10 Primordial Masters - 10-22

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The Ten Primordial Masters
The Lives and Teachings of
The Ten Adi Gurus
Edited by Chris Marlow
First Edition – August 2022

ISBN 978-1-4710-9283-1
‘Researches in Sahaja Yoga’ No.7
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This book is humbly offered at the Divine Lotus Feet
of the Guru of all Gurus, Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi,
as an attempt to provide historical and scriptural
information about the Ten Incarnations
of the Divine Guru Principle within us.
We ask Her forgiveness for any mistakes herein.
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Contents
Shri Adi Guru Dattatreya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
The Ten Primordial Masters (brief summary) . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Introduction - the Divine Nature of the Guru . . . . . . . . . . 19
Raja Janaka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Zarathustra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Lao Tse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Confucius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Socrates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Prophet Mohammad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Guru Nanak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Sāī Bābā of Shirdi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Appendix 1. The Symbols of the Ten Adi Gurus . . . . . 265
Appendix 2. Seats of the Adi Gurus in the Void . . . . . 269
“Shri Mataji’s quotations are all in Maiandra font with double

quotation marks and referenced in the text.”
‘Other quotations are in Sylfaen font with single quotation marks’
Shri Mataji’s book ‘Creation’ has been published under the title ‘The
Book of Adi Shakti’.
MME = Shri Mataji’s book ‘Meta Modern Era’.
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Shri Mataji on the Ten Adi Gurus
“The (Ten Adi Gurus) all represent the water element which is
within us for sustaining ourselves. They tell us how to sustain
ourselves as a human being. And all of them have tried to
establish religion within us - doesn’t mean outside, but religion
as the capacity, or you can say, the quality of a man; what a
human being should be like.” 21-04-80, Caxton Hall
“To help (human beings) cross the Ocean of Illusion, they were
given guidance through this incarnation of the Primordial
Master (Âdi Guru) again and again in different lives. He was
created as the three-headed child Dattâtreya by Âdi Shakti as
Satî Anasûyâ, wife of the Sage Atreya.
He was born as Âdi Nâth who founded Jainism, one of the
oldest religions. Then He was born as Râjâ Janaka, father of
Janakî also called Sîtâ, Râma's wife. She was an Incarnation of
Âdi Shakti. He was also born as Macchindra Nâth, and again as
Zoroaster who was worshipped by the ancient Persians, and
still revered by Parsees. Earlier He had taken birth as Abraham
and later as Moses, the Fathers of Judaism. In China He was
born as Confucius and as Lao Tse, and in Greece as Socrates.
He took a very significant Incarnation as Mohammad Sahib,
the Messenger, Paigambar* and Founder of Islam, whose
daughter Fâtima was Sîtâ reborn, an Incarnation of Âdi Shakti.
Yet again He took birth as Guru Nânak, founder of the Sikh
religion whose sister was Nânakî (Janakî, Sîtâ, Fâtima).
Most recently He was born as Shrî Sâi Bâbâ of Shirdî in
Mahârâshtra where He died just over sixty years ago.
Altogether there were ten major Avatâras of Dattâtreya.”
Creation. Ch.2.
* Arabic/Urdu/Hindi for ‘messenger, prophet’
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ADI GURU DATTATREYA
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ADI GURU DATTATREYA
Śhrī Dattātreya1 is widely worshipped all over India. He epitomises
renunciation and detachment from all worldly ties, and grants the
highest liberation. The Ten Ādi Gurus in this book are all
Incarnations of His Principle.
“The Real Gurus are manifestations of this great Principle of
Primordial Master, Dattâtreya, who came on this Earth many-
a-times and tried to establish within us our Sustenance, our
Dharma with this Central Force of Evolution.” 06-02-81, Delhi
“Dattâtreya helps human beings to seek their salvation by crossing
the Void or Ocean of Illusion within themselves.” Creation. Ch.9.
Due to the many legends it is hard to say when His Incarnation
occurred. He narrates the Tripura Rahasya2 to Śhrī Paraśhurāma3,
the seventh incarnation of Śhrī Vishnu contemporary to Śhrī Rāma
and Rājā Janaka, c.5000 BCE. Śhrī Rāma and Sītā are said to have
visited Sage Atri and Anasūyā, Śhrī Dattātreya’s parents.
The teachings attributed to Him, such as the Tripura Rahasya, are
mainly Tantric, ie. concerning the necessity to awaken the Kuṇḍalinī
and traverse the six Chakras in order to experience union with the
Divine in Sahasrāra.
1 ‘
Dattātreya’ means ‘Given to Atri (His father)’ [Datta –‘given’, Ātreya –‘to
Atri’] It can also mean ‘Granting the state beyond the three (states)’ ie.
the Turiya –‘fourth’ state of Pure Spirit. (A-tri –‘without the three’)
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An English translation is available to download free on symb-ol.org.
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Paraśhurāma lived more than 5000 years and appears in the Rāmāyāna
and in the Mahābhārata 2000 years later, as Karna’s Guru.
ADI GURU DATTAYREYA 6

Dattātreya was the son of Sage Atri* and His wife Anasūyā –‘without
envy’. They had a boon that the Trimūrti –‘Three Forms of God’,
(Śhiva, Brahmā and Vișhṇu) would be born to them, and Dattātreya is
considered an incarnation of all three but mainly of Śhrī Viṣhṇu. His
brothers Durvasa and Chandra were Brahmā and Śhiva incarnated.
Śhrī Mataji recounts the story of His birth:-
“You must be knowing the story of a very devoted wife, a Satî,
her name was Anasûya and she was so religious and so
dedicated that the wives of all the Gods, Brahmâ, Vishnu,
Mahesha, got very jealous of her. So they told their husbands
that, ‘You must go and test her, if she is really a woman with
chastity or not.’
So all of them came down as Sadhus –‘seekers’, dressed up like
Sannyasis –‘ascetics’. And she said she wanted to serve them,
give them something. They said, ‘We want to have food.’ She
said, ‘All right, come and sit down.’ She cooked food for them.
So they said, ‘No, we will not have the food unless and until
you take out all your clothes. We will only have the food if
you take out all your clothes.’ She said, ‘Is it so?’; they said,
‘yes’.
So she made them into little, little children, three little children
and then she became nude. Because innocence doesn't
understand anything about nudity. And then she joined them
together, their three innocence was joined together. That's how
the Âdi Guru was created. So Guru has to be an innocent
person and not a cunning man.” 30-08-92, Cabella
Śhrī Dattātreya left home at an early age and devoted Himself to
austerities. He attained enlightenment by observing nature whose
* Atri was a ‘mind-born’ son of Shri Brahmadeva and is considered to be
one of the main authors of the Rig Veda.

twenty-four principles taught Him all things. His philosophy includes
leading a simple life, kindness to all, questioning accepted truths
and seeking the spiritual meaning of life.
Ādi Guru Dattātreya was completely detached, but to test the faith
of some of the Devas who had come to Him for help, He spent a
hundred years on an island in the middle of a lake apparently
indulging in alcohol and sporting with a beautiful female form
(which had emerged from the top of His head!) (Markandeya Purana
Ch.17-18). Many of the Devas left in disgust but a few remained
faithful. The point was to show the Devas that one cannot indulge
in a luxurious and sensual lifestyle, as many of them did, and still
expect Divine blessings. His Śhakti is Anagha –‘sinless’ Lakṣhmī.
Śhrī Dattātreya is often depicted surrounded by four dogs of
different colours, representing the Disciple Principle and the
Dharma of the four castes and four Vedas; and the wish-fulfilling
cow Kāmadhenu, representing spiritual sustenance. His three heads
and six arms indicate the triple incarnation of Śhiva (Trident and
Drum), Brahmā (Water-pot and Rosary) and Viṣhṇu (Conch and
Discus). The Trishūla –‘Trident’ represents mastery over the three
Guṇas -’attributes’.
Other Incarnations
Shri Mataji mentions that other incarnations of Shrī Dattātreya
include Macchindra-nāth (10thc. Mahārāshtra, the first of the Nine
Nāths*) and Ādi-nāth (also called Ṛiṣhabha-deva, the first Tirthankara
of Jainism. Mahāvīra was the 24th and last Tirthankara)).
* In Mahārāshtra, the Nav Nāths or Nāth-panthi –‘Nine Gurus, Masters’ is a

spiritual tradition based on Śhrī Dattātreya’s teachings founded by
Macchindra-nāth and His disciple Gorakh-nāth to which Gñyāneshwar’s
brother Nivritti belonged.

The Ten Primordial Masters (Adi Gurus)
A brief summary in assumed chronological order
Rājā Janaka
Rājā –‘king’, Janaka –‘father, generating’ (Sanskrit)
5000 BCE, Mithila, India/Nepal
Rājā Janaka was the King of Mithila in modern-day

Nepal and the adoptive father of Shri Sītā, the wife of Shri Rāma. He
was brave, virtuous and well-versed in sacred literature and
practices. Despite the responsibilities and trappings of being a king,
Rājā Janaka was completely detached from worldly desires and on
one occasion remained in meditation by the river while His city
burned down which deeply impressed His disciple Nachiketa.
Rājā Janaka found Śhrī Sītā as a baby in a chest which He unearthed
while performing a ritual ploughing for the prosperity of the nation.
At Her Swayamvara –‘choosing a husband ceremony’, He met Shrī
Rāma whom He recognised as an incarantion of Śhrī Viṣhṇu.
Rājā Janaka is featured in several sacred books such as the
Aṣhṭavakra Gītā, Śhatapatha Brahmana, Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣhad
and Rāmāyāna. The Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upaniṣhad, the oldest and
longest of the Principal Upanishads, contains spiritual conversations
between Him and Sage Yajñavalkya.
‘Develop a sense of proportion and a due sense of values. Love the
things of the world with the love that is their due and no more.’
'When you live in the realm of Divine Power, the Brahman, That
looks after you.' Rājā Janaka
Ten Primordial Masters 9

Abraham (Ibrahim)
‘Father of multitudes’ – Abra -‘father’, Hamon –
‘many, multitude’ (Hebrew)
Ā-brahma –‘reaching God’ (Sanskrit)
1800 BCE, Mesopotamia and Palestine
Prophet and First Patriarch of the Jewish nation
Abraham is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

His eldest son Ishmael is the ancestor of the Arabs and the Prophet
Mohammad. As the grandfather of Jacob whose twelve sons
became the twelve tribes of Israel, He is the ancestor of the Jews
and of Jesus.
After a revelation of the One God, He opposed idol worship in His
home town of Ur on the Euphrates. On God’s orders He migrated
with His family to Canaan (Israel -the ‘Promised Land’) which God
promised to Him and the great nation He would engender.
God sent Him to warn the people of the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah, near the Dead Sea, to give up their perverted and
licecensious ways. They did not listen and, despite Abraham’s
pleading with God, the cities were destroyed.
God tested His faith by asking Him to sacrifice His son Isaac, which
He prepared to do, but an angel appeared to stop Him at the last
moment. His faith, dedication and surrender to God were absolute.
‘Saith the Lord: in thy seed shall all the nations of the Earth be
blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice.’ Genesis, Ch.22
“Abraham came on this Earth just to prophesize, just to protect
the devotees of God.... Abraham taught you how to lead
yourself in the right path.” 28-05-79, London

Zarathustra (Zoroaster)
Zarat-‘golden’, Ushtra –‘star, light, camel’
(Persian)
Zoro –‘golden’, Aster –‘star’ (Greek)
1600 BCE, Persia
Persian prophet and religious poet
Zarathustra established the first monotheistic religion outside India.

Known to His followers as Zartosht, He viewed life and the Universe
as a cosmic struggle between truth and falsehood. He emphasised
the importance of free will in sustaining truth by good thoughts,
words and deeds through active participation in life.
He received Divine revelations at the age of thirty and started
preaching but encountered resistance from the people of his native
state. It was ten years before He established a following in a
neighboring kingdom. His teachings are expounded in the Gathas –
‘songs’ which are in Avestan - a language close to Vedic Sanskrit.
In Zoroastrianism, God is worshipped through mantras and the
sacred fire as in the Judaic and Vedic traditions. Many ideas in
Jewish, Islamic and Christian cultures such as Adam and Eve,
Heaven and Hell, the Devil and the Last Judgment can be traced
back to Zoroastrianism.
'Therefore may we be those who shall heal this world!'
‘Love your fellows, console the afflicted, pardon those who have
done you wrong.’ Zarathustra

Moses
Moshe-‘drawn out (of the reeds)’ (Hebrew), ‘son’
(Egyptian).
1350 BCE, Egypt
The Founder and Law-giver of Judaism
Though born of Hebrew slaves, Moses was raised as an Egyptian

prince, but left Egypt and lived as a shepherd for many years.
On Mount Sinai God spoke to Him from a burning bush telling Him
to return to Egypt and lead the Children of Israel out of slavery.
After a conflict with Pharaoh where God rained plagues and
disasters upon the Egyptians, the Israelites left Egypt and wandered
for forty years through the wilderness towards the Promised Land,
while Moses struggled to correct them.
On Mount Sinai, He received the Ten Commandments and God
spoke to Him daily revealing the Jewish Law which is recorded in
the Torah - the first five books of the Bible. This was the beginning
of Judaism, the great seminal religion, which later gave rise to
Christianity and Islam, together followed by more than half the
world’s population. He is therefore one of the most widely-revered
prophets of all time.
'You shall therefore keep all the commandments, which I
command you this day, that you may be strong.' Deuteronomy 11
‘I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil,
blessing and curse; therefore choose life; not lusting after your
neighbor's house or wife or maid or ox.’ Ibid. 30

Lao-Tse (Lao-Zi)
Lao –‘old, ancient’, Tse, Zi, Tzu –‘respected,
master’
6th century BCE, China
Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism
Very little is known about Lao Tse, not even His real name for Lao
Tse, like ‘Sāī Bābā’ simply means ‘Old Master’.
The legend is that, after many years of government service, Lao Tse
decided to retire to the wilderness. As He was crossing the border
post mounted on a water buffalo, a guard asked Him to leave some
record of His wisdom before He departed. Three days later He
handed the guard a small manuscript of only five thousand
characters known today as the Tao Te Ching –‘Book of the Way of
Virtue’, expounding the Tao or the Way - the universal truth that
transcends the physical Universe and all mental concepts.
The Tao –‘way’ is to be found by being natural, experiencing the
unity of all creation and being at one with the Inner Self. Te –‘virtue’
is the inner essence which, like water, flows naturally and always
seeks the lowest levels.
‘Knowing others is intelligence, knowing oneself is wisdom.
Mastering others is strength, mastering oneself is true power.'
Lao-Tse

Confucius (Kong-Zi)
Kong -‘opening’ (family name), Zi, Fu-zi, Fu-tse -
‘teacher, master’
551-479 BCE, China
Chinese statesman, teacher and philosopher
Confucius, known in China as Kong-zi –‘Master Kong’, has deeply

influenced the way of life and thinking in China, Japan, Taiwan,
Korea and Vietnam for the past two thousand years.
He believed that enlightened rulers produced happy societies and
emphasised self-restraint and morality on both personal and
governmental levels. He expounded an ideal of the Superior Man
whose main virtue was Ren –‘humanity’, a caring and concern for
others. He believed in the ancient wisdom and advocated a study of
the ‘Five Classics’ – books of wisdom, poetry, history, etc. including
the I Ching which He edited into its present form.
After striving to restore peace and balance in His native state of Lu,
He left His post as a government minister and wandered China for
twelve years but could find no rulers of the calibre He advocated.
He spent His last years teaching and preparing His students to be
righteous government sevants.
‘Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.’
'I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.'
Confucius

Socrates
Sos –‘whole, safe’, Kratos –‘power’ (Greek)
469-399 BCE, Athens, Greece
Greek philosopher considered the father of
Morality, Logic and Western Philosophy
Socrates devoted Himself to the moral and intellectual reform of His

fellow citizens of Athens but in return was condemned to death for
corrupting the youth.
He believed in absolute truth and often referred to guidance from a
'divine voice' within. He was an advocate of careful reasoning in
pursuit of the truth and His analytic practices gave rise to what has
become the ‘Socratic Method’.
Socrates Himself wrote nothing but His teaching formed the basis of
Plato’s philosophy; and it is said that all western philosophy is ‘a
series of footnotes to Plato’. Plato’s disciple Aristotle was also an
authority in religious and scientific thought until the Renaissance.
So Socrates and His search for truth can be considered one of the
greatest influences on Christian and western philosophy.
‘The unexamined life is not worth living’.
‘Falling down is not a failure. Failure comes when we stay where
we have fallen.’
‘True wisdom comes to each of us when we realise how little we
know about life, ourselves and the world around us’.
‘There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.’
Socrates

Prophet Mohammad
Mohammad -‘Praiseworthy, glorified’ (Arabic)
570-632 CE, Mecca, Arabia
Founder of Islam
A native of Mecca, Mohammad began to receive revelations from

the Angel Gabriel at the age of forty. At first suspicious, He spent
three years in prayer until He was convinced by His friends and
family of their genuineness. These revelations continued
throughout His life and His subsequent teachings became the words
of the Qur’an.
At first He preached against idol-worship of which Mecca was the
main centre for Arabia. This made Him deeply unpopular and after
His wife Khadiga and His uncle Abu Talib both died, he narrowly
survived several attempts to kill Him.
Finally in 623 He and His followers fled to Medina where
Mohammad became their leader in faith, law and economics as well
as in the warfare necessary for self-preservation and the spreading
of Islam.
The Meccans surrendered to Mohammad and His army of ten
thousand in 629 and accepted Islam which had spread throughout
Arabia by the time of the Prophet’s early death by poisoning at the
age of sixty-two.
'One hour's meditation on the work of the Creator is better than
seventy years of prayer'. Prophet Mohammad
“Mohammad means the one who deserves to be praised and is

the Redeemer of the World.” 09-12-73, Mumbai

Gurū Nānak
Nānaka - ‘Born in the mother’s village’ (Punjabi)
1469-1539 CE, Punjab, India
The first of the Ten Gurus of the Sikhs
Gurū Nānak spoke of the oneness of all religions, of experience of

the Divine achieved through meditation and reciting the Name of
God. He believed in the equality of all men and women and in
universal compassion and service to humanity.
After receiving a Divine revelation at the age of thirty, He made four
major journeys to spread the message, each of several years, to
East, South, North and West, reaching Burma, Sri Lanka, Tibet,
Nepal, Arabia, Iraq and Iran. He was widely recognised as a great
Man of God by Hindus and Muslims alike.
Like Kabīr, He incorporated His teaching into His songs which He
taught to His followers across India and neighboring countries.
After twenty-four years of travelling He settled down in the Punjab
with His family and founded an agrarian community at Kartārpur
which grew into the Sikh nation.
'See the brotherhood of all mankind as the highest order of yogis;
conquer your own mind and conquer the world.’
‘Truth is the highest virtue. But higher still is truthful living.’
Gurū Nānak
See ‘Appendix 1. The Symbols of the Ten Adi Gurus’ on page 267 for an
explanation of the significance of the symbols we use in Sahaja Yoga
and why the above symbol is appropriate for Guru Nanak.

Sāī Bābā of Śhirḍī (Shirḍī Sāī Nāth)
Sāī –‘swāmī, saint, self-realised, ancient’,
Bābā –‘father, respected person’,
Nāth –‘master’ (Marathi)
1838-1918 CE, Shirḍī, Maharashtra, India
From unknown origins, Shri Sāī Bābā appeared in Shirḍī at the age
of sixteen. He took up residence in a disused mosque and lived a
quiet life of contemplation and it took some time - and a few
miracles - before the people of Shirḍī started to recognise His
greatness.
He tried to eradicate divisions between Hindu and Muslims,
teaching about love, forgiveness, unity, charity, contentment, inner
peace, devotion to the Guru and to God, encouraging His followers
to celebrate festivals and rituals from both Hinduism and Islam. His
attention was always on achieving Self-realisation and first-hand
experience of the Divine.
Before He died in 1918 He predicted that another incarnation would
be born within seven years.
‘Never forget that you are not alone. The Divine is with you,
helping and guiding you. He is the companion who never fails,
the friend whose love comforts and strengthens. Have faith and
He will do everything for you.’ Sāī Satcharitra
'See the Divine in the human being.' Śhrī Sāī Bābā

THE DIVINE NATURE OF THE GURU
The Guru is one with God, the All-pervading Consciousness.
The Guru is God.
The Guru’s Feet are to be worshipped.
The Guru’s Feet are to be washed, anointed and venerated.
The Guru’s Feet are the Feet of the Divine.
From the Feet of the Divine emanates this whole creation.
By connection to the Feet of the Divine we realise
our true nature as the Pure Self.
“Guru means a person

who tries to help the
evolving souls to evolve;
helps the people who are
trying to swim ashore, to
the shore of the Kingdom
of God; by their
guidance.” 30-06-77, London
“Guru means the one who

is sitting at a place higher
than us. As the water
collected at a height
spontaneously flows
down, it is eager to find a level for itself and to bring everyone
to its level. You keep water at a certain height; it will be willing
to uplift everyone.” 09-12-73, Delhi
Introduction 19
Dharma
The Indian word for 'religion', Dharma, means `firmly-established
duty’ and also ‘that which supports, sustains’. The Primordial
Masters taught that of all Dharma, the highest is to utter the praise
and the names of God with devotion. That is the foremost practice
of all religions and the work of the Ten Primordial Masters was to
bring knowledge of the Lord and His Power to all people.
Religion abides in every soul; it is the innermost nature of
everything that exists. It is the yearning of man to lose the sense of
separation. There is only one God; there can be only one religion:
the religion of the droplet becoming the ocean; of the flame
merging with the fire; of the incomplete soul becoming fulfilled,
receiving enlightenment and realising the Self. Not by lighting lamps
outside, but by the lamp of faith, devotion and surrender within our
own Void, can we find illumination.
A seeker without a spiritual guide is like an orphan child in the
wilderness. The word Guru can mean ‘he who lighteth the
darkness’*; when a seeker has become convinced that His intellect,
education, position, wealth and all worldly knowledge, without the
guidance of a true Guru, is actually darkness and delusion, they are
ready for the Path.
How much more blessed are we who have called the Divine Mother
Incarnate our Guru; She who has granted us awakening, spiritual
rebirth and the highest knowledge!
* Gu = guha – ‘dark, hidden, secret’; ru = ruchi –‘light, brilliance’. Guru

originally means ‘heavy’ and is the root of the word ‘gravity’ (gurutvā in
Sanskrit) A Guru is one who has gravity, who is to be respected.
Introduction 20
The Path through the Void
Periodically tides of ignorance sweep the planet, reaffirming the
Divine need to send Spiritual Masters to establish Dharma, nurture
spiritual seeking and warn society against false prophets. These
Divine Messengers, experiencing communion with the Supreme
Spirit, seek to guide, help and awaken the Guru principle within
humanity. Since the dawn of civilisation enlightened souls
wandered amongst the tribes of men seeking to lift our blindness.
A spiritually oriented character is
gained over many lifetimes on the
climb towards Self-realisation.
Instruction is of two kinds: the guru
principle within us and the Teacher
who knows us better than we know
ourselves and provides wisdom and
direction.
In the scriptures, the Guru-disciple
bond is revered as the highest
relationship. The disciple’s qualities
and readiness are tested; their
obedience and surrender reflect
their earnestness to be taught. The
Guru is the guide and the goal; the Shri Sai Bābā of Shirdi –
the only Adi Guru of whom
disciple must tread the path with we have photographs.
humility and devotion; having faith
that only knowing the Spirit gives
real satisfaction and lasting
blessings.
Introduction 21
These masters revealed spiritual laws through direct knowledge of
the Ātmā –‘Self’ and communion with the All-Pervading Power of
the Divine. They knew the Divine Language of mantras, prayers and
silence; living daily at one with the Divine, not thinking or
theorising, but directly communicating the message of the Almighty
to Its creation. A seeker requires no rational learning as preparation
for spiritual experience, although rationaliy can be a useful ladder
to reach the point where it must be left behind. Intelligence should
bring us the wisdom to understand that detachment and humility
are essential to approach the Divine. Although words are important
vehicles of sacred information and rational thought, and if pursued
sincerely can lead the seeker to the gates of Truth, they cannot
enter with us; we have to pass the limits of personal effort. Mystical
experience comes only through surrender; it is a gift to experience
the boundless, pure and unconditional love of the Divine.
The Ten Primordial Masters, having the highest spiritual experience,
were attuned with the Supreme All-Pervading Power and allowed
the Divine to work through them. This often resulted in conflict with
the ‘organised religions’ of the day.
They are all one, yet their followers dispute amongst themselves
who is the greatest. Instead of a pathway to God, human beings
have often turned their religions into instruments of oppression and
subjugation of their fellow men.
Sahaja Yoga fulfils the promises of all the Prophets and Incarnations
and allows us to glimpse the depth of their experience. By humbly
accepting Shri Mataji as our Guru, She plants and nourishes the
ways of Truth in our heart. Fortunately we are forgiven our short-
comings if we have a genuine desire to purify ourselves.
Introduction 22
Common Themes
Some teachings common to all the Adi Gurus are:-
Detachment from worldly desires - All incarnations stressed
the need for Vairāgya –‘dispassion, aversion to worldly appetites’ but
the Ādi Gurus particularly emphasised the well-being of the soul
over any material concerns.
Questioning accepted norms - The path of the seeker always
runs counter to the flow of society – to swim upstream, seeking the
source where, paradoxically, the drop dissolves into the ocean!
Creating a good society - The Ten Adi Gurus are parrticularly
characterised by their concern with creating enlightened human
societies. Often being law-givers and definers of Maryādas –
‘boundaries’, religions were founded in Their names (Judaism,
Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam, Sikhism). Moses,
Confucius, Mohammad and Socrates* can be said to have defined
good behaviour for 80% of the world’s population - almost
everyone except Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists.
The Golden Rule - ‘Do not do to others what you do not desire
for yourself.’ They stressed the primacy of ‘consideration and
concern for others’, of living in and doing some good for the world.
Equality of all people – The Adi Gurus decried divisions such as
religion and caste and emphasised the equality of men and women.
Humanity – Above all the Adi Gurus all had tremendous humanity,
loving and caring deeply for all people despite our ignorance,
wilfulness and stupidity.
* Socrates’ ideas were promoted by his pupol Plato whose philosophy,
along with that of his pupil Aristotle, formed the basis of much Christian
and western philosophy.
Introduction 23
R AJA J ANAKA
24
R AJA J ANAKA
The Śhrīmad Bhagavatam
recounts that Mahārāja
Nimi performed a great
sacrifice where He left
His body, refusing to take
another human birth. So,
to continue His dynasty,
the sages churned the
body of Nimi and a child
manifested who was
named Janaka –
‘generating’. Since, He
was not born from a
motherly body, He was
called Videha –‘liberated
from the body’.
Nepalese stamp commemorating
All the descendants of
Rājarṣhi –‘king-seer’ Janaka
the Videha dynasty were
named Janaka and, by the grace of Sage Yājñavalkya, they all
achieved enlightenment. Into this dynasty was born Sīra-dhvaja –
‘Plough-bannered’ Janaka, more commonly known as Rājā –‘King’
Janaka, the adoptive father of Śhrī Sītā. He ruled the kingdom of
Mithila, around modern-day Janakpur in Nepal.
In the Bhagavad Gītā, Śhrī Kṛiṣhṇa says: ‘By performing their
prescribed duties, King Janaka and others attained perfection’.
(III.20)
RAJA JANAKA 25
Sītā’s Birth
Rāja Janaka was a great
warrior, a great scholar
and an enlightened soul.
While still child-less He
performed a ritual
ploughing of some land to
ensure the prosperity of
the kingdom. The plough
struck a hard object
King Janaka finding Sītā while ploughing
which, when unearthed,
turned out to be a chest containing a baby girl. Rājā Janaka adopted
the girl and named her Sītā –‘furrow’.
The Marriage of Rāma and Sītā

Sītā grew to be a beautiful and
devout princess, and on reaching
marriageable age, Rājā Janaka
organised a Swayamvara –‘self-choice’
for Her – a ceremony where the bride
chooses her husband after a series of
tests. For Sītā's Swayamvara, kings
and emperors from all parts of the
world were invited; all of them
desirous to have Sītā as a bride for
their son or themselves. Among
those present was the King of Lanka,
Rāvana, who fell in love with - and later abducted - Śhrī Sītā.
RAJA JANAKA 26
Sage Vishwāmitra had brought Śhrī Rāma and Lakshmana to His
hermitage with the permission of their father, King Dasharatha.
These boys had the ability to destroy a demon with a single arrow,
allowing Vishwāmitra and the other sages to perform their religious
rites peacefully, protected from the demons' interference.
When the invitation to Sītā’s Swayamvara arrived Vishwāmitra took
Rāma and Lakshmana with Him and set off for Mithila.
As soon as King Janaka came to know of Vishwāmitra's arrival, He
hastened to see him, inviting Him with Śhrī Rāma and Lakshmana to
His palace with great respect. King Janaka was curious to know
about the identities of Rāma and Lakshmana and asked:
‘O Lord of the Sages, please do not hide anything from me, tell me
who are these two boys? The Supreme Lord in whose thoughts my
mind is completely engrossed, does the same Lord manifest in
these two children? My mind which has renounced everything and
is not the least disturbed by desires is behaving strangely today. The
effects which the red-legged partridge has on its heart after seeing
the Moon, I am experiencing that after seeing these two children’.
Rājā Janaka greeting Shrī Rāma and Lakshmana
RAJA JANAKA 27
Thoughts of the
Formless Almighty
vanished from
Janaka’s mind and
were replaced by
thoughts of Śhrī
Rāma. It was only
natural because
who would run
after the unseen, if fortunate enough to see the 'real’ Incarnation?
Rājā Janaka's affection for Śhrī Rāma was boundless. After the
marriage, He accompanied Śhrī Rāma and Sītā part of the way back
to Ayodhya. Rāma’s father Daśhratha asked whether He was not
needed in His kingdom but, not willing to let Rāma go out of His
sight, Janaka refused many times to go back. After repeated
insistence of Daśhratha, He got down from the chariot with tears in
His eyes. He came towards Śhrī Rāma and said: ‘O Rāma, I do not
have words for your praise, you are the 'swan' swimming in the
Mansarovar –‘sacred lake’, likened to the minds of the sages and
Lord Mahadeva (Śhiva) for the acquirement of whom, the Yogis
abandon anger, attachment and arrogance and practice yoga’.
When Janaka heard of Rāma's fourteen year exile, He sent His spies
to Ayodhya to discover
Bharat's intentions. But He
was satisfied when He
learnt of Bharat's deep love
for Śhrī Rāma. Later He
went to Chitrakūta to see
Chitrakūta
Śhrī Rāma in exile, but He
RAJA JANAKA 28
found Bharat there also, so He could not say anything to either for
fear that it might hurt the feelings of both.
Rājā Janaka’s mystical love for Śhrī Rāma was beyond any words. He
was the supreme follower of Karma Yoga and one of the twelve
'Bhagwat’ācharyas’ –‘Divine Preceptors’.
Ātmā-jñāna –‘Knowledge of the Self’

Once King Janaka sent a message to the people in His kingdom: ‘If
there be amongst you a great scholar, a Pandit, a Yogi, a Mahāṛishi,
a Sage, whoever He may be, let Him come and teach me the
knowledge of Ātmā.’ In His message He said that He expected to
attain Ātma-jñāna –‘Self-knowledge’ within a few moments of being
properly instructed. Even while climbing onto His horse, before He
was completely settled on it, He should have attained it. He said: ‘If
the person offering to teach me Ātma-jñāna is not able to
accomplish this task of providing me an experience of instant
illumination, then I don't want to see him, even if He is the greatest
scholar, or the most learned or highly educated person in the land.’
The Pandits and Ṛishis saw that this would be a severe test on their
scholarship and learning and so none dared to come forth and offer
to instruct the king.
At this point the boy Aṣhṭavakra entered the kingdom. On the road
to the capital city Mithilapuram, he encountered learned and holy
men leaving the city looking worried and grief-ridden. Ashtavakra
asked them the cause for their distress and they explained what the
king had announced. But Ashtavakra couldn't understand why they
should be frightened over such a small thing.
‘I will gladly solve this problem for the king.’ So saying He went
directly to Janaka’s court. Bowing, he addressed the king: ‘My dear
RAJA JANAKA 29
King, I am ready to enable you to experience the knowledge of
Ātma as you desire. But this sacred knowledge cannot be taught so
easily. This palace is full of Rajo and Tamo Guna (Right and Left Side
activity). We must leave this place and enter an area of pure Sattva.’
So, they took the road out of the city towards the forest. As was the
custom whenever the emperor left His palace walls, the army
followed; but Janaka had them remain outside the forest.
Ashtavakra and Janaka entered the forest. Ashtavakra told King
Janaka: ‘I am not going to fulfil your wish unless you accept my
conditions. I may be only a boy, but I am in the position of a
preceptor; and you may be an all-powerful emperor, but you are in
the position of a disciple. Are you prepared to accept this
relationship? If you agree then you will have to
offer the traditional Guru-dakshina given by
the Shishya –‘pupil’ to the Guru. Only after
you give your offering will I start my
instruction to you.’
King Janaka told Ashtavakra: ‘The attainment
of God is the most important thing
to me, so I am prepared to give you
anything you want.’ But Ashtavakra
replied: ‘I don't want any material
thing, all I want is your mind. You must
give me your mind.’ The king
answered: ‘Alright, I offer my mind to
you. Up to now I thought that this
was my mind, but from now
onwards it will be yours.’
Ashtavakra told Janaka to
RAJA JANAKA 30
dismount and to sit down in the middle of the road with the horse
standing in front. Ashtavakra walked into the forest and sat quietly
under a tree. The soldiers waited for a long time but neither the
king nor Ashtavakra returned from the forest so they cautiously
proceeded to look for them.
On entering the forest, they found the king seated in the middle of
the road with the horse standing in front of Him. The king sat
perfectly still with eyes closed; Ashtavakra
was not to be seen. The officers were
afraid that Ashtavakra might have
exercised some magic spell over the king
to make Him lose consciousness and they
went to look for the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister came and addressed
Janaka: ‘O King! O King!’ But Janaka did
not open His eyes or move at all. The time
when the King usually took His food
passed and the king still did not stir. Evening came, but the king
continued to sit immobile on the road.
The Prime Minister sent to the city for the Queen thinking He would
surely respond to her, but when she came and addressed the king:
‘Rajah, Rajah!’ there was no response. Meanwhile the soldiers
searched the forest for Ashtavakra. There, under a tree, Ashtavakra
sat, calm and serene. The soldiers brought him to the the king but
he said: ‘Why are you all so worried? The king is safe and everything
is alright.’ But still the King sat with eyes closed, His body
completely still.
Although oblivious to the Prime Minister and the queen, when
Ashtavakra spoke the king immediately opened His eyes and
RAJA JANAKA 31
replied, ‘Swami!’ Ashtavakra asked Him: ‘When the ministers and
the queen and so many others have come, why did you not reply to
their entreaties?’
Janaka answered: ‘Thoughts, words and deeds are associated with
the mind and I offered my mind entirely to you. Therefore before I
can use the mind for anything, I need your permission. What
authority do I have to speak or use this mind in any way without
your permission and command.’ Ashtavakra said: ‘You have
attained the state of God-realisation.’
Ashtavakra told Janaka to put one foot in the stirrup and mount the
horse. By the time He had climbed up and seated himself, He had
the full experience of Ātmā.
Nachiketa
Śhrī Mataji: “Nachiketa came to
Râma's father-in-law, Janaka,
and asked Him if He could get
His Self-realisation. So Raja
Janaka said: ‘I can give you all
my kingdom but not Self-
realisation. Very difficult.’
He put Him to test, many a
times, for years, and then he
was the first who got
Realisation, at the time of Shri
Râma. He made him run up
and down, He hung a sword
on his head, did everything, and then He gave him Realisation.
But at last Nachiketa understood that this man (King Janaka)
has no attachments. He is not worried at all, neither He has
RAJA JANAKA 32
any sticking with worldly things or what we call as world. He is
like an ascetic.” 12-10-83, 26-11-84, 09-06-88.
“I will tell you a story of Raja
Janaka who was a great king in
India. He was called as Videhi
– means an ascetic. And He
was a king and whenever He
went to any Ashram the saints
used to get up and touch His
Feet.
So one disciple of a Guru got
very angry - his name was
Nachiketa - and he said, ‘How
can you all touch His Feet
when He is a king and
enjoying living like a king,
wearing a crown? How can you touch His Feet?’
So the Guru said that: ‘He is the Primordial Master. To Him it
does not matter whether He lives in a palace or on the street.’
So this Nachiketa went to Him to see. And he was very bold
and he told Him that: ‘How can you call yourself a king and
also an ascetic, allow people to call you an ascetic?’
So He told that, ‘All right, tomorrow we will go to the bath
together in a river.’ And He told him now you go into
meditation. I am going into meditation. So the people came
and told that, ‘Your palace is on fire.’ Still He was meditating.
Then they said that, ‘All your things are being burnt. Your
children and families are running away.’ Still He was
meditating. Then they came and shouted, ‘Now the fire is
coming here and all your clothes will be burnt.’
RAJA JANAKA 33
So Nachiketa ran out of the water to catch hold of his clothes
and to look after it. But He was still meditating. After
sometime He came out and Nachiketa said, ‘Aren’t you
worried about your palace being burnt, everything being
burnt?’ So He said that, ‘When you live in the realm of Divine
Power, the Brahma, that looks after you.’” 10-09-83, Rome
Seeker after the Supreme Truth

Once King Janaka
approached Sage
Yājñavalkya and asked
him, ‘O Sage! please let
me know the facts
about my previous life’.
The sage replied, ‘What
is past is past. There is
no use in recalling it.
You have completed a
journey along a road. Do not bother about the road that has been
traversed. It does not help in your journey to your glory.’ Although
the sage used many arguments to dissuade Him from His request,
Janaka insisted on knowing about His previous birth.
So Yājñavalkya resorted to His Divine insight and told the King:
’Janaka, your wife in the present birth was your mother in your
previous life’. Janaka was shocked. He reflected, ‘What a wicked
person have I been to treat my former mother as my wife! I must
give up such a wicked life’. From that moment be began to treat His
queen as His mother and giving up all attachments to worldly
things, began to pursue spiritual wisdom.
RAJA JANAKA 34
One night, Rājā Janaka had a dream where He lost His kingdom and
became a beggar. He was going round the streets of the city
begging for alms. The pangs of hunger made Him cry. Some kind-
hearted person gave Him some food, but, to His great sadness, even
that morsel slipped from His hand. The horror-stricken king woke
from His dream and found himself in the royal palace. He asked
himself, ‘Which is real - the dream world or the conscious world?‘
The queen who was observing Him was also perplexed. They
decided to consult the great sage Vasishtha. The sage said: ‘O king,
both are real in one sense or unreal from another point of view. You
became a beggar in the dream world and you are the king in the
conscious world. ’You’ exist in both the worlds. While they are both
unreal, ‘You’ alone are real. You are the absolute reality of the
dreaming state as well as of the conscious state’.
The Bowl of Milk

Shri Mataji: “You know King Janaka was called Vidheha -
‘Ascetic, liberated from the body’. Great Sage Nârada asked
Him one day: ‘Revered Sir, how are you called as Vidheha,
you live in this world, how can you be a Vidheha?’
Râjâ Janaka said, ’This is very simple. I will tell you about it in
the evening. Now, please do this little job for me. There is milk
in this bowl. You take this bowl and come along with me.
Please see that not a single drop of milk is spilled on the Earth.
Then only I will tell you why I am called Vidheha.’
Nârada took the bowl and followed Janaka everywhere. He
had to be very careful because the bowl was such that by the
slightest movement the milk might have spilled. He got very
tired. When they returned in the evening Nârada asked ‘Please
RAJA JANAKA 35
tell me now, I am quite
fed up with carrying this
bowl and following you
everywhere.`
Râjâ Janaka said; `First
of all tell me what you
have seen?’
Nârada; `Nothing
except this bowl of milk;
so that it won’t spill.`
Râjâ Janaka; ‘Didn’t you
see, there was a big
procession in my
honour, then there was
a court wherein there The cover of an Indian comic
was a program of depicting Nārada following Rājā
dancing? Didn’t you see Janaka with a bowl of milk
anything?’ (unaware of the dancing girls).
Nârada said; ‘No sir, I have not seen anything.’
Râjâ Janaka; `My child, likewise with Me, I also see nothing.
All the time, I just watch my attention. Where is it going?
Making sure that it won’t spill away like the milk’. ‘This sort of
attention one has to develop: Chitta Nirodh –‘restrained
attention’.” 03-04-81, UK
“No saints were ascetics, they all had wives, they all had
children. But all their attention was at the Lotus Feet of the
Mother. As Guru Nanaka has said, that a little boy is playing
with his kite, the kite is going all over and he's talking to his
friends, joking, but see the attention is on the kite. My
attention is always on your Kundalini.” 23-09-90, Switzerland
RAJA JANAKA 36
Ashtavakra Gita
“Raja Janaka had a guru called Ashtavakra and if you read His
Gita, you'll find how clearly he's described about Sahaja Yoga.”
16-10-93, New York
This Advaita –‘non-duality’ classic is a dialogue between King Janaka
and Sage Aṣhṭavakra (literally meaning ‘eight crookednesses’ due to
the eight physical deformities he was born with). Aṣhṭavakra was a
young boy of only ten years when he defeated Rājā Janaka’s
courtier Vandin in philosophical debate.
Janaka: How is knowledge to be acquired? How is liberation to be
attained? And how is dispassion to be reached? Tell me this, sir.
Ashtavakra: If you are seeking liberation, my son, shun the objects
of the senses like poison. Practice tolerance, sincerity,
compassion, contentment and truthfulness like nectar. You are
neither earth, water, fire, air or even ether. For liberation know
yourself as consisting of consciousness, the witness of these. If
only you will remain resting in consciousness, seeing yourself as
distinct from the body, then even now you will become happy,
peaceful and free from bonds.
You do not belong to the Brahmin or any other caste, you are not
at any stage, nor are you anything that the eye can see. You are
unattached and formless, the witness of everything - so be happy.
Righteousness and unrighteousness, pleasure and pain are purely
of the mind and are no concern of yours. You are neither the doer
nor the reaper of the consequences, so you are always free. You
are the one witness of everything and are always totally free. The
cause of your bondage is that you see the witness as something
other than this. Since you have been bitten by the black snake of
RAJA JANAKA 37
the self-opinion that 'I am the doer', drink the nectar of faith in
the fact that 'I am not the doer' and be happy. Burn down the
forest of ignorance with the fire of the understanding that 'I am
the One Pure Awareness' and be happy and free from distress.
That in which all this appears, imagined like the snake in a rope,
that joy, supreme joy and awareness is what you are, so be happy.
If one thinks of oneself as free, one is free and if one thinks of
oneself as bound, one is bound. Here this saying is true, ‘Thinking
makes it so.’ Your real nature is as the one perfect, free and
action-less Consciousness, the All-pervading Witness -
unattached to anything, desireless and at peace.’
Aṣhṭavakra Gītā, Ch.1 v.4-14
Further Reading
The Bṛihadaranyaka Upanṣhad, one of the earliest and longest of
the Upaniṣhads, is recited mainly by Sage Yajñavalkya, Rājā Janaka’s
preceptor, and includes their conversations on various spiritual
topics. It is its last chapter of the Śhatapatha Brahmana, the
foremost commentary on the Śhukla –‘white’ Yajur Veda.
Aṣhṭavakra Gītā. There are several English translations available on
the internet.
Rāmāyāna. There are
many stories about Rājā
Janaka in the Rāmāyana
including how He found
Śhrī Sītā while
ploughing.
Sage Yājñavalkya instructing Rājā Janaka
RAJA JANAKA 38
A BRAHAM
39
A BRAHAM
It is not stated how, or when, Abraham came to believe in the One
God, but His experience marked the beginning of the Jewish nation
who today speak with great fondness of 'Our Father Abraham'
(Avraham Avinu).
Abraham’s firm belief in the One
Almighty God founded the great
seminal religion of Judaism
from which emerged Islam
and Christianity, together
followed by more than half of
the world’s population. He is considered
the perfect model of faith in God by Christians, Muslims and Jews.
In prayer Abraham encountered the One God who created and
controlled the whole of Creation and its history. This One Supreme
Lord was willing to enter into a covenant with Abraham and His
descendants. Following God’s commandment Abraham left the city
of Ur near Babylon and travelled a thousand miles to the town of
Hebron where God revealed to Him that His descendants would be
protected and would in time become a great nation.
Abraham is the first of the Jewish Patriarchs –‘Father-Rulers’,
followed by His son Isaac, Isaac's son Jacob and later Moses. The life
of Abraham is told in the first book of the Bible, Genesis Ch.12-25,
including the story of how God tested Abraham by asking Him to
sacrifice His son Isaac.
The painting by Rembrandt on the previous page shows Abraham
being reprieved from sacrificing His son Isaac by an angel.
ABRAHAM 40
The One God
Abram, or Abraham as God later named Him, was brought up in the
prosperous city of Ur on the banks of the Euphrates around 2000 -
1800 BCE.
He grew up with His father Terah, who was ninth in line from Noah,
and His brothers Nahor and Haran. He and His brothers loved
watching people coming and going through the city gates. People
worshipped and made sacrifices to a multitude of gods who were
believed to control nature. The main god worshipped was the
Moon, many temples to whom have been unearthed in that area.
Abram one day asked His father who was the creator of the world.
Terah had a shop selling idols and, pulling one off the shelf, told the
boy that the idol had created the world. Abram found this hard to
believe so He went and asked His uncle who told Him that the
ABRAHAM 41
Moon and stars had created the world. Unconvinced, Abram
imagined an almighty and formless power in the heavens who
created the world.
One day God spoke to Abram: ‘Now the Lord said unto Abram,
‘Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred. and from thy
father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee; and I will make
of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name
great; and thou shalt be a blessing: and I will bless them that bless
thee and curse Him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families
of the earth be blessed’. Genesis 12
Abram had faith in God’s promises and

undertook the long arduous journey
with His family including His father
Terah and cousin Lot. They finally
settled in Canaan where they found
pastures for their flocks and herds. God
was with Abram and enlarged upon the
promises He had made to Him in Ur:
‘All the land which thou seest, to thee
will I give it and to thy seed for ever.
And I will make thy seed as the dust of
the Earth’. Genesis 12
The Promised Land was the land He saw Abraham’s Journey

- the land now called Israel. The people by Molnar (1850)
gave Him the name ‘the Hebrew’ meaning ‘the man from across the
river.’ Abram was married to the beautiful Sarai (later called Sarah)
and they prospered in Canaan until a famine hit the land, forcing
them to travel south to Egypt to find food.
ABRAHAM 42
In Egypt
Before entering Egypt, Abram asked Sarai to say that they were
sister and brother, because Sarai was so beautiful that He feared
the Egyptians would kill Him and take her. They lived happily until
the Pharaoh was struck with Sarai’s beauty and abducted her to be
part of His household. However God sent a plague on Pharaoh’s
house and He realised that Abram and Sarai were not brother and
sister, but husband and wife; being told in a vision that Abram was
a great prophet and not to be harmed. He called Abram and gave
Him a hundred shekels of silver as compensation and made Him
free to settle wherever He liked. After some years Abram, Lot and
their families left Egypt and returned to Canaan taking with them
the great wealth they had accrued.
The land of Canaan was not rich enough to support the large herds
of both Abraham and Lot, so they agreed to separate and Lot
headed south towards Sodom (see map p.54), one of the two cities
with which the Lord was very angry due to their ungodly behaviour.
Sign of the Covenant

God spoke to Abram making circumcision a sign of the covenant
between God and Abram’s people. He also said: ‘Neither shall thy
name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham
[father of many]; for a father of many nations have I made thee….
As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah
[princess] shall her name be.’ Genesis 17
ABRAHAM 43
Ishmael and Isaac
Although God had promised the land of Canaan to Abraham’s
progeny who would become a ‘Great Nation’, He and Sarah had no
children. They had longed for a child for many years but it seemed
that she was unable to conceive. Sarah told Abraham to go and lay
with their servant girl, Hagar, who bore a child whom they named
Ishmael. Hagar had promised to give up the child so that Abraham
and Sarah could raise him as their own son; but she was so attached
to the baby that she ran away with it. However after a few days she
returned realising that she had to keep her promise. Abraham
finally had a child at the age of eighty-six.
When Abraham was ninety-nine, three men appeared at the door of
His tent. He offered them water to wash their feet and invited them
to stay for food. They were in fact three archangels, Michael,
Gabriel and Raphael.
Michael told Abraham that, when He returned at the same time
next year, Abraham and Sarah would have a son. Sarah overheard
Abraham serving the three

angels by Rembrandt
ABRAHAM 44
their conversation and laughed at the idea of her having a child at
such an old age. However by the time the angel returned, Sarah had
borne a child. They named him Isaac, which means laughter, as
Sarah had laughed when the angel had foretold the birth.
After the birth of Isaac, Sarah asked Abraham to banish Hagar and
Ishmael, which upset Him greatly. But God told Him to do as she
asked as Ishmael would engender a great nation.
Sodom and Gomorrah

The Lord revealed to Abraham that the archangels had come to
bring destruction on the ungodly cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Abraham pleaded with God to spare them if fifty righteous men could
be found. God agreed, and Abraham continued ‘But what if only
forty-five good men can be found?’ God relented again and so it
went on down to ten righteous souls. However the cities had to be
destroyed; so Lot and His family were escorted to safety by two
angels before the rain of burning brimstone consumed the cities.
Lot’s wife disobeyed the order not to look back and was turned into
a pillar of salt.
God tests Abraham

Though deeply attached to His child, when God told Him to go up to
the mountain-top and sacrifice His son, Isaac, Abraham reluctantly
prepared to do as God commanded.
* Archaeological finds suggest that an earthquake as well as burning

sulphur destroyed these cities. The city of Sodom gave its name to the
term ‘sodomy’. There seems to be a parallel with San Francisco, the ‘Gay
Capital of the World’, and Los Angeles, both of which could be swept
away by an over-due major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.
ABRAHAM 45
He collected the wood and built a stone altar for the sacrifice. He
placed His son on the altar and Isaac, not understanding what was
going on, asked His father where the sheep was. Abraham told Isaac
that God would provide the lamb. As Abraham was about to take
the knife to Isaac’s throat, an angel appeared and told Him to stop;
explaining that it was a test of His trust in God.
Nearby was a ram whose

horns had become
entangled in a thorn bush,
and the angel directed
Abraham to sacrifice the
animal instead.
Sarah died at a very old
age and, after a long The Sacrifice of Isaac
period of mourning, – by Caravaggio
Abraham decided that Isaac should marry. So their servant Eliazer
was sent out in search of a wife for Isaac. He returned after some
weeks with a woman named Rebekah. It transpired that she was a
cousin of Isaac’s, but the marriage was blessed by God.
‘He believed in the Lord; and He counted to Him for righteousness.’
Abraham died shortly after the marriage at the age of 175 and was
buried in Hebron (map p.43) at the site of the Al Ibrahami Mosque.
Viewpoint of the Old Testament

As the first prophet to aver the Oneness of God, Abraham is the
foundation of the Jewish religion and from that time men spoke of
the One Formless God as ‘the God of Abraham’. God says to Moses:
‘I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of
ABRAHAM 46
Jacob’. Jehovah's promises to Him and to His seed have sustained
the Jewish people ever since.
His trust in God was shown by His leaving Ur and journeying with
His family to the unknown country of Canaan; but the greatest
demonstration was His willingness to sacrifice His only son Isaac in
obedience to a command from God. Abraham’s descendents
include Moses, David, Solomon, Jesus Christ, and all the other great
Jewish people who have helped to create our modern civilisation*.
Viewpoint of the New Testament

Abraham’s devotion is the seed of the two largest religions in the
world, Christianity and Islam. He may be considered therefore as
the founder of all monotheistic religions outside India, with the
exception of Zoroastrianism.
The lineage of Jesus Christ is traced back to
Abraham by St. Matthew; St. Luke gives His
descent right back to Adam. John the Baptist
says: ‘Do not say: We have Abraham for our
father, for I say to you God is able of these
stones to raise up children to Abraham.’
In the Bible the Jews with whom Jesus was
speaking, boast ‘We are the seed of Abraham’ and Jesus replies: ‘If
ye be the children of Abraham, do ye the works of Abraham’.
* Although comprising only 0.25% of world population (about 20 million)

people of Jewish origin have won 20% of Nobel prizes (more than 150
since they began in 1901). The list of famous Jews is long: philosophers:
Spinoza, Marx; music: Bizet, Mendelssohn, Mahler, Listz, scientists:
Einstein, Bohr, Oppenheimer, Feynman and many actors, film-makers,
psychologists, financiers, etc.
ABRAHAM 47
Ancestor of Jews and Arabs
Abraham’s son, Isaac was also a great devotee of the Lord. When
old and blind He was tricked by His younger son Jacob into
promising him the birth-right, normally given to the older son Esau
was very hairy. On the advice of His mother Rebekah, Jacob covered
His arm with a goat-skin to fool the old man. Jacob is famous for
dreaming of a stairway up to Heaven (Jacob’s Ladder) where angels
passed up and down carrying out the Lord’s orders.
God gave Jacob the name Israel meaning ‘persevering in God’; His
twelve sons became the Twelve Tribes, the Children of Israel. He
gave His favourite youngest son Joseph a ‘Coat of Many Colours’
which made His brothers jealous; so they sold Him to a passing
Egyptian caravan, and told his father he had been killed by a lion.
In Egypt Joseph became a favourite of the Pharaoh after
interpreting His recurring dream and saving the country from a
terrible famine. When the famine hit neighbouring countries, Jacob
and Joseph’s eleven brothers came and settled in Egypt, where they
multiplied quickly. A later Pharaoh, probably Seth 1, fearing the
strength of the Israelites, enslaved them, setting the stage for
Moses to lead them out of bondage.
The Ka’aba at Mecca, the cube-shaped building enclosing the Black
Rock, the holiest shrine of Islam, was built by Abraham and His
eldest son Ishmael from whom the Arabs trace their ancestry. So
the tribes of both Israel and Arabia are descended from the
brothers Isaac and Ishmael and share their ancestry with Abraham.
Hence the Prophet Mohammad was a direct descendent of Ibrahim,
as He is known in Arabic; as was Jesus, who was born of the line of
David and Solomon.
ABRAHAM 48
Z ARATHUSTRA
49
Z ARATHUSTRA
Zarathustra Spitama, or Zoroaster* as He
is also called, was born in present-day
Iran probably around 1500 BCE
although suggested dates (depending
on whether you are a traditionalist
devotee or a learned scholar) vary
from 6000 to 500 BCE. He was one of
the first prophets outside India to
preach a monotheistic religion;
revealing that there was only one God,
Ahura Mazda –‘existence, consciousness’
and that life in the physical world is a battle
between good and evil.
A soul must strive to align thoughts, words and deeds with Aśha –‘
truth, righteousness, Divinity, existence,’ and resist the tendency to
Dhruj –‘deceit, falsehood, delusion’. According to a man's deeds, He
will either cross the Chinvato Peretu -‘sword bridge’ after death and
reach Heaven, or fall from it and go to the abode of the Evil One. In
the final days there will be a battle where evil will be vanquished
and the world will be purified. Ahura Mazda will judge the world,
resurrecting the dead and His Kingdom will be established on Earth.
‘Your good thoughts, good words and good deeds alone will be
your intercessors. Nothing more will be wanted. They alone will
serve you as a safe pilot to the Harbour of Heaven, as a safe guide
to the Gates of Paradise.” Zarathustra, Gathas
* ‘Zoroaster’ –‘Golden Star’ is a Greek translation of Zarathustra (also

spelled Zarathushtra). In modern Persian He is known as ‘Zartosht’.
ZARATHUSTRA 50
The teachings of Zarathustra are collected in the Avesta, including
the Gāthas –‘songs’ and the Yasna Haptanghaiti written by
Zarathustra and some other works of law and cosmogony*. The
ancient Avestan dialect is close to Vedic Sanskrit and the Gāthas
(Sanskrit –‘gātā-‘song’) may be as old as later parts of the Vedas
(c.1800 BCE).
“The Parsee (Zoroastrian) Avesta Scriptures and the Sanskrit
Shlokas of the Hindus are all Divine words which carry Divine
Vibrations.” Creation. Ch.10.
The Early Years

The little we know about Zarathustra’s life is from legends passed
down through generations.
About four thousand years ago, by the banks of the Ditya river in
north-western Iran lived a large family named Spitama -‘very white’.
The head of one branch of this family, Hechadaspa –‘stallions’, had
two sons: Pourushaspa –‘many horses’ and Arasti –‘tidy & neat’.
Pourushaspa married Dughdova –‘milkmaid’. When she was five
months pregnant, she had a dream in which she saw the world
being destroyed and she was very frightened. But an angel
appeared in her dream and told her that she was bearing a great
prophet who would change the impending destruction.
On March 26th Dughdova gave birth to a healthy boy. Strangely, He
did not cry but had a broad smile on His face which was shining with
a divine glow. They named Him Zarathustra, meaning ‘Golden Light,
* These are the remains of what was a huge literature which was largely
destroyed by Alexander the Great’s invasion of Persia in 334 BCE.
ZARATHUSTRA 51
Golden Star or Possessing Yellow Camels’. Arasti also had a son
Maedhyoimaha –‘Mid Moon’.
Zarathustra grew up intelligent and energetic. He was very
observant and could see the deeper meanings and causes beneath
the surface of things. He began training as a priest at the age of
seven until He was fifteen. Being naturally curious, He had many
questions for the priests and teachers but was rarely satisfied with
the answers He received.
A legend recounts that when He was nine, due to His deep and
unsatisfied curiosity about spiritual matters, a meeting was
arranged with the head priests to discuss His questions. They spent
a number of hours in debate but neither side managed to convince
or satisfy the other.
Other legends tell of how Zarathustra had to face all sorts of black
magic and powerful demons and managed to escape them.
Youth
Zarathustra spent much
of His youth in the
pastures surrounding the
town, contemplating
nature. During these
meditations many of the
questions that the priests
could not answer would
unravel themselves and
their answers would be
Western Iran
revealed to Him.
ZARATHUSTRA 52
Legend has it that when Zarathustra was fifteen, His four brothers
approached Him to divide their father’s wealth. Zarathustra only
took one item, a lamp, symbolizing the spiritual life and left His
father’s entire wealth to His brothers. At the age of twenty, He left
home for ten years, travelling in search of the Truth. He spent years
in the wilderness seeking God before His first Divine revelation.
Illumination
Early one morning, in His thirtieth
year, He went to fetch water
from the river. It was dawn; the
sky had coloured and the sun was
about to rise. As He went into the
river, Vohu Mana –‘good mind’
appeared to Him as a huge angel
and opened the portal to the
Divine Light of Ahura Mazda.
In His vision, He saw Ahura Mazda
as the Wise Lord of Creation. The
six emanations of Ahura Mazda,
the Amesha Spentas –‘Bounteous
Immortals’, are the creators and
guardians of this physical world.
He perceived the laws upon which the universe operated and
understood the relationship between Ahura Mazda, the Amesha
Spentas and the Creation. Vohu Manah and the other Amesha
Spentas instructed Zarathustra in the ways of Heaven and He
received perfect knowledge of past, present and future.
ZARATHUSTRA 53
Propagation
After His illumination, Zarathustra wanted to share His acquired
wisdom with the world, but where to start? He invited His family
and relatives and explained His new understanding to them.
When He finished, His cousin Maedyoimaha decided to join Him,
becoming His first follower; and His wife Hvovi also embraced His
teachings. His children, three boys and three girls, one by one,
accepted His philosophy as their way of life. However, according to
other records, it took ten years before His cousin accepted
Zarathustra’s teachings and become His first convert.
‘Doing good to others is not a duty; it is a joy, for it increases your
own health and happiness.’ Zarathustra
Challenges
However when He
tried to share His
teachings with the
people of the city,
Zarathustra met with
deep-rooted resistance
from the priests,
whose life and
livelihood were based
on the old religions.
Zarathustra tried many different techniques and every time He met
with renewed opposition and greater resistance. In fact, over the
next twelve years, He managed to win over only twenty-two people
to His philosophy, including His wife, six children and His cousin.
ZARATHUSTRA 54
In view of such vehement opposition from the rulers and priests of
His own land, He decided to travel to other countries. So the group
of twenty-three set off on their migration.
Everywhere they met with the same opposition, due to the self-
interest of the rulers and priests and because of the superstitious
ignorance of the people and their unwillingness to change.
Then they heard of a wise and just king in nearby Bactria, King
Vishtaspa, who might be open to new teachings.
Breakthrough - King Vishtaspa

Zarathustra was forty-two when He and His followers reached the
court of King Vishtaspa and Queen Hutaosa. The King granted
Zarathustra an audience and invited the priests and wise men of His
court to listen to Zarathustra and question Him about His
philosophy. The scene was set for a debate.
ZARATHUSTRA 55
Zarathustra spoke eloquently and responded convincingly to all
challenges and questions. The King saw the wisdom of this man and
His teachings and embraced the religion. The King also encouraged
His subjects to listen carefully and consider the Zoroastrian religion.
This was a major breakthrough for Zarathustra.
Not everyone was happy with this turn of events and the priests
plotted against Zarathustra, planting objects of black magic in His
quarters. In front of the King they accused Him of evil acts, and His
room was searched. The artefacts were discovered and Zarathustra
was imprisoned and denied food or drink.
However the King’s favourite horse went down with a deforming
disease and none of the physicians in the kingdom could offer a
cure. On hearing of this in His prison cell Zarathustra asked the King
for a chance to save His beloved steed.
Reluctantly the King agreed and Zarathustra prayed to God for help.
The horse recovered and the King realized He had misjudged
Zarathustra and embraced His teaching. The King discovered who
was behind the plot to discredit Zarathustra and punished the
priests.
The King’s embracing Zarathustra’s teaching was a turning point in
the fortunes of the Zoroastrian religion. Zarathustra went about
freely propagating His teachings in that country and soon His
message crossed the borders to neighbouring states. If
Zarathustra’s illumination was the moment of conception, this was
the birth of the Zoroastrian religion as we know it today.
Two of King Vishtaspa’s courtiers also took to the new teaching, the
brothers Frashaoshtra and Jamaspa, of the Hvogva family. They are
mentioned in the Gathas and continued to be among Zarathustra’s
ZARATHUSTRA 56
disciples until the end. Jamaspa married one of Zarathustra’s
daughters and became His successor.
In the Shahnameh –‘Book of
Kings’, an epic Iranian poem
written around 1000 CE, it is
mentioned that, while visiting
the state of Kashmar,
Zarathustra planted a Sarv –
‘cypress’ tree. This tree, which
became famous as Sarv-e-
Kashmar, survived for more
than two thousand years until
it was cut down by order of
Caliph al-Mutawaqqil in 861
CE. However the Cypress of
Abarkooh, also called the
Zoroastrian Sarv, is still Cypress of Abarkooh, reputed
preserved today. to have been planted by
Zarathustra. Scientists estimate
Character it is over 3500 years old.
While there are few details of the events of Zarathustra’s life, there
is evidence of His character from His short Divine Songs, the Gathas.
It is clear that Zarathustra was a natural man; and an exceptionally
wise and righteous person. He was an Ashu – one who has reached
the apex of Self-realisation, perfection and thenceforth immortality.
He was loving and kind, yet resolute on adhering to truth and
justice. He was wise and discerning, possessed an observant and
incisive mind. He had a clear vision and understanding of the
ZARATHUSTRA 57
physical laws and moral principles of the world and always adhered
to righteousness. In short, He was the epitome of spiritual strength.
What little biographical
material there is in the Gathas
indicates that Zarathustra was
cast out of His original home
state and wandered with His
followers and their animals.
‘To what land should I turn?
Where should I turn to go?
They hold me back from folk
and friends. Neither the
community I follow pleases
me, nor do the wrongful rulers
of the land... I know that I am
powerless. I have a few cattle
and also a few men.’
The last Gatha is composed for the marriage of Zarathustra's
daughter Pouruchista –‘Full of Wisdom’ to Jamaspa, who became
Zarathustra’s successor. Zarathustra’s six children, three boys and
three girls, may be symbolic since the number and gender equals
that of the six Amesha Spentas –‘Divine Powers’.
It was probably at court that Zarathustra composed the Gathas as
the names of the King and courtiers appear as if they were there
listening to the poems being recited. The prophet may have spent
three decades there, before His death at the age of seventy-seven.
In the later Avesta, Zarathustra is credited with having direct
dialogue with Ahura Mazda. Born into a family of priests, He had a
ZARATHUSTRA 58
natural flair for ritual and law-giving and much ritual doctrine is
attributed to him, whether He was the originator or not.
In later Zoroastrian
traditions, some of
which were not
recorded until after the
Arab conquest, His life
abounds with miracles
and Divine
interventions.
‘His mother glowed
with the divine glory
usually reserved for
kings; the soul of the
prophet was placed by
God in the sacred
Haoma plant (which He
condemned in the
Gathas – this may be the
Soma of the Vedas) and
the prophet was
conceived through the
essence of Haoma in
milk (though not of a virgin birth, but the offspring of two special, but
earthly, parents). The child laughed at His birth instead of crying and
He glowed so brightly that the villagers around Him were frightened
and tried to destroy Him. All attempts to destroy young Zarathustra
failed; fire would not burn Him nor would animals crush Him in
stampedes; He was cared for by a mother wolf in the wilderness.’
ZARATHUSTRA 59
Links with the Western World
Since ancient Greek
times the name of
Zoroaster has stood
for mysterious and
magical Eastern
wisdom. Many
esoteric texts were
written in His name
Zoroaster from Raphael’s
and Zoroaster was ‘The School of Athens’
thought of as one of
the greatest magi, or mystics. When translations of the Avesta
appeared in Europe in the 18th century, His name again became
famous; this time not for magic, but for the humanistic,
monotheistic, moral philosophy propounded in the Gathas.
Enlightenment philosophers such as Kant and Diderot take Him as a
model; Voltaire wrote a play ‘Zoroastre.’ Here was a philosopher
from ‘pagan’ antiquity who was monotheistic and moral without
any help from the Christian Church. The French composer Rameau
wrote an opera ‘Zoroastre’ and the free-thinking Mozart used the
name in ‘The Magic Flute;’ for His character Sarastro - the priest of
the Sun and Light who defeats the Queen of the Night.
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche expounded His
philosophy of the Uber-mensch –‘higher man’ in His book ‘Thus
Spake Zarathustra’, although there is no identifiable Zoroastrian
teaching in the book. The German composer Richard Strauss’ tone
poem of the same name was inspired by Nietzsche’s work.
ZARATHUSTRA 60
The Life of the Spirit
Ahura Mazda, the Fravashi –‘Personal
Spirit, guardian angel’ and the Yazatas –
‘Angels, Deities’ (including the Amesha
Spenta) create and pervade the
material manifestation but remain
ineffable. The Urvan –‘soul’ is sent into
the world by the Fravashi - the
immortal Divine Principle residing in
the heart of man - to fight the battle
between good and evil and is judged
after death. The idea of reincarnation
does not figure except for a final
Judgement Day, as in Islam.
‘One need not scale the heights of the heavens, nor travel along
the highways of the world to find Ahura Mazda. With purity of
mind and holiness of heart one can find Him in one’s own heart.’
Gathas
The Amesha Spenta are the six first emanations of Ahura Mazda –
Mainya –‘creative spirit’, Vohu Manah –‘good mind’, Asha –‘truth,
righteousness’, Kshatra –‘dominion’, Armaiti –‘devotion’, Haurvatāt –
‘wholeness, health’ and Ameretāt –‘immortality’, who create this
world and rule its elements. They each have an evil opposite, the
most powerful of which is Angra Mainya, also called Ahriman, the
original prototype of the Devil. Through good thoughts, words and
deeds, by mantras and rituals, the soul strives to imbibe the
qualities of each of the Amesha Spenta and overcome their
antithesis.
ZARATHUSTRA 61
‘With an open mind, seek and listen to all the highest ideals.
Consider the most enlightened thoughts. Then choose your path,
person by person, each for oneself.’
‘Always meet petulance with gentleness and perverseness with
kindness. A gentle hand can lead even en elephant by a hair.
Reply to thine enemy with gentleness.’ Zarathustra, Gathas
ZARATHUSTRA 62
Mantras as Divine Energy
‘All flows out from the Deity and all must be absorbed in Him again.’
Through prayers the soul becomes the receptacle of a higher
spiritual consciousness, the Divine Light. Zarathustra composed the
Manthra Spenta –‘Holy Spells’ as a means of communing with Ahura
Mazda, who is Raevat-Khvarnvat -‘The Source of Endless Light’.
Mantras are rooted in Staot Yazna –‘Worship of Sacred Sounds’
where the Primordial Sound created by the First Ray of Light which
burst forth at the beginning of Creation is diffused throughout
Nature. Being at the very root of Nature, Staot –‘Primordial Sound’
brings into existence the space-time continuum.
‘Things divine are not attainable by mortals
who indulge in sensuality.’ Zarathustra
Fire
Being spiritual as well as physical, fire is
regarded as a Divinity, equated with Ahura
Mazda's own Inner Light and Life Energy. There
are parallels with the Vedic and Judaic forms of worship which also
utilise mantras and sacred fire.
Fire transmutes the physical into the spiritual. As energy it is the
source of all Creation. No Zarathusti ritual is complete without the
presence of fire. In the Gathas, Zarathustra Himself expressly seeks
a vision and a communion with Ahura Mazda through fire, which is
worshipped as the ‘Holiest Spirit’.
In Zarthushti homes and temples, the Divo – ‘Hearth Fire’ is kept
perpetually burning. It is the physical manifestation of the Divine
Light permeating time and space. Ahura Mazda, being Spirit, resides
ZARATHUSTRA 63
in the spiritual world while He
sends His Son, Fire, to adorn the
Earth and impel the Creation
towards Frasho-Kereti –‘Final
Renovation’.
‘Happiness comes to them who
bring happiness to others.’
Revelations
Zarathustra was given the Agusto-
Vacho – ‘Revelations unheard
before’ and was sent by Ahura
Mazda to reaffirm the ancient faith. He was the first prophet, to be
followed by three Saviours. When the final Saviour comes, the
world will be purged by fire and evil will be overcome in a final
great battle.
‘Be good, be kind, be humane and charitable. Love your fellows,
console the afflicted, pardon those who have done you wrong.’
Zarathustra
Passing
Legends of Zarathustra’s death include stories where Zarathustra
ascended to the skies, much like the Ascension of Jesus.
Vishtaspa, Zarathustra and their follwers fought a war against the
Homa-worshipping Turan tribe and drove their King, Aryasp, back
into the mountains. Eighteen years later Aryasp invaded Iran again,
burning and looting. It is said that Zarathustra was killed in Balkh in
present-day Afghanistan by a Turan soldier while He was praying.
ZARATHUSTRA 64
Another account is that in His seventy seventh year, Zarathustra,
one night, after His evening prayers, bid His family members
farewell and retired to bed. He passed away quietly in His sleep. In
the morning, when they noticed that He had not awakened, His
family members went to His bed-side to find His body lying
peacefully.
His son-in-law, Jamaspa, became Zoroaster's successor.
Zoroastrianism
Zarathustra's
religion, known
as Mazda-yasna –
‘worship of God’,
remained prominent in Iran until
the Arab conquest of 651 CE, which The Fravahar –
converted the Persians to Islam. To preserve the winged disc
their ancient faith, a band of Zarathushti sailed representing the
Fravashi –
across the Arabian Sea and settled in Gujarat in ‘Individual Spirit’
India, where they are known as Parsees (Persians is the symbol of
– speakers of the Farsi language). Zoroastrianism.
The figure
“I wish all of you a very happy New Year supported by
today because it is Navroz* and Navroz is the winged disc
the day when Zartosht [Zoroaster] started His may be the
emperor Darius,
work on this Earth. He was a great Sahaja Cyrus the Great
Yogi. He was an incarnation of Dattâtreya or Zoroaster
Himself.” 21-03-77, Mumbai Himself.
* Navroz –‘new day’, the Zoroastrian New Year, is still celebrated in Iran
on the spring equinox. It may have been started by Zarathustra Himself.
ZARATHUSTRA 65
However, due to the customs of marrying within the religion and
not converting others, their numbers are dwindling and recent
estimates of practicing Zoroastrians are about 120,000 world-wide,
half of whom are in India. They are successful at business due to
their public-spirited benevolence and strict moral code which
includes business practice. Many of the great manufacturing houses
of India are Parsee owned (Tata, Godrej, etc.).
Many Jewish, Christian and Islamic concepts are derived from
Zoroastrianism, such as Mashya and Mashyana, the first man and
woman, like Adam and Eve, the concepts of
Heaven and Hell, the One God
and the Evil Adversary
Ahriman, the coming of the
Saviour Saoshyant who will
be born of a virgin, the end-
of-time purge of the world
by Fire followed by the
Resurrection of the Dead;
the making afresh of the
world and the great battle
where good finally
vanquishes evil and the
Kingdom of God is established
on Earth. These beliefs
filtered down to Judaism
Gayomard, the man-headed winged during the reign of King
bull, was God’s sixth creation.
He was destroyed by the evil
Khushru (Cyrus) of Iran.
Ahriman but His seed lived on and
gave rise to the animal kingdom.
ZARATHUSTRA 66
Zoroastrians believe that all races in the world are
created by God and are equal - a typically noble and
tolerant Aryan trait. The Persian Emperor Cyrus
rebuilt the temple of the Jews after freeing them
from Babylon. For this, He is remembered with a
Jewish festival and called the ‘Anointed of the
Lord’ in the Bible. Many Jews stayed
in Iran under Cyrus and His successors
such as Darius, as equal subjects. 3rd c. Syrian portrait
Books of the Bible written after this of Zarathustra
time incorporate these Zoroastrian concepts, which thence came to
Christianity and Islam. Some scholars consider Zoroastrianism to be
the mother of all the present world religions outside India.
“Zoroaster was born five times in His country, Persia. But the
people who followed Mohammad Sahib never realised the
oneness of His preaching and that of Zoroaster, and they made
all the Persians run away to all the other countries and so many
of them came to India.” Creation. Ch.8
“Evolution is led by Vishnu and His Incarnations on the Earth.

Apart from this there were the incarnations of the Primordial
Master, Adi Guru, in the Void or Bhava-sâgara. He incarnated
many-a-times to guide humanity across the Void. These Masters
evolved new personalities endowed with the disciple principle
or Shishya Tattwa, who manifested as great disciples of this Adi
Guru. They were human beings but they achieved salvation
with the help of their Gurus or their own efforts. They were
not Divine Incarnations and are known as Avadhûts –‘those
who have renounced the world’. They incarnated on this Earth
as other personalities; Solomon, David, John the Baptist,
ZARATHUSTRA 67
second and third Zoroaster, Mârkandeya, Gagan Gadh Mahârâj
and the nine Nâths. They had the True Knowledge of the
Kundalini.” 29-12-80, India
Zoroastrians revere all the creatures and creations of God such as

the Sun, Moon, stars and elements. The Holy Fire, kept permanently
alight in the temples, is fed by priests with sandalwood and cedar
while intoning the sacred Avestan Manthras.
The Gathas –‘songs’ of Zarathustra
are not considered Divinely dictated
texts, but the compositions of a
prophet-poet inspired by the Amesha
Spentas –‘Bounteous Immortals’ such
as Vohu Manah –‘Good Mind’ and
Asha –‘Truth’. According to
Zoroastrian philosophy, Zarathustra
reached God through His own efforts
simultaneously with God's
communication to Him. He is not
regarded as divine, even in the most
extravagant legends, but remains a
man like others, though divinely
inspired and close to Ahura Mazda.
After His death Zarathustra's great
soul rises to the level of a Bounteous Immortal.
His life is a model for all His followers, traditionalist and modern, in
His insatiable desire for the truth, loving relationship with God and
indomitable spiritual courage.
‘Let us be such as help the life of the future.’ Zarathustra, Gathas
ZARATHUSTRA 68
M OSES
69
M OSES
Moses, known in Hebrew as
Moshe, was a prophet, law-giver
and leader who, in the 13th
century BCE, delivered the Hebrew
people from Egyptian slavery.
In the Covenant Ceremony at Mt.
Sinai, where the Ten
Commandments were given, He
founded the religious community
known as Israel. As the
Michelangelo’s Moses
interpreter of the Covenant, He
“(The horns) means the open
organized the community's Sahasrara. A Guru always
religious and civil traditions. He is uses these horns to hit his
revered as the greatest of disciples to clear out their
left and right side. They have
prophets and teachers in Judaism two horns and they go on
which is called the Mosaic faith. pushing into your Void.”
His influence continues to be felt 10-02-82, India
in the religious life, moral concerns and social ethics of Western

civilization and therein lies His undying significance.
To deny or to doubt the historic personality of Moses, would be to
undermine and render unintelligible the subsequent history of the
Jews. Rabbinical literature teems with legends touching every event
of His marvellous career. While some tales may be purely
legendary, they are based on the sense of a great personality, of
strong character, high purpose and noble achievement, so deep,
MOSES 70
true and powerful in His religious convictions as to thrill and subdue
the minds of an entire race for millennia after His death.
Historical View
Few historical figures have engendered such disparate
interpretations as Moses. Early Jewish and Christian traditions
considered Him the author of the first five books of the Bible,
known as the Torah –‘Law, Teaching’, or Pentateuch -‘Five Books’,
which are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Genesis recounts the Creation up to the Children of Israel settling in
Egypt; including Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel and
the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. The next four
books document the life of Moses and the law handed down to Him
by God.
The Bible is the only source of information on Moses’ life and
character, there being no other historical evidence.
The Age of Moses

According to the Book of Exodus, Moses' parents were Levites, the
priests of the Hebrews, descendants of Levi, one of the twelve sons
of Jacob who was named Israel by God. The Hebrews had been in
Egypt for many generations, since Jacob and His sons had come to
settle there. Their numbers had increased until they became a
threat, so one of the Pharaohs enslaved them. The Pharaoh who
fought with Moses was probably Ramses II (1304–1213 BCE) and the
Exodus from Egypt occurred around 1270 BCE. Moses would have
been born around 1350 BCE and probably left Egypt before Ramses
was born.
MOSES 71
Archaeological evidence dates the cities of Pithom and Rameses,
built by the enslaved Hebrews near Goshen (see map on next page) at
around 1300 BCE. Excavations of towns the Hebrews destroyed in
Moab during their wanderings are dated around 1250 BCE.
Early Life
In a parallel to the
birth stories of
Lord Jesus and
Shri Krishna, there
was a decree by
Pharaoh that all
male Hebrew
babies were to be
Pharaoh’s daughter finding Moses
put to death, in an
attempt to restrict the phenomenal population growth of the
Hebrews. So Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed (whose other
children were Aaron and Miriam) hid Him for three months and then
set Him afloat on the Nile in a reed basket daubed with pitch.
The child was found by Pharaoh's daughter who adopted him and
reared him in the Egyptian court. The name Moses is Egyptian
meaning ‘son’ (Rameses = Ra-mose –‘son of Ra the Sun God’).
Moses' years growing up in the court are passed over in silence, but
as a prince He would have been educated in religious, civil and
military matters. The Bible says that Moses was about forty when
He visited His people presumably after discovering His Hebrew
origins. There He saw the oppression under which they laboured.
Incensed at the sight of an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew,
He killed the man and buried the body in the sand.
MOSES 72
Moses went back the next day and this time He found two Hebrews
fighting. After parting them, He attempted to mediate the
disagreement; however their response shocked him: ‘Who made
you a prince and a judge over us? Do you intend to kill me as you
killed the Egyptian?’ His crime was no secret and soon Pharaoh
knew and sought to arrest Moses. He quickly left Egypt crossing the
Sinai wilderness to Midian in northwest Arabia.
Moses in Midian
Although no details of the flight to Midian are given in the Bible, it
would involve crossing the inhospitable Sinai Peninsula.
Like Sinuhe, an
Egyptian court
official whose
earlier flight in
1960 BCE is
recorded, Moses
would have had
to filter through
the ‘Wall of the
Ruler,’ a series of
forts on the
eastern border,
roughly where
the Suez Canal is
today; and then travel southeast through very desolate country.
While Moses was resting at a well in Midian, seven daughters of the
priest Jethro came to water their father's flocks but were
MOSES 73
obstructed by other shepherds. Moses drove off the shepherds and
helped the girls refresh the sheep and goats. When their father
learned of the incident He insisted that His daughters invite the
Egyptian to stay. Moses settled down with Jethro who gave Him
one of the daughters Zipporah as a wife and they had two sons.
Moses spent forty years tending Jethro's flocks.
One day while roaming the wilderness for pasture He came to the
base of the sacred mountain Horeb (Mt Sinai). His attention was
attracted by a flaming bush, which burned but, strangely, was not
consumed. He approached to investigate it but before He could do
so, a voice warned Him to come no closer:
‘Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet; for the
place whereon thou standest is holy ground.’
Then God spoke again, ‘I am the God of thy father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid
His face; for He was afraid to look upon God. And the Lord said:
‘I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt,
and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I
know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of
the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land
unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and
honey; unto the place of the Canaanites. Come now therefore,
and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth
my people the Children of Israel out of Egypt.’ Exodus 3
Moses did not feel equal to the task that God asked of him,
especially as He was ‘slow of speech’ – He may have had a speech
impediment – but God assured Him that His brother Aaron would
MOSES 74
accompany Him and speak for Him. God reassured Moses that in
the future He and the Hebrews would worship at this mountain.
Then Moses asked why the Hebrews would believe that God had
sent Him and what name1 of God He should tell them.
‘And God said unto Moses, ‘I am that I am’: and He said, ‘Thus
shalt thou say unto the Children of Israel, ‘I am’ hath sent me
unto you.’
Even after further assurances, Moses was still reluctant to accept
Yahweh's call. Awed by His assignment, Moses made a final
desperate plea, ‘Oh, my Lord, send, I pray, some other person’;
but God was angry at Moses: Moses would be God's representative,
but His brother Aaron would be the spokesman. God assured Moses
that those Egyptians who had sought to kill Him were 2now all dead.
Moses returned to Jethro and took leave to visit His people in Egypt,
taking His wife and sons. His brother Aaron was also instructed by
God to go into the desert and meet Moses on His way back.
1
In the Old Testament God has two main names: Yahweh (or YHWH, also
written Jehovah) and Elohim (similar to Allah). Both names appear in
the earlier parts of the Bible. God was also known as El'Elyon –‘The Most
High’ or El Shaddai –‘God of the Mountain’, but He identified himself to
Moses as Yahweh and gave instructions to be called by this name from
then on. From the verb root ‘to be,’ Yahweh means ‘He who causes
things to be, the Creator’.
2
Moses lived for a hundred and twenty years, spending the first forty in
Egypt, the next forty in Midian and the last forty wandering in the desert
with the Israelites. The Bible states that He was four-score years (eighty)
when He confronted Pharaoh.
MOSES 75
Moses and Pharaoh
Ramses II became Pharaoh as a teenager and reigned for sixty-
seven years. He aspired to defeat the Hittites and control all of
Assyria, but in the fifth year of His reign He walked into a Hittite
trap at Kadesh in Syria. He managed to fight His way out, but the
incident dampened His ardour for conquest.
Like all pharaohs, Ramses claimed to be divine; so the defeat was
interpreted as a marvellous victory in which He subdued the
Hittites. He undertook a massive program of building throughout
Egypt and the boasts of His success filled acres of wall space.
It was some years after
the Kadesh incident that
Moses and Aaron
confronted Ramses,
saying ‘Thus says the
Lord God of Israel, ‘Let
my people go.' As a god
in human form Ramses
was not accustomed to
taking orders. ’Who is this Lord?’ He inquired, ‘that I should heed
His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and moreover
I will not let Israel go.’ Thus the stage was set for an epic
confrontation between a megalomaniac ruler and a prophet on a
mission from God.
The Plagues
God instructed Moses to ask Pharaoh to allow His people to travel
three days into the desert to sacrifice to their God. He assured
MOSES 76
Moses that Pharaoh would never agree, and that He would send
plagues upon the Egyptians, but they would still not agree, until He
sent one final disaster upon them.
Moses and Aaron went together to Pharaoh and delivered their
message. Pharaoh’s response was that if the people had time to go
into the desert for three days, they were obviously idle and He
increased their work-load. The over-seers were told not to give the
Hebrews straw to make their quota of
bricks, so that they had to forage
for straw as well and still
produce the same number
of bricks. The people
complained to Moses that
He had made matters
worse.
Following God’s
instructions Moses and
Aaron continued to
demand that the people to
be allowed to go into the
desert and sacrifice to their
God. God hardened
Pharaoh’s heart (which was
“Look how He put the
probably not too difficult in such a
hand on the Void, how
the right Nabhi, the proud man!) and He refused. Aaron
right knee, was not threw His rod on the ground where it
covered to show the became a snake: but the Egyptian
place of the Void and sorcerer-priests did the same with their
the Nabhi.”
24-11-81, Rome staffs. Even though Aaron’s snake ate
MOSES 77
up their rods, Pharaoh was not impressed and still refused.
Aaron stretched His rod over the river Nile and it turned to blood,
along with all the streams and wells. The people could find no fresh
water to drink. But still Pharaoh did not agree.
Again God spoke to Moses, Aaron stretched out His rod and a
plague of frogs* infested the land. Pharaoh finally relented but as
soon as the frogs had gone, His heart was hardened and He refused
to let the Israelites go.
Again and again Moses and Aaron predicted these abominations
and again and again Pharaoh relented only to change His mind
when the scourge was lifted. The dust of the land turned to lice*,
then swarms of flies covered everything, the horses and cattle died,
though not one of the Israelites’; then there was a mighty hail, the
like of which had never been seen before with fire running along
the ground, which killed any man or beast outside and destroyed
trees and crops; locusts consumed any vegetation still standing.
Pharaoh kept relenting while the disasters lasted, but ‘hardened His
heart’ when Moses had spoken to God and they ended.
Finally Moses predicted that in the night the first-born child of every
Egyptian family and of every beast would die. The Hebrews were
instructed to daub their door-posts and lintels with lamb’s blood, so
that the Angel of Death would pass over their houses. This became
the Feast of the Passover.
* These plagues and disasters could be caused by natural agents and have
been linked to a volcanic eruption on Santorini in the Mediterranean in
1500 BCE which destroyed the Minoan civilisation on Crete and left
archaeological traces in Egypt. This makes them no less Divine in nature
– how else would we expect God to perform His miracles?
MOSES 78
A mighty wailing went up from the Egyptians in the night and in the
morning Pharaoh called Moses and told Him and his people to leave
immediately. On God’s instructions they borrowed gold ornaments
and fine raiment from their Egyptian neighbours who now viewed
the Hebrews with great admiration and saw Moses as a god. The
people left in a hurry and their bread did not have time to rise, so
only unleavened bread is consumed at the time of Passover.
From Goshen to Sinai

For many days the Hebrews, numbering about 25,000 with their
carts, goats, sheep and cattle, travelled through the desert led by a
pillar of smoke in the day and a pillar of fire at night, until they
reached the Red Sea. The Lord did not lead them along the ‘main
road’ out of Egypt to avoid conflict with the local people.
God was determined to ‘have honour’ upon Pharaoh and the
Egyptians, so Pharaoh’s heart was hardened again and He ordered
six hundred chariots and His best cavalry to pursue the Hebrews
who were now trapped by the Red Sea. A pall of smoke came
between the two camps preventing the Egyptian attacking, but still
the people complained that Moses had led them into the desert
only to die.
God caused a strong East Wind to blow all night and in the morning
the Red Sea had become dry land. The Hebrews crossed it safely,
but when the Egyptians tried to follow, God blew a West Wind* and
they were completely annihilated by the on-rushing waters. Thus
was God honoured on Pharaoh and the Egyptians.
MOSES 79
“This Chakra is a flexible one. Swâdhishthân, which is actually
the Star of David. This crossing of the Void represents the
crossing of Moses, the sea that He crossed. All that is
represented here. Because the Sea of Illusion you cross is the
work of Moses Himself.“ 18-10-81, U.S.A.
Safely on the other side, Moses and His sister Miriam led the people
in a victory song of praise to Yahweh. The style of the poetry is
consistent with 14th century BCE Canaanite literature:
‘I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the
horse and His rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my
strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God,
and I will prepare a habitation for Him, my father’s God, and I
will exalt Him.’ Exodus. 15:1–21
The Hebrews now wandered through the wildernesses of the Sinai

Peninsula. (See map: p.66) They were often short of food and water,
and complained bitterly. God sent food; in the evenings quail flew
into the camp and were easily caught and cooked, and in the
mornings they collected Manna from the desert to make bread,
* Although the Bible describes the Hebrews as crossing the Sea with the
water as a wall on the left and right, there is an explanation which does
not involve massive walls of water (as in Cecil B DeMille’s magnificent
film ‘The Ten Commandments’): The left-hand branch of the Red Sea,
the Gulf of Suez, deteriorated into treacherous swamps and mangroves
where the Suez Canal is today, known as the Reed Sea. Crossing these
swamps with a large body of people would be impossible. However
following the explanation of a volcanic eruption; then before a tsunami
comes to land, the sea retreats quite dramatically, allowing the
Israelites to cross, but as the Egyptians follow, the tsunami hits and they
are annihilated.
MOSES 80
except on the Sabbath as God sent double the day before. The
Manna was small fragrant morsels, like coriander seed, and the
Israelites lived on it for their forty years of wandering in the desert.
The people still complained about the lack of water and food. After
a month Moses brought the people to ‘the Mountain of God,’
Mount Sinai, also called Horeb, where God had spoken to Moses
from the burning bush. Here He struck the rock with the rod He had
used to part the Red Sea and water flowed forth.
“All these great incarnations had a special power over water,
because in the stomach we have our Void and Nâbhî Chakra
which is made of ocean. Ocean represents the incarnations of
Âdi Guru Dattâtreya. These had great powers over oceans and
over water, like Moses. He crossed the ocean by creating a
road, which shows that the Void can be crossed with the help
of the Rûh –‘Holy Spirit’. And even Mohammed Sâhib had a
tremendous power over the ocean; Nânaka once put his hand
on a rock and water started coming out.” 23-11-80, London
Moses’ father-in-law Jethro had heard of His miraculous escape

with the Hebrews and came to visit Him. He was shocked to see
Moses trying to deal with every small issue of the people and told
Him to devise a system to delegate decision-making and legal
judgements, which He did.
The Covenant at Sinai

A terrific storm occurred over Mt. Sinai, and the voice of God called
Moses to ascend the mountain alone. Moses spent forty days and
forty nights upon Mount Sinai, being instructed by God, firstly with
the Ten Commandments and then with details of the Jewish law.
MOSES 81
The Ten Commandments:
1. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other
gods before Me.
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in the
Earth beneath, or that is in the water under the Earth: thou shalt
not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy
God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon
the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love
me, and keep my commandments.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for the
Lord will not hold Him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou
labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of
the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor
thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in six
days the Lord made Heaven and Earth, the sea, and all that in
them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed
the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long
upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal.
MOSES 82
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor His manservant, nor His
maidservant, nor His ox, nor His ass, nor any thing that is thy
neighbour’s.
The Golden Calf

As Moses had been absent for more than a month, the people did
not know what had become of Him and they implored Aaron to
allow them to make an idol to worship. So all the gold was collected
and a Golden Calf fashioned, placed on an altar and worshipped
Adoration of the Golden Calf

- from the Sistine Chapel
MOSES 83
with nakedness, lasciviousness and abandon. When Moses came
down from the mountain He was enraged at the sight and threw
the stone tablets down, breaking them. The Levites, the priests of
the people, had not indulged in these debaucheries and on Moses’
instructions they went through the camp killing the worst offenders
– more than three thousand were put to death.
Moses went back up the mountain for another forty days and
nights. He pleaded with God not to destroy the Israelites and even
offered himeself as a sacrifice in their place. God relented and gave
Moses many laws and stipulations for the people to follow, as well
as a new set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments. There is
a theory that the original Ten Commandments were more subtle
than the final version created for the erring Israelites. On His return
Moses explained the Covenant between God and the Israelites. The
people agreed to follow all the the laws and conditions which God
had given to Moses, which are recorded in Exodus and Leviticus.
Moses concern for the Hebrews was unwavering, in spite of their
stubborn, complaining and rebellious ways. God said that He would
not travel with them through the desert as they were a ‘stiff-necked
people’.
The ‘Tent of the Congregation’, where Moses spoke with God, was
set apart from the camp. It housed the Tabernacle, a jewelled box
containing the Ark of the Covenant, and anyone wishing to know
the word of God could come there to ask. A pillar of smoke stood at
the doorway of the tent in the day and a pillar of fire by night. The
people would not break camp and move on until the pillar of smoke
lifted.
MOSES 84
From Sinai to the Promised Land
After leaving Mt. Sinai, the Israelites wandered in the desert for
forty years. This was necessary to cleanse the sin of worshipping the
Golden Calf and perhaps to toughen up the people who would have
to fight their way into the Promised Land.
Moses faced daily frustration and resistance. He encountered
opposition from even His closest family, Miriam and Aaron, for
marrying an Ethiopian woman rather than a Hebrew. At Kadesh-
barnea the pessimistic report of the spies who had reconnoitred the
land thwarted Moses’ desire to march north and conquer Canaan.
When He urged the people to reconsider they almost stoned Him.
But again, Moses interceded for the people with Yahweh, who
threatened to destroy them and raise up another and greater
nation.
In Transjordan the states of Edom and Moab, vassals of the
Midianites, rejected Moses' request for passage and He wisely
circled east of them and moved north to conquer Sihon, king of the
Amorites and Og, king of Bashan. Moses permitted some of the
tribes to settle in Transjordan, which evoked opposition from the
Moabites and their Midianite overlords who hired the Syrian diviner
Balaam to put a curse on the Hebrews, but instead He pronounced
a blessing. Moses responded to the enmity of the Midianites with a
successful campaign against them which opened the way to the
Promised Land.
Shortly before His death, as the Children of Israel were about to
enter the Promised Land, Moses gave three sermons recorded in
the Book of Deuteronomy. Renewing the Covenant between God
and the Israelites He reminded the people of the hardships they
MOSES 85
had faced and the promises they made to God. He talks of a future
Prophet, like to Himself, whom the people are to receive and then
bursts forth into a sublime song of praise to Yahweh and adds
prophetic blessings for each of the twelve tribes.
‘He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all His ways are judgment:
a God of Truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.’ Deut.32
From the camp in the Jordan Valley, Moses climbed Mount Nebo,
on ‘the top of Pisgah’ and views the Promised Land which He is
cursed never to enter*; He then dies at the age of one hundred and
twenty. He is buried ‘in the valley of Moab over against Phogor’, but
‘no man knows His sepulchre’ which is ‘opposite Beth-peor’.
This is believed by Muslims to be 20km east of Jerusalem.
* Moses was cursed by God not to enter the Promised Land

because on more than one occasion He did not ‘uphold the
Holiness of the Lord’ and took credit for miracles
that God performed.
Moses the Man

Although undoubtedly enhanced by
time and legend, a striking portrait of
Moses emerges – a man of tremendous
strength of character who communed
daily with Yahweh.
Throughout history very few saints are credited with the constant
dialogue with God that Moses had. This stammering shepherd
understood His destiny as coming from the grace of a merciful Lord
who had given Him a tremendous mission. Moses had an
understanding spirit and a forgiving heart because He knew how
MOSES 86
much Yahweh had forgiven Him. He was truly humble because He
recognized that His gifts and strength came from God.
He fulfilled many roles for the people. As Yahweh's agent in the
deliverance of the Hebrews, Moses was their prophet and leader.
As instrument of the Ten Commandments and mediator of the
Covenant, He was the founder of the religous community. As
interpreter of the Covenant and the Law, He was an organizer and
legislator. As intercessor for the people, He was their priest. He
began the process of codifying and interpreting the Law*.
Moses was succeeded as leader by Joshua and in religious matters
by the priest Eleazar, the son of Aaron. Later prophets such as Elijah
and Jeremiah also spoke with God and delivered His Message as
Moses had, but they were not called on to fulfill so many roles. He
is indeed the greatest of the prophets, and a mere handful of
mankind’s great personalities of any era equal Him in influence.
He is the ideal embodiment of ‘God’s Chosen People’ outshining
other prophets, so that thirty-two centuries after His death, only
Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest culmination of the Jewish race,
whom Moses foretold, eclipses Him.
‘Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the
Lord knew face to face. . . . For no one has ever shown the mighty
power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the
sight of all Israel’ Deuteronomy 34:10-12
“They knew Moses was great, He had overpowered Nature.”

02-12-79, London
* One of the interesting features of Judaism is that the Torah is constantly

being reinterpreted to keep it relevant. The Torah, the first five books of
the Bible, gives the history of the Jews from the Creation up to the end
of Moses’ life and contains the very detailed Law given by God to Moses.
MOSES 87
Jewish Beliefs
Judaism, known in Hebrew as Yahadut (from Yehudah –‘Judah’, the
name of the ancient kingdom and one of the twelve tribes), believes in
the perfection of the soul, which means overcoming all base desires
and obstacles to facing God. At core this involves reincarnation, but
not all Jewish people hold this belief.
Jews pray three times a day, or more, as they have prayers for all
events such as saying ‘grace’ before meals. According to the Ten
Commandments they have to observe the Shabbat –‘Sabbath’ which
runs from sunset (6pm) on Friday until three stars appear on
Saturday evening. Candles are lit a few minutes before sunset and
prayers offered. During this twenty-four hours no work or journeys
are undertaken and family meals accompanied with singing and
prayers are an important part of Shabbat.
Other Interpretations
There are other groups of people who consider themselves to be
the descendents of the Israelites, from as far afield as England to
Ethiopia, from South India to Japan! Many of these groups claim to
be the ‘Lost Tribes of Israel’, who were dispersed by later Assyrian
invasions involving the capture and deportation of many Jews.
There is a tradition in Kashmir that they are descended from Moses
and some of the Kashmiri people have a distinctly Semitic look. If
one came out of Egypt and wandered east for forty years, this is
where you would arrive.
MOSES 88
‘I was fortunate enough to meet the great Santoor player Bhajan
Sapoori and His family from Kashmir after they gave a concert for
Śhrī Mataji at Her house in
Noida in 2010. I asked them
whether they knew of the
idea of Kashmiris being
descended from Moses and
they assured me that it was
a well-known part of their Bhajan and Abhay
culture.’ Ed. Sapoori from Kashmir
According to the book ‘Jesus Lived in India’* the names of the

places given in the Bible surrounding Moses’ burial place
correspond to a site known locally in Kashmir as ‘Moses’ grave’. The
Bible gives the names but says the location is not known. Jesus’
tomb is also a well-known shrine in the centre of Srinagar, the
capital of Kashmir. It is called the Roza Bal and is said to be the
tomb of Yuz Asaf.
* ‘Jesus lived in India’ (1983) by Holger Kirsten, reads as if written by a

Sahaja Yogi. Śhrī Mataji read it, generally approved of it and
occasionally quoted from it. Kirsten collected many already discovered
sources of material such as Buddhist monastery records from Leh and
wove them into a convincing whole. He also talks about the legend of
Moses arriving in Kashmir and the authenticity of the Turin Shroud. The
book is still in print and is available on Amazon. Śhrī Mataji also quotes
from an earlier book ‘The Unknown Life of Jesus Christ’ written by
Nicholas Notovitch (1890) which provided some sources which Kirsten
used.
MOSES 89
L AO T SE
90
L AO T SE
Lao Tse* is considered the founder of the Chinese
philosophy of Taoism. He was roughly
contemporary with Buddha and Confucius
(possibly born in 604 BCE), and lived to be
about eighty. Very little is known about Him
- not even His real name, for Lao Tse, like
‘Sāī Bābā’, means; ‘Old Master’,
‘Respected Ancient One’,
and is a title of endearment
and respect.
Life
About His life we have only a mosaic of legends, some of which are
fantastic: that He was conceived by a shooting star, carried in His
mother's womb for eighty-two years and born already a wise old
man with white hair. Other legends are more credible: that He kept
the government archives in His native state, living a simple and
unassuming life. It is said His name was Li Dan from Quren Village in
the southern state of Zhou and he was the State Archivist.
His personality is deduced from the single slim volume attributed to
Him. Some conclude that He was a solitary recluse absorbed in
meditation; others picture Him as a down-to-earth genial neighbour
with a lively sense of humour.
* Also written Lao Tzu, Lao-zi. Lao –‘old, ancient’, tse, tzu, zi –‘master,
respected one’
LAO TSE 91
Appearance
The only contemporary description is by
China's first historian Sima Qian, who
speaks of the enigmatic impression Lao Tse
gave - the depths of understanding
defying comprehension. According to
this account Confucius, intrigued by
what He had heard, visited Lao Tse
and Sima Qian’s description suggests
that the unusual man impressed Him deeply but left Him baffled.
’I know a bird can fly; I know a fish can swim; I know animals can
run. Creatures that run can be caught in nets; those that swim can
be caught in wicker traps; those that fly can be hit by arrows. But
the dragon is beyond my knowledge; it ascends into Heaven on
the clouds and the wind. Today I have seen Lao Tse and He is like
the dragon!’
He concludes by saying that Lao Tse, saddened by His people's
disinclination to cultivate natural goodness and seeking solitude for
His closing years, climbed on a water buffalo and rode westward
toward what is now Tibet.
At the Hankao Pass a gatekeeper, sensing the unusual character of
the traveller, tried to persuade Him to turn back. Failing this, He
asked if the ‘Old Boy’ would at least leave a record of His wisdom to
the civilization He was abandoning. This Lao Tse consented to do.
He retired for three days and returned with a slim volume of five
thousand characters titled Tao Te Ching, or The Way of Virtue. One
of humanity's greatest books, it can be read in half an hour or for a
lifetime and remains to this day the essential text of Taoist thought.
LAO TSE 92
Lao Tse didn't preach, organize or promote. He wrote a few pages
on request and rode off on a buffalo into the sunset. How unlike the
Buddha, who wandered the dusty roads of India for forty-five years
to enlighten the people; or Confucius, who cultivated dukes and
princes, trying to gain a foothold (or at least a hearing) for His ideas.
And yet, whether the story of Lao Tse’s life is fact or fiction, it is so
true to Taoists principles that it will remain a part of Taoism forever.
“Confucius has taught the humanity how we can improve our
relations with other human beings. But Lao-Tse in China has
very beautifully described Tao, meaning the Kundalini. And I
have had a voyage through the Yangtze River through which
Lao-Tse had gone many times. I know he was trying to show
that this river, which is the Kundalini, is flowing towards the
sea and one should not be tempted by the nature that is
around.
The nature around the Yangtze River is very, very beautiful, no
doubt, but one has to go through the river. Also there are lots
of currents, which flow and can be quite dangerous and we
need a good navigator who should take his ship across to the
point where it is nearer the sea. At that stage it becomes very
silent and extremely simple in its flow.
China has been endowed with great philosophers; I would say
the greatest was Lao-Tse, because humanism was for the
preparation of human beings for their ascent about which Lao-
Tse had spoken.... The greatest thing is that you become a
universal being; like a drop becomes the ocean. Lao Tze has
described this.” 13-09-95, International Women’s Conference, China
LAO TSE 93
Tao Te Ching - The Way and its Power
Tao is ‘way’ and Te is ‘virtue, inner
power’, so ‘Tao-Te’ can mean ‘the way
of virtue, morality, ethics’; Ching
means a ‘great book, classic’.
Translating Tao Te Ching (pronounced
‘Dao De Jīng’) as ‘The Book of Ethics’
would be misleading as in English
‘ethics’ implies intellectual principles;
but Lao Tse emphasises going beyond
mental concepts to spontaneous
actions in tune with the All-pervading
Consciousness.
The verses of the Tao Te Ching are arranged by topic which may not
be the order in which Lao Tse wrote them.
The first two lines: ‘ Tao is Tao is not Tao. Name is Name is not
Name.’ Is particularly cryptic and open to many interpretations.
On the Meanings of Tao

There are three main senses in which Tao --‘way’, may be
understood. First, Tao is the Way of the Ultimate Reality. This Tao
cannot be perceived or even clearly conceived, for it is too vast for
human rationality to fathom. The opening line reveals that words
are not equal to it: ‘The Tao that can be spoken of is not the
eternal Tao.’ Nevertheless, this ineffable and transcendent Tao is
the ground of all that follows. Above all, behind all, beneath all, it is
the womb from which all life springs and to which it returns. Awed
by the thought of it, Lao Tse bursts recurrently into praise, for this
LAO TSE 94
primal Tao confronts Him with life's essential
mystery, the mystery of all mysteries.
‘How clear it is! How quiet it is! It must be
something eternally existing! Of all great
things, surely Tao is the greatest.’
But its ineffability cannot be denied, so
we are taunted, time and again, by
Taoism's epigram:
‘Those who know don't speak. Those
who speak don't know.’
Though transcendent, Tao is also immanent. In this sense it is the
Way of the Universe, the rhythm, the driving power in all nature,
the ordering principle behind all life. Behind, but also in the midst of
all life, for in this second mode Tao ‘assumes flesh’ and informs all
things. It ‘adapts its vivid essence, clarifies its manifold fullness,
subdues its resplendent lustre and assumes the likeness of dust.’
Being Spirit rather than Matter, it cannot be exhausted; the more it
is drawn upon, the more it flows, for it is ‘that fountain ever on’.
When autumn comes ‘no leaf is spared because of its beauty, No
flower because of its fragrance.’ Yet, ultimately, it is benign.
Graceful rather than abrupt, more flowing than hesitant, it is
infinitely generous. Giving life to all things, it may be called ‘the
Mother of the World’.
* A Taiwanese Sahaja Yogini living in London assured me that everyone

learns the Tao Te Ching in school from a young age, and it seemed
incomprehensible but intriguingly mysterious to her as a child. (Ed.)
Taiwan is home to the Chinese who fled from the Communist revolution
in 1949 and consider themselves the true guardians of Chinese culture.
LAO TSE 95
Tao is also the Way of the Wise Man, the path of harmony and
surrender. Like the reed which bends in the wind, the Wise Man
does not resist the forces of life but, by being adaptable and
flexible, gains from them.
‘The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao;
The Name that can be named is not the eternal Name
The Nameless is the Origin of Heaven and Earth;
The Named is the Mother of ten thousand things.
Free of desire, one observes its wonders;
Full of desire, one sees the manifestations.
These two have the same source but differ in name;
The unity is said to be the mystery, mystery of mysteries,
the door to all wonders.’ First verse, Tao Te Ching
To embrace the paradoxes

and contradictions of the
Truth requires a subtle
intelligence; it is akin to
juggling many balls in the
air at the same time. To
settle on one interpretation
is to fall on the side of
dualism. Those of lower
understanding seek firm
answers in black-and-white
resulting in dogma and
fanaticism.
Chinese stamp
of Lao Tse
LAO TSE 96
Te
We could equate Tao with Spirit and Te with
the Kundalini, but there are limitations to this
interpretation. ‘Virtue’ is often used to
translate Te - virtue in the sense of inherent
quality or natural power. It is the
‘Mysterious Female’, the ‘Valley Spirit’ in
which one abides as a natural state. One
must know how to act but not to seek action.
‘Bearing without possession, achieving without arrogance,
uplifting without domination, this is called the mystic virtue.’
‘Know the masculine, but hold to the feminine,
Be the watercourse of the world. Being the watercourse of the
world, the eternal virtue does not depart,
Return to the state of the infant,
Know the white (Yang), but hold to the black (Yin),
Be the standard of the world. Being the standard of the world, the
eternal virtue does not deviate,
Return to the state of the boundless,
Know honour, but hold to humility,
Be the valley of the world. Being the valley of the world, the
eternal virtue shall be sufficient,
Return to the state of uncarved wood,
Plain wood splits, then becomes tools,
The sages utilize them, and then become leaders,
Thus the greater whole is undivided,’
LAO TSE 97
Meditation
Taoist meditation involves shutting out distractions and emptying
the mind to the point where the power of the Tao bypasses mental
filters and enter the Self directly.
To arrive at this inwardness. self-seeking is reversed and perfect
cleanliness of thought and body cultivated. Pure spirit can be
known only in a life that is ‘garnished and swept.’ Only where all is
clean will it reveal itself; therefore ‘put self aside.’ Perturbing
emotions must likewise be quelled. Ruffling the surface of the mind,
they prevent introspection from seeing past
them to the springs of consciousness
beneath. Desire and revulsion, grief and
joy, delight and annoyance - each must
subside if the mind is to return to its
original purity, for in the end only peace
and stillness is the Natural State. Let
anxiety be dispelled and harmony
between the mind and its cosmic
source will come unsought.
It is close at hand, stands indeed at our very side; and yet is
intangible, a thing that, by reaching for it, cannot be grasped. It
goes, yet has not departed. It comes, yet is not here. It makes no
note that can be heard, yet of a sudden it is there in mind. It is dim
and dark, with no outward form, yet it flows as a great stream.
Selflessness, inner cleanliness and emotional calm are the
preliminaries to arriving at full self-knowledge, climaxed by deep
meditation. ’Bide in silence and the radiance of the spirit shall
come in and make its home.’
LAO TSE 98
Outward impressions are stilled and the senses withdrawn to an
interior point of focus. ’Muddy water allowed to stand,’ says the
Tao Te Ching, ’will clear.’
Postures paralleling Yoga Āsanas were recommended and breath-
control; it must be as soft and light as that of an infant, or even an
embryo in the womb. The result will be a state of alertness known
as ‘sitting with a blank mind’, ‘returning to the state of the uncarved
block’ or the ‘unwritten paper’.
Realisation
It is said that only He who ‘carries water and chops wood’ can attain
realisation, implying a natural person living a natural life. The direct
perception of the source of one's awareness as ‘serene and
immovable, like a monarch on a throne,’ brings joy unlike any
other. Once connected to the whole the Wise Man ‘could shift
Heaven and Earth.’ A ruler who is desireless automatically liberates
His subjects from their unruly desires; ruling without even being
known to rule.
‘The sage relies on action-less activity; puts himself in the
background; but is always to the fore. Remains outside; but is
always there. Is it just because he does not strive for any personal
end, that all his personal ends are fulfilled?‘
The Mingling of the Powers

For Lao Tse, Te –‘virtue’ is quite different from Confucius’ idea
where one should strive to cultivate good qualities; Te is the innate
property. In tune with Tao, behaviour flows spontaneously.
LAO TSE 99
’The way to do is to be.’ Tao is a gracefulness and vitality that flows
in and flows out until all is a dance without striving or imbalance.
Far from inaction, it is the embodiment of simplicity and freedom -
with nothing wasted on outward show.
‘The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things
without effort. It is content with the low places people disdain.
Thus it is like the Tao.’
Have you the patience to wait: ‘Till your
mud settles and the water is
clear? Can you remain
unmoving till the right
action arises by itself?’
‘Nothing in the world is
as soft and yielding as
water. Yet for dissolving
the hard and inflexible,
nothing can surpass it.’
‘The soft overcomes the
hard; the gentle
overcomes the rigid.
Everyone knows this is true,
but few can put it into practice.’
One who embodies these virtues of water, says the Tao Te Ching,
‘works without working, acts without strain, persuades without
argument, is eloquent without flourish and achieves results
without violence, coercion, or pressure’. The less the agent is
noticed, the more decisive their influence.
LAO TSE 100

‘A leader is best when people barely know that he exists. Of a
good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim
fulfilled, they will say, ‘We did this ourselves.’
‘One may move so well that a foot-print never shows, Speak so
well that the tongue never slips, Reckon so well that no counter is
needed.’
‘The five colours blind the eye, the five tones deafen the ear, the
five tastes cloy the palate. Racing and hunting drive men wild and
their booty leaves them no peace. Therefore a sensible man
prefers the inner to the outer eye.’
Taoist Values
Like water, the self needs no assertion. The world is full of people
determined to stand out, to be somebody, to get ahead.
‘He who stands on tiptoe doesn't stand firm. He who rushes ahead
doesn't go far. He who tries to shine dims his own light.‘
‘Those who would take over the earth and shape it to their will
never, I notice, succeed. The earth is like a vessel so sacred that at
the mere approach of the profane it is marred; and when they
reach out their fingers it is gone.’
Taoism seeks at-one-ment with nature, not dominance, which
deeply influenced Chinese art.
‘Let the people return to the use of knotted cords, their food
sweet, their clothing beautiful, their homes comfortable, their
rustic tasks pleasurable.’
Travel is pointless and conducive to idle curiosity. ’The
neighbouring state might be so near that one could hear the cocks
LAO TSE 101

crowing in it and dogs barking; but the people would grow old
and die without ever having been there.’
The basic objectives of Taoism and Confucianism did not differ
widely, but the Taoist shunned formalism and ceremony.
Confucianism encourages the human tendency to regulate life.
Taoism is in tune with the notion of Yin-Yang – the identity of
opposites; good & evil, active & passive, positive & negative, light &
dark, summer & winter, male & female. Though in tension, the
halves complement and balance each other; invading each other's
hemisphere and residing in the deepest recess of its opposite's
domain. And in the end both are resolved by the circle that
surrounds them, the Tao in its eternal wholeness; mere phases in
an endless cycle, each turning incessantly into its opposite. Life
does not move upward towards a fixed pinnacle; it bends back upon
itself to come full circle,
to affirm that all is one
Statue of Lao Tse
carved from the and all is well.
solid rock
LAO TSE 102

Taoism and Conficianism
Intertwined like Yin and Yang, Taoism and
Confucianism are the two poles of the
Chinese character. Confucius proposes the
classical, Lao Tse the romantic. Confucius
stresses social responsibility, Lao Tse
spontaneity and naturalness. Confucius'
focus is on the human, Lao Tse's on what
transcends the human. As the Chinese themselves say, Confucius
roams within society, Lao Tse wanders beyond. Life reaches in both
directions and Chinese culture would be poorer without either.
‘There is a being, wonderful, perfect; It existed before Heaven and
Earth. How quiet it is! How spiritual it is! It stands alone and it
does not change. It moves around and around, but does not on
this account suffer. All life comes from it.
It wraps everything with its love as in a garment and yet it claims
no honour, it does not demand to be Lord. I do not know its name
and so I call it Tao’
Other Taoist Influences

Chuang Tze (Zhang-zi)
The other main text of Taoism is Chuang Tze (Zhuang-zi), written
about two centuries after Lao Tse. This is a larger, more earthy
work, containing stories and much humour. Chuang Tse is sceptical
of the human condition and doubts the efficacy of using imperfect
instruments such as the mind to achieve perfection.
LAO TSE 103

‘A friend visited Chuang Tse and found
him contorted with pain and his left
arm bent and twisted in a most
unnatural way.
‘Isn’t it wonderful’ said Chuang Tse,
‘just imagine what other miraculous
things the Supreme Spirit might send
tomorrow!’
Like Lao Tse, Huangbo and all great
masters, Chuang Tse emphasised that Chuang Tze
there is nothing to be achieved, nothing to be
gained or added to a person, as the Sahaja –‘natural’ state of Pure
Consciousness is always there, merely obscured by our mental and
emotional activity. There is really no ‘way’ or journey as we are
already there if we only knew it.
‘The Way (Tao) is to man as rivers and lakes are to fish, the
natural condition of life.’
‘(In meditation) make the body like a withered tree and the mind
like dead ashes’.
‘Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding
is cramped and busy.’
Chuang Tse describes Confucius’ visit to Lao Tse:
‘Confucius had reached the age of fifty-one and still had not
‘heard the Tao.’ Finally he went south to Pei and called on Lao-
tse.
‘Ah, here you are!’ said Lao-tse. ‘I’ve heard of you as a worthy
man from the north. Have you attained the Tao?’
LAO TSE 104

‘Not yet,’ replied Confucius.
‘How have you sought it?’ asked Lao-tse.
‘I sought it through rules and regulations. Five years went by and
I could not attain it.’
‘How else did you seek it?’ asked Lao-tse.
‘I sought it in the Yin and the Yang. Twelve years went by and
still I could not attain it.’
‘Of course not!’ replied Lao-tse. ‘The Tao cannot be sought in this
manner . . . The perfecti of olden times wandered freely in the
wilds, they found nourishment in the fields of Simplicity, they
took their stand in the garden of No-Giving. They abode in Non-
Action, and found easy nourishment. Their wanderings brought
them to the True Tao. This was their Wealth . . .’
Confucius called on Lao-tse again and this time asked him about
the Virtues of Benevolence and Righteousness.
Lao-tse replied: ‘When chaff from the winnowing fan blinds the
eyes, then Heaven, Earth, and the Four Directions all appear to be
out of place. The sting of a mosquito or of a horsefly can keep a
man awake all night. Similarly, these so-called Virtues of yours do
nothing but muddle the mind and cause confusion. Let the world
cleave instead to Simplicity and the Uncarved Block. Let it move
freely with the wind, and abide in Inner Power. Don’t go around
huffing and puffing, beating a big drum as if to chase an errant
child! The snow goose needs no daily bath to stay white. The
crow needs no daily ink to stay black…’
When Confucius returned from this visit to Lao-tse, he was silent
for three days. His disciples questioned him, saying:
LAO TSE 105

‘When you met Lao-tse, what advice did you give him?’
‘Finally,’ replied Confucius, ‘I have set eyes on
a Dragon! A Dragon that coils to show off the
extent of its body, that sprawls to display
the patterns on its scales. A Dragon that
rides on the Breath of the Clouds, and
feeds on the purest Yin and Yang. My
mouth simply fell open in
amazement. How could I
possibly offer such a Dragon
advice?’
In the words of the I Ching:-
‘The Dragon flies in Heaven.
It profits to see a Great Man.’
Zen Buddhism
Zen Buddhism is a combination of the subtle understanding of
Taoism with the equally subtle truths of Buddhism which came to
China within a few hundred years. The legend of Bodhidharma (5th
Century CE) bringing Buddhism to China (and establishing the Shaolin
Monastery and Kung Fu martial arts) may have some truth in it, but
there are records of Han Dynasty rulers embracing Buddhism
before the time of Christ.
Known in China as Chan Buddhism, this blend of Mahayana
Buddhism and Taoism spread to Vietnam, Korea and Japan where
Zen developed. One of the main practices is Za-zen –‘just sitting’,
stilling the mind and emotions until a thoughtless state is achieved
and one enters into communion with the Ultimate Reality.
LAO TSE 106

“Zen is such a great thing. Zen is nothing but meditation, is
Sahaja Yoga only.” 13-11-78, Caxton Hall
“Za-Zen means Dhyân, Meditation.” 15-10-78, London
“Buddha and Tao; these two are expressing Sahaja Yoga. Tao is
nothing but Sahaja Yoga. Tao means how it works out, and
Zen means Dhyâna –‘meditation”. 04-08-91, Belgium
Zen Story (from Huangbo)

The master was giving a series of lectures to the monks and every
evening a shadowy monk would appear at the back of the hall,
whom the others could not see, but who left immediately the
master had finished. One evening the ghostly monk stayed behind
when the others had left and, approaching the master respectfully,
said:
‘I was the head of a monastery and I was asked by one of the
students whether a realised soul is beyond the laws of Karma. To
this I replied ‘Yes, a realised soul is beyond Karma’, but this answer
was deemed to be dualistic in nature, and I have been condemned
to live twenty-four lifetimes as a fox. However I still do not fully
understand my mistake. Is a realised soul beyond Karma or not?’
The master smiled and remained silent for a minute or two.
‘A realised soul is at one with the laws of Karma’, he answered
finally.
The shadowy monk fell at his feet in gratitude. ‘Thank you, you have
released me’, he said and left.
Next day the master gave instructions to search the caves and
hollows of the surrounding area. The dead body of a fox was found
which was buried with the full rites for a head of the monastery.
LAO TSE 107

‘If you students of the Way wish to become
Buddhas, you need study no doctrines
whatever, but learn only how to avoid
seeking for and attaching yourselves to
anything.’ Huangbo (c.850 CE)
Huangbo understood that it could be

scary to give up the mind and ego and
jump into the boundless ocean of Pure
Consciousness, and suggested that one
must let go suddenly ‘like a knife-thrust’.
Further Reading
Tao Te Ching: (1) Gia-fu Feng and Jane English (1972) – the classic
edition with some beautiful photographs. (2) Stephen Addiss and
Stanley Lombardo (1993) – shorter and more direct translations. (3)
Derek Lin (1994) – clear with some useful commentary. There are
many other English translations.
Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, by Paul Reps (1935) Penguin. A small
collection of Zen and other eastern texts recommenmded by Shri
Mataji. The last section is a Hindu treatise where Lord Śhiva
explains to Śhrī Pārvatī twenty-four ways to remain thoughtless.
Chuang Tse: Huangbo (Huang Po): Other Zen Masters: Various
English translations are available in print or on the internet.
LAO TSE 108

109
C ONFUCIUS
‘By three ways we may learn wisdom:
By reflection, which is noblest;
By imitation, which is easiest;
By experience, which is the bitterest.'
Confucius* (551-479 BCE) has been a

major philosophical influence in China,
Japan, Korea and Vietnam for more than
two thouand years. This may account for the
generally held view in those socities that the indivdual is
subservient to the greater whole and that human beings will be
happy fitting in to a balanced and harmonious society.
Confucius’ main concern was always human society; He did not
discuss God, liberation or life after death. His sayings treat of
personal wisdom leading to peace and harmony in the lives of men.
After studying His country’s literature and history deeply He
became convinced that only if the rulers are benevolent and
righteous can the state prosper and the people be made virtuous.
However, after a successful career as a state minister, He spent
many years wandering from state to state in search of an ideal ruler
but was ultimately disappointed.
* ‘Confucius’ is a Latinisation of Kong-Fu-zi (Kong-fu-zi-us) given by Jesuit

missionaries. Kong or Kung was His family name and Fu-zi means
‘Master, Teacher, Respected One’. –us is the nominative ending in Latin.
CONFUCIUS 110
Early Life
Confucius was born in 551
BCE* in the state of Lu in
north-eastern China into the
ancient royal family of
Shang. His father took a
young wife at an advanced
age as He had only
daughters, and Confucius
was the result of this union.
He lost His father at the age
of three and grew up poor
under His mother's care. As a
boy He liked to set up
sacrificial vessels and to
imitate the gestures of ritual.
He grew to be a large man of great physical strength.
He was given the name Kong Chiu (family name first) and His
students called Him Kong Fu-tse or Kong-tse –‘Master Kong’.
When Master Kong was born, we are told, mysterious music was
heard with no apparent source and a voice from the sky announced
the event. Two dragons patrolled the sky to ward off evil influences,
while five old men, representing the spirits of the five planets, came
down from Heaven.
* His birthday is celebrated mainly in China, Taiwan, Korea and Japan on

28th September (or the 25th day of the eighth month of the Chinese
lunar calendar).
CONFUCIUS 111
By the age of fifteen young Kong had dedicated himself to learning
and becoming a ‘Universal Man.’ At nineteen He entered the
service of the powerful Li family as superintendent of parks and
herds.
He married soon after and had a son and two daughters. At thirty-
two He was teaching the ancient ritual to a minister's sons. At
thirty-three He went to Lo-yang, the imperial capital, to study the
customs and traditions of the Zhou Empire, which had split into
numerous warring states* and whose capital remained solely a
religious centre. On this occasion He is said to have visited Lao-tse.
Later Life
By the age of fifty He had risen in the government to the post of
minister of crime and justice in the state of Lu which was nominally
ruled by the Duke of Lu.
However the three main families under the Duke of Lu - the Ming,
Shi and Li families - were vying with each other for power and had
fortified their cities. Conficius wished to restore the rule of the Duke
and encouraged the three families to tear down their fortifications
and live peacefully together. In spite of promises made, only the
Ming family razed the walls of their city.
* This was around the beginning of the ‘Warring States’ period of Chinese
history (479–221 BCE) and the end of the ‘Spring and Autumn’ period
(771-480 BCE) whose name comes from the ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’
– a history of the period compiled by Confucius Himself (551-479 BCE).
After Mencius (c.300 BCE) Confucius’ ideas became more widely
accepted and from 220 BCE there followed two millennia of relatively
peaceful and unified development of Chinese culture.
CONFUCIUS 112
As a result of Confucius’ efforts the Duke of Lu was becoming
increasingly powerful; this worried the neigbouring states who sent
a hundred fine horses and eighty dancing girls as a present to him.
To His dismay the Duke became obsessed with riding and
womanising and neglected his duties to the state, so Confucius
decided to leave. He had also made powerful enemies especially Li
Huan, head of the Li family.
Not wishing to embarrass the Duke by openly resigning He waited
until a minor mistake was made – He was not allocated His share of
ritual food – and then left the state.
He wandered for twelve years,
from His fifty-sixth to His sixty-
eighth year. He went from
state to state in the hope of
finding a noble ruler with
whom He could put His
political doctrine into practice,
but found none who lived up
to His ideal of a Superior Man.
In all the years He never lost
confidence in His calling as
political mentor and orderer of
the Empire, though
occasionally He cried out: ‘Let
me go home, let me go home.’
When He finally returned to His native state, He lamented in a
poem that after all His wanderings in nine provinces there was still
no goal in sight: men are without insight, quickly the years pass.
CONFUCIUS 113
He spent His last years as a teacher, instilling in His students the
virtues required for being a good administrator and had seventy-
seven main disciples and three thousand pupils altogether, many of
whom got good posts in government as they were known to be
honourable, benevolent and trustworthy.
A profound change is said to have taken place within Him at the
end. A hermit had once said of him: ‘Is that not the man who knows
that striving is without hope
and yet goes on?’ All
through the years this had
been Confucius' greatness.
But now He was old and
strove no more.
‘Old age, believe me, is a
good and pleasant thing. It
is true you are gently
shouldered off the stage,
but then you are given such
a comfortable front stall as
a spectator.’
One morning Confucius felt
the approach of death. He
walked about the courtyard,
humming the words: ‘The
great mountain must
collapse, the mighty beam
must break and the wise
man wither like a plant.’
CONFUCIUS 114
Confucius the Traditionalist?
Confucius claimed that He had invented nothing new and was
merely a transmitter of ancient wisdom. However His teaching was
radical in many ways and harked back to an ideal that had probably
never existed. The main reasons He is thought to be a traditionalist
are:-
• He encouraged the learning of the great ancient classics of Chinese

thought and wished to return to the old ways of rulership.
• He highly valued the performance of traditional rituals, believing

that this inculcated self-mastery and reduced the power of self-
interested emotions and desires. He also believed traditional music
was very important but only if performed properly.
• He was a strong advocate of filial piety; of respect and service to

one’s parents and to one’s rulers.
The Four Books and Five Classics

There are four major books which are considered the foundations
of the Ru philosophy, as Confucius’ teachings are known.
The Analects* (Lunyu –‘selected sayings’) – The most famous of His
works, this is a collection of Confucius’ sayings collected and
codified by His followers after His death. Its twenty-two chapters
may be roughly divided into social philosophy, political philosophy
and views on education.
* The dictionary defines Analect as ‘a collection of short literary or

philosophical extracts’. Literally it means ‘gathered up’ – ana –‘up’,
lekta –‘gathered, picked, chosen’ (Greek) (as in ‘collect, select, elect’).
CONFUCIUS 115
Mencius (Meng-zi) – Meng-zi (c.300 BCE)was a fourth generation
follower who expounded and developed Confucius’ ideas. Known in
China as the ‘Second Sage’ (after Confucius) his book is a record of
conversations he had with and the counsel he gave to the rulers of
many states which he visited.
The Great Learning and The Doctrine of the Mean – these two
books are chapters of the Li-jing –‘Classic of Rituals’ (see below)
which were elaborated and expanded by Zhu Xi (c.1170 CE).
Confucius restored and edited the works of the Chinese ancients,
particularly the Five Classics listed below. Some nineteen works in
all are credited to Him as author or editor.
The Five Classics are:-
I Ching (Yi Jing) –‘Book of Changes’. Also used as a manual of
divination, this book of wisdom had existed for at least a thousand
years before Confucius put it into its present form. Much of
Confucius’ teachings and concepts can be traced to this book,
considered the greatest embodiment of ancient Chinese wisdom.
Shu-jing – ‘Book of History, Classic of Documents’. This contains
accounts of four previous eras of China’s past from shadowy
mythology up to the Zhou dynasty (c.700 BCE).
Shi-jing – ‘Book of Poetry’ (Classic of Odes)
Xiao-jing – ‘Book of Filial Piety’
Li-jing –‘Book of Rites’
The main qualification for those seeking Chinese government posts
for two thousand years, until the beginning of the twentieth
century, was to be proficient in the Four Books and Five Classics.
CONFUCIUS 116
Jun-zi – ‘The Superior Man’
The idea of the ‘Superior Man’, ‘Gentleman’ or ‘Noble Person’ (the
word Jun-zi has no gender) is a common theme in Chinese philosophy
and is used by Lao-zi, Chuang-zi, etc.. He is one who possesses the
five main virtues but primarily Ren –‘humanity’ – that which
separates man from the animals.
Confucius ‘had no opinions, no bias, no obstinacy; the superior
man is not absolutely for or against anything in the world. He
supports only what is right, he is not partisan but for all. He
preserves his openness. When he does not understand something,
he is reticent. He is firm in character, but not obstinate, congenial
without stooping to vulgarity, self-confident but not self-
righteous.’
‘To have the truth is the path of Heaven, to seek the truth is the
path of men. He who has the truth finds the right action without
pains, achieves success without reflection. But he who seeks the
truth chooses the good and holds it fast.’
’Perhaps others can do it the first time; I must do it ten times;
perhaps others can do it the tenth time; I must do it a thousand
times. But he who really has the perseverance to go this way - be
he foolish, he will become clear headed; be he weak, he will
become strong.’
’The superior man's path is like a long journey; you must begin
from right here. The superior man's path begins with the
concerns of the common man and woman, but it reaches into the
distance, penetrating Heaven and Earth.’
CONFUCIUS 117
‘Wisdom, compassion and courage are the three universally
recognized moral qualities of men.’
‘No one can be regarded as a superior man who does not know the
calling of Heaven; no one can be regarded as mature who does not
know the laws of conduct, no one can know men who does not
understand their words. Morality is the love of mankind; wisdom is
the knowledge of men. But in all this we have lost sight of the One’.
‘The way to become a superior man is to set one’s affections on
what is right, to love learning, which is the source of knowledge
and virtue, with which nothing else can be compared. When
righteousness is pursued with sincerity and a mind free from self-
deception, the heart becomes rectified.’
The Five Virtues

The five virtues are what separates man from the animals.
Confucius believed that they are inherent in man and merely need
nurturing through education and the practice of rituals:-
Ren– ‘Humanity, benevolence (caring for others), reciprocity
(consideration for others)’
Yi – ‘Righteousness, morality (resistance to corruption or to acting
badly for personal gain or pleasure)’
Li – ‘Ritual propriety, proper performance of rituals and music’
Zhi – ‘Wisdom, discrimination (assessing others wisely, knowing
one’s own faults)’
Xin – ‘Trustworthiness, sincerity, honesty, integrity’
CONFUCIUS 118
Ren – ‘Humanity, Benevolence’
‘A man must become a man. For man is not like the animals
which are as they are, whose instincts govern their existence
without conscious thought; he is a task to himself. Men actively
shape their life together and, transcending all instinct, build it on
their human obligation’.
‘Humanity underlies every particular good. Only he who is in Ren
can truly love and hate. Ren is all embracing, not a virtue among
others, but the soul of all virtues. It is described through its
particular manifestations: piety, wisdom and learning,
righteousness. The ethical man puts the difficulty first and the
reward last.’
‘Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men
from beasts?’
When asked for a definition of Ren, Confucius was evasive and gave
different examples at different times; saying a person with good
Ren would speak carefully and modestly (12.3); be resolute and firm
(12.20), courageous (14.4), free from worry, unhappiness, and
insecurity (9.28; 6.21); moderate their desires and return to
propriety (12.1); be respectful, tolerant, diligent, trustworthy and
kind (17.6); and love others (12.22).
He believed that devotion to one’s parents and older siblings was
the basis of developing Ren.
CONFUCIUS 119
Yi – ‘Righteousness, Morality’
Confucius laments: ‘That good predispositions are not cultivated,
that what men have learned is not effectual, that men know their
duty and are not drawn to it, that men have faults and are unable
to correct them: these are things that grieve me.’
’I have seen none who loved moral worth as he loves women's
beauty.’
Yet Confucius is far from regarding the world as evil; only the times
have degenerated, as had often happened before.
‘He knows that the truth will not shine throughout the day.’
Li – ‘Ritual Propriety’
‘A man is awakened by the Book of Odes, strengthened and
perfected by music. Mere form, like mere knowledge, has no
value without the originality that fulfils it, without the humanity
that is enacted in it. A man who does not love his fellow man -
what will avail him?’
‘He who overcomes his self and takes upon himself the
restrictions of the Li - the laws of custom - he becomes a man.
Although righteousness is essential, in practicing it the superior
man is guided by the Li. There must be a balance between the Li
and the content of a man's original nature. He in whom the
content predominates is uncouth; he in whom the form
predominates is a scribe. In the practice of the forms, the essential
is freedom and lightness, but the freedom must be regulated by
the rhythm of set rules.’
CONFUCIUS 120
’A nation can be guided only by custom, not by knowledge.’
Confucius believed that strict adherence to Li helped to develop the
self-discipline necessary for Ren.
Zhi – ‘Wisdom, Discrimination’

‘A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man
marvels at the commonplace.’
‘Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.’
‘They must often change who would be constant in happiness or
wisdom.’ (Similar to Einstein’s saying: ’Life is like riding a bicycle; to
stay in balance you must keep moving’).
‘What the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man
seeks is in others.’
‘To be able under all circumstances to practice five things constitutes
perfect virtue;
these five
things are
gravity,
generosity of
soul, sincerity,
earnestness,
and kindness.’
A French painting (1827)

depicting Mohammad,
Moses and Confucius as
the great legislators and
formers of society.
CONFUCIUS 121
‘The perfecting of one’s self is the fundamental base of all progress
and all moral development.’
‘To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of
principle.’
‘If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as
my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate
them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.’
‘Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated
with true virtue.’
‘Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time
we fall.’
‘Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.’
Xin – ‘Trustworthiness, Sincerity’

‘The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full
potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to
personal excellence.’
‘Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart.’
‘It is easy to hate and it is difficult to love. This is how the whole
scheme of things works. All good things are difficult to achieve,
and bad things are very easy to get.’
‘Forget injuries, never forget kindnesses.’
‘Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.’
CONFUCIUS 122
The Middle Path
‘Because the innermost is revealed and
everything is decided here at the source,
the greatest attention must be devoted to
measure and mean.’
‘Nothing is more obvious than what is
secret, nothing more evident than what is
most hidden; therefore the superior man is
attentive to what he is for himself alone.’
‘To be magnanimous and mild in teaching
and not to punish those who behave badly:
that is the strength of the south. To sleep
and die in the stable without having to:
that is the strength of the north. But the
superior man stands in the middle and
bends to neither side.’
Human salvation lies in: ‘The knowledge that influences reality;
that is, in the truth of ideas that are translated into an inner
transforming action. What is true within takes form without.’
‘Things have roots and ramifications. If the root is good, if it is
knowledge, reality, then the ideas become true, consciousness
becomes right, the man is cultivated and further, the house will
be well regulated, the state in order, the world at peace. From the
Son of Heaven to the common man, education is the root. He who
cannot teach the members of the household cannot teach others.’
CONFUCIUS 123
The Golden Rule
‘Do to no one what you would not wish others to do to you. In
acting on this rule be bound by a sense of equality. Do not display
to your inferiors what you hate in your superiors. Do not offer
your neighbours on the left what you hate in your neighbours on
the right. The lover of mankind strengthens men, for he himself
wishes to be strengthened; he helps men toward success, for he
himself wishes to achieve success.’
But when Lao Tse taught that one should repay hostility with good
deeds, Confucius answered:
‘With what then shall we reward good deeds? No, reward
hostility with justice and good deeds with good deeds.’
The Ideal Ruler

‘Good government requires a good prince. He taps the natural
sources of wealth. He chooses carefully what work the people
should undertake; then they do not grumble.
He is superior without being haughty; whether dealing with
many or few, with great or small, he is not disdainful. He
commands respect without a show of force. Like the polestar, he
stands fast and lets everything move around him in its order.
Because he desires the good, the people become good. If the
authorities love good conduct, the people will be easy to handle.
If a ruler is right in his own person, he has no need to command,
things are done without commanding.’
CONFUCIUS 124
‘Do nothing over-hastily; that will not succeed. Do not consider
the small advantage, for no great work can prosper in this way, a
statesman must govern with the consent and understanding of the
people.’
’If a man possesses the throne but lacks the necessary strength of
mind, he should not venture to make changes. Similarly, if he has
strength of mind but not the highest authority, he should not
venture to make changes. The political conditions must be such as
to make effective action, the true statesman remains in hiding. He
waits. He refuses to compound with evil, to enter into relations
with base people.’
He must ‘march in advance of the people and encourage them. He
must not be weary.’
Those who are capable of self-mastery, who have learned to do
what is good and to know what they are doing, will always be few.
The people, on the other hand, ‘can be led to follow something;
they may not be led to understand it.’
‘The essence of the prince is the wind, the essence of the crowd is
the grass. If the wind blows over it, the grass must incline.’ Order
is possible only through authority. Thus the man capable of
governing is independent of public opinion. ’Where all hate, he
must examine; where all love, he must examine.’
‘Words must be set aright. What inheres in words should be
brought out. The prince should be a prince, the father a father,
the man a man.’
‘He who has the inner being also has the words; he who has
words does not always have the inner being.’ ‘If words are not
CONFUCIUS 125
right, judgments are not clear; works do not prosper; punishments
do not strike the right man and the people do not know where to
set hand and foot.
Therefore the superior man chooses words that can be employed
without doubt and forms judgments that can be converted into
actions without fear of doubt. The superior man tolerates no
imprecision in his speech.’
The Great Mystery

Confucius refrains from all direct
statement on metaphysical
questions. Though such an attitude
may be attributed to agnosticism, it
does not signify indifference to the
Unknowable, but rather a reverence
and unwillingness to translate such
mystery into rationality.
Confucius shared the traditional religious conceptions; He did not
doubt the existence of spirits and omens. But in all these matters
He remained aloof and free from superstition. ’The master never
spoke of magic powers and unnatural demons.’
‘To serve spirits other than one's own ancestors is adulation.’
‘If you cannot serve men, how shall you serve spirits?’
Heaven
’Only Heaven is great, the seasons go their course and all things
come into being. But does Heaven speak?’
CONFUCIUS 126
For Confucius, His whole life is prayer:
’If only the heart follows the path of truth, you need not pray, the
gods will protect you.’
‘Death and life are the will of Heaven; from the beginning all men
have had to die. That some things germinate but do not flower;
that some things flower that do not mature - alas, that happens.’
‘If you do not know life, how should you know death?’
Traditions
Unlike other Prophets who proclaimed God's revelation, Confucius
claimed to be merely the voice of antiquity. However His way of
formalising tradition into conscious principles gave rise to a
philosophy which was new although identified with the old. He who
surrenders to tradition is saved from the presumption of having his
own ideas. Confucius considered independent thought, springing
from mere reason, to be futile: ‘I have gone without food and sleep
in order to think; to no avail: it is better to learn.’
Eternal Values
Confucius selects facts that are worth remembering either as
models to be emulated or examples to be avoided.
He knows that in restoring what was good in the past one should
not try to make something identical. ’A man born in our days who
returns to the ways of antiquity is a fool and brings misfortune
upon himself.’ What He advocates is not an imitation of the past,
but a restoration of the eternally true. He laid the groundwork of
CONFUCIUS 127
school education, primarily with His own school in which He strove
to shape young men into future statesmen.
’If a man can recite all three hundred pieces in the Book of Odes
by heart and, entrusted with the government, is unable to
perform his duties or if,
sent abroad as an
ambassador, he is
incapable of replying on
his own, where is the
good of all his learning?’
Manners and music
shape men's nature, not
subdue it.
The good man can love
and hate in the right
way. ‘He hates those
who themselves are base
and slander those who
are above them; he hates
the bold who know no
morality; he hates the
reckless, bigoted
fanatics.’
Social Life
’The superior man does not neglect his neighbours. But in our
association with men, we encounter both good and bad.’
CONFUCIUS 128
‘Have no friend who is not your equal,’
‘The superior man honours the worthy and tolerates all men.’
But the superior man keeps his wits about him: ‘He may let others
lie to him but not make a fool of him. The superior man
encourages what is beautiful in men; what makes a place beautiful
is the humanity that dwells there. He who is able to choose and
does not settle among humane people is not wise.’
‘Let me respect the tranquillity of the aged; let me be loyal to my
friends; let me love children tenderly.’
Toward parents: ‘if respect is absent, wherein should we differ
from the beasts?’ A son must cover up His father's mistakes.
Toward friends, ‘Take no friends that are not at least as good as
yourself, loyally admonish one another and tactfully set one
another right.’ Friends can be relied on: ‘Even if the season be cold,
we know that pines and cypress are evergreen.’
Toward the authorities: ‘A good official serves his prince in the
right way; if that is impossible, he withdraws. He will not
circumvent the prince but oppose him openly’; ‘he will speak
cautiously.’
Towards subordinates ‘The superior man gives his servants no
ground for complaint that he makes insufficient use of them, but
he does not expect perfection; he takes men's abilities into
account and does not dismiss old and trusted servants without
grave cause’.
CONFUCIUS 129
Government
Laws and punishments bring only
limited results, good example is
better; for where the laws are
enforced, the people are
shameless in evading punishment.
But where example governs,
the people have a sense of
shame and improve.
When an appeal is
made to the laws, it
means that something
is not in order.
’When it comes to hearing complaints, I am no better than
anyone else. What interests me is to see that no complaint arises.’
A good government must be concerned with three things: sufficient
food, a sufficient army and the confidence of the people. ’If the
people have no confidence, all government is impossible.’ ‘Make
the people prosperous. The next most important thing is to
educate them.’
Doctrine
‘Up to this stage the individual has been busy only with his own
improvement; but the cultivation of the person influences
primarily those around him and ultimately the whole empire.
Everyone, therefore, should carefully cultivate his person, having
a due regard for others besides himself.
CONFUCIUS 130
Each man must guard his words and watch his conduct. He must
fly all that is base and disquieting and must take benevolence as
his dwelling-place, righteousness as his road, propriety as his
garment, wisdom as his lamp and faithfulness as his charm.
Dignity, reverence, loyalty and faithfulness make up the qualities
of a cultivated man. His dignity separates him from the crowd,
being reverent, he is beloved; being loyal, he is submitted to; and,
being faithful, he is trusted.’
‘The ancients when they wished to exemplify illustrious virtue
throughout the empire, first ordered well their states.
Desiring to maintain well their states, they first regulated their
families. Wishing to regulate their families they first rectified
their purposes.
Wishing to rectify their purposes they first sought to think
sincerely. Wishing to think sincerely, they first extended their
knowledge as widely as possible. This they did by investigation of
things.
By investigation of things, their knowledge became extensive;
their knowledge being extensive, their thoughts became sincere;
their thoughts being sincere, their purposes were rectified; their
purposes being rectified, they cultivated themselves; they being
cultivated, their families were regulated; their families being
regulated, their states were rightly governed; their states being
rightly governed, the empire was thereby tranquil and
prosperous’.
How abundantly do spiritual beings display the powers that
belong to them! We look for them, but do not see them; we listen
CONFUCIUS 131
to, but do not hear them; yet they enter into all things and there
is nothing without them’
To restore China to its Golden Age, Confucius gave the formula for
restoring harmony to the family of man. ’My doctrine is that of an
all-pervading Unity.’ As a Teacher He tried to illustrate virtue, to
renovate the people and to remain in the highest excellence.
‘Things have their roots and their completion. To know what is
first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great
Learning. From the Emperor down to the mass of the people, all
must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything
besides.’
Confucius observes that men commonly miss the mark in their
strivings: ‘I know now why the
moral law is not practiced. The
wise mistake moral law for
something higher than what
it really is; and the foolish do
not know what moral law
really is. I know now why
the moral law is not
understood; the noble
natures want to live
too high, high
above their moral
ordinary self; and
ignoble natures
do not live high Statue at a Confucian
temple in Shanghai
enough.’
CONFUCIUS 132
Learning
‘A virtuous man has three awes:—(l) Awe for Heaven’s decree, (2)
Awe for great men and (3) Awe for saints’ words. When
worshipping God, one must feel as if He were visibly present.’
‘There was Tao, a way or road of righteousness, only when fathers
were fathers, when sons were sons, when rulers were rulers and
when ministers were ministers.’
‘The princely man sticks to virtue and the inferior man clings to
material comfort. The princely man is just, while the inferior man
expects rewards and favours. The princely man is dignified, noble,
magnanimous and humble while the inferior man is mean, proud,
crooked and arrogant.
The Master said, ‘My children, why do you not study the Book of
Poetry? The Odes serve to stimulate the mind. They may be used
for purposes of self-contemplation. They teach the art of
sociability. They show how to regulate feelings of resentment.
From them you learn the more immediate duty of serving one’s
father, and the remoter one of serving one’s prince.’
The Path
Confucius was conscious of the spiritual dilemma: to retire into
solitude or to live in the world and try to shape it. His decision was
unequivocal: ‘A man cannot live with the birds and beasts. If I do
not live with men, with whom shall I live?’; ‘He who is concerned
only with the purity of his own life ruins the great human
relations. In evil times it may seem as though nothing else
CONFUCIUS 133
remains but to go into seclusion and attend to one's own personal
salvation’.
Of two hermits Confucius says: ‘In their private lives they found
purity; in their retirement they found what the circumstances
demanded. I am different. For me there is nothing that is possible
or impossible under all circumstances. If the world were in order,
there would be no need of me to change it.’
Confucianism
Confucius, Lao-tze and Buddha, the
founders of the three religions of China,
were roughly contemporaries (c.550
BCE). While they are all in a sense
atheistic in that they did not talk about
God, their approaches to the purpose of
life differ widely but blend together to
create the subtlety of the Chinese
character. Lao-tse and Confucius never Meng-zi
claimed originality, seeking only to (Mencius)
restore to man the ancient wisdom and knowledge of c.300 BCE
His immortal soul.
On his death at the age of seventy-two Confucius was a well-known
and well-respected teacher but it was not until two hundred years
later that His followers, particularly Meng-zi (Mencius) made His
ideas widely accepted. His sayings and teachings were codified into
the Analects and Meng-zi, who is known as the ‘Second Sage’ (after
Confucius) further elaborated His teachings through his discourses.
CONFUCIUS 134
After some periods of greater and lesser acceptance, Confucius
became established as the wisest of teachers and China, Japan,
Korea and Vietnam remained the most stable, cultured and
prosperous societies that the world has known so far; until the
arrival of the Western barbarians (English, French, etc.) with their
materialistic and ego-oriented culture.
Confucianism developed in many stages but particularly during 8th –
12th c. (Tang, Song and Ming dynasties) into Neo-Confucianism, which
aimed to become more rational and ethical to get away from the
superstitions associated with Buddhism.
Many philosophers and sociologists believe that if we could implant
Confucius’ wisdom into our modern societies a more balanced,
humane and benevolent life would be possible for the whole world.
However capitalism rules and those with wealth and power are still
not seeking to become Superior Men.
CONFUCIUS 135
S OCRATES
S OCRATES
As the heir to a wealthy sculptor, Socrates (469-399 BCE) used His
financial independence to engage His fellow Athenians in
philosophical discussion. In a society devoted to beauty, wealth and
pleasure, Socrates stressed the importance of seeking the welfare
of the soul. It is said He was a short ugly man – a fact He refers to
Himself – but He must have had a great charm about Him.
After distinguished service as a soldier in the Peloponnesian War
(431-421 BCE), He spent the rest of His life in Athens devoting much
of His time to discussion in the market-place, mainly with the
aristocratic youth, insistently questioning their confidence in the
truth of popular opinions and encouraging them to do the same.
Ultimately this led to His trial and death.
Socrates accepted no payment from His students, many of whom
were fanatically loyal to Him. Their parents, however, were often
displeased with His influence and His association with opponents of
the democratic regime made Him a controversial political figure.
The Acropolis in Athens with

Mount Lycabettus behind
SOCRATES 137
“Abraham had problems of people who were very ignorant
and Moses had problem with very indulgent people.
Gradually, at the time of Socrates people had evolved so He
could talk to them about something of wisdom, of honesty, of
righteousness, of peace. Socrates talked in a very open way, in
an open discussion; that shows that the people could
understand what He was saying. But still He was given poison
and He was killed.” 24-05-89, Greece
Despite His fundamental place in the history of ideas, Socrates

Himself wrote nothing. Our only sources of information about His
philosophical views and methods are the books of His student Plato
(427-347 BCE). The Apologhma –‘Apology’, an account of Socrates’
(unsuccessful) defence speech at His trial, details the motives and
goals of philosophical enquiry as He practiced it. Other
conversations of Socrates such as ‘The Republic’ aim at
understanding, and therefore achieving, virtue through the
application of a dialectical1 method that questions commonly-held
beliefs. For example the superficial notion of Moral Rectitude
defended by a confident youth is shown by Socrates to be full of
self-contradictions.
During Socrates’ imprisonment He responded to friendly efforts to
help Him escape by seriously debating whether or not a citizen can
ever be justified in refusing to obey the laws of the state.
Socrates defended the doctrine of recollection2 as an explanation of
our most significant knowledge and maintained that knowledge and
1
Dialectics is a method of finding the truth by dialogue using reasoned
arguments between two or more people holding opposing views.
2
‘Recollection’ is the notion that we already know everything of moral
value and just have to remember it.
SOCRATES 138
virtue are so closely related that no-one ever knowingly chooses
evil. Improper conduct is a product of ignorance rather than of
weakness of the will.
The little other information we have about His life comes from His
disciple Xenophon (430-354 BCE) who describes Socrates’ trial and
Apology in ‘Memorabilia’. In Aristophanes’ play ‘The Clouds’ (424
BCE) Socrates is caricatured as an atheistic sophist.
Why was Socrates Revolutionary?

Athenian law was based largely on retribution and revenge; so if
someone stole from you it was right to steal back from them.
Socrates proposed a moral absolutism so that, no matter what the
provocation, it was never right to do something morally wrong. He
contended that what mattered in life was the good of one’s soul
and that material concerns did not assist in this. He was among the
first western philosophers therefore to discuss morals and ethics
rather than the nature of reality.
Athenian democracy was strange in that it elected citizens randomly
to office who may have had no experience of government. Socrates
often proposed that the state should be governed by people
capable of governing*, arguing that if one wanted furniture built,
one would employ a skilled carpenter.
* Of our present democracies it

is similarly said that the gulf
between those capable of
winning an election and those
capable of running a country
is ever widening.
SOCRATES 139
Attitude to Women
In the Greece of His time women were not expected to take part in
public life but were relegated to the kitchen and the bedroom.
Socrates however admired the intelligence and ability of women
and proposed that His students could learn much from some with
whom He Himself had studied. He felt that women had a place in
politics and public life, but could remain wholly domestic if they so
chose.
The Oracle
A friend went to the oracle at Delphi and asked if there was any
man wiser than Socrates. ’No’, came back the answer, which threw
Socrates into confusion - or so He says. For He always held that He
was not wise at all. ‘After puzzling about it for some time, I set
myself at last with considerable reluctance to check the truth of it.’
He did so by interviewing
people who had a
reputation for wisdom or
specialised knowledge.
But He was always
disappointed, because
there was nobody whose
wisdom could withstand Archaeological remains of Delphi
which Shri Mataji called the
His questioning. He was
‘Navel of the Universe’
always able to baffle their
efforts to establish a thesis by exposing some unwelcome and
unexpected consequence of their views. He also questioned poets,
but they could not even elucidate their poems to His satisfaction.
SOCRATES 140
After one such encounter: ‘I reflected as I walked away, Well, I am
certainly wiser than this man. It is only too likely that neither of
us has any knowledge to boast of, but he thinks that he knows
something which he does not know, whereas I am quite conscious
of my ignorance. It seems that I am wiser than he is to this small
extent, that I do not think that I know what I do not know.’
Then it dawned on Him what the Oracle may have meant:
‘Whenever I succeed in disproving another person's claim to
wisdom in a given subject, the bystanders assume that I know
everything about that subject myself. But the truth of the matter,
gentlemen, is pretty certainly this, that real wisdom is the
property of God and this Oracle is His way of telling us that
human wisdom has little or no value.’
Wisdom
Socrates describes himself as an intellectual midwife, whose
questioning delivers the thoughts of others into the light of day. But
He does not consider this skill in elucidation and debate a form of
real wisdom. Real wisdom is perfect knowledge about ethical
subjects, about the difference between right and wrong.
The ignorance that Socrates claims is about the foundations of
morality; not about everyday matters of fact. He cannot with a clear
conscience abandon His mission to encourage ethical reflection in
others: ‘If I say that this would be disobedience to God and that is
why I cannot `mind my own business,' you will not believe that I
am serious. If on the other hand I tell you that to let no day pass
without discussing goodness and all the other subjects about
SOCRATES 141
which you hear me talking and examining both myself and others
is really the very best thing that a man can do and that life
without this sort of examination is not worth living, you will be
even less inclined to believe me.’
“Socrates had said that there are Deities within us and we have
to look after those Deities. We have to keep them pleased.”
13-06-80, London
His references to the wisdom of God disguise His unconventional
attitude to divinity. He says that only God has wisdom. The Delphic
oracle was as authentic a voice of God as any available: yet Socrates
did not accept its sayings but set out ‘to check the truth of it’.
‘It has always been my nature never to accept any advice from my
friends unless reflection shows that it is the best course that
reason offers’; the same approach He adopted to the advice of God.
He says that His mission to argue and question was undertaken ìn
obedience to God's commands given in oracles and dreams and in
every other way that any divine dispensation has ever impressed a
duty upon man.'
‘I want you to think of my adventures as a sort of pilgrimage
undertaken to establish the truth of the oracle once for all.’
He could claim that questioning others `helps the cause of God'
because it confirms the Delphic pronouncement that nobody is
wiser than Socrates. This talk of God may gain the approbation of
His hearers but His motive for philosophising was simply that it was
the right thing to do.
SOCRATES 142
Guardian Angel
Socrates says He is influenced in His
actions by His Daimonion, a
guardian spirit or voice which has
been with Him since childhood. This
is likely the unorthodox divinity or
`new gods' referred to in the charges
against Him. Again the advice of the
Daimonion is to be reasoned with before
it is endorsed. He says that ‘when it comes
it always dissuades me from what I am
proposing to do and never urges me on’.
His Daimonion warned Him off any involvement in
politics, He says, because, had He made a public figure of Himself,
He would have been put to death long before He could have done
any good. So He chose to work with the people privately.
‘I spend all my time going about trying to persuade you, young
and old, to make your first and chief concern not for your bodies
nor for your possessions, but for the highest welfare of your souls,
proclaiming as I go; ‘Wealth does not bring goodness, but
goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the
individual and to the state.’
Socrates was nicknamed ‘the Gadfly’ – an annoyingly persistent
pest!
He tells the Athenians that they should be àshamed that you give
your attention to acquiring as much money as possible and
similarly with reputation and honour and give no attention or
SOCRATES 143
thought to truth and understanding and the perfection of your
soul'. He must have particularly goaded them when, during His trial,
He said He was doing the Athenians `the greatest possible service'
in showing them the errors of their ways.
Socrates believed that an understanding of the virtues was a
necessary precondition for possessing them. A man could not be
truly virtuous without knowing what virtue is and the way to this
knowledge was by examining accounts of the particular virtues. The
search for definition was a means to gain virtue.
Socrates’ egalitarian approach meant He would happily question
and argue with anybody, cobbler or king. His most famous quote
‘The unexamined life is not worth living’ is not a lifestyle for just a
chosen few: every soul should examine His own life and ideas to
lead a more worthwhile existence.
In one of His dialogues with a slave,
He uses a geometrical example to
argue that knowledge of the
Forms, which meant all the
important kinds of knowledge, is
acquired before birth. The truths
of pure reason, such as
those of mathematics,
are not discovered
afresh but are
painstakingly
recollected from a
previous existence in Statue of Socrates
which the disembodied outside the present-day
soul encountered the Academy of Athens
SOCRATES 144
Forms directly. The word ‘education’ means not to put something
into someone but to ‘draw out’.
When born into a body, the knowledge a soul previously enjoyed
slips from memory: as in Wordsworth’s ‘Our birth is but a sleep and
a forgetting’ (Intimations of Immortality). Socrates’ questions to the
slave are indeed leading (and the diagrams help, too), yet the slave
arrives at the answer by himself. He has not simply been informed
as one might be told the number of feet in a yard or the capital of
Greece. He has come to appreciate something through His own
intellectual faculties.
So Socrates can make His usual claim that He has not handed over
any knowledge but has acted as a midwife to bring it out in another
person. He adds that, for the slave to know this piece of
mathematics properly, he must work through the example many
times. At present the slave’s knowledge has a dream-like quality,
but eventually his knowledge will become firm.
As He says in the Apology, if anyone claims to know about goodness
‘I shall question him and examine him and test him'.
Socratic Way of Life

Strength of mind is needed for the pursuit of happiness which,
Socrates held, is to be found not in satisfying desires, but in losing
them. He epitomised indifference to wealth and comfort but never
argued that they were obstacles to happiness.
Socrates said only that so long as one was good, nothing else in life
mattered. He never denied that wealth or possessions were, in
moderation, better to have than to lack. His lack of attachment to
them was a by-product of the search for virtue and a healthy soul.
SOCRATES 145
Socrates might eschew commonly accepted values when His
principles demanded it, but if something was neither virtuous nor
wicked, then it did not matter whether one did it or not.
This was a powerful recipe for freedom; to be detached from the
desire for possessions and liberated from conventional behaviour;
the wise man could wander at will declaiming against society's
materialistic ways.
The Trial
Socrates’ trial took place in 399 BCE when He was nearly seventy.
The charges were that He refused to recognise the official gods of
the state, that He introduced new gods and that He corrupted the
youth.
The turbulent political background to the trial does not mean that
the charges were baseless and the trial purely political. Politics,
religion and education were all intertwined and Socrates was
stirring up trouble at the wrong time.
Athens had enjoyed great prosperity under the thirty year rule of
Pericles (461 - 429 BCE) but five years before the trial, a 27-year war
with Sparta ended with the overthrow of the Athenian democracy.
The Thirty Tyrants, installed by Sparta, put so many people to death
that they lasted only a year, though it was not until 401 BCE that
democracy was fully restored. Understandably, the democrats were
still insecure in 399 and there were reasons to be uneasy about
Socrates’ influence in the city.
Athenian society felt threatened by intellectuals and Sophists
under-mining traditional values. Well might a man who captivated
idle youths with His questioning about justice have aroused
suspicion. And whatever truth there was to the rumour that
SOCRATES 146
Socrates disbelieved in the traditional gods - He seemed to deny the
charge, though not convincingly - there was no doubt that He had
an unorthodox approach to Divinity.
His talk of His `guardian spirit' or `divine sign', gave reasonable
cause that He did indeed ìntroduce new gods'. That would have
been a grievous sin against the shaky democracy who alone
dictated what was a suitable object for religious veneration; anyone
ignoring them was challenging the legitimacy of the state.
All this was against Socrates as He faced the five hundred Athenian
citizens who were to judge Him. His disciples Plato and Xenophon
were there and both wrote an account of the trial and the Apology.
Socrates knew that His judges were already prejudiced against Him
and set out to correct their false impressions. He is not, He says, a
‘The School of Athens’ by Raphael c.1511.

Centre are Plato (portrayed as Leonardo da Vinci) and Aristotle.
Five figures to the left of Plato is Socrates in a green robe.
Lower right in a cap holding a blue globe is Zarathustra.
SOCRATES 147
man who teaches for money, like the professional Sophists. He also
dismissed the slander that He taught people how to win arguments
by trickery when they were in the wrong; far from it.
The Apology is more a defence of His way of life than a rebuttal of
the official charges. Socrates claims that He has positively benefited
the Athenians by subjecting them to His philosophical cross-
examinations; but they have failed to appreciate this and merely
been angered by it; hence He has ended up on trial for His life. He is
fulfilling the wishes of the gods when arguing with people.
However Socrates was
found guilty by a
majority vote and was
awarded the courtesy
of choosing a suitable
penalty, to counter
the prosecution's
proposal that He be
put to death.
Typically, He treats
this responsibility
with irony. What He
actually deserves for
doing the Athenians
such a service, He says, is not a punishment but a reward. He
suggests free meals for life at the expense of the state. Such an
honour was usually reserved for victors at the Olympic games and
great heroes; He has earned it even more than they have, He says,
because `these people give you the semblance of success, but I
give you the reality.’
SOCRATES 148
He ends by suggesting, at the instigation of Plato and other friends,
a fine instead, which they offer to pay for Him.
But the Athenians had lost their patience. They voted for the death
penalty by a larger majority than that by which they had found Him
guilty! His punishment was to die by drinking hemlock, a plant
extract that causes first paralysis and then death.
As Socrates was leaving the court, a devoted but dim admirer called
Apollodorus moaned that the hardest thing for Him to bear was
that Socrates was being put to death unjustly. ‘What?’ said Socrates
‘Would you rather I was put to death justly?’
‘The Death of Socrates’ by David
SOCRATES 149
Socrates’ Philosophy in the ‘Apology’
Philosophy –‘Love of Wisdom’ [philos –‘love, liking’, sophia –‘wisdom,
knowledge’] is a Greek word probably coined by Pythagoras (570 BCE).
Originally philosophy covered all aspects of learning but later came
to denote metaphysical or spiritual knowledge or speculation.
Of Plato's writings about Socrates’ philosophy, the Apology is
probably the most accurate. ‘Apology’ is the Greek for a ‘defence-
speech’ and Socrates was certainly not saying ‘sorry’! He justifies
His life and actions, outlining His main philosophical ideas: the
necessity of doing what one thinks is right even in the face of
universal opposition and the need to pursue knowledge even when
opposed.
Socrates' method is to question people and lead them into a
contradiction, which proves that their ideas are unsound. He
Himself never takes a firm position; in fact He claims to know
nothing except that He knows nothing.
What the Acropolis may have looked

like in the days of Pericles (c.440 BCE)
SOCRATES 150
He refers to this method of questioning as ‘Elenchus’, meaning
something like ‘cross-examination’. The Socratic Elenchus gave rise
to dialectic, where truth is pursued by modifying one's position
through questioning with conflicting ideas. It is this idea of the truth
being pursued, rather than discovered, that characterizes Socratic
thought and much of our world view today.
“Socrates is the master of logic; the whole logic system comes
from Him.” 24-05-89, Athens
Although in the Apology He claims to know nothing, the Socrates of

Plato's other dialogues is of the opinion that truth can be
approached by the process of Elenchus.
The Athenian authorities thought of Socrates as a Sophist*, a
designation He seems to have resented; but there were similarities.
Like the Sophists, He was unconcerned with physical or
metaphysical questions, and tears down every ethical position He's
confronted with without offering concrete alternatives.
One positive statement that Socrates makes is a definition of virtue:
‘Virtue is knowledge. If one knows the good, one will always do
the good. It follows, then, that anyone who does anything wrong
doesn't really know what the good is.’ This, for Socrates, justifies
attacking people's moral positions, for if they have the wrong ideas
about virtue, morality, love, or any other ethical idea, they can't be
trusted to do the right thing.
* The Sophists were professional teachers of excellence, particularly in

political debate, who became associated with scepticism, ‘cleverness’
and the use of logic to argue against a more spiritual viewpoint.
SOCRATES 151
Socrates’ Spirituality in the ‘Phaedo’
In the Phaedo, which gives His last words before He drank hemlock,
Plato gives Socrates’ thoughts on what happens after death. He
produces an array of proofs for the immortality of the soul,
explaining that the soul is separable from the body, existing before
birth and continuing after death.
“Socrates has told us that we leave our body for the second life
and that when we live as human beings on this Earth, we have
to keep ourselves in such a way that we do not spoil our
being.” 13-06-80, London
These ideas originated with or were at least promoted by

Pythagoras (570 – 495 BCE). Altough most famous in the West for his
geometrical theorem (which was probably already well-known before
his time) Pythagoras is more importantly a founding father of Greek
Philosophy and may be connsidered one of the most influential
thinkers of all time.
Like Pythagoras, Socrates held that, while the soul was tied to a
physical body during life, it led a defiled and inferior existence from
which it needed to be ‘purified' and ‘freed from the shackles of the
body'. After death the good soul can hope to enjoy reunification, or
at least communion, with that incorporeal higher form of existence
called the Divine.
The philosopher, in particular, should regard the whole of His life as
a preparation for the blissful release of death. Socrates lived what
He taught; an unconventional life that was far from materialistic. He
felt that earthly life imposed its own duties and brought its own
blessings.
SOCRATES 152
The Republic
Several of Plato’s books survived the ‘Dark Ages’, the period after
the fall of Rome when much of Europe’s ancient culture was
destroyed by marauding barbarians. In his most famous book ‘The
Republic’, Socrates is the main protagonist and discusses notions of
justice, a just man and a just state. Although the ideas in the
Republic are widely held to be those of Plato, they are put into the
mouth of Socrates and we do not know whether He was their
originator or not.
His utopian republic Kallipolis –‘ideal city’, is ruled by a philosopher-
king who is born into an elite and educated and given some
governmental roles up to the age of fifty before finally becoming
king. Having an understanding of the Forms, the ideals behind
everyday reality, he can guide society towards achieving them.
“A benevolent ruler, in the form of a philosopher king (as put
forward by Socrates) is the ideal person to be the head of
government. Such a person must be an extremely wise,
detached personality, without any desires for lust, power and
money. There have been such persons in the recent past,
people like Mahatma Gandhi, Ataturk, Kemal Pasha, Anwar al-
Sadat, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Ho Chi Minh, Martin Luther King,
Nelson Mandela, Dag Hammarksjold and Mujibur Rahman.”
Meta Modern Era. Ch.3
The Parthenon –
one of the most
subtle pieces of
architecture
ever built.
SOCRATES 153
“As Shri Râma, Vishnu came to enlighten human social and
political consciousness as the true model of what Plato,
thousand of years later, would call `the philosopher king'.”
Creation Ch.2
Some ideas like the banning of personal possessions or the state
regulation of reproduction where the children do not know who
their parents are, seem too idealistic to be practical today.
Socrates proposes that a person’s soul is composed of three
‘selves’; the Appetitive (base desires), the Spirited (passions, ego) and
the Rational (intellect, intelligence) which correspond with Left, Right
and Centre channels. The welfare of the soul depends on all the
selves agreeing to be ruled by the Rational and acting in harmony.
The Soul is Immortal moving from birth to birth seeking perfection.
In the Theory of Forms, Socrates (via Plato) proposes that there are
ideal forms behind the illusory reality which we experience. The
Forms are perfect and unchanging, unlike the physical objects
which imitate them; dogs, human beings, mountains, colors,
courage, love, goodness, etc.
He gives the Allegory of the
Cave where chained humans
see only the shadows of
objects cast on the cave
wall. The philosopher frees
himself of the chains and
emerges into the bright light
of reality.
The Temple of Athena at Delphi with three and

a half steps like the coils of the Kundalini.
SOCRATES 154
The Socratic Method
Bringing a person to an understanding of
the truth by the use of his own reasoning
teaches more effectively than simply
imparting the right answer. The Socratic
Method is used in law schools to develop
critical thinking – to come up with more
questions than answers. It is a powerful tool
to question conditionings.
The essence of the scientific method, whose roots lie with Socrates’
thought, is that to be able to prove something one must be able to
disprove it. A learned Sahaja Yogi once gave a talk where He
explained why the benefits of Sahaja Yoga cannot be proven
scientifically. The proposition that ‘Meditation makes you healthier’
is unprovable as, if a person’s health does not get better, one can
say ‘He didn’t meditate properly’ – there is no way to prove that He
did!
The Three Filters

A friend once came to Socrates and said:
‘Do you want to hear what I just heard about Eristophanes?’
Socrates stopped him and asked: ‘First tell me, is it true?’
‘I don’t know – proably not.’
‘And is it beneficial? Is it good?’ -‘No, it’s not’
‘And is it useful?’ -‘I don’t think so’.
‘Then I do not want to hear it!’
These three questions: ‘Is it true, is it good, is it useful?’ have
become known as the ‘Three Filters’ of ethical thinking.
SOCRATES 155
Pupils and Followers - Plato
The writings of Plato (427-347 BCE) influenced
both Islamic and European thought and became
the basis of Christian philosophy. Western
philosophy has famously been described as
‘merely a series of footnotes to Plato’. He
founded the Academy in Athens (387 BCE), the
first European centre for higher education.
Aristotle
Aristotle (384-322 BCE) has been called the
‘Father of Logic, Father of Ethics, of
Metaphysics, Science, Psychology....’ and
many other disciplines. He was taken as an
authority by Christian and Islamic philosophers
and scientists and some of his (incorrect)
theories survived up to the 19th century.
He studied under Plato at the Academy in Athens until Plato’s
death when Aristotle was thirty-seven. He then became the
tutor of Alexander although his influence on the head-strong
boy may not have been very great. His philosophy was a
synthesis of Socrates and other Athenians, such as Pythagoras,
but he was the great pioneer of logic and science and one of the
main thinkers leading to our modern ‘scientific’ viewpoint that
everything in this creation has a rational explanation.
SOCRATES 156
T HE P ROPHET M OHAMMAD
157
T HE P ROPHET M OHAMMAD
The Prophet Mohammad1 (May Peace Be Upon Him2) was born in
Makkah (Mecca) in Arabia in 570 CE. Out of this desert tribeland
arose a new civilization inspired by this great soul, extending from
Morocco to India and beyond, influencing the culture, attitudes and
aspirations of three
continents. At a time of
widespread superstition
and idol-worship He
taught humanity to have
faith in and worship the
One Formless All-
pervading Allah. One and
a half millennia later
Islam is still the fastest
growing religion in the World. Political map of Arabia at the
time of Mohammad’s birth.
1
Arabic words have three letter roots (H-M-D –‘praise’ as in Hamīd –
‘praising’) Adding Mo or Mu before means ‘one who…’ so Mo-H-M-D is
‘one who is to be praised’; Muslim is ‘one who submits’ from S-L-M –
‘submit, surrender’ as in Islam -‘surrender’. Mohammad –‘praise-worthy’ is
also spelt Muhammad, Mohammed, Mohamad, Muhamad,
Muhammet, Mahmud and other local variants, and is the most
commonly used boy’s name in the world at present.
2
Muslims will not write or speak the name of the Prophet without adding
‘Peace be Upon Him’ (PBUH) or in Arabic ‘Salla’Allahu ‘alayhi wa-salla’
(SAWS) -‘May Allah honour Him and grant Him peace’. For the sake of
brevity, this book will not continue this tradition but we ask forgiveness
if this offends anyone.
PROPHET MOHAMMAD 158

Mohammad started receiving Divine revelations at the age of forty.
At first He was sceptical of their origin but after three years became
convinced by His wife and friends and began to preach the Word of
God in His home town of Mecca.
His subsequent career has two distinct phases, each of roughly ten
years. At first He preached in Mecca against the idol worship of
which Mecca was the main centre for Arabia and advocated the
One Formless God Allah1. Although a man of great peace and
compassion, this made Him deeply unpopular as the town’s wealth
depended on those who worshipped their favourite idol at the
Ka’aba2 (black rock of Abraham). However He enjoyed the protection
of two powerful leaders of the town, His uncle Abu-talib and His
wife Khadija.
But in 620 CE both His protectors died and, after narrowly surviving
several assassination attempts, He and His followers fled Mecca and
settled in Medina. Here they had to become militarised to survive
the repeated attempts of the Meccans to eradicate them.
Mohammad’s followers grew into a mighty force and eventually
captured Mecca, whose inhabitants were spared. By the time of His
early death at the age of sixty-two, most of Arabia had converted to
His teachings.
The enduring success of Mohammad's message lies in the beauty
and purity of the Islamic faith. Though a man of peace, Mohammad
1 Allah –‘The Divine’ is an elision of Al –‘the’, illāḥ –‘divine’. This is

similar to Elohim, the Hebrew name of God in the Old Testament.
* “Now the Ka’aba is a place where you have a beautiful Shiva-linga,
which is called as Makkeshwar Shiva –‘Lord of Mecca’ in our
Purânas. From ancient times it is mentioned that there is a Pinda
which is absolutely vibrating and which is there. “ 07-02-81, Delhi

The Ummayid Caliphate in 730 CE,
100 years after Mohammad’s death.
had to take to the battlefield. But even here the Prophet of Islam
changed the attitudes and the behaviour. He taught His Followersto
pray during battle and follow strict rules of conduct in warfare.
Within a hundred years Islam spread all across North Africa and the
Persian Empire, including most of Spain, what are now Pakistan and
Uzbekistan reaching the Caspian, Ural and Black Seas. This was a
dynamic and prosperous empire with tremendous developments in
art, music, architecture, mathematics, science and medicine,
predating the Renaissance by several hundred years.
Character
Mohammad was a well-built man, of great physical beauty, with
thick black wavy hair and beard and a very winning smile. He
walked so fast that others found it hard to keep up. His friend and
successor Abu Bakr said of Him: ‘As there is no darkness in the
moonlit night so is Mustafa, the Well-wisher, bright.’
His manner was genial but, when deep in thought, there could be
long periods of silence. He always kept himself busy and did not
speak unnecessarily; what He said was to the point and without
padding; sometimes He would clarify His meaning by slowly
repeating what He had said.

He kept His feelings under firm control - when annoyed, He would
turn aside or keep silent, when pleased He would lower His eyes.
His laugh was mostly a smile. He always dressed simply* with shirt
and tamad (trousers), a sheet thrown round the shoulders and a
turban, although In later years He would occasionally don the costly
robes given by foreign emissaries. His blanket had several patches
and He had few spare clothes which He kept spotlessly clean.
‘When Allah has blessed you with His bounty, your appearance
should reflect it.’ He often observed: ‘Cleanliness is piety’.
* According to the Shamaa-il Tirmidhi – a book of the ‘Virtues and Noble
Character of the Prophet Mohammad’ by Tirmidhi (9th century).
Life
Born at dawn c.570 CE1 in Mecca, now in Saudi Arabia, Mohammad
was orphaned at the age of six2 and was raised by His paternal
uncle Abu Talib. His tribe, the Quraysh, was an important one which
had the care of the Ka’aba – the Holy Shrine surrounding the Black
Rock in Mecca. This was built by Abraham and His son Ishmael, and
Mohammad was their direct descendent.
As a man Mohammad worked as a merchant and was hired by the
wealthy widow Khadīja, one of the most successful traders in
Mecca. She had heard of His reputation for honesty and
truthfulness, and had received some revelations that Mohammad
1
Mawlid –‘the Birth of the Prophet’ is celebrated on the 12th (Sunni) or 17th
(Shi’a) day of the third *month Rabi-ul-Awwal –‘the First Spring’.
Rāmadan –‘Scorching Heat’, the month of fasting, is the ninth month.
(See next page)
2
Mohammad’s Father Abdullah died before He was born and His Mother
Aminah died when He was six.

was the expected prophet and
proposed marriage to Him. So at
the age of twenty-five Mohammad
married Khadīja who was forty.
They had six2 children including
two sons who died in childhood.
They were married for twenty-five
years until the death of Khadīja in
620 CE less than two years before the Medallion of Khadīja
Hijra. During this time Mohammad was with the year 1005 H
entirely monogamous. Ali, the son of (‘from Hijra’)(1597 AD)
Mohammad’s uncle Abu Talib who had fallen on hard times, lived
with them and a liberated slave-boy called Zayd whom Mohammad
adopted.
Mohammad was in the habit of retreating to a cave in the
mountains for several nights of meditation and it was here that He
was spoken to by the Archangel Jabrīl (Gabriel).
* In the Islamic Calendar a year is twelve lunar months, making it eleven

days shorter than a solar year (354.36 instead of 365.24 days); so the
months are always rotating, starting eleven days earlier each year (12 in
leap years). One hundred years in the Islamic calendar is 97 solar years.
Known as the Hijri calendar, it begins in 622 CE with the Hijra – ‘the
flight to Medina’; so years are labelled H (‘Hijraor’) or AH (‘Anno
Hegirae’). Islamic year 1444 starts at sunset on 30-07-22, 1445 on 19-
07-23. etc.
2
Some sources say eight but six is the generally accepted number.
Another view is that Fatima was their only biological child and the
others were from previous marriages or adopted. It is known that
Khadija had four children from two previous marriages.

Revelations
‘Allah! There is no God but He, the Living, the Everlasting.
Slumber seizes Him not, neither sleep; to Him belongs all that is
in the Heavens and the Earth. Who is there that shall intercede
with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and
what is after them, and they comprehend not anything of His
knowledge save such as He wills. His Throne comprises the
Heavens and Earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He
is the All-high, the All-glorious.’ The ‘Throne Verse’ (2:255)
Khadīja became the first convert to Islam, after Mohammad started

receiving His revelations from the Archangel Gabriel. The following
is an account by Aisha, the favourite of Mohammad’s later wives:-
‘The commencement of the Divine Inspiration to Allah's
Messenger was in the form of good dreams which came true like
bright daylight, and then the love of seclusion was bestowed upon
Him. He used to go in seclusion in the cave of Hira where He
worshipped continuously for many days before His desire to see
His family. He would take with Him the journey food for the stay
and then come back to Khadīja to take His food likewise again till
suddenly the Truth descended upon Him while He was in
the cave of Hira.
The angel came to Him and asked Him to read. The Prophet
replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ The Prophet added, ‘The
angel caught me and pressed me so hard that I could not bear it
any more. He then released me and again asked me to read and I
replied, 'I do not know how to read.' Thereupon He caught me
again and pressed me a second time till I could not bear it any
more. He then released me and again asked me to read but again I

replied, 'I do not
know how to read
(or what shall I
read)?' Thereupon
He caught me for
the third time and
pressed me, and
then released me
and said, 'Read in
the name of your
Lord, who has
created man from
a clot. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous.’ Quran: 96.1
Then Allah's Messenger returned with the Inspiration and with

His heart beating severely. He went to Khadīja and said, ‘Cover
me! Cover me!’ They covered Him till His fear was over and after
that He told her everything that had happened and said, ‘I fear
that something may happen to me.’ Khadīja replied, ‘Never! By
Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations
with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve
your guests generously and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted
ones.’
Khadīja then accompanied Him to her cousin Waraqa, who,
during the pre-Islamic period became a Christian and used to
write the writing with Hebrew letters. He would write from
the Gospel in Hebrew as much as Allah wished Him to write. He
was an old man and had lost His eyesight. Khadīja said to Waraqa,
‘Listen to the story of your nephew, O my cousin!’ Waraqa asked,
‘O my nephew! What have you seen?’ Allah's Messenger

described whatever He had seen. Waraqa said, ‘This is the same
one who keeps the secrets (Angel Gabriel) whom Allah had sent
to Moses. I wish I were young and could live up to the time when
your people would turn you out.’ Allah's Messenger asked, ‘Will
they drive me out?’ Waraqa replied in the affirmative and said,
‘Anyone who came with something similar to what you have
brought was treated with hostility; and if I should remain alive till
the day when you will be turned out then I would support you
strongly.’ But after a few days Waraqa died and the Divine
Inspiration was also paused for a while.’
It was three years before the Prophet started to preach in public. To
preach a new religion in Mecca was no problem as the city’s laws
and traditions ensured tolerance of all religions and freedom of
worship. This was also important economically as followers of all
cults came to worship at the Ka’aba. However Mohammad broke
those laws and traditions by criticising other forms of worship, and
even breaking down the idols being worshipped.
The people of Mecca sought to make peace with Him, offering Him
money or power if He would stop attacking people’s religious
practices. At one time He briefly relented, writing a Surah that
accepted three Goddesses as ‘Offspring of Allah’, but the joy of the
Meccans was short-lived as He recapitulated, calling these the
‘Satanic Verses’.
So Mohammad and His followers found themselves persecuted in
Mecca. In 615 a group of eighty-three Muslims migrated across the
Red Sea to live in peace under a Christian King in Abyssinia. As the
nephew of Abu Talib, a leader of the ruling Quraysh tribe,
Mohammad enjoyed a level of protection despite His unpopularity.

Isrā - Mi’rāj - The Night Journey to Heaven
Led by the archangel Jibrīl (Gabriel), Prophet Mohammad was transported
to Jerusalem on the winged white steed Al Burāq where He met Moses,
Jesus and other great prophets before ascending through the seven levels
of Heaven. The quote from the Quran (17.1) is not very specific and in
Sahaj this is interpreted as the Kuṇḍalinī carrying the Prophet through the
Chakras into the ‘higher place of worship’ of Sahasrāra and above.

A story from these days illustrates Mohammad’s nature. Every
morning as He walked to the market-place by the Ka’aba to begin
His preaching He passed down a narrow alley. Here lived a lady
who, like most Meccans, reviled Mohammad and every morning
she would empty her night-pot over Him from an upstairs window
and shout curses at Him. One day the lady was ill and was unable to
insult the Prophet. As He passed and noticed that no unclean liquids
assailed Him Mohammad was concerned and on enquiring
discovered that the lady was ailing. He returned bringing some
medicines and visited and nursed her every day until she recovered.
The Night Journey

Around 621, about a year before the Hijra, at a time when He was
under severe threat from the Meccans, Mohammad experienced
the Isrā – Mi’rāj –‘Night Journey to Heaven’. In the Isrā –‘night
journey’, Mohammad was transported on the white steed Buraq to
the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (now the Al-Aqsa mosque) where
He met and conversed with Adam, Abraham, Moses, Idris, Jesus,
John the Baptist, Joseph and other prophets. In the second part, the
Mi’rāj –‘ascent’, He was led by the angel Gabriel through the seven
levels of Heaven into the presence of Allah where He was given
instructions for the faithful about prayer.
“Gabriel gave a horse to Mohammed Sahib to see to seven
Heavens, to see God Almighty in His greatness, that is the
seven Chakras” 31-08-90, Germany
While this Divine transportation inspired His followers, it further

convinced His enemies to eradicate Him. This event is celebrated on
the 27th day of the month Rajab with prayers and night
observances.

Hijra - Flight to Medina
In 620 both His wife Khadīja and
His uncle Abu Talib died, and
Mohammad was now in serious
danger. After surviving several
attempts on His life, Mohammad
and His few hundred followers finally left Mecca in 622 for Medina,
a town where He already had converts to Islam and was assured of
a welcome. Once Mohammad and the Muslims had left, the
Meccans seized all their wealth and property.
The ‘Flight to Medina’ is called the Hijra, westernised to Hejira or
Hegira, and is the starting date of the Islamic Calendar.
Mohammad made a pact with the various tribes of Arabs and Jews
living in Medina that they would all support each other and not
assist any enemies.
Being now without property or means of livelihood, Mohammad
finally agreed that the Muslims could raid the caravans of the
Meccan traders – the people who had seized their property. While
this seems like banditry these days, the raiding of caravans was a
legitimate means of support in Arabia at that time. The first raid in
623 was unsuccessful but they soon improved their technique.
The Meccans retaliated by trying to get the local tribes in Medina to
attack the Muslims and several attempts were made to poison
Mohammad. For the next six years, the Muslims were under
constant threat and had to undertake many raids and pre-emptive
strikes to keep their enemies at bay. This is when the verses of the
Quran exhorting all Muslims to fight the non-believers were
written.

The Jewish tribes in Medina mostly did not convert to Islam and
began siding with Mohammad’s enemies in Mecca. According to
the treaty they were guilty of treason, and so were banished, being
allowed to carry their wealth, but not their weapons, with them.
The Muslims inherited their land and became financially more
independent.
In 629 Mohammad assembled an army of ten thousand and
marched on Mecca. The city capitulated without a fight and
Mohammad inflicted no deaths or penalties upon the people,
except for formally executing five of the most troublesome leaders
who refused to accept Mohammad’s message.
In the next two years before His death, Mohammad made several
expeditions to parts of Arabia to convert the tribes to Islam, and
even began to come in conflict with the Byzantine Empire.
Wives
Having been strictly monogamous during the twenty-five years of
marriage to Khadīja, Mohammad made several matches after
settling in Medina.
After the death of
Khadīja, Mohammad
married Sawda, the
widow of one of the early
Muslims, who was about
thirty years old. His third
and fourth wives were the
daughters of His friends
and followers Abu Bakr
and Umar.

“Mohammad Sahib had to take the help of five women. They
were A-U-M’s, the powers, and that's why He had to marry so
many. For example His first wife Khadjia was nobody else but
Mahâsaraswatî. His daughter was Mahâlakshmî. So it was all
His powers expressed as His wife, or sister, or daughter who
helped Him in His lifetime, sustaining His powers.” 01-02-77
Warfare
The Prophet of Islam taught the warring tribes self-control and
discipline to the extent of praying on the battlefield. One part of the
army would bow their heads before God while the other engaged
the enemy; then they would exchange positions. In an age of
barbarism, the battlefield itself became humanized and strict
instructions were issued not to cheat, not to break trust, not to
mutilate, not to kill a child, a woman or an old man, not to hew
down date palm nor burn it, not to cut a fruit tree nor to molest any
person engaged in worship.
The total number of casualties in all the battles that took place
during His lifetime, when the whole Arabian Peninsula came under
His banner, does not exceed a few hundred in all.
He accepted the surrender of Mecca, the city which had refused His
message, tortured and driven out Him and His followers, and had
unrelentingly persecuted them in Medina. By the laws of war in that
time He could have justly avenged all the cruelties inflicted on Him
and His people. But Mohammad's heart flowed with forgiveness
and He declared, ‘This day, there is no reproof against you and you
are all free. This day I trample under my feet all distinctions
between man and man, all hatred between man and man.’

Farewell Sermon
During the annual Hajj –‘pilgrimage to Mecca’ of 10AH (6th Mar 632)
Mohammad gave His final sermon to the assembled Muslims under
the shadow of Mount Arafat (20 km SE of Mecca). He stated that He
did not know if after that year He would be among them again. He
then reiterated the main points of Islam, such as prayers, fasting
during Ramadan, no usury, alms for the poor, etc. and called upon
Allah to witness that He had delivered His message to His people.
Death
Three months later, after four days of intense stomach pains and
severe headaches, Mohammad died quite suddenly on 8th June 632.
The demise of such a vigorous and dynamic man at the early age of
sixty-two suggests that He was poisoned. Several attempts to
poison Him by the Qurayshi Meccans and disaffected tribes such as
the expelled Jews had already been foiled.
“Muslims are very fanatical people. I would say Mohammad
Sahib was the least fanatic personality. He suffered so much, I
think, in that incarnation, no Guru has suffered as much as He
has. Ultimately He was given poison; He was killed.”
00-03-75, Delhi
In His final illness, the Prophet said to those assembled at His house
that if He owed anything to anyone the person concerned could
claim it; if He had ever hurt anyone's person, honour or property,
He could have His price while He was yet in this world. One man
came forward to claim a few dirhams which were paid at once.

Mode of Living
His house was a hut with walls of unbaked clay and a roof thatched
with palm leaves and camel skin. He had a small room for each of
His wives; His own room contained a rope cot, a pillow of palm
leaves, a goat skin on the floor, a leather water bag and some
weapons. Besides these He owned only a camel, a horse and an ass
and some land which He had had dedicated for the use of the
community. Once some disciples, noticing the imprint of His
mattress on His body, wished to give Him a softer bed but He
politely declined saying, ‘What have I to do with worldly things?
My connection with the world is like that of a traveller resting for
a while underneath the shade of a tree and then moving on.’
He advised the people to live simple lives and even when He
became the virtual king of Arabia, He lived an austere life. Aisha
said that there was hardly a day when He had two square meals.
Distribution of the 1,500 million present-day Muslims. The word ‘Muslim’

means ‘one who surrenders’ from the same S-L-M Arabic root as ‘Islam’.

He had declared unlawful for himself and His family anything given
by the people by way of zakat or sadaqa (taxes for charity). He was
so particular about this that He would not appoint any member of
His family as a zakat collector.
Manners and Disposition

‘By the grace of Allah, you are gentle towards the people; if you
had been stern and ill-tempered, they would have dispersed from
round about you’ (Abu Bakr). About himself the Prophet said: ‘Allah
has sent me as an apostle so that I may demonstrate perfection of
character, refinement of manners and loftiness of deportment.’
By nature He was gentle, kind-hearted and polite, always inclined to
be gracious and to overlook the faults of others. In the cause of
right and justice He could be resolute and severe but more often
than not, His severity was tempered with generosity. His charming
manners won Him the affection and devotion of His followers.
Though virtual king of Arabia and the chosen apostle of Allah, He
never assumed an air of superiority.
He used to pray, ‘O Allah! I am but a man. If I hurt anyone in any
manner, then forgive me and do not punish me.’ He always
received people with courtesy and showed respect to older people
and stated: ‘To honour an old man is to show respect to Allah.’
He would not deny courtesy even to the wicked. A person came to
His house once asking to see Mohammad. The Prophet remarked
that He was not a good person but might be admitted. When He
came in and while He remained in the house, He was shown full
courtesy. When He left Aiysha said, ‘You did not think well of this
man, but you treated him so well.’ The Prophet replied, ‘He is a bad

person in the sight of Allah who does not behave courteously and
people shun his company because of his bad manners.’
He was always the first
to greet another and
would not withdraw
His hand from a
handshake till the
other withdrew. He did
not like people to get
up for Him and used to
say, ‘Let him who
likes people to stand
up in his honour, he
should seek a place
in Hell.’ He would
Himself, however, stand up for any dignitary and stood to receive
the wet nurse who had reared Him and spread His own mat for her.
He avoided sitting at a prominent place in a gathering, so that
people coming in had difficulty in spotting Him and had to ask
which was the Prophet.
He used to visit the poor and the sick and exhorted all Muslims to
do likewise. When visiting He would first seek permission to enter
the house. He advised people to follow this etiquette and not to be
offended if anyone declined, for people may be busy and not mean
any disrespect. He would sit with the humblest of persons saying
that righteousness alone was the criterion of one's superiority over
another. He invariably invited people be they slaves, servants or the
poorest believers, to partake with Him of His scanty meals.

There was no work too low or
too undignified for Him. He
would sweep the floor, feed and
milk the animals and do the
shopping. Once when there was
no man in the house of a
devotee who had gone for
battle, He went to His house
daily to milk the cattle.
Children
He was fond of children and
would get into the spirit of
childish games with them. He
used to give the children lifts on
His camel when He returned from journeys. He would pick them up
in His arms, play with them and kiss them.
Daily Routine
The Prophet apportioned His time carefully according to:
1. Offering worship to Allah.
2. Public affairs.
3. Personal matters.
After the early morning prayers He would remain in the mosque
reciting praises of Allah till the sun rose and more people collected.
He would preach a sermon and then talk with the people, inquiring
about their welfare and even exchanging jokes. Taxes and revenues
were distributed at this time. After offering prayers, He would go
home and get busy with household work.

He would return to the mosque for the mid-day and afternoon
prayers, listen to people’s problems and give guidance. After the
afternoon prayers, He would visit each of His wives who would
assemble after the evening prayers for dinner. After the night
prayers, He would recite some Suras of the Quran and before going
to bed would pray: ‘O Allah, I die and live with thy name on my
lips.’ On getting up He would say, ‘All praise to Allah Who has
given me life after death and towards Whom is the return.’ He
used to brush His teeth five times a day, before each of the daily
prayers. He was not fastidious about His bed: sometimes He slept
on His cot, sometimes on a goat-skin and sometimes on the ground.
On Fridays He gave religous instruction after the weekly ‘Jumma’

prayers; interruptions did not annoy Him. Once, during a sermon, a
Bedouin approached Him and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I am a
traveller and am ignorant of my religion.’ The Prophet explained the
salient features of Islam to Him and then resumed His talk. On
another occasion His young grandson Hussain came tottering to
Him. He took Him in His lap and continued the sermon.

Trust in Allah
Mohammad’s whole life was a
sublime example of trusting
in Allah. However great the
danger confronting Him,
He never lost hope and
never allowed himself to
be unduly agitated.
Abu Talib knew the lengths
to which the Quraysh could go
when Mohammad started
The 99 Names of Allah
preaching and requested Him to
abandon His mission, but He replied, ‘Dear uncle, do not go by my
loneliness. Truth will not go unsupported for long. The whole of
Arabia and beyond will one day espouse its cause.’ When the
Quraysh became more threatening, Abu Talib again begged His
nephew to renounce His mission but the Prophet replied: ‘O my
uncle, if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in
my left, to force me to renounce my work, verily I would not
desist therefrom until Allah made manifest His cause, or I
perished in the attempt.’
A disciple was comforted with the words: ‘By Allah, the day is near
when this faith will reach its pinnacle and none will have to fear
anyone except Allah.’ His trust in Allah emboldened the Prophet to
say His prayers openly in the market-place.
The Quraysh were once collected there and were conspiring to put
an end to His life. His young daughter Fatima overheard their talk

and rushed weeping to Her Father, telling Him of the designs of the
Quraysh. He consoled Her, did His ablutions and went to the Ka’aba
to say prayers. There was only consternation among the Quraysh
when they saw Him.
When leaving for Medina He asked Ali to sleep in His bed and told
him, ‘Do not worry, no one will be able to do you any harm’. Even
though enemies had surrounded the house, He slipped away
reciting the
Quranic verse:
‘We have set a
barricade before
them and a
barricade behind
them and have
covered them so
that they see not’.
Abu Bakr was
Abu Bakr
protecting apprehensive
Mohammad when pursuers
from an
came close to the
angry mob of
Meccans cavern in which
He and
Mohammad were hiding during their flight, but the Prophet
heartened him; ‘Grieve not. Allah is with us.’
Once a man was caught waiting to ambush the Prophet but he was
directed to be released with the words, ‘Even if this man wanted
to kill me, He could not.’ A Jewess from Khaibar had put poison in
the Prophet's food. He spat it out after taking a morsel but a

disciple who had His fill died the next day. The Jewess was brought
before the Prophet who questioned her: ‘Why did you do this?’,
‘If you are a liar it would kill you and rid us of you, but if you are a
true prophet it would not kill you.’
She was told, ‘Allah would not have allowed you to do it.’
In the battle of Hunain, when an unexpected assault of the Meccan
army had swept the Muslim force off its feet and a defeat seemed
imminent, the Prophet did not yield ground but shouted ‘O, Allah,
send down Your Help!’ The Muslim army rallied behind Him to win
a signal victory.
Justice
The Prophet had often to deal with
warring tribes where showing justice to
one might antagonize the other and yet
He never deviated from the truth. He
made no distinction between believers and
non-believers, friends and foes, high or low.
A Quraysh woman with good connections was guilty of theft. Some
prominent people interceded to save her from punishment. The
Prophet refused to condone the crime, saying, ‘Many a community
ruined itself in the past as they only punished the poor and
ignored the offences of the exalted. By Allah, if Mohammad's
daughter Fatima had committed theft, her hand would have been
severed.’ The Medina Jews, in spite of not accepting the new
religion, were so impressed by His impartiality and sense of justice
that they would bring their cases for Him to decide according to
Jewish law.

Equality
Mohammad asked people to shun notions of racial, family or any
other form of superiority and said that righteousness alone was the
criterion of one's superiority. He mixed with everyone on equal
terms; ate with slaves and the poorest off the same plate (a practice
still followed in Islam), refused all privileges and worked like an
ordinary labourer.
Once while travelling by camel over hilly terrain with a disciple, He
asked him to ride the camel, but, thinking this would be
disrespectful, the disciple declined. The Prophet insisted and
Himself walked on foot, not wishing to overload the animal.
Once on a journey, they stopped to prepare food. The Prophet took
upon himself the task of collecting firewood but they pleaded that
He need not take the trouble. He replied, ‘It is true, but I do not
like to attribute any distinction to myself. Allah does not like the
man who considers himself superior to His companions.’
Kindness to Animals
The Prophet enjoined on the people to show kindness to all living
beings. He forbade the practice of cutting tails and manes of horses,
of branding animals at any soft spot and of keeping horses saddled
unnecessarily. If He saw any animal overloaded or ill-fed He would
pull up the owner and say, ‘Fear Allah in your treatment of
animals. Verily, there is Heavenly reward for every act of
kindness done to a living animal.’
One day, a dying dog approached one of Mohammad’s followers.
There was no well nearby but, seeing a muddy puddle, he tore His
shirt, soaked it in the water, placed the dog in His lap and

moistened its mouth with the wet cloth.
Another Arab who saw this went to the
Prophet and said, ‘One of your followers has
touched a filthy animal, a dog, and should
therefore not be allowed back here
again.’ Mohammad questioned,
‘What was He doing to the dog?’
‘I do not know, but I saw Him
moistening its mouth with a torn
piece of cloth dipped in muddy
water,’ replied the man. ‘He is a
better Muslim than you are,
because He is kind to animals,’
said the Prophet.
Love for the Poor

‘He is not a perfect Muslim who eats His fill and lets His
neighbour go hungry.’
‘Do you love your Creator? Then love your fellow beings first.’
‘It is difficult for a man laden with riches to climb the steep path
that leads to bliss.’
He did not prohibit or discourage the acquisition of wealth but
insisted that it be acquired by honest means and that a portion of it
would go to the poor. He advised His followers to ‘give the labourer
his wages before his perspiration dried up.’ To His wife He said, ‘O
Aisha, love the poor and let them come to you and Allah will
draw you near to Himself.’

He used to pray: ‘O
Allah, keep me poor in
my life and at my
death and raise me at
resurrection among
those who are poor.’
While Mohammad was
serving a sick slave, the
latter asked, ‘Has my
master sent you to look
after me?’ ‘Yes,’ said Mohammad, ‘the master of masters has sent
me to serve you.’
Once, in Mecca, a shepherd from the hills came to worship at the
Ka’aba in His own simple way, kissing the stone and bowing before
the sacred spot. Tears flowed from His eyes as He prayed: ‘O
adorable Lord of Love, show me Thy face. Let me be thy servant. Let
me mend Thy shoes, apply oil to Thy hair, wash Thy soiled clothes
and bring Thee daily the milk of my goat. Let me kiss Thy hand and
wash Thy sacred Feet.’ Such words of the simple shepherd offended
the priests who said to him, ‘What blasphemy is this? There is no
need of such gifts for the omnipotent Lord.’ They were ready to
drive Him out of the temple, when the Prophet called them to Him
and asked: ‘When you are in distant lands, in which direction do
you turn your faces?’ ‘We turn our faces to Mecca,’ they answered.
He further asked, ‘When you are within these sacred walls, in
which direction do you turn your faces?’ ‘All is holy here,’ they
replied ’It does not matter which way we turn.’ The Prophet then
said, ‘Your answer is beautiful indeed. Within the mosque it does

not matter how you pray, as long as you have love and reverence.
This poor shepherd's simple prayer entered directly into the ears
of Allah more clearly than yours, as it was uttered from His heart
with intense love, faith, sincerity and reverence. Make room for
God's poor lover near me. Let no one be ashamed to have His
company. He is humble, pure and an exalted soul.’
Hajj
A 19th century view of Mecca
Every year, during the Hajj, all distinctions of race, colour and rank
are levelled. African, Arab, Indian, European and Chinese meet
together in Mecca as members of one Divine family, clad in the
same dress - two pieces of white seamless cloth, one round the
loins, the other over the shoulders, bare headed, without pomp or
ceremony, repeating ‘Here am I, O God; at Thy command; Thou art
One and Alone; Here am I.’

The Hajj involves five days of visiting holy sites around Mecca as
well as the Ka’aba itself. A Muslim should make the Hajj at least
once in his life if his finances and health allow; this is one of the five
pillars1 of Islam. The Hajj is undertaken between the 8th and 13th
of Dhu al-Hijjah –‘The Month of Pilgrimage’, the last month of
the Islamic calendar. In 2022 this falls at the beginning of July.
‘O mankind, surely we have created you, families and tribes, so
you may know one another. Surely, the most honourable of you
with God is the most righteous among you. God is All-knowing,
Aware.’
Equality of Women
Islam teaches that man and woman come from the same essence,
possess the same soul and are equipped with equal capabilities for
intellectual, spiritual and moral attainment. There is a strong Arab
tradition that only one who can smite with the spear and wield the
sword should inherit but Islam came as the defender of the weaker
sex and entitled women to a share of the inheritance of their
parents. It gave women, centuries ago, the right of owning
property. The Prophet of Islam had proclaimed that:
‘Woman are twin halves of men. The rights of women are sacred.
See that women keep the rights granted to them.’
The ‘Five Pillars’ are the core practices of Islam:

(1) Shahada -Profession of Faith. ‘There is no god but God, and
Muhammad is His Messenger’.
(2) Salat -prayer. (3) Zakat -alms.
(4) Sawm -fasting. (5) Hajj - pilgrimage.

In spite of this, after His death, Mohammad’s own daughter Fatima
was denied Her inheritance by Abu Bakr and his followers!
“The benevolent ideas Hazrat* Mohammed propounded to
protect the women and give a chaste life to them, have been
worked in the opposite direction by the people who are in
charge of religions. The message of Paigambar –‘The Prophet’
has been absolutely misinterpreted. All the goodness and
chastity has been practiced by women but not by men.
Mothers or sisters are the feminine force of the family. They
live in fear. This is a situation where the mother has to be the
guiding, controlling power because the men are busy in their
work; they have no time to watch and guide the children.”
Meta Modern Era, Ch. 5
Law
There are four sayings of Prophet Mohammad which form the basis
of Islamic Law:
1. Actions are judged by their intentions.
2. A sincere Muslim does not pay heed to anything that is not
connected with Him.
3. A true believer wishes for others what He wishes for himself.
4. Some things are clearly lawful and some things are clearly
unlawful. But there are some which don't fall clearly in either
category and it is better to stay away from them.
* ‘Hazrat’ is a term of respect in Arabic which literally means ‘The

Presence’.

The Quran talks of five things: lawful things, unlawful things, clear
and constructive principles, mysteries and examples. Take the
lawful as things that can be done, the unlawful things as those
which are forbidden, follow the principles, believe in the mysteries
and take the lessons that the examples teach.
Drinking and gambling
are illegal. Contributions
to schools, places of
worship, hospitals, the
digging of wells and the
opening of orphanages
are the highest acts of
virtue. The world owes
many of its orphanages
to this Prophet who
became an orphan at an
early age. Mohammad’s was the natural voice of humanity, of pity,
equality and care for all.
Economics
The Principles of Islam do not separate legal, educational, political
and economic systems from religion and cover all aspects of life.
Sharia Law lays down some important principles to govern
economic life. It discourages extremes and has always in view the
building of good character as the basis of a good society. This is
secured by its laws of inheritance, by an organized system of charity
known as Zakat and by regarding as illegal all anti-social economic
practices like money-lending, unearned incomes, cornering markets
and creating monopolies or artificial scarcities of a commodity.

This makes the modern
capitalist system directly
opposed to Islam. Forming
limited companies with
stock-holders is forbidden
by Sharia Law, as is giving
or taking interest; also the
law that inheritance must
be equally divided
between offspring and
cannot be ‘willed’ to an
individual, means that
fortunes are constantly
being split up,
undermining the long-
term stability of economic
enterprises.
Having said this, the
Islamic world started the
first stable international monetary system in the 8th-12th centuries
with a unified currency, banks and banknotes, lines of credit, etc.
In Sunni countries the laws governing economics are not so clearly
defined but depend on interpretations of the Quran and Sharia Law,
so entrepreneurs are wary of innovation which may incur a negative
ruling resulting in possible expulsion from Islam or even death.
While capitalism is not the ultimate answer to world economics it is
the dominant system at present and the Islamic world is at a
disadvantage by not being able to effectively take on the
Americans, Europeans and Asians on their own terms.

The Great Man
It is said that a great man should be judged by three tests;
Was he found to be of true mettle by His contemporaries?
Was he great enough to rise above the standards of His age?
Did he leave a permanent legacy to the world at large?
Both friends and foes acknowledged Mohammad’s honesty,
sincerity and trustworthiness in all walks of life. In spite of His own
doubts, His wife, cousin, adopted son and His best friends were
convinced of the genuineness of His Divine Inspiration.
Though unable to read or write, He spoke with an eloquence and
fervour which stirred the deepest longings in men; an orphan
blessed with no worldly goods, He created a universal family. A man
of peace, He could yet organise His troops against tremendous odds
and be victorious. Men gifted with a genius for preaching are rare;
Descartes described the perfect preacher among the rarest in the
world.
He was a king without a palace, a crown, robes or revenue; He had
all the power without the trappings. The simplicity of His private life
was in perfect accord with the principles He preached.
Mahātmā Gandhi, speaking on the character of Mohammad: ‘I
wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed
sway over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than
convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in
the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-
effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for His pledges,
His intense devotion to His friends and followers, His fearlessness,
His absolute trust in God and in His own mission. These and not

the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every
obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's
biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the
great life.’
George Bernard Shaw wrote: ‘He (Mohammad) must be called the
Saviour of Humanity. I believe that if a man like Him were to
assume the dictatorship of the modern world, He would succeed
in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed
peace and happiness.’
After the fall of Mecca, with more than a million square miles of
land at His feet, this Lord of Arabia still mended His own shoes and
patched His coarse woollen garments, milked the goats, swept the
hearth, kindled the fire and helped with the cooking. Medina grew
wealthy in the later days of His life; everywhere was gold and silver
in abundance and yet weeks would elapse without a fire being
kindled in the hearth of this mighty potentate who dined on dates
and water. He slept on a palm mat; spending most of the night
Mohammad entering Medina after a victory

praying for humility and the strength to discharge His duties.
On the day of His death His only assets were a few coins, some of
which went to satisfy a debt and the remainder given to help a
needy person. The clothes in which He breathed His last had many
patches. The house from where light had spread to the world was in
darkness because there was no oil in the lamp.
An honest man, it is said, is the noblest work of God; but
Mohammad was not just honest, He was human to the marrow.
Compassion was the music of His soul. To serve man, to elevate
man, to purify man, to educate man, in a word to humanize man -
this was His mission. In thought, word and deed He had the good of
humanity as His sole inspiration, His guiding principle. He turned
the attention of His followers towards the study of nature and its
laws, and appreciation of the Glory of God.
The Qur’ān
The Qur’ān says, ‘God did not
create the Heavens and the Earth and
all that is between them in play. He
did not create them all but with the
truth. But most men do not know.’
Attributes of God: Adopting

the middle path, Islam avoids
divesting the Divine of every attribute
but rejects likening Him to things material. The Quran says, ‘There
is no thing which is like Him’ but affirms that ‘He is seeing,
hearing, knowing’.

He is the King without a fault or deficiency; the mighty ship of His
power floats upon the ocean of justice and equality; He is the
Beneficent, the Merciful, the Guardian over all, the Mender of every
breakage, the Restorer of every loss but also the Creator of
problems.
‘There is no God but the One God, above any need, the Maker of
bodies, Creator of souls, the Lord of the day of judgment and to
Him belong all excellent qualities’.
‘O man, God has bestowed on you excellent faculties and has
created life and death to put you to test in order to see whose
actions are good and who has deviated from the right path.’
‘We have made subservient to you whatever is on the Earth or in
the Universe. You are destined to rule over the Universe.’
On Truth: ‘The real man of truth is the one who is true in his
thought, true in his deeds and true in his work.’
‘You should always endeavour to reach the highest point in virtue
and truth. A person who always speaks the truth should not stoop
to cursing people. Do not tell lies; speak only the truth, even if it
is bitter and might hurt other people.’
On Understanding: ‘Devotion alone does not please God. It

is only that part of devotion which is offered to God together with
understanding that God accepts. There are no returns for prayers,
charity and visiting holy places, unless they are accompanied by
understanding.’
On Forgiveness: ‘Do not say: ‘If the people do me good, I

will do them good; and if the people torment me, I will torment
them in return’. Tell yourself instead that if people do you good,

you will do good to them and if they torment you, you will not
reciprocate by tormenting them.’
On Knowledge: ‘It is better to give more

time to learning than to give more time to
praying. It is better to teach someone for
one hour in the night than to pray all
night.’
God to Man: ‘It is My will to create any

man under conditions that seem best to Me. ‘Allah’ in Arabic
Cosmic plans finite mortals cannot fully comprehend. But I will
certainly test you in prosperity as well as in adversity, in health as
well as in sickness, in heights as well as in depths. My ways of
testing differ from man to man, from hour to hour. In adversity
do not despair and do resort to unlawful means. It is but a passing
phase. In prosperity do not forget God‘.
‘God-gifts are given only as trusts. You are always on trial, every
moment on test. In this sphere of life there is not to reason why,
there is but to do and die. If you live in accordance with God; and
if you die, die in the path of God. You may call it fatalism, but this
type of fatalism is a condition of vigorous increasing effort,
keeping you ever on the alert. Do not consider this temporal life
on earth as the end of human existence.’
‘There is a life after death and it is eternal. Life after death is only
a connection link, a door that opens up the hidden reality of life.
Every action in life however insignificant, produces a lasting
effect. It is correctly recorded somehow. Some of the ways of God
are known to you, but many of His ways are hidden from you.’

‘What is hidden in you and from you in this world will be
unrolled and laid open before you in the next. The virtuous will
enjoy the blessing of God which the eye has not seen, nor has the
ear heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of men to conceive of;
they will march onward, reaching higher and higher stages of
evolution. Those who have wasted opportunity in this life shall
under the inevitable law, which makes every man taste of what
He has done, be subjugated to a course of treatment of the
spiritual diseases which they have brought about with their own
hands.’
‘O thou soul that art at rest and restest fully contented with thy
Lord; return to thy Lord. Be He pleased with thee and thou
pleased with Him; so enter among my servants and enter into My
Paradise.’
The German poet Goethe declared that: ‘This book (The Qur’an)
will go on exercising through all ages a most potent influence.’
Hadith
The life, deeds and sayings of the
Prophet are recorded
in the Hadith, also
known as the
Sunnah, which are
several books
written after His
death. One of the
most reliable is the
Bukhari Hadith,

compiled by Imam Muhammad al-Bukhari about 230AH (850 CE).
These are taken with the Quran as reliable sources of Islamic
knowledge, truth and law. The Quran does not contain much law
and Shariya Law is derived mostly from the Hadith.
However the reliability of some of the Hadith is in question as,
unlike the Quran which was collected, compiled and codified within
twenty years of Mohammad’s death under the auspices of his
closest followers, these Hadith were compiled several generations
later. Usurpers like Muawiyah may have altered them for their own
purposes. Stories such as the Prophet, a man of great peace,
personally beheading a tribe of treacherous Jews do not ring true.
Jihad
‘The best jihad is that undertaken to conquer the self.’
‘The ink of the intellectual is holier than the blood of the martyr.’
Scholars and mystics throughout the ages have taken different
viewpoints about the call to fight non-believers. The vast majority
of Muslims believe that such action is only required in times of
extreme danger for self-preservation, as was the case when
Mohammad and His followers lived in Medina.
“There are two important things in the life of Mohammed
Sâhib. The first one is called as Mi’raj –‘ascent’ which is nothing
but the awakening of the Kundalini, absolutely clearly. And the
second one He has talked about is Jihad. Jihad means killing
your bad things, killing your bad nature, killing all the shad-
ripu –‘six enemies’ within you.” 25-12-01, Ganapatipule

Mohammad’s Family and Successors
Mohammad’s daughter
Fatima (615-632 CE) was born
after He started His message.
His wife Khadija narrated: ‘At
the time of Fatima’s birth, I
sent for my neighbouring
Qurayshite women to assist
me. They flatly refused,
saying that I had betrayed
them by marrying and
supporting Mohammad. I was perturbed for a while when, to my
great surprise, I saw four strange tall women with halos around
their faces approaching me.
Finding me dismayed, one of them addressed me thus, ‘O Khadija!
I am Sarah, mother of Ishaq (Isaac). The other three are: Mary
mother of Christ, Asiya daughter of Muzahim (Pharaoh’s daughter
who found and adopted Moses who became the wife of Pharaoh with
whom Moses battled) and Umm Kulthum sister of Moses. We have
all been commanded by God to put our nursing knowledge at
your disposal.’ Saying this, all of them sat around me and
rendered the services of midwifery till my daughter Fatima was
born.’ Fatima was only five years old when Khadija died and she
was raised by Mohammad Himself.
After the flight to Medina, in 624 CE, Fatima married Mohammad’s
first and greatest follower Ali, said to be the only person born inside

the Ka’aba, and they had two boys Hassan and Hussain, and two
daughters Zainab and Kulthum.
Fatima died at the age of eighteen just two months after the
passing of the Prophet Himself.
After Mohammad’s demise there was
confusion as to who should succeed the
Prophet. Sunni Muslims (85% of present-day
Muslims) believe that Mohammad
designated his friend Abu Bakr as His
successor but the Shia believe that
Mohammad chose his son-in-law Ali whom
He named the Lion of Allah.
Abu Bakr, a great friend of the Prophet and
the father of Aisha, Mohammad’s
third wife, was chosen as the first
Caliph (Imam) and was succeeded
after only two years by Uman, Hazrat Ali holding the
another father-in-law, and later legendary two-pointed
sword Zulfiqar.
Uthman, a son-in-law of the Prophet. Ali
was finally chosen twenty-four years later as the fourth Caliph but
ruled for only four years before being assassinated by a follower of
Muawiyah* (600-680 CE) who took over Islam and established the
Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 CE), forcing Hassan, Ali’s son and
successor, to abdicate. Shia Muslims continued to support the
descendents of Mohammad as the true Imams causing a rift in
Islam which continues to this day.
* Muawiyah was a Meccan who had initially fought against Mohammad
but after the fall of Mecca had become one of His scribes. There is
evidence that Mohammad said he was not a true Muslim….
continued on next page…

“Abu Bakr became the head of the Islam, and he was a
fundamentalist. Actually it was Hazrat Ali who had to become
the head but Abu Bakr was a very ambitious man, Now Hazrat
Ali you know had a fight. It's a history, where the turning point
took place.
As you know Hazrat Ali (eventually) became head but later he
was killed and his two sons were killed. And the wife of
Mohammed Sahib, Aisha, was told that you will fight against
the truth and you will know it when the dogs will bark. So
when she went on the other side, the dogs started barking but
still she didn't listen. And she told the people that you listen to
Abu Bakr (her father).
So the rift started that time and as you know, later on Hassan
and Hussein both were killed in (the battle of) Karbala2. That's
how Shia and Sunni, two parties started. Shia believe in many
things which are the truth. One, they believe that you will
become a Wali –‘protector, realised soul’.” 09-10-93, Los Angeles
continued… Under Uthman he became the military governor of conquered

Syria. In 661 CE, less than thirty years after the death of the Prophet, he
became the ruler of the rapidly expanding Islamic Empire which was
taking over the Persian Empire, inflicting defeats on the Christian
Byzantine Empire (the eastern branch of the Roman Empire) and
expanding into North Africa.
“In the case of Mohammed Sahib it was forty years after His death
that the book (Qur’an) was written by one horrible fellow called
Muawiyah. He was a hater of women and he tried to change as
much as possible. Still there are lots of truths in it.” 25-09-96, L.A.
2
The Battle of Karbala between Yazid’s and Hussain’s followers in 680,
created the final split between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims.

Hazrat Hussain at the Battle
of Karbala 10-12 Oct 680 CE
Hassan (624-670 CE) renounced the caliphate in favour of Muawiyah,

in order to avoid divisions and conflict within Islam, but was
poisoned by his own wife at Muawiyah’s instigation. His younger
brother Hussain (626-680 CE) fought against Muawiyah and was
killed in the battle of Karbala by followers of Yazid, Muawiyah’s son
and successor.
The Muslim empire expanded rapidly throughout the Middle East
and North Africa, with tremendous innovations in medicine,
science, mathematics and astronomy and great outpourings of art,
music, architecture and poetry. However around 1300 CE the law
became more rigid and free thinking was discouraged; in spite of
this, the Islamic world was still far more tolerant and less fanatical
than the Christianity of the time.

Shri Mataji about Prophet Mohammad
“Mohammed Sahib is the only
person who has talked about
Mi’raj –‘ascent’. Mi’raj is the
ascent through our Kundalini.
And, not only that He talked of
Mi’raj but also he talked of the
resurrection time when your
hands will speak. Two things
He said. First is ‘your hands will
speak when you will have your
Realisation.’ It's a very great
thing to say, because that is
how you can ascertain and you
can be sure that you have got
your realisation. That's the sign He gave. And the second thing
He talked about Mi’raj and the white horse He said, was
nothing but the Kundalini.
So He is the one who knew what should happen to people
when they get their Self-realisation. That is a great revelation
and of such a help to Sahaja Yoga. You are all realised Souls
because you can feel the vibrations.” 24-07-02, Cabella
“Every word they (the Adi Gurus) have spoken is a Mantra,

everything about Namaz which is nothing but Kundalini Jagruti
–‘awakening’. Mohammad Sahib has done the greatest job in
Sahaja Yoga and the greatest advancement as far as the
Kundalini Jagruti is concerned.” 21-03-77 Mumbai

G URU N ANAK
G URU N ANAK
Ik Oṅkār Satnām Kartā Purakh Nirbhau Nirvair
Akāl Mūrat Ajūnī Saibhan Gur Prasād
One Creator of Everything whose True Name is Om; without fear1;
without hate2. Beyond time and the cycle of birth and death; Self-
existent; the Ever-gracious Lord. Mool Mantra, Gurū Nānak
1
Conditionings - left side qualities. 2 Ego - right side qualities.
Ik Om –‘One Om’ , the symbol of Gurū Nānak,

can be seen in the picture on the previous page.
It is the first two words of the Mool -‘root’
Mantra above which starts all Sikh worship.
‘Me, the bard out of work, the Lord has applied to His Service.
In the very beginning He gave me the order
To sing His praises night and day.
The Master summoned the minstrel to His true court.
He clothed me with the robe of His true honour and eulogy.
Since then the True Name has become my ambrosial food.
They, who under the Guru’s instruction, eat this food
To their satisfaction, obtain peace.
By singing the Guru’s hymns,
I, the minstrel, spread the Lord’s Glory.
Nânak, by praising the True Name
I have obtained the Perfect Lord.’ - Gurū Nānak, Pauri
GURU NANAK 202

‘The Kali Yuga shall dawn on Earth with radical manifestation of
destruction of Karma and Dharma to such an extent that every
situation shall be coloured by sinful activities. At that distressful
moment, the Creator shall send down a spiritual luminary in the
form of Nānak from the Khatria clan. He will spread the message
of Naam –‘contemplation of the Name of God’, the Holy Life Force,
by introducing the primacy of meditation and thus washing clean
the sinful ways by the waters of love.’ Bhavekatha Purāna
Gurū Nānak is one of the most inspiring spiritual figures ever to
walk this Earth. His purity, innocence and devotion to God shine as
a beacon of hope to those seeking meaning in their lives and the
truth of our existence. He believed in finding God in the simple life
of the householder and argued against asceticism. He married and
had two sons and, when not travelling to spread His message,
enjoyed farming. He believed Yoga should be Sahaja –‘innate,
natural’ achieved through keeping the attention on the Divine by
repeating the Satnām –‘True Name of God’, one of which is ‘Har’ an
aspect of Lord Shiva meaning the Remover or Destroyer. He also
referred to God as Ik Oṅkār –‘one Om’, Guru and Wahegurū [wāhe,
vāhi –‘wonderful’, gurū –‘teacher’].
Gurū* Nānak was a prolific poet and singer of God's praise,
incorporating the Divine message in His songs; a message of love,
truth, service to our fellow men and renaissance through
meditation. He preached against all divisions between human
beings such as religion, the caste system or treating women as less
than equal to men. Like all Divine Incarnations He created a
pathway to the Divine open to all humanity without distinction.
* In Punjabi, unlike Sanskrit, the word Gurū has a long ū at the end.
GURU NANAK 203

Gurū Nānak preached that in the eyes of God there are no Hindus
or Muslims, the only path is sincere devotion to the Almighty
expressed through good thoughts, words and deeds, meditation on
the Divine Nature and loving service to all our fellow human beings
and the whole of creation. He argued with ascetics against
renouncing the world. He brought a vision of a common humanity
to a world full of violence and strife. For Him, love of God was love
for His Creation and serving humanity was its manifestation.
Early Life
There are many Janamsakhi’s –‘life stories’, books about Gurū
Nānak’s life written many years after His death. In these His life has
become infused with many legends and miracles, although He
Himself firmly eschewed any manifestation of occult powers.
Nānak was born at a time when northern India was ruled by the
Muslim Lodhi dynasty1 who encouraged Hindus to convert to Islam
by imposing heavy taxes and discriminatory laws. Hindu society was
dominated by the rigid caste system and both Hinduism and Islam
were full of ritualism and superstition. Nānak’s father, Mehta
Kalyan, was an accountant employed by the local Muslim ruler. For
many years he and his wife Tripta were childless; so, being a devout
Hindu, he undertook a pilgrimage to invoke the Divine blessing.
At the holy site of Kedarnāth he was told by a sage to abandon his
pilgrimage as God would bless him with children. He returned to his
village of Talwandi (now in Pakistan) and a year later the couple
1
Northwest India had been under Muslim rule since Mahmud Ghazni’s
invasion of the Punjab in 1001 CE
GURU NANAK 204

were blessed with a baby girl whom they names Nānakī, meaning
‘born in the mother’s village’. Five years later on April 15 14692 they
had a son whom they named Nānak.
2
Gurū Nānak’s Birthday, a public holiday in India, is celebrated in
November on the full moon in the month of Kartik (starting on the new
moon between Oct 14 - Nov 12). This may be the date of Gurū Nānak’s
enlightenment in the forest.
GURU NANAK 205

Nānak's birth was accompanied by auspicious omens and the local
astrologer predicted that He would be a great man whose influence
would spread across the whole world. However as a child He
showed
no ambition, enjoying the freedom of nature, and soon manifested
an exceptional tendency for meditation and interest in spiritual
matters; He preferred discussing religion with the holy men in the
forest to playing with the other children. He was always kind, gentle
and generous to a fault.
From an early age Nānak made friends with Muslims and Hindus of
all castes and was very inquisitive about the meaning of life. He
loved to sing and spent many hours in the house of Mardānā, the
son of a low-caste Muslim musician, singing the praises of the
Divine.
His wise questions and spiritual leanings surprised all those who
came in contact with Him. When He was sent to school at the age of
six to learn Hindi and mathematics, Nānak asked His teacher, ‘Teach
me only this one lesson of life; tell me of the Creator and the
wonder of this great world’. He showed great ability and soon the
teacher had to admit He had nothing left to teach Him. In order to
understand the sacred texts He studied Sanskrit, picking it up very
quickly; but once He had learned enough for His purposes, no
amount of persuasion would make Him continue. Again He studied
Arabic and Persian so that He could read the Quran – His father
hoping this would qualify Him for a career at the Imperial court –
but He soon gained proficiency and quit.
Traditionally, on reaching puberty, upper caste Hindu boys are
invested with the sacred thread as a symbol of being Dvija –‘twice-
born’. Nānak’s thread ceremony was attended by family and friends,
GURU NANAK 206

but when the Brahmin
came to put the sacred
thread on him, Nānak
asked whether wearing
this piece of twisted
grass would make Him
pure, holy and devoted.
The Brahmin replied
that it would not but it
would mark Him as a
high caste Hindu; so Nānak refused to wear it. The Brahmin was
furious and stormed out, leaving Nānak’s father even more
exasperated with this kind and gentle, but very stubborn, boy who
showed no interest in the things of this world. There is a poem by
Gurū Nānak in the Gurū Granth Sāhib on this topic:
‘Let mercy be the cotton, contentment the thread, continence
the knot and truth the twist. O priest! If you have such a
thread, give it to me. It will not wear out, nor get soiled, nor
burnt, nor lost. Says Nānak, blessed are those who go about
wearing such a thread’
The True Bargain

A year or two later Nānak’s father decided to try getting Him
interested in business. He gave Him twenty silver rupees (a small
fortune) and told Him to purchase some articles from the local big
town which could be sold in Talwandi for profit. He told Him to
make the best bargains. On the way, Nānak persuaded the friend
accompanying Him to take a short-cut through the forest, although
this was a bit risky with a large sum of money on them. In the forest
GURU NANAK 207

they came across some ascetics who Nānak engaged in discussion
and found they were dying of hunger as they would not beg, but
only consumed what was given freely.
On reaching the town
Nānak’s friend was
surprised to see Him
buying many ordinary
items such as rice, dal
and vegetables; and was
truly shocked when, on
the way home, Nānak
offered it all at the feet
of the holy men, saying
‘God has seen fit to feed
you this day’.
His father was enraged when He returned empty-handed, but
Nānak replied that His father had always told Him that money given
to the poor, holy and needy conferred the greatest profit, and so He
had made a ‘True Bargain’. The story quickly spread throughout the
local district.
Despairing of Nānak taking any interest in worldy affairs, Mehta
sent Him out to tend the family cattle, where He happily spent His
days in meditation and religious discussions with the Muslim and
Hindu holy men living in the forests around the village. However
after a couple of years Nānak fell into depression and lost all
interest even in nature or spiritual discourses.
Thinking marriage might encourage Nānak’s interest in worldly
affairs, a match was found for Him and at sixteen He was married to
Sulakhani, a merchant’s daughter. She had heard of the ‘True
GURU NANAK 208

Bargain’ and wished to marry such a man even before meeting Him.
Nānak did not object as He felt that married life did not conflict
with spiritual pursuits. They were happily married, and had two
sons; Sri Chand in 1494 and Lakhmi Chand three years later.
His sister Nānaki had also married; to Śhrī Rām who worked for
Daulat Khan Lodhi, the Muslim governor of Sultanpur. It was
decided that Nānak should move to Sultanpur, and a job was found
for Him as a store-keeper (traditionally in India a job prone to
corruption).
Nānak was soon joined by His family and His
friend Mardānā. Nānak would work during the
day, but in the early mornings and
late at night, He would meditate
and sing hymns accompanied
by Mardānā on the
rebab (a lute-like string
instrument). After a
while people started
joining them for the
prayers and songs
and Nānak would give
inspiring talks.
Nānak often gave free grain to the poor and needy, but accounted
everything and agreed it with the Governor. However some people
started spreading rumours that He was giving away large quantities
for free. The Governor ordered an audit, but everything was found
perfectly in order. However Nānak quit the job; He had still not
found the path He sought to spread the word of God.
GURU NANAK 209

Revelation
Early one morning Nānak went to the river Bain for His bath. After
plunging into the river, He did not surface and it was reported that
He must have drowned. The villagers searched everywhere, but
there was no trace of Him and they gave Him up as dead. But the
next day He was discovered in the forest, absorbed in deep
contemplation.
Nānak had found himself taken into the presence of God, who
commanded Him to repeat the ‘Naam’* -‘Name of God’ and to teach
others the ‘Naam’. Then God blessed Him and commanded, ‘O
Nānak! When you look at anyone gracefully, it is not yours, but My
graceful look. Whom you have benevolence, on Him will be My
benevolence. My name is Brahman, the Supreme Lord; and thy
name is the Guru, Permeshwar, that is the supreme Guru’.
Nānak had received the message of God which He had sought so
long. After three days He reappeared at the riverside but He was no
longer the same person, there was a divine light in His eyes and His
face was resplendent. He remained in a trance and said nothing.
He broke His silence by uttering ‘There is no Hindu, no Musalman’,
and the verse now known as the Mool –‘root’ Mantra (see p.198) -
the primordial Mantra which appears at the start of each chapter of
the Guru Granth Sāhib, the Sacred Scripture of the Sikhs. It is one of
the finest definitions of God and is amongst the most powerful of
all the world's mantras.
* ‘Naam’ means much more than mere repetition of the Name of God. It
implies devotion, surrender and meditation on the Divine Nature.
Wahegurū –‘wonderful teacher’ is one of the main Names of God.
GURU NANAK 210

The town governor Daulat Khan wondered what He meant by
‘There is no Hindu, no Musalman’ and asked Gurū Nānak, ‘Perhaps
the Hindus were no longer Hindus but the Muslims remain devoted
to their faith?’. Gurū Nānak replied;
‘Let God's grace be the mosque and devotion the prayer mat. Let
the Quran be the good conduct. Let modesty be compassion, good
manners fasting, you should be a Muslim the like of this. Let good
deeds be your Ka’aba and truth be your mentor. Your Kalma be
your creed and prayer, God would then vindicate your honour.’
The Qazi of Sultanpur took strong exception to Nānak saying that
there was no Hindu and no Muslim. He asked Nānak if He was
prepared to offer prayers with Him at the mosque, to which Nānak
agreed. However while the Nawab, Qazi and others were
performing Namaz, the Guru simply remained standing. This
infuriated the Qazi who reminded Him that He had agreed to join
them in prayer.
Nānak asked Him what he was thinking about while performing the
Namaz; He had to admit that his favourite mare had given birth the
evening before and he was thinking about the foal. The Nawab also
admitted His mind had
been in Kabul with His
men busy in the horse-
trade. Nānak advised
them that true worship
is keeping Allah in the
heart and mind and not
of formal ritualism.
Guru Nanak and Hindu Deities
at the Golden Temple
GURU NANAK 211

The Great Udasis – ‘Journeys’
It was 1499 and the thirty-year-old Nānak was now Gurū Nānak, the
man with a message for humanity. Over the next twenty-one years
He made four extensive journeys, east, south, north and west, to
spread the message of God, accompanied always by His faithful
friend and rebab player Mardānā. His teaching is embodied in His
songs and prayers, which His followers learned and continued to
sing after He travelled on. It was an effective medium to propagate
His message being easily remembered even by simple illiterate
people.
GURU NANAK 212

The First Journey (East, 1500-1506)
His first journey, of seven years, was towards the east and took Him
through many of the great pilgrimage sites of north India;
Kedarnath, Kurukshetra, Delhi, Hardwar, Varanasi, Prayāg and as far
as Assam. He dressed in such a way that nobody could say what
sect or religion He belonged to. He wore the white robe of a Muslim
Pīr, a Hindu’s turban and the belt of a Zoroastrian.
Wherever He went He set up local cells called Manjis, where His
followers could gather to sing hymns and meditate.
One evening on coming to the small town of Saidpur in West Punjab
He asked who was the poorest man in town. He was told that it was
Lalo, a low caste carpenter. He found the small hut where Lalo lived
and requested to stay. Lalo was shocked at the request of this high-
born saint and stammered that His bed was broken and He had no
food. Nānak replied that a tattered reed-mat and half a dry crust
were sufficient for Him – which was exactly what Lalo had and
willingly offered to Him and Mardānā.
After a few days a group had gathered who would come to Lalo’s
house to hear Nānak preach and join in with the heavenly singing.
At the same time the local chief Malik Bhago, who was a wealthy
and proud man, was holding a feast to which all holy men were
invited. When Bhago found out that Gurū Nānak would not attend
His feast but instead partook of Lalo’s simple fare, he was angry and
had the Guru brought to him for questioning.
When asked why he didn't join the feast, Nānak sent for the meal
served by Malik Bhago and also some of the simple food served by
Lalo. Holding these in each hand He squeezed them; blood
appeared out of the rich food of Malik Bhago, while milk oozed out
GURU NANAK 213

of Lalo’s simple fare, making Malik Bhago realize that His riches
came from the suffering of the poor, while what Lalo offered was
the milk of hard-earned honest work.
Lalo became a great devotee and continued to hold meetings
singing the Guru’s songs till the end of His life.
At Lahore, Duni Chand, a very wealthy merchant, asked Gurū Nānak
Dev what He could do about His insomnia and indigestion. The Guru
gave Him a needle and said, ‘Duni Chand, keep it with you and
give it back to me in the next world.’ Duni Chand was puzzled and
replied, ’Master, I shall not be able to carry this needle with me
after death, how can I return it to you?’ and the Guru asked, ‘Of
what use then are your millions to you?’ He asked Duni Chand to
help by setting up a food kitchen to feed the poor, which he did.
This kept him so busy that he ate and slept just fine, and when Gurū
Nānak asked him a few weeks later how his insomnia and
indigestion were, he was
abashed and realised
that he was much
happier now.
Duni Chand was
transformed and he
became Gurū Nānak's
follower. According to
the advice of the Guru,
he distributed most of
his wealth amongst the
needy and the poor.
‘There can be no worship without performing good deeds.’
GURU NANAK 214

Nānak also opposed any sort of distinctions in humanity. He
professed that noble character rather than noble birth is the real
test of human greatness: ‘What power has caste? It is the
righteousness that is tested. Whosoever tastes poison will die, no
matter what his caste.’ Gurū Nānak also raised His voice for the up-
liftment and equality of the untouchables, low-caste and for
women. He had great sympathy for the down-trodden people and
flayed those who were responsible for their plight. He exalted the
status of women, saying:
‘It is from women, the condemned one, that we are conceived and
it is from her that we are born. It is to the women that we are
engaged and married. It is the woman who is our life-long friend
and it is she who keeps our race going. It is woman again who is
sought when one loses one's
previous wife. It is woman
through whom we establish our
social ties. Then why denounce
her from whom even kings and
great men are born.’
While He was camped out at a
town during the rainy season,
some devotees would come to
the Guru daily. One of them
persuaded his neighbour to come along but, on the way, he got
allured by a courtesan. Thereafter he would leave home on the
pretext of going to see the Guru, but instead visit the woman. A few
days later the devotee who paid daily homage to the Guru was
gashed by a thorn, while His neighbour, who visited the courtesan,
found a gold coin in the street.
GURU NANAK 215

The incident bewildered the devotee and he mentioned it at the
morning prayer meeting. Gurū Nānak was amused and explained;
‘Your friend was destined to come across a great treasure but due
to His evil ways, it has been reduced to a single coin. While on
the account of your past karma you were to have been impaled
with a stake, but having reformed yourself, you have been let off
with the mere prick of a thorn.’
When the Guru visited Kurukshetra, a major pilgrimage site, a big
fair was being held at the holy tank to celebrate the solar eclipse.
There were a large number of pilgrims from all over the country. On
His arrival at the fair, Gurū Nānak had Mardānā cook them a meat
dish of a deer presented to them by one of His followers. Upon
finding that meat was being cooked on the holy premises, a large
angry crowd gathered to attack the Guru for what they thought was
sacrilege. Upon hearing the angry crowd Gurū Nānak responded;
‘Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't
understand truth nor do they meditate on it. Who can define
what is meat and what is plant? Who knows where the sin lies,
being a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian?’
In Hardwar, a pilgrimage centre on the Ganges, Gurū Nānak found a
large gathering of devotees taking ritual baths in the holy river and
throwing water in the direction of the rising sun. When the Guru
asked ‘Why do you throw water like that?’ the pilgrims replied that
they were offering it to their ancestors in Heaven.
Upon hearing this, Gurū Nānak started throwing water towards the
west. When the pilgrims asked Him what He was doing, Gurū Nānak
replied ‘I am sending water to my farm which is dry’.
They asked, ‘How will water reach you crops so far away?’
GURU NANAK 216

‘If your water can reach your ancestors in the region of the sun,
which is thousands of yojanas away, why can't mine reach my
fields only a few hundred miles away?’ The pilgrims realized their
folly and fell at the Guru’s feet.
At Gorakhmata He discussed asceticism with some yogis;
‘Asceticism doesn't lie in saffron robes, or in a walking staff, nor
in the ashes. Asceticism doesn't lie in the ear-ring, nor in the
shaven head, nor blowing a conch. Asceticism lies in remaining
pure amidst impurities. He is an ascetic who treats everyone alike.
Asceticism doesn't lie in visiting burial grounds or in bathing at
places of pilgrimage. Asceticism is to remain pure amidst
impurities.‘
Gurū Nānak’s journey brought Him and Mardānā home to the
Punjab after seven years of propagating His message and
establishing centres of worship all over North India.
GURU NANAK 217

The Second Journey (South, 1506-1513)
After a few months with His family, Gurū Nānak set out on a second
journey southward down the east coast of India to Sri Lanka and
back up the west coast. The second journey was also of about seven
years.
Nānak always travelled wearing a combination of styles and was
often asked whether He was a Hindu or a Muslim to which He
preached the unity of all religions.
Gurū Nānak first visited the Sufi dervish Sheikh Ibrahim at Ajodhan
in the Punjab. When asked by Ibrahim which of the two religions
was the true way to attain God, Gurū Nānak replied; ‘If there is one
God, then there is only His way to attain Him, not another. One
must follow that way and reject the other. Worship not Him who
is born only to die, but Him who is eternal and is contained in the
whole universe.’
On the way south Gurū Nānak had discussions with many great holy
men of the day and converted the king of Vijaywada with His Divine
vision. The king of Sri Lanka had been converted to Nanak’s
teachings by a devotee who had moved there some years before;
however his desire to see the Guru in person was so strong and so
well-known that many charlatans had pretended to be Gurū Nānak.
So the king sent two beautiful dancing girls to tempt and test the
Guru but they immediately fell at His Feet and sat to imbibe His
teaching. Eventually the king came looking for them and,
recognising the great soul, himself fell at the Feet of the Guru.
Nānak collected the songs of Nāmdev (c.1275) in Mahārāshtra which
were later included in the Granth Sāhib (holy book of the Sikhs).
GURU NANAK 218

When Kalu asked him for a definition of a holy man, the Guru
replied: 'Recognize him as holy in whom are to be found
friendship, sympathy, pleasure at the welfare of others and dislike
of evil company. In the first place, the intentions of holy men are
pure. Secondly, they are pleased on hearing the praises of others.
Thirdly, holy men serve the virtuous. Fourthly, they honour
those who can impart to them learning and good counsel. Fifthly,
as others have a craving for food or intoxicants, so they feel a
craving for the Guru's word and for divine knowledge. Sixthly,
they love their wives, and renounce other women. Seventhly,
they avoid subjects from which quarrels may arise. Eighthly, they
serve those who are superior to themselves in intelligence or
devotion. Ninthly, even if strong, they are not arrogant, and
trample not on others. Tenthly, they abandon the society of the
evil, and only associate with the holy.'
He established groups of followers in many of the towns and cities
He visited often staying for a few months holding meditation
meetings every evening, giving inspiring talks and singing His songs,
always accompanied by His friend Mardānā on the rebab. He would
teach His followers the songs which encapsulated His message and
when He felt they were ready He would move on.
After seven years and covering more than six thousand miles on
foot, the forty-four year old Nānak returned to His family in the
Punjab where He founded an agricultural settlement called
Kartārpur –‘the Abode of the Creator’ on the western banks of the
Ravi river. Gurū Nānak would settle down here in His old age. It was
also here that He met a young devotee Bābā Budha -‘the wise friend’
who would faithfully serve five of the following Gurus.
GURU NANAK 219

The Third Journey (North, 1514-1518)
Gurū Nānak spent about a year with His family in the Punjab before
setting out northwards towards Kashmir, Ladakh, Tibet and Nepal.
In Srinagar (the capital of Kashmir) he encountered an arrogant
Brahmin called Braham Das who was proud of his book learning.
When asked about the creation, Gurū Nānak quoted from the Ṛig
Veda and said:
With His order, the world was created.
It is maintained without any support.
He created Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
He created also the love of Maya.
Only a few are blessed with His Word.
He watches and rules over all.
He brought about the planets, the hemisphere and the underworld.
And became Himself manifest.
It is the True Guru alone who imparts this understanding.
Says Nanak: those who are truthful live in Eternal bliss.
They are blessed with recitation of God's Name.
Braham Das was won over by the Guru’s holiness and wisdom and
devoted his life to spreading the message.
Gurū Nānak’s journey took Him to the Mansarover Lake (Mount
Kailāsh). He admonished a group of ascetics who had moved there
to escape persecution, for abandoning a difficult life. In Tibet His
teachings gave comfort to certain persecuted tribes who still make
a yearly pilgrimage to the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
GURU NANAK 220

A miracle is attributed to Him that the local people in a high
mountain area of Tibet had difficulty getting fresh water in winter
and he vibrated the highly elevated Gurudongmar Lake so that it
never entirely freezes over. The lake and mountain are pilgrimage
sites for Sikhs with a Gurdwara (Sikh temple) established there.
Gurū Nānak stayed in Katmandu, Nepal for nearly a year around
1516 establishing a strong following at a place now called Nanak
Math. As in India Gurū Nānak’s birthday is a public holiday in Nepal.
So after five years travelling throughout the Himālayas, Gurū Nānak
returned to His family in the Punjab and developed the farming
community in Kartārpur for two years before heading off again.
The Fourth Journey (West 1519-1521)

On His fourth great journey to the west Gurū Nānak dressed in the
blue garb of a Muslim pilgrim to visit Mecca, Medina and Baghdad.
Arriving at Mecca, Gurū Nānak fell asleep with His feet pointing
towards the holy Ka’aba. When the watchman on His night rounds
GURU NANAK 221

noticed this He kicked the Guru, saying, ‘How dare you turn your
feet towards the house of God.’
Gurū Nānak woke up and said: ‘Good man, I am weary after a long
journey. Kindly turn my feet in the direction where God is not.’
So the man turned His feet facing the east, but it was dawn and
there was a most glorious sunrise. ‘Is God not here also?’ enquired
the Guru. Nānak pointed out that a true Muslim believes God is
Formless and All-pervading, not embodied in a rock.
When pilgrims and the holy men of the Shrine gathered to hear
Gurū Nānak and question him, He sang in Persian:
‘I beseech you, O Lord! pray grant me a hearing. You are the
truthful, the great, the merciful and the faultless Creator. I know
for certain, this world must perish and death must come, I know
this and nothing else. Neither wife, nor son, nor father, nor
brothers shall be able to help. I must go in the end, none can undo
what is my fate. I have spent days and nights in vanity,
contemplating evil. Never have I thought of good; this is what I
am. I am ill-starred, miserly, careless, short-sighted and rude. But
says Nānak, I am yours, the dust of the feet of your servants.’
In Baghdad the Muslim priests were discussing the view that there
were seven upper and as many lower regions. Gurū Nānak replied:
‘There are worlds and more worlds below them and there are a
hundred thousand skies over them. No one has been able to find
the limits and boundaries of God. If there be any account of God,
that alone the mortal can write the same; but God’s account does
not finish and the mortal himself dies while still writing. Nānak
says that one should call Him great and God Himself knows His
own self.’
GURU NANAK 222

In 1916 a tablet with the following inscription was uncovered in
Baghdad, ‘In memory of the Guru, the holy Bābā Nānak, King of holy
men, this monument has been raised anew with the help of the
seven saints.’ The date on the tablet is A.D. 1520-1521.
On His return journey home He stopped at Saidpur in western
Punjab during the invasion of the first Mughal Emperor Babur. On
seeing the extent of the massacre by the invaders, Mardānā asked
Gurū Nānak why so many innocent people were put to death along
with those few who were guilty. Gurū Nānak told Mardānā to wait
under a banyan tree and after a while He would return to answer
His question. While sitting under the tree Mardānā was suddenly
bitten by an ant. In anger Mardānā killed as many ants as He could
with His feet. Gurū Nānak
said to him, ‘You know
now, Mardānā, why the
innocents suffer along with
the guilty?’ Gurū Nānak and
Mardānā were both taken
prisoner by the Mughals.
While in jail Gurū Nānak
sang a song about the
senseless slaughter of the
innocents by the Mughal
invaders. Upon hearing it
the jailer was deeply moved
and reported it to His king.
Babur sent for Gurū Nānak and upon hearing Him realized that He
was a saint. He asked for the Guru’s forgiveness and set Him free
offering Him a pouch of hashish. Gurū Nānak declined saying the He
GURU NANAK 223

was already intoxicated with the love and name of God. Nānak
advised Babur to be less cruel and violent to the people.
Fifth Journey (1522-1524)

After two years in Kartārpur His mother Triptā died and Gurū Nānak
felt free to travel again, spending two years touring the Punjab and
north-west India spreading the word of God to suffering humanity.
The Bowl of Milk

During His travels
around the Punjab
Gurū Nānak came to
the city of Multan.
The local religious
leaders felt that
there were enough
‘holy men’ already
in the town and
sent a pīr (Muslim
saint) to greet Him with a bowl filled to the brim with milk.
Understanding the meaning of the filled bowl Gurū Nānak gently
placed a jasmine flower on the milk showing that he would not
displace anyone but only add fragrance and entered the town.
After twenty-four years of travelling, preaching and setting up
missions, Gurū Nānak settled down at Kartārpur with His wife and
sons and many of His followers, who would gather in the mornings
and evenings for worship. Pilgrims and devotees came from far and
wide to hear the preaching and the Divine hymns of the Master.
GURU NANAK 224

One of the institutions which He felt helped to create a casteless
society was the Langar - the common kitchen where everyone
shared the same meal, whether kings or beggars, without any
distinctions of birth, religion or sex.
While working the fields one day in 1532 Gurū Nānak was
approached by a new devotee who said, ‘I am Lehna,’ Gurū Nānak
looked at Him and replied, ‘So you have arrived Lehna. I have been
waiting for you all these days. I must pay your debt.’ (Lehna means
‘debt’) Lehna had been a devotee of Śhrī Durgā, but having heard
about Gurū Nānak and His teachings, he went to see the Guru for
himself and immediately became a disciple.
Lehna's dedication to Gurū Nānak was absolute; when not working
on the farm, He would devote His time to the contemplation of God
and he soon became Gurū Nānak's most ardent disciple. Sometimes
Gurū Nānak tested His followers to see who was the most faithful.
Once while accompanied by Lehna and His two sons Gurū Nānak
came across what looked like a corpse covered with a sheet. ’Who
would eat it?’ asked Gurū Nānak unexpectedly. His sons refused,
thinking that their father was not in His senses.
Lehna though agreed and as He removed the cover He found that it
was a tray of sacred food. Lehna first offered it to Gurū Nānak and
His sons and then partook of the leftovers himself. Gurū Nānak on
seeing this replied; ‘Lehna, you were blessed with the sacred food
because you could share it with others. If the people use the
wealth bestowed on them by God for themselves alone or for
treasuring it, it is like a corpse. But if they decide to share it with
others, it becomes sacred food. You have known the secret. You
are my image.’
GURU NANAK 225

Gurū Nānak gave Lehna a new name, Angad, saying ‘You are a part
of my body’ (añga –‘body’). He placed five coins and a coconut in
front of him and bowed before him. He then had Bhai Budha anoint
Angad with a saffron mark on his forehead. When the followers
gathered together for prayers Gurū Nānak invited Angad to occupy
the seat of the Guru. Thus Gurū Angad was ordained as the
successor to Gurū Nānak.
As His end was drawing near, the Hindus said; ‘we will cremate
you’, the Muslims said; ‘we will bury you’.
‘Place flowers on either side, Hindus on my right, Muslims on my
left. Those whose flowers remain fresh tomorrow will have their
way.’
The Guru prepared to depart from the world of mortals and return
to the Eternal Home. He addressed the disciples who had
assembled around Him:-
‘The appointed hour hath come - the hour of marriage and union
with the Spouse Divine. Assemble ye, my comrades: Cluster
round me and lift up your merry notes. Sing the praises of the
Divine, the Comforting Lord. Anoint the Bride, pour oil on her
forehead, give her your blessings and pray that she may meet her
Lord and be happy with Him for ever.
Sing ye, my friends, the praises of the Spouse; for the appointed
hour of union hath come.’
He then asked them to pray and lay down covering himself with a
sheet. Thus on 22nd September 1539 in the early hours of the
morning Gurū Nānak merged with the Eternal Light of the Creator.
When the followers lifted the sheet the next morning they found
only the flowers, all of which were fresh. The Hindus took theirs and
GURU NANAK 226

cremated them, while the
Muslims took their flowers
and buried them.
Having spread the message
of reform throughout His
lifetime, Gurū Nānak
successfully challenged
many religious tenets,
laying the foundations of
Sikhism.
The Ten Gurus

Sikhs believe that the spirit
of Gurū Nānak infused each
of the following nine Gurus
who founded the Sikh
religion. The time-span of
the Ten Gurus (1500-1708) coincides with the main duration of the
Mughal Empire, starting with the invader Babur whom Gurū Nānak
met, up to Aurangzeb and Shah Bahadur after whom the Empire
waned and disintegrated.
Gurū Nānak was a man of great love, peace and gentleness, but by
the time of the last five Gurus the Sikhs had, of necessity, become
militarised in order to survive the persecutions of the religious
zealot Aurangzeb and soon founded a nation based on military
strength. They are famous for valour and form a strong part of the
Indian army.
GURU NANAK 227

1. Guru Nānak (1469–1539)
2. Guru Añgad (1504-1552)
Before His death Gurū Nānak appointed Lehna whom He named
Añgad, one of His humblest and most devoted followers, as the
next Guru. He passed over His two sons; Sri Chand, the elder, who
was a spiritual man but proud and ascetic and Lakhmi Chand who
was not spiritually inclined.
Gurū Añgad continued Gurū Nānak’s work of spreading the
message, developing the caste-less society with love and service to
all people. He was Guru for thirteen years and appointed another of
Gurū Nānak’s great devotees, Amar Das, as His successor.
Babur’s son Humayun asked for and received Guru Añgad’s blessing
to help recapture the Mughal throne, which He achieved in 1555.
3. Guru Amar Das (1479–1574)

Amar Das was only ten years younger than Gurū Nānak and was
already seventy-three when He started His twenty years as the third
Guru of the Sikhs. Like Guru Añgad He developed Gurū Nānak’s
institutions such as regular tours to spread the word of God and the
common kitchen. He continued reforming Hindu society, opposing
all caste distinctions, Sati (widow burning), Purdah (women’s seclusion
and face-covering) and encouraged widow remarriage. Both He and
Guru Añgad earned their own living refusing to live on collective
funds. He survived some attempts to usurp His Guru-ship and
became widely venerated. Emperor Akbar visited Him and
respectfully gifted Him some land.
GURU NANAK 228

4. Guru Ram Das (1534–1581)
Guru Amar Das continued the tradition of not appointing His sons,
but chose Ram Das, another humble devotee to follow Him. Gurū
Nānak’s son Sri Chand was still angry at being passed over, but
came to visit Ram Das and was impressed with His humility.
Guru Ram Das inaugurated the building of the Golden Temple in
Amritsar –‘lake of immortal nectar’ which became a focal city of the
Sikhs. Like all His predecessors He composed devotional hymns
which are included in the Granth Sāhib (sacred book of the Sikhs).
5. Guru Arjan Dev (1563–1606)

The youngest of Guru Ram Das’s three sons, Arjan, showed great
spiritual tendencies from an early age and was appointed by His
father as the next Guru, which angered the eldest brother Prithvi
Chand. Arjan was only eighteen in 1581 when He was appointed
and His oldest brother tried unsuccessfully to take over as Guru.
Guru Arjan undertook many building projects apart from
completing the Golden Temple. He compiled the original Granth
Sāhib including writings by all the Gurus and many great Muslim
and Hindu saints such as Kabīr and Nāmdev.
Emperor Akbar paid respects to Guru Arjan but Jahangir opposed
His father’s religious liberalism and tried to stamp out non-Muslim
religions. Guru Arjan was arrested, tortured for five days but
refused to renounce even one word of the Granth Sāhib or His
religion and was finally drowned in the river. Hence began the
militarisation of the Sikhs to counter the fanatical Mughals attempts
to eradicate them.
GURU NANAK 229

6. Guru Har Gobind (1595–1644)
When He was thirty, Guru Arjan’s wife bore a son Har Gobind who
became the next Guru at the age of eleven on His father’s
martyrdom. His father had left instructions to form an army and
always remain armed to defend the community, and so the Sikhs
began to become a military force.
Guru Har Gobind took on the role of king of the Sikhs, dressing
finely, sitting on a throne and administering justice. He was
imprisoned in 1611 by the Mughal emperor Jahangir but released
eighteen months later. He had no further problems with Jahangir
but in 1628 Shah Jahan became emperor and started persecuting
the Sikhs and destroying their temples. This resulted in three battles
which the Sikhs won. In the battle of Amritsar in 1628 700 Sikhs
defeated a Mughal Army of 7000.
Shri Rām Das met Guru Har Gobind and asked him; ‘What kind of
guru are you, wearing fine clothes, armour and carrying weapons?’
Guru Har Gobind replied that saintliness is within and that His
sword was for the protection of the poor from tyrants. Rām Das
was satisfied and himself raised an army in Maharashtra becoming
the guru of King Shivaji whom He trained to resist the Mughals.
7. Guru Har Rai (1630–1661)

Har Gobind’s grandson Har Rai kept a permanent army and ruled
the Sikh nation as a king. His period was peaceful and He was not
troubled by Shah Jahan, who once requested the Guru for some
medicine which saved His son Dara, who had been poisoned by His
brother Aurangzeb. However Aurangzeb eventually killed all His
brothers, imprisoned His father and became Emperor. The peace
GURU NANAK 230

was over. Aurangzeb enlisted the favour of Har Rai’s elder son Ram
Rai and tried to undermine His authority.
Guru Har Rai continued expanding the organisation of the Sikhs and
promoted preaching and missionary work establishing large
communities in Bihar and Afghanistan.
8. Guru Har Krishan (1656–1664)

Before He died at the early age of thirty-one Guru Har Rai installed
His six-year old son as the next Guru. Aurangzeb wished to meet the
Guru but He declined; however He visited Delhi anyway and
impressed the imperial court with His saintly behaviour. During an
outbreak of smallpox the Guru visited the sick, some of whom
recovered miraculously. However He himself succumbed to the
disease and died at the age of eight. His last words were ‘Bābā
Bakale’ indicating that He wished His great-uncle Tegh Bahadur,
who lived in Bakala, to be the next Guru.
9. Guru Tegh Bahadur (1621–1675)

Born Tyag Mal as the youngest son of Guru Har Gobind, He was
named Tegh Bahadur –‘hero of the sword’ after a
battle against the Mughals in 1634. He lived a
simple, contemplative and secluded
life. After Har Krishan’s words
‘Bābā Bakale’ many imposters
claimed the Guru-ship. Finally a
Sikh who had vowed to give five
hundred gold coins to the Guru, went
to Bakala and offered each pretender
two gold coins. They all accepted until He
GURU NANAK 231

came to Tegh Bahadur who replied; ‘But you promised five
hundred’, and He realised He had found the true Guru.
Tegh Bahadur became the Guru at the age of forty-three and
travelled to the east of India, even visiting Assam where He helped
negotiate a peace treaty. He founded and encouraged Sikh
communities wherever He went.
Aurangzeb continued His persecution of non-Islamic religions and
proclaimed that any Hindus who did not convert would be put to
death. Some Kashmir Pandits appealed to Tegh Bahadur and He
agreed to a statement that if He converted then they would convert
too. With three followers He was arrested, imprisoned and
tortured. When offered freedom if He could show some miracles,
He refused, as Gurū Nānak had firmly rejected any demonstration
of occult powers.
His three companions were tortured to death before His eyes, but
they did not quaver. Finally His turn came but He resisted torture
and was beheaded before a crowd of thousands at Chandni Chowk
in Delhi. A legend goes that He wrote some words on a piece of
paper and tied it around His neck saying that their swords would
not touch Him. After He was beheaded the paper was read; ‘You
have destroyed my body but I am the Eternal Spirit which is
untouched’.
In a unique sacrifice, Guru Tegh Bahadur gave His life to protect the
followers of a different religion. His execution made Aurangzeb
deeply unpopular and halted His program of forcible conversion.
India still remains the only country invaded by Muslims which did
not become Islamic.
GURU NANAK 232

10. Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708)
Guru Tegh Bahadur appointed His nine-year-old son Gobind Rai as
the next Guru who realised that the Sikhs must unite as a nation
and defend themselves, so all men had military training.
In 1699 He summoned a congregation of eighty thousand Sikhs. He
asked them to be prepared to give their lives for the Khalsa –
‘congregation of the pure’, requiring them to keep the five K’s – Kesh
-‘uncut hair’, Kangha –‘comb’, Kara –‘iron bracelet’, Kachera –‘dhoti’
and Kirpan –‘sword or dagger’. He gave them all the name Singh –
‘lion’ and became Guru Gobind Singh.
He updated the Granth Sāhib –‘Holy Book’ to include
the songs of all the Gurus and declared that after
His death, there would be no more
human Gurus but that the book would
be the Guru. Hence it is called the Guru
Granth Sāhib.
After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the
Sikhs lived peacefully with the Emperor
Shah Bahadur, with whom they had an alliance.
At the age of forty-two an assassination
attempt wounded the Guru which was
stitched by an English surgeon; but when
pulling a bow soon after, the wound re-opened and He died.
“At the time of Guru Gobind Singh, when the war had started,
they had to wear all these things (5 K’s), which was important.
To protect Hinduism from the invasion of the Muslims, the
fanaticism of the Muslims, they took to this kind of a military
stuff.” 01-11-82, Nightingale Lane
GURU NANAK 233

Gurū Granth Sāhib
The sacred book of the Sikhs is a collection of spiritual poetry from
all over India by Sikh, Muslim and Hindu saints. It is written in many
languages including Punjabi, Sanskrit, Marathi and Persian. Akhand
Path –‘continuous recitation’ of the whole book is often undertaken
which takes about two and a half days.
Apart from Guru Nānak (974 poems) and the other Gurus, the largest
contributors are Sant Kabīr Das (15thc. 541 poems) and Sheikh Farid
(12thc. 134 poems). The Marathi poet Nāmdev (14thc.) has sixty poems
which were collected by Guru Nanak Himself during his travels.
“A very simple poet called Namdev was just a tailor, ordinary,
and he has written a very sweet poem. He says that ‘a little
boy is flying a kite in the sky. He's talking to his friends, he's
moving up and down and he's discussing things here and there
but his attention is on the kite.’
Then he says: ‘A lady who is carrying her little baby, is doing
the work in the house, she's giving water to her husband and
cooking. But her attention is all the time on the child.
A lady is walking with a pitcher of water on her head, with
many other ladies; they are all laughing, smiling, talking to
each other and discussing things, but her attention is on that
pitcher of water.’ Same way is with the saints and yogis. They
do all kind of work but their attention is always on their Spirit.
In the same way, though we have to lead a life here, it is
absurd that we do not have our attention on our Spirit which
is the giver of joy, the ultimate in life.”
31-05-83, London. 26-11-84, Mumbai
GURU NANAK 234

The Sikh Religion
“Guru Nânak always talked of the Spirit. He said `know
thyself' (‘apa chine’). Only this is the teaching of Guru Nânaka,
this is what is called `Sikh'; Sikh comes from Shishya –‘disciple,
student’ and means the person who has learnt the Divine laws.”
29-02-92, 03-04-92
The Sikh Religion follows most of the basic tenets of Hinduism, with
a belief in karma and reincarnation, but eschews ritualism and
outward practices such as the caste system and pilgrimages. The
purpose of life is to be reabsorbed into the Formless All-pervading
God known as Waheguru (Vāhigurū) –‘Wondrous Lord’, Akāl Purakh –
‘Being beyond Time’ and Ik Onkar –‘One Spirit’.
Worship starts with the Mool –‘root’ Mantra (see p.204) declaring
the Oneness and Greatness of God. One of the main paths to God is
Nām-japna –‘Reciting and meditating on the Name of God’.
The Gurū Granth Sāhib is considered to be the direct words of God,
as attested by Gurū Nānak and the other Gurus. Collectivity is also
an essential ingredient in salvation. A good life lived in and for the
world is the basis of liberation; not withdrawal or asceticism but
through universal brotherhood and in praying, meditating and
working for the well-being of all.
Community prayers involving singing the songs of the Guru Granth
Sāhib and collective eating at the Langar –‘common kitchen’ are two
of the main features of Sikh worship. The Langar at the Golden
Temple gives free food to thousands of devotees daily.
GURU NANAK 235

Shri Mataji’s Quotes on Gurū Nānak
“We can say on Guru Principle Nânak Sâhib came. Even in His
time so many could not know their Spirit. He was breaking His
head advising the people. He had taken human form but still
He was not recognized. I was with Him, in fact with all of
Them.” 18-08-79, Delhi
“Then a great personality like Guru Nânaka came on this Earth

and He said that all these nonsensical things are not what
Kundalinî is: ‘The Kundalinî is your Mother and She rises
without any trouble through different Chakras.’ And the one
who supported Him and explained Sahaja Yoga in a very good
way was the great personality of Kabîra.” 29-09-83, USA
“He (Guru Nanak) came to create amity, to create

understanding, to create unity between religions. This was a
very big step for Sahaja Yoga. After that, as you know, He was
born again, no one knows where, but He appeared as Shirdi
Sâî Nâth. He too said the same thing, that to talk ill of any
religion is a sin.“ Guru Nanak’s Birthday, 01-11-82
“One day I was travelling and one Indian lady came to see Me
and said, ‘I was surprised to see your disciples. Their faces were
shining with such light. I've never seen any disciples like that.’ I
asked her, ‘Who are you?’ She said, ‘I'm married in Guru
Nânak's family and all the people in His family are just the
opposite to what Shri Guru Nânak was.’ So I said, ‘Because
they worship Shri Ganesha.’ She said, ‘In our family nobody
worships Shri Ganesh.’ I said, ‘It cannot be possible? How is it?
They believe in the Nirâkâr, the formless God of Chaitanya.
But who is the Source of that Chaitanya?’
GURU NANAK 236

So she said that Nânaka has only
talked up to this point; not
about the Source. I said, ‘Better
find out. Because in this book
maybe some things have been
taken away.’ Then somebody
gave me a passage where He
had described the innocence, the
Deity of Shri Ganesha. He had
described that the whole
Creation was done by the
Mother.” 10-09-95, Cabella
“If you read His (Guru Nanak’s) talks then you will be surprised
that he has always talked of Sahaja. He has said “Sahaja
samâdhi lago." (‘meditation is effortless’) He has said, ‘Why go
to forest to find Him, He is always there with you just like
there is a fragrance in a flower and just as the reflection is there
in a mirror, in the same way God is residing in you eternally;
seek Him within.’ He is just inside, achieve Him inside.”
09-12-73, Delhi
“Mohammad Sahib Himself was born as our great Guru, Guru
Nanaka. Guru Nanak was not (just) a human being; He was
not only a Paigambar –‘Messenger of God’ but He was the
reincarnation of Âdi Guru, the Primordial Master, He was a
Divine personality. He also has said that it is the Primordial
Mother who has created the Universe. At that time in this
country people were following a ritualistic, nonsensical Hindu
religion which was very much departed from the real ancient
religion of Upanishads.” 22-02-82, Delhi
GURU NANAK 237

Guru Nanak about Shri Mataji:
‘Obeisance, obeisance to Her, the
Primal, the Immaculate, without
beginning, without end, constant
through all ages. The One Mother
existed alone in some mysterious way
and She created the three Deities.
One was the Creator, one the
Sustainer and one the Destroyer. The
world moves as She ordains and as
She pleases. She sees all, but no one
sees Her; this is a great wonder.’ Gurū Granth Sāhib
Further Reading:
Max Macauliffe – Life of Guru Nanak. Macauliffe, a senior
British administrator in India, converted to Sikhism in 1860 and
spent the last thirty years of his life translating the holy books into
English and raising awareness of the Sikh religion in the west. This
biography is one of the most factual and contains translations of
many of Guru Nanak’s songs. Download free at symb-ol.org.
Kushwant Singh – History of the Sikhs, vol.1. Kushwant Singh, a
well-known Sikh writer (and joke-collector!) gives a pleasingly
devotional and inspiring rendition of Guru Nanak’s life in Volume 1.
Harish Dhillon – Guru Nanak. (Spiritual Masters Series) Adding
some historical and imaginative detail, Dhillon weaves a very
readable account of Guru Nanak’s life with a summary of His
teaching and Sikh worship at the end.
GURU NANAK 238

S AI B ABA
239
ai B aba
Though having no
home or possessions, no
wife or progeny, nothing to call ‘mine’, Sāī
Bābā lived in the world, in the society of
people whose lives He tried to uplift. He
begged His bread, sat at the foot of the
Neem tree, dealt with the worldly
concerns of His devotees and taught
people to direct their attention towards
the Divine. He had no attachment to
anything transitory and His sole concern was Self-realisation.
“You feel tremendous love for others and some people, I
would say Sâî Nâth was one of them who had this left-hand
side gift with Him, and He was love personified. He was so
much full of love for people that once there was a woman
who was very poor and she couldn’t celebrate her Diwâlî Day
and He couldn’t bear it so He gave her some water and the
water became like oil and she burnt lights in that; and it’s a
fact, you can do that, it’s possible.” 26-01-77, Bordi
Rich or poor were the same to Him and He cared nothing for
honour or dishonour. He mixed freely with all people, saw the
dances of Nautch-girls and heard Gajjal songs; still He maintained
His mental equilibrium with the name of Allah always on His lips.
Though a Siddha -‘realised soul’, He acted like a Sadhaka -‘seeker’; He
was meek, humble and pleasing to all. The soil of Shirḍī trodden by
His Feet attained great sanctity.
SAI BABA 240

As Sāī Bābā’s fame spread, people from all over India, even some
Europeans, came to see Him and be blessed. By mere darshan –
‘presence’, their minds became quiet and they experienced deep joy.
“We had about hundred years back a very great Saint born in
India known as Sâî Nâth -‘ancient master’. They (Âdi Gurus) all
represent the same element, that is the water element. Being
born out of that they are anxious to maintain water element as
the one which is within us for sustaining ourselves.
We are sustained by water so they help us to sustain ourselves.
They are the sustainers, tell us how to sustain us as a human
being. And all of them have tried to establish religion within us.
A religion doesn’t mean outside, but the religion means the
capacity of a man, or you can say, the quality of a man; what a
human being should be like.” 21-04-80, Caxton Hall
Sai Baba’s Advent in Shirdi

Like Nāmdev and Kabir1, nobody knew Bābā’s parents or birth-
place. Enquiries were made, questions were put to Bābā2, but no
definite answer was forthcoming. We know practically nothing of
His origins. Appearing in Shirḍī as a young man of sixteen He was
described thus:
‘This young lad, fair, smart and very handsome, was first seen under
the Neem tree, seated in an Āsan –‘Yogic posture’. The people of the
village were surprised to see such a young lad practising hard
penance, not minding heat and cold. By day He associated with
none, by night He was afraid of nobody. People were wondering
1
They were both found as infants, Nāmdev on the bank of the Bhimrathi
river by Gonayee and Kabir beside the Bhagirathi river by Tamal.
2
Much of this material comes from the Sai Satcharitra where He is
referred to as ‘Bābā’ by the devotees who wrote the book.
SAI BABA 241

whence this young chap had turned up. His form and features were
so beautiful that a mere look endeared Him to all.’
His first advent in Shirdi was in 1854, when He was about sixteen,
suggesting a possible birth-date of 1838. This would have made him
about eighty when He died in 1918. After three years He left Shirdi
for a year and returned in 1858, never to leave again. He once told
a devotee that He had fought with Jhansi-ki Rani in the 1857
uprising.
On His arrival in Shirdi the local priest
Mhalsapati, who became one of His greatest
devotees, greeted Him with the words ‘Aao, Sāī’
–‘welcome, saint’ and He was called Sāī Bābā ever
after – no-one knew His given name. ‘Bābā’ is a
term of respect meaning ‘father, guru, sir’. Shri
Mataji generally refers to Him as ‘Sāī Nāth’.
Mhalsapati
First Meeting
Chand Patil was the head-man of Dhoop village in Mahārāshtra. On
a trip to near-by Aurangabad, he lost his mare and for two months
made a diligent but fruitless search for the animal. Disappointed, he
was on his way home from Aurangabad carrying the saddle when
he came came upon a young man in a long robe seated under a
mango tree. The young fakir –‘ascetic’ invited Chand Patil to share a
chillum –‘pipe’ with him and rest a little.
On being asked about the saddle on his shoulder, Chand Patil
explained that it belonged to his lost mare. The fakir suggestd that
he search around the stream close by. He went and - wonder of
wonders! - there was the mare. He surmised that this fakir was no
ordinary man.
SAI BABA 242

He returned to the fakir with the mare. The chillum
was ready for smoking, but two things were
wanting; fire to light the pipe and water to wet the
cloth through which to inhale the smoke.
The fakir thrust his stick forcibly into the
ground and out came a glowing coal, which
He put on the pipe. Then He again struck the
stick on the ground and water began to ooze
out. The cloth was wetted and wrapped
round the pipe. With everything complete,
the fakir lit the chillum and shared it with
Chand Patil.
Chand Patil was wonderstruck; he requested
the fakir to come and bless his home and
accept his hospitality. So next day Bābā went
to the Patil’s house and stayed for some time.
As his nephew was to be married to a girl
from Shirḍī, Patil and his family headed there
for the marriage. Bābā accompanied them but
when the family were leaving for home after
the marriage, Bābā decided to stay in Shirḍī.
Contact with Other Saints

Sāī Bābā slept in a deserted Masjid –‘mosque’ at one end of the
town. He did not generally seek company but He would sometimes
stay in the Maruti temple with a saint named Devidas who had
been in Shirḍī for many years. Another saint Jankidas used to visit
Bābā occasionally for discussions and meditation.
SAI BABA 243

A house-holder saint from a nearby village, named Gangagir, when
he saw Bābā carrying pitchers of water for the garden, was amazed
and said, ‘Blessed is Shirḍī, that it has this precious jewel. This man
is carrying water today; but He is no ordinary fellow. As this land
(Shirḍī) was lucky and meritorious, it has secured this jewel.’
A well-known saint called Ānandnāth visited Shirḍī while Bābā was
still a youngster and, on seeing Him, said: ‘This is a precious
diamond in reality. Though He looks like an ordinary man, He is not
a ‘gar’ (stone) but a diamond. You will realize this in the near future.’
Baba’s Dress and Daily Routine

Sāī Bābā did not shave His head as ascetics traditionally do but wore
a turban of white cloth which flowed down behind His left ear. He
wore one simple long robe with a wasit-band. He kept a satka –
‘short stick’ with Him and never wore shoes or sandals. A piece of
sack-cloth for a seat was one of His few luxuries.
By day He sat under the Neem tree, or sometimes in the shade of a
Babul tree near the stream at the edge of the village. Other times
He would wander in the forest finding lonely spots where He would
get absorbed in deep Samādhi –‘contemplation’. One lady devotee
would cook for Bābā daily and search the forest for Him to give Him
food. Although having no attention on eating, He allowed her to
feed Him out of love.
At night He sat in front of the Dhuni –‘sacred fire’ which He kept
always burning, facing south with His left hand resting on the
wooden railing. Into the Dhuni He offered egoism, desires and all
thoughts and would utter ‘Allah Malik’ –‘God is the boss’.
SAI BABA 244

For many years
Bābā slept on a
narrow plank of
wood suspended
from the ceiling
six feet in the air
with a lamp
burning at each
corner. No-one
knew how He
managed to get
on – or stay on – it. In later years He broke the plank into pieces and
slept on the floor of the Masjid in the company of two of His closest
devotees, Mhalsapati and Madhav-rao. Lying in three directions
with their feet touching, they would often talk late into the night.
On a visit to a nearby village, He brought back some small marigold
plants which He planted outside the masjid. For three years Vaman
Tatya, a devotee, gave Him two earthen pitchers every day. With
these Bābā drew water from the well and carried it to His garden.
The pitchers were kept at the foot of the Neem tree but, being
made of unfired clay, they would disintegrate. The next day, Tatya
would supply two fresh pitchers. Bābā’s flower-garden flourished.
Turning Water into Oil

Bābā used to keep lamps burning at night in the Masjid and every
morning would beg oil from the banias –‘shop-keepers’. After some
time they got fed up with giving oil for freee and decided to draw
the line. So when Bābā made His morning round, they all replied
that this morning they had no oil.
SAI BABA 245

Unperturbed, Bābā returned to the Masjid and put the dry wicks in
the lamps. Some of the banias had sneaked up to Bābā’s window
and were watching Him with curiosity. Bābā took the tin pot which
contained only a few drops of oil, put some water into it, of which
He took a sip and spat into the container. After consecrating the pot
in this way, He filled the lamps with the water and lit them.
To the surprise of the watching banias, the lamps began to burn and
kept burning the whole night. The banias begged Bābā’s forgiveness
and He asked them to be more truthful in future.
Gentle Man
He walked, talked and laughed with
the towns-folk, muttering ‘Allah
Malik’ –‘God is the King’. He disliked
discussions or arguments and
remained calm and controlled,
though irritable at times, treating
princes and poor people alike. He
always preached full Advaita
Vedānta –‘non-dualistic Hinduism’
but advocated a path of purity and
devotion for both Hindus and
Muslims. He knew the innermost
secrets of all and often surprised devotees with His insight.
He would sometimes feign ignorance and once allowed an arrogant
local ‘Guru’ to treat Him as his disciple, organizing and bossing Him
around for eighteen months, while Bābā restrained the anger of His
devotees. Finally the man reaslized his foolishness and begged
Bābā’s forgiveness.
SAI BABA 246

All who came benefited from Bābā’s darshan; the sick became well;
the lame walked; the blind saw; wicked people turned to the good;
even some lepers were cured; and many had their desires fulfilled.
His fame spread far and wide and pilgrims flocked to Shirḍī. Bābā
sat by the Dhuni, ever in meditation.
Shri Sai Satcharitra

On the suggestion of a devotee to whom He had given the name
Hemadpant, in 1916 (shortly before His death) Sāī Bābā allowed the
compiling of the Śhrī Sāī Satcharitra –‘true character of Sāī Bābā’. This
collection of His followers’ first-hand accounts contains many
anecdotes about Sāī Bābā, including His teachings and illustrative
stories He told. (An English translation is available to download free on
symb-ol.org.)
‘Regarding the writing of Sat-charita; do your duty, don’t be the
least afraid, steady your mind and have faith in My words. If my
Leelas –‘dramas’ are attentively and devoutly listened to, the
Avidya –‘ignorance’ will vanish, worldly consciousness will abate
and strong waves of devotion and love will rise up. Diving deep
into My Leelas, one would get precious jewels of knowledge.’
‘Hearing my stories and teachings will create faith in devotees’
hearts and they will easily get Self-realisation and Bliss;.’
‘If a man utters My name with love, I shall fulfil all his wishes,
increase his devotion. And if he sings earnestly My life and My
deeds, him I shall protect in front and back and on all sides. Those
devotees, who are attached to Me, heart and soul, will naturally
feel happiness, when they hear these stories. Believe Me that if
anybody sings My Leelas, I will give him infinite joy and
SAI BABA 247

everlasting contentment. It is My special characteristic to free any
person, who surrenders completely to Me and who worships Me
faithfully and who remembers Me and meditates on Me
constantly. How can they be conscious of worldly objects and
sensations, who utter My name, who worship Me, who think of
My stories and My life and who thus always remember Me? I
shall draw out My devotees from the jaws of death.’
‘Be wherever you like, do
whatever you choose,
remember this well that all that
you do is known to Me. I am
the Inner Ruler of all and
seated in your hearts. I envelop
all the creatures, the movable
and immovable world. I am the
Controller, the wire-puller of
the show of this Universe. I am
the Mother, the origin of all
beings, the harmony of the
three Gunas, the propeller of all
senses, the Creator, Preserver
and Destroyer. Nothing will
harm him who turns his
attention towards Me, but
Maya will lash or whip him
who forgets Me.’
All quotes by Sai Baba are taken
from the Sai Satcharitra.
SAI BABA 248

Baba’s Mercy
In 1910, Bābā was sitting in the masjid on Diwali pushing fire-wood
into the brightly-burning Dhuni. Suddenly, instead of logs, Bābā
thrust His arm into the fire which was scorched and burnt
immediately. Madhav and the other devotees at once ran to Bābā,
clasping Him by the waist from behind and dragging Him back,
asking, ‘Deva, why have you done this?’ Collecting Himself, Bābā
replied, ‘The wife of a blacksmith at some distance, was working
the bellows of a furnace when her husband called her. Forgetting
that her child was on her waist, she ran hastily and the child
slipped into the furnace. I immediately thrust My hand into the
furnace and saved the child. I do not mind My arm being burnt,
and I am glad that the life of the child is saved.’ Some time later
the blacksmith’s wife, who had called out Bābā’a name when the
child fell, ran in and prostrated at Bābā’s Feet thanking Him
profusely for saving the child who was completely unhurt.
Though often inexplicable, Sāī Bābā‘s actions were always for the
benevolence of His bhaktas. Sometimes He looked on those who
came to Him with affection and at other times threw stones at
them; sometimes He scolded them, other times embraced them
and was calm, tolerant and even-tempered. His favourite
utterances were 'Allah Malik' –‘God is the boss’, ‘Śhraddha-saburi’ –
‘have faith, be patient’, ‘Sab-kā malik ek’ –‘everyone’s master is one’
and ‘Allah rakhega vaisa rahena’ –‘Let us be content with what we
have, and submit our will to Allah.’
Fortunate indeed were those who recognised Him and had access
to this treasure-trove of Divine Love, Protection and Wisdom.
SAI BABA 249

Baba's Mission and Advice
Like Kabīr, Gurū Nānak and other later Indian saints, Sāī Bābā tried
to bridge the gulf between Hindus and Muslims. His advice was:
‘Rāma (the God of the Hindus) and Rahim (the God of the Muslims)
are one and the same; there is not the slightest difference between
them; then why should their devotees quarrel among themselves?
You ignorant children, join hands and bring both the
communities together, act sanely and thus you will gain your
object of national unity. It is not good to dispute and argue. So
don't argue, don't emulate others. The Lord will protect you.
Yoga, sacrifice, penance and knowledge are the means to attain
God. If you do not succeed in this by
any means, vain is your birth. If
anyone does any evil unto you, do not
retaliate. If you can do anything, do
some good unto others.’
He would advise reading the Rāmāyana
and Bhagavad Gītā for Hindus and the
Qur’an for Muslims. He quoted from the
Upanishads and followed Muslim forms
of worship. He enjoyed the performance
of Mawlid and Qawallis but allowed
Hindus (to the consternation of His Muslim
followers) to do Pūjā by washing and
worshipping His Feet. There are several
instances of devotees being granted a
vision of His physical form as Śhrī Rāma,
Śhiva, Kṛiṣhṇa and other Deities.
SAI BABA 250

Sai Baba Satguru
The two aspects of Brahman –‘God’, the formless Unmanifest
(Nirguna –‘without attributes’) and the Manifest (Saguna –‘with
attributes’, ie. Rāma, Kṛiṣhṇa, Jesus, Sāī Bābā, etc.) both denote the
same Brahman.
Devotees start with the worship of the Saguna. As the Gītā says
(ch.12): Man has a form (body) so it is easier for him to worship the
God with a form. Love and devotion develop as we worship the
Saguna Brahman (Divine Incarnation) for some time and, once Self-
realizarion is achieved, He leads us to the knowledge and worship
of the Nirguna Brahman (Formless Divine).
Sāī Bābā said: ‘My Guru was a great master full of kindness. He did
not ask me for any material thing. He only demanded two things:
Nishtha –‘Trust’ and Saburi –‘Patience’.’
Controlling the Elements

One evening, there was a ferocious storm; thick black clouds
blotted out the sun and the wind blew fiercely; thunder roared,
lighting flashed and rain descended in torrents, flooding the whole
town. The people were filled with fear and flocked to the Masjid for
shelter.
Prayers to the local deities having gone unanswered, they all prayed
to Bābā to intercede and quell the storm. Bābā was much moved.
He came out and standing in front of the Masjid, addressed the
storm in a loud and thunderous voice: ‘Stop, stop your fury and be
calm.’ In a few minutes the rain subsided, the wind ceased and the
SAI BABA 251

moon rose in the sky. The people bowed to Bābā and returned
home chastened.
On another occasion the fire in the Dhuni flared up and flames were
licking the rafters. Those in the Masjid dared not ask Bābā to
quench the fire, but Bābā took up His Satka –‘short stick’ and dashed
it against a pillar, saying: ‘Get down, be calm.’ At each stroke of the
Satka, the flames lowered and in a few moments the Dhuni was
burning calmly.
Grinding Wheat
In His later years Bābā used to grind wheat in a small hand mill (two
round stones, the upper with a hole in the middle and an off-centre hole
for the turning stick). In the same way that He threw negativity into
the Dhuni –‘sacred fire’, it was a way of clearing out problems.
Once during an outbreak of cholera Bābā had a winnowing fan full
of wheat, laid a cloth on the floor, put the mill on top and started
grinding. Four ladies present pushed to the front of the crowd that
had gathered and, nudging Bābā out of the way, took over the
work*. At first He got angry but then smiled and allowed them to
continue. Thinking that Bābā had no need of flour as He lived on
alms, the ladies started to divide up the flour to take it home. Bābā
went wild, accused them of thieving and they were abashed. He
told them to take the wheat and scatter it all around the outskirts
of the town, which they did. Soon after the cholera epidemic
subsided.
* In rural Maharashtra they are not in the habit of asking before doing
something. The editor lived there for a few years and can tell some
illustrative tales which seem surprising to our western conditionings
about politeness!
SAI BABA 252

Mâyâ
The Self-Existent Brahman, His Power (Mâyâ) which creates this
world and the world created are ultimately one and the same:
‘Those who think I reside in Shirdi, do not know the real Sāī. Sāī
is not this three and a half cubits (about 5’ 3”) of body residing in
Shirdi. I have no abode. By the cause of Karma I got embroiled
and took this body. The world is my abode. Brahma is my father.
Mâyâ is my mother. By their interlocking I got this body.’
‘It is my special characteristic, that I always look to and provide
for the welfare of those devotees who worship Me whole-
heartedly with their minds ever fixed on Me. Lord Krishna has
also said the same in the Gita. Therefore, strive not much for food
and clothes. If you want anything, beg of the Lord, leave worldly
honours, try to get the Lord’s grace and blessings and be honoured
in His Court. Do not be deluded by worldly honour.
The form of the Deity should be firmly fixed in the mind. Let all
the senses and mind be ever devoted to the worship of the Lord,
let there be no attraction for any other thing; fix the mind in
remembering Me always, so that it will not wander elsewhere,
towards body, wealth and home. Then it will be calm, peaceful
and carefree.
This is the sign of the mind being well engaged in good company.
If the mind is vagrant, it cannot be called well-engaged.’
‘Though I have become a fakir, having no house or wife and
though, leaving off all cares, I have stayed at one place, the
inevitable Mâyâ teases Me often. Though I forgot Myself I cannot
forget Her. She always envelops Me. This Mâyâ (illusive power) of
SAI BABA 253

Bābā leaning against the wall of Dwarakamayi – the name He gave to
the mosque in which He lived. Dwaraka is the name of Śḥrī Kṛiṣhṇa’s
city meaning ‘doorway’; mayi means ‘mother’.
SAI BABA 254

the Lord (Shri Vishnu) teases God Brahma and others; then what
to speak of a poor fakir like Me? Those who take refuge in the
Lord will be freed from Her clutches with His Grace’.
Dakshina
Sometimes Bābā asked for Dakshina (the fee or offering to a Guru)
from those who went to see Him. One may ask: ‘If Bābā was
perfectly non-attached, why would He care for money and ask for
Dakshina?’ According to the scriptures, when one goes to see God,
a King, a Saint or a Guru, one should not go empty-handed. Bābā
took Dakshina out of love for His devotees so that they fulfilled
their dharma and learned non-attachment. Bābā would distribute
the entire amount the same day and the next morning be a
penniless fakir as usual.
He did not ask Dakshina from all. If some gave without being asked,
He sometimes accepted it and at other times refused it. He asked it
from certain devotees only. If anybody offered it unwillingly, He
never touched it and would ask them to take it away. The amount
He asked for could be small or large and He asked even from
women and children. It was not always the rich He asked, nor
always the poor.
‘If you spread your palms with devotion before Me, I am
immediately with you, day and night. Though, I am here bodily,
still I know what you do; beyond the seven seas.
Go wherever you will, over the wide world, I am with you. My
abode is in your heart and I am within you. Always worship Me,
who is seated in your heart, as well as in the hearts of all beings,
Blessed and fortunate, indeed, is he who knows Me thus.’
SAI BABA 255

Self-Realisation
A seeker from afar came to the Masjid, fell at His Feet and said,
‘Bābā, hearing that You show the Brahman without delay to all who
ask, I have come from my distant place. I have travelled far but, if I
get the Brahman from You, my troubles will be well rewarded.’
Bābā replied: ‘Oh, my dear friend, do not be anxious, I shall
immediately show you the Brahman; all My dealings are in cash
and never on credit. So many people come to Me and ask for
wealth, health, power, honour, position, cure of diseases and
other temporal matters. Rare is the person who comes and asks
for Brahma-jñāna –‘knowledge of God’. I consider it a lucky and
auspicious moment when someone like you comes and presses Me
for Brahma-jñāna.
For seeing Brahman one has to give five things, i.e. surrender five
things viz. (1) Five Pranas (vital forces) (2) Five senses (five of
action and five of perception) (3) Mind (4) Intellect and (5) Ego.
This path of Brahma-jñāna, of self-realisation, is 'as hard as to
walk on as the edge of a razor’.
Bābā tested the man’s mettle by sending one of His devotees out to
borrow Rs.5 in the town but he came back a few times empty-
handed. However the man did not offer the money himself and
even became impatient at the delay.
Finally Bābā turned to the gentleman and said: ‘There is in your
pocket the Brahma (or Mammon) in the form of fifty times five
rupees (Rs.250/- -a lot of money in those days!); please take that out.’
The seeker took out from his pocket a bundle of notes and, to his
surprise, found that there were twenty-five notes of ten rupees
SAI BABA 256

each. Seeing this omniscience, He fell at Bābā's Feet and begged His
forgiveness and blessings. Bābā said to him;
‘Roll up your bundle of Brahma (viz. currency notes). Unless you
get rid completely of your greed, your will not get the real
Brahma. How can he whose mind is engrossed in wealth, progeny
and prosperity expect to know the Brahma? The illusion of
attachment or the love for money is a deep whirlpool of pain full
of crocodiles in the form of conceit and jealousy. He who is
desireless can alone cross this whirlpool.
Greed and Brahma are as poles asunder, they are eternally
opposed to each other. Where there is greed, there is no room for
thought or meditation of the Brahma.
My treasury is full and I can give anyone what He wants, but I
have to see if He is qualified to receive it. If you listen to Me
carefully, you will certainly be benefitted. I never speak any
untruth.’
‘The Self cannot be gained by studying the Vedas, nor by intellect,
nor by much learning. He
whom the Self chooses, to
him the Self reveals Its
nature.’ says the Katha
Upanishad.
Sāī Bābā then gave a
discourse on the
qualifications needed to
achieve Brahma-jñāna or
Self-Realisation:-
Bābā and devotees outside
the Dwarakamayi Masjid
SAI BABA 257

(1) Virakti - a feeling of disgust with the things of this world. Unless
a man feels disgusted with the objects, payments and honours
which His action would bring in this world and the next, He has no
right to enter into the spiritual realm.
(2) Antar-mukhata (introversion). Our senses have been created by
God with a tendency to move outward. He who wants self-
realisation and immortal life, must turn his gaze inwards to his inner
Self.
(3) Catharsis (purging away) of sins. Unless a man has turned
entirely away from wickedness and has composed himself with His
mind at rest, he cannot gain self-realisation, even by means of
knowledge.
(4) Right Conduct. Unless, a man leads a life of truth, penance and
insight, a life of celibacy, he cannot get God-realisation.
(5) Preferring Shreyas (the good) to Preyas (the pleasant). There are
two sorts of things viz., the good and the pleasant; the former deals
with spiritual affairs and the latter with mundane matters. The wise
man prefers the good to the pleasant; but the unwise, through
greed and attachment, choose the pleasant.
(6) Control of the mind and the senses. The body is the chariot and
the Self its master; intellect is the charioteer and the mind is the
reins; the senses are the horses and sense-objects their paths. He
whose mind is unrestrained, his senses unmanageable like vicious
horses, does not reach His destination (get realisation); but he
whose mind is restrained, His senses under control, like good
horses, reaches the state of self-realisation, where he is released
from rebirth and reaches the supreme abode of the all-pervading
Vishnu.
SAI BABA 258

(7) Purification of the mind. Unless a man discharges satisfactorily
and disinterestedly the duties of His station in life, His mind will not
be purified and, unless His mind is purified, He cannot get self-
realisation. It is only in the purified mind that Viveka (discrimination
between the unreal and the real) and Vairāgya (aversion to passions)
crop up and lead to self-realisation. Unless egoism is dropped,
avarice got rid of and the mind made desireless, self-realisation is
not possible. The idea that 'I am the body' is a great delusion and
attachment to it is the cause of bondage. Leave off this attachment
therefore, if you want to get Self-realisation.
(8) The necessity of a Guru. The knowledge of the Self is so subtle
and mystic, that no one by his
own effort could hope to attain
it. So the help of a teacher, who
has himself got self-realisation, is
absolutely necessary. Such a
teacher has walked on the path
himself and can take the disciple,
step by step on the ladder of
spiritual progress.
(9) Lastly the Lord's Grace is the
most essential thing. When
pleased with a devotee, the Lord
gives Viveka –‘discriminative
wisdom’ and Vairāgya –‘freedom
from passions’; and takes Him safe
beyond the ocean of mundane
existence.
SAI BABA 259

The Chavadi Procession
There was a room near the Masjid, which Bābā used to stay in, known
as the Chavadi. From 1909 onwards, Bābā would spend alternate
nights in the Dwarakamayi Masjid and in the Chavadi. His move to the
Chavadi every other day became celebrated as a procession and
devotees would flock to Shirdi to see Bābā’s worship, where He would
shine with a divine light. In the afternoon, people would bring musical
instruments and sing bhajans in front of the Masjid for a couple of
hours. Finally when all the preparations were complete, Bābā would
leave for the Chavadi in the evening, walking slowly with a decorated
horse leading the way and an umbrella held over His head. A large
crowd formed the procession with music, dancing and the throwing
of red powder (as is traditional in Maharashtra). Inside the Chavadi,
which was cleaned and decorated, Bābā was worshipped by washing
and applying kum-kum and sandal paste to His Feet, adorning Him
with a crown and a shawl and performing Aar.ti.
The Nine Forms of Devotion (Bhakti)

Shortly before He died Sāī Bābā gave nine rupees
to Laxmibai, a lady who had devotedly looked
after and fed Him for many years. These nine
coins represented the nine types of devotion
(Bhakti) emphasized by Him.
1) Shravan (Hearing): Shravan means listening to
the glories, stories and plays (leela) of the Divine Incarnations with a
pure and sincere heart. The devotee gets absorbed in the hearing of
Divine stories and His mind merges with His beloved God with deep
faith, and loses its charm for worldly pleasures.
SAI BABA 260

2) Kirtan (Bhajans): Singing the Lord’s praises and glories; Kirtan
opens the heart, purifies the mind and gives Divine Bliss as well as
purifying the whole environment. Kirtan is one of the quickest ways
to get Oneness with God.
3) Smaran (Remembering): Smaran means remembering the Name
and Form of the Lord throughout the day. Whatever we remember
all the time in our life, we remember the same at the time of death.
Remembering God at the time of death, we get liberated and
become One with God.
4) Pada-sevan (Resorting to Feet): Pada-sevan is serving the Lotus
Feet of the Guru. The devotee becomes absorbed in the Lotus Feet
of the Lord showering Divine Grace and all blessings.
5) Archana (Worship) Worship can be done either through an image
or a picture or even in a mental form. Traditionally there are five
offerings of Dhūpa –‘Incense’, Dīpa –‘Light’, Pushpa –‘Flowers’,
Naivedya –‘Eatables, fruit or water’ and Gandha –‘Perfume’.
Performing Aar.ti (circling with a lamp) also pleases the Deity.
6) Namaskār (Bowing): Humble prostration to the Divine touching
the earth with the nine points of the body (hands, feet, knees,
elbows, and forehead) with faith and reverence, keeping attention on
humility and absorbing Divine Grace. The ego is effaced through
devout prayer and prostration to God.
7) Dāsya (Service): The devotee considers himself a servant of God;
surrendering oneself to performing whatever actions the Divine Will
indicates; fulfilling His wishes, realizing His virtues, His nature, His
mystery and glory; considering oneself as an instrument of God is
Dāsya Bhakti.
SAI BABA 261

8) Sakhyam (Friendship): God raises the human to His level and
becomes one with the soul. Becoming friends is to be in close
company of God all the time, love Him and feel oneness with Him.
9) Ātma-nivedana (Surrender of the Self): Ātma-nivedana means
complete self-surrender to God. The devotee offers everything to
God; his body, mind and soul. He
keeps nothing for himself. This self-
surrender is absolute love for God. By
complete surrender of self, God takes
all responsibility of His devotees who
become egoless and desireless,
experience oneness with the Divine
and merge into God at the end.
Through the nine modes of Bhakti a
devotee attains the Supreme.
(Note: All these forms of devotion form
the practice of Sahaja Yoga! Ed.)
Shri Mataji’s quotes about Sâî Bâbâ

"When this state of ‘Dasha’ is achieved you become like a kind
of Superman. Like Sai Nath of Shirdi, was appearing every-
where and was helping everybody. People would say that we
had seen you there, ‘Yes’, He would say, ‘it is possible, why
not.’ These people became so subtle because this wanting in
them had disappeared and they became subtlety." 16-03-97, Delhi.
"There's a story of Sai Nath where a snake charmer was given a
lot of money just to kill Shri Sai Nath. Because in the night Sai
Nath used to suddenly go up to His own swing He had made
about twenty feet above the ground. God knows, nobody
SAI BABA 262

knew how He used to get up there, but they would find Him
sleeping there. So the snake was taken by this snake charmer
and He put the snake on to Sai Nath. And Sai Nath talked to
Him and He said, ‘Oh God, you've come here to meet me
after such a long time. What is your job?’ Snake said, ‘This
horrible snake charmer has asked me to bite you so I've come
to tell you to be careful about these people.’
The snake charmer was looking with amazement that He was
talking to him, Sai Nath said, ‘Alright, you go now.’ These are
age-old snakes you see. So the snake went and bit the snake
charmer. But then He came down and He sucked His poison
and threw it away. ‘Because, after all,’ He said, ‘the snake is
angry with you because you tried such a trick.’ So He sucked it.
That's compassion. And He sucked His venom out and the
fellow was completely
changed and He said, ‘Now
I'm going to announce it to
all the people that these
Brahmins wanted to kill Shri
Sai Nath.’" 02-04-82, London
"Sai Nath who was the last
incarnation of the Guru
Principle, He was a Muslim.
But all His disciples are
Hindus, they are not
Muslims. Muslims don't
accept Him even as God...
Once you become the Pîr,

The first Guru Puja in UK, 01-07-77, London
SAI BABA 263

once you become a realised soul, then He has no religion. He is
beyond religion, He becomes the religion."
02-03-83, Delhi
Finally....
In August of 1918 Sāī Bābā told His
devotees that He would be leaving
His body soon. Shortly after, He
developed a high fever and
stopped eating. His devotees read
to Him from holy scriptures as He
lay and finally on 15th October, on
the day of Dussehra, He passed
away. It is said that before He
passed He announced that He
would return, that there would be another incarnation, within
seven years.
“Just be silent and be witnesses. As Sâî Bâbâ has said, ‘Saburî’ -
patience, it comes in.” 02-04-76, Delhi
“You feel tremendous love for others and some people, I

would say Sâî Nâth was one of them, who had this left-hand
side gift with Him, and He was love personified.” 26-01-77, Bordi
Further Reading
Sāī Satcharitra. This wonderful collection of the stories, teachings
and miracles of Sāī Bābā, in very readable English, is available to
download free at symb-ol.org (Sacred Books page). 332 pages.
SAI BABA 264

Appendix 1. The Symbols of the Ten Adi Gurus
Rājā Janaka
As one of the founding fathers of Sanātana Dharma
– ‘the Eternal Religion’ – the proper name by which
Hinduism is known – Rājā Janaka’s symbol is the
Oṁ. He is featured in the Upaniṣhads which form
Vedānta –‘final knowledge’ - the philosophical basis of Hinduism.
One of the recurring themes of the Upanishads is the significance of
Om and the importance of understanding and chanting it.
Abraham
Abraham founded Judaism by receiving and
obeying instructions from the One Formless God.
He is the first patriarch of the Jewish nation and the
ancestor of both Jews and Arabs. The Star of David, the
symbol of Judaism, is His symbol.
The star is composed of the upward triangle of spiritual aspiration
superimposed on the downward triangle of material attachment,
representing the dichotomy of our lives on Earth. Originally known
as the Shield of David or Seal of Solomon it was used to ward off
evil and is featured on the Israeli flag.
Zarathustra (Zoroaster)
Ahura Mazda –‘Formless God’ is worshipped
through mantras and the sacred fire, which is
always kept burning in Zoroastrian temples.
Zarathustra explained the use of all the elements in aiding our
spiritual growth.
265
Moses
Moses was given the Ten Commandments by God
on Mt. Sinai during the Israelites forty years of
wandering in the desert and the two tablets with
the Hebrew numbers 1-10 on are His symbol.
While not strictly adhering to all the Ten Commandments* in Sahaja
Yoga, we recognise that the Nābhī has ten valencies which must be
fulfilled to satisfy our Dharma and allow the Kundalini to rise.
* For example Commandments Two and Four ‘Thou shalt not make any
graven images’ and ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy’.
Lao-Tse (Lao-Zi)
As He expounded the Tao -’way’ of balance, the Yin-
Yang symbol represents Lao-tse. Yin (black) is the
feminine, passive and inertial principle (Left Side) and
Yang (white) is the restless masculine energy (Right Side), whose
interplay creates the material and mental worlds we inhabit. They
each have the other at their heart and are united by the circle.
Confucius (Kong-zi)
Confucius is a Latinisation by
Jesuit missionaries of Kong-Fuzi-us
[Kong –family name, Fuzi –‘teacher’, –
us nominative ending in Latin] and in
China He is called Kong-zi –‘Master Kong’. As the
spiritual preceptor of government, society and culture in China,
Japan, Korea and Vietnam for more than two thousand years,
Confucius’ symbol is His own name (Kong-zi) in Chines pictograms.
266
Socrates
Socrates’ symbol is the Greek capital S, the letter
Sigma. As well as the first letter of His name, it is
also a mathematical symbol meaning ‘the sum of‘,
showing the link between mathematics and
philosophy which was so dear to the Greek philosophers.
Prophet Mohammad
The symbol we use for the
Prophet Mohammad is the
crescent moon and star*,
widely used in Islam.
The crescent moon is the Spirit and the star
(Venus) is the Kuṇḍalinī. Their union connects us
with Allah, the Supreme Spirit, to give Self- A mosque finial.
realization and knowledge of the Ultimate Reality. More often a
simple crescent
* This is normally a C-shaped crescent (waning moon) is used.
although a D-shaped crescent is sometimes used.
The crescent was used as an Islamic symbol from c.1400 CE onwards but
the crescent and star only became widely adopted in Islam after use by
the Ottoman Turks around 1770 CE.
The colour green, often associated
with Islam, is said to have been
Mohammad’s favourite and He
wore a green robe and turban.
Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia and

several other Islamic countries have
the symbol on their flags.
267
Gurū Nānak
Although the Sikh
Khanda symbol
(below) is often used
in Sahaja Yoga as a
symbol for Gurū Nānak, the ‘Ik Oñkār’
–‘One Om’ is more appropriate. This
widely used Sikh symbol is the first two
words of the Mool –‘root’ Mantra, the
Punjabi praise written by Gurū Nānak
that starts every Sikh recitation and
ceremony. Ik Oñkār –‘One Oṁ’
in a Gurdwara (Sikh
The Khanda symbol is used as a temple) window in
symbol of the Sikh nation. With India. The script is
its knife, discus and swords it is Gurmukhi (Punjabi).
more appropriate for Guru Gobind Singh, the last of the Sikh Gurus
who brought together and militarised the Sikh nation to counter the
Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s attempts to eradicate them. Guru
Nanak was a man of peace who possibly never held a sword.
Sāī Bābā of Śhirḍī (Shirdī Saī Nāth)

Like Gurū Nānak, Kabīr and many later saints,
Sāī Bābā tried to remove the divisions between
Hindus and Muslims – He had followers of both
faiths – so His symbol is a combination of Om
(Hindu) and the crescent and star (Muslim).
268
Appendix 2. Seats of the Adi Gurus in the Void
The drawing below (cleaned up a bit) was made by a Sahaja Yogi in
2011 based on some comments Shri Mataji made:-
The Adi Gurus are arranged in possible chronological order,
although Zarathustra (c.1500 BCE) may have come between
Abraham (c.1800 BCE) and Moses (c.1250 BCE). In Her book
269
‘Creation’ (Ch.3) Shri Mataji mentions Zoroaster and says “Earlier
He had taken birth as Abraham and later as Moses”.
The correspondence given (assuming we have interpreted the
shorthand correctly) is:
Left Side
1) Rājā Janaka Left Lung
2) Abraham Stomach
3) Moses Spleen (‘Speedometer’, Gṛuhalakṣhmī/Left Nābhī)
4) Zarathustra Left Kidney
5) Lao Tse Anus
Right Side
6) Confucius Urinary Bladder
7) Socrates Right Kidney
8) Mohammad Gall Bladder
9) Guru Nanak Liver
10) Sāī Nāth Right Lung
Anatomically the Liver and Gall Bladder are on the right side and the
Stomach and Spleen are on the left of the abdomen. The intestines
do not get a ruler unless thay are grouped with the stomach.
It is possible that, on the Right Side of the Void, the arrows should
also be rotating clockwise as this is the chronological order of the
incarnations (and the way they are numbered). Vibrationally it feels
better to be rubbing or bandhanning the Void clockwise (viewed
from in front).
270
Negative emotions generally have their roots in the Void.
Worshipping the Ādi Gurus would help to overcome these.
Anger – Liver and Gall Bladder (Right Side - Fire element)
Fear – Kidneys and Bladder (Left Side – Water element)
Grief, sadness – Lungs and Intestines (Air element)
Worry, over-thinking – Stomach, Spleen and Pancreas (Earth element)
The Six Enemies (like the Seven Deadly Sins; lust, anger, greed,
jealousy, pride and delusion) are more associated with the six lower
chakras.
Symmetry
The left : right pairing seems to work well:
(1) Janaka : Sāī Bābā (Indian - oldest and latest)
(2) Moses : Mohammad (descendants of Abraham, founders of
Judaism and Islam)
(3) Lao Tse : Confucius (Chinese)
(4) Zarathustra : Socrates (Middle Eastern philosophers)
(5) Not-so-obvious pair of Abraham : Guru Nanak (founders of
Judaism and Sikhism)
Ādi Guru Dattātreya appears to be seated in the Heart (which is very
anatomically drawn!) It may be that He rules the Viṣḥṇu Granthi
which allows the Kuṇḍalinī to rise from the Void up to the Heart (He
was an incarnation of Śhrī Viṣhṇu). He judges whether we are worthy
to enter the higher states of blessedness.
271
Ekādaśha Rudras
The Ekādaśha Rudras –‘eleven destroying powers’ have their seats in
the Void and Shri Mataji often talked about them in Her Guru Puja
talks. It may be that each of the Ādi Gurus has a connection with
one of the Rudras if we include Ādi Guru Dattātreya as the
eleventh.
The two main catches of Ekādaśha Rudras are drugs and false gurus.
The Ekādaśha Rudras are also across the top of the forehead
(hairline) which is the Void area in the Sahasrāra. The ten Adi Gurus
may also have their seats on the forehead. Ādi Guru Dattātreya
would seem to be the central point with the sides swapped as for
Āgñyā (Left Side on Right and vice versa). The centre Ekādaśha Rudra is
the Viśhuddhī point in Sahasrāra (Shrī Kṛiṣhṇa and Dattātreya were
both incarnations of Śhrī Viṣhṇu).
The location of the Rudra Granthi is in this vicinity and perhaps Śhrī
Dattātreya who rules the Viśhṇu Granthi in the Void rules the Rudra
Granthi in the Sahasrāra. Being an incarnation of all three Trimūrtis,
Brahmā, Viṣhṇu and Rudra, He may be taken as the controller of all
three Granthis.
“The Sat–‘true’ Gurus taught us the rules of Dharma to keep this
delicate mechanism fit for Kundalinî rising.” 31-03-81, Sydney
“A Sat Guru is one who gives you the connection with God.”
28-12-86, Maharashtra
272
‘Researches in Sahaja Yoga’
‘Researches in Sahaja Yoga’ (RiSY) is a series of books on topics
connected with Sahaja Yoga, researched through Shri Mataji’s talks
and other scriptures, and through meditation.
Books published or planned in the series so far include:
1. Om Namaste Ganapataye
- a detailed translation of the Ganesha Atharva Sheersha.
2. Shrī Lalitā Sahasranāma
- the Thousand Names of the Supreme Goddess.
3. The Three Worlds
- an investigation into the Three-fold Nature of Creation.
4. Shrī Chakra - the symbolism of the Yantra of the Supreme Goddess.
5. Bīja Mantras.
6. Navarātri – prayers, praises and hymns.
7. The Ten Primordial Masters
- the Lives and Teachings of the Ten Adi Gurus.
8. Shri Mataji’s 108 Names – with a detailed commentary.
9. The Sahaja Yoga Joke Book
– a collection of humour by Shri Mataji and other Sahaja Yogis.
The books can be downloaded free from the symb-ol.org website.
Some are available to order in print from lulu.com.
After covering print costs, profits from the sale of all
‘Researches in Sahaja Yoga’ books go to Sahaj projects.
“The collective should research the scriptures and books written

by enlightened souls and should produce books supporting
Vishwa Nirmala Dharma.” H.S.H. Shri Mataji, ‘Sahaja Yoga’
273
“So you have to study. For
example, there are Jews with
us, let them study Torah and
see where is Sahaja Yoga in
their written law? Find it
out. If you are Christians
read the Bible, find out. You
should read Gîtâ, you should
read Upanishads and you
should be masters.
You'll find that Sahaj Yoga is
such a light that you will
know what it is. We have
got the Devi's names and the
Sahasranâmas. Read them
and try to understand the meaning of that, how far it goes.
That's how the depth of your knowledge will increase and your
Sahaj Yoga will tell you what is right and what is wrong.”
23-11-80, London.
“The Goddess Saraswati carries books of knowledge to suggest

that the scholar must create books out of the eternal truths
discovered during his pursuit of knowledge.”
‘Swadhishthan Chakra’, Creation Ch.14.
For over 400 books, magazines and other publications produced

by Shri Mataji and Sahaja Yogis visit the websites:
sahajbooks.org and divinecoolbreeze.com
274

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1

First Edition – August 2022

‘Researches in Sahaja Yoga’ No.7

“Shri Mataji’s quotations are all in Maiandra font with double

ADI GURU DATTAYREYA 6

ADI GURU DATTAYREYA 7

* In Mahārāshtra, the Nav Nāths or Nāth-panthi –‘Nine Gurus, Masters’ is a

ADI GURU DATTAYREYA 8

Rājā Janaka was the King of Mithila in modern-day

Ten Primordial Masters 9

Abraham is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Ten Primordial Masters 10

Zarathustra established the first monotheistic religion outside India.

Ten Primordial Masters 11

Though born of Hebrew slaves, Moses was raised as an Egyptian

Ten Primordial Masters 12

Ten Primordial Masters 13

Confucius, known in China as Kong-zi –‘Master Kong’, has deeply

Ten Primordial Masters 14

Socrates devoted Himself to the moral and intellectual reform of His

Ten Primordial Masters 15

A native of Mecca, Mohammad began to receive revelations from

“Mohammad means the one who deserves to be praised and is

Ten Primordial Masters 16

Gurū Nānak spoke of the oneness of all religions, of experience of

Ten Primordial Masters 17

'See the Divine in the human being.' Śhrī Sāī Bābā

Ten Primordial Masters 18

“Guru means a person

“Guru means the one who

* Gu = guha – ‘dark, hidden, secret’; ru = ruchi –‘light, brilliance’. Guru

The Marriage of Rāma and Sītā

Rājā Janaka greeting Shrī Rāma and Lakshmana

Ātmā-jñāna –‘Knowledge of the Self’

Seeker after the Supreme Truth

The Bowl of Milk

Sage Yājñavalkya instructing Rājā Janaka

Abram had faith in God’s promises and

The Promised Land was the land He saw Abraham’s Journey

Sign of the Covenant

Abraham serving the three

Sodom and Gomorrah

God tests Abraham

* Archaeological finds suggest that an earthquake as well as burning

Nearby was a ram whose

Viewpoint of the Old Testament

Viewpoint of the New Testament

* Although comprising only 0.25% of world population (about 20 million)

* ‘Zoroaster’ –‘Golden Star’ is a Greek translation of Zarathustra (also

The Early Years

Breakthrough - King Vishtaspa

“Evolution is led by Vishnu and His Incarnations on the Earth.

Zoroastrians revere all the creatures and creations of God such as

in the religious life, moral concerns and social ethics of Western

The Age of Moses

From Goshen to Sinai

The Hebrews now wandered through the wildernesses of the Sinai

Moses’ father-in-law Jethro had heard of His miraculous escape

The Covenant at Sinai