What can other people know of the condition of one’s heart? If the enigma of the mystery of life enters the heart, the person knows no peace until it has been solved.

Sant Kirpal Singh

How can we please the Master

From the book "Morning Talks", by Sant Kirpal Singh, 27 January, 1968

Available as mp3 at www.audio.sant-kirpal-singh.org


If ­the Mas­ter or ­the ­Guru is ­pleased ­with ­you, ­then be ­rest ­assured ­that ­God is ­pleased ­with ­you, ­because ­God is man­i­fested in ­Him. If at ­the ­heart of ­hearts He is ­not ­pleased ­with ­you, ­then ­who ­can ­approach ­Him to be ­kind to ­you? If ­God is dis­pleased, ­there is a ­way, ­there is a ­place ­where ­you ­can ­approach. ­That ­place is ­where ­God is man­i­fest, ­the ­God-in-­man. If ­the ­God-in-­man is dis­pleased, ­there is no ­place.
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What is ­the cri­ter­ion ­for a ­man to ­know ­whether he ­has ­got a ­real ­love ­for ­the Mas­ter or ­the ­Guru? If ­the Mas­ter is dis­pleased ­with ­you ­and ­calls ­you ­names, ­even ­then ­your ­love ­for ­Him ­should ­not ­waver, ­not ­the ­least. ­This is ­the cri­ter­ion to ­show. ­Even if He ­calls ­you ­names or ­rebukes ­you (of ­course He ­will ­not do ­that), ­you ­will ­still ­love ­Him, ­you ­will be ­attracted to ­Him. Some­times a ­child ­will ­say some­thing to ­the ­mother ­which is ­not fea­si­ble, ­but ­even ­then ­the ­mother ­does ­not ­take it ­ill.
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Now ­the ques­tion ­arises, ­how ­can ­the Mas­ter be ­pleased? ­There ­are ­two ­ways ­and ­the ­first ­one is, what­ever attrib­utes He ­has ­got in ­His ­life ­should be ­adopted in ­our ­own ­life. We ­should ­copy, ­live accord­ing to ­those qual­i­fi­ca­tions ­which we ­see in ­Him. ­The qual­i­fi­ca­tions in ­Him ­are ­the qual­i­fi­ca­tions of ­God on a min­i­a­ture ­scale. ­God ­gives to every­body ­whom He ­creates, ­because nat­u­rally ­the Crea­tor ­will ­love ­His Crea­tion. So ­the ­Guru ­will ­love ­His dis­ci­ples, ­because it is He ­who ­has ­given ­birth to ­them in ­the ­inner ­way. As He ­loves us, so ­should we ­love ­all. He ­won't ­let any­body suf­fer ­and ­you ­should ­not ­let any­body suf­fer. ­You ­must ­share ­with oth­ers. ­These ­are ­some of ­the qual­i­fi­ca­tions ­that ­the Mas­ter ­has ­and ­are ­the attrib­utes of ­God ­reflected in ­Him. ­The sec­ond ­way is to ­just ­live up to ­strictly, lit­er­ally, ­what He ­says. I ­gave an exam­ple of ­the ­five Pan­da­vas, ­who ­were ­sent to a ­Guru ­for edu­ca­tion. So ­the ­first les­son ­that he ­gave ­them ­was to ­learn to ­tell ­the ­truth, to ­speak ­the ­truth. He ­then ­told ­them to mem­or­ize ­this. ­They ­went ­away ­and ­with ­the excep­tion of ­one, ­returned ­the ­next ­day. ­The ­Guru ­asked ­the ­other ­four Pan­da­vas ­where ­the ­fifth ­one ­was ­and ­they ­replied ­that he ­was mem­or­iz­ing ­the les­son ­given to ­him. A ­week ­passed ­before he ­turned up, ­and ­when he ­came, he ­said, "­Well ­Guruji, I ­have ­now ­learned ­what ­you ­told me, to ­tell ­the ­truth, to ­speak ­the ­truth." ­The oth­ers rid­i­culed ­him ­and ­said, "Look ­here ­Guruji, we remem­bered ­these ­few ­words ­the ­very ­moment ­you ­told us, ­while it ­has ­taken ­him a ­week to mem­or­ize ­them." ­The ­Guru ­then ­explained ­the ­true mean­ing of ­the les­son ­and ­made ­the ­other ­four Pan­da­vas prom­ise to ­speak no ­lies. So what­ever ­the ­Guru ­says, ­live up to it. ­Just ­write it in ­your ­own ­life.
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One pan­dit, ­Guru ­Dutt by ­name, ­was a dis­ci­ple of ­Swami Day­a­nand, ­the ­founder of ­the ­Arya ­Samaj. Some­body ­said to ­him ­that he ­should ­write ­the ­life ­story of ­his ­Guru. "­All ­right," he ­said,  "­I'll ­write." ­Two ­months, ­three ­months ­passed, ­and ­they ­asked ­him ­what he ­was ­doing. He ­said, "I am writ­ing." ­Six ­months, a ­year ­passed ­and ­they ­wanted to ­know ­what he ­was ­doing ­with it. He ­replied, "Oh, I am writ­ing ­very ­hard." ­Another ­two ­years ­passed ­and ­they ­again ­asked ­him ­how ­much he ­had writ­ten. "Oh, I am writ­ing ­very ­hard," he ­said. ­What is ­the writ­ing of a ­Master's ­life? It is ­just to ­have ­the ­very qual­i­fi­ca­tions of ­the Mas­ter in ­our ­own ­life. So what­ever we ­say, it ­must be ­sweet ­words. ­Kind ­words ­imbued ­with humil­ity ­don't ­cost any­thing. If ­you ­have ­that atti­tude in ­life, I ­think ­that ­ninety per­cent of ­your trou­bles ­will be ­avoided. So we ­must ­live up to ­what ­the Mas­ter ­says, lit­er­ally. ­This is ­one ­way of pleas­ing ­the Mas­ter or ­the ­Guru. ­The ­other ­way is ­that ­you ­should ­adopt ­the qual­i­fi­ca­tions ­that He ­has ­got in ­your ­own ­life.

Some­times ­the Mas­ter ­has to ­train ­the dis­ci­ple in ­order to ­make a ­man ­out of ­him. Some­times He ­has to ­boost ­him up, say­ing, "­All ­right, ­you ­have ­been a ­very ­good ­boy, ­doing ­your ­best ­and I am ­pleased." ­Other ­times, He ­has to ­say ­that ­the dis­ci­ple ­has ­done some­thing ­wrong ­and ­does ­not ­pay atten­tion to ­the Mas­ter. ­Not to ­pay atten­tion to ­what ­the Mas­ter ­says is ­more ­than ­death to ­the ­man ­who ­has ­love ­for ­the Mas­ter. A lit­tle ­word of encour­age­ment ­from ­the Mas­ter ­and he ­gets a ­boost ­within ­for ­his ­soul. ­The Mas­ter ­has dif­fer­ent ­ways to ­bring ­out ­the ­man in ­the dis­ci­ple, ­but peo­ple gen­er­ally do ­not under­stand ­Him. So ­you ­should ­live, ­try to ­copy ­the ­life of ­the Mas­ter in ­your ­own ­life ­and ­adopt ­the ­good qual­i­fi­ca­tions ­that He ­has ­got, ­and ­also ­live up to ­what He ­says. ­The ­best ­way to ­become ­the ­abode of ­all qual­i­fi­ca­tions is to ­have a ­sweet ­tongue, ­kind ­words, ­imbued ­with humil­ity. ­The Mas­ter ­has to ­clean ­the ­heart of ­the dis­ci­ple, ­not in ­one ­day, ­but it ­takes ­time. ­The ­clothes ­which ­have ­been ­washed ­can be ­put in ­the bas­ket, ­not ­the ­dirty ­clothes. ­The Mas­ter ­has ­love ­for ­the dis­ci­ple, as ­the ­mother ­has ­love ­for ­her ­child. If ­the ­child is ­besmeared ­with ­filth, ­what ­does ­the ­mother do? ­She sim­ply ­washes it ­with ­love ­and ­then ­hugs it to ­her ­breast. So, ­love ­the sin­ner, ­but ­hate ­the ­sin. Do ­not ­have ­hatred in ­the ­outer ­way, ­but ­have ­sweet ­words, ­imbued ­with humil­ity. ­These ­are ­the ­things ­that ­will ­endear us to ­the Mas­ter. ­You ­should ­live up to ­what He ­says, ­even if it ­costs ­you ­your ­life. ­This is ­the cri­ter­ion to ­show ­how ­the Mas­ter ­can be ­pleased. If He is ­pleased, ­the ­God in ­Him is ­pleased, ­then ­God is ­also ­pleased.

So ­the ­first cri­ter­ion to ­know if ­you ­have ­real ­love ­for ­the Mas­ter is, ­even if He ­hates ­you, ­calls ­you ­names – ­God for­bid, He ­never ­does it – ­but ­even if it ­comes to ­that ­pass, ­your ­love ­for ­Him ­should ­not ­waver. He ­may ­not ­allow ­you to ­come ­near ­Him ­for ­some ­time – I am speak­ing ­out of my ­own expe­ri­ence in ­life – ­because of ­some prop­a­ganda or ­other ­things, ­then ­still ­you ­must be ­endeared to ­Him, ­you ­must ­love ­Him. ­This is ­the ulti­mate cri­ter­ion to ­show ­the ­man ­who ­has ­become, "I ­live, ­not ­now I, ­but ­Christ ­lives in me". Sec­ond, what­ever qual­i­fi­ca­tions He ­has ­got, ­try to ­adopt ­them in ­your ­own ­life, ­live up to ­them ­and ­third, ­live up to ­strictly ­what He ­says, lit­er­ally, with­out ­any ­regard to ­what ­your ­mind ­says or ­what ­your ­heart ­likes. ­Once it ­was my ­duty to ­give a Sat­sang at ­Lahore on ­one Sun­day. At ­that ­time, I hap­pened to ­visit my Mas­ter, ­who ­was resid­ing at ­Beas, ­and ­arrived ­there at ­about ­twelve at ­night. I ­had ­the ­good for­tune to be per­mit­ted to ­see my Mas­ter at ­any ­time. He ­lived on ­the ­third ­floor ­and I ­went up ­there to ­see ­Him. So, ­the ­time ­was get­ting ­late ­and I ­had a ­mind to ­remain ­with my Mas­ter ­and ­detail some­body ­else to ­give a ­talk. ­The ­time ­came ­for me to ­leave ­for ­Lahore ­and ­the Mas­ter ­said, "­Aren't ­you to ­give a Sat­sang in ­Lahore?" "­Yes," I ­replied. "­All ­right, go ­then." So of ­course, I ­caught ­the ­train ­for ­Lahore ­and ­gave ­the Sat­sang.

So I ­have ­given ­you ­three ­things to ­show ­whether ­you ­have ­got ­real ­love ­for ­the Mas­ter. He is ­the ­abode of ­all ­good qual­i­fi­ca­tions. What­ever qual­i­fi­ca­tions ­are in ­God ­are ­also ­reflected in ­the Mas­ter. ­Live up to ­them, ­adopt ­them in ­your ­life ­and ­live ­strictly, lit­er­ally, up to ­what He ­says. ­Pay ­respect to ­His ­words, ­rather ­than to ­His ­body. If ­there ­are ­four or ­five chil­dren ­and ­one ­child ­goes accord­ing to ­the ­will ­and pleas­ure of ­his ­father ­and ­does ­not ­demand any­thing, ­while ­the oth­ers ­demand ­this ­and ­that ­thing ­and do ­not ­live up  to ­what ­the ­father ­says, ­then ­whom ­will ­the ­father ­love? So ­try to ­win ­the pleas­ure of ­the Mas­ter, by liv­ing as I ­have ­told ­you. ­Just ­have ­those qual­i­fi­ca­tions ­that He ­has ­got in ­His ­life, ­write ­them ­down in ­your ­life, ­not on ­paper. I ­gave an exam­ple of Pan­dit ­Guru ­Dutt, ­who ­was a dis­ci­ple of ­Swami Day­a­nand, ­the ­founder of ­the ­Arya ­Samaj. ­When ­some peo­ple ­asked ­him to ­write ­the ­life his­tory of ­Swami Day­a­nand, he ­replied ­that he ­would do so. ­Two ­months ­passed, ­three ­months ­passed, a ­year ­passed. ­They ­asked ­him ­what he ­was ­doing ­with it. "­Well, I am writ­ing," he ­said. ­Two or ­three ­years ­passed ­and ­they ­asked ­him ­how ­far he ­had ­got ­with it. He ­replied, "I am writ­ing ­very ­hard." "Oh, ­what ­have ­you writ­ten ­after ­all?" ­they ­asked ­him. ­The writ­ing of a ­life his­tory of ­the Mas­ter is ­just to ­have ­His ­life in ­your ­own ­life. I am writ­ing in my ­own ­life. Such­like stu­dents ­work won­ders, ­because of ­the ­God in ­Him.

So ­you ­have ­come to ­know ­three ­things ­today. ­First ­the cri­ter­ion to ­show ­whether ­you ­have ­got ­real ­love ­for ­the Mas­ter. ­Even if He ­calls ­you ­names, ­you ­will be ­attracted to ­Him. ­The sec­ond is to ­have ­those qual­i­fi­ca­tions ­which ­are ­reflected in ­Him ­from ­God in ­your ­own ­life. ­These ­are sim­plic­ity ­and ­kind ­words ­imbued ­with humil­ity. ­The ­third is to ­live ­strictly up to ­what He ­says, ­not ­even car­ing ­for ­your ­own ­life. If ­you ­leave every­thing to ­the Mas­ter, ­the Mas­ter ­has to ­take ­care of ­the ­child. So ­these ­are ­the ­three ­things ­that I ­have ­explained to ­you ­today. ­These ­things ­are ­not ­given in ­the ­books in a ­digest ­form or in ­such ­detail as ­these morn­ing ­talks con­vey. If ­you ­want to be ­endeared to ­the Mas­ter, ­then ­live up to ­what He ­says. He ­will ­never ­leave ­you, ­mind ­that! ­Christ ­said, "I ­shall ­never ­leave ­thee ­nor for­sake ­thee ­till ­the ­end of ­the ­world". ­The Mas­ter ­never ­leaves ­the dis­ci­ple. He is ­the ­God in ­him, ­how ­can He? We ­are ­created by ­Him. ­You ­are ­God in ­you ­and ­are ­micro-­gods. ­The Mas­ter ­tries to ­bring ­out ­the ­God in ­Him in ­you by mak­ing ­you ­live up to ­strictly ­what He ­says ­and by ask­ing ­you to ­copy ­from ­His ­life. ­These ­are ­the ­main ­things to be under­stood ­and ­lived up to.