Even the Masters

When we are feeling down in the dumps in our lives and wonder if we will ever be able to make it on the path, it is useful to remember that even a Master-in-the-making struggles with living in the world. A perfect example can be seen in the letters that Maharaj Sawan Singh wrote to his Master. How do we know what he wrote? From how his Master, Baba Jaimal Singh, responds to his letters.

For example, Baba Jaimal Singh says in reply to a letter in Spiritual Letters written only a year before Maharaj Sawan Singh began initiating his own disciples, “You have written that your mind feels sad, that it does not wish to do any work, that it has become tired.”

We can surely identify with this statement. How many of us go through periods of abjection, even downright depression on the path, and wonder why we feel like that when we have so much to be grateful for. Baba Jaimal Singh responds with encouragement. “Definitely the mind should remain detached from the world, my son.”

The sadness and tiredness come from being detached from the world – we can definitely feel depressed when there is nothing in our lives that interests us anymore. But it is a good thing to be detached.

Baba Jaimal Singh then adds:

Don’t worry; keep your mind in the Shabd-dhun and firmly fix your attention in simran all the time, and listen to the Shabd with love and devotion – then the physical tiredness will go away.

Don’t worry about a thing; everything is going to be all right. Just do your meditation, simran and bhajan with love and devotion; that is the cure for the sad, tired feeling.

Then Baba Jaimal Singh refers to a situation in Great Master’s life that is bothering him:

You also write that the officer who has now come is very strict. So what if he is very strict? You have to do your official duty, and it will do you good when your mind, nervous and worried, turns towards bhajan and simran. So the news is good.

Good news, indeed! A strict officer coming to Great Master’s workplace is a good thing because it will encourage him to turn within. When we are happy, it is easy to forget about the Master; when we are upset, we turn to him.

Baba Jaimal Singh continues:

So have no fear. Remain dauntless in your heart – nothing can happen without his command. Whatever has to happen has already happened. We are going to do only that which has already been done – the true Lord, Radha Soami Ji is doing it. Continue to work fearlessly; the compassionate Guru is always your protector.

Everything that is going to happen was decided before our birth. What we do and the consequences of these actions were all mapped out and put in our destiny karma for us to go through. Everything is in the hands of the Master; and what he is giving us – whether we recognize it to be good or not – is for our benefit because it is lightening our karmic load and taking us closer to him. He is protecting us at every step, so why worry about it?

Baba Jaimal Singh concludes:

Since we have been granted the true wealth, why should we care about the false one? Rather, the mind is not to be attached to the unreal. Whenever you are free, listen to the Shabd-dhun by fixing the mind and soul in it.

There is nothing to be worried about in this unreal world. We have been initiated by a perfect living Master, and he is taking care of everything in our lives. We just need to go through our karmas calmly and happily and do our meditation every day with love and devotion. This is the advice to a perfect Master-in-the-making and to every disciple on the path. Enlightenment for each of us is just around the corner.