Obedience
Leaving everything else aside, one must implicitly obey the satguru of his own time and faithfully follow his instructions. This will lead him to success. This is the long and short of everything.
Soami Ji Maharaj159
Through the ages and in all spiritual traditions, obedience and surrender have been at the heart of the guru-disciple relationship. Baba Jaimal Singh reminds the future master Maharaj Sawan Singh in a letter: “Do nothing outside the instructions of the satguru.”160 Similarly, a nineteenth-century Buddhist mystic explains:
The teacher whom you have met by the power of your past actions, and whose kindness you have received, is the most important of all…. Obey him in all things and disregard all hardships, heat, cold, hunger, thirst and so on…. Accept everything he says without disobeying a single point…. The teacher is the main refuge.
Patrul Rinpoche161
Every mystic path shares one core principle: To achieve success, the disciple must obey the master’s instructions unconditionally and without reservation. But obedience doesn’t come easily to us, and the idea may even be distasteful to some. This resistance is natural – it is deeply rooted in our social conditioning. In today’s world, by the time we reach adulthood many of us are unwilling to obey our own parents, not to mention anyone else. We have been conditioned to believe that to succeed we must assert our own individuality and will. Words like humility, obedience, and surrender tend to be associated with mindlessness, subservience, and weakness. Our education, abilities, and achievements create additional obstacles. If we think we know more or have achieved more than others, why would we obey them?
Disobedience can also play a positive role in the world. In families where the development of qualities like assertiveness is encouraged, it makes it possible for young adults to leave home and strike out on their own. In certain societies, people feel they must resist injustice, tyranny, cruelty, oppression, and discrimination, if necessary by civil disobedience. Some great revolutions and civil rights movements, which began as acts of disobedience, have made the world a better place for many people.
The question is: Does the same principle apply in spirituality? It does not. In the realm of spirituality there are only two players – guru and disciple. The word ‘guru’ is a combination of two roots in Sanskrit: gu, which means ‘darkness,’ and ru, which means ‘light.’ The guru is one who leads us from darkness into light. The word ‘disciple’ comes from the Latin root discire, ‘to learn.’ This means that we are here to learn, and the master is here to teach.
Obedience and surrender are at the heart of all learning. From the time we were born, someone has held our hand and taken us forward. Had we not obeyed our parents, teachers, and professors and learned what they taught us, where would we be today?
The guru-disciple relationship is one we’ve chosen voluntarily, out of love – so disobedience has no role to play here. There is no injustice, tyranny, or oppression to be resisted – the master is entirely loving, entirely benevolent, and has only our best interests at heart. This is a relationship of love and trust, and obeying the one we love is the ground for all transformative learning:
Everywhere, we learn only from those whom we love.
Goethe162
Whatever we may have achieved in the world, on the path of spirituality we are just beginners. A true master has travelled the inner path, overcome all challenges, and reached the destination. Only such a teacher can lead us within and extricate us from the cycle of birth and death. In The Path of the Masters, the author says:
Why surrender your individual will or personality to a master? Isn’t that going back into voluntary slavery? Isn’t that another way of crushing individual initiative and strength of character? The answer is that complete surrender to the master is the only avenue or path to complete liberation….
Suppose you are lost in a dense forest. You haven’t the least idea of the way out. You might wander around in there for days and weeks and finally die of starvation and thirst. But along comes an expert woodsman fully acquainted with the woods. He offers to show you the way out. Now, will you quibble about surrendering your own will to his?163
A young man approached an aged master and said to him, “I have a sincere desire to become your disciple, to walk on the path of love. Please accept me.”
The master replied, “To accompany this caravan you must accept two rules of obedience without question.”
“What are they?” asked the disciple.
“Well,” said the master, “first, you will have to do things you do not want to do. And second, you will not be permitted to do things you want to do.”
A look of misgiving furrowed the young man’s brow. Observing this, the master smiled and said, “You see, my son, it is the wanting which stands between us and God.”
When we become sevadars, these are the two rules of obedience we learn to accept: There will be some things we really want to do, but we won’t be able to do them. And there will be some things we don’t want to do, but we will have to do them. And we continue on this course of obedience – in both outer and inner seva – until the desire to do what we want fades away, and we reach a state of surrender.
The masters don’t expect us to do anything they themselves haven’t done. In everything the master does he is obeying the instructions of his own master – to be his successor, to care for his sangat, and to teach them the path of the masters. Travelling around the globe, giving discourses, granting initiation, listening to people’s complaints and problems, and overseeing every aspect of the organization, he works tirelessly to guide us both externally and internally. Everything the master does is an act of obedience and surrender – an act of service to his own master.
bees bisve gur ka man maanai.
so sevak parmesar ki gat jaanai.The servant who fully wins the heart of the guru
realizes the state of Supreme Being.
Guru Arjan Dev164
Why rules, regulations, and hierarchy?
While an attitude of obedience is a core element of physical seva,
this may not always be easy to accept. We may not always agree with the
rules and norms of seva; at times we may even feel that rules are
getting in the way of spirituality. Quite the opposite, however: as the
sangat grows, if there are no standards and norms, chaos may prevail and
the focus may turn away from spirituality.
We need to be practical. As long as there is a living master, seekers will flock to him in large numbers, and the organization will continue to grow exponentially. In such a scenario, can the old processes and systems work? Great Master’s secretary used to write the names of initiates and amounts of seva donations by hand in a ledger. Could this work today? To provide for the needs of millions of disciples, many properties have been acquired to hold satsang. In addition, sheds, accommodations, and toilets have to be built; food has to be provided; books have to be written and printed. For all this work, thousands of sevadars are needed, and processes need to be put in place.
Just as a traffic light at a busy intersection provides a framework for avoiding chaos, rules and regulations provide a practical framework for seva. Guidelines are necessary to provide uniformity in the functioning of our centres. Norms are outlined for giving satsang so that discourses will stay focused on the pure spiritual teachings of the mystics. And as the organization grows, some processes have to become more centralized.
If we want uniformity, efficiency, and ethical standards to be maintained, some rules, regulations, and centralized decision-making will be necessary. It is good to remember that every rule is made for our collective well-being, because the master cares about us.
Change is inevitable. As any organization grows, rules, processes, and management structures cannot remain stagnant; they must adapt quickly. All this change can be stressful. But if we have faith that these changes are for a good reason, and that whatever the master is doing is in our best interest, it becomes easier to accept the change.
To meet the growing needs of the sangat, thousands of big and small decisions need to be made and communicated each day. The master can’t personally make, or communicate, every decision, so a hierarchy – a chain of communication – is a practical necessity. A clear communication structure helps things function in an efficient way in the service of the sangat.
There is a significant difference, however, between the hierarchy in seva and the hierarchy one typically finds in a corporation or government organization. In such organizations, the higher one is in the hierarchy, the more ‘important’ is one’s job and the greater the benefits. In seva, on the other hand, all jobs are equally valued by the master. And while an administrative hierarchy is needed for purely practical reasons, there is no spiritual hierarchy in Sant Mat. Spiritually, there is the master – then everyone else. Spiritually, each disciple has an equally direct, unique relationship with the master.
jo gur kahai soyi bhal meetha
man ki mat tyaag.Whatever the guru says is good and sweet to me.
I have renounced the intellectual wisdom
of my mind.
Guru Arjan Dev165
Obedience to the master
The master doesn’t expect unquestioning obedience on seva matters. He
expects us to contribute our expertise and knowledge; he asks for our
opinions, encourages healthy discussion, and wants to be fully informed
about all the factors that may influence a decision.
For instance, if we are architects and the master tells us to build something inconsistent with the local code, he doesn’t expect us to go ahead and do it. He expects us to let him know if there’s a valid reason to make a different decision and to engage with him in finding the right solution. At the same time, if we voice a differing opinion on some issue and the master still insists on the opposite, we should simply obey as he has taken the responsibility on himself for reasons best known to him.
The master is responsible for his disciple in all matters. The disciple should therefore lovingly carry out the orders of the master, and not let his own whims interfere with them, even though the master’s orders may sometimes appear a trifle strange at the first glance.
Maharaj Sawan Singh166
When a satsangi professor retired from his job, he asked Hazur if he could move to the Dera to do seva in the publications department. Hazur gave him permission to move to the Dera, but assigned him to the fruit and vegetable department. The professor must have been very surprised with this assignment, but he did his seva with dedication. Over the years he was transferred from department to department, as is the custom at the Dera, until finally, about twelve years later, he was transferred to the publications department and made the head of the department. He eventually was given the position he’d hoped for. To his credit he had persisted for twelve years doing whatever the master wanted him to do until the master felt the time was right to put him in charge of what he was ‘most qualified’ to do. During these twelve years he probably learned lessons and new skills that helped him in ways he wasn’t even aware of.
salaam jabaab dovai kare mundhhu ghutha jaaye.
Nanak dovai koorreeya thaaye na kaa’i paaye.One who offers humble greetings
and is defiant at other times
is deluded from the beginning.
Says Nanak: Both his responses are false –
he finds no place with God.Guru Angad Dev167
There is a story about Malik Ayaz, a slave who rose to the rank of general in the army of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni. Ayaz’s love for the sultan was legendary and the subject of many stories. It is said that all the courtiers were jealous of Ayaz because the sultan greatly favoured him. One day the sultan asked his treasurer to bring the most magnificent pearl in his treasury to court. This rare and precious pearl was the pride of the kingdom. After all the courtiers had admired the beautiful pearl, the king turned to his chief minister and ordered him to smash it. He refused to do it. The pearl was worth too much! The sultan rewarded him with a robe of honour.
One by one, some fifty courtiers were asked to smash the pearl. Each one protested that it would be tragic to destroy it, and each one was rewarded with a robe of honour. Then the sultan turned to Ayaz and repeated his order. Without hesitation, Ayaz grabbed a hammer and smashed the pearl to pieces. The shocked courtiers screamed at Ayaz for destroying it, but Ayaz silenced them by saying simply, “The command of the sultan is more precious than this pearl.”
If we love the master, we will obey him. If we disobey his instructions, then no matter how many words of love we may use, it is not love. Christ says:
But why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?168
In Spiritual Letters, Baba Jaimal Singh says:
Whatever is done according to the instructions of the satguru is the satguru’s work and is spiritual in nature.169
This is a significant statement. When the master gives us advice about anything – organizing satsang, giving satsang, building maintenance, or about any aspect of our lives – it serves us to listen attentively to him, think deeply about what he is telling us, and then turn his words into action. We should try to give his advice a practical shape in our daily lives.
We should consider what we should do when we wish to please someone. The main thing would be to obey him implicitly. We should not transgress his directions even by a hair’s breadth.
Maharaj Sawan Singh170
The story goes that the spiritual master Ibn Khafif had two disciples, Ahmad the Older and Ahmad the Younger. Ibn Khafif thought Ahmad the Younger was the better disciple, but everyone disagreed. So he gave the two a test. First, he told Ahmad the Older to carry a camel onto the roof.
“But, master,” said Ahmad the Older, “How can anyone carry a camel onto the roof?”
Then Ibn Khafif ordered Ahmad the Younger to do the same thing. Ahmad the Younger instantly rolled up his sleeves and ran out of the house. Putting two hands under the camel’s belly, he took a deep breath and heaved with all his might. But he couldn’t budge the camel. So he tried again and failed.
“That’s enough,” said Ibn Khafif. “Now we all know who is the better disciple.”
Such incidents simply act as a mirror, showing us where we stand in our journey as disciples. The master doesn’t need to test us; he knows us through and through. And God forbid if he ever were to test us, because only a rare one would pass such a test.
He who works and serves for the sake of God is sure to be rewarded. In this service, the sheikh’s requests should be treated as commands to be acted upon at once without delay, no matter how difficult the task may be.
Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi171
The master’s instructions may seem baffling at times because he has a plan that he is not ready to reveal. In Treasure Beyond Measure we read that Hazur had qualified as a lawyer, yet one day Great Master told him to give up his flourishing law practice and work with his father on the family farm. Any other person would have been confused, if not upset. But Hazur was an obedient disciple and did as he was told.
Hazur later said that it was only when he was passed the mantle of mastership that he understood Great Master’s foresight and planning. As things turned out, his legal knowledge was useful in managing the legal affairs of the Dera, and the knowledge he had acquired while working on the farm helped him to organize the Dera’s administrative matters. While recalling his early years with the Great Master, Hazur once said: “Worldly things! We often discussed everything with him. Actually not discussed – we listened, we received orders and obeyed them; no questions had to be put. For everything else we kept quiet.”172
We can bring the same simplicity to our relationship with the master – the attitude that “If he has said it, that’s it.” Such obedience comes from a place of deep faith – faith that he loves us and will do only what is in our best interest. Obedience to the master is at the core of the spiritual path.
To stay within the directives of the perfect guru is the real work.
Baba Jaimal Singh173
Taking instructions from each other
Most of us do not get an opportunity to interact directly with the
master; we get our instructions through an intermediary. While we are
willing to obey the master, sometimes we find it difficult to take
instructions from another sevadar who is in charge. But we should
appreciate the fact that most sevadars are doing their best to carry out
the will of the master.
Seva means to do what we are asked to do. Not what we want to do, not what we think should be done, just what we are asked to do. When we come to seva, let us be willing to perform any task. Let us offer ourselves unconditionally and let those in charge decide how best to use our services.
Remain watchful for his command; keep in mind the guru’s words and act accordingly. He may order you to cut grass – for you that is the highest honour. Welcome it wholeheartedly as sweetness itself. Test your mind in this manner; only then is the work complete.
Baba Jaimal Singh174
Sometimes, however, we might genuinely think a wrong decision has been made. Is it appropriate to question such decisions? Of course it is. The master doesn’t expect us to always give blind obedience in seva if we feel strongly about something.
If a head sevadar makes a questionable decision we can talk about it honestly and openly with the person and make whatever point we need to make – as long as we do it in a kind and respectful way. If the head sevadar still does not change his or her mind, then we can accept that the decision is part of the sevadar’s seva responsibility and is out of our hands, so we should do as we’ve been asked to do.
When it comes to following instructions we don’t entirely agree with, it is helpful to remember that we follow them because we want to maintain an atmosphere of harmony and teamwork, not because we are in any way inferior to another person. Harmony and cooperation please the master more than determining who is right and who is wrong.
Our master wants us to cooperate with each other. Cooperation is not blind obedience. It involves sevadars working together to come to a mutual understanding. Cooperation and mutual respect are crucial to any seva because we are all working towards a common goal.
When we approach disagreements with an attitude of cooperation rather than division, it is easier to let go of our rigid opinions. We remind ourselves that our point of view is just that – our point of view. We assume that those given the responsibility of management, of making the day-to-day decisions, are doing their best to follow the master’s guidance. They may not always be able to explain the reasoning behind their decisions; they may also make wrong decisions at times, but we can assume they are doing their best. And even if we get upset with the person making the decision, we can respect his or her seva, the responsibility that person has been given by the master.
Our attitude is also important. If we do not agree with something in seva, do we let everyone know we are unhappy? Do we say negative things about the head sevadars to anyone willing to listen? If we are unhappy in seva and express our discontent to others while continuing in our seva in a begrudging manner, then the sangat suffers. The disharmony we create by such actions is far worse than who is right and who is wrong. None of us is perfect. We should show understanding and compassion for each other’s limitations.
One should be pleased and grateful for the privilege of being able to serve. The task one is given should not be resented or carried out reluctantly; otherwise the spiritual benefit will be lost.
Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi175
At another time, in another seva, the roles might be reversed. We may be the ones asked to coordinate or supervise a seva project. When we find ourselves in a role where we have to give guidance to others, it’s useful to remember some basic tenets of seva: that a higher position in the hierarchy doesn’t give us status or prestige and a lower position doesn’t take anything from us. Head sevadar, team leader, secretary, and so on are just names for different sevas, not for different ranks. If we have been assigned such seva it is simply a duty; others have been assigned other duties.
What matters is our attitude, and a leadership role requires us to be particularly kind and compassionate. We should try never to boss others, hurt their feelings, or expose their weaknesses because, as Hazur often reminded us, we are all struggling souls:
And especially the leader of a meeting should be very humble. He should never try to project that he is in any way superior to others. We are all struggling souls on the path. We all have our human failings. Some are exposed, some are not exposed. So we don’t go there to expose the weaknesses of other people. We go there to help them, to pull them out of their weaknesses, not to expose them or boss over them.176
When we find ourselves in a leadership role, we should do only that which we have been instructed to do. We should try to be as open and transparent as possible about the reasons for our decisions. If there is disagreement, we should make the effort to continue to explain the reasons for the decision and try our best to arrive at a consensus. Whenever the situation allows, we should try to make decisions collectively. In essence, we should do our best to be open to suggestions and feedback, because we know that there is always another perspective. Instead of giving orders, we should try to communicate with fellow sevadars in a way that gives them a comfort level and encourages them to cooperate. We should do our best to help fellow sevadars succeed in their seva.
Most important, it’s helpful to keep in mind that when sevadars are obedient to a team leader, their sentiment is actually being directed to the master – it stems from their love for him. The qualities of obedience and humility that sevadars bring to their seva are precious gifts and should be handled with the greatest care.
Hazur once described the attitude that best serves a head sevadar:
He should feel that he’s their servant. He has been given this seva and opportunity by the master, and he should be happy to be their servant and not try to boss over or act as if he is superior to them. He must be humble and meek. Only then can he be perfect in his seva. Only then can he do his duty. If he starts thinking that he’s a boss, that he’s superior to the others, then the ego comes in and he loses the opportunity of that seva.177
Whether we are in a role that requires us to take or give instructions, it is always best to assume that everyone offering to do seva does so with the desire to selflessly serve the master and the sangat. Head sevadars don’t want to make mistakes or hurt sevadars; sevadars don’t want to criticize or be wilful. We are all struggling with the antics of the mind and ego, and understanding our mutual struggle can be a starting point in dealing with one another.
When we have disagreements with each other, the master wants us to work them out. It’s not a question of who is right and who is wrong; it is always about how we are communicating with each other. Working together is never about giving orders and receiving blind obedience; it is always about love, cooperation, teamwork, and harmony. As Sardar Bahadur Ji puts it so beautifully:
Sant Mat is a path of love and persuasion, not of compulsion and coercion.178
When we work together to create something out of love, we build a stronger association with the master and a positive atmosphere that supports our meditation.
Misconceptions about obedience
Certain misconceptions about seva can cause us to prioritize other
qualities above obedience. For instance, we may believe it’s more
important to demonstrate our ‘respect’ for the master than to obey him.
It is said that once Sardar Bahadur Ji wanted a painting hung on the
wall above his bed. He asked a sevadar to climb on his bed and hammer in
a nail. The sevadar was mortified and refused to do so. How could he
step on the master’s bed? He went and got a ladder, climbed on it and
did the job. Amused, Sardar Bahadur Ji commented, “You are unable to
step on my bed, but you have no problem stepping on my words!”
The words of the master are not separate from him. The master pervades them. His words are outpourings of his heart and are permeated with his truth and soul force.
Maharaj Sawan Singh179
Another common misconception is that faith in the master’s protection can take precedence over obedience. For example, sevadars at construction sites sometimes refuse to wear helmets, harnesses, protective eye-glasses, and other safety equipment. Maybe we feel that because we have faith in the master, no harm will befall us. But let’s examine this for a moment. The fact is that when safety measures are not implemented, accidents do happen at our seva sites, and both minor and major injuries occur.
On the other hand, many injuries have been prevented because sevadars were wearing the correct safety equipment. While the instructions to wear safety equipment may come from a sevadar there should be no doubt that the master wants us to take every precaution possible and to wear safety equipment when doing any work that requires it. In many countries, construction site safety is taken very seriously, and there are an enormous number of rules and guidelines to be followed. If we don’t study and follow these rules, we could get the organization in trouble for breaking the law. Baba Ji once said that no sevadar should be allowed to do seva without proper safety equipment. So the focus on safety is necessary, not just in countries where construction safety laws are strictly enforced by local authorities, but also where they are not.
Baba Ji was once touring a new site for the first time. The local sevadars told him that disease-carrying ticks had been discovered on the site and all sevadars who came for seva would need to wear protection. Immediately the master asked for tick spray and sprayed his clothes. Then the sevadars realized he was making a point that we should always take proper precautions and should not slack on safety measures. With the simple act of spraying himself, the master gave his sevadars a powerful image they would never forget and fortified their determination to implement the safety rule.
Although we tend to associate safety with construction sites for the most part, safety concerns are many and varied – especially in the care and repair of machines and equipment. Gardening tools can injure sevadars; burns and accidents can happen in a cafeteria or langar with hot stoves and boiling liquids. People can slip and fall on a floor or in a wet bathroom. Even careless driving while on a seva site can seriously injure someone.
The entire sangat needs to be kept safe. If proper systems are not in place, then situations like stampedes can occur in crowds, injuring people. Having faith in the master doesn’t mean we have the license to take risks with our lives and the lives of others. We have a moral obligation to take all necessary precautions. There is an old adage that says: When going to sleep at night, first hobble your camel, then trust in the Lord. We have to do our part.
If we really love him, we will obey him. We cannot say we love him and, at the same time, not obey his instructions, not live the life he tells us to live.
Maharaj Charan Singh180
Sometimes we may mistakenly believe that expressing our love for the master or fulfilling our longing for darshan can take precedence over obedience. In October 1947, Hazur travelled from Sikanderpur to Amritsar to see Great Master, who had been admitted to a hospital there. On the way, Hazur stopped at the Dera and found that except for Sardar Bahadur Ji, no other administrators or responsible sevadars were present. Not knowing that Great Master had directed all sevadars and officials to remain at the Dera, he told Sardar Bahadur Ji, “Why don’t you come to Amritsar with me in my car? I’ll drive you back here this evening.” Sardar Bahadur Ji replied, “Maharaj Ji’s orders are to stay in the Dera. I cannot come with you.”
Hazur drove on to Amritsar. When he reached there he realized that out of worry and concern for the Great Master, all the other Dera administrators had used some excuse or other to come to Amritsar. When he narrated his conversation with Sardar Bahadur Ji to the Great Master and informed him that Sardar Bahadur Ji was the only senior sevadar present in the Dera, tears came to Great Master’s eyes. He said, “Of all the people in the Dera, only Jagat Singh has obeyed me.” The following year, in his will, Great Master appointed Sardar Bahadur as his successor.181
What a powerful and inspiring image this is for us. Sardar Bahadur Ji’s single-minded obedience brought tears to the master’s eyes!
He who obeys the master is dear to him.
Maharaj Sawan Singh182
Nothing is more important than obedience to the master. In the early days of Hazur’s mastership, he called a sevadar to come and help him reply to some long overdue letters from overseas disciples. The sevadar didn’t take the new master’s request seriously, and instead of going to Hazur’s house to do the seva requested of him, he sat in meditation. This happened for three consecutive days. Every day Hazur would ask him to come for seva, but he would sit in meditation instead. On the fourth day, when he did the same thing, he realized that the Shabd, instead of pulling him up, was pushing him out. In spite of his best efforts, he could not succeed in raising his consciousness within. Then it dawned on him that this was happening because of his disobedience to the master. Immediately, he went to Hazur and apologized to him and did the seva requested of him.183
So we see that obedience to the master takes precedence over longing for darshan or any outward show of respect, faith, love, or concern for him.
We are all trying to be sevadars, and our aim is to have our seva be accepted by the master. He is so loving that even if we don’t do our seva very well, he seems to accept it. He understands that each one of us is at a different point on the spiritual journey and he wants to encourage us. But mystics urge us to go deeper – to make every effort to do only that which truly pleases our master:
One should be careful to do only that which is pleasing to the satguru – that is, even while performing seva, he should see if the guru is really pleased with the service which he renders, or whether he accepts it to avoid displeasing the disciple. If he succeeds in finding out that the satguru is accepting this on account of his insistence only, and it is really troublesome to him, he should at once give up that seva.
Soami Ji Maharaj184
Obedience is the foundation
In our relationship with the master, words are not
essential – obedience is the language of spiritual love; obedience is
the foundation on which our discipleship is built.
As obedience in physical seva becomes a habit, it slowly conditions the mind and strengthens our resolve to be obedient in our meditation – the paramount obedience the master asks of us:
If we really have faith in him, if we really love him, we will want to do what he wants us to do. And he wants us to meditate; therefore, we should also try to meditate.
Maharaj Charan Singh185
There is a lovely irony in living a life of obedience. One might think that if we were to spend a lifetime implicitly obeying someone, we would have to live a life of constraint and restriction. On the contrary: when we obey someone who is all good, who is teaching us how to gain power over our lower tendencies, who is teaching us how to turn from outward gratification to inner peace, we find that instead of remaining a slave to impulses and events, we become free to follow our real goal. Far from constraining us, obedience to an ever-loving master leads us to ultimate freedom.
And a life of unconditional obedience doesn’t make us into meek doormats, as some may fear. It makes us powerful and fearless, for who can harm one who walks in the shadow of the master?
guru ko sir par raakhiye, chaliye aagya maahin;
kahai Kabir ta daas ko, teen lok dar naahin.One who surrenders to the Guru’s will
and always remains under his command –
That disciple has nothing to fear
in the three worlds, declares Kabir.
Kabir186