Pillars of Spiritual Progress:
The Sri Sukhmani Sahib
By James Chagula
Copyright © February 2006
Introduction
Our main aim is to share practical tools, which enhance our own
spiritual progress and meditation practice. Sant Mat is a path that
is continuously evolving. As Sant Harjit Singh has reminded me
several times, "In reality, there is no `ism' – only whatever works
for each individual's spiritual development." And despite the truth
of this statement; it is within various traditions that tried and
tested methods for genuine spiritual attainment, have been
crystallized.
Sant Mat has evolved from many paths including classical Tantra,
Sufism and Vaishnavism. More recently, prior to the Radhasoami faith;
the esoteric teachings of the sants were codified within the Sikh
tradition. It is here where we begin and introduce one of the pillars
for success in meditation; the Sri Sukhmani Sahib.
The Sri Sukhmani Sahib
The Sukhmani Sahib is a devotional prayer composed by the 5th Sikh
Guru, Arjan Dev Ji. Sukhmani has been translated as "solace of the
mind" which refers to the deep, soothing effect it has on the psyche.
The composition contains the heart and essence of Sant Mat teachings,
including: the merits of meditation; the value of Naam; association
with Enlightened souls; the conundrum of the human condition and so
on.
Sant Harjit Singh has informed me that the psalm is actually composed
of mantras, "It is very potent and gradually removes the negative
elements from a person's (mind and outer) life. It cannot be negated.
20th century shabad yoga masters such as Sant Sangat Singh of
Kamaliya, would prescribe the Sukhmani Sahib to sufferers of leprosy;
to recite 2-3 times daily as a remedial measure."
Simret Kaur
Simret Kaur and Sant Harjit Singh have been married for over 30
years. Simret translates as, "One who remembers" and
Kaur, "Princess". Therefore we have the respectful, spiritual
title, "the Princess who remembers (God)." Having had the pleasure of
meeting Simret on many occassions, all I can say is - she is full of
love. Anything else I can say is beyond the scope of this short
essay. Only on very rare occasions, has my Guru explicitly spoken
about his wife's spiritual attainment. One such instance is as
follows:
"She (Simret) doesn't do sadhana like this (sitting back in his
armchair, Maharaj closes his eyes; crosses his legs with both arms
outstretched, comically impersonating a meditating yogi). It's her
high level (of realization) you see; she simply does seva (selfless
service) and the Grace just flows."
Why do I mention these things, you may ask? Because it's important
for us to see real examples of people with genuine spiritual
attainments; living practical lives; in the real world and not a
remote retreat in the Himalayas. It is the useful, practical
knowledge gained from their experience that we are presenting here.
How to Use The CD
In 1986 Simret Kaur recorded the Gurmukhi (Punjabi) vocals of the Sri
Sukhmani Sahib, following the inner inspiration to do so. Sant Harjit
Singh has since distributed copies free of charge into the thousands
to his students, friends, and all those with a sincere spiritual
interest. Since its conception, there have been 4 editions produced,
originally in analogue cassette format. In 2003, the fourth and
latest edition was digitally enhanced with background music in order
to take one deeper into dhyana and samadhi.
Through regular listening to the CD, one gradually purifies the nadis
(subtle energy or "chi" channels within the body); accumulating
spiritual merit (or positive karma) which produces sublime mental
peace, bliss and sensations of lightness. It can be incorporated into
any meditation practice or used as a practice in its own right. The
Sukhmani Sahib is conducive to the achievement of deep meditation and
samadhi.
I remember a conversation with Sant Harjit Singh on the same subject:
Q: I've come across many mantras on CD format, which have been
recorded against musical backdrops. What is the difference when a
sant records an identical CD?
A: The voice carries vibrations. She (Simret) speaks from the heart.
Many recording artists speak from the throat. You compare yourself
and you will hear the difference."
Comparison was not necessary because I had already done so. The
difference was remarkably evident to me.
Note: The Sri Sukhmani Sahib CD is currently being distributed free
of charge. However, for to obvious reasons, we can only offer this
service to genuine and sincere seekers after Truth; irrespective of
religious or spiritual affiliation. To request a copy, please email
Sant Harjit Singh with a short introduction about yourself, at the
following address:
Links
Click here to view some newly uploaded, exclusive photos:
http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/Faqir_Chand_Legacy/photos
To hear a sample of the Sukhmani Sahib please visit the url link
below:
http://www.babafaqirchand.com/download.html
Details of poetic English translation of the Sukhmani Sahib
translation by the late Swami Rama, was published by the Himalayan
Institute. You can request more info via the following link:
Harmonization of microcosm with macrocosm is the basic teachings of Radhasoami Faith. For this, Living Guru, Surat Shabd Yoga, and Knowledge of Secrets of the Universe are essential. There are various types of meditation. Surat Shabd Yoga is one of them. Surat Shabd Yoga is a comprehensive package of meditation. It is, in fact, 3-in-One Type of Meditation System, superior to all other versions of meditation.
In Bhagavad-Gita Lord SriKrishna says to Arjuna:
“I taught this immortal Yoga to Vivasvan (sun-god), Vivasvan conveyed it to Manu(his son), and Manu imparted it to (his son) Iksvaku. Thus transmitted to succession from father to son, Arjuna, this Yoga remained known to the Rajarisis (royal sages). It has however long since disappeared from this earth. The same ancient Yoga has this day been imparted to you by Me, because you are My devotee and friend, and also because this is a supreme secret”.
At this Arjuna said: You are of recent origin while the birth of Vivasvan dates back to remote antiquity. How, then, I am to believe that you taught this Yoga at the beginning of creation? Lord SriKrishna said: Arjuna, you and I have passed through many births. I remember them all, you do not remember.
Famous historian Romila Thapar has described in her book A History of India about the status of Yoga in 300-700 A.D. She writes: “Yoga (Application) which was based on the control of the body physically and implied that a perfect control over the body and the senses led to knowledge of the ultimate reality. A detailed anatomical knowledge of the human body was necessary to the advancement of yoga and therefore those practising yoga had to keep in touch with medical knowledge.”
As far as anatomical knowledge of human body is concerned it is very much required for the optimum result during practice of Yoga. Yoga system has very close connection with the human anatomy i.e. chakra or nerve centres distributed along the spinal column and in brain region.
Besides, connection chakras with the practice of Yoga, chakra has also great role in the development of personality. People do not realise that personalities can grow to include a balance of all the six chakras. Jung referred to this growth process as “individuation”, and associated it with life’s spiritual dimension. Danah Zohar evolves a model of spiritual quotient (sq) based on the six petals of a lotus and its centre, corresponding to the seven chakras described by the Hinduism’s Kundalini Yoga, as an aid to the process of individuation in the mid-1990s. Contribution of Danah Zohar for coining the term spiritual quotient for the first time is immense. But she did not establish any mathematical relationship, which is very much required, for this quotient.
Deepak Chopra has given a formula of spiritual quotient in terms of Deed (D) and Ego (E). According to Deepak Chopra S.Q. =D/E. He (2006) writes: If Vedanta is right and there is only one reality, then all desires must follow the same mechanics, desires arise and are fulfilled in consciousness. Making yourself happy involves ….. I have a ” Spiritual Quotient” where SQ = D/E. Where D = Deeds and E = Ego. Now you can ONLY have an SQ = infinity when E = 0. If E is little even then SQ is approaching infinity (or one is close to be a “Great Master”) but not actually “Pure .This appears to be very fascinating but it is highly abstract which cannot be measured experimentally, accurately and precisely. However, this formula has immense value to understand S.Q.
I have also discovered a mathematical relationship for S.Q about eight years back in 2001. I have used physiological parameters which can be measured accurately and precisely and can be tested and verified experimentally. According to this formula S.Q. can be expressed as the ratio of parasympathetic dominance (PSD.) to sympathetic dominance (S.D.). Parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) are the two parts of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) which is largely under hypothalamic control. Hypothalamus is situated very close to the Sixth Chakra. During practice of meditation at Sixth Chakra these centres are galvanized which has very positive effect on practitioners spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical well being.
According to this relationship spiritual quotient can be written as:
S.Q. = PSD./SD.
If the value of S.Q. comes >1 (greater than one), it can be assumed that the person is moving towards self-realisation and if the value of S.Q. comes <1 (smaller than one) it can be predicted that the person is living under stress.
There are various types of meditation available, which are being practiced by sages, saints, seers and others. The difference in various versions lies in the fact that these practices involve concentration to meditate at different centres known as Chakra in Yoga System. These chakras are, in fact, energy centres which correspond to nerve centres distributed along the spinal column and in brain region.
Some practitioners start to meditate at Basic/Root Chakra (Muladhara) – situated at the base of spine, some at Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra), some at Ajna Chakra – Optic Chiasma – Master Chakra and some from even higher centres situated in the brain region. Among all these types of meditation, practice at sixth chakra is considered to be the most ideal which brings about optimum results.
Sixth Chakra is situated very close to hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a portion of brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary glands.
Autonomic nervous system (ANS) is largely under hypothalamic control. ANS consists of parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). PSNS is activated during meditative calm and during stress SNS is activated. When PSNS is activated, heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure decreased. Supply of blood in the digestive tract increased. When SNS is activated heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure increased. Supply of blood to the muscles and exterior organs increased and to the digestive tract decreased. In addition to these, there are many other parameters which can be compared. Parasympathetic Dominance (P.D.) is the state of PSNS activation and Sympathetic Dominance (S.D.) is the state of SNS activation. Instruments are available in medical science to measure these parameters.
Now we can assign numerical value to each parameter. Then put the value in the formula for S.Q. and see the result. We can show the calculation as mentioned below:
S.Q.= PSD/SD = sum of X /sum of Y
Where X=x1+x2+x3+ …….
And Y=y1+y2+y3+…….
During PSNS activation (PSD.), we assign ‘1’ to each parameter (x1+x2+x3+…..) and ‘0’ to each parameter (y1+y2+y3+…..). During SNS activation (S.D.), we assign ‘1’ to each parameter (y1+y2+y3+…) and ‘0’ to each parameter (x1+x2+x3+….).
By putting the numerical value, thus achieved, in the above formula for S.Q. we can calculate the Spiritual Quotient of an individual.
In Bhagavad-Gita Lord SriKrishna says to Arjuna:
“I taught this immortal Yoga to Vivasvan (sun-god), Vivasvan conveyed it to Manu(his son), and Manu imparted it to (his son) Iksvaku. Thus transmitted to succession from father to son, Arjuna, this Yoga remained known to the Rajarisis (royal sages). It has however long since disappeared from this earth. The same ancient Yoga has this day been imparted to you by Me, because you are My devotee and friend, and also because this is a supreme secret”.
At this Arjuna said: You are of recent origin while the birth of Vivasvan dates back to remote antiquity. How, then, I am to believe that you taught this Yoga at the beginning of creation? Lord SriKrishna said: Arjuna, you and I have passed through many births. I remember them all, you do not remember.
1. Radha Soami Faith was founded by His Holiness Param Purush Puran Dhani Huzur Soamiji Maharaj on the prayer of His Holiness Huzur Maharaj who later on became second Spiritual Head of Radha Soami Faith. The prime object of the Radha Soami Faith is the emancipation of all Jeevas (Souls) i.e. to take the entire force of consciousness to its original abode. There is a tradition of succession of Gurus or Spiritual Adepts in Radha Soami Faith. I am one of them as is evident from the following facts or ….
“My most Revered Guru of my previous life His Holiness Maharaj Sahab, 3rd Spiritual Head of Radhasoami Faith had revealed this secret to me during trance like state.
HE told me, “Tum Sarkar Sahab Ho” (You are Sarkar Sahab). Sarkar Sahab was one of the most beloved disciple of His Holiness Maharj Sahab. Sarkar Sahab later on became Fourth Spiritual Head of Radhasoami Faith.
Since I don’t have any direct realization of it so I can not claim the extent of its correctness. But it seems to be correct. During my previous birth I wanted to sing the song of ‘Infinite’ (Agam Geet yeh gawan chahoon tumhri mauj nihara, mauj hoi to satguru soami karoon supanth vichara) but I could not do so then since I had to leave the mortal frame at a very early age. But through the unbounded Grace and Mercy of my most Revered Guru that desire of my past birth is being fulfilled now.”