Faith, leads to Devotion and Bliss

C.L. Gulati

Whenever there is anything connected with or required in life, we must intimately be acquainted with its known attributes and characteristics for an objective test to affirm our faith in its genuineness. When the attributes of a thing or personage are testified, it becomes all the more a valid reason in itself to pin faith in the same and accept it to serve our purpose. Faith does not work apart from intellect but gives soul to intelect; it gives power that mind can never measure. Faith and intellect are, therefore, like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the identification of truth and proves that faith emerges superior to intellect and leads to hope and prosperity. In fine, faith stands for affirmation of truth followed by acceptance of the truth affirmed. Without the first, faith is blind and without the second, it is meaningless.

FAITH IN GOD: All the evolved persons agreed that God is one and that man’s first duty is to realize Him. If a man loses faith in God, he loses faith in himself. It spells crisis of character resulting in chaos and violence in the society at large. The generally asked question, “Can Formless God be seen?” is a patent negation of all the scriptures and teachings of the True Masters who have said in no uncertain terms that God can be seen and this is the primary aim of human life. The attributes and characteristics of God are the same given in all the acknowledged scriptures. Seeing God face to face by the grace of Satguru, man clinches his faith and gives assent to this divine testimony.

While the beauty is called skin deep, the enlightened faith enters the bones and prompts the man, “Love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandant. (St. Matthew 22: 37.) In times of difficulty, devotee with such an abiding faith never says, “Hey God, I have a big problem.” Instead he says, “Hey problem, I have a big God.”

RULES OUT CONVERSIONS: Faith in God being the central seed of all religions, actual knowledge and relationship with one God also wipes out the question of devastating religious conversions mostly lured by material considerations. Such conversions are seen sowing the seeds of religious intolerance; dividing the society on communal basis and breeding the culture of animosities. In the absence of actual realization, God is different for different persons and for the same person on different occasions. The knowledge of God imparted by Her Holiness Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj and her anointed devotees in the Sant Nirankari Mission, when compared with respective scriptures, it is a discovery of Parmatma for Hindus, Allah for Muslims, God for Christians and so on. With the Almighty God face to face, they cut across fault-lines and say with love, “We are all one.”

FAITH IN SATGURU (TRUE MASTER): Satguru plays a pivotal role in the life of man. The singular objective factor identifying the Satguru (True Master) is the instantaneous direct introduction of man with the all-pervading God where Universal brotherhood and unity of mankind takes place spontaneously and simultaneously. True Master and Divine knowledge prove each other.

The distinctive feature of the True Master is that he reveals the omnipresent formless God. This enlightenment marks the seed of faith in Satguru. Thereafter, the devotee completely surrenders to the Satguru. Whatever he gets, he thanks Guru, whatever he needs, he prays to Guru. He is never swayed by his material achievements. Today, Nirankari Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji says, “If a person has a strong urge for God-realization, he will find a true master to bless him with God-knowledge.”

FAITH IN GURSIKHS (DEVOTEES): Faith of the devotees in the True Master is important indeed, but equally important is earning faith of the True Master by the devotees. While ordain knowledge of all-pervading God is the distinctive mark of the True Master, accepting and implementing his Word, in letter and spirit, is the hall-mark of the devotees. It is said that those who joy-fully leave everything in God’s hand eventually see God’s hand in everything. Worry ends where faith begins. The joy we derive from faith is often our strength. When our faith deepens, we become true disciples. Like a steady generator, faith gives power when all else fails!

BLISS: The durability of any edifice, however magnificent at the top, depends on its foundation. When the latter crumbles, the citadel falls down. Faith is the foundation of a progressive and peaceful society. When we say, “Faith moves the mountains” it simply means that with mutual faith, we can resolve and remove the problems as big and invincible as the mountains.

Triple Faith: Faith once shaken cannot be restored and puts the victims in an irretrievable loss. On the other hand, practicing, in letter and spirit, Guru’s Word means gaining the world. Earning faith of the Satguru, the Gursikh, in turn, is blessed with triple faith that man needs today, Faith in God, Faith in Self, and Faith in the World around us. This omnibus faith broadens the horizon of man like the vastness of God and it provides a road map for smooth life full of mutual love and affection with a heritage of Satyam, Shivam, Sundram promising blissful millennium on earth before long.