The three primarily critical determinants of the process of Self-Realization are: God’s Grace (Meher), God’s Will (Hukum) and the soul’s Eternal Relationship (Nisbat). Grace determines the work of God’s Will (Hukum). His Will, through Tartam Knowledge, determines our speech (Kaul), action (Feil) and state of being (Haal). But, the work of His Will is also dependent upon the Soul’s Nisbat, which ultimately determines the nature of the work of Grace and her actions.1 The Nisbat (ankur) is primarily of three types: Jiva, Ishwari and Brahmn. God’s Grace and Will impact each one differently.
As the seeker learns to practice the Tartam Knowledge, he journeys through different stages of spiritual awakening. He strives to align his speech and thoughts, actions and overall state of being one with the Tartam Knowledge. First, the seed of faith (Emaan) is nurtured through Wani Manthan, i.e., regular study of the Holy Kuljam Swaroop. Next, the faith takes on to the next higher level when one engages him in selfless service (Seva) through body, mind and soul. As the faith evolves, one gets aggressively involved in the Chitwani (meditation) of the God’s Swaroop, Leela and Dham. An intense pang of separation form the Lord is experienced.
Alignment of the seeker’s speech (Kaul), action (Feil) and state of being (Haal) and the intense experience of separation (Viraha) eventually manifests as God’s Inspirational Power (Josh) and the release of fragrance of Pure Love (Ishak). This produces the perfect condition for the Meeting with the Lord and the experience of Ultimate Joy for the Self, i.e., Nijanand. For the heart that is soaked with His Josh and Ishak, the doors to the Abode of Aksharateet are always open. Such is the journey of the Soul, which ultimately brings us Nijanand – our Eternal Bliss.
Karni mafak kripa, kripa mafak karni |
Eah dou mafak ankur ke, kei krupa jaat na gini || KS
Birth as a human being is exceptionally rare. Great merit and grace of God brings human life to earth. It has been gifted only for God-realization. In ignorance, humans seek gratification of self and remain deprived of the true blessings of human birth. Contact with sense-enjoyments ultimately turns out to be really painful in as much as it throws him into the whirl-pool of births and deaths. Therefore, man should realize as speedily as possible the ultimate object of eternity. The Sruti says:–“If God is realized in this very life, well and good. If, however, He is not realized in course of life, one will be a great loser.” (Kena.Up.II.5.)( from Gita:IX/33, p.437)
Why do people turn to God?
Today, people are seen turning to God more for their worldly needs–for a peace of mind and comfort to cope with life’s routine problems–than for their need for self-actualization. Of course, religions, scriptures and masters have satisfied both the needs, and there is nothing wrong with it. But, is this the real purpose of adopting a religion? What is the common view of scriptures in this regard? Why shouldn’t we focus more on the real essence of the scriptural wisdom that can bring us eternal happiness? In this book, our focus will be primarily on the human quest for self-realization.
As Upanishads repeatedly say: “realization of the self and the Supreme Brahmn is the ultimate purpose of human life because it bestows immortality. When Brahmn is known, all is known. To seek is the start of any quest. World religions explain the quest as the longing of a soul for God. The reward of the spiritual quest is gaining the deeper understanding of one’s True Self and the discovery of a new and different way of being. The spiritual nature of humans has allowed them to think about the creation of this universe and their spiritual nature and origin. They also tend to think about the true form, sports, and the abode of the Supreme Truth God and the purpose of their worldly existence. As intellectuals, we humans often confront such brainstorming questions:
- Who am I? Where have I come from?
- What is the purpose of my existence in this world?
- Who is the true owner of my soul?
- Where is the God who created this beautiful Universe?
- What is the bondage of Maya (illusory power) that takes me away from the truth?
- How can I break these bondage’s to attain eternal salvation?
Prannathji says: “A strong desire to receive the true answers to these questions is the first step to move towards the attainment of Eternal Bliss. An individual seeking Nijanand, being a true jeweler, will, of course, shop with extreme care and a firm mind; they will always look for Nijanand–the Jewel of all Jewels.”
Kharo khoji hasey jaan jawery, teh joseh drudh man dheer |
Vastu akhand ne tehaj leyse, jeh hosey vivhikshin veer || (KS, Kir: 125/11)
The above-mentioned questions occurred to Devchandraji (1581-1654AD), the founder of Nijanand Sampradaya, when he was eleven. He got answers to these questions when the Supreme Lord appeared before him and awakened his soul through the Divine Tartam Knowledge. If we deeply study the diverse world faiths, we find that their respective scriptures have also attempted to answer some of these questions. However, their individual messages appear to be scattered like pearls in an ocean. Yes, all of them did explore God territory; however, Prannathji says, “each scripture or religion explored just a part of the territory or spiritual plane; of course, they did so according to their respective understandings!”
So teta hi boliya, jo gaya jahan laun chal |
Apne apne mukhse, jaher karey majal || (KS, San: 25/12)
In light of the Divine Tartam Wisdom, a seeker soul can put all these different scriptural explorations together. Such a soul realizes that each scripture attempted to reach the same goal, but could explore only up to a certain spiritual plane, among the many planes–one above the other.
First, this book attempts to teach us what exactly to expect from the world religions and scriptures. Then, it explores the process of understanding the scripturally correct answers to these questions. Given the fact that the Supreme Truth God cannot be fully understood through the human mind and intellect, this book relies mostly on the divine wisdom hidden in the many world scriptures; it is not based on any human philosophy.
Through many references on different aspects of spiritual awakening from different scriptures, and by comparing each aspect of spirituality in the light of Tartam Knowledge of Mahamati, this book attempts to lead the seeker soul closer to the goal of realization of Supreme Eternal Bliss. In doing so, the seeker soul’s heart must always be pure, soft and open to Mahamati’s teachings to reap the fullest benefit.
Finally, the readers should always keep this message from Mahamati in mind:
Eah maathey lese tehney kahun chhoon, bija maa karjo dukh |
Tamey tamaari maya mahen, sehejey bhogvjo sukh || (KS, Kir: 126/31)
“This Divine Wisdom is only for those who have a true desire to build their faith in it, act upon it, and enshrine its teachings in their hearts. Those, who do not realize the need for this treasure, may continue to enjoy their material life as usual.” The fire of Divine Love must start from within an individual’s heart.