness. If someone says something unbecoming to you, but still the weighing pans of your thought do not tip up or down, then you are using the scale of forgiveness.  If the merchant’s weighing scale does not rock back and forth, or sway up and down, no matter how much happiness, suffering, criticism, or praise of this world may come, then understand that exalted One as the True Merchant.  

On the scale of forgiveness, the True Merchant puts the weight of Perfect Inner Realization and Power.  And because of His Inner Enlightenment, He speaks sweet words to everyone who comes to Him. 

वशीकरण एक मंत्र है, सबसे मीठे बोल
The one mantra to bring others under your control is sweet speech.

When you never let the thought of high and low enter your heart, when you always give full measure and weigh using the scales of forgiveness, then your speech will always be honey-sweet, and your words of wisdom will penetrate into every heart.

When you go on repeating the Simran of Naam unceasingly, then the treasure house of your heart will become filled with the jewels of Naam. You will not trade away that treasure in the business of give and take, but you will give it freely to whoever comes asking for it.

The surat is the key, and the Shabd is the lock; when they fit together through meditation, the Inner Sound becomes audible.
Paltu Das does the trading of Truth; he never leaves it for all the twenty-four hours of the day.

Now, what kind of lock does He put on His shop?  We people put locks on all our trunks and cupboards:  new locks, worn-out locks, sturdy locks, all kinds of locks. But these are all outer locks with outer keys. Inside, when both the surat and the Shabd come in contact with each other and become one, this union forms the unbreakable lock of the True Merchant. When you practice the meditation and unite your soul with the inner Dhunatmak Naam, then the Sound that is coming from the highest spiritual regions manifests within you.

Paltu Sahib says, “In this way, you should become absorbed in the business of Truth; never leave it for even a fraction of a second. This is the meaning of becoming a baniya, a shopkeeper. When you carry on the business of Truth in this shop of the body, you will never suffer any loss. Instead, you will earn profit on top of profit.

Audio: H264, 0:00

Paltu Sahib
Hoya rajpuut so chardai maidaan par

If you are a real Rajput, then you will surge onto the field of battle
And slay the five senses and the twenty-five prakritis.

होय रजपूत सो चढ़े मैदान पर, खेत पर फाँच पच्चीस मारै ।
काम औ क्रोध दुइ दुष्ट ये बड़े हैं, ज्ञान के धनुष से इन्हैं टारै ।।
कूद परि जाइ कै कोट काया मँहै, आगि लगाय के मोह जारै ।
दास पलटू कहै सोई रजपूत है, लेहि मन जीति तब आपु हारै ।। ३१ ।।
खैंचि समसेर तब पैठु रणसेर में, करै ना देर सोइ साध बंका ।
काम दल जारि कै क्रोध को मारि कै, रहै निर्संक ना करै संका ।।
मनराव को पकरि कै ज्ञान से जकरि कै, छिमा दै ढाल गढ़ लैत लंका ।
पलटू सोई दास कहँ सुन्न में बास तब, गैब घर बैठि के देत डंका ।। ३३ ।।

                                    Paltu Sahib ki Bani, part 2, Rekhta, Surma, v 31, 33

If you are a real Rajput, then you will surge onto the field of battle
And slay the five senses and the twenty-five prakritis.

Now, Paltu Sahib tells us about the heroes and brave soldiers.  In earlier times, people believed very strongly in the four classes or varnas — Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Shudras — and even today, this belief still lingers.  The Kshatriyas are the rulers; they fight in battle, and their aim is to achieve victory over their enemies. Brahmans are the priests and scholars; they inspire people to the devotion of the gods and give out mantras and spells. Whatever they earn, they carry back to their homes, and in this way, they make their living.  

The Rajputs are Kshatriyas, and it is said that when they hear the call to battle, they steel themselves for the fight, and every pore of their body stands ready to face the enemy. On the other hand, some people call themselves Rajputs, but ask for two months’ leave as soon as they hear a battle is coming — these people are not true Rajputs.  The name Rajput means “child of the king.” But what king do these false Rajputs serve?  In this body, the king is the mind, and his authority is supreme. That king commands a vast army — the twenty-five prakritis, the five faculties of sense, the three gunas — and in the blink of an eye, the soldiers in that army of the mind can stir up the worldly desires in your heart, and you will have to do battle with them.

But for the real Rajputs, the King is the Almighty Lord, and they are His devotees. They are the children of the true King. Such Rajputs always keep up the fight on this battlefield of the body.  All the other so-called Rajputs are not worthy of the name. Just because your body was formed in the womb of a Rajput mother does not make you a Rajput – a brave warrior. The true Rajputs, the spiritual warriors who battle the forces of the mind, are very, very rare. Paltu Sahib says, “March onto the battlefield and slay your enemies. Destroy the five senses and the twenty-five prakritis.”

Lust and anger are both mighty enemies.
Vanquish them, taking up the bow of Knowledge.

Who are the commanders of this army? Lust and anger. They cannot be killed through ordinary rites and rituals, attendance at religious services, devoted readings of sacred texts, or repeating formulaic daily prayers. We may ring bells, rotate rosaries, partake of parshad, keep the fasts, and sing bhajans all night long for Shivarātrī,4An all-night festival celebrated during the month of Phālguna (February-March) in honor of Lord Shiva. but we cannot be rid of these enemies through any outer means.  Lust and anger are very mighty opponents.

Until you shoot them down with the bow and arrow of Knowledge, until you become immersed in the inner experience of the divine Light and Sound, these enemies will not depart from your heart.

Leap upon the walls of the fort of the body;
Set fire to attachment, and burn it to the ground.

You have to scale the walls of the fort of the body and grapple with all these enemies; that is, you have to rise up to the still point above and between the two eyes. When you reach that high place, set fire to the battlements. With the radiant Divine Light within, drive away all the darkness from within the body. When you succeed in taking this fort, you can declare victory over your foes. 

The servant Paltu says, “This is the way of the Rajput warrior.
When you achieve victory over the mind, you also conquer your own petty self.”

He tells us that a Rajput is one who has brought the mind under control. The true warrior is the conqueror of the mind. And once we become free of the mind’s tyranny, we become humble and lowly and go into the shelter of the Lord, imploring His grace.

In this way, we should grasp hold of the sword and step on to the spiritual battlefield.
The sadhu of high status does not waver or delay.

The brave warrior marches on to the battlefield, and as soon as he sees his enemy, he draws his sword and hews off the enemy’s head.  In like manner, the brave sadhus enter the battlefield of meditation with the sword of knowledge unsheathed. Once they behead the enemies who are lurking within – those enemies never rise again.

Burn the army of lust and demolish anger
Remain fearless and show no sign of cowardice.
Then capture the king – the mind – and bind him with Gyan.
With the shield of mercy, ward off the hostile blows and seize the fort of Lanka.

The mind, who was the king of the opposing forces, now sits skulking in the body. Bind him fast in the chains of Spiritual Enlightenment. Now that you have gained the victory take back the city of Lanka [the body].

Paltu says, “The Satguru’s devotees rise into the Void.
Seated in the hidden dwelling place, they beat the drum of victory.”

Here Paltu Sahib mentions the servant of the Lord. The word dās means a servant or devotee.  Many people are called by the name “Das.” Someone may be called Hari Das or Shiva Das or Ram Das. Friend, this “Das” is only an outer name that we have taken up. But who is the true dās or devotee of the Guru? The one whose consciousness has become riveted within and who has become fixed in the region of the Void. There you have no awareness of body, mind, or worldly desires. When your soul has become etherealized and crosses over the regions of Par Brahm, then you can be called the real dās.

In the hidden region beyond Par Brahm, unknown to the worldly people, there is a cave. The Maharashtrian sages and other mahatmas have described this cave in their writings. The Saints call this region Bhanwar Gupha, the whirling cave. In this hidden realm, the indescribably sweet melody of the Sound Current is playing.  The souls who rise to this realm become absorbed in this Sound and achieve emancipation.

Audio: H264, 28:35

Paltu Sahib

The moon of knowledge has risen in the sky

Gyān kā chāndnā bhayā ākās mẽ

ज्ञान का चाँदना भया आकास में, मगन मन भया हम लखि पाया ।
दृष्टि के खुले से नजर सब आयगा, लखा संसार यह झूठि माया ।।
जीव और ब्रह्म के भेद को बूझि कै, सबद की साच टकसार लाया ।
दास पलटू कहै खोलि परदा दिया, पैठि के भेद हम देखि आया ।। ६४ ।।

छोड़ि कै ज्ञान को होय विज्ञान जब, सत्त के सबद का सोई दागी ।
सुन्न समाधि में ध्यान को लाइ कै, सहज का ख्याल सोइ बीतरागी ।।
गगन के बीच में तत्त में मगन है, अबिरल भक्ति उर जास जागी ।
तुरियातीत ह्वै चित्त जब इक भयो, रैन दिन मगन है प्रेम पागी ।।
जागती जोति में रहै गरकाब ह्वै, सबद के बीच में सुरति लागी ।
दास पलटू कहै संत सोइ चक्रवै, भया अद्वैत जब भर्म भागी ।। ३५ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Reḳhtā, Gyān, 64-65

 The moon of knowledge has risen in the sky.
When you behold its light, the mind becomes enthralled.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib. He asks, “What is meant by the word gyān or knowledge?” You can deliver lectures based on reading scriptures and other books to any extent you want, but this is not True Knowledge; you are only repeating empty words gleaned from the experience of others. Many wise people have distilled the meaning of knowledge down to one brief sentence:

एकं ब्रह्म द्वितीयो नास्ति
God is One; there is no other.  

The totality of knowledge is captured in these few words. There is only one Almighty Lord residing within you. The many outer forms of the Divine that we worship are all creations of our own mind and are subject to destruction. These outer idols and images are easy to understand; even a child can bow down before them. But what is the meaning of True Knowledge?  When you lift your soul above the nine doors of the body and cross into the Inner Etheric Sky, then you behold the Light within, and that Radiance drives the darkness from your heart. This is what is meant by Knowledge. When the mind becomes absorbed in the Inner Light, then True Knowledge begins to dawn.

When your inner vision opens, then the Truth stands revealed.
You see the false illusion of the world with your own eyes.

Ramdas Swami tells us:

चर्म चक्षु न लखे, ज्ञान चक्षू निर्खें

The eyes of flesh cannot behold that Inner Light;
Only the eye of Knowledge can perceive it.

He says, “When you look with these eyes of flesh, you see all the material things of this world – mother, father, children, family, relations – this is all the spectacle of flesh. Even our eyes are made of flesh, and when we look with these outer eyes, we are lured and captivated by the material objects also composed of flesh. But the inner spiritual eye remains closed. Within you is the third eye; and once that eye opens, your whole being will be flooded with Light.  You cannot see this Light with your outer eyes; the eye that beholds the Lord is something different. Until that inner eye opens, all of your so-called wisdom is just blind speculation.

When that Light sprouts forth, it chases away all darkness and illusion from your within. When the inner Light becomes manifested, then all the falsehood of Maya and the outer attractions stand revealed; within and without, you behold only the One Lord.

Recognize the secret of the jiva and the Lord;
Understanding comes through experience of the True Shabd.

First, consider the matter carefully. What is the nature of the jiva? What is the nature of the Almighty Lord?  Search deeply in your heart and discover the truth behind this secret.  The jiva is an embodied soul; the body is fashioned from the five elements, and taking on the body, the jiva becomes trapped in egotism. When the soul castes off egotism, then it becomes formless and merges into the Lord.  The soul and the Lord are one Power.

It is just like the empty space within the clay waterpot or butter churn. Each clay vessel has an empty space inside. When the potter fashions the pot out of clay, the empty space is captured naturally within that pot.  And when the outer clay pot is broken, that empty space escapes unchanged — the same as it was before the potter molded that vessel.

Just like the clay pot is filled with empty space, this material body, formed from the five elements, is also filled with the inner spiritual Power of the soul; that Power is trapped in the covering of five elements, and the sense of “I and mine.”  This embodied soul is called a jiva. When the sheath of the five elements and I-hood is removed, then the soul goes free. The Power that enlivens the soul is the Power of the Almighty Lord Himself.

First, think carefully and understand the nature of the Lord and the embodied soul.  Then, meditate on Shabd as enjoined by the Satguru; always go on repeating the Simran of Naam so that falsehood and egotism may not enter into your heart. In this way, perform the spiritual practices so that you can gain emancipation, and, when your end time comes, you may say goodbye to this mortal world forever.

The servant Paltu says, “I have opened the curtain.
When I entered within, the mystery was revealed.”

Paltu Sahib Ji describes His own experience: “That thick curtain of illusion and egotism was thrown open. These are not just hollow words. I am speaking only after seeing with my own eyes.” If you have not seen within, then even if you go on chattering like a monkey — repeating accounts you have read in books – still, your words will all be futile and without savor.

Leave behind the understanding of the soul; rise higher and become absorbed in the Power of the soul itself.
This state of complete Oneness is the sign of the True Shabd.

Once you have understood the reality of the soul and the Lord, then you must rise above that understanding and leave it behind. The soul is encased in the koshas or sheaths: annamaya, prāṇamaya, manomaya, gyānamaya, and vigyānamaya.

First of all, what is the most pressing need of the body? Nourishment. There is a saying:

पहिले पोटोबा पीच्छे विठोबा

First, take care of your stomach,
Then you offer your devotion to the Lord.

Once you have given food to the body, then it can begin to dance. When you are hungry and have no food to fill your stomach, then you can’t do anything at all.  This need arises from the annamaya kosha or the sheath that is nourished by food. If you had nothing to eat and if someone were to say to you — “I will be sure you have three square meals every day, but you will have to sacrifice your life” — you would not accept that offer. Your immediate worry about finding food will be forgotten; your only concern will be to preserve your precious life: “I can remain hungry, but I do not want to die.” At that moment, your attention moves from the annamaya kosha, or food sheath, to the prāṇamaya kosha, or prana sheath; your whole thought is to preserve the prana or life force in the body.

Beyond this, you encounter the mind sheath, the manomaya kosha. Say, for instance, that you have commited some error in your work and you are facing disgrace and punishment from the authorities. Dreading the suffering you will have to endure, you may think: “It is more than I can bear. It will be better if I end my life.” Your attention has left the prāṇamaya kosha, the sheath of the pranas, and has entered the manomaya kosha, the mental sheath, characterized by intense waves of thought and emotion. Under the sway of impulses from the mental sheath, you may even consider giving up the pranas and throwing away your precious human birth.

When you rise above the manomaya kosha, you enter into the vigyānamaya kosha, the sheath of knowledge; that sheath has two aspects gyānamaya and vigyānamaya. In the aspect of gyānamaya, you recognize the reality of the soul and perceive the falsehood of Maya. When this knowledge dawns in your within, then all the waverings of the mind and all the thoughts arising from the intellect are stilled. The soul realizes “I am Brahm.”  From this stage, the soul rises still further; the power of the mind has been left behind, and, freed from the pull of the created world, you move into the aspect of vigyānamaya, or deep knowledge.  In gyānamaya, the soul still remains trapped within the boundaries of the created world. There is still a sense of duality — the knower and the Known. But in the vigyānamaya, the soul turns to face the Lord, and the knower becomes the Known. The soul becomes merged into True Knowledge and becomes the Knowledge itself. This is the nature of the vigyānamaya kosha. Going further the soul is drenched in Bliss. 5Beyond the vigyānamaya kosha lies the anandamaya kosha. The creator is Pure Spirit and when Pure Spirit interacts with Prakriti, the result is Bliss, the first gossamer-thin veil that is thrown over the soul. When the soul penetrates through that veil of Bliss, it enters into Par Brahm. The Shabd manifests within, and the soul becomes absorbed into that reverberating Sound — no difference remains between them.

Now the soul enters into Sunn Samādhi,
And becoming free from the world, it ascends higher and becomes absorbed in Sahaj — the State of Natural Equipoise.

Some devotees practice saguṇa samādhi — contemplating on that which has form or attributes.  When you set up an image or idol of Brahmā, Viṣhṇu, Shiva, Kāli Bhavānī,6Kāli Bhavānī is an avatar of Pārvatī and is considered to be the embodiment of both ferocity and mercy. She was the patron deity of King Shivaji and is widely revered in Maharashtra. or any of the other gods and goddesses, and absorb your attention in that form, this is called sāguṇa samādhi.   When you still the thoughts of your mind and contemplate on an abstract God beyond form and attributes, this state is called nirguṇa samādhi.  But beyond both of these types of samadhi, the soul experiences the Sunn Samadhi or, contemplation of the Void; at this stage, when the soul escapes from the confines of the mortal world and rises into Par Brahm, then it becomes absorbed into the Sunn.

Now, the body, mind, and intellect have all been left behind. You are wholly identified with the Void. Your soul is perfectly tranquil and still; no disturbance of thought or desire intrudes there. In the Sunn, the True Shabd becomes manifest of itself.  The soul is etherealized, and the exquisite Divine Music resounds. The soul becomes wholly absorbed in the Sunn or Void. This absorption is referred to as Sunn Samādhi.  From here, the soul is drawn upward into Sach Khand, the Realm of Truth, and enters into Sahaj Samādhi, the State of Natural Equipoise.

In the heart of that Realm, become absorbed in the Almighty Lord;
The unending devotion awakens within you.

In the middle of this Realm, the Sat Purush sits upon the Throne of Truth. Beholding the glory of the True Lord, the soul becomes transfixed, enraptured in adoration. In this realm, the everlasting bhakti is awakened. All devotion is worthy, but this devotion is of a different order — eternal and without end.

When the soul goes beyond Brahm and enters into the Par Brahm,
Day and night it remains drenched in Love.

While still in this created world, the soul moves between states of waking, dream, deep sleep, and the meditative state or turīya. 7In the state of turīya, the soul realizes, “I am Brahm”  But when the soul ascends into Par Brahm, it becomes turīyātīta — beyond the state of turīya or super-consciousness. In the Par Brahm, the soul becomes merged into the Power of Truth.  Beyond the three worlds, the soul is freed of the mind-stuff and becomes Self-Existing.

Absorbed in the Effulgent Light,
Your soul becomes One with the Music of the Spheres.

Then day and night, the Self-Luminous Light shines forth. When your soul merges into that Light and becomes the Light itself, then, the Pure Sound of the True Realm begins to reverberate.  Within and without, there will be Shabd and Shabd alone — Sweet Harmonies of the Celestial Music, scintillating with dazzling Radiance.

The servant Paltu says, “The Saint is the Lord of the Universe.
When illusion runs away, only the Unity remains.”

Paltu Sahib says, “The Saint is the Lord of the Universe, the Ruler of all the realms.  He is free of all duality — the One, Undivided, and Self-Existing, the Sovereign Lord.”

Audio: H266

Paltu Sahib

Shame on you, O fakir! Don’t get so angry.

Fakīr ke bālke gusā nā kījiye

फ़कीर के बालके गुसा ना कीजिये, गुसा फ़कीर को नाहिं अच्छा ।
बात मीठी कहौ नीक सब को लगै, भेष भगवंत की पकरि पच्छा ।।
रहिन ऐसी रहौ बहुत गरीब ह्वै, सकल संसार मिलि करै रच्छा ।
दास पलटू कहै बहुत चुचुकारि कै, बचन को मानि अब लेहु बच्चा ।। ६२ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Reḳhtā, Upadesh Bheṣh Ko, v 32

Shame on you, O fakir! Don’t get so angry.
It’s not good for a holy man to throw tantrums.

You may call the spiritual practitioner a fakir, or a sadhu, or a servant of the Lord, or a devotee; it is all one and the same thing. Therefore, Paltu Sahib says, “O sadhu! You should not keep anger in your within.”  Lust and anger are two mighty powers that have taken the whole world captive. On the surface, folding our hands, we make a great show of humility. But if anyone harasses us or contradicts us, then just observe how we flare up. It is just like spreading ashes over a glowing fire.  Once you have covered the fire with ashes, you can put your hand on those ashes, and it will not be burned. No one will even be able to tell that a fire is buried there. But when the wind blows those ashes away, then the flames shoot up again. In this way, Paltu Sahib is explaining to the sadhu that he should not harbor the fire of anger in his heart. If we become devotees, but still keep anger within us, then we cannot become successful in our spiritual practices.

If your words are full of sweetness, then everyone will benefit.
You have dressed up like a sadhu; now maintain the honor of those garments.

What does He tell us? If you remain tranquil within, if you go on with the Bhajan and Simran of Naam, then the words that arise in your heart and issue forth from your mouth will be drenched in the blissful sweetness of your meditation.  Others will feel at peace listening to your words, and your own heart will be filled with coolness and tranquility. But if you are burning with anger within, then even if your outer words are honey-sweet, still when a sudden gust of wind blows away the ashes, the fire roars back to life.

Sadhus often visited the village of Bulleh Shah, and sometimes Bulleh Shah would go and test them. One evening about five o’clock, a visiting sadhu was sitting performing his rituals, and all his limbs were besmeared with ashes. Bulleh Shah arrived there and thought, “He looks like a great renunciate. Let’s see about his inner condition.”  So he said to that sadhu, “Baba Ji, please give me a little fire.” The sadhu replied, “I don’t have any fire to give you” — because at that time the sadhu had already damped down his sacrificial fire with ashes. Then again, Bulleh Shah asked, “Maharaj Ji, the fire is burning brightly, but you are telling me it isn’t. If you give me a little bit of fire, what harm will it do to you?” The sadhu replied, “I keep telling you I have no fire. Why do you go on asking and asking?” So Bulleh Shah told him, “But Maharaj Ji, I see the fire burning right there. That is why I am asking you. Since you have that fire, won’t you please give me some?”  Aggravated, the sadhu replied, “Are you going to get out of here or not?”  Then he picked up the iron thongs to strike Bulleh Shah and chase Him away.  Bulleh Shah laughed and told that sadhu, “Maharaj Ji, you told me you didn’t have any fire, but now just look how the hot flames are blazing,”

In this way, the fire is hidden in our within, and Bhajan is the only remedy to extinguish that fire. When we have anger burning within us, how can we do the meditation of Naam?

You may put on the saffron-colored robes, thinking in that way you can meet the Lord. But you will achieve nothing by merely dying your clothes. You cover your body with ashes, but what good will that do? The donkey is always covered with ashes, but can that poor animal become a sadhu?

Conduct yourself with humility and meekness.
Then all the whole world will be happy to take care of you.

If you remain humble and lowly, the whole world will be ready to look after your needs.

Wheedling and cajoling, the servant Paltu is trying to make you understand.
My child, accept the wisdom of my words.

Just like the mother makes her child understand with sweet, cajoling words, in the same way, I am lovingly admonishing you. Think on my words carefully, and mold your heart according my teachings. The Lord is not far away from you. He will fill your heart with peace, and all the hubbub of this world will be swept away.

Audio: H270, 0:00  

Paltu Sahib

Whoever wishes to become fearless should go into the Satsang of the Saint

Jo kou chāhai abhay pad, jāī karai satsang

जो कोउ चाहै अभय पद जाइ करै सतसंग ।।
जाइ करै सतसंग प्रान बैराग उठावै ।
स्रवन करै बेदान्त मनन करि मन समुझावै ।।
तब साधै हठ जोग बिपर्जय कौ घर पावै ।
प्रान करै आयाम पुरुष तब नजरि में आवै ।
देखै अपनो रूप होय तब ज्ञान समाधी ।
तब दे साधन छोड़ि लेइ जब पहिले साधी ।।
पलटू खोवै आपु को तब लागैगा रंग ।
जो कोउ चाहै अभय पद जाइ करै सतसंग ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Satsang, 78

Whoever wishes to become fearless should go into the Satsang of the Saint.

Abhay means the One who is free from all fear — the Self-Existing Power, complete in itself.  No other force can threaten that Power. That Power dwells beyond fear. But everything in the creation is subject to fear. Hunger, fear, sexual indulgence, and sleep — these four forces work within all beings. What will happen tomorrow? How will I deal with it? Fear of the future haunts everyone, but the greatest fear of all is the fear of death. In the grip of this fear, we try countless means to evade death, to escape from its clutches. But what is going to happen will happen.

Therefore He says, “The Almighty Lord is called the Fearless One. Drive all dread from your heart, and you will attain that fearless state.”

When you go into the Satsang, the longing to become free from the world awakens within you.

Through Satsang, you will come to understand that fearless state. Otherwise, no matter how much you may read about fearlessness in the Puranas or other holy books, you are only storing information in your buddhi (intellect). And after a short time, the intellect once again takes on the form of the outer things; as soon as you close the book, your intellect races back into the world. You gained nothing through your reading of books. Fearlessness is an inner state of being. 

He says, “With all your heart and soul, pursue the way of renunciation.” If one day by chance we don’t get our meal on time, then we are ready to give up the Satsang. Many people say, “Baba Ji, I have to eat my meals at a set time. Otherwise, I can’t digest my food properly, and then I won’t be able to sleep at night. That’s why I don’t come to the Satsang.”  What can I say to them? Food is more important to them than the Satsang.

[Baba Somanath asks Pushpamaa to sings a vachana of Akkā Mahādevī]

ಹಸಿವಾದರೆ ಭಿಕ್ಷಾನ್ನಂಗಳುಂಟು
ತೃಷೆಯಾದರೆ ಕೆರೆ ಬಾವಿ ಹಳ್ಳಂಗಳುಂಟು
ಶಯನಕ್ಕೆ ಹಾಳುದೇಗುಲವುಂಟು
ಚೆನ್ನಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾರ್ಜುನಯ್ಯ ಆತ್ಮಸಂಗಾತಕ್ಕೆ ನೀನೆನಗುಂಟು.

When I am hungry, I will beg for alms.
When I am thirsty, I will drink from lakes and wells and streams.
When I am sleepy, I will shelter in temple ruins.
And for a soul-mate, I have you,
O Chenna Mallikārjuna — Lord, white as jasmine.

This is the story of Akkā Mahādevī,8“Akkā” means elder sister and “Mahādevī” means great goddess a renunciate sadhu who lived in South India. As a young girl, she always remained absorbed in the contemplation and Naam Simran of the Lord. Near her village, there lived one king named Kaushik, who belonged to the Jain religion. Once, he was coming through the village, riding on an elephant. All the people of the village ran up on their rooftops to get a glimpse of him, and that young girl also climbed up there.

Suddenly, that king’s glance fell on Akkā Mahādevī, and he was attracted to her. He sent his royal messengers to call that girl and escort her to the palace. But her parents told him, “This is not possible. You follow the Jain religion, and our beliefs are not the same. We will not give you our daughter.” When they refused, the king seized her and started to take her away. Her parents began to weep, but Akkā Mahādevī said to them, “Why are you crying? I am happily going with the king.” Then the king called for a palanquin and carried her away to her new home.

When they reached the king’s palace, she told him that he must make three promises: “First, no matter how many sadhus come to our door, and no matter how much wealth I give them in alms, no one should stop me. Second, whenever I am sitting in meditation, you should not disturb me. And finally, you must respect my religion and my spiritual quest.” At that time, the king was under the control of lust, and he agreed to all of her conditions.

The next morning when she arose, she sought out thousands of sadhus, and, taking them to the treasury, she distributed wealth to them freely. The prime minister told the king, “If she goes on like this for three or four more months, she will empty out the whole treasury, and we will all become beggars.” So the king stopped her from giving away any more alms.  Then one day, when Akkā Mahādevī was sitting in meditation, he came up behind her and grabbed the end of her sari. At that time, she said, “You have already broken your first promise, and now you are breaking your second promise as well. So, take back your sari.” Saying this, she collected all her saris and her jewelry, and, throwing them at his feet, she departed naked from the palace to follow the renunciate’s way of life.

She passed by her village, and on the way, she met her mother and father. Her mother said, “You are a young girl, and your body is delicate. How will you endure a life of austerities and deprivation in this naked condition? If you were a man, it would be a different matter. But as a woman, you will face many difficult circumstances. How will you manage in the future?” Then Akka Mahadevi replied, “If I am hungry, then I will beg alms. And I can take water from the lakes and the rivers. And when I am tired, I can sleep in the fallen-down ruins of temples and monasteries. If I am not concerned about how I will live today, then why should I worry for tomorrow?

She was a worshiper of Shiva, whom she addresses as Chenna Mallikārjuna — Lord, white as jasmine. She says, “My protector, Mallikārjuna, sits in my heart, so what should I fear? For the outer body, I can beg alms. I will drink water wherever I find it — in the ponds and rivers. I can clear off a spot in the broken down temples and sleep there.  My Lord, my boon companion, is with me.” With a complete surrender of worldly desires, she set out on her quest — this is called renunciation.

[Baba Somanath Ji returns to the hymn of Paltu Sahib]

Listen to the teachings of Vedanta,9Vedanta, “the end of the Vedas,” refers to the Upanishads, metaphysical commentaries that deal with the soul (ātmā), the created world (prakriti), and the power controlling the created world (Brahm). The term Vedanta also indicates the various philosophical schools of thought that draw on the Upanishads, the Brahmasutras and the Bhagavad Gita. accept them and make your mind understand.

The Upanishads, which are considered the end of the Vedas, praise the Power of the Soul. Paltu Sahib tells us, “Listen to that Power of the soul. Accept those teachings, and become absorbed in that inner Power.”

The yogis practice hatha yoga and invert the vital airs in the home [body]

Hatha yoga does not just indicate control of the pranas. To perform hatha yoga means applying yourself to your practices with haṭh or determination; this is the principal characteristic of hatha yoga.

Controlling the pranas, you behold the soul in the body.

Riding on the current of the pranas or vital airs, the yogi ascends from the navel up to the still point between the two eyebrows, and then, after pausing at that point, travels back down to the navel. This circulation on the breath is performed while the yogi repeats the “hans mantra”: so-ham ham-sā.10In yogic practice, soham is a sound emanating from the throat chakra in the body. This physical sound is distinct from the “Sohang” of Sant Mat, “I am Thou,” the Divine Sound reverberating in the fourth Spiritual Plane. The yogi performs this mantra with every breath, in and out, becoming united with the breath.  In this way, the circulation of the breath on the pranic current becomes automatic. The yogis call this unceasing repetition ajapā jap. You are not repeating the mantra; the breaths are repeating the mantra, and this is called ajapā jap in hatha yoga. 11This ajapā jap of hatha yoga practice at the level of the body is distinct from the Ajapā Jap of the Saints, who describe it as the omnipresent Music of the Spheres reverberating throughout creation in an Unspoken Language.

When you realize your real Self, you enter into gyān samādhi.12When the soul sheds the annamaya, prāṇamaya, and manomaya koshas, it enters the gyāna– and vigyānamaya koshas and realizes the nature of the soul and Brahm.
Now, cast aside all these lower practices you were performing previously.

“Sam” means to get absorbed, and “ādi” indicates the primal form. You should perform your meditation on Naam in such a way that you merge into your Primal Form. But nowadays, when we bury a body in a grave, we put a memorial platform over that grave and call it a samadhi. Friend, this samadhi is just an outer stone to honor some departed soul. But what is the real meaning of samadhi? When the soul merges into the Primal Lord and becomes One with Him.  

When you become absorbed in the Sound Current and enter into the true Samadhi, what need do you have of the lower practices? How will they help you? If once you become absorbed in the Unchanging, Eternal Power of True Naam, then why would you engage in any other practice? If you accumulate millions of rupees, then you can live on the interest from that money; you won’t need anything else. Nowadays, the interest rate is less, but previously it was much more.

Paltu says, “When you give up your sense of I-hood, then you become dyed in the true color.
Whoever wants to become fearless should go into the Satsang of the Saint.”

When you remove the color arising from this world, then you can become dyed in the true color of the Lord. You will become fearless. Your soul will become free, and you will be liberated from the cycle of births and deaths.

Audio: H270
Another Paltu Sahib source: “Kabir Parakh”, PSkB, part 1, #74, p 68

Paltu Sahib

Those who oppose the devotees cannot be saved

Bhakti se droh kari kou nā bachā hai

भक्त से द्रोह करि कोऊ ना बचा है, किया जिन द्रोह सो सबै हारा ।
पंडवा पाँच जिताय भारत कँहै, गहा गज ग्राह जल बीच मारा ।
गये दुरवासा अँबरीख ब्रत टारने, छुटा है गैब से चक्र धारा ।
दास पलटू कहै हेत प्रहलाद के, खंभ को फोरि कै उद्र फारा ।। ९३ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Reḳhtā, Mishrit, 93   

Those who oppose the devotees cannot be saved;
Those with enmity all suffer defeat.

Throughout history, the worldly people have opposed the devotees of the Lord. The worldly people are filled with falsehood and attachment to worldly pleasures; they are dominated by egotism. Those people don’t wish well for anyone.  If they see someone else prospering, they start quarreling with them; they try to harm them. Therefore, when the Saints and Mahatmas came in the past, the worldly people didn’t allow them any peace. They would always try to visit sorrow and suffering upon them. The worldly people called Guru Nanak Dev “the one who leads the people astray.” They drove him out of their village; they would not even give Him food to eat or water to drink.  They traveled from village to village, spreading false tales about Him: “One guru is coming by the name of Nanak. Don’t allow Him to stay in your village. Do not give Him food or water.”  But the truth is, Guru Nanak had not harmed anyone at all. He was God Almighty in human form, who had come as a benefactor to humanity. But the foolish people are trapped in love of the world and blinded by ignorance. Just like owls who hide from the light of the sun and prefer to dwell in the darkness, so the worldly people harbor enmity towards the lovers of God. Therefore, Paltu Sahib cautions, “Whoever opposes the devotees of the Lord will have to suffer severe punishment.”

Five Pandavas overcame all the warriors in the Mahabharat war.
The crocodile was slain when it tried to drown the elephant.

Paltu Sahib says, “There were only five Pandavas. They faced the mighty Kaurava warriors, one after another — Karan, Dron, Bhīṣhma, and many others like them. But when the Lord showered grace on the five Pandavas, they conquered all the opposing forces.  In the same way, there was a struggle between the crocodile and the elephant. Once when an elephant went to drink water from the lake, a crocodile seized the elephant by the leg and dragged it into the water. But the Lord Vishnu himself came there and, killing the crocodile, liberated the elephant.13Gajendra, the leader of the elephants on Mount Trikuṭa, had been a king and a devotee of Lord Vishnu in a previous life. Because of his overweening pride, he had been cursed by Agastya Riṣhi and had to be reborn as an elephant. When he was attacked by the crocodile, he surrendered all his pride and implored Lord Vishnu to rescue him. Seeing his humility, Lord Vishnu came there and liberated him.

Durvāsa went to Ambarīsh to spoil his fast,
But Vishnu’s hidden discus started chasing him.

Ambarīsh was a bhakta of the god Vishnu and had become famous because of his devotion and love. Durvāsa Muni was a great ascetic. The ascetics who perform austerities develop a lot of anger in them,  and, witnessing how Ambarīsh was being appreciated by the people, Durvāsa fell into a rage and started trying to bring about his downfall. Seeing the plight of his devotee, Lord Vishnu released his magic discus, the sudharshana chakra, and that discus spun away in pursuit of Durvāsa.  Frightened by this terrible onslaught, Durvāsa ran first to Brahmā, then to Shiva, and finally to Vishnu, but they could do nothing to stop the sudharshana chakra. Finally, Lord Vishnu told him, “Go and fall at the feet of Ambarīsh; there is no other way to save yourself from being cut to pieces.”14Ambarīsh was a king in the Treta Yug or Silver Age. His devotion was so pleasing to Vishnu that the god gave him his sudarshana chakra or magic discus. But the discus was not visible; it was hidden as a circle of peace and prosperity around the kingdom of Ambarīsh.  Durvāsa was jealous of Ambarīsh, so he paid him a visit, with the intention of spoiling the fast Ambarīsh was keeping. But seeing his unworthy intention, Lord Vishnu decided to teach Durvāsa a lesson. Vishnu made the magic discus visible and released it on Durvāsa, who only escaped from being hewn down when he humbled himself before Vishnu’s true devotee — King Ambarīsh.

Paltu Sahib says: “In order to rescue Prahlad, Vishnu burst from the column and ripped open the stomach [of Hiraṇyakashipu].”

How wonderful it is that the Almighty Lord takes on so many different forms for the sake of His devotees.  Prahlad was a great bhakta of Lord Vishnu, and his father was King Hiraṇyakashipu.  The king had performed many very arduous austerities, and when Lord Brahmā became pleased with him, he asked for several boons: “Grant that I may not die in the day nor in the night. May I not be killed by a man or woman nor by an animal.  May I not die inside nor outside of any building.  And may I not be killed by any weapon.” He felt confident that these boons would shield him from death: “Since no one can kill me during the day or the night, how could I possibly die at all?” So after careful consideration, King Hiraṇyakashipu obtained these boons from Lord Brahmā as a reward for the intense austerities he had performed.

This king had a young son, the devotee Prahlad. Nowadays, communists and others tell us: “There is no God. It is all a figment of your imagination.  All this belief in a divine power is just nonsense. “ They are atheists. In previous times, there were also people with such beliefs; what gods did Ravana worship?  Hiraṇyakashipu was also of this way of thinking. He told his son, “I am the God of the present time. If anyone wants to worship God, they should repeat my name; they should give me their adoration.” But Prahlad did not accept these words. He replied, “You have been born in the form of a demon, and you are very cruel. You are my respected father, but you cannot become God. I will not do your remembrance. My only God is the Lord Vishnu.” 

Hiraṇyakashipu tried very hard to convince him, but Prahlad was stood firm and replied: “Even if I lose my life, still I will worship only my beloved Lord, Shri Vishnu.”  Finally, Hiraṇyakashipu decided to kill him. He wanted to destroy Prahlad since he would not worship him as God. First, he took Prahlad up to the top of a mountain and tried to hurl him over the edge; but Prahlad was saved. The king had a sister named Holikā, who had also performed many austerities. As a reward, one rishi had given her a blessing in the form of a magic sari that would protect the wearer from fire. Whoever wore that sari could sit in the fire and not be burnt. 

She told her brother, “Why are you going to so much trouble? I will put on my sari, sit with Prahlad in my lap, and then you can kindle a bonfire. I will be protected from that fire by the magic sari, but Prahlad will be burned alive. This idea pleased Hiraṇyakashipu very much. So Holikā went to her wardrobe trunk to find that magic sari, but she had many saris of the same color and, by mistake, she chose the wrong one. Putting on that ordinary sari, she called Prahlad to come sit in her lap, and when her brother lit that bonfire, poor Holikā was burned up — but  once again, Prahlad was saved.

This is the origin of the festival of Holi — it is named for Holikā, the sister of King Hiraṇyakashipu. Why do we celebrate Holi every year?  All the world rejoices because the enemy of the Lord’s devotee was killed. Holikā was burned up, and Prahlad was protected. This is why we celebrate Holi.  But how do we people celebrate that festival? We make an awful racket and end up intoxicated in the ditch.  Who remembers Holikā or the real significance of Holi? No one even gives it a thought.

Then Hiraṇyakashipu thought, “I am not going to be able to kill him in this way. I’m going to have to try something else.” So he selected an iron pillar and heated it until it was red hot.  Then he led Prahlad to that pillar and told him to embrace it. Looking at that heated pillar, Prahlad hesitated. But to reassure his devotee, the Lord Vishnu arrived at that place, and, taking on the form of an ant, he started crawling up and down that red-hot pillar. When Prahlad saw that ant, he understood the Lord Vishnu had come, and his fear evaporated. Happily, he embraced that pillar and remained unharmed. Seeing this, Hiraṇyakashipu became even more enraged, and he shouted, “Where is this god of yours?” Prahlad replied, “My god is everywhere.” There was another pillar standing nearby, and pointing to it, the king said, “Is your god in that pillar? Is your Lord Vishnu there?”  Prahlad answered, “Yes, he is there also; he is everywhere.”

Then the king kicked that pillar with all his might. Actually, Lord Vishnu had not been in that pillar at that time; but, seeing Prahlad’s unshakeable faith and love, Vishnu entered that pillar, and when Hiraṇyakashipu kicked it, Vishnu burst forth as Narasimha Avatar. What an amazing thing! That incarnation of Vishnu had the head of a lion and the body of a man. At that very moment, twilight was falling.  Then Narasimha stood astride over the threshold of the building, with one foot planted outside and one inside. He seized Hiraṇyakashipu and held him aloft so that they were both half-in and half-out of that building. One foot out, one foot in. He swung Hiraṇyakashipu over his head and asked him, “Is it day or night?” At that time, the sun was just setting, so he said, “It is neither day nor night.” Then he asked, “Am I inside the building or outside?” The king replied, “You are neither within nor without.” Narasimha Avatar asked, “Am I a human being, or am I something else?” The king replied, “You are neither human nor animal.” Finally he asked, “Do I have any weapon in my hand?” The king replied, “No, you hold no weapon.”  Then Narasimha dug his nails into the king’s stomach and ripped him apart.

When someone is a true servant, a real devotee of the Lord, then no matter how much the worldly people may try to inflict suffering on that devotee, in the end, that suffering rebounds back on them. No one can harm the devotees of the Lord.

Audio: H271

[1] 15Gajendra, the leader of the elephants on Mount Trikuṭa, had been a king and a devotee of Lord Vishnu in a previous life. Because of his overweening pride, he had been cursed by Agastya Riṣhi and had to be reborn as an elephant. When he was attacked by the crocodile, he surrendered all his pride and implored Lord Vishnu to rescue him. Seeing his humility, Lord Vishnu came there and liberated him.

[2] Ambarīsh was a king in the Treta Yug or Silver Age. His devotion was so pleasing to Vishnu that the god gave him his sudarshana chakra or magic discus. But the discus was not visible; it was hidden as a circle of peace and prosperity around the kingdom of Ambarīsh.  Durvāsa was jealous of Ambarīsh, so he paid him a visit, with the intention of spoiling the fast Ambarīsh was keeping. But seeing his unworthy intention, Lord Vishnu decided to teach Durvāsa a lesson. Vishnu made the magic discus visible and released it on Durvāsa, who only escaped from being hewn down when he humbled himself before Vishnu’s true devotee — King Ambarīsh.

Paltu Sahib

The mill of Maya turns, grinding the whole world into flour.

Māyā kī chakkī chale pīsi gayā sansār

माया की चक्की चलै पीसि गया संसार ।।
पीसि गया संसार बचै ना लाख बचावै ।
दोऊ पट के बीच कोऊ ना साबित जावै ।।
काम क्रोध मद लोभ चक्की के पीसनहारे ।
तिरगुन डारै झीक पकरि कै सबै निकारे ।।
दुरमति बड़ी सयानि सानि कै रोटी पोवै ।
करम तवा में धारि सेंकि कै साबित होवै ।।
तृस्ना बड़ी छिनारि जाइ उन सब घर घाला ।
काल बड़ा बरियार किया उन एक निवाला ।।
पलटू हरि के भजन बिनु कोऊ न उतरै पार ।
माया की चक्की चलै पीसि गया संसार ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Māyā, 185

The mill of Maya turns, grinding the whole world into flour.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. The millstone of Maya is turning, and all of the jivas are ground down to flour. What is that millstone?  The revolving millstone of karma. First, thoughts arise within us, and then, according to those thoughts, we perform deeds and create karmas.  In this cycle of karma, our whole lifespan is ground to bits.  Our childhood, adolescence, and youth are reduced to dust. Our old age comes and is ground up also. Then we are carried to “Sonāpūr,” the “city of sleep” (the cremation ground), where we are burnt and reduced to ashes.

All the world is being crushed;
No one escapes, even after making thousands of efforts.
Caught between the two grinding stones, not even one grain remains intact.

All the world is being crushed in the mill. To save us from being ground between the millstones, many great souls have explained the truth in the Vedas, Shastras, Puranas, and other holy books. But the jivas do not want to understand; they do not wish to escape. Instead, they go and try to throw themselves into that mill of the karma.

चलती चक्की देख कर, दिया कबीरा रोए।
दो पाटन के बीच में, साबुत बचा न कोए।।

Seeing the mill revolving, Kabir laments.
Caught between those two grinding stones, not one grain remains whole.

Action and inaction, virtue and sin, life and death, good deeds and bad, these form the mill that is crushing everything to bits. The sages have tried many ways to liberate the jivas from this mill, but the jivas themselves go and fall into this mill of their own accord. And thus they are ground into flour.

Lust, anger, arrogance, and greed turn the wheel.
The three gunas are the grain; they toss in handful after handful, and the revolving stone crushes everything to a fine powder.

He says that some are ground up by lust. Some are ground up by anger. Ravana kidnapped Sita; lust crushed and conquered him. When the Kauravas and the Pandavas came under the control of anger, kinsman began fighting with kinsman, and, in this way, they were all destroyed. Nowadays, in our India, because of discord and strife, everything is being ground up, and no one knows where it will end.

Wicked Maya is very skilled; she kneads that flour and shapes the chapatis.
Then she bakes them on the frying pan of karma and makes them ready for eating.

Wicked Maya kneads the flour and pats out the chapatis. Where does she cook them? She bakes them on the frying pan of karmas, and then Kal and Maya sit together and enjoy a feast.  

Desire is like a harlot who brings disgrace on her whole household.
Kal is very mighty; he devours everyone in one bite.

Desire is like a woman of low character, and she has taken up residence in every household. Kal is a mighty power; in one bite, he swallows those chapatis that Maya has prepared. We people don’t grasp the reality. We say that one deed is auspicious, and another is inauspicious; we become caught up in the duality of virtue and sin, and so we are ground in the mill. What is sin and what is virtue? If your consciousness is wavering and unsteady, this is sin; it doesn’t matter if your deeds are auspicious or inauspicious. When your consciousness becomes steady and unchanging, that is virtue. As long as your consciousness is not steady, the millstone goes on turning.

Paltu says, “Without meditation, no one crosses to the other shore.
The mill of Maya turns, grinding the whole world into flour.”

There is only one way to escape from the millstones. What is that method? Repeat the Simran of the Lord, the Simran of Sat Naam. Whoever becomes absorbed in the love of the True Name will become free from the auspicious and inauspicious karmas; otherwise, everyone will be crushed in that mill.

Audio: H289 0,00

Paltu Sahib

The serpent Maya gives birth to her offspring, and then she devours them.

Nāgini paida karata hai āpui nāgini khāy

नागिनि पैदा करत है आपुइ नागिनि खाय ।।
आपुइ नागिनि खाय नागिनि से कोउ न बाचे ।
नेजाधारी सम्भु नागिनि के आगे नाचे ।।
सिंगी ऋषि को जाय नागिनि ने बन में खाई ।
नारद आगे पड़े लहर उनहूँ को आई ।।
सुर नर मुनि गनदेव सभन को नागिनि लीलै ।
जोगी जती औ तपी नहीं काहूँ को ढीलै ।।
सन्त बिबेकी गरुड़ हैं पलटू देखि डेराय ।
नागिनि पैदा करत है आपुइ नागिनि खाय ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg, Kuṇḍaliyā, Māyā, 186

The serpent Maya gives birth to her offspring, and then she devours them.

Maya is such a great power that she shaped the entire creation.  The three gunas — satva, rajas, and tamas — arose from Maya. Maya gave birth to Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva.  Maya is like the female serpent. First, she lays her eggs, and then she eats them up.

It has been said:

जन्म कारण भयी जननी, पूज कारण भयी देवी,
भोग कारण भयी कांता, अंत काल की कालिका

The mother is created to give birth; the goddess is created to be worshiped.
The wife is created for union, but the end time belongs to Kālikā (goddess of death).

First of all, the mother was created to give birth to the offspring. The goddesses were created to be worshiped and adored. For sexual union, the wife was created. And Mrityu Devī, the goddess of death, was created to take the soul at the end time. We do not understand the nature of Maya’s creation, but still, we are enveloped by it; we are drowning in it.

When Shanmukha16 Shanmukha is another name for Kartikeya, the son of Parvati and Shiva, and brother to Ganesh, the elephant-headed god had grown to maturity, his mother Parvati said to him, “My son, now you have grown up, and you need to get married.” Shanmukha thought about her words and then asked, “Mother, what does it mean to get married?” She replied, “It means to take a woman as your wife.”  Again, Shanmukha became lost in thought for a while, and finally he asked, “What is a woman like?” To this, Parvati replied, “I am a woman. Those who are like me are women.”  Then, Shanmukha said, “But you are my mother, isn’t that so? Therefore, those who are like you are my mothers. No matter how many women there are in this world, they are all like mothers to me. So how can I marry a woman?” Parvati answered, “No, no. It’s not like that. You have to find a woman to marry.” But Shanmukha repeated, “Mother, how can I do that? How can I marry a woman who is like my mother?”

Finally, Parvati became angry, and said to him, “If you will not do what I am telling you to do, give me back the milk that I fed you when you were a baby.” So, he replied, “As you wish. Take it back.” There is a place near Sandur17 The Kumaraswami temple compound in the small village of Bellary, about six miles from the town of Sandur (meaning “mountain pass”) is believed to be the first abode of the god Shanmukh (Kartikeya) in South India. The compound currently includes shrines to Parvati, Shanmukha and Ganesha. where it is believed he vomited up that milk, and the worshipers think the earth there is saturated with that milk. When he had vomited up all the milk, he began to vomit up blood as well, and even today the soil in that area is as red as blood. But Parvati was unmoved by this display, and she did not relent. So, in the end, Shanmukh spoke a curse, saying: “Any woman who comes to have my darshan will become a widow in each of her next seven lives.” At this, Parvatii was silenced. And even now, no woman is allowed to go up to that place where Shanmukh spoke his curse. 18Traditionally, the Shanmukha shrine was restricted to men, but now all visitors are welcomed.

“The mother is created to give birth.” After a child is born, the mother has to take care of all its needs. When that child grows into a young man, so that he will not run away, his mother embraces him and binds him to a wife. “The wife is created for union.” The jiva gets stuck in children and family and relatives — it is inevitable. But at the end time, Mrityu Devi, the goddess of death, comes to collect that soul, because it belongs to Lord Kal. So, first, the female snake lays her eggs, then she eats them up. If any egg is spared, it is only because it rolls out of the reach of that snake. Otherwise, she will eat them up.

The female serpent devours everyone; no one escapes from her.
Shiva, with his mighty weapons, dances before her.

Among the gods, Shiva is the most powerful. But even he dances in front of Maya.

The serpent went into the forest and devoured Shringi Rishi.
Narada could not stand before the wave of Maya, and he was swept away.

Shringi Rishi performed austerities in the forest, renouncing food and water for many years. But the serpent Maya also came to that forest, ensnared him and then took him along to perform the yajna of King Dasrath.19 King Dasrath wanted Shringi Rishi to perform a yagya (vedic sacrifice) so he could get a son. But, when Shringi Rishi would not leave his austerities in the forest, the king sent a female courtier, who lured Shringi Rishi back to civilization so the yagya could be completed.

  Narada20 Narada became arrogant when he overcame Kamadeva, the god of lust. But, in his pride, he became infatuated with Princess Shrimati and in order to win her, he requested Lord Vishnu to make him as beautiful as himself.  But to save his devotee from a fall, Vishnu gave him the face of a monkey instead. went to the swayamvar21Swayamvar is a ceremony where a girl chooses her own bridegroom. of the Princess Shrimati and sat there with the face of a monkey. The serpent also made him dance. 

The brave warriors, the human beings, the sages, and the assembly of the gods — Maya, the female serpent, consumes them all.
She devours the yogis, the celibates, and the ascetics — no one is spared.

All the great gods and goddesses, the brave warriors, the human beings, the yakshas, and the gandharvas,22The yakshas are demigods and the gandharvas are celestial musicians. the rishis and the sages, the yogis, the celibates, and the ascetics — the serpent Maya captured all of them.

The discerning Saint is like Garuda.
Paltu says, “Seeing Him that snake becomes afraid.”
The serpent Maya gives birth to her offspring, and then she devours them.

Exercising discrimination and discernment, the Saint becomes like Garuda23Garuda, the vehicle of Vishnu, is the enemy of all snakes; he has the head of an eagle and the body of a man. and devours that serpent.  Those who come to the Saint are saved; everyone else goes into the mouth of Maya. Taking on one form or another, she will attract them.

It has been said: “Gold and women, both trap you in desire. Those who set out to meet the Lord are ensnared by the temptress along the way.” Someone gets stuck in money; someone gets stuck in the opposite sex; someone gets stuck in name and fame. Everyone gets stuck in the three “K’s” — kanchan (gold), kāminī (lust), and kirti (renown). Everyone gets trapped in these three “K’s.”  

Audio: H289, 7:41

Paltu Sahib
Santan kiya vichar, pujave ko doy hain

The Saints consider two things worthy of our worship:
The Lord and His True Devotee; nothing else has any value.

संतन किया विचार पुजवे को दोय हैं ।
की हरि की हरि भक्त और ना कोय हैं ।।
सब देवन के देव बड़े तिहुँ काल में ।
अरे हाँ पलटू और देव को पूजि परैं जंजाल में ।। २१ ।।
हरि जन हरि हैं एक सबद के सार में ।
जो चाहैं सो करैं सन्त दरबार में ।।
तुरत मिलावैं नाम एक ही बात में ।
अरे हाँ पलटू लाली मेंहदी बीच छिपी है पात में ।। २२ ।।
जो तूँ चाहै नाम बैठु सतसंग में ।
संत मिला जो होय केहु के रंग में ।
उन से सब कुछ होय फलै में फूल है ।
अरे हाँ पलटू हरि जन हरि में, रहै बास ज्यों फूल में ।।२३।।

                                    Paltu Sahib ki Bani, part 2, Aril, Bhakt Jan, v 21-23

The Saints consider two things worthy of our worship:
The Lord and His True Devotee; nothing else has any value.

What things do the Saints consider worthy of worship in this world? Some people worship the gurudwaras, some worship the temples of Rama and Krishna. Some people worship the holy Ganges, Jamuna and Sarasvati rivers; some worship their place of confluence, Prayag. Some worship the sacred city of Kashi. Some worship the temples of Rameshwaram and Jagganath. Going to all these places, we bow our heads, we fold our hands, we prostrate ourselves and then return home. But think carefully about it.  Who are you saluting respectfully with folded hands? The one to whom you are folding your hands isn’t aware of your greeting and doesn’t even realize that you are there. You fold your hands in reverence, but the object of your devotion is not conscious of your actions. Until the one you are worshiping accepts your folded hands and understands your devotion, how can they shower grace on you and offer you protection? Are such things worthy of your worship? One person presses their forehead to a stone, someone else worships the water, and another person bows down before the holy books. But these things cannot even speak or move by themselves. How can they bring about your liberation?

So it is clear that only two things are worthy of our worship in this world. What are they? The Lord and the Lord’s true devotee.  The beloved devotee of the Almighty and the Almighty Himself — only these two things are worthy of worship. The other things that we worship are all unconscious and inert.

He is the God of all the gods, greater than Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
O Paltu, worshiping all these other gods entangles us in the creation.

The God of all the gods is our Gurudev.  By worshipping all these other gods, we become ensnared in the entanglements of this world. And furthermore, these very gods place their entreaties before our Gurudev. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shankar (Shiva) all are beggars before Him. These other gods are requesting His mercy and grace.

In one place Kabir Sahib describes our condition:

सत्तनाम को छोड़ के करे आन का जाप
ताके मूड़े दीजिये नौसादर की भाप

Giving up the meditation on True Naam, we meditate on lesser deities.
Whoever turns away from Sat Nam, smells the sulfurous fumes.

What are the sulfurous fumes? The burning in the hells. Besides the one True Naam, there is no other “naam.”

The Lord and His devotee are united in the true Shabd Naam.
In the Court of the Saints, whatever He wishes happens.

In the true darbar, the true court, the devotee of the Lord and the Lord are one. The Lord and His loving devotee can do anything they wish.

Once casually in passing, Guru Amardas addressed a weaver’s wife as “crazy woman.” And that woman became mad from that time on. Her husband went to Guru Angad Dev Ji, bemoaning her condition, saying, “Maharaj Ji, your disciple Amardas has cursed my wife.” Guru Angad Dev Ji replied, “He would never curse anyone. But if by chance he did, that curse can never be avoided.”

Then He called Guru Amardas Ji, who was so delighted to receive the summons of his Guru that his heart began pounding. Lovingly he thought, “My Guru Ji has sent for me today!” When he went there, the Guru asked him, “Why did you curse the weaver’s wife?” Amardas replied, “No, Maharaj Ji, I did not curse her. In the early hours of the morning, I had gone to the river to fetch water. As I was returning, along the way my foot struck on a stone or something sharp like a thorn, and I slipped and fell down. Hearing the noise one of the weavers said, ‘What is this commotion? Who is about so late at night?’ That weaver’s wife answered, ‘It is that homeless Amru who has no dwelling place of his own. He was bringing water and has stumbled on the peg of our loom. He doesn’t know the difference between day and night.’ Laughing, I replied, ‘O crazy woman, my eternal dwelling place is assured, but you have no place to call home.’ I was just replying to her casually in passing.” So the Guru said, “Brother, have mercy on the poor lady.” What did Amardas reply? “Lord, if you are merciful on her, she will become alright.” So, in this way, whoever becomes the true devotee of the Lord, his words come true. His words cannot be evaded. Whatever he wishes comes to pass.

With just one word, the Saints can make us meet with the Lord.
O Paltu, as the redness is hidden in the henna leaves, so the Lord dwells within.

If He wishes, instantly He can throw open up the inner door for the unconscious jiva. But such is not the Will of the Lord. Once a Brahmin pandit took initiation from Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj. The karmic load of the pandits is the heaviest of all. Why? Because for their whole lives they eat the food of others. And their fathers and grandfathers also maintained themselves eating the food of others. So the pandit took initiation, but afterward, he did not follow the Guru’s instructions. He continued offering oblations to departed ancestors. He continued with the Gayatri mantra and the other parts of his daily recitation. He continued with his incantations. Along with his practices of Sat Mat, he continued all his other rites and rituals as well. So he accomplished nothing.

One day he went to Baba Jaimal Singh Ji and said, “Look here. You have so much praise for the glory and greatness of Sat Naam. But it is all bogus. The time I spend reciting the Gayatri mantra and performing my other practices gives me some benefit. But I get nothing at all from your Sat Naam.” At that time Baba Jaimal Singh told him, “Pandit Ji, are you following the instructions you were given? Do you meditate on Sat Naam?” The pandit replied, “Yes, I do it daily. But I don’t get anything from it. You go on praising this method without anything to back it up.”  So Baba Jaimal Singh advised him to do his meditation with more love and devotion, and after explaining to the pandit, Baba Ji sent him home.  That egotistical pandit didn’t pay any attention to the Guru’s advice, but he still kept coming back to Baba Jaimal Singh.  Three or four times he returned to argue and dispute.

Then one day, the pandit suddenly resolved to confront his Guru, “Either you admit that your Sat Naam is all bogus, or you show me something within.” With this in his mind, the pandit came to the Dera. When he arrived, he looked all around but found that the Guru was not there. He enquired and was told that Baba Ji had gone for a visit to some other place. So he said, “Okay, I’ll go there and meet Him.”  He made a big fuss and arrogantly set out to find his Guru. On the way, he met Baba Ji returning to Dera. Beside the road there stood a thorny acacia tree and the pandit said, “Maharaj Ji, take a seat under this tree. Listen to what I have to say.”  Baba Jaimal Singh replied, “What is on your mind?” The pandit hurried on, “I have come to you three or four times already, to discuss this very matter. And every time you have put me off and sent me away. Today I am not going to let you go till I am satisfied. Today either you show me something within, or you admit that this Sat Naam is all bogus.” So at that time, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji said “Alright, brother. Sit down here.”

He made the pandit sit in meditation, and He also sat to one side. From within He pulled the pandit’s soul up to behold the inner light. But when the soul is pulled up forcibly, it is just like when the yamduts wrench the soul from the body at the time of death. In every pore of his body, the pandit experienced unbearable pain and cried out, “Maharaj Ji, I am dying.” Jaimal Singh Ji replied, “If you are dying, then go ahead and die. What can be done now? You wanted to see within.” The pandit repented saying, “No, Maharaj Ji. I was mistaken. I didn’t understand what I was asking.” Then Baba Jaimal Singh Ji had mercy on that pandit and told him, “Now, go and do your meditation. The inner way will open to you. But do not try to force anything. Do not worry or be anxious to have results. Progress in meditation cannot be hurried.”

If you wish to earn the Naam, sit in the Satsang.
If you meet the Saint, do not care about his color.

If you want to earn the Naam, then go and sit in the Satsang of the Saint. Do not give any thought to what country the Saint comes from; it does not matter.  Do not worry about his caste or clan.

Everything comes from Him; when the flowers appear, the fruit will follow.
O Paltu, the Lord dwells within his devotee as the fragrance is hidden in the flower.

There is no difference between the Lord and the Saint. The Saint can do whatever He wishes. As the disciple’s vessel gradually becomes purified and prepared, the Saint showers more and more of His grace.  When the flower blossoms, there is hope for fruit.

The Saints emit their fragrance, just like the fragrance radiates from the flower. That fragrance is unseen, but its perfume is very potent. In this way, the body of the Saint is like that blossoming flower, and the delicious perfume that wafts from Him is the fragrance of Lord.

Audio: H308

Paltu Sahib

The Lord’s devotion is not a visit to your auntie’s house

Khālā kai ghar nāhĩ bhakti kai Rām ki

खाला कै घर नाहिं भक्ति कै राम की ।
दाल भात है नाहिं खाये के काम की ।।
साहिब का घर दूर सहज ना जानिये ।
अरे हाँ पलटू गिरे तो चकनाचूर बचन को मानिये ।। ५२ ।।
समुझि बूझि पगु धरै मरे की चाल है ।
सिर के मोल बिकाय फकीरी ख्याल है ।।
दूध छठी का जाय तनिक ना मानते ।
अरे हाँ पलटू साहिब का घर दूर खिलौना जानते ।। ५३ ।।
पहिले कबर खुदाय आसिक तब हूजिये ।
सिर पर कप्फन बाँधि पाँव तब दीजिये ।।
आसिक को दिन राति नाहिं है सोवना ।
अरे हां पलटू बेदर्दी मासूक दर्द कब घोवना ।। ५४ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Aril, Bhakti kā Ans, 52-54

The Lord’s devotion is not a visit to your auntie’s house;
Bhakti is not just eating a plate of rice and daal.
The home of the Lord lies far away; you cannot reach there easily.
O Paltu, if you fall down you will be ground to bits. Take heed of my words.

Speaking on the subject of bhakti, Paltu Sahib Ji says, “It is no easy thing to do the devotion of the Lord.”  We can accomplish the most difficult worldly tasks; if we makes efforts we can achieve success. But to become successful in bhakti is the most arduous undertaking.  He says the home of the Lord is far away and the journey of devotion is long and fraught with danger. Don’t understand bhakti as a prize easily won.

“Khālā” is a word for aunt.24Khālā is the Urdu word for “aunt,” meaning your mother’s sister. The Hindi word is mausī. So, He tells us, “Devotion is not a visit to your auntie’s house.”  When you visit your aunt, she makes rice and daal for you, and you feel light-hearted and merry. But devotion is a noble aim that requires dedication and  strenuous effort.

Now, we are not on one side or the other, and through such half-hearted devotion we achieve nothing. We make some efforts to forgo the sense pleasures and renounce worldly name and fame, but, because of our lack of real commitment, we do not attain the fruit of bhakti for which we are striving. It is said that the washerman’s dog doesn’t belong to the house or to the washing ghat, but he gets beaten in both places.25The dog of the washerman guards the house of the washerman, and he also guards the place at the riverside where the washerman launders and dries the clothes. But that poor dog isn’t fully accepted at either place.

Think carefully before you step on this Path; walking on this Path is like dying.
The price you pay for the fakir’s wisdom is your head.

He says that before you place your foot of the Path of devotion, think about it honestly. “Can I become a devotee? Will I be able to do this work or not?”  Before you start, you should consider the matter fully. Set out on the Path only when you are certain. How does Paltu Sahib describe the Path of devotion? He says, “Walking on this Path is like dying.” In fact, dying is easier; following this Path is far more difficult. It is not a hard thing to die. You eat opium and die, or you fall into a well and die. But the practice of devotion is extremely demanding.  Therefore, do not adopt the practice of bhakti just because you see others following it.

Then He asks, “What is the price you will have to pay for the knowledge of the fakir, the teachings of the fakir, the wisdom of the fakir?”  You will have to cut off your head and make it an offering to Him. It is child’s play to adopt the trappings of a fakir, but to follow the Path of bhakti and to gain the inner knowledge is an arduous endeavor.  It doesn’t take any time to become a fakir outwardly. In the morning you tie on a langota (loincloth), smear your body with ashes, and presto, a fakir is born. But friend, such a fakir is a sham.

Treading this Path is so daunting that you’ll be reduced to utter helplessness  — don’t undertake it lightly.
O Paltu, the Mansion of the Lord lies far away, but you think it’s child’s play.

[Break in tape…]

First, dig your grave, then you can become a devotee
Wrap your head in the funeral shroud, and then place your foot on the Path.

He says that if you want to walk on the Path of devotion, first think: “On this Path of devotion I will die. So, what will happen to my corpse? Will someone cremate it? Will someone bury it?” You should make the arrangements; before you die, be sure and prepare your samādh (memorial tomb): “When I die, such and such will be my final resting place.” And you can’t be sure that anyone will provide you with a kafan (burial shroud) once you are dead; therefore, you should buy the cloth for your kafan beforehand.  When you have made preparations to die to this world, then you are ready to place your foot on the Path of devotion.  

You aspire to become a devotee, but you are still craving the things of this world. Can you be called a true devotee if you are asking for children, family and relations, houses, wealth and possessions, name and fame, high positions and rulership?  You are praying for all these outer things, and yet, at the same time,   you maintain that you want to follow the Path of devotion — you want to become a bhakt (devotee). How is that possible?  You can only receive one reward at a time.  Either you can become devoted to the Lord, or you can enjoy the pleasures of this world.  But if you run after both, what can you accomplish? You will belong neither to this world nor to the next. Not here, not there.

Day and night, the lover gets no rest.
O Paltu, when will the heartless Beloved remove my pain?

The One who you desire to meet is a very strict taskmaster. No matter how many difficulties may come your way, He will not be lenient. The lenient one is softer than butter, very tender-hearted.  But His heart is as hard as stone. He judges your inner condition, and if even a trace of egotism remains there, then no matter how much sorrow befalls you, He knows you will have to go through that.  He is called beparvāh — the One without care.  Paltu Sahib says, “He is worriless. He is above all care.”

But He does not forget you. You may encounter so many hardships on your way — disgrace may fall upon you, you may have to endure poverty, the world may despise you —  still at your end time, He comes to take charge of your soul. You have to pass so many tests in your lifetime, but it is only through this preparation that you become fit to place your foot on the Path of devotion. As long as even a trace of egotism remains, you cannot progress.

Raja Siriyāla was a devotee of Lord Shiva. Once to test him, Shiva came disguised as a wandering Shaivite sadhu demanding food, and he told Siriyāla that he would only accept the body of his son for his meal. So Raja Siriyāla killed his own son, cut his body into pieces and prepared that meal — he had vowed to always serve Shiva and his devoteess. So when the meal was served, Shiva revealed his true identity and told Siriyāla, “You have passed the test and I am pleased with you. Now, you can ask for your heart’s desire. But before I eat the meal, please ask your wife to call your son, because I cannot eat in a childless home.” So Siriyāla’s wife called to her son, and the boy came running.

Then, once again, Shiva said to Siriyāla, “Tell me what you wish, and it shall be granted.” Siriyāla replied, “I wish to ascend to the sacred heaven world  in your blessed company.” But as they were traveling to Kailāsh, the heavenly home of Lord Shiva, along the way an egotistical thought crept into Siriyāla’s mind: “There is no devotee, no benefactor, as great as me; no one else has ever made such an immense sacrifice. I offered my son, the offspring of my own body, without any hesitation.”  And at that moment, he tumbled down from the heights of heaven.

So, as long as even a speck of self-love remains in our within, we cannot rise into the inner worlds. We have to remove the sense of ego. Either we must remove it through practicing meditation or through undergoing outer suffering. This is all the grace of the Satguru. All the difficulties of the world may descend on you. But if you do the meditation, the suffering goes away. Otherwise, if you neglect the Bhajan and Simran, then you will get punishment from the body, punishment from the mind, and punishment from the religion.  Problems will assault you from every direction.  This is the Guru’s grace — He has to clean us. If we perform the meditation, that is very good. But if we don’t, then, one way or another we will have to settle the karmas we have made. At that time, it does no good to cry out, “I repent!”

Maharaj Sawan Singh Ji’s own secretary Rai Harnarayan Sahib, was afflicted for three years [with kidney disease], and he also suffered from extremely painful hemorrhoids. Even at the present time, you will have observed the condition of  ___ Sahib.  So, one day when Rai Harnarayan could bear the suffering no longer, he made this request before the Satguru: “Maharaj Ji, please, either take me out of this world now or make me better.” Maharaj Ji replied, “Rai Sahib, you yourself will have to bear this. Until this karma is finished off, where can I take you?  The karma has to be paid either through meditation or enduring the suffering. These are the karmas you made yourself; if someone else had made this karma, the reaction could be passed on to them. But now, either you must endure the karmas outwardly in the form of physical suffering, or you must eradicate that karma through meditation so that you can rise within.  These are the only two methods to pay off the karma.  What can I do? You will have to bear the reaction of your karmas  — through this suffering, you will be purified.  Then I will not need to give you another birth.  All of the impressions and karmas have to be eradicated. If you remove them through meditation, well and good. Otherwise, you will have to undergo this suffering. What you have sown, you have to reap.”     

Audio: H313

Paltu Sahib

The thieves have snuck inside and are looting the house

Chora mū̃nsi ghar pahunchā mūrakh paharā dei

चोर मूँसि घर पहुँचा मूरख पहरा देइ
मूरख पहरा देइ भोर भये आपुइ रोवै।
राँध परोसी चोर माल धरि गाफ़िल सोवै ।।
सुनहु साहु धनवंत सबे सम्पति के घाति ।
नहि कीजै बिस्वास जागत रहिये दिन राती ।।
दिन दिन बढ़ती होइ आन को चित्त न दीजै ।
सब से रहिये दूर केहू को मित्र न कीजै ।।
पलटू जो ऐसे रहै द्रव्य कोऊ नहिं लेइ ।
चोर मूँसि घर पहुँचा मूरख पहरा देइ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg, Kuṇḍaliyā, Upadesh, 139

The thieves have snuck inside and are looting the house, while the fool is standing guard at the door.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji.  The thieves have crept into the house to steal the wealth stored there. But the foolish owner is standing guard at the door with his gun. Paltu Sahib is telling us that the thieves of worldly desire have taken up residence within each of us, and they are looting our treasure. On the outside, we appear to be devotees and make a great show of guarding against the five passions.  Outwardly, we seem alright, but if we search in our within, we will find the thieves hiding there.  So how can we claim to be devotees? Is this a wise way to protect our wealth?

The fool stands guard at the door, but in the morning, he weeps.
All his neighbors are thieves, but that careless one hoards his wealth in his house, and then falls asleep unconcerned.

What does that fool see when he awakens? All his wealth and possessions have been plundered. The thieves reside in that very neighborhood, and they store up all their loot there. They sit eating and drinking and making merry. And whenever they wish, they can go and steal more. In the same way, all the passions are dwelling within us. Lust, anger, greed, attachment, and egotism are delighted to plunder us. None of them shirk their duty. Anger and lust stand ready.  Whenever anyone taunts you even a little bit, see how the passions flare up within you like a gasoline fire. On the surface you may say: “I am very humble and lowly. I am the guilty one. I have no good qualities.” You say so many things. But if anyone contradicts or criticizes you, then anger burns up within you.  The thieves have already entered into your within, but you go on standing guard outside to keep them away, pretending to be a great devotee. What can you gain in this way?

Listen, O wealthy merchant. The thieves are lurking about, waiting to plunder your riches.
Don’t put your trust in anyone. Remain watchful day and night.

Now Paltu Sahib says, “O soul, you have taken on the human form. Within you is the wealth of the breaths.”  But your wealth is being plundered; the thieves are snatching away your life-breath. Therefore, He says, “Do not trust these thieves. Cast them out of your heart. Otherwise, they will consume your entire life, and at the end time, you will go empty-handed. Not even a penny will go with you at the time of death.

Increase your wealth day by day; don’t look to others.
Remain aloof from those around you; don’t strike up friendships with the worldly people.

In this way, you should remain focused on your devotion; you must complete your own work. What concern do you have with anyone else? If someone speaks well of you or speaks ill of you, it has no effect on you. You will not reach the heavenly realms because people are saying good things about you. Through the praise of the world, you will not achieve liberation. And you will not go into the hells because the world criticizes you. Be true to yourself and perform your duty. Fix your thoughts in the Naam of the Lord, and ignore the world, no matter what other people may say about you.

Constantly exam your own heart. Ask yourself: “Have any of the thieves slipped past me? How did they sneak in without my even noticing?” Once the thieves enter within you, they show their true form, and they are very underhanded. When they are creeping in, they pretend to be very well-behaved and polite. But once inside, they behave like the hooligans they are. Search your heart: “Have any thieves entered into my within?  How can I throw these scoundrels out?”

In that way, day and night, go on increasing your wealth of true devotion. Don’t strike up a friendship with the world. If you become attached to anyone in the worldly way, then you become stuck fast there. If you make the world your own, then you are bound.  You are bound to the path you choose. So you should accept only the one Naam; don’t waste time in other practices. Then you will become successful in your bhakti. Otherwise, you will follow a thousand paths that lead nowhere. Someone tells you to follow this path; someone tells you to follow that path. If you do not accept their way of thinking, they will say, “This man has gone mad. His brain has become addled.“

Paltu says, if you remain vigilant, no one can snatch away your treasure.
The thieves have snuck inside and are looting the house, but the fool is standing guard at the door.

Paltu Sahib Ji says, “Whoever remains firm, whoever inverts within and unites their thoughts with the Naam, whoever remains always absorbed in the Holy Sound Current, no one can disturb their wealth. It will remain safe and untouched.” But all others will be plundered. When these thieves come skulking about, no one even realizes they are there. No one lays hold of them. They are looting everyone’s home, but no one takes them into custody.

Audio: H319

Paltu Sahib

Do not forget the Name of Rām

Rām ke nām se bulnā nāhĩ hai

राम के नाम से भूलना नाहिं है, खायगा यार तू फेरि गोता ।
काम औ क्रोध में लगा दिन राति तू, लोभ औ मोह का खेत जोता ।
भई जागीर तागीर हजूर से, काल ने आय के लिहा पोता ।।
दास पलटू कहै पड़ा  किस ख्याल में, घरी पल पहर में कूच होता ।। २६ ।।
जाहि तन लगी है सोई तन जानि है, जानि है वही सतसंग वासी ।
कोटि औषधि करै विरह ना जायगा, जाहि के लगी है विरह गाँसी ।।
नैन झरना बन्यौ भूख ना नींद है, परी है गले बिच प्रेम फाँसी ।
दास पलटू कहै लगी ना छूटि है, सकल संसार मिलि करें हाँसी ।। २७ ।।
गगन में मगन है मगन में लगन है, लगन के बीच में प्रेम पागै ।।
प्रेम में ज्ञान है ज्ञान में ध्यान है, ध्यान के धरे से तत्त जागै ।।
तत्त के जगे से लगै हरि नाम में, पगै हरि नाम सतसंग लागै ।
दास पलटू कहै भक्ति अबिरल मिलै, रहै निसंक जब भर्म भागै ।। २८ ।।
कफन को बाँधि कै करै तब आसिकी, आसिक जब होय तब नाहिं सोवै ।
चिंता बिनु आगि के जरै दिन राति जब, जीवत ही जान से सती होवै ।।
भूख पियास जग आस को छोड़ करि, आपनी आपु से आप खोवै ।
दास पलटू कहै इसक मैदान पर, देइ जब सीस तब नहिं रोवै ।। २९ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Reḳhtā, Chitāvanī, 26; Prem, 27-29

Do not forget the Name of Rām (the Lord).
Otherwise, you will drown in the ocean of this world. 

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. The Power that dwells beyond everything is the true Rām, and yet, that Power permeates all the creation. Kabir Sahib has said:

एक राम घट-घट बोले दुसरा राम दशरथ घर डोले
तीसरा राम का सकल पसारा, चौथा राम सब से न्यारा

One Rām is present in everybody;
The second Rām came as Dashrath’s son;
The third Rām created the whole universe;
The fourth Rām dwells beyond everything. 26One Rām, the soul, dwells within every being. The second Rām incarnated into this world as Lord Rāma, the son of King Dashrath; so that incarnation was another Rām. The third Rām is the Universal Mind, the all-pervading Power that created the material universe. And the fourth Rām is unique — dwelling beyond everything and remaining apart from all.

The Supreme Power — the Naam — is the true Rām.  That Naam lies beyond all descriptive names — it is Nameless. This true Naam that cannot be expressed in words is called dhunatmak Naam.  The Naam that can be described in words is called varanatmak Naam.

Never let the remembrance of this Naam slip away from your heart.  Before sending us into this world, the Lord placed the Power of conscious understanding in the human body. Two forces are at work in the human form; one force is Maya — the faculty of error and forgetfulness; the other force is the Power of Naam — the faculty of consciousness and remembrance.

Therefore, He tells us that we should never forget the Naam, even for the fraction of a second. Otherwise, the power of Maya will bring forgetfulness, worry, and wavering into your within.

If you allow forgetfulness to overtake you, even a little bit, then all the thoughts of the world will crowd into your heart, and your mind will spur you into action through the five indriyas, 27The indriyas are the organs of sense the twenty-five prakritis,28In the Crown of Life, Kirpal Singh describes Prakriti as “original matter (latent energy) which, when acted upon by positive spirit force, brings into being the many forms, patterns and designs in the vast creation of the Great Creator.” Further in the Mystery of Death, He refers to: “the twenty-five compounded elements in varying degrees of proportion (prakritis) which prepare the physical molds or bodies in different shapes and patterns, shades and colors as a result of karmic reactions…” and the three gunas.29Rajas (mercurial restlessness), satva (righteousness) and tamas (inertia or inaction, or actions born of ignorance and darkness). As a result, you create reactions and unfulfilled desires for the future, and, based on those desires, you go on revolving in the wheel of eighty-four.

Day and night, you remain involved in lust and anger.
You plow the field of greed and attachment.

Day and night, the jiva is beset by lust and anger — the greatest enemies. Day and night, these enemies stir up thoughts in our within.  When an intense desire for some worldly thing enters your heart, this is called lust. If that desire is fulfilled, well and good, but if that desire is frustrated, then anger arises. Therefore, it is said: “Lust gives rise to anger.” 

Whenever lust controls you, anger will flare up, and greed and attachment will also take hold of you. In this way, the seeds of desire are sown in the field of your heart.  You will have to reap the harvest according to the seeds that have been planted; the karmas you have created will fructify, and you yourself will have to endure the result.

You have wealth and land, but the ruler will demand his taxes.
In the same way, Lord Kal will come to collect the karmic taxes that you owe.

When you forget the Lord and live your life immersed in the intoxication of egotism, then the Kal power will seize that opportunity and launch an attack upon you.  The name “Kal” means “time.” According to the time of day, our soul moves from one state of consciousness to another. In the wakeful state (jāgrat avasthā), we take care of the business of the world. We eat and drink, we enjoy the luxuries and comforts of this world, we believe in high and low, and we become entangled in quarreling and wrangling, troubles and worries. All of this takes place in the state of wakefulness (jāgrat).  And when the mind sinks to the throat center, then we fall into the dream state (svapan). And when the soul sinks further, into the heart center and below, then we enter the state of deep sleep (suṣhupti). In that state, we have no awareness of ourselves or the world around us.  We aren’t even aware of where we are lying. In the course of a day and a night, we move in this way through these three states of consciousness.  And then another day dawns, and our condition is the same.  This is the play of Kal or time.

In this way, one year, ten years, twenty years, a hundred years pass by. You wander through millions of yugas and lifetimes, trapped in the labyrinth of Kal.  For this reason, you waste your life in useless thoughts and pursuits, and in the end, the power of Kal will surround you and take you captive.

The servant Paltu says, “Why are you lost in these worldly thoughts?
The call to march may come any hour, any minute, any second.”

He says, “Why do you remain lost in worldly thoughts? Why have you fallen asleep? In just an instant, your breaths will come to an end, and your relationship with this world will be severed.” You will be taken to the cremation ground or the graveyard, and your body will be reduced to ashes and dust. In just an instant, everything is finished; the air you had just inhaled doesn’t come out again; or the breath you had just exhaled remains outside and is blown away. The life of this body is dependent upon the breath.

Only the one who has experienced this state can understand it.
Whoever remains in the Satsang gains this knowledge.

If the Almighty Lord showers love and grace on a soul, then that soul experiences and understands the inner secret. Only such a fortunate one can become absorbed in the Lord. Otherwise, we may hear spiritual stories, we may listen to recitations from the Puranas, we may perform all manner of outer practices, but until the power of Love awakens in our within, we cannot establish a heart-to-heart connection with the Lord.  We perform all these outer actions under the control of the antaḥkaraṇa (literally, inner cause: refers to the inner mind) comprised of manas (thinking faculty), buddhi (the reasoning intellect that evaluates the thoughts), chitt (the recording faculty that hoards impressions), and egotism (self-assertiveness). First, the volatile and unsteady manas (thinking faculty) gives rise to thoughts. Then the buddhi (reasoning intellect) weighs those thoughts. The chitt (recording faculty) captures and stores the thoughts as images and memories. And ultimately, ahankār (self-assertiveness) is the root of the entire process. Entangled in this process, we waste our whole life.

But there is another force within us. You may call it the Power of the soul, or you may call it the True Love of the Lord.  When that Love manifests within you, then you will become connected with the Lord. He is the form of Love and when your soul also becomes the form of that immaculate Love, then naturally the two will merge and become One.  

Whoever attends the Satsang and remains day and night in the company of Truth, comes to understand the secret of Love. But until we become connected within — even though we may listen to the Guru’s words with rapt attention and even though our mind is stilled while Satsang is in progress — afterward we forget everything and remain just as we were to begin with. We travel ten miles forward, but then we go back five more miles. We proceed for fifty miles but then slip back twenty miles. We spend our whole life going forward and sliding back, and then one day, we have to leave this world. But when the True Love of the Lord awakens in our within, all wavering comes to an end, and we will never again forget that love.   

What is Satsang? Satsang does not mean listening to some stories. Just hearing of the exploits of Rāma and Rāvana, or the Pāndavas and Kauravas — how they confronted each other on the battlefield, the bravery they displayed in so many ways — this cannot be called Satsang.

In one place, Shankarāchārya tells us:

सत्संगत्वं   निस्संगत्वा   निस्संगत्वं   निर्मोहत्वा   |    
निर्मोहत्वं   निश्चलतत्वा  निश्चलतत्वं जीवन मुक्तिः ||

Keeping the company of Truth turns our thoughts from this world.
And when our thoughts turn away from the world,
we are freed from all forms of attachment.
When we are freed from attachment, we become steady and unmoving.
And when we become steady and unmoving,
we achieve salvation from the cycle of births and deaths.

What is the result of coming into the Satsang? Our thoughts turn away from the world and the worldly pleasures. We experience the effect of Satsang deep within our hearts. By going in the Satsang, our thoughts turn away from the world. And when our thoughts turn away from the world, we lose all attachment to the outer worldly things. When attachment disappears, this is the sign that we have removed our thoughts from the world by attending the Satsang.  

When our thoughts turn away from the world, we become detached. And when we become detached, the soul becomes steady and still. We are immovable.  When no attachment remains, our attention ceases to waver; the attention becomes firm. And when we achieve this state of stillness, when the attention no longer wavers, then we attain liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. True Love manifests within. This is called absorption in the Lord. The person who achieves this state learns the secret of Love. Satsang means keeping the company of Truth. Only those who contact the Truth within can understand the real meaning of Satsang. Otherwise, giving examples and telling stories from here and there may pass the time, but it cannot be called Satsang. 

When you are struck down by the pain of separation,
Millions of remedies cannot remove this disease.

Once the pain of separation awakens within the devotee, then the people will say, “This poor fellow is suffering from jaundice. Look how all his limbs are dried up and yellow. We must give him some medicine.”  But on this subject, Paltu Sahib says, “If you take one remedy or if you take a million, it makes no difference. No medicine will cure this disease of Love.” There is only one remedy for the pain of separation — the darshan of the Beloved.

When Guru Nanak became consumed in the pain of separation, His body grew frail and emaciated. Guru Nanak’s father, Kālū Jī, called many ayurvedic and unani physicians from the surrounding area. Finally, Guru Nanak was reduced to skin and bones. One day, when an ayurvedic physician was sitting reading his pulse, Nanak said to him, “Vaidya Ji, you do not even understand your own illness, so how can you diagnose mine? You should return to your own home.”  Hearing this, Kālū Jī became enraged and threw Nanak out of the house. Nanak said, “Never mind. It makes no difference whether I am in the house or outside.” And at that time, Nanak went to live at the home of his sister, Nānakī. 

[Baba Somanath Ji has Puṣhpamma recite some couplets of Mira Bai.]

घायल की गति घायल जाणै, को जिण लाई होइ ।
Only the one who has been pierced by the arrow can know the pain of that wound.

When a warrior is fighting on the battlefield, every pore of their body may be pierced by arrows. Only the one who has been wounded can understand what that condition is like. What can others know about it?  In the same way, only the one who has been afflicted by the pain of separation can understand that suffering. This cannot be described in words.  Many people think this is a matter of talking. They think that Satsang is collecting stories of virah from here and there and then relating them to the people. My friend, this cannot be called Satsang.

सत्संग उत्थे जाणिये, जित्थे एको नाम बखाणिये

Understand that place as Satsang, where the One Naam is spoken of.

When we listen to the words of the Satsang, our attention should ascend within. This is the real Satsang.  

दरद की मारी बन-बन डोलूं बैद मिल्या नहिं कोय।

Made restless by this pain, I wandered through the forests, but I have found no physician to treat my wound.

Mira Bai has told us: “Because of that pain, I roamed from forest to forest, but I did not find any physician who could heal me.”

मीरा की प्रभु पीर मिटेगी जद बैद सांवरिया होय॥
Sānvariyā is the true Physician; only the Lord of Mira can remove this pain.

“When I meet with the Physician, then the suffering of my affliction is removed. He is Sānvariyā, the Dark-Skinned Lord. He is Giridhārī, the One who holds up the mountain. 30Sānvariyā and Giridhārī are epithets of Krishna. When I meet with Him, my pain and suffering go away.” This is called Love. 

[Baba Ji returns to the commentary on Paltu Sahib]

Tears flow down from my eyes in an unbroken stream; I do not feel the pinch of hunger and sleep eludes me.
The noose of love has been fastened around my neck.

Within the devotee, day and night the tears of love come unbidden and flow down from my eyes like a cascading stream. Such devotees are not affected by hunger or thirst or sleep.  The noose of love has been tied around their necks. If they lose their lives in the devotion of the Beloved, they don’t mind.  This is called virah — the pain of separation. Until this pain of separation arises in our within, we cannot remove the thoughts of “I and mine” or “you and yours” that have been piling up in our within since time immemorial.  The fire of love alone can burn away the fire of virah. No other remedy exists. 

The servant Paltu says, “Once you have been struck down by the pain of separation, you cannot become free from that affliction,
Even if all the world joins together to ridicule your devotion, it makes no difference to you.”

Paltu Sahib says, “Once the pain of separation comes in your within, it does not leave you.” And if that pain does leave you, you should understand that you were never genuinely afflicted in the first place. All your so-called pain was just hypocrisy and outer show. But if all the world despises you, if everyone makes fun of you and still the love in your within does not decrease, and you do not care about the good opinion of the world, then understand that your Love is true.   

You become focused at the seat of the soul, the etheric Sky; becoming one-pointed, you remain connected there.
When your soul gets fixed at this still point within, then your love is perfected.

Now, He talks about the condition of the lover. Where can we go to get that love awakened? When your attention crosses beyond the four elements, when you rise into the fifth element, the gagan or inner etheric sky, then you yourself become etherealized.  You become so much identified with the gagan or etheric element that you see it everywhere. Beholding that etheric sky, both without and within, you yourself become all-pervading. When you achieve this state, sit in meditation. Your mind will be immovable — in this state, no thoughts will arise.  When you ascend into the gagan and become absorbed there, you become united with the Power within and remain merged with the Shabd forever.  Then the inner Love is awakened, the Love that is the form of Oneness.  Those who have not gone within speak of love, but they remain trapped outside. Someone clashes the cymbals; someone beats the drums; someone sings devotional songs. But this can’t be called true Love. Only when the conscious Power within you rises above the body, can you become connected with the inner Power of Love.  

Knowledge is hidden in the Love, and when you discover that knowledge, your contemplation becomes firm.
When you become firm in contemplation, then you awaken to the essential nature of the Soul.

Within that inner Love, true Knowledge is hidden. And when you fix your consciousness in that true Knowledge, such contemplation is called Dhyan. When you become absorbed in that contemplation, you unite with the inner Power. Within and without merge into One. This form of Love and Light lies beyond description. When you reach this stage, all the turmoil of this world is left behind. But until the Inner Sound becomes audible, the jivas have the responsibility to apply themselves wholeheartedly to their own work.

When your essential Self awakens within, then you become connected to the Hari Naam — the Name of the Lord.
And when you become united with the Name of the Lord, then you become fixed in the company of the Truth.

When the essential nature of the Self is awakened, then the Sound manifests within you. Once that Sound manifests, then automatically, you begin to hear it resounding throughout all of creation.

नाम के धारे खंड ब्रहमंड
नाम के धारे पुरिया पाताल

Naam supports all the divisions and grand divisions of the creation.
Naam supports all the heavens and the nether worlds.

When you merge with Naam, you take on the form of Truth and come to realize that you yourself are omnipresent.

The servant Paltu says, “Your devotion should go on unceasingly.
When illusion is banished, all your doubts will fly away.”

Once you become united with the eternal Sound Current, you can never be separated from it again. This is called bhakti or devotion. When you become free of doubt, how can illusion have any influence over you?  Illusion will arise only when you are affected by doubt.

Putting on the kafan, perform the practice of Love.
When you become absorbed in Love, sleep will not come near you.

What kafan is He referring to? For Paltu Sahib, the word “kafan” has two different, but closely related meanings. The first meaning of kafan is the long unsewn garment adopted by the ascetics. The second meaning is the funeral shroud that we wrap around the body after someone has died. Paltu Sahib says, “I have died in respect to the world, so now prepare my kafan (funeral shroud).” He says, “I am no longer alive to the world. I have died to all the outer things.” So, the real meaning of putting on the kafan of the ascetic is to become wrapped in the funeral shroud of dying to this world.

When you become the perfect lover or devotee of the Lord, then hunger, thirst, and sleep do not trouble you. Give and take with the world and all the outer affairs have no more meaning. Such a devotee is a true lover, but it is very difficult to achieve this status.  We are very fond of listening to these words, but when it comes to putting them into practice, we say, “No, I can’t do that. It would kill my mother and father.”

When you detach yourself from the worldly worries, you will burn day and night in the fire of separation.
Knowingly, you offer your life like the sati on the pyre.

Those who free themselves from the cares of this world go on burning in the fire of separation from the Lord. They die while living, and then their egotism is destroyed.

In this area of South India (present-day Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu) there lived a king named Siriyāla, who was a devotee of Lord Shiva. He was such a brave soul, he was such a great donor, that when the beggars gathered at his door, he never sent them away with just empty words. He would always fulfill their wishes.  One day, Shiva came there to test his devotee. He disguised himself in the garb of a sadhu and said to Siriyāla, “Give me alms.”  Then Siriyāla asked him, “Maharaj, what alms do you wish for?”  The sadhu replied, “If you promise solemnly to fulfill my request, then I will tell you.”  So Siriyāla told him, “Yes, I swear that whatever you will demand of me, I will give to you.”

That sadhu, who was really Lord Shiva in disguise, replied, “I want to eat the flesh of your son. You should fulfill my request.” The king had only one son. His name was Chilāla.  The king told Shiva, “You go now and bathe, and when you return, I will fulfill your wish.”

Then Shiva went to bathe. At that time, the boy Chilāla was studying in school, and Shiva, in the form of the sadhu, went to that place. He warned Chilāla, “My boy, you should not return to your home. Your mother and father have gone mad. They are planning to cut you up and serve your flesh to a wandering sadhu who has come. So, stay away from that place.”  The boy replied, “Maharaj Ji, one day this body will return to dust anyway. If someone can benefit from my death, then I will not delay. I will return home right now.” Then, after asking his teacher for permission to leave, he went straight home to his mother, the queen.

In the meantime, the queen had heard all about the situation, and she was prepared. When the boy returned home, she took him in her lap and slit his throat with a knife. Then she cut his body into two parts. The head she put aside where some rope and other things were stored. And then she cut up the rest of his body and prepared it to feed to that sadhu. When that sadhu — the Lord Shiva — returned from his bath and saw what she had done, he said, “The head is the most important part of the body. But you have set aside the head and are serving me all the other parts. I refuse to eat this food.”

Then the king and queen took the boy’s head and crushed it with a pestle and made it into chutney. Then Shiva became pleased. They told him, “Enjoy your meal. We have prepared everything for you.” Shiva said, “You also sit and eat with me.” They replied, “As you command.” Then Shiva pretended he still could not eat the food. He told them, “I do not take food in any house that has no son.  If a house has no son, I will not eat there.” Then Siriyāla folded his hands in front of Lord Shiva and replied, “Maharaj, we had only one son, and he is before you.”  But Shiva said, “No, you go outside and call him.” So, Siriyāla went outside and called out, “Chilāla, my son, come here.” Hearing his father’s summons, that boy came running. All of this took place in a town called Kānchi. Then what did Shiva say? “Siriyāla, what is your desire? Ask for anything you want.” Siriyāla said, “Please, take me to your abode in Kailash.” Shiva agreed, but on the inner journey to Kailash, King Siriyāla became puffed up with of ego. He thought, “There is no devotee in this world who is equal to me. I cut up my own son and served his body to Lord Shiva.” 

At that time, Shiva realized what had happened, and he thought, “Oh dear! He is on his way to Kailash, but still, egotism is attacking him. What should I do now? What is the best way for me to make him understand?”  To teach Siriyāla a lesson, Shiva transformed himself into a guru and made Siriyāla his disciple, and then he transported them both to a village called Nilur.  In that village lived one old widow lady named Nimmavva, who had only one son.  One morning, that boy took their bullock outside the village to graze. After the boy had left, Shiva and Siriyāla arrived at the widow’s house and said to her, “We are hungry. Please feed us.” She replied, “Yes, of course, I will give you food to eat.  First, go and refresh yourself with a bath, and then return here.”

While they were gone, she prepared some fried patties that are called karigaḍabu 31Karigaḍabu is a deep-fried pocket made of wheat and rice flour, stuffed with grated coconut, jiggery, cardamom, almonds, and cashews. in Kannada. She left the kitchen briefly to fetch some water, and meanwhile, her son returned. Looking into the kitchen, he didn’t see his mother, but he did see the platter of freshly made patties. Standing right there in the kitchen, he picked up one patty from the pile and started to nibble on it. As he ate, the crumbs from his mouth fell on to all the other food, making it polluted. 32Jhūṭha means polluted food, that is, food that has already been tasted.    

When Nimmavva returned and saw that her son had spoiled the food she had prepared for the two holy sadhus, she immediately picked up a heavy pestle. “Take that,” she said, striking the boy a heavy blow on the head, and the boy died on the spot. Near the place where the bullock was tied, there was a big pile of grass. She stretched the boy’s body out there and covered it with that grass. Then she bathed again and prepared the food afresh.

When Shiva and Siriyāla returned from their bath, they sat down to eat their meal. Then Shiva said, “Mother, we have a custom that we follow.” She asked, “What custom is that?” He replied, “We do not take food in homes where there is no son. If you have any son, you should call him now to join us.” Then Nimmavva told him, “Please don’t think that I am like Siriyāla. I have already sacrificed my son in the kitchen when he was disrespectful to Lord Shiva, and I have kept that pestle with me. Now you sit quietly and eat the food I have prepared for you in the remembrance of the Lord. Otherwise, I may have to perform the same puja on you.” Hearing her words, both Shiva and Siriyāla, bowed their heads and ate the food she served them without complaint. When he saw the quality of Nimmavva’s devotion, Siriyāla’s pride was humbled, and Lord Shiva was able to take him to his home in Kailash. And showering grace on Nimmavva’s son, Shiva also brought him back to life. 33After passing an extremely difficult test, Siriyāla was attacked by the ego — he began thinking that Shiva had no other devotee equal to him. To show him his error, Shiva took him to see the widow Nimmavva, whose devotion was of a much higher order.  When Shiva had demanded that Siriyāla kill his son and serve him up as a meal, Siriyāla was willing. But even without Shiva asking, Nimmavva was ready to sacrifice her son for Shiva’s sake when the boy polluted the meal she had prepared for the sadhus. When Shiva offered to restore Siriyāla’s son to life, Siriyāla was delighted, because he was much attached to the boy.  When Shiva wanted to resurrect Nimmavva’s son, she had no interest either way, because all her love was for the Lord Shiva. Siriyāla asked to be taken to Kailash as a reward for his devotion. But even when Shiva offered to take Nimmavva to Kailash, she prayed that instead, he give her the boon of remaining on earth to serve his devotees, because she understood service to the Lord as the highest form of devotion.

If, while you are still alive, you sacrifice your life to the Guru, not caring even to preserve the breath in the body, then at the time of your death, only the thought of that Guru will fill your mind. But if you spend your whole life engaged in sinful deeds, and then you call on the Lord to save you at the time of death, do you think that He will come to your aid?  You ignored the Lord and passed your life in evil deeds, but then you cry for help at your end time. How can you expect the Lord to rescue you?

Give up hunger, thirst, and worldly desires,
Then you will lose all awareness of your petty self.

Hunger, thirst, and the desires of the world, giving all these up, eradicate the ego within you: “I am nothing.”  Since that Conscious Power is perpetually within you, and since that Power supports the whole world, it will manifest of its own. There will be no need for you to summon it.

The servant Paltu says, “You should offer your head on the field of love,
And never have a moment’s regret.

When you sacrifice your head for the sake of true virah and love, you should never weep or have any regrets.  If we do some devotion for a few days and then we say, “I have been doing the bhakti for so many days. There is nothing left for me to do. Bhakti is an old thing for me now.” How can it be old? Does the devotion ever become old? 

Audio: H370

Paltu Sahib

How can you obtain happiness in the company of the cobra?

Kusal kahā̃ se pāiye nāgini ke parsang

कुसल कहाँ से पाइये नागिनि के परसंग ।।
नागिनि के परसंग जीव कै भच्छक सोई ।
पहरू कीजै चोर कुसल कहवाँ से होई ।।
रुई के घर बीच तहाँ पावक लै राखै ।
बालक आगे जहर राखि करिके वा चाखै ।।
कनक धार जो होय ताहि ना अंग लगावै ।
खाया चाहै खीर गाँव में सेर बसावै ।।
पलटू माया से डेरै करै भजन में भंग ।
कुसल कहाँ से पाइये नागिनि के परसंग ।। १८७ ।।

पूरब पच्छिम उत्तर दक्खिन देखा चारिउ खूँट ।।
देखा चारिउ खूँट माया से बचै न कोई ।
राजा रंक फकीर माया के बसि में होई ।।
सब को बसि में करै जगत को माया जीती ।
आपु न बसि में होय रहै वह सब से रीती ।।
हरि को देइ भुलाय अमल वह अपना करती ।
ऐसी है वह नारि खसम को नाहीं डेरती ।।
पलटू सब संसार को माया लीन्हो लूट ।
पूरब पच्छिम उत्तर दक्खिन देखा चारिउ खूँट ।। १८८ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Māyā, 187-188 

How can you obtain happiness in the company of the cobra?

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. Becoming enslaved by one pleasure or another, all the world goes on creating karma. Within each one of us, the thought arises: “If I can enjoy this comfort, it will be a good thing; I should make efforts to achieve it.” Cherishing such desires for happiness, the whole world comes under the domination of karma. And yet, if we look at the reality, there is no happiness to be found anywhere in this world.

सुख किथे ना मिलदा जी, सुख सत्गुरू जी दे चरणी

This world has no happiness to offer;
You can find happiness only in shelter of Satguru’s holy feet.

No outer thing can give you happiness.

जो दिसे सो नाशे, परे आज की काल

What we see will be destroyed, if not today, then tomorrow.

Whatever we see outwardly will be destroyed — maybe today, maybe tomorrow. And if these outer things are subject to destruction, how can they bring us any happiness?  Such happiness is only a figment of our imagination. It is just like a person trudging through the desert under the midday sun. Waves of hot air rising from the sand bend the light of the sun and produce an image of the blue sky on the ground; this phenomenon is called a mirage. From a distance, the mirage looks just like a sheet of water. You see that “water” and rush towards it.  But will you find water there? Will your search be quenched? Not the least.

In the same way, the waves of worldly pleasures produce an illusion of happiness, but there is no real happiness to be found in them — only burning fire. Now we are worrying about accumulating wealth; our human birth is spent running after money to such an extent that one paisa becomes dearer to us than life itself. Why do we enlist in the military service? We are not worried about whether or not we may lose our life; we enlist only to make money. What else is there in it for us?

In this way, all the worldly things appear to be very beautiful; they seem to be the source of happiness. But we perceive the world according to the condition of our inner mind (antaḥkaraṇa). If our inner mind looks at an object with a feeling of happiness, then we perceive it as beneficial and desirable. But another person may perceive the very same object as a source of pain and view it with aversion. The object is the same but two people view it differently because it is all Maya; it is all illusion. Otherwise, it would appear the same to everyone in all situations; an object would not seem beneficial to one person at one time and harmful to another person in some other circumstance. Think about the chili pepper. Many people put chilis in their food and find them very tasty. But what if someone puts the same chili pepper in their eye? They would scream in pain. So the same object can seem to be a source of happiness or a source of suffering, but both of these states are only an illusion, a dream. 

The created world is nothing but Maya, so how have we become entangled in this illusion?  What is the real meaning of Maya? Maya is the thing that is not — Maya means that which does not exist. This is the nature of Maya. Maya is a serpent, and all the world is chasing after her, searching for happiness. But that serpent is full of poison.  What happiness can we hope to find?

We keep the company of the serpent, but she is the power that destroys us.
If we set a thief to guard our treasure, how can it remain safe?

Maya is the power that devours us. The farmer sows the seed at the proper time and then later harvests and eats that crop. In the same way, people take care of the animals and the birds so that they can take work from the animals, and, in the end, when the animals are no longer useful, they slaughter them.  Likewise, when Maya cares tenderly for all the jivas in the creation, she is doing that for her own selfish motives. She sows her seeds in the creation — that is, she gives birth to the jivas. She waits for the crop to ripen; then, she harvests and consumes it. Who can stop her? She is the owner of that crop. Therefore, Paltu Sahib says, “Can you ever find happiness with such a one as Maya? Even in your dreams, you will find no happiness.” But in our ignorant state, we are controlled by the desire for the pleasures; understanding them to be the source of happiness, we spoil this precious human body. 

For a guard, you have posted an inveterate thief.  Since his skill lies in stealing, how can your treasure be safe? We have set a thief to guard our wealth.  When someone has chosen a thief for their guard, how can their wealth remain intact?

If we light a fire in a storehouse of cotton, the storehouse will burn down.
If we place poison before an innocent child, that child will eat the poison.

When we light a fire in a cotton warehouse, can that cotton be saved? No, the fire will burn it up. If we set poison before a young child and think that the child will remain safe and healthy, how can that be? Whatever we put before that child, it will eat.  So, in the same way, the cotton of our allotted lifespan is kept in the warehouse of this human body. If we ignite the fire of the passions and pleasures in that warehouse, do you think the cotton will survive? Sooner or later, that cotton — our span of life — will be burned up by the fire of the passions.  We are expecting to live happily in this human body, but that is not possible. The fire will ignite the cotton, and our life will be destroyed.

Though Maya is flowing like a stream of gold, do not allow it to touch your body.
Can you expect to feast on khīr (rice pudding), if you set a lion loose in the village?

What can you gain from wealth? Wealth is also Maya, so what happiness can you find in it?  Under the influence of wealth, you forget the Almighty Lord. You are lost in eating, drinking, and enjoying luxuries and comforts. You are trapped in family, caste, and clan. Moreover, you gather together guests and relations; important people come to visit you; ordinary people come to visit you. My friend, you have turned all of your desires towards the worldly things, and you yourself have become completely empty.

Paltu Sahib says, “Remain far away from Maya; she destroys your devotion.
How can you obtain happiness in the company of the cobra?”

In one place Kabir Sahib tells us:

नारी के झायाँ परत, अंधा होत भुजंग,
कहे कबीर तिनकी कौन गति, जो नित नारी के संग।

If the woman’s shadow falls on the cobra, it becomes blind.
Kabir says: “Then what is the condition of one
 who always remains in the company of women?”

Traditionally, it is believed that a snake will go blind if the shadow of a pregnant woman falls it.  So people think that until that woman gives birth to the child, no snake will come near the place where she is staying. Kabir tells us that if there is so much poison in the woman’s shadow that it can make a poisonous snake blind, then what will be the condition of the man who is always in the company of women, that is, the man who is controlled by lust.  What is the condition of one who is always involved in lust?  Does he have a right to show his face? What face could he show?

[Puṣhpamma recites in Kannada and Baba Ji comments] 

Just read the histories of the gods and goddesses. We consider them exalted; we worship and honor them. But Maya also surrounds them and takes them prisoner.  If they were not affected by ego and Maya, then why would Vishnu need to incarnate in the forms of the ten avatars?  He came as Matsya (The Fish), Kurma (The Tortoise), Varaha (The Boar), Narasimha (The Man-Lion), Vamana (The Dwarf), and Parasurama (Rama with an ax). Who were all these incarnations?  They were all nothing but Maya.

We people are always lost in the thoughts of Maya. But if we want to complete our gurubhakti, our devotion to the Guru, we should go on doing the Simran of Naam and the contemplation of the Guru day and night. In this way, our thoughts will be reversed, and we will remain perpetually anchored in the Guru. When we waste our lives under the influence of Maya and remain bound to the mind, then what future happiness can we hope to find? 

[Baba Somanath returns to the bani of Paltu Sahib]

I have looked in all the four directions — east, west, north, and south.
I have looked everywhere, but have found no one who escapes from Maya.
King, pauper, and fakir — Maya has made her home in them all.

He says that you may think that there is some place, some direction where you can escape from Maya, but it is not like that. To the east, the west, the south, or the north — in whatever direction you may go — you will find that Maya has already surrounded and taken control of that place. My friend, there is no corner of the world that is free of Maya; such a place does not exist.  

Because of the fear of Maya, Sukhdev remained in his mother’s womb for twelve years.  He refused to come out because he was afraid of becoming engulfed by Maya when he emerged into this physical world. So for twelve years, he remained in the womb. Finally, the Lord had to suspend the working of Maya for one moment, so that Sukhdev could take birth. The nine Naths and the eighty-four Siddhas and other great rishis and munis also incarnated in that one moment. While the power of Maya was held in abeyance, they also could come into this world. At that moment, when Maya’s power was nullified, those noble souls were able to take birth. Maya is such a powerful force that she surrounds you and takes you captive without you even knowing it.  Kabir tells us:

बैरी मारे दाव से, येह मारै हंसि खेल

The enemy attacks us with force,
But the woman uses playfulness and laughter.

Whenever your enemy gets the opportunity, he will attack you with force and kill you. But Maya is already dwelling in your own home: as your spouse, as your children, as your sisters and brothers. Through these forms, Maya takes you captive and brings about your demise.  When your enemy attacks you, he kills you openly, then and there. But Maya is already dwelling in your own home; she amuses herself by capturing you, and then playfully, she destroys you.  You remain intoxicated in all of your worldly relations. They go on laughing and joking with you, but all the while, they are stealing your life away. Such is the power of Maya.

She brings everyone under her control, Maya conquers the world
But no one can control her; she remains aloof from all.

She brings everyone under her control.  And yet she remains aloof from all; no one has any control over her. She lures everyone, but she herself remains unaffected. No one can attract her — this is her greatness.  Everyone is running after money. But that money is not attached to anyone. It doesn’t make even a penny’s worth of difference to that money if it is in the possession of a poor person or a rich person; the money is totally unconcerned. But everyone is attracted to money, and they are eager to collect it.

Similarly, everyone is attracted to the children, family, and relatives, but those relations stay with you only to fulfill their own needs; they are not concerned with your welfare. At the time of your death, those very people will be saying: “Tell us where you have hidden the money. What will become of your child? What is going to happen to this thing? What is going to happen to that thing?”  Those relatives are not drawn to you for your own sake; they are only concerned with themselves. Even at your end time, when you are departing from this world, they are pulling at you. If they are dragging you to them while you are still living in this world, that is one thing. But when your end time has come and you are leaving this world, if they are still tugging at you, then they will drag you back to this world. You will have to take birth and come here again.

She makes us forget the Almighty Lord and involves us in her own work.
She is like the woman who has no fear of her husband.

If we develop any love for the Almighty Lord, Maya tries to make us forget about it. This is her primary assignment. If we become involved in the Lord’s worship, if we meditate and pursue the other spiritual practices, then Maya will adopt one of her many disguises and lure us far away from that devotion. This is her foremost work. She may come as our mother or sister; she may come as our sons and daughters; she may come as money and wealth. Then by one means or another, she will lead us away from the spiritual path.  This is her main function.

Maya is such a powerful force. She is like the woman who takes a husband but then has no fear of him.  If she shows respect to him, then she is just putting on a show. It is not sincere. Within, she has no fear. But outwardly, to get her own way, she may pretend to be respectful. Within, she is unafraid. Understand that if she is showing fear and respect, it is all hypocrisy. Her respect is not heartfelt. She is only shamming in order to further her own plans.

Paltu Sahib says, “Maya is plundering the whole world.
I have looked in all the four directions — east, west, north, and south.

Paltu Sahib Ji says, “My friend, I have looked in all the four directions, and this is the condition of the world. No one escapes Maya in any direction. She is dwelling in all the four directions.  She is the greatest ruler. Everyone in her realm has become intoxicated in illusion. Everyone is saying, “Independence! Independence!” But my friend, what kind of independence are you talking about? There is no independence in this realm of Maya, So, where can you find it? You will gain independence only when you know your True Self and become Self-Existent. This is the real independence.

Audio: H372

Paltu Sahib

O Paltu, when the lowly one gains high status, no one calls him lowly anymore.

Palṭū nīch se ū̃nch bhā nīch kahe na koy

पलटू नीच से ऊँच भा नीच कहै न कोय ।।
नीच कहै ना कोय गये जब से सरनाई ।
नारा बहि कै मिल्यो गंग में गंग कहाई ।।
पारस के परसंग लोह से कनक कहावै ।
आगि मँहै जो परै जरै आग होइ जावै ।।
राम का घर है बड़ा सकल ऐगुन छिपि जाई ।
जैसे तिल को तेल फूल संग बास बसाई ।।
भजन केरे परताप तें तन मन निरमल होय।
पलटू नीच से ऊँच भा नीच कहै न कोय ।।

संत रतन की कोठरी कुंजी दुष्टन हाथ ।।
कुंजी दुष्टन हाथ अटकि के खोलहिं जाई ।
संत भये परसिद्ध परभुता नाम दिखाई ।।
चकमक भये हैं दुष्ट संत जन जैसे पथरी ।
हरि की प्रभुता आगि प्रगट ह्वै वा से निकरी ।।
आगि देखि सब डेरे जगत में भय तब ब्यापी ।
दुष्टन के परताप बस्तु परगट भई ढाँपी ।।
पलटू परदा खुलि गया सबै नवावै माथ ।
संत रतन की कोठरी कुंजी दुष्टन हाथ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Upadesh, 142; Duṣhṭ, 198

O Paltu, when the lowly one gains high status, no one calls him lowly anymore.
No one calls him lowly when he has gone into the shelter.
When the canal flows into the River Ganges, then people call it Ganges water.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib. He tells us: “For so many days, I was controlled by ignorance, drowned in the pride of the body. I indulged in the worldly pleasures and wandered through all the 84 lakh forms of life in the wheel of transmigration.  Now, through the Grace of the Almighty Lord, I have gained the human body. When He showered His abundant blessings on me, He manifested the Truth within my heart.

I have gone into the shelter of the Satguru, and He has told me of the Path within that leads to the Almighty Lord.  He has set me on that Path, and, following His instructions, I have done the meditation. I was of no consequence, but now that I have attained high status, no one will count me as unfortunate. It is just like the water running from the village drains and gutters into the Ganges; once it flows into the river, it is called gangodaka, the pure water of the Holy River. It is no longer gutter water. So Paltu Sahib tells us: “Previously I was a jiva — an embodied soul — filled with egotism and pride. But when I came into the shelter of the Satguru, I became the highest of the high.”

In the company of the philosopher’s stone, iron is transformed into gold.
If something falls into the fire, it flares up and becomes the fire itself. 

Iron is of little value, but when the philosopher’s stone touches it, that iron is converted into gold. In the same way, if we throw an object into the fire, it is set ablaze and becomes the fire itself. Similarly, He says: “In my within when my attention merges into the inner Light, then it is purged of all its grossness, and my attention becomes the form of Consciousness.” 

The Home of the Lord is great; reaching there, we find all our sins forgiven,
Just like the sesame seed becomes fragrant when it absorbs the essence of the flowers.

He tells us the Home of the Lord is highly exalted. There you find no trace of virtues and sins. Even the worst sinner can become the form of the Lord if the Almighty One showers His grace. The Home of the Lord lies far away.

A kilo of sesame seed oil sells for five, maybe six rupees.  But when the sesame seeds absorb the aroma of fragrant flowers, 34 Jasmine petals are layered with sesame seeds. The seeds absorb the fragrance of those petals, and the perfumed sesame oil is then extracted in a process called enfleurage. the perfumed oil extracted from those seeds soars in value to five hundred rupees per tolā. 35 In ancient India a tolā was equal to the weight of 100 seeds. A tola is now standardized at 180 Troy grains or 3/8 Troy ounce.  In the same way, by taking the support of the Lord, the gross, unconscious jiva becomes the very form of that Almighty One; that soul becomes the greatest of the great.

Meditate on the Lord. Through the greatness of meditation, your body and mind become spotless.
O Paltu, when the lowly one becomes high, no one calls him lowly anymore. 

So He says, “Through the majesty of the Lord’s mercy, do the meditation day and night. What is the result of such meditation?  Your body and your mind become purified.

The Saint is a locked treasury of jewels, but the key is in the enemy’s hand.
The enemy holds the key, and by criticizing the Saint, he opens the lock.
The Saint’s fame spreads, and the majesty of Naam stands revealed.

The Saint is a treasure house of jewels, but that treasure house is locked, and the key lies in the enemy’s hand. We would like to snatch that key and unlock the treasure house ourselves, using the power of the mind. But this is not possible. Satguru explains to us the limits we must observe, and we must abide by His injunctions. If we try to transgress His orders, then we become manmukhs — the slaves of the mind. Our further inner progress will be stopped; it is even possible that we may backslide and fall down to a lower level.  Who is the enemy who holds the key? The devotee of duality.

The enemy is like the striking-steel; the Saint is like the flint stone.
The fire of the Lord’s majesty leaps out when the steel and stone collide.

He gives a further example to help us understand. In earlier times, people did not have matches and matchboxes for making fire.  At that time, they used a chakmak, a lidded tin that holds a piece of steel and a flint stone. First, they placed a fragment of char cloth on top of the flint stone. Then, as they struck the the sharp flint stone with a piece of steel, small shavings from the steel flew off as sparks and ignited that char cloth. This was the method to start a fire in the olden days.

Similarly, the Saint is the flint stone, and the enemy acts like a piece of steel. When the steel strikes the flint stone — when the enemy opposes the Saint — then the luminous sparks of Naam fly off and catch the char cloth on fire.  That char cloth is the egotism lying within us. When sparks strike that char cloth of ego, it bursts into flame and is consumed in the Naam. So when the enemies oppose the Saints, the sparks of Naam fly, and if we remain in the Saint’s company with love and devotion, then the char cloth of our ego will be burned away.

Seeing this fire, everyone in the world is afraid; awe spreads all around.
Through the work of the enemies, that great hidden treasure stands revealed.

The fire that radiates from the Saints is pure and undefiled, and when that luminous Power spreads throughout the whole world, everyone stands in awe. Nevertheless, the Saints say, “It is through the greatness of the enemy that this fire of Naam has become manifested. 36 Once when Master Sawan Singh went to Abbottabad to conduct Satsang, the organizers asked Him if they should put up posters and do advertising. He replied, “Don’t worry about it.” The Arya Samajis and Akalis, who opposed Master Sawan Singh, went all around the city with loud-speakers fitted on the jeep, announcing, “The Radhasoami Master has come. Don’t go to His Satsang, because He puts musical instrument in the heads of the people who are coming to Him, and with His eyes, He makes the people His own.” As a result of that negative publicity, people were curious to know what that person looked like who was doing all these things. Many new people came to the Satsang and took initiation, and they thanked the Arya Samaji and Akalis who had helped them get such a Master. If the enemies had not opposed the Saints, then how could this secret have been unveiled? This revelation has come about through the effort of the enemies.”

Paltu says, “The veil has been lifted, and all bow their heads before Him.
The Saint is a treasury of jewels, but the key is in the enemy’s hand.

When we practice the meditation, we find three inner veils blocking our way — mal, vikṣhep, and āvaraṇ37 Maharaj Kirpal Singh also mentions these three veils as obstacles to Self-Knowledge: “The yogic art is long, tortuous and arduous. The reality of the self lies buried under the debris of the mind, consisting of mal, avaran and vikshep, viz., filth or impurities, ignorance of the true values of life, and constant vacillations or modulations in the chit. The mental stratum has therefore to be cleared of all these and then to be pierced through and penetrated to find the divine nature of the self or atman.” Crown of Life: A Study in Yoga, Kirpal Singh (Irvine, CA : Ruhani Satsang, 1997) p 23-24.  Many practitioners remain stuck in impure deeds; they are not capable of performing the meditation and devotion.  You can ask such a disciple: “Do you sit for meditation?” They will answer: “Yes, I sit for meditation.” But if you ask them how long they sit, some people will say ten minutes or half an hour. Some reply that they are wide awake when they first sit down for meditation, but then they fall asleep. This is the condition of such devotees. My friend, such practice cannot be called meditation. We people want to deceive the Lord, but we are only fooling ourselves. This veil is called mal or impurity.

Next comes the veil of vikṣhep.  We sit for meditation, and then we start to allow the thoughts of the world to creep into our minds. To remove these thoughts, we start over, repeating our Naam Simran. Then once again, the worldly thoughts return. All our meditation is wasted in this back-and-forth. When the time is up, we say to ourselves: “Now I have done my meditation,” but such meditation is no meditation. It is vikṣhep or vacillation.

Third, comes the veil of āvaraṇ. The meditator afflicted with āvaraṇ is neither in a waking state nor are they fast asleep. Between these two states of consciousness lies the veil of āvaraṇ or ignorance of Truth. In this condition, the practitioner thinks, “Now I have sat for meditation.” But this has nothing to do with meditation.

When we pierce through these three veils, then the treasure chest of Higher Consciousness opens within us.  But as long as these three veils remain, we cannot rise above; all our words and explanations come from the level of the intellect only. They are not based on experience.

When these inner veils open, then we realize: “O Lord, you permeate all of Brahmand; and all of Brahmand lies within you.” We experience this. In that state of consciousness, we are not involved in love and hatred or arrogance of speech — none of this remains.

Ramdas Swami38 Ramdas Swami was a Marathi Poet-Saint who lived during the 16^th and 17^th centuries. He is traditionally considered the Guru of King Shiva Ji. says,

फुकाचे मुखी बोलता काय वेचे ।
दिसंदीस अभ्यंतरी गर्व सांचे ॥

Talk is cheap. What does it cost you?
Day by day, your store of pride increases.

Kabir Sahib tells us:

बोली तो अनमोल है, जो कोई जाने बोल |
हृदय तराजू तोल के, तब मुख बाहर खोल ||
Speech is priceless if one knows how to speak properly.
First, weigh the words in the scale of your heart; only then speak those words from your mouth.

Just to go on talking — blah, blah, blah, blah — what can be conveyed through such empty words?  Before you speak, first weigh the words in your heart.  Will anyone be hurt by these words? Will these words seem bitter or sweet to the hearer?  Will they seem just or unjust? Are you really explaining to others about the Path Godward, or are you just spinning tall tales? Consider all this and choose your words carefully.  Only then should you speak those words out loud to others. Otherwise, your discourses are just like playing a phonograph record. What use does it serve?

This body is called the treasure house of the Saint’s jewels. And the key to open that treasure house remains the hands of the enemy. So how can we unlock that treasure house?  Not by egotism and pride. Not through the workings of your own mind and intellect. Truly speaking, that lock can be opened only when the Saint showers His Grace.

Audio: H374

Paltu Sahib

The words of the Saint are eternal Truth for one whose heart is true.

Sādh bachan sāchā sadā jo dil sāchā hoy

साध बचन साचा सदा जो दिल साचा होय ।।
जो दिल साचा होय रहै ना दुबिधा भागै । 
जो चाहै सो मिलै बात में बिलँब ना लागै ।।
मन बचन कर्म लगाय संत की सेवा लावै । 
उकठा काठ बियास साच जो दिल में आवै ।।
जिनको है बिस्वास तेही को बचन फुरानी ।
ह्वैगा उनका काम संत की महिमा जानी ।।
पलटू गाँठि में बाँधिये खाली पड़ै न कोय ।
साध बचन साचा सदा जो दिल साचा होय ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg,
Kuṇḍaliyā, Mishrit, 235

The words of the Saint are eternal Truth for one whose heart is true.

This is the bani of Paltu Sahib. He tells us that the Saint’s words are true through and through. But the question arises: “Why do we people not gain benefit from them?” He says that it depends on the truthfulness of your heart whether or not you will be able to appraise His words at their true worth. You will reap the benefit according to the condition of your own heart. His words are never false, but because our within is full of faults, we get the result of His words according to our own understanding. When the well water irrigates the fields, sugar cane soaks up that water and converts it into sweetness, but chili peppers absorb the same water and make it bitter.  Similarly, whatever quality we have within us, that quality will be multiplied and made manifest. So the words of the Sadhu benefit you according to the quality of your own heart. “The words of the Saint are eternal Truth for one whose heart is true.” When your faith is firm, then His words become the truest of the true.

The one whose heart is true is not involved in duality.
Without delay, they receive whatever they desire.

He says that the Lord is not limited by time. Whatever the devotees wish for, they receive instantly. The Lord dwells in the words of the Guru; His words contain the Power permeating the entire creation. But until your heart is true, you cannot gauge the real value of those words or reap their benefit.  Kabir Sahib says:

एक शब्द गुरुदेव का, ताका अनंत विचार |
सूर नर मुनी जन गंधर्व कोई न पावे पार ।।

One word of the Satguru holds limitless meaning.
Men, gods, sages, and heavenly musicians — none of these can fathom His depth.

What does the Guru bestow on us? He only speaks a few words, but each word is filled with the Guru’s Power. Still, until we hear His words with firm faith within, we can gain nothing.

Mind, word, and deed are dedicated to the Guru’s seva.
When Truth enters the heart, the dead tree blossoms.

He tells us that because of the body, speech, and mind, our soul has become the form of the world. Now just consider this carefully in your heart. Your mind aspires for liberation, but your body does not perform deeds that will lead to that goal. Your mouth does not praise emancipation from this world. In your mind, you are longing for liberation, bliss, and inner experience: “It would be wonderful if I could have the darshan of the Lord right now.” But your body is not ready to pursue that aspiration.

So the Almighty Lord has to act as the panchāyat 39Traditionally, the panchāyat was comprised of five village elders who were appointed to resolve local disputes. in this dispute. “Should I reward this devotee according to the words he is speaking with his mouth? In his mind, he is thinking about something else entirely. Should I reward him according to those thoughts? His deeds are different from both his thoughts and speech. Should he be given the fruit of those deeds?” It falls upon the Lord to be the judge in this dispute.

But you could sort this out for yourself.  Consider your words carefully. Examine your own mind. Ask your mind if you belong totally to the Lord in body, mind, and speech. Ask if you are wholeheartedly devoted to the service of the Guru. Your mind will tell you frankly that it is not so. You don’t need to ask anyone else.

Paltu Sahib tells us: “Dedicate mind, speech, and deeds to the Guru’s seva.
When Truth enters the heart, the dead tree blossoms. Tukaram tells us:

बोले तैसा चाले । त्याची वंदीन पाउले ॥

I bow down before those who who live up to their own words.

He says that if you act according to the words that you speak, then what need is there to search for salvation? But at present, there is no connection between your heart and your speech.  You say one thing and do another. How will you meet the Lord? Sometimes we search for the Lord in books, but what do we find there? Books contain a plan, instructions on how to meet Almighty God: “Friend, search in this way, and you will meet the Lord.” Still, it is only a plan. It is like the blueprint for building a house; you may study that blueprint all day, and then light a lamp and study it all night. But all this studying will not build the house.  So we read and read. First, we peruse one book, and then we set it aside. We take up a second book; then we put that one down and pick up a third.  Guru Nanak tells us:

नानक कागद लख मणा पड़ि पड़ी कीचै भाउ ।।
मसू तोटि न आवई लेखिँ पउणु चलाउ ।।
भी तेरी कीमति ना पवै हउ केवडु आखा नाउ ।।

O Nanak, if I had millions of pounds of paper (sacred writings);
Even if I read and reflected on their meaning over and over again.
If my ink were inexhaustible, and my pen raced like the wind,
Even then, I could not value You at Your true worth.
How can I describe the Greatness of Your Name?

So no matter how many books you may read, what can you gain from all that reading? Therefore, He says: “Whatever words you speak from your mouth, mold your heart and fashion your deeds according to those words. Then you will have no more need to search for the Lord.”

When Truth becomes manifested, then the dead corpse becomes alive. The dried-out wood sprouts and becomes green and flourishing.

When our faith is strong, we flourish in the Truth of the Guru’s teaching.
Our work is accomplished, and we understand the greatness of the Saints.

Whoever believes in the Guru’s words will accomplish their task. Once Guru Nanak was out walking with the sangat. It was afternoon, and everyone sat down to rest under the shade of a kikar tree.40 Thorny acacia tree, also called babul One of the disciples was feeling very hungry. Some disciples, and other people as well, do not have the strength to bear hunger. They have to have their meals at a set time. If the food is half an hour early or late, they raise such a fuss that you would think their own mother had died. So at this time, that disciple folded his hands and requested: “Maharaj Ji, I am hungry. Give me something to eat now.”  Guru Nanak replied, “Do you think I have brought along any provisions? Do you think I have packed bread to serve? I don’t have anything to give you. If you want something to eat, then shake the branches of this tree.” Having said this much, the Guru Sahib sat silently.  Everyone sat contemplating His words, but no one had anything to say in reply. What kind of fruit could you get from the branches of a kikar tree? They all thought that the Guru was poking fun at them. But His perfect disciple, Angad Dev Ji, immediately climbed up the tree and shook the branches. Mangos fell to the ground, and everyone was fed. The meaning of this story is that the one who has a true and faithful heart will proclaim: “My Guru is no less than the Almighty Lord in human form.” [break in audio]

Paltu Sahib says, tie His teachings to your heart; your efforts will not go in vain.
The words of the Saint are eternal Truth for one whose heart is true.

Audio: H378

Paltu Sahib

Going in the Satsang, make your forgetful mind understand. 

Bhūle man ko samajhāy lījai

भूले मन को समझाय लीजै, सतसंग के बीच में जाय के जी ।
अबकी बेर नहिं चूकना है, सुंदर मानुष तन पाइ के जी ।।
ज्ञान ध्यान की बात को बूझि लीजै, मन में कुछ ठीक ठहराइ के जी।
पलटू गगन के बीच मारै, सुरति कमान चढ़ाइ के जी ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Jhūlna, Satsang, 19

Going in the Satsang, make your forgetful mind understand. 

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib. The Shastras prescribe numerous methods to make the forgetful mind understand:  going to the places of pilgrimage like Mathura, Brindavan, and Kashi; bathing in the waters of the Ganges and Yamuna Rivers; keeping fasting, reciting formulaic prayers, observing codes of righteous conduct; listening to the scriptures; worshiping the gods and goddess. The holy scriptures enumerate so many outer practices of one kind or another, but none of them can awaken the forgetful mind.

When the mind is performing prayers or listening to scriptures, that is just another form of forgetfulness. If we go without eating to awaken the mind, that will accomplish nothing. We may observe fasts and give trouble to the body, but then the mind becomes just like a snake that has crawled into the safety of its hole. And when the snake has taken refuge in its hole, even if we take up a stick and beat on that hole, do you think we can kill the snake?  In the same way, when we try to subdue the mind by keeping fasts and performing other outer practices, at that time, the mind remains safely hidden within us, and our efforts have no effect on it at all.  The only means to make the mind understand is Satsang. Satsang means bringing our soul in contact with the Truth, making our thoughts true, and becoming absorbed in the Naam.

Therefore Paltu Sahib explains: “Going in the Satsang, make your forgetful mind understand.”  In the Satsang, you can bring the mind under control. And what is meant by Satsang?  Many people read out a few verses from the Shastras, collect some stories from here and there, and then declare: “I am giving Satsang.” But this is not Satsang; it is just entertainment. The mind becomes pleased and intoxicated for the moment. But it comes no nearer to grasping the truth.

सत्संग उत्थे जाणिये, जित्थे एको नाम बखाणिये

Understand that place as Satsang, where the One Naam is spoken of.

In the Satsang, the glory of the One Naam is proclaimed, and illusion is driven out of our within.  Call that place Satsang, where you become inspired to manifest the Truth within yourself. Sit in such a Satsang, and make your forgetful mind understand.

Don’t throw away this opportunity, now that you have gotten the beautiful human body.

Paltu Sahib says that you have achieved this human birth, after millions of yugas and billions of lifetimes.

इस देही को लोचे देवा

Even the gods long for the human body.

The gods and goddesses are hoping to achieve an incarnation in the beautiful human body, but even for them, it is difficult to obtain.  The gods and goddesses have a longer life span. They enjoy greater happiness, grandeur, and comfort.  But the Almighty Lord has placed the birthright to attain liberation in the human body alone.  But when, with great good fortune, we finally get the human body, what do we think? “Oh, I must earn money. I have to achieve material success. Then I should have children, and so on, and so on.” In this way, caught up in the hubbub and activity of the world, we squander our entire lifetime.

Four activities consume our human birth: eating, sexual enjoyment, fear, and sleep. First of all, you need food to live; then, sleep troubles you, and you become involved in lust. Finally, you are constantly haunted by fear because death is standing on your head.  In the birds, beasts, and insects, these four impulses predominate, and in human beings also they are present.

But in the human body, the Almighty Lord has placed a unique quality, entirely different from the other four — the capability of meeting with the Lord face to face. The question of the mystery of life arises in the within: “Who am I? Why has my soul become the indweller of this body? How did my spirit become bound to gross matter? How can I cast off this physical sheath and make my way towards my True Home?”  In the human body, the soul has the faculty to contact the Divine Power within and to strive for union with that Power.  God Almighty Himself has placed the means of liberation within us, and we should avail ourselves of this opportunity without wasting another moment.  Kabir Sahib says:

काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब ।
छिन में प्रलय होएगी,बहुरि करेगा कब ।।

What you have to do tomorrow, do today.
What you have to do today, do right now.
In just a moment, Doomsday descends;
What can you accomplish then?

Why should you wait till tomorrow to accomplish this work? Only you can accomplish this task; no one else can do it for you — not your neighbors or acquaintances, not your near and dear ones. So why put it off till some other day?  And if you are going to do it today, then why not do it right now? Don’t procrastinate. When you engage in the Lord’s devotion and contemplate on His form, your heart will be remade in His image.

Contemplate within and fathom the Inner Knowledge; make your mind peaceful and still.

We may visit a temple, ring the bell, rotate the ārtī platter,41The ārtī platter is a steel dish on which the devotee places some flowers, kumkum, and camphor. Lighting the camphor, the devotee rotates the platter around the image of the deity while reciting devotional verses or prayers. bow before the idol of some god, and eat a little prashad, but this cannot be called devotion.

Paltu Sahib is describing the Inner Knowledge of the Almighty Lord. What does He mean by Knowledge? Guru Nanak tells us:

गिआनु धिआनु धुनि जाणीऐ अकथु कहावै सोइ ॥

Contemplating on the Inner Sound, we obtain True Knowledge,
And speak of the Unspoken Word.

Many people teach others, quoting from the Vedas and Shastras, taking them to be the repositories of all knowledge; but knowledge lies far beyond these outer scriptures.  Darkness is the form of ignorance, and knowledge is the form of light. When Inner Knowledge dawns, countless lamps illumine our within and drive the darkness away. The heart becomes filled with the light of wisdom. The outer world and the inner Reality both merge into One. The Saints refer to this exalted state as gyān or True Knowledge. To achieve this experience, to become absorbed in this contemplation, hasten into the Satsang of the Satguru.

Now, what does He tell us?  Don’t just listen to the talk about knowledge and contemplation and then dust off the words of the Satsang like you dust off your clothes. Don’t go home and leave the Satguru’s words behind. Tie them to your heart and take inspiration to mold your life according to what you have heard.

O Paltu, aim your arrow into the center of the Inner Sky; loose it from the bow of the surat.

Now, what does He say?  First, fix your attention in the middle of the Inner Sky. Then, just as an archer shoots an arrow at a target, take firm hold of the bow of your contemplation, loose the shaft of your concentrated attention, and soar into the realms within.

Audio: H390, 0:00

Paltu Sahib

If you call yourself the servant of the Satguru,
leave aside all worldly desires.

Sāhib ke dās kahāy yāro, jagat kī ās na rākhiye jī

साहिब के दास कहाय यारो, जगत की आस न राखिये जी ।
समरथ स्वामी को जब पाया, जगत से दीन न भाखिये जी ।।
साहिब के घर में कौन कमी, किस बात को अंतै आकिये जी ।
पलटू जो दुख सुख लाख परै, वहि नाम सुधारस चाखये जी ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Jhūlnā, Prem, 26

If you call yourself the servant of the Satguru, leave aside all worldly desires.

If you are calling yourself the servant of the Lord, but still you crave for the things of this material world, then you should carefully examine your heart: “Have I really surrendered myself to the Lord, or am I just pursuing my own desires?” Your own heart will tell you the truth: “To be sure, I am devoted to the Lord, but that is just for show. My within is filled with me and mine.” Outwardly, you maintain that your body, mind, and wealth all belong to the Guru. But when the opportunity to serve arises, you say: “Oh, no! All this is mine. How can I let the Guru have it?” My friend, didn’t you say you had already sacrificed everything to the Guru? 

We pay lip service: “Yes, I have entrusted everything to my Guru and the Almighty Lord.” But these are just empty words. We proclaim — “O Lord, I sacrifice everything at Your feet” — but when the moment of truth arrives, we snatch everything back: “This is mine!”  Can this be called the path of wisdom? Once we have become the disciple of the Lord, we should forswear all worldly desires. When all our aspiration is for the Lord, what room remains for selfish desires to intrude? When day dawns, night is banished. When night falls, day departs. Even if you wish for both to continue at the same time, it is not possible.

तन तो चाहे आराम को मन चाहे राम को ।
दुविधा में दोनों गये, माया मिली न राम॥

Your body desires comfort while your mind longs for God.
Wavering between two prizes, you lose them both,
gaining neither Maya nor the Lord.

You have become forgetful, lost in the lusts of the flesh — comforts and luxuries, wealth and possessions, youth and beauty. And if, by chance, you sit in His remembrance, then you pray: “O Lord, please shower grace on me.” But my friend, what kind of grace should the Lord bestow on you? Tell me that.

Once a raja was sleeping on the fourth or fifth floor of his magnificent royal palace. His bed was fashioned of gold, bedecked with a canopy of flowers, and beside him was his beautiful, young queen.

Lying there, the king offered a prayer to Almighty God: “O Lord, how can I meet you? When will you bring me to your feet?” According to his own understanding,  he went on praising the Lord. So taking on the form of an old man, God came to the king and stood before him. Seeing that old man, the king sat up and asked, “Who are you? How did you get into my palace in the middle of the night?” The old man replied, “One of my camels has gone astray, and I am searching for it here.”

The king then told the old man, “You must be a complete fool. How could a camel climb up to the fifth floor?” So the old man responded:  “What you say may be true, but I am not as big a fool as you.” Taken aback, the king asked, “What do you mean?” Then the old man explained to him: “You are sleeping comfortably here in the royal palace, and at the same time you wish to do God’s devotion. You are praying to meet Him. How is such a thing possible?”

Just like that king, we fill our hearts to the brim with worldly pleasures, and yet we go on praying for the Satguru’s grace and the Lord’s will.  We repeat a few rote phrases that we have learned: “O Lord, whatever happens, it is all Your will.” But my friend, it is very difficult to understand the will of God and abide by it.  We repeat these words superficially, just for form’s sake.

Once you have taken the name of disciple, why do you still hang on to all these worldly desires? When a young girl grows up and marries, then she goes to the house of her husband and leaves behind the love of her mother and father.  In the same way, once we have immersed ourselves in the devotion of the Almighty Lord, why should we still hanker after the material things?

When you have won the Almighty Lord, why do you grovel before the world?

When you have come under Lord’s protection and have become His disciple, why would you spread your hands before others?  Why would you beg from the worldly people?  You roam about, prostrating yourself and speaking flattering words just to scrape together a meager living while you perform your practices. How can such antics be called discipleship?

There is no lacking in the House of the Lord; for what thing should you beg?

That Lord showers blessing on the three worlds; there is no dearth of riches in His store. The lacking is in us — hoping for worldly gain, we still bow and scrape before others. 

O Paltu, no matter what happiness and sorrow may befall, I long only for Your ambrosial nectar.

He tells that in this world, we don’t experience just one joy or one sorrow; we undergo thousands.  It is only the support of Naam that sustains us in this world and the next. 

नानक दुखिआ सब संसार,
सो सुखिआ नाम अधार ।।

O Nanak, all the world is unhappy.
Only they are happy who take the support of Naam.

Taking the support of Naam, within and without, the devotee dwells in an intoxicated state. He does not cry out — “Alas, alas!” — when oppressed by the sorrows of this world. And if happiness falls to his lot, he does not swell up with egotism and pride. [Guru Teg Bahadur tells us]:

सुख-दुख दोनों समकर जाने और मान अपमाना

Understand happiness and sorrow as the same; have no concern for honor and disgrace.

The devotees cherish the support of Naam in their hearts and never look to any other benefactor.

[recitation in Kannada by Pushpamma]

Audio: H390, 8:51

Paltu Sahib

Not through rote learning or contemplation of idols,
Not through yoga or other artifice

Gyān nā dhyān nā jog nā jugati hai

ज्ञान ना ध्यान ना जोग ना जुगति है, मुक्ति चेरी भई द्वार ठाढ़ी ।
तीरथ ना बरत ना दान ना पुत्र है, परी जमराज पर चोट गाढ़ी ।।
पूजा अचार ना नेम ना धर्म है, लेन को आये बैकुंठ बाड़ी ।
दास पलटू कहै राह सब छोड़ि कै, सहज की राह इक संत काढ़ी ।। ८२ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Reḳhtā, Mishrit, v 91

Not through rote learning or contemplation of idols;
Not through yoga or other artifice;
To achieve liberation, the disciple must stand at the door and wait.  

This is the bani of Param Sant Paltu Sahib Ji. Explaining about the Self-Existent form of God Almighty, He tells us that many people search for God through bookish knowledge. Others turn to visualization and concentration on forms conjured up by the mind.

But Paltu Sahib Ji says that we cannot succeed in our search just by reading about the experiences of others, contemplating on imaginary forms, practicing yoga, or pursuing other man-made methods to unite with the Lord.  Such outer knowledge and contemplation have nothing to do with the Almighty Lord.  

He is Self-Effulgent, His Form is Unchanging, and His Power is Eternal. What importance can these outer practices hold for Him? He is the source and support for all True Knowledge (Gyān) and Contemplation (Dhyān). How can we hope to win Him through outer practices that we have fabricated with our own minds?

The sun soars into the heavens every morning and sinks below the horizon every evening. It does not rise or set because someone has read about the sun in the Vedas or other books. Its regular appearance and disappearance are not dependent on the musings of our mind. The sun is luminous by its very nature; we don’t need to perform any practices to make it shine. All on its own, the sun sheds brilliant light upon the earth. In the same way, at sundown, nighttime envelops the world according to the nature of darkness.  If we sit in the dead of night and discourse on the sunlight, do you think we can manifest the suns shining rays in the blackness? We do not have the power to summon the sunrise. The sun returns and illumines the new day without any assistance from us because shedding radiant beams upon the earth is its inherent characteristic.  

Similarly, the Almighty Lord is Self-Effulgent Radiance. Throughout all Eternity, He has remained One and Self-Existing — complete in Himself. We conceive of Him with our intellect, and according to our understanding, we perform practices to realize Him, but we are only worshipping the fantasies created by our own mind. We have no understanding of His True Nature. He is the source of all Knowledge; His form permeates all creation. What homage or worship can we offer Him? Therefore, Paltu Sahib tells us that neither outer knowledge nor concentration will serve us. We cannot know the Lord through yoga or other techniques we may devise. He says that to achieve liberation, we must come as humble disciples and wait patiently at His door.

Even if all these artificial methods are swept aside, it makes no difference.  When the devoted disciple merges into the form of Truth, liberation comes of itself; such a disciple has no need to entreat the Lord for emancipation.

You will not conquer the Lord of Death through pilgrimages, fasts, donations, and righteous deeds.

Now He tells us that we cannot achieve liberation by traveling to places of pilgrimage, or by worshipping idols, or by observing religious fasts. The inner Power of the Almighty Lord is the source and support of all creation. We do not gain any understanding by bathing at places of pilgrimage. We do not experience God by observing fasts, or offering donations, or performing righteous deeds. We cannot acquire knowledge of the soul through the outer practices because our soul is a Conscious Being. The Conscious Power of the soul enlivens all our deeds. It is impossible to merge with that Conscious Power through outer practices; our cherished goal cannot be attained in this way.  It is a misconception to believe that we can meet the Lord by offering donations or performing other meritorious deeds. Tukaram tells us:  

पुन्य कर्ता पाप हि गढ़े

We perform the righteous deeds, but still, we are heaping sin upon sin.

We perform righteous deeds, but at the same time, we persist in committing sins. We may serve a feast to thousands of holy people, but if an outsider asks to join that throng, we turn them away roughly, saying, “No, you have no right to be here.” In a similar vein, when we perform any charitable deed, we want our deed acknowledged — we expect that a plaque will be hung in our honor. We desire recognition and acclaim.  And if we resolve to keep a religious fast, we announce our intentions: “Today I will not eat a bite of food.”  When someone asks what we are about, we proclaim: “I am keeping the Ekādashī fast.”42 The religious fast is observed on Ekādashī, the eleventh day of a lunar fortnight.  On the day prior to the fast (Dashamī, the tenth day of the lunar fortnight) the practitioner assembles the foodstuff, and then on Dvādashī, the twelfth day of the lunar fortnight, when the devotee ends the fast, it is a common practice to eat a double portion of everything.   We decide to undertake this fast, and we carry out that righteous action. But the next day when we break our fast, we eat twice as much food as usual.  The day before we performed that Ekādashī fast, we had already procured all that extra foodstuff.  What merit will we earn from such deeds? None at all.

Therefore, Paltu Sahib says that none of the methods will work – not fasts or daily recitations, not religious practices or pilgrimages – because the Inner Conscious Power is Self-Existing and Self-Radiant. That Power lies beyond fasts, recitations, and all the other outer practices. It is the source of all creation, and all these artificial methods owe their very existence to that One Power; how can they be the means to unite us with the Lord? 

Leaving off all these practices, we discover that only the One Conscious Power can overcomes the forces of Kal. That Conscious Power is Self-Existent; it is the foundation and support of the entire universe. 

Religious rites, good conduct, daily recitations, and righteous living are of no avail.
He Himself will transport you to His heavenly abode.

Paltu Sahib tells us that it makes no difference if you perform the religious rites, maintain proper behavior, repeat daily recitations, and observe all the religious precepts. Even if none of these things existed, still the airplane that will carry you to the higher regions within will come for you on its own.

All of these outer practices were invented by the mind and vary from religion to religion. Each person follows their own religion, and each religion and community has its own rites and rituals, so how can these varying practices lead us to the Lord? Muslims, Hindus, Jains, and Christians each prescribe their own forms of ceremonial worship and maintain their own beliefs. All the castes and communities follow different customs and observe different religious traditions, 43 Baba Somanath describes all the castes and communities as the “aṭharā pagaḍ” castes and religions, or the castes and religions of the “eighteen turbans.” At the time of the Maratha ruler Shiva Ji, all the eighteen communities under his rule followed different customs, including tying their turbans in distinctive ways. Shiva Ji exercised wide tolerance for all outer religious practices — accepting the different conventions of the “eighteen turbans” — and the expression has entered into the common parlance. but none of these outer observances will be of any help in contacting the Almighty Lord. 

The servant Paltu says, “Giving up all other paths, take to the Path of Easy Union; the Saint will pull you out from this world.”

Giving up all these outer paths, abandoning the artificial practices of recitation and worship, take to the easy Path of the Saints — the Surat Shabd yoga. There are various stages of samādhī — sunya samādhī44 Samādhī of the Sunn Region savikalpa samādhī, nirvikalpa samādhī 45 “Samadhi may be accompanied with consciousness of one’s individuality, in which case it is known as savikalpa, or it may not be accompanied with any such consciousness and is then known as nirvikalpa. The former was compared by Sri Ramakrishna to a cotton doll which when put in water gets saturated with it, and the latter to a doll of salt which when immersed in water dissolves and loses itself in it. Of these, nirvikalpa is clearly the higher, for savikalpa, though it greatly widens one’s vision, is yet only a preliminary step toward the unconditioned state. Not all yogins can achieve nirvikalpa, and those that do attain it generally do only once in their life. They thereby finally escape the realm of name and form and become liberated souls. Their unfructified karmas, both past and present (sanchit and kriyaman) can no longer bind them, but the momentum of their present lives (prarabdha) must be completed and must be lived to the very end. On returning from nirvikalpa, or the unconditioned state, to everyday human consciousness, they live and move as other human beings. But while engaged in worldly duties, they are forever centered in the Divine and are never separate from It. This state of normal activity on the plane of the senses but imbued with God-realization, is designated as Sehaj Samadhi or the state of Easy Union.”  Kirpal Singh, Crown of Life: a Study in Yoga (Irvine, CA: Ruhani Satsang Books, 1997), p 75.” and finally Sahaj Samādhī. The Saints rise above all the lower forms of absorption and practice Sahaj Samādhī or “Easy Union.” They live a normal life, take up the householder’s dharma, raise their children, carry on their worldly affairs, all the while remaining absorbed in the state of Perfect Equipoise, having merged their individual identity into Divine Oneness. [break in the tape]

Audio: H392

Paltu Sahib

If you call yourself a disciple, then surrender your desires

Dās kahāi ke ās nā kījiye

दास कहाइ कै आस ना कीजिये, आस जो करै सो दास नाहीं ।
प्रेम तो एक जो लगा संसार में, भक्ति गइ दूरि अब जक्त माहीं ।।
चाहिये भक्ति को जक्त से तोरिये, जोरिये जक्त से भक्ति जाही ।
दास पलटू कहै एक को छोड़ि दे, तरवार दुइ म्यान इक नाहिं चाही ।।४६।।
गाय बजाय के काल को काटना, और की सुनै कछु आपु कहना ।
हंसना खेलना बात मीठी कहै, सकल संसार को बस्सि करना ।।
खाइये पीजिये मिलै सो पहिरिये, संग्रह त्याग में नाहिं परना ।
बोलु हरि भजन को मगन ह्वे प्रेम से, चुप्प जब रहौ तब ध्यान धरना ।।
भेष भगवंत के चरन को ध्याइ कै, ज्ञान की बात से नाहिं टरना ।
मिलै लुटाइये तुरत कछु खाइये, माया औ मोह तो ठोर मरना ।।
दुक्ख ओ सुक्क फिरि दुष्ट ओ मित्र को, एक सम दृष्टि इक भाव भरना ।
दास पलटू कहै राम कहु बालके, राम कहु राम कहु सहज तरना ।।४७।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg, Reḳhtā, Upadesh, 46-47

If you call yourself a disciple, then surrender your desires.
Those who lust after the world cannot walk on the Path of discipleship.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. In order to become free from the conflicts and sufferings of this world, we perform rites, rituals, and other devotional practices. But no matter how many repetitions and austerities we may complete, still, we accomplish nothing through our efforts; we only fritter away our precious life. But finally, when we come under the protection of the Guru, we offer Him our devotion and accept His seva. Taking initiation and vowing to follow the Path according to his behests, we become His disciples. So Paltu Sahib says: “If you call yourself a disciple, then surrender your desires.”

When we have, of our own accord, become the sevadars of the Guru, what place is left for worldly desire? That very desire was the cause of our previous suffering, and to escape from that suffering, we have fled into the Guru’s shelter.  And now, even though we have taken His initiation, imbibed His teachings, and devoted ourselves to His seva, still, we are clinging to worldly cravings: “Those who lust after the world cannot walk on the Path of discipleship.”

When you are bound up in worldly desires, how can you call yourself the disciple of the Guru?  You can only accept one teaching. Either you become the disciple of the Guru, or you can run after the world. If you try to hold on to both, you will gain no benefit from either.

Love is only one. If your love is attached to the world,
Then you are stuck fast, and bhakti remains far away.

Love is only one. You remain attached to the world; you are drowned in the love of the world. And wherever that worldly love shows its face, it destroys all your devotion because love is only one. It cannot be attached in two places at once.  For this reason, Paltu Sahib tells us: “At present, your love is bound to the world.”

So, how can we perfect our devotion to the Lord? Bhakti manifests only through true love. If you have attached your love to the world, but still you want to do the devotion of the Lord, then you must redirect that love — turn it away from the world and focus it fully on the bhakti of the Lord. Otherwise, you’d better let it go. How can you expect any success in your devotion, when you are basing it on conjecture and false assumptions?

If you wish to follow the Path of devotion, you must leave this world behind.
If your heart still clings to the world, then devotion will elude you.

What is required of the devotee?  What is the foundation and aim of devotion? The devotee should keep aloof from the worldly thoughts and become devoted, wholly and solely, to the Lord’s bhakti. As long as you are attached to the world, you will remain far away from bhakti. But once your attention becomes focused on the devotion, then the world fades away. If someone tells you that they can accomplish both at the same time, excuse me, this is not possible.

The servant Paltu says, “You must give up one or the other.
Two swords cannot reside in one scabbard.”

The scabbard of the heart is only one. Either the world or the devotion can reside there. We people want to put both in one sheath — but that cannot be. The heart is only one. Love is only one. If we try to force love for both the world and the Lord into one heart, how can we succeed in our task?

Pass your time singing of His Greatness.
Listen when others praise Him, and glorify Him in your turn.

This question always arises: “My attention does not stay focused in the Naam. Sometimes my mind runs wild in the world, and my Naam Simran does not flow in an unbroken stream within. What can I do?” Therefore, Paltu Sahib counsels us: “Sometimes you can sing songs in praise of the Lord. Sometimes you can listen to the stories of God told by others, and you can relate stories as well. In this way, you will pass your time with thoughts anchored always in the Truth.

Smiling and joking, speak sweet words to all.
The whole world will come under your control.

The most powerful vashīkaraṇ mantra46A vashīkaraṇ mantra is a verbal formula employed to exert control over people or situations. is sweet words.  In this world, people practice magical arts and recite mantras and tantras of power. But what is the most potent magical mantra of all to bring others under your control? Speak sweet words. Be pleasant and friendly, offering kind and uplifting words to everyone around you. Have no enmity or jealousy for anyone; then, all the world will come under your control. All the power is in your tongue. But the words spoken by your tongue carry effect only if your heart is filled with sweetness. If your within is devoid of sweetness, then you are speaking honeyed words with your tongue only to ensnare others. When you are speaking with some ulterior motive, then those words carry no real sweetness.

Eat and drink what is put before you; be content with the clothes you receive.
Feel no elation when accumulating things and no sorrow when giving them up.

Be content with whatever you have to eat and drink. Happily wear whatever clothes you can procure. Do not desire to collect more and more. And don’t feel disheartened if what you already have is taken away. If wealth comes to you, donate it in the cause of spirituality. If nothing comes your way, quietly accept it as the Lord’s Will.

Becoming absorbed in the love, sing the songs of Hari (God),
And when you maintain silence, became absorbed in His contemplation within.

When the opportunity presents itself, sing the praises of the Lord. Extol His greatness and sing songs of love.  It is an auspicious deed to glorify God Almighty. And in moments of silence, offer all your heart and soul to the Lord within.

आदि सच्च जुगादि सच्च, है भी सच्च, नानक होसी भी सच्च

He was when there was nothing; He was before all ages began;
He existeth now, O Nanak, and shall exist forevermore.

Keep your love absorbed in that Power of Truth.

Many people observe strict silence, but deep in their within the chatter of the world continues. Outwardly you may be maintaining silence, but in your heart of hearts, you are longing for some outer gratification. So what benefit do you gain from your silence?

सोचै सोचि न होवई जे सोची लख वार
चुपै चुप न होवई जे लाई रहे लिव तार ।।

One cannot comprehend Him through reason,
even if one reasoned for ages;
One cannot achieve inner peace by outward silence,
not though one sat dumb for ages;

Nothing comes to pass just through thinking.  The thought may occur to us: “I would like to be the King of Mysore.”  Don’t we indulge in such wishful thinking? Of course, we do. But do you think our desires can come to fruition just by thinking about what we want? What to speak of thinking one time, even if you think hundreds of thousands of times, nothing will be accomplished through your idle thoughts.

So many people vow to remain silent. But even the dumb animals never speak. The bullock, the cow and the buffalo remain silent. The dog and the cat don’t talk. They know nothing of human speech. But do they meet the Almighty Lord through all this silence? “One cannot achieve inner peace by outward silence, not though one sat dumb for ages.”  If within you, your heart yearns for union with the Almighty, this is the real silence, and you will gain benefit from it.

Contemplate on the feet of those who are clothed in the Lord.
Never waver from the Path of Knowledge

Always remain at the feet of the Saints and Mahatmas who wear the mantle of the Lord. Go in their company, and serve them with meekness and humility. Never leave your heart empty and idle — always keep some thought, some contemplation, some remembrance of God reverberating in your within.

Eat what you need from what you receive, and distribute the rest quickly.
Drive away Maya and attachment. 

If, through some past karma or flowering of fate, you suddenly enjoy a windfall of worldly goods, then pass that wealth on quickly. Why? Because as your possessions increase, so your greed expands accordingly. Your storehouse of sins becomes filled to overflowing, and the storm of falsehood within you grows stronger — because this is all Maya. You cannot collect Maya without practicing falsehood. As your wealth increases, deceit and deception gain the upper hand. So, whatever comes your way, distribute it with both hands in some righteous cause.  Save yourself from both attachment and greed for worldly wealth. Give them both a sound thrashing.

First, come sorrow and happiness, then enemies and friends follow in their wake.
Learn to see all with an equal eye and repose in unity.

Remember the Lord both in happiness and in pain. Look upon your enemies and friends — those who oppose you and those who love and support you — as one and the same, because as long as the waves of happiness and suffering are heaving in your within, the sense of friend and foe will not leave you.  When the waves of joy and sorrow are stilled, when all your love and attention is absorbed in the Almighty Lord, then no friend or foe remains.

The servant Paltu says, O my child, repeat the Rām Naam, the Name of the Lord.
Chanting His Name, chanting His Name, you will easily swim across.

Therefore, Paltu Sahib says. “O my child, repeat the Rām Naam, the Name of the Lord.” Speak the Lord’s Name — both in your heart and with your mouth. At all times, remain absorbed in Him.

Audio: H431

Paltu Sahib

The baniyās do not leave their bad habits

Baniyā̃ bāni na chordai, pasanghā māre jāy

बनियाँ बानि न छोड़ै पसँघा मारे जाय ।।
पसंगा मारे जाय पूर को मरम न जानी ।
निसु दिन तौलै घाटि खोय यह परी पुरानी ।।
केतिक कहा पुकारि कहा नहिं करै अनारी ।
लालच से भा पतित सहै नाना दुख भारी ।।
यह मन भा निरलज्ज लाज नहिं करै अपानी ।
जिन हरि पैदा किया ताहि का मरम न जानी ।।
चौरासी फिरि आइ कै पलटू जूती खाय ।
बनियाँ बानि न छोड़ै पसँघा मारे जाय ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, pahalā bhāg, Kuṇḍaliyā, Duṣhṭ, 197

The baniyas 47The baniyā is a merchant caste made up of shopkeepers, traders, bankers, financiers, and, in modern times, owners of commercial enterprise. Traditionally, they were viewed as somewhat less than above board in their business practices. do not leave their bad habits; they tilt the scales and always give short weight.

This is the bani of Sant Paltu Sahib. Generally, the word baniyā refers to a caste of merchants and shopkeepers, but here Paltu Sahib is also drawing on the literal meaning of baniyā — “one who is created.”  When our soul incarnates in this world, we get caught up in the business of give and take. We bring with us our karmic account of credits and debits — past actions that will have to be liquidated in this lifetime. He tells us: “O jiva, now you have incarnated, taking up the human body.” This is the real meaning of baniyā.  Whoever takes birth in a body created through the union of mother and father, that jiva is a baniyā or one who has been created. Addressing that incarnated soul, He says: “O, baniyā! You have still not given up your old habits.”

The shopkeepers are also called baniyās — baniyā is their caste. What do those baniyās do? To cheat their customers, they put light weights into the weighing pan and give short measure. Or they may place a scant measure of vegetables in the other pan, and then, when they hold the scale up to balance the two pans, they inconspicuously press a finger on the beam balance to make the two pans level. But when those shopkeepers are buying goods, they do just the opposite. They will try to press down on the pan holding the weights so that the other pan will have to be loaded with an excess of grain or goods to balance the scale. This is called tilting the scales.  

Within you, there is also a scale. Using that scale, you weigh out truth and untruth. That scale is called discrimination, and with it, you can differentiate the real from the unreal.  So, Paltu Sahib says, “O baniyā. Even now, you persist in your old ways. You are still trying to tilt the scales.” He is telling the incarnated soul, “You think only of your own advantage and try to usurp the rights of others. For ages and ages, you have indulged in this practice. You press your finger on the beam balance to tilt the scale.  You cling to your craftiness; you are still unwilling to give it up.”

They press a finger on the weighing beam; they don’t even know how to give full measure.
Day and night, they cheat their customers; it is their time-honored practice.

Day and night, you weigh out short measure. The allotted breaths of your lifetime are a priceless treasure, but you squander them dealing in the material things of this world.  Yesterday is gone, today is passing by, and tomorrow will evaporate its turn. Monday goes, Tuesday goes; the moments ebb and flow while you go on weighing out falsehood; you can’t put aside your cunning. Day and night, you heap falsehood upon falsehood. How can you be liberated? You have not learned to measure out true weight.  You are always harming yourself — earning bad karmas through your deceitful dealings — but still, you won’t abandon your old ways.  

No matter what pressure is brought to bear, the fool does not change.
Falling into the trap of greed, you endures untold suffering.

He says, “When the local authorities issue you a license, they also give you all the things you need to run an honest business. They install an accurate scale and weights at your shop. They warn you about proper practices. Still, you slip back into double-dealing.

The Vedas, Shastras, Puranas and other holy books, the Upanishads, the Smritis, and the philosophical treatises on Nyāya and Mīmāmsa (schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy), etc. — why were these ancient texts created? They all contain time-honored wisdom to make the mind still and to impart right understanding. But the foolish mind does not grasp the truth. No matter how much you go on explaining, with all that, the foolish mind will not understand.

Your mind has become shameless; it takes no pride in honest labor.
You have not understood the secret of the Lord who created you.

This mind is shameless and does not look to its own work. Indulging in criticism, backbiting, and bickering, it shirks its duty. And in this brazen mood, it does not shrink from deception and trickery. What can be done with such a hardened rogue?

The Lord gave you this beautiful human body and endowed you with the faculty of discrimination. He always provides food to nourish you, and He even furnishes you with comforts and conveniences. That very Lord sits within you and looks to all your needs, but you have no knowledge of Him.

Paltu says, “Revolving again in the wheel of 84, you will be beaten with shoes.
The baniyās do not leave their bad habits; they tilt the scales and always give short weight.”

What fate awaits you?  Revolving again in the cycle of 84 lakh births and death, you will be beaten with shoes; you will be kicked and knocked. The angels of death will seize you and not let go.

Audio: H453

Paltu Sahib

This life is of four days only, do the meditation and take it with you.

Jīvan hai din chār, bhajan kari lījiye

जीवन है दिन चार भजन करि लीजिये ।
तन मन धन सब वारि संत पर दीजिये।
संतहि से सब होइ जो चोहैं सो करैं ।
अरे हाँ पवटू संग लगे भगवान संत से वे डेरैं ।। ८ ।।
ऋद्धि सिद्धि से बैरे संत दुरियावते ।
इन्द्रासन बैकुंठ विष्टा सम जानते ।।
करते अबिरल भक्ती प्यासा हरि नाम की ।
अरे हाँ पलटू संत न चाहैं मुक्ति तुच्छ कोहि काम की ।। ९ ।।

Palṭū Sāhib kī Bānī, dūsrā bhāg,
Aril, Sant aur Sādh, 8-9

This life is of four days only, do the meditation and take it with you.
Your body, your mind, and your wealth — sacrifice these to the Saint.

This is the bani of Satguru Paltu Sahib Ji. It has been said:

जो दिसे सो नाशे, परे आज की काल
What we see will be destroyed, if not today then tomorrow.

What is the nature of this earth life? Just like we dreamed one thing last night, and tonight we will dream something different, in the same way, our waking life is also in a state of constant flux. Every day we are changing, even though we are not aware of it. Today we are in one place; tomorrow we will be living somewhere else. Today we are eating one type of food; tomorrow we will be eating something different. Today we get together with one person and tomorrow we meet with somebody else.  In this way, everything is in a constant state of change, but we don’t realize it is all a dream.  All the saints and mahatmas have explained that this dream has no innate reality of its own. We each perceive the world according to our own attitudes and feelings. Therefore, Paltu Sahib says that we wander on in this unsubstantial dream, frittering our life away. And one day, when that life ends, we must depart. There is no guarantee of the breaths. We do not know when we will leave the body. So while we are still in the body, we should do the work we have come for. What is our work? Doing the devotion of the Lord and meditating on His Naam, we have to free ourselves from the dream of the world. Withdrawing our attention from this perishable body, we have to meet with that True and Unchanging Lord and become His very form. 

So much has been explained in the past – in the Vedas, in the Shastras, in the Puranas and all the other writings of the great mahatmas. Now in the present time also, this reality is being set clearly before us, and in the future, the same truth will be revealed. But still we remain lost in an unconscious stupor. What is the nature of a dream?  Once we wake up, we realize: “Oh, I was just dreaming.” But while we are still sleeping, we don’t know it is a dream. It is only because we are fast asleep that we think the dream is a reality. As soon as we awaken from our slumber, the dream will vanish. Therefore, in order to wake up and shake off the dream of this world, we have to devote ourselves to the meditation of the Lord. But if we go on sleeping, what assurance do we have that this human body will come into our hands again?

It is only through the human body that we can gain right understanding.  In the human body you can experience all the different states of consciousness: jāgrat — consciousness, or the state of wakefulness; svapan — semi-consciousness, or the state of dreaming; and, suṣhupti — unconsciousness, or the state of deep sleep. By making further efforts, you can reach the state of turīya, super-consciousness. And finally, through exceptional effort, you can gain mukti or liberation. This can be achieved only through the Power that resides in the human body.

But when we sit for the meditation, our body, mind, and wealth become obstacles. The soul, giving up its true original form, seeks for happiness in these things of Maya.  First the soul seeks happiness in the body. How the body comes into being — how and when it is formed — even the mother and father don’t know, but after a child is born, they say, “This is my child.”  The child also does not remember its origin. But, becoming ensnared in egotism, the child claims the body as its own. The child has no knowledge of why it has come into the world or why it has received that body. The child doesn’t know anything at all, but it still it says, “This body is mine.”  And once the soul has become ensnared in the body, then, through the body it becomes further bound by the fetters of mind and wealth.  Therefore, sacrificing these three fetters at the feet of the Guru, remove egotism and desire from your within, and do the meditation of the Lord. Only then the Power of the Lord will manifest within you, and you will attain salvation.

Everything is in the hands of the Saint, whatever He wishes comes to pass.
O Paltu, keep His company; even God obeys His commands.

He says that the secret of the inner way is kept in the hands of the Saints. Only through Their mercy and grace can we accomplish this work. Whatever the Saints do, no one can undo.  Even the Almighty Lord acts according to the wishes of His Saints.

The Saints disdain the supernatural powers and have nothing to do with them.
To the Saint, the throne of Indra and the heavens of Vishnu seem no better than excrement.

The Saints are such exalted beings that we cannot understand them through our lowly intellect. But what do the Saints tell us? They remain aloof from the throne of Indra, the heavens and Vaikunt and all the dwelling places and enjoyments of the gods and goddesses. To them, the happiness of the heavens is like excrement. They regard that happiness with disdain because they themselves have experienced the True Happiness. And the Saints never perform miracles using the supernatural powers.

But the madāris (conjurers) perform various tricks. Some turn earth into coins; some take earth and change it into different colors.  Some can pull a rabbit out of an empty basket or grow a mango tree from a seed on the spot. But then, the  madāri goes around with his hand outstretched for money, begging from the crowd that has gathered to watch the show.  So this is where the supernatural powers lead you. Using these powers becomes just one more pathway back into the wheel of transmigration.  For this reason, Saints don’t use the supernatural powers — the riddhis and siddhis.   They pay no attention to them at all. In whatever condition the Lord sees fit to place Them, They accept that. They remain content and repeat the Name of the Lord.  Guru Teg Bahadur tells us: 

सुख-दुख दोनों समकर जाने और मान अपमाना
Understand happiness and sorrow as the same;
Have no concern for honor and disgrace.

 Always remain tranquil. Weigh your heart in the scales, making sure you do not tip in one direction or the other.

Those who thirst for the Naam of the Lord do his devotion unceasingly.
O Paltu, compared to His devotion everything is worthless; the Saints do not long even for liberation.

Maintain your longing for the Name of the Lord and do His devotion unceasingly.  Never go away from Him. Constantly go on doing His devotion.

No Audio File
SBSJkB, Book 3, Satsang 25, p 38

Paltu Sahib

Shabd made kings abandon their kingdoms. Shabd made them fakirs.

Shabd churavai rajya ko, shabdai karai fakir

शबद छुड़ावै राज्य को, शबदै करै फकीर ।।
सबदै करै फकीर सबद फिर राम मिलावै ।
जिन के लगा सबद तिन्हैं कछु और न भावैं ।।
मरै सबद के घाव उन्हैं को सकैं जियाई ।
होइगा उनका काम परी रोवैं दुनियाई ।।
घायल भा वह फिरै सबद कै चोट है भारी ।
जियतै मिरतक होय झुकै फिर उठैं सँभारी ।।
पलटू जिनके सबद का, लगा कलेजे तीर ।
सबद छुड़ावै राज को, सबदै करै फकीर ।। ८८ ।।

सुरत सबद के मिलन में मुझ को भया अनंद ।
मुझ को भया अनंद मिला पानी में पानी ।।
दोऊ से भा सूत नहीं मिलि कै अलगानी ।।
मुलुक भया सलतन्त मिला हाकिम को राजा ।
रैंयत करै आराम खोलि के दस दरवाजा ।।
छूटी सकल बियाधि मिटी इंद्रिन की दुतिया ।
को अब करै उपाधि चोर से मिलि गई कुतिया ।।
पलटू सतगुरु साहिब काटौ मेरी बंद ।
सुरत सबद के मिलन में मुझ को भया अनंद ।। ८९ ।।

       Paltu Sahib ki Bani, part 1, Kundaliya, Shabd, v 88-89

Kabir Sahib tells us that the words of the Guru are infused with power:

ऐक शब्द गुरुदेव का, ताका अनन्त विचार ।
सुर नर मुनि गन्धर्व जन, कोई न पावै पार ।।

One word of Sat Guru contains limitless meaning.
Gods, men, sages and angels, none have fathomed its depth.

He has no riches, or worldly possessions, or any other outer thing. What does He have? In His one word, there is so much power that great yogis, kings and emperors have relinquished luxury, comfort and enjoyments, to become wandering fakirs. Why did they give up everything? Because of the power hidden in the words of the Sadhu Mahatma Satguru. His one word is filled with the power of His renunciation and love of the Lord.

This is the bani of Paltu Sahib Ji. He says that Shabd makes rulers renounce their kingdoms; Shabd makes kings into fakirs. Gopīchand, Bhartriharī, and the King of Balaḳh Buḳhārā all renounced worldly pleasures only because of the power in the Sant Sadhu’s words.

Shabd made them fakirs; Shabd united them with the Lord.
For one who has become attached to Shabd, nothing else attracts the heart.

It is only Shabd that made kings give up the splendor and luxury of their worldly kingdoms, and Shabd alone united them with the Lord. This is the Power of Shabd.

Sacrifice everything to the Guru, giving up reliance on all the gods and goddesses, on worldly wealth and possessions, on spouse, children and grandchildren, on your own body and strength. When you have abandoned everything, where can you look for help? Take the support of the One Shabd. There is no other support you can rely on, no other refuge you can turn to.

When Rājā Gopīchand gave up his kingdom and became a renunciate, he went to his mother begging for alms. His mother told him, “O Gopīchand, you are no longer my son; you are no longer the king. Now you are a yogi, and you have come to my door, begging for alms. Whatever I give you, you have to accept that.” Then Rājā Gopīchand said, “O Mother! It is only on your advice that I have renounced all the glory of rulership and have put on the garb of a yogi. Whatever counsel you offer me, I will obey your words.” It was only because of one word from his mother that he forsook his worldly kingdom and took up the yogic path. Finally, Gopīchand came to the feet of Jalandhar Nāth and accepted him as his guru. And receiving the charged words from Jalandhar Nāth at initiation, he achieved enlightenment.

The One Shabd is all in all. Once we receive the Shabd, nothing remains to give or to take. But we have to devote ourselves to that Shabd. Until the arrow of Shabd strikes the heart, we will not pierce through the illusory veil of this world. Now the world appears to be the form of truth. Spirituality seems to be just make‑believe. We put our trust in our own inferences and imaginings. We hold them to be valid, but we have never tested our assumptions practically in our within. Sometimes our opinion shifts a little this way, sometimes a little that way. Maybe this is true; maybe it’s not. We always remain in the realm of speculation and cling fast to our latest belief. But when all at once, the arrow of Shabd strikes our heart, then all our love is for the Shabd — nothing else remains.

Those who are wounded by the arrow Shabd truly begin to live.
Their work is accomplished, but the worldly people weep and mourn.

When our life currents withdraw in meditation, this is called dying in the Shabd. Now we might ask why anyone would go to the Guru if they are going to die. But Paltu Sahib replies: “After all, what is death?” Your body is composed of five material elements. Do these elements die? Do earth, water, fire, air, and ether ever die? These elements are fixed, and in some form or other, they continue — they do not die.  And the soul itself is immortal. Nothing dies in nature. Our belief in death is really just our own ignorance of the facts. Paltu Sahib declares: “When the arrow of Satguru’s True Word destroys our ignorance and kills our sense of
‘I and mine,’ then who will revive them? Who will bring them back to life again?”  That soul’s task is complete. What difference does it make if the dogs of the world bark — if the worldly people weep and moan?

At the time when Paltu Sahib was residing in Ayodhyā, the renunciates living there decided to burn him alive. Ayodhyā was the city where all of Rāmānand’s disciples were staying. When Paltu Sahib proclaimed the truth, it made all of these disciples uneasy and afraid, and they began to oppose Him. In the end, they burned Him alive. At that time He told them, “Brothers, I have completed my work. Now you may set me on fire, or do whatever you may want.”

We wander in the world with that wound, and the wound of Shabd is fatal.
Dying we take on a new life. Bowing down, we rise up again.

Once you have been pierced by the arrow of Shabd, you will carry that wound with you wherever you may wander in this world. When that arrow of separation strikes your heart, that pain drives out the worldly thoughts.  When you are absorbed in that intoxication, it may appear to the worldly people that you have some problem. They say, “He has gone mad. Before he was sensible, but now he has lost his wits. What has happened to him? His brain is afflicted.”  This and that. But that devotee has become absorbed in the intoxication of love. For this reason, Kabir Sahib says:

हाथी चलत है, अपने गत मो, कुत्ता भौंकत तो वाको भुँकवा दे ।
तूँ तो नाम सुमिर कर अपने, जग लड़त तो लड़वा दे ।।

The elephant saunters by at its own gait;
If the dogs bark, let them bark.
You must remain absorbed in the remembrance of Naam;
If the worldly people complain, let them complain.

The devotee is absorbed in Naam Simran and the intoxication of love within. The worldly people can bark if they like, according to their own understanding. But the devotee pays them no heed.

O Paltu, when the arrow of Shabd pierces the heart,
Shabd makes kings abandon their kingdoms; Shabd transforms them into fakirs.

When the arrow of Sat Naam strikes someone, it pierces right through them. They never forget that wound — they do not possess the power to forget.

When my soul merged with the Shabd, I became absorbed in bliss.

Paltu Sahib says: “The power of my consciousness, of my attention, has united with that Shabd and has become the form of Shabd. And now the blissful nectar of Shabd has manifested in my within.”  But until the soul meets with that inner Naam, the bliss of Shabd will not manifest. You will not know the happiness of the union of the soul with the Shabd.

Merging I have gained bliss; water mixes with water.
One cannot be distinguished from the other; mixing together they become inseparable.

What is the nature of the union between surat and Shabd?  Where is the proof that it has occurred? What happens when water mixes with water? Can anyone say that this is the water that was here before, and this is the water that has been mixed in with it? No one can prove which water is which.

In the same way, our soul is the form of Shabd. The Almighty Lord is also the form of Shabd; He is the True Shabd. But the veil of mind and Maya stands between the soul and the Almighty Lord. When that curtain is ripped in two, and the soul merges into the Shabd, who will be able to say, “Here is the Shabd and here is that jiva who has been caught in birth and death, revolving in the wheel of eighty-four”?  When the rain falls and merges into the water of the ocean, can anyone say this water is the rain, and that water is the ocean? Can anyone distinguish one from the other? No one can separate them — it is an impossibility.

This lawless country has become a peaceful kingdom; the chieftain bows before the King. 48The little self bows before the Almighty Lord.
The subjects enjoy happiness and comfort, and the ten doors are thrown open.

He says, “I became free when I have surrendered control of the mind and senses.” What do we gain from such release? We gain the kingdom of Rām Naam, where the Almighty Lord rules, and everyone enjoys bliss and happiness under His reign. The greatest happiness lies in having such rulership: “Rājya,” the King’s realm, bestows “rāji,” happiness and well-being. In our within, the soul is eternal and self-existing, complete in its own power. He tells us: “When my attention became linked with that Shabd, then I gained freedom from the lower influences.” Further He says, “The King of Kings, the Almighty Lord, has come and taken me under His protection. The ten doors stand open, and there is no more fear of thieves and looting.”  But what is our condition at present? At every door, a thief is posted. The nine doors are swarming with thieves. And those thieves are plundering all our wealth and carrying it away. 

All obstacles are removed, and the duality of the senses is abandoned.
You reclaim your true title; the thieves meet with the dogs.

He says that those thieves who enter our within through the ten senses have given up their looting. When the thieves are getting nothing to satisfy their hunger, they go on stealing things. But when they begin to get everything they need, just sitting in one place, why would they need to steal? When the soul unites with the Power that satisfies all desires, then what happens to the senses? They also become absorbed in that Power. They become intoxicated in that bliss. He tells us: “The thieves have met with the dogs.” He is calling the passions of ignorance, lust, anger, etc. as the dogs. When the thieves (the ten senses) join with the dogs (the passions), that is, when scattered attention becomes one-pointed at the seat of the soul, then it becomes absorbed in the true Shabd.

O Paltu, the Satguru has cut my fetters.
My surat has united with the Shabd, and I have attained bliss.

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SBSJkS, Book 2, Satsang 16