A Small Preface

A Novice’s Honest Attempt To Think Loudly About The Faith and Path

and

Of The Master

Since quite sometime I had become a target of influx of Varied Thoughts within myself and a long list of queries, better to say self questions raised within myself and sought clarifications, answers with the logic as base rationality as path way, conviction as source to manifest as sane and proper answers for those innumerable queries about My Faith, My Path, and About The Master, hence this attempt of mine to put my thoughts before you all learned and experienced elders as well the younger ones, who are younger in age only.

In order to answer those Varied Thoughts it is better for me to start with what view I had and what I presumed as understood of the same Queries.

It seems that I myself which includes my mind too are in a fluid state having taken the effect of force of thoughts about the bane of my existence and my survival and am continue to survive with the same faith with which I lived all along with that faith nourishment and shared the same faith with innumerable people and I fed the same faith to my near and dear ones and all of them single pointedly acknowledged the supremacy of The Master, The Path and The Faith, which I am following and others too followed by seeing the stunning effect of The Path, The Master and The Faith on me and on my living and upon my entire family, here I feel like mentioning an event of my life of a conversation and advice of my respected father within my family, 25 years ago, wherein He stated to me stating that “My son during my initial years of tutelage with my spiritual teacher before my marriage at my age of 16 years I wish to adopt the way of recluse life but neither my noble parents or my teacher gave permission for my wish rather they chosen the bride, your mother, as my life companion of the age of 13 years and I simply accepted their wish as a command and the result is this entire family of us, but you are fortunate to get a Such a Master, Method, and Faith along with wonderful trainers to train you on this path and assure you with The Firm Conviction That it is possible to achieve the Goal within the “Grihasth Ashram” please take the advantage of such a wonderful time and get achieve the Objective of your life which is truly primarily the goal of any human life and do not bother about our family burning issues the great god will guide and suitably mend the situation as well as make a path way for an appropriately shaping at an appropriate time and of the issues, perhaps He may also give solutions in a befitting manner but you should hold upon this path, The Master and Continue to Cherish the Faith in the way in which it ought to be Cherished,” which That Faith only in reality manifested me and my entire family and my lineage as well as my entire atmosphere and surroundings laying with The Firm Stamp of The Master, The Path and The Faith in all the layers of my existence.

Then, is it needed now further to have retrospection with deep introspection about The Master, The Faith, The Path and of My Life and Living, perhaps only to remind me and only to Find Him and Him only all along the journey as a Perfect Companion as well as The Host To Receive Me at all Intermediary Terminals and also at The Final Destination inviting with open arms with intense waiting for me to reach That Destination, any how having begun this quest let me refresh my memory with the nostalgias of experiences of past as I have some leisure time too to do the mental exercise.

Having realized the whole perspective of the issue an additional realization has descended upon me to state that “Oh! Master Thou Art The real Goal of Human Life and Thou Art The Only God and Power to guide me please do guide me in this persuit of analysis, with this statement which statement is when presented before Him becomes itself as The Prayer, thence I proceed in my Endeavour.

First let me start with what The Master Shri Babuji Maharaj gave as the method and practices and functions or celebrations or congregations followed by Shri Babuji Maharaj and by His Practice which practice becomes “ The Declaration of Practices.”

The Method named By The Master is “Sahaj Marg,” and Practice Prescribed By Him is: Prayer, Meditation before sunrise for about an hour, Cleaning in the evening after the day’s work for about half an hour, Bed time prayer for about 15 mts before sleep and Constant Rememberance during the wakeful state.

The Functions and Spiritual Congregations and Celebrations are “Basant Utsav” – In the loving memory of Shri Lalaji Maharaj, Shri Lalaji Maharaj’s Birthday Celebrations which used to be termed as “Bhandara” a Spiritual Congregation.

Janmashtami- “Shri Krishnaji Maharaj’s Birth day Celebration, followed by two Meditation sessions – one in the morning and another in the evening, along with fasting the whole day, the fasting is ended with consuming the “Prasad” which was offered after the evening Meditation; which Celebration Shri Babuji Maharaj Continued to Celebrate and Shri Raghavendra Rao Sahib also followed and observed all along during Rao Sahib’s Life Time.

Shri Babuji Maharaj’s Birthday Celebration on the birth date-wise that is 30-4-1899.

Founder’s Days Celebrations for each and every centre where the Centre or Branch is declared opened and approved by Shri Babuji Maharaj and respective day or dates been given differently to celebrate as Founder’s Day Celebration and the same was approved by Him during life time of Him.

All The Functions and Celebrations are Termed by Shri Babuji’s Maharaj As Spiritual Congregations and a Phrase used By Him is “Bhandara” and attending those functions used to result into Huge Spiritual Benefit to individuals which benefit is remaining Drowned in The Divine Rememberance for 24 hours with the perfect link establishing with The Pure Divine for all the days of Those Celebrations and the observation and following of events are the same during those celebrations which laid by Shri Babuji Maharaj and Shri Rao Sahib also followed on the same lines with the letter and spirit without any deviation or allowed no curvature in the observations or practices all along his life time.

I am detailing my individual practice in the following way:

Meditation: Divine Light Present in the Heart and the Heart means where I experience Lub and Dub, the heart beat, sitting in an easy posture before sunrise after accomplishing and adopting the civility to the bodily sense and to start the Meditation with The Prayer prescribed by The Master, for about an hour or so.

The Process is that I should wait during meditation process with alertness of a soldier on the battle field with calm and quiet mind keeping ‘fully opened observant mind eye’ and treating the thought process by which activity of thought process innumerable wanted and unwanted thoughts out burst to the self which are devoid of divinity arises rather gushes out passing through the conscious mind giving jitters and shivers to the body and mind as they remind me of my private and secret self which many of a times alert and warn me as myself as “Unbecoming Self” to The Master, The Faith and To The Path.

Here Comes The Everlasting Help Of The Faith, The Master and The Method to hold me on the path as well cleanse the base of The Heart with The Ultimate Consciousness of The Master and Support This Feeble Heart With Pranasya Pranaha, The Transmission and The Master Himself with His Ever Lasting Watch Full Eye who is present Himself the very second I close my eyes with thought of doing Meditation.

The Second Step is Cleaning: It is prescribed to me to do my self cleaning apart from the bodily cleaning after my day’s toil in the evening with firm Will to clean of my self of “All sorts of grossness, impressions, wasteful thoughts complexities, dirt and deceases and darkness going away from me in the form of smoke and sweat and vapour from my back and am getting cleansed and with the thought as Cleaned at the end” in literal sense with the letter and spirit of the statement to indulge my self in the process for about an hour every day so as to make my path way smooth and to keep the channels of descendence of divine energy and to receive The Transmission As It Exists and Reach To My Self to Energise and Strengthen me and my system to reach The Goal, experiencing the divinity in the form of cleanliness which is next to godliness rather further experiencing the purity of body, mind and heart.

The Third Process-The Process of Nucleus of Practice-The Constant Rememberance: To begin and To End The whole Conscious and Wakeful State of my life leading and laying the path way with lively link of experience of Pure Divine, The Master, to the doors of sub-conscious mind and allowing the entry to the sub-consciousness, of The Divine Rememberance along with the fragrance of Divinity and The Master Himself and by this process which lays the proper path way as a natural course and result as of my life and become the end of the very my life and my living which results as a bygone conclusion to my life journey.


When I enquired with Respected Rao Sahib about the external Aids and Tools and Help in our practice which are there with us and available to us as a part of our lives in our day to day living being in Grishastashram when properly used can bring miraculous and wonderful result in our practice and set right the whole family as well as with a proper orientation enveloping entire ways of life and living when adopted and they are already explained by Shri Babuji Maharaj In The Conclusion Chapter of Efficacy of Rajyoga in the Light of Sahaj Marg :

“ Another external thing necessary for the beginner is that he should practice restraint in thought, word and deed so as not to injure the feelings and prick the hearts of others. If he does not restrain himself he spoils his own heart. The reaction affects him unnoticed. ”

“ I have discussed sufficiently as far as my anubhava or reading of Nature allowed me. I may now add a few lines for the seekers, to reveal to them the secret of success. Meditation is the foundation of spirituality. If you meditate having your real goal before you, you are sure to arrive at the destination. There are ways and ways converging towards the real goal and they are discussed in various scriptures sufficiently. There are external forces too, helping us to the destination if properly guided. The Eastern Thinkers have taken special regard of the question of food. It should be cooked neatly and cleanly in a proper manner. That is the hygienic point. But if it is sattvic and is cooked in constant remembrance of God, its effect will be surprising. And if it is taken meditating all the while on God it will cure all kinds of spiritual diseases and remove things which hinder our progress.”
When Rao Sahib Quoted the above paras, then I said to Him, Appa, “Annam” become “Prasad” when Cooked in the remembrance of The Lord and Offered To The Lord, and consumed in the Constant remembrance of The Divine, for my spelt answer He further continued the explanation saying, yes, yes, That is the reason in our houses elders used to say “Annam Parabrahma Swarupam” and that is infact The Primary Visible God in Nourishing and assisting the growth as well as maintaining the “Sthoola Shareera” of Proper and well developed basic structure which can said as “A Healthy Body is Abode of Well developed Mind.”

Further Rao Sahib said that Shri Babuji Maharaj explained about the same in In the 8th Commandment of “Commentary on Ten Commandments of Sahaj Marg” book, written Shri Babuji Maharaj Himself which Quotes:

“Be happy to eat in Constant Divine Thought whatever you get, with due regard to honest and pious earnings.”

It was The Practice followed in The House of Shri Babuji Maharaj at Shahjahanpur (U.P.) that any sweets or edible item when been placed for their personal use also, first thing the family members of Shri Babuji Maharaj used ask us to Offer those sweets as Offering, in Hindi they used to say “Bhai Sahib Pehle Prasad Chadayiye, Tub Hum Le sake” and they used to give first morsel of the sweet to the one who brought that sweets and thereafter only they used to accept and they told me that “Yeh Riwaz to Shri Babuji Mahraj Qudd Apnaye Te, phir Humlogonkeliye In cheesonke bareme sochneke jarroorat nahin hai, sivaye paalan karna chodke, bus uthana hi hai, baaki hai kya.”



The Bed Time Prayer: The Prayer Prescribed :

Oh! Master Thou Art The Real Goal of Human Life,
We are Yet but Slaves of wishes putting bar to Our advancement,
Thou Art The Only God and Power To Bring Me Up to That Stage.

Before going to bed after completion of all the works and just the time to retire to the sleep, sitting in a quiet and calm state in a easy posture with the devotion filled heart and the heart as a begging bowl experiencing the Divinity or The Master’s Presence before me and seeking the forgiveness for the wrongs done knowingly or unknowingly during my wakeful state and seeking the guidance not to repeat the same mistakes and to pray for giving strength not to indulge in doing the same mistakes with that state of complete helplessness thoroughly feeling the repentance and continuously experiencing the Divinity for about 15 minutes sitting in that state and posture and thereafter laying to allow and assume the state of sleep and continue the sleep-state only to awake in the state of Rememberance of The Master and to do The Meditation to begin the day thereafter till my last breath of my life.

Shri Babuji Maharaj declared by following ardently The Sacred Spiritual Congregation Methods followed meticulously in every detail, “The Basant Utsav,” with 5 Group Meditations comprising of Three days and with Havan of ‘Shanthi-Patha’ for 24 Hours and also Sweet Offerings are mandatory which vessel filled with Sweets to be kept on a pedestal upon a white fresh new cloth to The Guardians of Sahaj Marg with utmost respect and honour while placing humbly the request with prayer for Those Divine Entities To Grace That Occasion and To Accept The Offering having thorough and perfect physical ambience befitting to Them with a total regard for the cleanliness as well with proper dress code befitting The Great Lords of The Universe which Dress Code includes and binding upon Himself – Shri Babuji Maharaj- and with His Own Physical Etiquette Filled Mane to Sit Before Them for their Blessings and their Watchful Protective Eye so as no curvature can take place in the method of practice and also to protect it from any deviation what so ever and from whom so ever which is away from the laid path by Shri Babuji Mahraj under the Divine Guidance, this The Birth Day Celebrations of Holy Joy In The Holy Rememberance of His Master, in who’s Sacred Memory, Shri Babuji Maharaj Founded This Method of Practice Sahaj Marg for the Welfare and Wellbeing of the mankind and This Great Spiritual Congregation is Certainly has a Concluding Note With “Aftab-E-Marafat” which rendering is humble devotion filled offering is penned as a song in praise of Shri Lalaji Maharaj sung in the presence of Shri Babuji Maharaj which transports Himself and rest of gathering to The Sacred and Holy Presence of Shri Lalaji Maharaj in invoking and seeking the Blessings of The Lord For The Entire gathering as well as The Universe and To The Entire Existence.

Krishna Janmastami: Lord Shri KrishnaJi Maharaj’s Birthday- “Yuga Purusha” as stated by Shri Babuji Maharaj, further elucidating about Lord Shri Krishnaji Maharaj, He used to state that, that there is no faith or religion or devotional practice which was born thereafter of Him born with His Grace Only and had to depend upon Him only and single pointedly took the inspiration from Him only and born and existed and continue to exist with His Grace and with His Hand of Blessings only in the whole world.

Shri Babuji Maharaj used to say that ‘The Lord’ is The Only One who introduced “Bhakti” ‘A Lively Link with Life and Liveliness of Grace’ in the persuits of God realization as a Sure Sadhana in turning the attention of ‘The Lord’ and thereby to reach destination.

The Teachings of The Lord as explained by Rao Sahib and the way I understood is “To Become One With The Lord Is Yog,” “ Eka Tattva Chintanam Yogaha ” while that state is entered after the manifestation of the state of receding and the process of receding set into motion and that process effected the state of surge with the forceful momentum to effect the separation from The State of Unison and reach a such juncture, the juncture of seamless finish line of the boundary of Unison which Begins and ends in the sense of down word path of becoming individual entity and faint awareness of experienced state of Unison which effect is like the fragrance or aroma having engulfed within this existence generates a intense longing to go back but at the same time an intense and deep Urge surges out to remain in that newly developed State as well to possess it forever, when attempted to explain from outer line It Could be named as “Bhakti” and wanted to explain the intricacies about the whole path to begin with from the boundary line of Seamless finish Line of Unison to One side and other side as Bhakti and this explanation of different states and stages and levels becomes “Bhakti Yog.”



“To Become One With The Lord Is Yog” further explaining That State beyond Unison and Bhakti, Rao Sahib told me that having sufficiently developed and experienced The One ness or mergence with “That One” and got soaked well with the essence, the individual mind reaches a balanced state thereby developing Total One Pointedness as well as within the mind the levels, stages, and states well segregated clearly demarcated with clean and clear perception of perceivable separations within its individual independent entities of its states when got fired or burnt with the Intellectuality with its natural characteristic of Mind-‘Repetitive Thinking’ stirred the entire sphere and reach of The Mind and starts giving explanations about the insight of pathway detailing the pathway with all its intermediary stages, levels, and states of the path way and further explanations of intricacies of effects, pros and cons of the path way for reaching the State of Bhakti and Unison and the experienced fragrance and aroma of Bhakti State and Stage and Level and attempts to give faint or feeble idea about the Unision is called “Jnana Yog” with the forever helping hand of The Subject which termed as Philosophy when attempted to utilize the same systematic explanation to bridge the gap of Imperience.

When I further enquired with Rao Sahib about “Karma Yog,” the detail explanation could be given only with the help of “Jnana Yog,” and in each and every form of three Facets of Yog are all in the three facets of Yog, which involved and in particular about this “Karma Yog” is also about the deed of an individual aspirant towards achieving the Unison with The Lord in the common parlance but in reality and in true sense these steps are emerged while receding from The Perfect Unison to innumerable further away states which comprises of levels and stages and states and explained by The One who actually having the experience of Imperience in nature, who having sound well developed matured human mind and a perfect human heart at his disposal to be and can be utilized for explaining the intricacies involved in this subject matter.

“Yog” means in the general sense as well as the true meaning is “Doing” or “Conducting” in a systematic way, orderly way, optimally utilizing the energies, conductively and cohesively to the means and path and to achieve the goal “Yogaha Karma Su Kaushalam”-Karma-Doing- is Action and Action means and includes Continuous Action with well oriented objective in view only to achieve the Set Objective or Goal and after achieving the objective still to maintain the achieved objective keeping it in its pristine pure state of its Original Existence till the last breath as Ordained by The Master to Consume by the seeker.

Now it is foregone conclusion “Karma” is The Only Essential Factor Than Theory, Philosophy or any thing on the path way for the persuit which only assures certain of the fruit with keeping the Link Live with Smaran or Constant Rememberance of The Lord to Sail through the Infinite Ocean, which means First to Establishing The Link Firmly With The Lord and That Establishing The Link Process to be completed so as to take firm holding as roots to The Ground of That Self of The Lord, and Established Link to Make it Live with continuous needed flow of feed, and That Live Link is to be made Lively by making these roots so robust to withstand the flow of Grace and Sustenanace and the result of That Lively Link with Liveliness .

“ Satsangatve Nissangatvam, Nissangatve Nirmohatvam ”
“Nirmohatve Nischalatatvam, Nischalatatave Jeevanmuktihi”

“ Aashaya Badhyate Loko, Karmana Bahu Chintaya
Aayuh Ksheenam Najanati, Tasmat Jagruta Jagruta ”

“ Kama Krodhashcha Lobhashcha, Dehe Tishthanti Tiskaraha
Gnana Ratnapaharaya, Tasmat Jagruta Jagruta ”

“ Sampadah Swapna Sandeshah Youvanam Kusumopamam
Vidyut Chanchalam Aayushyam Tasmat Jagruta Jagruta ”

“ Mata Naasti Pita Naasti, Naasti Bandhuh Sahodaraha
Artho Naasti Gruham Naasti, Tasmat Jagruta Jagruta ”

“ Janma Dukham Jara Dukham, Jaaya Dukham Punah Punaha
Sansara Sagaram Dukham, Tasmat Jagruta Jagruta ”

“ Tvameva Mata Cha Pita Tvameva
Tvameva Bandhuscha Sakha Tvameva
Tvameva Vidya Dravinam Tvameva
Tvameva Sarvam Mama Deva Deva ”

The Source of Nectar Sprang “The Spring of Devotion” from The Heart of Thy Devotee Hey “Kanha” by Thy “Bluish Presence.”

Hey Krishna Kanhaiah “Thou” art Meant To Feel Sarvam Mama Deva Deva

It appears with a great persuasion and pestering from the entire family of Sahaj Marg followers from all over the world Shri Babuji Maharaj Conceded for the request of Celebrations of His Birthday as He used to Say in Urdu, “Bhai! Murrawat me Aake Karna Pada,” since 1974, which is His 75 year of Birthday Celebration and at that time that Celebration was aimed at seeking Donations for Building the Head Quarters Ashram at Shahjahanpur.

This Celebration of Joy of Shri Babuji Maharaj’s Birthday Celebration is also meticulously thought and planned as replica of Basant Panchami Utsav with every detailed and minute details same as that of the Basant Utasv or Basant Panchami.

The Third guidelines prescribed by Shri Babuji Maharaj is Celebration of The Founders Day Celebrations for Each and Every Centre and Branch of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, which is infact a Spiritual Grant by The Master To The Place Specific and That Place Specific is to be made befitting to become the Store House of Divine Energy and Power by The Master and Continue to Maintain By Him of its Spiritual Well being with the proper amount of purity and sanctity and to see that The Pure Prana in its Pure and Original State Available there whenever there is call or request or prayer is made for the availability hence this guidelines by Shri Babuji Maharaj for the Celebration, To That Place Specific after making the place proper and befitting to conduct spiritual training, a day which is a suitable day for the local centre depending upon the local factors as The Founders Day and in some centres and some times Shri Babuji Maharaj did suggest some days and month for some centres and the same is being followed and the conduction and procedure is also same as Basant Panchami Utsav or Shri Babuji Maharaj’s Birthday Celebrations in every minute details and The Grace and Blessings are showered upon and enveloping entire Abhyasis present and the atmosphere in all the days of Spiritual Congregation. The Founder Father of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, Shri Ram Chandraji Maharaj is being Remembered in Reverence for having given an opportunity to Conduct The spiritual Congregations and Making The Place Specific as a Centre To Impart Spiritual Training and to Impart Divine Impulses to the general public.

The Master Provided me with the enough time and placed the basic literature before me to my convenience and to help me to come to proper logical conclusions whether to embark upon this journey by adopting His Path allowing my complete freedom of thought and analysis and conviction to start the method of practice.

The Master Shri Babuji Maharaj has provided me with these basic literature about the method of Sahaj Marg namely : “Reality at Dawn,” “The Efficacy of Raj Yog In The Light of Sahaj Marg,” “The Ten Maxims of Sahaj Marg,” “The Sahaj Marg Philosophy,” “Towards Infinity,” and “The Voice Real” One and Two Parts, “The Truth Eternal,” and The Auto Biography of Ram Chandra by Himself.

These basic literature formed as Forming Knowledge Base for my understanding and for clarifications during my practice as well developing proper insight and outlook about The Method, The Master and The Process as well as About The Intricacies of Developing Proper Mind With sound base of True, Sincere and Honest Faith about me and Myself and upon my abilities of understanding in a right perspective of the whole issue.

Apart from the basic literature of Sahaj Marg other learned and experienced Seniors had also produced certain amount of literature thereby strengthening the literature of Sahaj Marg Method and the method of practice as they viewed with their backing of long years of their serious, honest and sincere practice under the tutelage of The Master and these literature also helped me to restrengthen and reorient and to recharge the tone and the surge of my individual practice as those Learned and Great Ones Lived That Way standing as Beacon Light Throwing and Illuminating the Path way and assuring by their Very Living As Ordained By The Master and Stood as Towering Personalities With Full of Life and Liveliness of The Master Inspiring, Convincing and Reassuring me stating by their living, “ My dear one that it is possible within this very life or within the short span of living as an ordinary human,” then I thought and got convinced that like me an ordinary individual also can aspire for such a reach.

By: Suresh Kumar Makam