Sant Vaani

Man too maanat kyoon na manaa re |Kaun kahan ko kaun sunan ko, doojaa kaun janaa re ||1||

Darpan mein pratibimb jo bhaasai, aap chahoon disi soee |Duvidhaa mitai ek jab hovai, tau lakhi paawai koee ||2||

Jaise jal te hem banatu hai, hem dhoom jal hoee |Taise yaa tat waahoo tat son, fir yah aru wah soee ||3||

Jo samujhai to kharee kahan hai, naa samujhai to khotee |Kahai Kabir dou pakh tyaagai, taakee mati hai motee ||4||

Translation:

O mind! Why don't you heed the forbidding? |Who (else) is here to advise, who to listen; where is the second person (i.e. there is none other entity that exists)? ||1||

Like the image seen in a mirror, everything seen in all the four directions is manifestation of the selfsame soul. |When the dichotomy is destroyed and only one entity remains; it is only then that this truth is realised. ||2||

Just as the ice and vapour are formed of water, and again turn back into water....|Likewise are this soul and that soul; and again all this and that become (are) that one & only one Supreme Soul. ||3||

He who has understood (grasped) this fact tells the truth; and he who has not utters the falsity.|But he who refutes both the facets (sides), comments Kabir Sahab, is a blockhead. ||5||

In the Cupola of the Temple is the Divine Drum Resounding! - Sant Tulsi Sahab

[English rendering of Hindi translation, by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj (1885-1986), of a verse composed by Sant Tulsi Sahab of Hathras, founder of the Santmat in modern times, taken from the book "Santwani Sateek" authored by Maharshi Mehi and published from Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kuppa Ghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India - 812 003.

- English Translation by Pravesh K. Singh

(http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/sant_ santati , http://profiles. yahoo.com/ praveshksingh ) ]

The Verse:

"surat shiromaNi ghAT, gumaTh math mridang baje re ||refrain||

kingarI bIn sankh sainAI, bankanAl kI bAT |chitavat chAT khAt par jAgI, sovat kapaT kapAT ||1||

muralI madhur jhAnjh jhanakArI, rambhA nachat bairAT |uDat gulAl gyAn gun gAnThI, bhar-bhar rang ras mAT ||2||

gAI gail sail Anahad kI, uThai tAn sur ThAT |lagan lagAi jAi soi samajhI, surat sail nabh fAT ||3||

Tulsi nirakh nain din rAtI, pal-pal paharau ATh |yahi vidhi sail karai nis vAsar, roj tIn sai sATh ||4 ||"

English Translation:

In the cupola of the temple (body), at the chief bank (seat, i.e. the Sixth Chakra or the Central Point of the Ajna Chakra or the Third Eye) of the soul, the drum of the Anahad is beating. ||refrain||

On the constricted, winding path, that is so difficult to tread, are heard the captivating melodies of musical instruments like lute, flute, conch & clarinet. |Such a person who has had once the taste of these chanting melodies as narrated above is wide awake internally and is alertly listening to the Divine Music, though he might be perceived by others as sleeping on a cot. ||1||

He enjoys the sweet tunes of flute, jingle of cymbals, and witnesses the Lord's grand macro-cosmic plays (within him). |From him flies off the coloured farinaceous powder of wisdom & virtues (that is, great spiritual wisdom gets propagated around the world by such great persons and each & every pore of such persons are permeated by the essence of wisdom). ||2||

I have sung this description of the Divine Realms after having myself travelled through these; there myriads of melodies always keep playing. |Whoever has devotedly fixed his mind on this meditation, has lifted himself from one horizon into the other; he & he alone can know this (what has been described above). ||3||

Behold lovingly, exhorts Sant Tulsi Sahab, that Divine play (i.e. practise Drishti Yoga or Meditation on the Divine Light) day & night, every moment, every `pahar' (a division of time consisting of three hours, so that the whole day of 24 hours is made of eight 'pahar's). |Keep practising and touring this very way, day & night, all the year round. ||4||

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The Passage of Devotion is Subtle!

Below is presented an English Translation of an educative verse of the legendary mystic poet & Sant Kabir Sahab taken from the book "Santvanee Sateek" written by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans:

The Original Poem:"Bhakti kaa maarag jheenaa re ||Nahi achaah nahin chaahanaa, charanan lau leenaa re ||1||Saadhun ke satsang mein, rahe nis din bheenaa re ||2||Shabd mein surta aise base, jaise jal meenaa re ||3||Maan manee ko yon taje, jas telee peenaa re ||4||Dayaa chhimaa santosh gahi, rahe ati aadheenaa re ||5||Paramaarath mein det sir, kachhu vilamb na keenaa re ||6||Kahai Kabir mat bhakti kaa, paragat kah deenaa re ||7||

Translation:The passage or pathway of devotion is subtle! ||A devotee should be neither desire-less# nor desirous#; he should remain fully engrossed in the thoughts (meditation) of the lotus feet of the Preceptor (in order to ensure spiritual progress). ||1||He should be soaked, day & night, in the noble company of mendicants. ||2||His soul should be so deeply absorbed in the Indestructible Primeval Word, the cause of the universe, in the same manner in which a fish* lives in water. ||3||He should renounce (the craze for) personal prestige and ego just as the oil-miller (oil-grinder) rejects the oil-cakes (in the process of extraction of oil from oil seeds).||4||He should firmly hold onto the virtues of compassion, forgiveness and contentment, and live in utter subservient humility. ||5||He makes no delay in sacrificing even his life at the altar of the firm resolve to attain to the Supreme Being or to secure salvation. ||6||I have, thus, says Kabir Sahab, expressed my views very explicitly on the doctrine of devotion. ||7||

N.B.

# A true devotee should possess the burning desire of realising the Supreme Sovereign and of acquiring the means of devotion to that end. At the same time, he must be entirely devoid of any desire for worldly possessions or sensory pleasures.* A fish has such an intense love for water that it can't stay out of it even for a few moments. In the same way, opines Sant Kabir (and for that matter all sants), a seeking soul should be so intensely absorbed in the Divine Unstruck Melody that it should not even think of being disconnected from it even for a moment.

Translator: Nand Kishore Singh

*************************************************** O Traveller, Revert to Your Original Eternal Abode!

Below is presented an English Translation of a touching verse of the legendary mystic poet & Sant Kabir Sahab taken from the book "Santvanee Sateek" written by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans:

The Original Poem:

"Morey jiyaraa badaa andesawaa, musaafir jaiho kaunee or ||

Moh kaa shahar kahar nar naaree, dui faatak ghanaghor |kumatee naayak faatak roke, parihau kathin jhinjhor ||1||

Sanshay nadee agaadee bahatee, visham dhaar jala jor |Kyaa manuvaan tum gaafil sovau, ihavaan mor na tor ||2||

Nisadin preeti karo saahab se, naahin kathin kathor |Kaam diwaanaa krodh hai raajaa, basain pacheeso chor ||3||

Satta purush ik basai pachhim disi, taason karo nihor |Aavai darad raah tohi laavai, tab paiho nij or ||4||

Ulati paachhilo paidon pakado, pasaraa manaa bator |Kahai Kabir suno bhaai saadho, tab paiho nij thaur ||5||

Translation:

I have very strong apprehensions, O Passenger, whither are you headed?

This world is a city of terrible delusions with men (the male) and women (the female) as its two gates. |The evil mind (base thoughts) is the chieftain standing guards at the gates, and (thus, if you don't mend your ways) you run the risk of getting caught in a dreadful situation. ||1||

The mighty river of suspicion flows ahead, with furious currents of doubts & debates (arguments) |O mind! Why are you sleeping so unaware? (Here in this mortal world) no one or nothing is either mine or yours! ||2||

Love your Lord (God) constantly, day & night; or else real hard times await you. |Lust is the minister, anger the king, and twenty- five thieves inhabit the city (who torment you, and will keep doing so, ceaselessly; however, these become totally ineffective against those who are lost in true love of God). ||3||

Rare true men (sants) dwell in light (that is, have attained enlightenment) ; implore them, pray to them. |When such a sant would be compassionate and orient you on the right track; then you would discover the way back to your Self. ||4||

Revert and set yourself on the road (leading backwards), and collect your otherwise scattered mind.Kabir Sahab says, O noble people, only then you would get to your own primordial Home. ||5||

[Sant Kabir Sahab, in the above poem, awakens and makes us aware of the real state of affairs of this world that we live in which are truly sordid and spell disaster, if we don't rectify our faulty way of living life. He exhorts us to approach humbly a realised Guru, learn the art of reverting to our own primeval abode – the source of eternal bliss, and implement the same to ensure absolution of all our problems for good.]

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He Who Has Visualized Him is My Guru! - Sant Shri Singa Sahab

[English rendering of Hindi translation, by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj (1885-1986), of a verse composed by Jain Monk Shri Singa Sahab taken from the book "Santwani Sateek" authored by Maharshi Mehi and published from Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kuppa Ghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India - 812 003.



The Verse:

"nirguN brahma hai nyArA koI, samajho samajhana hArA ||

khojat Brahma janam sirAne, muni jan pAr na pAyA |khojat khojat Shiva ji thAke, wo aisA aparampArA ||1||

Shesh sahasmukh rahe nirantar, rain divas ek sArA |rishi muni aur siddha chaurasI, wo taintIs koTi pachihArA ||2||

trikuTI mahal mein Anahad bAje, hot shabd jhankArA |sushaman sej shUnya mein jhUle, wo soham purush hamArA ||3||

ved kathe aru kahe nirvana, shrotA kaho vichArA |kAm krodh mad matsar tyAgo, ye jhooThA sakal pasArA ||4||

ek bUnd kI rachanA sArI, jAkA sakal pasArA |Singa jo bhar najarA dekhA, wohI Guru hamArA ||5||"


The nirguN or attribute-less (i.e. who is beyond or free of the three qualities or attributes viz. sat, raj and tam) God is distinct, is unique; know Him. ||

Lord BrahmA (the Hindu creator deity) spent whole of his life searching Him (the nirguN Brahma); the hermits failed to find His bounds. |Such is that boundless God that even Lord Shiva got tired looking for Him. ||1||

The (great serpent) Sheshanag with a thousand hoods kept seeking Him ceaselessly, day & night. |And also did the sages, ascetics, 84 siddhas and 3.3 million deities rigorously toil to discover Him. ||2||

Sounds of Anahad (countless varieties of) instruments keep ricocheting in the palace of trikuTI (region immediately above or beyondthe Thousand-petalled Lotus). |

The bed of Sushumna is swinging in the inner sky; and in the inner void lives the Soham Purush. ||3||

Vedas proclaim and so say the liberated sants, "O Listeners! Ponder well and then say. |The whole expanse of creation is illusory; (so) shun lust, anger, egotism, envy etc." ||4||

This whole creation is formed of a drop; everything is of His making. |He who has visualized Him & His exploits through the eyes of his soul, says Shri Singa Sahab, is my Guru. ||5||

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Visualize All Pilgrim Places Within You! - Sant Maluk Das

[English rendering of Hindi translation, by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj (1885-1986), of a verse composed by Sant Maluk Das Ji taken from the book "Santwani Sateek" authored by Maharshi Mehi and published from Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kuppa Ghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India - 812 003.



The Verse:

"terA main dIdAr dIwAnA |ghaDI-ghaDI tujhe dekhA chAhUn, sun sAheb rahamAnA ||

huA almast khabar nahin tan kI, pIyA prem piyAlA |ThADh houn to gir gir paDatA, tere rang matavAlA ||

khaDA rAhUn daravAr tihAre, jyon ghar kA bandAjAdA|nekI kI kulAh sir dIye, gale pairahan sAjA ||

tauzI aur nimAz na jAnUn, nA jAnUn dhari rozA |bAng zikar tab hI se bisarI, jab se yah dil khojA ||

kahai Maluk ab kazA na karihaun, dil hI son dil lAyA |

makkA hajj hiye main dekhA, pUrA murshid pAyA ||"


I am madly thirsting to have your glimpse! |O Kind God! I crave to see you every moment, all the time ||1||

Having been drunk and intoxicated on your love I have become totally oblivious of even my own body |I fall down every time I attempt to stand up, so much am I inebriated in your love ||

I stand in humble attendance at your doorstep as a bandazada1 would do…|Wearing the cap of good virtues on my head, and a long flowing garment hanging from my neck ||

I know not tauzi3 and namaz3, nor do I keep roza4 |I have forgotten bang5 and zikar6 ever since I discovered myself ||

I would no longer commit any errors, proclaims Sant Maluk Das Ji, for I have dissolved my body-mind into my soul |Having found an accomplished Murshid (Guru), I have seen Mecca and Haj within myself (my own body) ||

N.B.

1. bandajada => `khanazad ghulam' or the son of a servant born at the master's house

2. garments worn by a traditional servant (slave)

3. tauzi and namaz are the Islamic rituals of offering prayer

4. roza => dawn-to-dusk fasting observed by Muslims during the holy month of Ramazan

5. bang => `Ajan' or the loud recital of hymns from the Quran, the holy book of Muslims

6. Zikar => `jap', or the chanting of holy words

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Disentangle Yourself From the Deluding Actions to Relish the Divine Bliss! - Sant Maluk Das

[English rendering of Hindi translation, by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj (1885-1986), of a verse composed by Sant Maluk Das Ji taken from the book "Santwani Sateek" authored by Maharshi Mehi and published from Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kuppa Ghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India - 812 003.



The Verse:

"ras re nirgun rAg se, gAvai koi jAgrat jogI |alag rahai sansAr se, so is ras kA bhogI ||1||

Bharam karam sab chhAnD, anUThA yah mat pUrA |sahajai dhun lAgI rahai, bAje Anahad tUrA ||2||

laharAin uThatI gyAn kI, barasain rimjhim motI |gagan gufA mein baiTh kai, dekhA jagamag jotI ||3||

shiv nagarI Asan kiyA, sun dhyAn lagAyA |tInon dasA visAr ke, chauthA pad pAyA ||4||

anubhav upajA bhay gayA, had taj behad lAgA |ghaT unjiArA hoi rahA, jab Atam jAgA ||5||

sab rang khelai sam rahai, duvidhA manhain na Anai |kah Maluk soI rAvalA, mere man mAnai ||6||"


Great is the bliss which is experienced by a rare awakened yogi (one who has catapulted himself into the enlightened state, and is constantly tuned to the Attribute-less Sound) |He who keeps himself detached from the world, relishes that extraordinary taste ||1||

His creed is unique and perfect who has abandoned all sorts of delusive acts |Who is all the time immersed in the enchanting trumpet (sound currents) of countless varieties ||2||

The waves of wisdom keep rising (within such a yogi), the sparkling pearls keep pouring down (in the inner sky)|Sitting in the inner divine cave (the Ajna Chakra), he beholds the dazzling radiance ||3||

He lays his seat in the house of Lord Shiva (Shiva Netra or the Third Eye), and gets focussed in the inner void |Forgetting or forsaking the three states (of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep), he attains the fourth state (the turiya state) ||4||

All fear is gone as he gets the direct experience; he leaves behind the limits of the finite world and enters into the infinite realm |As the soul is awakened, the whole body becomes full of light ||5||

(Such a yogi) remains equanimous while performing all sorts of (worldly) duties, and has no duality left in his mind |My mind, says Sant Maluk Das, adores such a person as the True King or an Accomplished Man ||6||

Meditate Upon the Eternal, Attribute-less Name! - Sant Dariya Sahab (of Bihar)

[English rendering of Hindi translation, by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj (1885-1986), of a verse composed by Sant Dariya Sahab of Bihar taken from the book "Santwani Sateek" authored by Maharshi Mehi and published from Maharshi Mehi Ashram, Kuppa Ghat, Bhagalpur, Bihar, India - 812 003.



Original Verse in hindi:

Translation:

O saints! Meditate upon the attribute-less, eternal, non-destructible name (sound/word) | This is the capital stock (principal sum) for the fulfilment of all your desires. ||1||

Intensely love the Attribute-less Supreme Lord | And, conquer all your longings/ cravings within this fort that is, this body of yours ||2||

The Quintessential Primordial Word is the main spectacle or the glass | Through which everything looks to be of the same colour (the form of God) all around ||3||

Sparkling light keeps pouring there all the time | With a stilled mind you would listen to trumpeting of Anahad (countless) sounds ||4||

The heavenly sky is lit brightly with that divine light | Catch hold of the makar-tAr1 (wire or thread of the spider's web) through the supernatural vision ||5||

If the psychic nerves, Ida & Pingla, go (meet) at twelve2 | The practitioner experiences the intoxicating aroma of incense and sandal ||6||

In the lotus, accessed with difficulty through the spiral alley, is sighted the immeasurable diamond | Getting there the black bee that is this mind, gets purified ||7||

Seek the shelter of the True Adept who has himself realised the Eternal Truth | Who teaches others after mastering himself the right way or skill to realise that Truth ||8||

That (God), which is the Centre or the Root of everything, says Dariya Sahab, defies description | Attaining to Him destroys, forever, all sorts of pains, grief and sorrows ||9||

1. It refers to the current or the wire riding which the individual soul has descended from the higher planes or spheres into the lowest sphere (microcosm). Holding onto and riding the very same current the soul has to ascend itself from microcosm into the macrocosm and beyond. This is compared to the wires or filament of the cobweb which a spider uses to climb up and down the web. `makar' means spider and `tAr' means the wire, filament, cord or thread.

2. This secret has to be learnt from a genuine Guru.

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Don't be Reckless, O Dear Mind!

Below is presented an English Translation of a very popular devotional song of the legendary mystic poet & Sant Kabir Sahab taken from the book "Santvanee Sateek" written by Maharshi Mehi Paramhans:

The Original Poem:

"Arey dil gaafil gafalat mat kar, aek din Jam tere aawegaa rey.

Saudaa karan ko yaa jag aayaa, poonjee laayaa mool ganwaayaa.Prem nagar kA ant na paayaa, jyon aayaa tyon jaawegaa rey.

Sun mere saajan sun mere meetaa, yaa jeewan mein kyaa kyaa keetaa.Sir paahan kaa bojhaa keetaa, aage kaun chhudaavegaa rey.

Paralee paar meraa meetaa khadiyaa, us milane kaa dhyAn na dhariyaa.Tootee naav upar jaa baithaa, gaafil gotaa khaavegaa rey.

Das Kabir kahai samujhaai, anta kaal tero kaun sahaai.Chalaa akelaa sang na koee, kiyaa aapanaa paawega rey.

Translation:

O Careless (Unaware) Mind! Don't be so reckless. (For) one day death will consume you.

You incarnated in this mundane world to acquire something specific, but just wasted the precious human life which would have proved to be a real asset (to earn the affection of God).Thus (frittering away the golden opportunity) , you could not learn the secret (way) to His loving empire; and, therefore, you came here as well as would depart (from here) empty-handed.

Listen O my darling, my dear friend! Please ponder over what all you have achieved thus far in this transitory life...You only burdened yourself further with all sorts of insensible deeds; now who would free you of this burden (when this body is no more)?

On the other side (of this ephemeral existence) your dearest eternal friend awaits you; why don't you take steps to meet Him?You have ensconced yourself in a broken boat (i.e. have taken to a faulty way of living); and, hence, O Negligent One! You are sure to drown and be devastated.

I, your humble servant, explain you affectionately, says Kabir Sahab that no one would come to your rescue in your last (dying) moments.And, finally you will be left absolutely secluded, and reap the fruits of your deeds!

[Sant Kabir Sahab, in the above poem, warns us of the dire consequences that are sure to follow if we don't desist from our faulty way of leading life. We must, therefore, acknowledge the true purpose of this human incarnation and pay heed to the call of our truest friend, eternal comrade who is waiting on the other side of this illusory creation to see us liberated completely from the bondage of transmigration. ]

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Such Persons Who Don't Have Regard for the Guru's Words Waste Their Lives Shooing the Goose!

Below is presented an English Translation of a very popular mystic poem by the famed mystic poet & Sant Kabir Sahab:

The Original Poem:

"Jinakee lagan Guru son naaheen.

Te nar khar kookar sam jag mein, virathaa janam gawaaheen.. Amrit chhodi vishay ras peevain, dhrig dhrig tinake taaeen.

Hari bel kee koree tumadiyaa, sab teerath kari aaee. Jagannath ke darshan karake, ajahun na gaee karuwaaee..

Jaise phool ujaad ko laage, bin swaarath jhari jaaee. Kahai Kabir bin vachan Guru ke, ant kaal pachhitaai.

Translation:

Those who do not tend/ have true devotion towards their Guru...

Such persons are like donkeys & dogs (animals), and squander their precious lives shooing the goose.Such people who renounce ambrosia and drink instead the venom of sensual pleasures deserve all the contempt.

A bitter gourd was travelled and bathed at all the places of pilgrimage.

And was also made to have a glimpse of Lord Jagannath, yet its pungent taste could not be removed.

Just as some (wild) flowers blossom and also wither away in a desert or secluded place without spreading their fragrance & beauty.In the same way, says Kabir Sahab, a person who has no regard for the words of his Guru, has to repent in the last days of his life.

[Sant Kabir Sahab, in the above poem, emphasises the crying need for a solid faith in, & reverence for, the Guru & His words and a matching conduct in day-to-day life.]

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Remove Your Veils to Get a Glimpse of Your Supreme Beloved!

Below is presented an English Translation of a very popular mystic poem by the great mystic poet & Sant Kabir Sahab:

The Original Poem:

"Ghoonghat ke pat khol re, toko peev milenge. Ghat ghat mein wah saain ramataa, katuk vachan mat bol re. Dhan yovan kaa garva na keejai, jhoothaa panch rang chol re. Soonya mahal mein diyanaa baari le, aasaa se mat dol re. Yog yugati se rang mahal mein, peev paayo anamol re. Kahai Kabir aanand bhayo hai, baajat anahad dhol re."

Translation:

Unveil your facial curtains (of illusion) to meet (or see) your Divine Beloved, the Almighty God.The very Supreme Soul pervades each & every living being; so, don't utter abusive or bitter words to anyone.

Don't be haughty or vain and flaunt your wealth and youthfulness; remember, this decaying human body, made up of the five chief transitory elements, is illusory, won't remain for ever.Kindle divine lamp (refulgence) in your inner heavenly space (vacuum) and have firm hope (of meeting Him).By the perfect skill of meditation (learnt from a true teacher) within your splendid body, you will get the glimpse of your priceless Supreme Beloved i.e. Almighty God.Kabir Sahab expresses that he realised ecstatic bliss as he listened to the limitless heavenly sounds chiming within uninterruptedly.

[Kabir Sahab, in the above poem, presents the right way to find the God within our body. Herein he compares the soul to a newly wed lady who is eager to have a glimpse of her beloved but can't do so because of the veil covering her face. Kabir Sahab says, the soul also can't see Him because of the veils (of gross body, astral body, causal body, supra-causal body and the conscious body) separating the two. To remove the veils he emphasises on the right way of living in this world, keeping firm faith in Him, learning the right skills (meditation on light –divine lamp - & sound – countless divine sounds) to remove the veils from a true Guru and practising them regularly.]

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Sant Vaani