Saut Sarmadi

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OOKTW

ShabdThe Sound Principle


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1 2 8 N A A M OR WORCo ntrolling Pow er behind all tha t exists . All m anifestationis the result of Shabd and without I t nothing exists . I t isthe very life-essence of everything. The Muslim divinescall i t Jauhar essence) an d the H in du saints describe I tas Mu1 th e root cause) . I t is the vital pr inciple imman entin every fo rm a nd perm eating all , the visible an d the invis-ible. I t is th e Causeless Cause, the e terna l self-existing life,running endlessly in and out of t ime. I t is the very soulof the Creative Power, all pervading even to the purelyspiritu al realm-Sat Lok. Sh abd is th e prim al cause of bo thbirth and dissolution.

Both birth and death come about by Shabd,Rebirth too is because of Shabd.lGURU AMAR DAS

Everything f rom beginning to en d exis ts in Shab d. T h ephysical e lements , the subtle and ethereal powers andvibrations, the causal seeds and essences, one and all aref rom Shabd and nothing but Shabd personif ied . W e l ivean d have ou r very being in Shabd an d ul t imately dissolveinto Shabd. All the scr iptures of the world te l l us thatShabd is above the material and efficient cause and All-Con trol l ing Pow er of the Universe.

He is all n all Himself and revels in His creation bysupporting it by Shabd.2URU NANAK

There is none like Thee in the entire creation,In Thy Word Thou art manifesting Thyself.Whatever Thou wishest, that comes to pass.=GURU RAM DAS

Shabd W hat It isT h e subject of Shab d is such that w e can not d o justice


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S H A B D 129to it by discursive reasoning. All that can be said is that

Shabd implies the Power of G od that has created an d issustaining the various grand divisions, divisions and sub-divisions of the vast creation of God. It is a current fromthe O cean of Consciousness an d is characterized by S ou nd -vibration, or in o the r word s, It is a l ive and active principlewhich, emanating fro m G od , is enlivening al l creation. I tis the instrument with which God creates , controls andsustains H is vast universe. It acts as a life-line between theCreator and His creation and serves as a golden bridgebetween the two. The divine currents , l ike the etherealwaves of a radio, are spread out in the atmosphere in allthe directions of the com pass, giving ou t delectable strainsof music. We, however, cannot catch the ethereal vibra-t ions and l is ten to the divine melody unti l we get in tunewith the Infinite by adjust ing our m ental appa ratus. The re-fore we become etherealized more and more as we comein tune with the heavenly music. Shabd is the connectinglink between God and man. In brief, Shabd alone is thetrue rel igion- a binding force tha t rebinds us to ou rSource. All the powers of Nature depend on and workthroug h this Shabd or the Sound Principle. T h e Pranas orthe vital airs, that are the source of all energy-electrical,mechanical, mag netic or atomic-and ar e the most activeagents in the physical material plane, are but an outermanifested form of the Sha bd. Like the electric waves withwhich the whole atmosphere is charged, Shabd in its mostsubtle for m pervades everywhere in Its fullness an d is thusthe Creator. Guru Nanak, in the Jap Ji , has cal led ItH uk am and describes Its w orking :

ll things are manifestations of H is Will,But His Will is beyond description.


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13 N A A M O R W O R DBy His Will is matter quickened into life,By His Will is greatness obtained.By His Will some are born high and others low,By His Will the impious) wander in endless trans-migration.All exists under His Will,And nothing stands outside.One attuned with His Will, Nanak, is wholly freefrom

Shabd is of two kinds: outer and inner or V arn-Atmak a ndDhun-Atmak, respect ively. The Varn-Atmak to a cer tainextent gives a clue to the Dhun-Atmak Shabd. I t i s amatter of common experience how martial music st irs upmen to arms, sad dirges bring tears to the eyes, lovingstrains bewitch the mind, doleful songs strike the spiri t ,solemn notes inspire aw e an d reverence. Again, the wo rdsof th e wise act as a soo thing balm fo r lacerated minds a ndsm arting taunts cut us to th e quick.

Words there be that cut the very heart-strings,And words may lead to profound renunciation,Words may work as soothing balm or may strikemisery,Some of them inspire hope and others engender help-lessness.K BIR

What passion cannot Music raise and quell.RY EN

W h e n there is so much magic in V arn-Atma k Shabd, onecann ot possibly imagine the P ow er tha t lies hidden in th eDhun-Atmak Shabd, which is very subt le and ethereal innature . The inner Shabd i s subl ime and pure , wi th anirresist ible magnetic pull which a freed soul cannot butplunge into.


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S H A B D 131Shabd is the C reator

In all the religious scriptures, "Shabd" is stated t o bethe Creator of the Universe. Th e Vedas tell us that " N ad "brought into being fourteen Bhavans or regions. In theKoran, i t is mentioned that "Kalma" created fourteentabaqs or divisions. St. John, in his Gospel, has writtenthat "Word" is the root cause of the creat ion.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word waswith God, and the Word was God. The same wasin the beginning with God. All things were made byHim: and without im was not anything made th twas made. In Him was life; and life was the lightof men =

T h e sacred Sikh scriptures also tell of the sam e thing-theentire manifestation has spru ng fro m "Shabd" an d is beingmaintained by Him. The sun, the sky, the ear th and theheavens all are within H is Controll ing Power an d there isn o p lace where H e is not . Th e immanence of Shabd is all-pervasive.

Shabd is the directive agent of God,And is the cause of ll c r e a t i ~ n . ~URU M R D S

The earth and the sky were made by Shabd,Shabd has been the source of all light.The whole creation sprang from Shabd,Nanak Shabd is the very life of life.7Having set up everything, He beheld His own imprinttherein,He established the beautiful earth and the starry

welkin,He raised the tabernacle of heaven with no pillars tosupport.


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32 N A A M OR WORHe created the sun and the moon with all the starryhost and His light is pervading

GURU NANAK

Again, Shabd is no t only the Creator but H e is the Des-troyer also, and the rebirth of the creation takes placeth rough Him.

Both the creation and the dissolution are from Shabd,And Shabd again is the cause of r e - ~ re a ti o n .~GURU AMAR DAS

In the Hindu scriptures, It is described as the essence ofether, which goes to show th at I t is m ore subtle than etherand is all-pervading. Its presence, in fact, is felt in theunion of matter and spirit , for every union implies vibra-tion a n d vibra tion is caused by Sha bd o r Sound-the activelife-principle permeating all space, nay receding far backinto Itself; for G o d too is described as Shabd, as thePower of God (Shabd) is not dis t inct and separate fromGod: God and Godhood (God- in -ac t ion) a lways go to -gether.

Thy Shabd is Thyself and whatever Thou ordaineththat comes to pass.1GURU R M DAS

All th e religious books, including t he V edas, the oldest ofthem , have described Shabd as the prima l manifest for mof G od . In Sama Ved a we have,

Shabd is Brahm and Silence too is BrahmBrahm alone is vibrating everywhere.

T h e Moham med an divines te ll us that the w orld owes i tsvery life a nd existence to Shab d. Shamas Tabre z says:


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SHABD 33World came into being through aut (Shabd or SoundPrinciple).And from Saut spread all light.

Again Abdul Razaq Kashi tells us,The Great Name (ism-i-azam) is the very essenceand life of all. names.Its manifested form (Shabd) is supporting the entirecreation,It is the great sea in which we all appear as waves.He alone can understand this mystery who belongsto our order.

Shabd is not the subject of reading, ritual or recitingThe Inner Sound Principle is All-Conscious and too

subtle for the ears, the tongue and the pen. It is an Unwrit-ten Law and an Unspoken Language. It is self-existing,self-sustaining and self-supporting and yet is the very lifeof all that exists both in the animate and inanimate crea-tion. But It can be realized in the deepest depths of thesoul, for the two are of the same essence, the soul beingbut a drop of the Ocean of All-Consciousness. I n the Sikhscriptures, It is also called Sacha Shabd or the TrueWord:With the True Word, one knows the Truth,With the True Sound, one sings the glory of theLord.

G U R U N N K

Meditate on the feet of the Master, and leaving asideall thy cleverness, be absorbed in the True Word.12Remember the Lord, dear friend,And ever love the True Word.Is

G U R U R J N


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34 NAAM OR WORDIt can be seen without eyes,It can be heard without ears.14

URU NANAK

La o T z e spe a k s o f I t :T he T ao that can be expressed is not the eternal Ta o;The name that can be defined is not the unchangingName.15

Maulana Rumi says :T he T urks, Kurds, Parsis, Goan s and Arabs,They have all known It without the aid of lips andears.

T h e Up a n i sh a d i c s ag es h a v e d e scr ib e d I t a s P r an a v o rtha t which can be hea rd th rough the p ran ic v ib ra t ions ,w i th o u t t h e h e lp o f t o n g u e , li p s a n d p a l a t e , f o r I t is r e v e r-be ra t ing o f I tse lf in an d ou t o f space .S a n t Ka b i r h a s c a ll e d I t V id e h fo r I t is a b o v e t h erea lm of physica l exis tence and can be apprehended bythe sou l wh en i t is unc logg ed f ro m bod ily ra iment .

ll sing of the Shabd without realizing that It sideh or the Bodiless,No tongue can describe It, but soul may contact It

within.KABIR

Hazrat Bahu says in th is context :Everyone repeats the ulma orally, by word ofmouth,rare soul may repeat It with the tongue of thought;And whoever repeats It within with loving devotion,He cannot describe it in words.


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S H A B D 137and adopting Vaishnuvi Mudra should hear withinhim the Sound coming from the right side.

In Yog Sandhya, an elaborate account is given of thepractice of hea ring th e Shabd.In the Rig Veda and the Atharv Vedaz3 there are

hymns in praise of Shabd. In H an s Upan ishad of th e latterit is given that one who does japa of the Hans Mantra,millions of times, comes to the realization of Nad. It isalso stated that Nad consists of ten different types ofmelodies, nine of which are to be passed over, and thetenth , which resembles the sound of the thun der of distantclouds, is to be m editated upo n an d practiced, for I t takesone to Par-Brahm.

In H at h Y og Pradipka, there are many Shlokas inpraise of Shabd. In the Vedas, It is spoken of as Nad andAkash Bani (Voice of He ave n). I n the Bu ddhist scriptures,I t is referred to as Sonorous Light or F laming Sou nd.

T h e ancient Greeks also spoke of Shabd. In the writ ingsof Socrates, we read that he heard within him a peculiarSound which pulled him irresistibly to higher spiritualrealms. Pythagoras also talked of Shabd. Plato spoke ofIt as the Music of the Spheres. In th e G reek lang uag ewe have th e term Logos, from logo, to speak, whichstands for the W or d or Second Person of the Trinity.Th is term L ogos also figures in bo th H ebre w a n d Christianphilosophy and theology and in its mystic sense is usedboth by the Hellenistic and Neo-platonist philosophies.St. Joh n has used the term W or d. It is a Soun d Principle(Shabd) emanating from the Great Silence (Ashabd). InChinese scriptures, i t is known as Tao. Lao Tze, in thefo ur th century B. C., used the wo rd T ao meaning Roador W ay to den ote the Hid den Principle of th e Universe.


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38 N A A M O R W O R DIn the Avestic writ ings of Zoroaster, the Persian prophetof l ife, we com e across the word Sraosha, which stan ds forthe angel of inspiration that inspires the Universe. I t is aPow er apa rt f rom the six spiri tual Powers of which Zo ro-aster speaks. I t is the cult of Eternal Life and is from theSanskri t root Shru ( to hea r) and means that Pow er ofG od which can be heard . In the Ze nd Avesta , we have a ninvocat ion to Mazda praying for the gif t of Sraosha forthose whom H e loves. I t is the same as Shabd in theterminology of the saints.In our own t imes f rom San t Kab i r and Guru Nanakdown to Guru Gobind Singh, the ten Sikh Gurus , Dadu,Jagj iwan, Tulsi , Darya Sahib, Baba Lal Das, Pal tu andmany others preached of Shabd.

Many of the references to this subject in the Judaeo-Christ ian tradit ion have been given above, in Book One.

Madam Blavatsky, the founder of the TheosophicalSociety, has described I t as the Voice of Go d. In th eMasonic O rde r we hear of I t as the Lost W o rd in searchof which the M ason M asters set up their O rder .

In Koran , there is an Ayat, Go d com manded and it wasdone, K un-f eu-K un. This , in fact , is the Kalma of theMuslims.

T h e Sufis, an O rd er of M uslim m ystics, call i t Vad an.It is said:

If the naam (Nameless) had not wished to manifestHimself and become Naam, there would have beenno Sound and no Universe.Hazrat Inayat Khan, a modern Sufi mystic, tel ls us thatthis creation is no thing but the M usic of G od for It isthe outcom e or m anifestat ion of His P ower. H e calls i tSaute Sarmadi or the intoxicat ing vintage from the Gar-


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SHABD 39d e n o f A l l a h ( G o d ) a n d h a s g iv e n a n e l a b o r a t e d es cr ip -t ion of I t , as a p p e a r s f r o m th e f o l l o w in g a cc o u n t:

All space is filled with Saute Sa rm ad o r the AbstractSound. The vibrations of this Sound ar e too fine tobe either audible or visible to the material ears oreyes, since it is even difficult for the eyes to see theform and colour of the ethereal vibrations on the ex-ternal plane. It was the Saute Sarmad, the Sound ofthe abstract, which Mohammed heard in the cave,Ghar-e-Hira, when he became lost in his ideal. TheKoran refers to this Soun d in the words: Be and allbecame (Ku n-feu-K un). Moses heard this verySound on Mount Sinai (Koh-i-Toor), when in com-munion with G od. Th e same W ord was audible to theChrist when absorbed in his Heavenly Father in thewilderness. Shiva heard the same Anahad Naad dur-ing his Samadhi in the Himalayas. The flute ofKrishna is symbolic of the same Sound allegoricallyexplained. This Sound is the source of all revelationto the Masters to whom It is revealed from within andit is, therefore, that they know and teach the one andthe same Truth.

Th e knower of the mystery of th e Sound know s themystery of the whole Universe. Whosoever has fol-lowed the strains of this Sound has forgotten llearthly distinctions and differences; and has reachedthe s h e goal of Truth in which all the Blessed Onesof God unite. S pace is within the body as well asaround it; in other words the body is in space andspace is n the body.This being the case, the Sound of the Abstract isalways going on within, around and about man. Mandoes not hear It as a rule, because his consciousnessis entirely centered in his material existence. Manbecomes so absorbed in his experiences in the externalworld through the medium of the physical body that


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14 N A A M OR WORDspace, with all its wonders of Light and Sound,appears to him blank The limited volume ofearthly sound is so concrete, that it dims the effect ofthe Sound of the Abstract to the sense of hearing;although in comparison to It the sounds of the earthare like that of a whistle to a dru m . When the A b-stract Sound is audible, all other sounds become in-distinct to the mystic.The Sound of the Abstract is called Anhad in theVedas, meaning unlimited sound. The Sufis name ItSarmad, which suggests the idea of intoxication. Theword intoxication is here used to signify upliftment,the freedom of the soul from Its earthly bondage.Those who are able to hear the Saute Sarmad andmeditate on It are relieved from all worries, anxieties,fears and diseases; and th e soul is freed from captivityin the senses and in the physical body. The soul of thelistener becomes All-pervading Consciousness; andhis spirit becomes the battery which keeps the wholeUniverse in motion.This Sound develops through ten different aspectsbecause of Its manifestation through the differenttubes of the body Nad i s ) ; it sounds like thunder,the roaring of the sea, the jingling of bells, runningwater, the buzzing of bees, the twittering of sparrows,the Vina, the whistle, or the sound of Shankha

Conch) until it finally becomes H u the most sacredof all sounds. This Sound H u is the beginning a nd endof all sounds, be they from man , bird, beast, or thing.THE MYSTI ISM OF S O U N D

In the Mus l im sc r ip tu re s , I t i s va r ious ly desc r ibed a sKa lam- i - I l ah i The V o ic e o f G o d ) , N id a - i - A s m a n i t h eS o u n d f r o m H e a v e n ) , Is m -i -A z a m t h e G r e a t N a m e ) ,S a u t- i- S ar m a d i t h e I n to x i c a t in g S o u n d ) , S a u t - i- N a s i r at h e S o u n d M e l o d i ou s ), K a l am - i -M a j i d t h e G r e a t C o m -m a n d m e n t ) a n d K a l a m - i -H a q t h e V o i ce o f T r u t h ) w h i c h


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SHABD 4can be heard inside, and It was taught as Sultan-ul-Azkaror the King of prayers. W e have innumerable referencesto this Sound in the teachings of the Mohammedan fakirs:

Rise above thy mental horizon, brave soul,And listen to the call of Music coming from above.

M UL N RUMI

The whole world is reverberating with Sound,To listen to It thou must unseal thine inner ears,Then shalt thou hear an Unending Music,And that shall lead thee beyond the confines of death.

SH H NI Z

An unceasing Sound is floating down from theheaven,I wonder how ye are engaged in pursuits of no avail.

H FIZ

Drive away all scepticism from thy mind,And listen to the strains of heavenly music,And receive within thee the messages of God,For these come only by holy communion with the self.The Prophet declared that he heard the Voice of God,And it fell on his ears as clearly as any other sound,But God has sealed thy ears,And so ye listen not to His Voice. M UL N RUMI

About the Prophet Mohammed it is saidz5 hat a t the age offorty he began receiving messages from God, after he hadfor fifteen years practiced communion with Awaz-MustqimAnhad Shabd or the Ceaseless Word), and had seen the

glimpses of Truth flashes of heavenly light) for sevenyears. At one time he remained for two years in the caveof Hira in meditation.

It is further stated that the prophet practiced in the cave


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S H A B D 143U nd an d Brahmand or the subtle and cosmic regions. Bu tperfect saints, irrespective of whether they belonged toone religion or the o ther, have go ne even beyond this an dhave spoken of Sar Shabd and Sat Shabd as well, and ofregions beyond Brahmand Par-B rahm and , i.e., SachKhand, Alakh and Agam Deshas) .Shabd signifies Sound Principle

What is the sound and how is sound produced, are thenatural questions in this context. Some say that sound isproduced when two things strike, one against the other.O thers say that w here there is vibration, there is sound. Itis, of course, true that sound does follow concussion andvibration. But the Sound of which the saints speak is dif-feren t from wh at we ordinarily mean in com mon parlance.It is something very subtle and is characterized by Con-sciousness as exhibited in fecundity an d gr ow th principles.It is the very life of life that permeates in all things, vis-ible an d invisible. I t is an active an d live agent of G od he adan d may briefly be described as Go d-in-actio n. T hi s So un dPrinciple is Jnana or the real knowledge of the Rishis ofold, the Cult of Eternal Life of Zoroaster, Logos of theGreeks, Tao of the Chinese, Budhi or enlightenment ofGautam a a nd Sp hota or Sound-essence of the philoso-phers.

hun or the Sound Current is both true knowledgeand true meditation and remains indescribable allthe same.a1URU N N K

This Sound is in Its fullness in everything, though themeasure of Its manifestation may vary fr o m one th ing t o


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144 N A A M OR WORDanother . I t is even in stones and wood, apparently insen-sate things. The fact is that al l things in Nature are ofatoms an d atoms are ful l of energy as the phrase "atomicenergy" deno tes. I t is because of this energy that the ato m sare always in a state of motion and as they vibrate, anatural rhythmic sound is produced. Recent researches inscience testify to this truth.* "Change" is the law of lifeand i t does fol low vibrat ion and motion, al l of whichul t imately depend on the Sound Principle working inspace and out of space.Every second, every minute and every hour, the worldis in a state of continuous fluxScientis ts have fo un d tha t even the m ighty Himalayas a regrow ing f rom age to age . T h e g rowth may be impercep-t ib le , but surely i t is t h e r e i t may be a f ract ion of a n inchin the course of a century or so. T hu s all things in N atu reare characterized by vibration of rhythmic movement andthis in itself implies the presence therein of the SoundPrinciple, whether the things are moving visibly or not.Th is Sou nd Principle is the essence or auha r" of on e l ifein all things.

Things full or empty are yet filled with Music,See how the sound comes from out of the drumT his Sound Principle is al l -perva ding an d is the very sou lof all that exists. T his cu rren t of life-consciousne ss is s osubt le that I t cannot be heard unless one acquires t ran-scendental hearing. A mystic has beautifully described Itas follows:

Dry are the strings, the wooden body and thestretched leather,

Cf Andrews, Donald Hatch, The Harmonic Dimensions of Nature,M IN CURRENTS n Modern Thought Vol 11 No 5 May 1955.


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S H A B D 145How do they give out the divine melodies?

So un d or W o r d is in fact the Creator of t he Universe. llthis manifestation is because of Him.

Had not the Nameless assumed a name,The world would not have come into being.T h e beloved Lo rd G od has been call ing us back f ro m t imeou t of mind, but the pity i s that we d o not a t tend t o Him .

My friend is ever in converse with thee,What a pity ye listen not to the ancient call.

SH H NI ZT h e Soun d of the Friend o r Beloved (G od ) is reverber-atin g everywhere. M uslim mystic po et says of It :

All the seven heavens are echoing with the Sound,The ignorant do not hear It nor catch the strains.H FIZ

By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand;and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive.32CHRIST

T h e Sou nd is by Itself an d of Itself. In the m aterial rphysical region and materio-spiri tual realms (Pind andUnd), I t is mixed up with and enclosed by matter . TheMaster makes It manifest in the Sukhman or Shah Rag inthe region of the forehead.

Hear ye the Music in the Sukhmun and get absorbedin the unending song.Again,

And thine ears shall hear a Word behind thee saying,this is the Way, Walk ye in It, when ye turn to theright hand, and when ye turn to the left.33

IS I HFor spiri tual knowledge and self-realization, the practice


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146 N A A M OR WORof the Sound Current Shugal-i-Naghma-i-yazdani) is verynecessary, for it is by hearing the Divine Music that thesoul is pulled out of the material and mental clogs of thebody and is led to higher spiri tual regions from where theSound whose reverberations are heard below in the bodyemanates. It is a continuous a nd u nen din g Music, of wh ichMaulana Rumi says,

Catch hold of the Music that lasts through eternity,Search for the sun that never sets.Again, the people of the world are qui te ignorant of I t .A rare individual practices It after It is made manifest bysom e Master-soul.

Enter ye the temple of the body and listen to thedivine melodies,Those sitting around thee, shall not hear them.MAULANA RUM

In the noisy swirl of the work -a-day hurried l ife that w elead, we cannot hear th e soft an d gentle echoes of theMusic f loat ing down from afar . All those who pract icedthe Sound Current , in whatever t ime and in whateverclime, have spoken of these melodies, of course to theextent of their approach and mental apparatus. Even now,those persons, whether youn g o r o ld , who are put on th eWay by some competent Satguru with authori ty fromabove, do bear testimony to this sempiternal experience.

In th e Upanishad s we have an accoun t of these musicalnotes. These resemble to a certain extent the gent le m ur-m urs of the vast sea, low rum bling th un der s of t he distantclouds, the continuous splash of a waterfall , and ult i-mately merge into the sou nd of a conch, an d develop intothe blast of a t rumpet , a thundering drum, sharp viol inand a flute.34


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S H A B D 147M ahatm a Ch aran Das , in his book Bhakti Sagar, has

described ten types of melodies-the sweet wa rbling s o fbirds, the chirping of green hoppers, t inkling of bells,soun d of the go ng , conch, playing of cymbals, thund er ofclouds, the roar of a l ion, violin an d flute.

In H ath-yoga Pradipka we have an account of ten kindsof Nad, like the buzz of flower flies, tinkling of anklets,sound of conch, bel l and cymbals, f lute , drum-beat andother musical instruments, and the roar of a l ion, etc.

In Sar Bachan, Swam i Shiv Da yal Sing h Ji gives awo nderfu l account of th e divine orchestra , comprising tenmusical notes resembling w hat has been said abov e, as on eenters into Sahansdal Kanwal or the region of thousandpetaled l ights.

M adam e Blavatsky, a Russian theosophist ini t ia ted in totheosoph y in 856while in Tibet , the founder of th e T he o-sophical Society and the author of a controversial work,Isis Unv eiled, writes in her book T he Vo ice of th eSilence:

The first is like the nightingale's sweet voice chantinga song of parting to its mate. The second comes as thesound of silver cymbals of the hyanis awakening thetwinkling stars. The next is as the plaint melodies ofthe ocean spirit imprisoned in its shell. And this is fol-lowed by the chant of Vim The fifth like sound ofbamboo flute shrills in thine ear. I t changes next intoa trumpet blast. The last vibrates like the dull rum-bling of a thunder cloud.

Am ir K husro , a great scholar an d m ystic poet (disciple ofKh. Nizam-ud-Din Chisht i ) , has descr ibed these soundsthus:First is the hum of the bees and the second is thesound of anklets,


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48 N A A M OR WORDThe third is that of the conch and the fourth that of

a gong,The fifth is a trumpet-blast and the sixth that of aflute,The seventh is of a Bhir, the eighth of a mardang(drum beat) and the ninth of a Shahnai (Naferi).And the tenth doth resemble the roar of a lion,Such indeed is the Heavenly Orc hes tra, Khusro.In these ten melodies a yogin gets absorbed,The senses get stilled and so doth the mind, saithKhusro.

With the flourish of limitless Music within,All the lusts of the flesh and the deadly sins fly off,The Master too has a wonderful world of his own,Khusro is now fully engrossed within himself.S6Al l t hese melod ies come swarming wi th in as t he p i lg r ims ou l s t a rt s on t he P a t h ; bu t o f a l l the se , one m us t c a tc h t h es oun d o f a g o n g o r a c onc h f o r t he s e i n pa r ti c u la r a r e c on -nec ted wi th the h igher sp i r i t ua l r ea lms , t he va r ious man-s ions i n t he hou s e o f ou r Fa t he r ,

None knows where the abode of the Beloved is,Bu t sure enough the sound of the gong com es floatingtherefrom.H FIZ

Shabd has d iv ine melody in It :True Word emanates the melodies of Sehaj, and themind gets absorbed in Truth,Ineffable and wonderful is the Word of the Immacu-lately Pure, and only a Guru s devotee implantsI t a S 7

URU M R D S

hy d o we n o t hear the Sound P r i nc i p l e ?Though Shabd i s eve r r eve rbe ra t ing in each one o f us ,

w e d o n o t h ea r It . T h e re a son f o r th i s is no t ha r d t o f ind .


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SHABDSo lon g as the m ind s tuff i s in a s ta te of perp e tua l s t or mand s t ress , i s torn by count less conf l ic t ing pass ions anddes i res , feeds fa t on the food of egot i sm, and i s tossedab ou t on th e endless waves of wor ld ly l i fe , i t cann ot pos-s ibly catch the s low and subl ime rhythmic vibrat ions ofthe sub t l e Soun d , nor acqu ire any love fo r I t .

As long as the mind is in a state of perpetual fluxand unrest, and is filled with thoughts of I-am-ness,habd fails to impart its sweet fragrance and aamfails to inspire love and a t t r a c t i ~ n . ~ ~

GURU R M D SMaulana Rumi l ikewise says :

Your ears cannot listen to the Music of the Sound;Perverted as you are, you have lost the very sense ofhearing.In the GospeI of S t . Mat thew, Chr is t says :

For this peoples' heart is waxed gross, and their earsare dull of hearing, an d their eyes they have closed;lest any time they should see with their eyes, andhear with their ears, and should understand withtheir heart, and should be converted and I shouldheal them.39Shabd is the Voice of G o d an d H is p r ima l m ani fes ta t ion .I t is pe rvad ing eve rywhere in a nd ou t of space .The Word of the Master shows the Way to God-r e a l i ~ a t i o n . ~ ~

GURU N N KTh is Soun d Pr inc ip le has o f t en been re fe r red to a s Ban ias we l l :

ani has been reverberating through the four ages,Emanating from Truth , I t sings of T r ~ t h . ~ 'GUR U M R D S


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15 NAAM OR WORDThe Bani pervades everywhere. I t i s known as Shabd orN aa m , and has sweetness in I t .

In every age, ani has been known as Shabd,Sweet is the Naam and mind longs for it.42GURU AMAR DAS

W h a t a p i ty for the J iva , c logged as i t is and hemm ed inby mind and matter on all sides, has lost the angel in himand as such cannot listen to the subt le and subl ime So undof the Beloved.

Alas Ye are imprisoned behind the walls of thefinitude (body and bodily adjuncts),And listen not to the sublime Sound of the M erciful.MAULANA RUM

This sound i s an e ternal cal l for a re turn home:There comes a perpetual call from afar,Calling thee back to thine own home.TULSI SAHIB

T h e Sublime Sou nd canno t of course be heard by the phys-ical ears . T he re is a way fo r our l is tening to the divineM usic which can be heard by the inn er faculty of transcen -dental hearing, and this can be t rained, developed andpressed into service through the grace of some Master-soul ; for no am oun t of w or ld ly know ledge, wisdom an dingenuity can he lp in this. T h ou g h science has no t yet beenable to probe into this mystery, yet i t can be resolved andexperience d by actua l experim entation in the laboratory ofthe Self wi th the inst ruct ion and guidance of the Saints .T h e results of recent scientific investigations have n owrevealed the presence of rhythmic motion even in atoms,and scientific findings are every day coming closer toreality.


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SHABD 5H ow can we listen t the Sound Principle

T h e next natural question is how the Shab d can be con-tacted and attuned with. The saints tell us that we canlisten to the Sound Principle if we can introvert and sto plistening to the outer sounds of the world around us. Inothe r words, we must lea rn to recede in to our own Self bya process of inversion and become a Pure Self by releasingthe sou l from the prison of the facts of life, befo re we canqualify th e Self fo r Self-realization, which com es by lis ten -ing to the Sound Current. A holy communion with andpractice of the Sound gradually disenfranchises the soulof all that is of the w orld an d reveals the cult of love , lifeand light that is at the back of all creation. W e have, inbrief, to stop the energy flowing out through the sense-orga ns, particularly th e eyes, ears, an d to ng ue an d concen-trate it at the still-point in the body, the center of the sou l,leaving the mind high and dry, before we can listen t o theMusic of the soul in Its fullness.

Close down the three outlets and attend to the cease-less Music,Nanak in the deep silence of the soul, there s aperpetual light with no sunrise and sunset.48Kabir says:

Close down thine eyes, ears and mouth,And hear ye the unending melody of the Shabd.Shah Niaz tells us:

Sound is pervading the whole world in Its fullness,Ye can surely listen to It with transcendental hearing,This ye can do by closing the outer bodily ears,For surely then shall ye hear the endless song,


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52 NAAM OR WORAnd It shall take you beyond th sway of destructionand dissolution.

Apart from the physical senses, we have with us subtlesenses much more powerful than the physical . At presentthese subt le senses are lying dormant and unused. Theycan, by regular practice, be wakened into consciousnessand pressed into use in the ast ral world, where we canwitness and experience supra-mental pat terns and colorsjust as we do on the physical plane; nay, with much moreclar ity and understanding than we d o here.Along with the five physical senses, we are endowedwith five subtle senses as well,These are of solid gold when compared with theothers of copper.

MAULANA RUMShabd can thus be heard by the ears of thought. Both thesoul and the Shabd are of the same spir i tual essence andas such soul can, witho ut the aid of physical senses, ap pr e-hend the subt le Sound.

Soul is of the essence of God and is His very own Self,And It can sing His praises in an unspoken lan-guage without any outer aids tongue, lips orpalate).In the holy Koran also i t is stated that soul is the fiat ordecree of G o d . It is His authorization th at pervades every-where, u pho lding th e sky and th e ear th an d al l that exists .Where does Shabd dwell a n d h o w c an It be con tac ted?

There are ten portals of the body, of which nine arevisible while the tenth is invisible.The citadel of the body has nine open doorways,while the tenth is closely shut in secret,


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SH BD 53None can have access through the tenth, the Way in

except through practice of the Guru's Word.GURU M R D S

Enter ye in at the Strait gate: for wide is the gate andbroad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, andmany there be which go in thereat: because straitis the gate and narrow is the Way, wbich leadethunto life, and few there be that find it.45

Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I sayunto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not beable.4e

CHRIST

As long as the soul is wandering in and out of the nineportals of the body, it is always unwillingly being drainedof its secret energy or Johar. With this constant flow ofenergy outside, it remains a complete stranger to the Real-ity within its own self and does not know the latent poten-tialities of Godhood lodged in its very nature.

whore (mind ridden soul) madly in love with thenine portals can hardly get to Reality.'l

IC BIRGuru Amar Das also advises that we should close downour nine portals, still the mind and then tap inside (asEmerson p h s it) and push our way into the mansion ofthe Beloved from where unceasing Music is flowing downday and night, which can be contacted through the practiceenjoined by a Master-soul.

Closing down the nine doors, seek ye the tenth thatleads to thy True Home,

There the ceaseless Music plays round the clock andcan be heard through the Master's Dispen~ation.'~

GURU M R D S


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54 N A A M OR WORGuru Nanak describes this so beautifully:

Sukhmana Ida and Pinglu cannot be known unlessthe Inconceivable makes one conceive,Nanak the True Master makes the Word audibleby bringing one above the three.'O

This means tha t one cannot fu l ly commune wi th the W o r dof th e Tr u e Master unless on e completely transcends bodyconsciousness. In the realm of mind and matter, as far asthe f ive tat twas reign supreme, the Sound Current worksthrough them for the benefit of the physical creation; butbeyond them is the Word in I ts primordial form unal-loyed by any of these things.

T h e Sound Principle stands by I tself an d is indep ende ntof everything for It is self-existing. The siddhas onceasked Guru N anak,

Where does the Sound abide that ferries us across thocean of delusive matter?Whereon stand the Pranas (vibrations), as they ex-tend out ten fingers from the nostrils?Guru Nanak thus repl ied,

The Sound Principle abides in us; though indescrib-able, yet I find It immanent everywhere,The Pranas are rooted in the region of silence, but thSound Principle is All-pervasive in Its fullness andis self-existent.60Shabd is the very l ife of ou r l ife. It is a pa rt of ou r beingand we cannot do wi thout I t even for a s ingle moment .But we cannot contact It unless we rise above body con-sciousness.Search for the Sound (the soul essence) in the body,and thou shalt be saved,


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S H A B D 155By devotion to the Master, enjoy perpetual peace,for in me is Sound, the crest jewel of all virtues.61

N N KO u r hum an body is a receiving set for catching the Sou ndCurrent and l ike a radio, has to be adjusted properly tobring i t in tune with the ethereal waves. The Master , atthe t ime of ini tiat ion, connects the spir i t within with th elowest l ink of the All-pervading Sound and this contactcan be d eveloped by day t o day pract ice, to any len gth o n emay like.Sound and Light

In the w orld there are tw o things tha t serve as guides toa weary traveler on a lonesome journey in a pitch darknight ; to wit, Sound and Light (Kalam and N u r) . Theseare the two aids also on the Path of Spirituality. Each ofthem has I ts own purpose . W e have the divine Light in usand f rom w i th in t emanates Sound, and the tw o togetherhave been described as Flam ing Sound or So unding Flame.

The mind when attuned with the Sound becomesdetached and gets engrossed,In the heart of the Light within is a delectable Sound,that makes one fully absorbed in G o d s 2GURU N N K

Incomprehensible is the real thing.s3GURU RJ N

Without the Light of Shabd, darkness prevails within,Nor do we get to the Reality, nor end with the g y r e ~ . ~GU RU M R D S

Without Shabd it is all darkness,With Shabd manifested, the world came into being.ssGURU R M D S


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S NAAM OR WORDAll life and all power come from It. From the sun to thecandle flame, all l ight comes from this grand powerhouse.The energy of the scientist and the pranas of the yoginsare but manifestations of this life-stream which, like elec-tricity in the air, is all-pervading and all-powerful.

In Him was life; and the life was the light of man.And the light shineth n darkness; and the darknesscomprehendeth it not.

That was the true Light, which lighteth every manthat cometh into the world. He was in the worldand the world was made by Him, and the worldknew Him not.6

ST J O NSt. Augustine tells us of the manifestation in him of theLight in this way:

I entered even into my inward self. Thou being myGuide and able as I was: for Thou were becomemy helper. And I entered and beheld with the eyeof my soul (such as t was), above the same eye ofmy soul above my mind, the Light Unchangeable.Not this ordinary light which all flesh may lookupon, nor as it were a greater of the same kind, asthough the brightness of this should be manifoldbrighter, and with its greatness take up all space.Not such was the light but other, yea, far otherfrom all these. He that knows the Truth, knowswhat that Light is and he that knows It, knowsEternity.

Sant Kabir tells us that the soul without Shabd is blindand does not know the Path:

Without the Word one is blind and knows not theWay,With no way out, one endlessly wanders in the gyres.

Thousands of years ago, Zoroaster taught the worship of


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SH BD 157the cult of Vital Fire and even today we see its traces inthe symbolic fire that the Parsis keep burning in theirhomesteads. Gautama when h e became Buddha or theEnlightened One taught th e Path of L ife to his followers.

All the Prophets of th e East or the W est w ho practicedthe process of inversion and recession or withdrawal ofth e Soul Current at will speak of both th e experiences ofLight and Sound. As soul proceeds on the spiritual pathth e gazing faculty precedes th at of the hearing fo r lightis faster than sound.Soul though imprisoned by mind and matter is yetendowed with the gift of subtle faculties of seeing andhearing independent of the sense organs; and when onedevelops them both on e can withd raw the l ife-currentfrom the body and then can move freely on to higherspiritual realms thereby escaping forever fro m th e bond -age of the wo rld.

With the guidance of the gazing faculty shall reachSat LokSW MI SHIVD Y L SINGH

In the beginning Light appears first and Sound comesafterwards. In practice we d o Simran and Dh yan in thebeginning the reason being that these prepare the groundfor further development. Though each has I ts own indi-vidual purpose yet both of them are practiced fo r theadvent of Sound or Shabd from where the real helpcomes. Shabd then is the control keystone in the archwayof Simran an d Dh yan the two sides of the arch. Ag ain inth e spiritual journey there come stages wh ere the soulgets bewildered in th e blinding Light th at descends arou ndit from all s ides and there nothing but th e Sound helpsto pull it through.


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58 N A A M OR WORDAnd thine ears shall hear a Word behind thee,Saying this is the Way, walk ye in it.67

I S I HAgain, there are s tages on the Way where ut ter darknessprevails and there are regions of deep silence and solem-nity where one is s truck with awe and dismay, and theretoo, the glorious Voice of God comes to the rescue as anuner ring guid e an d a never fai ling fr ien d, saying,

Everyman, I will go with thee, and be thy guide,In thy most need to go by thy side. EVERYM N

T h e importance of soun d as a guid ing factor is recognizedo n al l hands. A traveler o n a desolate plain in a dark nightwith no habitation in sight, anxiously and wistfully triesto catch some soun d, maybe the bark of some distant do g,wherewith to guide his weary footsteps in the right direc-t ion; for the bark announces to him the proximity of somewayside hutments and encourages him on til l he reachesthem . So do benighted stragglers try to catch the clap trapof a horse s hoof or the tinkling of a bell roun d an an i-mal s neck. T his is the po wer of soun d; unfai l ing an ddeadly sure as it is, it acquires even more significance inthe inner journey of the soul.Shabd and Tru th are Synonymous

Shabd is noth ing but A bsolute and A bstract T ru th in I tsconcrete form . It is a n eternal an d uncha nging principle ofG od s Power, working out His d iv ine Wi l l in a l l d irec-t ions. Like Truth I tself , I t was in the beginning wherethere was no thing else, I t was th e beginning of each cycleof creation and It shall exist forever and forever.

Guru Nanak tel ls of I t as fol lows:


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SH BD 59The Word is the only symbol of Truth,And can be known and experienced through a perfectMaster.68

Guru Amar Das and Guru Arjan say of I t :ani or habd is Truth personified,love this Truth with all your heart and

URU M R D SListen, friend, to the all-pervading Voice of God,The Master has given you all True Word of God.60

URU R J N

Shabd is the ater of LifeAgain, Shabd is the W at er of Life, that gives us imm or-

tality and blesses us with life everlasting.tell you most solemnly, whoever keeps my Wordwill never see deatho1

If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.He that believeth in me . . out of his belly shall flowrivers of Living Water.6ZCHRIST

On ce Jesus when passing th rou gh Samaria came t o Jacob'sW el l an d sa t there awhi le when a Samaritan w oman cameto d raw w ater an d Jesus asked for a drink. But Samari tanas she was, she hesitated t o deal with a Jew, and there upo nJesus said to her, If thou knewest the gif t of G od , an dwho i t is that sayeth to thee, give me to drink, thouwoulds t have asked of Him , and H e would have giventhee Living Water . .

Whosoever drinketh of the water that shall give imshall never thirst but the water that shall give imshall be in him a well of water springing up intoeverlasting life.6s

CHRIST


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16 NAAM OR W O R DIn the Book of Jeremiah we have:

For my people have forsaken me, the fountain ofLiving water^.^'In the Sikh scriptures we have:

The Word of the Master is an elixir that does awaywith all desires,The mind gets dyed in Truth and is forever absorbedin Him.66

GURU M R D S

W ith ou t Shabd the who le world is in s tark ignorance an dlife goes in vain. It is only a devotee of the Master w ogets access to the W at er of Life.

The world is in ignorance of Shabd and life is value-less indeed,anak Shabd alone is the true elixir, and a devoteeof the Master gets It.66GURU RAM D S

T h e well of the W at er of Life l ies within us, bu t attachedas we are to the mind, we d o not know of I t nor par takeof I t . Like a deer with musk hidden in i ts navel, we searchfor I t outside al l our l i fe and die in the at tempt.

Within the body the Water of Life is surging in full-ness, but the mind-ridden do not taste It;With musk in its navel, the deer kills himself in end-less search for it ~ i t h o u t . ~ '

GURU R M D SThe stream of life is gushing within, and by means ofShabd one can approach I t and par take of I t

The fount of the Water of Life is bubbling to thebrim,One who is really athirst can get to It by followingthe

GURU M R D S


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S H A B D 6Shabd is the essence of all worship

All our endeavors, practices and rituals are to achieveShabd. The devot ion to Shabd is acceptable to God, andH e grants us Salvat ion thereby.

The devotion is that of the Shabd.BBGURU M R D S

The practice of the M aster s Word is the essence ofall worship.T0GURU N N K

N ot hi ng but th e pract ice of the Shabd leads to the Reali ty.O n e canno t , by any means, get ou t of th e wor ld of at tach-ments. In this context G ur u N an ak says:

In this world true devotion is that of Shabd,Without Shabd, one remains an egoisticGURU N N K

I n the presen t age-Kali Yuga-the w ors hip th at is ac-ceptable to God is that of Shabd.

In Kali Yuga communion with the Word is the trueKirtan.It is the true devotion by which ye shall escape allI - n e s ~ . ~ ~GURU M R D S

I t is with Shabd that a J iva is t ransformed from clay intogo ld and f r o m fi lth into a pu re crystal .

By listening to the Word of the Master, one turnsfrom brittle glass into solid gold,By tasting the Word of the Master one is transformedfrom poison into Nectar.73GURU R M D S

In this way one reaps the ful l benef i t of his human bir th.


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162 N A A M O R W O R DBy contact with the True Word, a devotee earns hismerit.The light of the soul dawns within and he lives in

perpetual ecstasy.74URU M R D S

Shabd is ident ical wi th Hukam and Naam. In fact , al lthese words mean the Expression or Power of God

He who accepts His Will, is acceptable to Him,With the help of the Master's Shabd, know ye theN a a t ~ . ~ ~ auRu M R D S

Shab d is Soma R as, very sweet a n d delicious:Sweet is the Word of the Master,Such an elixir one 6nds within.76

URU N N K

Shabd is an inexhaustible treasure and ever remains full .So long as His mercy lasts, the stream of life c nnever run dry,Nanak Shabd is inexhaustible, distribute I t as thou

URU RJ NShab d is Limitless an d All-pervading. T h e angel of dea thcannot com e near I t .

Thou art the Omniscient friend and Thou alone cancontact us,U praise to the W ord of the Guru , It is boundlessindeed,Even the Angel of Death cannot reach where thelimitless Word prevails.78

URU N N KShabd is Al l -pervading an d Im m anen t :


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S H A B DThe Sun of Shabd illumined all the Four AgesA devotee alone meditates on the Bani.T8

GURU N N K

Shabd spreads in Its fullness everywhere:Consider not that Hari is far offHe is the nearest of the nearHe is ever in attention with eyes and earsAnd spreads everywhere in fullness.80GURU AMAR DAS

Shabd or Hukam is the Control l ing Power of God:Thy Command Hukam ) holds Its sway on all sidesThy Word Naarn) reverberates everywhereShabd is immanent in allThe true God meets us if Thou so ~ r d a i n e t h . ~ ~

GURU NANAKShabd abides in the holy temple of the body and as suchmay be fou nd therein:

Search for Shabd in the temple of the bodyAnd get to the precious Naam thereimS2GURU A M A R DAS

Shabd can be contacted in the body by a process of inver-sion and self-analysis:

Discipline the body to cross over the ocean of lifeAnd meditate on the Essence of the SoulThe devotion to the Master grants perpetual ecstasyThe Shabd of all virtues dwells within in a b u n d a n ~ e . ~ ~

GURU NANAKG uru Na nak tells us of the abo de of S habd:

Cross over the Sukhmana, leaving Ida and Pinglaaside to comprehend the IncomprehensibleFar above these three the True Master manifests theShabd.84GURU NANAK


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4 NAAM OR WORDH o w t o c on ta ct Shabd

1) By the Grace of God. God may, in His mercy,manifest S habd in whom ever H e l ikes.

By His glance of Grace, Shabd becomes manifestwithin, dispelling all skepticism,The body and the mind both get purified and the pureSound of Bani the Naam) is implanted in theheart.85GURU N N K

None can understand Thee unless Thou doeth it forone,None can meet Thee unless Thou so decreeth,Then one sings of the Bani through Shabd all the time,And remains absorbed in the True One.88GURU M R D S

Tho se who come wi thin th e ambi t of H is favor , for themShabd is minted in His t rue mint and they alone engagein the practice of Naam.

Only in such a mint, can man be cast into the Word,But they alone who are favored by Him can takeunto this Path.Nanak, o n whom He looks with grace, He fills witheverlasting peace.87GURU N N K

2 ) By the grace of Sant Satguru and Sat Sangat. Godmay, in His inimitable mercy, lead one to His ac-credited representative on earth who l inks the soulwith Shabd by making Shabd manifest within.

In the fullness of time, He leads one to a SatguruThen one takes to the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga.88The Perfect Master makes the Shabd manifest,Rising above the three Gunas one rests in T u r i y ~ . ~ ~


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S H A B D 65Satguru, the greatest Donor, manifests the Shabd,And then all restlessness ceases and one gets eternalrest.@O

GURU AMAR DASG uru is W o r d pe rson if ied, W o r d m ade flesh, and h e a lonecan make i t manifest . I t is , in fact , the gif t of the Guruan d no on e e lse can h e lp in the mat te r .

Why hold back what one holds in trust?There can be no peace until the trust is discharged,The Word of the Master can be implanted only by theMaster,No one else can make the Word manife~t.~GURU RAM DAS

Shabd is an unspoken language emanat ing of I t se l f f romG od , and l ike Him, the Mas te r impar ts the Power of G o din an unspoken language . In th i s con tex t Maulana Rumisays:The Master, like God, acts without any outer aids,And imparts knowledge to disciples in an unspokenlanguage.T h e Master , a t the t ime of in i t ia t ion, explains the w on -d r ous and f or m le ss W o r d , and then , w i th t he l eve r o f H i so w n l i fe- impulse , raises the spi ri t u p an d contac ts the in i ti -a t e w i th t he Naam .

3) By c om plete self -surrender a t the f ee t o f th e Mas te rin al l humili ty af ter cast ing away the pr ide of bir thand caste , r iches and possessions, knowledge andwisdom.

At once rid thyself of the pride of knowledge andpenances,Take a single draught of the intoxicating wine.

HAFIZ


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66 NAAM OR W O R DSo long a s the soil is not ready a nd the seeds are n ot sow nin season, they do not bear any fruit. Similarly, until thethorns and thistles of l ife are weeded out of the mind, i tcannot be stil led. However, It grows gradually domesti-cated by the practice of the Shabd, and in course of timegets rarefied or etherealized and comes to acquire single-mindedness with the result tha t the Light of Heav en comesto be reflected therein.

So long the mind is swayed by passions,It is full of all kinds of pride and prejudices,It can neither relish Shabd nor love Naam OzURU M R D S

So inner cleanliness is far more important than outercleanliness, for without it one can hardly make any pro-gress on the Path.Devotion t Shabd: What it s

T o at tend and l is ten wi th a s ingle mind to the D h u nAtmak Shabd within is devotion of the right type. Shabdis highly subtle, and until we rise to the same level ofsubtlety we can not possibly grasp or take h old of it . Shabdor t he P ower of G o d is all-pervading in all-consciousness,an d if ou r spirit, which is of the sam e essence as Go d, getscontact with Shabd, i t is a contact with God; for God isnot different from His Power Shabd).

A contact with Shabd is contact with God,It is the crowning fruition of ll e n d e a v ~ r s . ~URU M R D S

In order to establish a contact with Shabd, ~t i s necessarythat the soul m ust first free itself fro m the prison ho use offinite existence. It is only a p erfect M aster w ho can e nab leit to break throu gh the bond age of mind a nd matter, raise


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68 N A A M O R W O R DA slave of the senses knows not the Word and loseshis self-respect,And he finds no delight in the Shabd as he remains

engaged in the sensual pursuits.08 GURU AMAR DASShabd What It oes

Sha bd is All-consciousness. It is just a w ave in th e sea ofconsciousness. Man is a drop of the Ocean of God, andboth are of the same spir i t . While one is the Ocean, theother is the wave and the third is a drop of All-consciousGod. The wave of conscious Shabd cannot but , l ike apow erful magn et , att ract and draw to I tself the consciousdr op of the spir it . Th e spir i t f inds n o rest unt il , r iding u po nthe Sound Current , i t reaches the heavenly home of theFather and at tains salvat ion. The sound is surging in I tsful lness and the spir i t needs but to contact I t to r ise aboveall l imitat ions into the l imitless eternity.Surat and Shabd are naturally related to each other.Shabd is characterized by Light and Sound principles,wherew ith the mind gets st il led an d the spiri t, f reed fr omthe clutches of th e mind , is irresistibly draw n by the S hab dand i s taken to her nat ive home f rom where the SoundCurrent is emanat ing . On the o ther hand, those wh o takeup pract ices involving Pranas cannot go beyond the fron-tiers of Prana w hich extend to the m ental or astral heavenCh idakash ) . But a Shab d-yogin can g o freely, openly a nd

honorably to wherever he likes, because Shabd pervadeseverywhere without any l imitat ions, and reach the t ruehome of his Father.

My God is everywhere and at ll times,And becomes manifest by practice of Shabd.88GURU AMAR DAS


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S H A B D 69Shabd is the means of finding God. A contact with theShabd means contact with God.

communion with the Word is union with God,And ll endeavors then get crowned with success.100GURU M R D S

Shabd is the only way that leads to the True King.In the living soul is the Life of life (Shabd)Which becomes an usher to the great King.lol

GURU R M D S

Shabd is the Way that leads to Reality. It is a barque thatcan take the Jiva safely across the sea of matter to themansion of the Lord.

T h e Absolute Go d and the spi r it a long wi th Shabd, theconne cting link betwen the two, constitute the holy trinity,for the same Power of God is working simultaneously inall the three. The spirit in man has no separate existenceindependent of God.

Kabir the spirit is of the essence of God.IoZK BIR

Though all spirits are of One Reality, yet each one of thespirits feels that it has a sepa rate existence.

Sach Khand or the Kingdom of God is wi th in us butnone can enter therein without proper guidance. For ad-mittance thereto, we must invert and become a little childin innocence an d puri ty, for then we can catch the savinglifeline of Shabd which leads Godward. By communionwith Shabd, we are f reed from pleasure and pain , mindand matter, and rise above the pairs of opposites , andattain liberation from the cycle of births a nd d eaths.Shabd is the live and conscious Life-current of Godwhich has both created the world and sustains it . It is the


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72 NAAM R WORWithout the aid of Shabd the soul wanders blindfoldin ignorance and knows not the Way out.

K BIR

All sages and seers have counted upon Shabd as the onlymeans of salvation. But one cannot take hold of the l ife-l ine of the S oun d Current witho ut ini t ia t ion into th e eso-teric teachings of the Masters from a competent l ivingM aster-soul an d pract icing th e process of soul-withdrawalat the st i l l point in the body between and behind the twoeyebrows. This is moving from the circumference of l i feto the center of l i fe an d f rom here the soul fol lowing thelead of the So un d Principle proceeds to her native hom ethe Mansion of G od the source and founta inhead of thedivine Melody Itself.

Shab d thus leads us to an altogether new life-life ofth e spiri t as distinguished fro m the l ife of the flesh. Ch risttoo taught of this new life which our Christian brethrenhave forg otten w ith the lapse of t ime. St. Joh n in hisGo spe l tells us

Verily verily I say unto thee except a man be bornagain he cannot see the kingdom of God.Verily verily I say unto thee except a man be bornof water and of the spirit he cannot enter into thekingdom of G od . Tha t which is born of the flesh isflesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit.Marvel not that I said unto thee ye must be bornagain.The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearestthe sound thereof but canst not tell whence itcom eth and whither it goeth; so is everyone that isborn of the spirit.lo8 CHRIST

In the Book of Ezekiel we have:


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S H A B D 173new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit willI put within you and I will take away the stonyheart out of your flesh and I will give you an heartof flesh.lo4

T his new life of the spirit begins from th e day of initiationinto the mysteries of the spirit, call it what you like:

Deeksha as the H ind us do , Baet as the M uslims say,Baptism as it is kno w n am on g the Ch ristians, or Pahul

as among the Sikhs. The Vedic seers gave i t the name ofDuey Janama which literally means second birth. T h elife of the spirit begins not with the theoretical exposition

of th e spiritual science bu t by a practical dem on stration o nthe spiri tual plane of the spiri t-current made manifest .Here the invisible and inaudible l ife-stream is made bothvisible and audible to the spiri t within, converting theatheist into a theist in the true sense of the term. It isimparting the l ife-impulse and making It throb in everypore of the body. This coming back of the soul to therealization of her true nature and rising into Universal orCosmic awareness beyond the walls of finitude is trueresurrection or com ing to a new bir th and a new l i fe . T odie in the body wh ile l iving, is to l ive in the spiri t .

St. Pau l describes it thus:I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not

I but Christ liveth in me.lo6The life of the flesh and the l ife of the spiri t are twodistinct an d sep arate things, exclusive of each other. T hi sis why it is said,

He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that losethhis life for my sake, shall find it.lo6CHRIST


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174 N A A M OR W O R DGuru Nanak speaks of i t :

The birth in the Master releases one from the cycleof t ran~rn igra t ions .~~~A m ong the M uslims it is called Fana-fil-Sheikh o r D ea th

in the Master which is just the same thing as Birth in theMaster for this death is but the beginning of a new life.

Shabd thus takes us out of the ignorance which charac-terizes both mind and matter, purifies us through andth rough and g ives u s a new l ease on l i f e t h e li fe of t hespirit, wh ich is unc han ging an d eternal-as on e breaksaway once and for a l l f rom the body and boddy at tach-ments , and sees the new world without the help of theouter eyes.

Communion with the A ll-pervading Word of theMaster is the highest virtue,And takes one to his native land to drink the elixirof life and to see the new world without the helpof the outer eyes.lu8

URU R M D ST h e early m orn ing hou rs are best suited for practice of theSo un d Principle, for the mind is yet fresh ou t of slee p an dhas n ot yet wa ndered in to the daily routine of t he physicallife.

In the early morning hours, commune with the Wordleaving aside ll attachments,Nanak would like to be the slave of His slave whoengaged in the Word and won what s lost to theAt the ambrosial hour of the early dawn,Be ye in communion with the divine Word,And meditate on His glory.l1

GURU N N K


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S H A B D 175Shabd: ts blessings

Shabd brings in untold blessings. It is the powerhouseof all energy or force in any for m , from Pranas dow n toelectricity and magnetism. Every form of life is the mani-festation of S hab d. All that is, is of Shabd an d n oth ing istha t is n ot of Shabd-life-current pulsa ting in an d o u t ofspace. Tho se w ho co mm une with Shabd and live in a nd byShabd are verily the children of the Supreme One, the lifeof life and the light of light. Shabd is the very Bread ofLife which comes down from Heaven for al l those whohung er after righteousness an d the very Wa ter of Life forthose w ho thirs t after Self-knowledge an d G od-k now l-edge. T ru e love, wisdom an d power are the greatest gif tsthat one gets by basking in the sun shine of H eaven s L ight.

1 M ind grow s docile an d is purified of the lusts of th eflesh. T he re is no remedy to con trol th e oscillations of th eever-restless mind. O n e may resort t o all the k now n m eth-ods-to w it, penances and austerities, rites an d rituals,fasts and vigils, pilgrimages and circumambulations, puri-ficatory baths in the holy rivers, charitable and philan-throp ic acts-but can not thereby achieve inne r peace. O nthe contrary, all these help in developing the egotisticinstinct which is the root cause of all evil. Sage Vashisht,while teaching R ama, told him that he could for a m omentbelieve that one had lifted the mighty Himalayas, or haddrunk the oceanic waters to the lees, but the sage wouldnever believe it if any one were to say tha t he had sub du edth e mind. But by listening to th e So und Current one is ridof all Karm ic impressions of the past. T h e contact with theShabd acts as a spark of fire that burns do w n all impu ritiesof the mind as a heap of hay is bu rnt d ow n to ashes in an


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176 NAAM O R W O R Dinstant. T h e storehouse of unfructified K arm as is blow noff like a powde r-ma gazine, an d once released of this gi-gant ic load , the mind and soul get a t tuned wi th theHeavenly Music, lost to the world around l ike a mothbefore a candle.

Mind runs after pleasurable sensations, most of whichfal l in to two groups: form s and pat terns o n the on e handand sweet symphonies of sound on the other. The Shabdto o has bo th these characteristics-the heav enly M elo dya n d the divine Light-and once tha t Soun d or Light prin -ciple becomes manifest, mind is paralyzed, losing all faithin the transitory charms of the world that gradually losetheir glamour and grow dull , insipid and l i feless .

With a draught of the Water of Life the mind growsstill , for there is no other remedy to stil l i t but that ofcommuning w i th the Sou nd Current .

Without the Word of the Master, the mind remainsrestless.lllOur restless mind becomes steady when engrossed nthe Shabd,And this is the highest worship and the greatestvirtue.112URU N N K

By practice of the S hab d, ripples cease to float o n th e lakeof the mind.

ll the oscillations of the mind cease with the practiceof the Shabd and it gets pacified of i t ~ e l f . ~URU M R D S

Mind keeps running n sp ace-h ig h and low-so longas it does not come in contact with the Shabd. 'URU N N K

Shabd is sharper than a two -edg ed razor a nd cuts asunde r


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SHABD 177all attachments of the world, conquers the five passionsand frees one of bondage from al l that one holds dear;and the spiri t when freed, fl ies unfettered toward hernative Ho m e in H eaven.

Being rid of the five deadly sins, one remains en-grossed in the Lord.l16KABIR

2. Shabd is the remedy for egotism from which all theworld suffers.

Egotism is the greatest ll oppressing all,Without Shabd, one cannot get rid of t is malady.ll6GURU AMAR DAS

Egotism is an age-old disease but it can be remedied bypract ice of the Master ' s Word.

Egotism is an age-old disease and its remedy too lieswithin,Should the Lord so favor, one takes to the practice ofthe Master's Word."'

GURU NANAKThe poison of egotism is rendered ineffective by theShabd of the Master.'ls

GURU AMAR DAS

Nanak Shabd burns away eg~ ti sr n ." ~GURU NANAK

Shamas Tabrez also prescribes medicine of Shabd to cureone of his egotism:

When thou shalt hear the trumpet-blast,Thou shalt be rid of all pride and passions,When the harmonious sound shall fall on thy ears,Thou shalt be freed from the life of the senses.

3 Shabd brings in inner peace and satiety. Everyone is


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78 NAAM OR WORDin desperate search for peaceful rest and repose but doesnot get it. All the comforts of the flesh are but pleasuresof an evanescent nature, floating like the clouds in the sky.The sensations which seem pleasurable for awhile are theresult of our own fixity of attention and apart from thathave no real and independent existence. Our case is likethat of a dog who while munching a dry bone hurts hismouth, and his own blood trickles down his palate to histongue giving him relish and he is deluded into the beliefthat all this is from the dry bone.Spirit or soul is a conscious entity. It cannot possiblyderive or get any happiness from inert, material and life-less things-that is, things in which the life-principle is ina dormant or a latent state. It is only from the fount ofhigher consciousness that the spirit can get her food andsustenance. The Sound Current which the Master makesaudible is an active life-principle (stream of life), andcontact and communion with It gives the soul real happi-ness and bliss.

The practice of the Master s Word grants immunityfrom ll ailments,And the devotee of the Master is freed from llsufferings.120 URU M R D S

Shabd has an exhilarating and exulting influence whichcharms the body and mind, both of which acquire ineffableserenity:

The ires of lusts play havoc wit in but the Masterlets in a stream of refreshing Music,Hearing which the body and the mind feel blessedand are saved from all maladies.121URU R M D S


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SHABD 79The Master s Word is an ocean of serenity,It is the Path of salvation and destroys all egotism. 22

URU N N K

When a soul contacts Shabd, it gets saturated in the Powerof God and feels truly blessed.

The contact of Shabd with soul produces joy supreme,A dip in the Power of God gives true happiness.123

URU N N KDay and night, an unceasing bliss descends,When one remains devoted to the great Word.12

URU R M D SThe Word of the Master is a source of great hap-

piness,Blessed indeed is the bride (soul) that lives saturated

with love of the Be10ved.l~~URU RJ N

4 In the Sikh scriptures, one reads of innumerablebenefits that accrue from Shabd.

Shabd kills, root and branch, all longings and desires,mental vibrations and subtle attachments.

Shabd extinguishes the fires of desires,And quietly. drives away all de1usi0ns.l~~

Shabd singes all aspirations and cravings,And one remains attuned with the Lord.lZ7URU N N K

Shabd bums down all material longings and attach-ments,

The body and the mind live in eternal peace in loveof the Master.lZ8

URU M R D SWhen once the life-stream becomes audible, one neverfeels lonely; for he hears its reverberations wherever he


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18 N A A M OR WORDmay be, a t hom e or abroad. Th e Voice of G od keepsreminding him of the t ru e hom e of his Father . T h e prac-t ice of the Sound Principle rids one of al l t roubles andafflictions, the five deadly passions, the lusts of the fleshan d of the m ind, leaving the soul in prist ine transparen cy,detached from all that is of the world and worldly. Shabdis the supporting staff both in the journey of this life andof th e l ife hereafter. W it h the experience of transcendencebeyond the confines of the body, one becomes fearless ofdeath; and when the al lot ted span of worldly existencecomes to an en d, he throw s off, once and f or al l , the m ortalcoils of the flesh, as easily an d hap pily as o n e does his ol dand worn out garments , and is f reed from the cycle ofb i r ths and deaths and goes openly and honorably to h ishome in heaven.

T h e prac tice of and comm union w i th the W o rd b r ingsin heaven s l igh t an d on e feels divinely blessed. I t givesintui t ive knowledge of the Self and God and one experi -ences within himself the integral realization of the soul asone common l i fe-principle extending everywhere, in andaround him, without any barr iers and l imitat ions of t imeand space, for al l l i fe is one, from eternity to eternity,i rrespective of th e many form s an d pat terns thro ug h whichit may manifest . The moment one rises into the Timeless,he himself becomes timeless. This in fact is true medita-t ion a nd t rue devot ion leading to the t rue love of G o d an dHis creat ion, his own self exp and ing and coinciding withthat of his Creator. This is Jivan-mukti or salvation whilel iving in the w orld , like a lotus flower, abov e an d al of t inthe muddy pool in which i t stands, unaffected by the dirtor squalor of the water below. W o e betide those w ho d onot get contact with Shabd, for they ever remain between


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S H A B D 8the millstones of G od s negative Power an d endlessly g ou p an d dow n in the giant W he el of crea tion, according tothe merit and demerit of their Karmas whatever they be.Born in the gyres, they come an d g o in the gyres, with n oway to escape until they contact some Ma ster of the W o r dwh o may lead them to the Pa th of the W or d , the W ay out ,and bring about their salvation.

T h e waters of l ife (Hauz-i-Kausar or P rag Raj) l iehidden in the deepest depths of the soul and the waythereto l ies in utter si lence through the Word. Living inth e hustle an d bustle of life, if we try fo r It a t all , w e seekIt, l ike other things, outside us, and miserably fail in theendeavor. But those who search for I t the r ight way andare put on the Path by some competent Word incarnatemay drink of this elixir and taste of this manna and gainimmortality.

I m the bre d of life: he that cometh to me shallnever hunger; and he that believeth on me shallnever thirst.I am the livin bre d which cam e down from heaven:

if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever Iz8Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him,shall never thirst; but the water that I shall givehim, shall be in him a well of water springing upinto everlasting life. lS0

CHRISTWord is the panacea for all ills.lal

URU R J N

Shabd: Anhad (Limitless) or Anahat (Self-Existing)Shabd is of two kinds: Ahat and Anahat. Ahat is that

soun d which is produced when tw o or mo re things contact


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182 N A A M OR WORDeach other. All the outer sounds, al l the world over, fal lin this category. Anahat is that Sound which does notdepend on hat or contact of tw o or mo re th ings; I t doesnot depend on anything whatever . The Musl im div inescall i t Anhad, meaning unceasing, eternal or l imitless asth e term l iterally means. Shah Niaz speaks of I t thus:

Hear thou one continuous and unending Music,music that is eternal and beyond the confines ofdeath.Again,

When It has no beginning and no end,It is therefore called nhad or endless.T h e Absolute T ru th is both imageless an d soundless , fo ral l images an d soun ds l ie dorma nt in tha t s tate of com pletefullness within the eternal seed.

He is the Ruling Power over all that exists,The unstruck Music too is His manifestat i~n.~~~GURU RJ N

With no form and no lineaments, His Music doth flowceaselessly,Shabd or the Sound Current is the creative life-principle of the Imm aculate One.lssGURU N N K

I n the Shabd there is l ight giving rise to music:Sit steadily in the cave of the mind and then shaltthou witness the sounding lire within.lS4

GURU RJ NThere the unending melodies float,And the mind rinks the nectar thereof.ls6

GURU N N K


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SHABD 83T h i s A n a h a t D h u n ( se lf -e x is ti n g M u s ic ) is g o i n g o n a l lthe t ime and i s e te rna l ly endless :

The self-existing Music is eternal and continuous,Be ye saturated in the ineffable sweetness of theSound Current.lS0Night nd day the ceaseless strains float dow n.137

URU NANAK

T h e melodious s t ra ins of the unc eas ing music a re inef fablys w e e t a n d c h a r m i n g :

Countless are the notes in the unending Melody,Th e charming sw eetness whereof is ineffable indeed.138URU ARJAN

I n n u m e r a b l e a r e t h e m e l o d ie s th a t a r e g o i n g o n b e f o r e t h eC o u r t of G o d :

Th e sorrow s and afflictions of th e ages are blownaway,The endless Music plays continuously a t is Court.13

URU ARJANWhat is there to indicate the abode of God?There plays the heavenly Music ll the time.140

URU NANAKThe All-pervading Music is going on everywhere,In the heart of all, the Divine Music

URU ARJANIts reverberations are heard in the GaganAnd charmingly sweet is the eternal Music.142

URU NANAKO n e c an c o n ta c t t h e H e a v e n ly M u s i c on l y w h e n h e t r a n -scends body-consciousness:

When the soul currents withdraw from the sensoryplane in the nine outlets and get concentrated at the


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84 NAAM OR WORDstill point in the body in the tenth door at the backof the eyes,It is only then that one, with the guidance of theMaster, is able to contact the heavenly Music thatplays inter1ninab1y.l'~

GU R U M R D S

Close thy outgoing faculties,And hear the eternal Melody.14'K BIR

Bhai Gurdas i says thus:When the soul is absorbed in the Word,It gets lost in the sublime Music.When the soul is engrossed in the Word,The unending Music floats down.145

The communion with the Anhad Shabd is the only sourceof perfect knowledge, true devotion and the endless Songthat glorifies God and man.

For perfect knowledge and devotion and the story ofthe great God,Listen ye ever to the nhad which is the food of thedevotees and destroys all their fear.14BG U R U R J N

Anhad Shabd can be contacted beyond the plane of thesenses; none can reach It by his own unaided efforts, with-out the grace and guidance of the true Master. Its mani-festation comes as a pure gift from the Master (GurParsad).

nhad Shabd is very exhilarating,But one gets to It by the Master's grace.ld7G U R U N N K

Nanak one who has access to a perfect Master,


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SH BD 85He alone is enabled to cont ct the eternal Music.148

GURU RJ N

The Anhad Shabd is the only way that leads to God andone begins to relish and enjoy God-intoxication only afterthe eternal Song is manifested within.

The eternal Song becoming manifest within, one isunited with the Beloved,

The lowly Nanak is now in perfect bliss, for he hasfound the merciful Lord.140

GURU RJ N

It is only a devotee of the Master in whom the divineeternal Melody may become manifest.

The worldly wise cannot reach It.The Creator has ordained it s a fundamental law,The eternal Song can be heard through communion

with the Word,It is made manifest in the devotee of the Master and

in no one else,Ln the mighty swirl of the mind one forgets It and the

Godman reminds of It,This Law has been in operation throughout the

ages.160GURU M R D S

With the practice of the eternal Sound Current, one ispurified of all sins and lusts and is washed clean of thekarmic impressions of all previous births, and with thelight of Self-knowledge and God-knowledge he rises intoBrahm and Par Brahm and reaches far beyond into theKingdom of God, his eternal heritage. The Lost Wordcomes back to light and life only through the grace of acompetent Master, as a free gift to whomever He maychoose to grant it.


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86 N A A M OR WORPa nc h Sha bd o r The Five elodies

T h e une nd ing strains of M usic are of a variety of types,an d become mani fes t throu gh a com petent Master:Various are the unending dulcet Melodies,One cannot describe their delicious strains.1s1

URU NANAKBhai G ur da s Ji tel ls us in this context:

By listening to the countless strains of the limitlessSong, one is struck with ineffable wonder.162O u t of these, only five melodies are considered of imm ensevalue, and the scriptures speak highly of them:

The five-sounded Melody keeps reverberating and mysoul is ever attracted by It as a arang is ever afterwater.the Formless One beyond ll knowledge I worshipthee with all my heart.lKa KABIR

The five sublime melodies become manifest throughthe grace of the Master,And a rare soul gets attached to them.15'URU R A M DAS

The five sublime strains become distinguishable,The drum, the conch, and the thunder.lS5BEN J

As these five melodies proceed fro m G od 's throne, G o d isdescribed in the scriptures as "Panch Shabdi" (i.e., L or dof the five-sounded M elody).

The glorious consummation takes place,When the Lord of the five Melodies comes.lKBURU NANAK

T h e five Melodies consti tu t ing the W o r d com e f rom H im


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SH BD 87and become the means of reunit ing us with Him. Thesaints a lso adore the W o rd ; in the Jap J i we have:

The saint lives by and meditates on the One Word.161GURU N N K

Bhai Gu rda s Ji tells us that i t is only a fter one tran scendsbody-consciousness that one gets contact with the five-sounded Song.When the spirit crosses over the world of matterThe five-sounded Melody comes to greet her.lS8It is only a rare devotee of the Master that practices thefive Melodies and thereby reaches the Kingdom of God.

The soul of a true devotee can listen to the five-sounded MusicThe Song of the M aster is characterized by five dis-tinct strains.lSgGod Himself dwells in the five SoundsAnd the five Sounds give a clue of Him.lao

BH I GURD SAll saints and sages have taught the five Sounds. Hafiz agr ea t mystic po et speaks of the five N aub ats:

Be attentive and listen to the five drum-beats comingdown from the high heaven;The heaven that lies beyond the six ganglionic centersand is far above the seven skies.

T h e teachings of Shamas Tabrez as well centered rou ndthe five-sounded Melody:

Every day the five drums play at His door to announce His greatnessIf their Music were t fall on thine ears thou wouldst

be rid of all thine I-ness.A gain the saint tells us that o ne can hear the five melo-dious tunes only when one puts up his tabernacle in the


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88 NAAM OR WORDsev enth region i.e., rises abo ve the six cha kras of th ePind and comes u p to the firs t astral plane, behind a ndbetween the two eyebrows).Thou shalt meet the five aubats in the seventhregion;As soon as you take your bivouac far above the sixplanes.

SH M S T BREZ

T h e audible Sound Curren t is in fact only one cont inuou screative l ife-principle which, em anat ing f rom the Imm ac-ulate ly Pure On e, s teps dow n f rom plane to p lane for th epurpose of creating five regions below: pure conscious,great causai , causal , subtle and physical , and as It passesth ro ug h varying deg rees of density, peculiar a t each place,It acquires a dist inctive sound and hence has come to bekno wn as Music of the five melodies o r Sounds. T he re aretw o dis tinct sounds up to T r ikut i and two m ore are addedup to Sach Kh an d a nd the f i fth sound is that of Sat Lok.In Sat Lok, al l the five melodies are completed in theirfullness and richness. T h e mystery of the So und P rincipleis revealed by some Sound-incarnate Master and i t is bypractice of an d comm union w ith the five melodies tha t thesoul is gradually led to the Lord of the five-tuned Music.It is by the G race of the Master that one devoteshimself wholeheartedly to this practice,And meets the All-Merciful, by listening to the fiveShabds.le1

GURU M R D S

All the five Sounds are characterized by a delectable har-mony; and whoever concentrating his spiri t current , re-cedes back and rises above body-consciousness is sure tomeet them.


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S H A B D 89In the temple of the body whoever sings, and sings ofthe Lord,He, while singing, hears the five Melodies in the bodyand gets the highest glory.lB2

GURU R M D SIn the scriptures i t is said that the reverberation of thesetunes becomes manifest in the forehead:

For ages past I have been Thy devotee; how can Inow be separated?The harmony playing a t Thy door, becomes manifestin my forehead.

K BIRW h er e then is th is harmony to be located? In w hich par tof the foreh ead ? Th is harmony can be traced between an dbehind the two eyes in the Sukhmana and on e can hear I tonly there.

Listen ye to the divine Music in the SukhmanAttend ye to It with ll attention.lB4T h e Muslim divines an d darveshes have spoken of i t asShah-rag an d th e Meh rab, meaning thereby the l i fe-chordin the great archway of heaven (i .e, forehead).

When in meditation I see Thy beloved formMasterA great Harmony (Sound) springs up in the centralarchstone of my forehead.

H PIZBu lleh Sh ah says,

God is much nearer than even the life-chord.In th e Ko ran i t is said,

I am nearer to thee than thy lifeline.Th ose who prac tice the Suta t Shabd Yog a un der the g uid-ance of a comp etent Ma ster, begin t o unravel th e mystery


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190 N A A M R WORDof Self and of God and begin to see the All-pervadingTruth both wi th in and wi thout . Secondly , f rom the vary-ing sounds he learns a t what region he is in his spir i tualjourney, for they serve as milestones on the Path and thussave him from wa nderin g astray.

And thine ears shall hear a Word behind thee saying,this is the Way, walk ye in It, when ye turn to theright hand, and when ye turn to the left.la5IS I H

One can find his way to the five Melodies from a com-petent M aster, by pract ic ing his W o r d .

The five Sounds become audible by following the instruction of the Master,person with a great good fortune can hear theLimitless Sound P r in ~ ip le . ~ ~GURU R M D S

detailed description of the five Sounds relevant to thefive regions is given by the Sant Satguru at the time ofinitiation, and the disciple, as he advances in practice,verifies th e truth of the M aster s w ord s as he m oves fo r-ward f rom plane to p lane.

Blessed ind eed is the tem ple of the body in wh ich the fiveSounds become audible and the W ay to G od opens up .Fortunate is the house, the body, where the fiveSounded Word becomes manifest,Blessed indeed is the sacred house which stands by1t.lB7

GURU M R D SThe wondrous Music of the five melodies,God Himself may make audible if He so wisheth.lB8

GURU N N KThe five Shabds peal continuously and overflow intheir fullness,


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SHABD 9Peerless are the five Sounds and unceasingly do theysport about.lB8

BH I GURD SFive Sounds make the perfect Harmony,And the limitless Song brings in wondrous intoxi-cation.lrO

GURU RJ NThe unending Melody is ever rich in ts fullness.lrl

K BIRT h e five symphonies combine together t

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