Comments by 4d-don in Red Italics
Much more information on that site including a "controversial" Letter from Babuji Feb. 14, 1963 (St. Valentine' s day, (love?)
See also: Transcript of Interview (part 4) with Dinaysh Kumar Saxena
Interview (Part 1, 2, 3, 4) with Dinaysh Kumar Saxena
See also the previous article: Lalaji, His Family and Their Followers
This is an article by Dinaysh Kumar Saxena, grandson of Lalaji and current Dean of NaqshMuMRa Sufi Order, a lineage that reaches to the 6th century, and the Prophet Mohammed (570-632 ACE - After the Common Era) , and no mention by Lalaji of The Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM -Shahjahanpur-1945) , Sahaj Marg, succession orders to Babuji,... or Chariji.
Lalaji passed away in 1931. SRCM and Sahaj Marg originated and were founded and registered in 1945. SRCM (California-1997) was registered in the USA in 1997 after the Board of Directors of the SRCM (Shahjahanpur-1945) refused Chari the Presidency of the Society founded by Babuji in 1945 claiming that his "succession letter" was a forgery.
IMPORTANT... IMPORTANT... IMPORTANT...
See also: Epitome of Sahaj Marg on Alexis' blog in Europe: La Fabuleuse Epopéé du Sahaj Marg.
Epitome of Sahajmarg
There is only one God and, naturally, there is only one way to reach Him. The people have given many names to that stage. A particular institution named “Shri Ram Chandra Mission” has given birth to a new denomination to reach Him, “Sahaj Marg”. “Sahaj” and “Marg” (path) are two separate words. According to my limited knowledge, the word “Sahaj” is synonymous of “Aatma” (soul or sensitivity), i.e. connected some thing to the “Spirituality “. It means some particular school of spirituality, other than ‘Ramchandra School of Spirituality’, Headquarter at Fatehgarh (U.P.),
The word, “Sahaj Marg” is, since a new term, in the realm of theology, the intellectuals, irrespective of the fact whether they are the “Abhyaasies” of ‘Sahaj Marg' itself or not but they want to know about its truth to the maximum extent. They also want to know, whether it is an offshoot of Sufism or Rajyoga. To know the truth about all these anxieties require, not the blind faith or intense loyalty. Mahatma Ram Chandra Ji (Baabuji) Maharaaj himself, has so adroitly resorted to expedient to do the best one can, and declared, Samarth Guru Mahatma Ram Chandra Ji Maharaaj of Fatehgarh (U.P.) was the founder of Sahaj Marg System, as already mentioned above. Whereas the fact is that the word, “Sahaj Marg” is totally absent from the vocabulary in Rev. Laalaaji’s writings.
In a reply dated February 14, 1963 to one of his friends named Shri Bhagwan Bharose Vaidya of Fatehgarh (UP), Rev. Baabuji’s statement has much relevancy here. “Times have undergone radical changes but to my greatest regret I find our brothers sleeping yet. The Mohammedan Systems have all breathed their last and this, Sahaj Marg; the only ONE has now emerged out in their place. Its teachings and methods widely differ from those of the old Systems in many respects. One having a developed vision and being sensitive to some extent at least, can easily mark well the difference between the two. The method of training and the nature of Faez are all purely hinduised and they are free from all superfluous things introduced into the ways of transmission under those Systems. The Spiritual connections of all Mohammedan Sansthas- Naqshbandi, Chishti and all have been cut off”.
Whereas, Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj has clearly mentioned in His Last Will (Wasihat Naamaa) recorded on 23 October 1930 (AD) - “As far as my intellect has activated this aajiz fakir, (self-annihilated one) has examined carefully the philosophy; the various faiths and the schools of thought. In the end, I have found the beliefs and the path shown by the Holy Masters of this hierarchy, on which the steady hold with, carries hope to stay lively, up to the last breath”.
Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj of Fatehgarh (UP) was the first non-Muslim Saint of “Naqushbandia, Mujaddadadiya, and Mazahariya system of Sufism. He having well connected ”nisbat” (the subtlest Divine thread) with its ancestry through his Spiritual Master Hazrat Maulana Fazl Ahemad Khan Saahib Raipuri, Kaimganji which has a certain well defined handling. He was, of course, against the rituals (meaningless social customs), but not the theological-ceremonies like ;(1) the disciple- making ceremony called Bay’t- placing the palm of once hand on the (that) hand of his Spiritual- Master, merely to have been the sign of sealing an agreement of allegiance. When a man or woman repented of his sins and had made up his mind to lead a life of righteous- ness and piety he/she had to perform Bay’t. The sprit seems to be for men/women to have direct communion with God, through the whole chain of the Spiritual Masters, so much so that all the intermediaries whose existence having been acknowledged are lost sight of, in the communion of men/women with God. (2) Ijazat/Khilafat, are determined on the question of Fana and Baqa, etc.
The ‘Sahaj Marg’ is schism of the ‘Ramchandra School of Spirituality’, renamed as NaqshMuMRa, occurred because of its manner, style and the vocabulary of Sufism. The split in socio-spiritual sects is not a strange phenomenon. Many religions, after the demise of their founders, dwindled either into insignificance or into use to split into innumerable branches. Here also the divine will cause the spread of the whole ‘Society’ after Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj, everywhere, through its numerous branches and under different leadership. In fact, the philosophy and tenets have not undergone any major changes at the hands of different leaders, except the ‘Shri Ram Chandra Mission’.
There is an emphasis upon the living Guru. The founders held that Guru of the time alone could reveal the inner secrets, remove doubts and thus lead to salvation. In course of time, the essential truth about the “True Guru” was lost sight of and the faith degenerated into the cult of personality- worship.
There were two types of devotees turned –up before him (Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj) viz, (a) for esoteric (any thing that is inner) (b) were exoteric. Although, people of both the categories had come to learn the ‘Ramchandra School of Spirituality’ (now known as NaqshMuMRa). But the persons of division- (b) were those who were kept under review and the people of division (a), i.e.” esoteric” which had performed well enough to be admitted in the “inner” circle, selected for ‘Bay’t’ and the ceremony of the same was also solemnized sacredly.
Before unveiling the fact about Rev. Baabuji of Shahjahanpur, as to which category he belonged to, whether (a) or (b) let me explain a nuances between ‘esoterism’ and the ‘mysticism’. Esotericism largely overlaps with “hidden knowledge”. Some overlap exists as well between esotericism and mysticism. However, many mystical traditions do not attempt to introduce additional Spiritual knowledge, but rather seek to focus the believer’s attention. A mystic is thus not necessarily an esotericist.
According to S. Radhakrishnan, a teacher is one who “contributes to the transmission of intellectual heritage and our technical skills and to training our people”. A teacher is a man of intellectual knowledge. A Guru, on the other hand, besides being informed soul is also self- realized soul. Whereas a teacher merely gives the pupil information, the Guru leads one to the higher stage of consciousness leading to the destruction of avidya. One does not have to search for a Guru. Swami Ranganathananda upholds that “when the need for the knowledge which the Guru possesses comes so also will the Guru come”. Implying thereby, that whenever we genuinely crave for Him we will meet Him. Kabir, Swami Dayananda, Swami Vivekananda et al met their mentors just by some strange in explicable coincidence.
His holiness the Dalai Lama interprets the term ‘Guru’ in two ways. According to him, “on the one hand, the Guru is the human teacher we interact with; on the other hand, the Guru is our own inner wisdom, our own fundamental clarity of mind”. He is some one who is an exemplar, who gives one the confidence that perfection is possible, and whom one wants to emulate. Guru is regarded as the one who personifies the trinity- Brahama, Vishnu and Mahesha. He is the living example of the creator, the sustainer and the destroyer of the universe
An unprejudiced and a careful reader, after meditating the whole writing from A to Z will agree with me that Rev. Baabuji of Shahjahanpur belonged to the category (b) as mentioned above. So far the literature of ‘Shri Ram Chandra Mission’ is concerned, there is no date of “Bay’t” or in any other way, he took “Deekshaa” from his Guru (Spiritual Master) is available.
It was the regular practice of Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj of Fatehgarh (U.P.) to maintain his diary up-to-date. He never failed to mention the name of his disciple; he performed the ceremony of “Bay’t, on that very day. All the diaries, available in his record and the whole literature published by the “Shri Ram Chandra Mission” scrutinized most carefully but the date of Rev. Baabuji’s “Bay’t” ceremony found nowhere. The work is still in progress. If the date of his Bay’t/Deekshaa (Rev. Baabuji) becomes available in any record it would be published immediately. His role as disciple remain limited to see the ‘dreams’ and to send the copies of the whole months collection with his covering letter, regularly and punctually to his “Master”, Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj, who used to send the précised reply to Baabuji.
The extract of Rev. Baabuji Maharaj’s diary dated 17 September 1931 (i.e. more than one month later the physical demise of Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj) – “Saw a saint in a dream. He was seated on a bed and you were seated to the left. The Saint asked for my hand to initiate me. Thinking that I had already been initiated, I hesitated. Somehow, to fulfill his desire I extended my hand and he put his hand on mine and did what is done at the time of initiation. At that time I realized that some very high point
As Babuji addressed his Journal to Lalaji, his (supposed) Master, does this not indicate that Babuji, in his dream, was intitiated by "another saint" who was seated beside Lalaji and Lalaji was "seated to the left" ?? (and Babuji does not seem to know "what is done at the time of initiation" (or does not want to tell?? But Dinaysh knows and tells ... is it a secret or not?) Which Saint initiated Babuji in his dreams? Babuji often dreamed of the Prophet and other Muslim saints, was it the Prophet, Muhammed (peace be upon him) or Hazrat Baqibillah Barong Saahib Rahamat Ullah Alahi? (see below)
Another extract from Rev. Baabuji’s diary (soon after the physical demise of his Spiritual Master) - … “There was excessive restlessness, and the eyes were closed, when I felt all of a sudden that the image of the Master existed in every particle of the body. There was not even a particle in which the Guru was not present”. The Publisher of the book ‘Thus speaks Shri Ram Chandra (Baabuji)’ has interpreted- “It was on 14th August 1931 that his Guru entered Mahaa Samaadhi and on 15th he felt that his Guru had transmitted him every thing of His. It was a state of complete mergence of His Guru”.
Dr. Mohammad Hanif, in his work, under the title, “Naqushbandia System of Sufism” (Ph.D. awarded by Agra University in the year 1964), has given description of Zikr-e-Rabitah in his Thesis.” The Saalik (Abhyasi), either imagines or gazes the face of his Master and in due course of time he gets absorption in the personality of the teacher, i.e. dissolving of his own personal characteristics and accrues characteristics of his teacher. Attention of the teacher is necessary, without which all efforts and the exercises are useless. The one solitary look or glance of the teacher is far better than all the prayers performed during once whole life”.
It is evident from the book, “The Autobiography of Ram Chandra” (Baabuji), Vol. I (1899-1932) published by Publication Department, Sri Ram Chandra Mission, Shahajahanpur, U.P., 242001, India (Third Edition : 1993), on its page, 14, chapter III, Rev. Baabuji has written ”As mentioned before, I reached the feet of the Master on 3rd June 1922 to receive Transmission from him for the first time. I started meditation not on Divine light as is prescribed in the Sri Ram Chandra Mission, but on my Master’s form seeing him in my heart. This was quite spontaneous and automatic, and went on with it”.
Apart from the above he further "I sincerely took up the method of meditation after I passed the S.S.L.C. and Matriculation examination. Within six months, I saw in meditation that the whole of my heart filled with soothing light, and a plant full of light was emitting light from all its branches and leaves. I continued practice. Six months later, I noticed a peculiar thing in my heart that my heart was reciting the word ‘Om ’. This we call Ajapa. How does it start? If the Master infuses His Divine power, it starts immediately".
However, “Sahajmarg” is entirely different from the teachings of Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj. It seems to be Rev. Baabuji’s own creation. This is evident from the book-“Practice of Sahajmarg”, written by Hon. P.Rajagopalachari, at its Page No. 3. “Meditation means to think continuously about one thing, and we are supposed to take as the object of meditation that which we wish to achieve. Moreover, here because we are involved in realization, God realization, self-realization, there fore the object has an abstract goal, called the ultimate self. Therefore, we cannot have any name or form for meditation. Nor can we have any qualities or attributes of Divinity. How ever, Master felt that for most people it would be impossible to meditate on the abstract. So, in Sahajmarg, our master has taken as the object of meditation, what He thought, what he knows, what he has experienced to be subtlest thing that we can have for meditation without making it gross or with a form or with a name, and that is Divine light in the heart. Therefore, this has to be very clearly understood that in Sahajmarg, the object of meditation is Divine light in the heart and nothing else. As I already told you, meditation means to think continuously of the same thing. What we do is to sit comfortably with our eyes closed, and have the thought that our heart is filled with Divine light,”
The act of supposition is directly concerned with the ‘Mind’ i.e., the seat of consciousness. It is rather impossible to suppose about a particular thing or condition about which, one is not intelligible to him or one is well conversant with it. While describing the practice of Sahajmarg meditation they stress on “Divine light” only. It appears to be the synonymic of “Tajalli” in the Dictionary of Sufism, which means; the illumination of Zaat (The Reality). “The Reality” as such is darkness. There are two extremes of the spectrum of light, which ends in darkness. Darkness is light in reality, which the retina of the light is incapable of appreciating. Maulana Rumi says in his Masnawi- “Tajalli, if you say, is the light of Zaat (The Reality) within darkness lays the fountain of eternal life”. In terms of Sufism, God appears to the devotee in the form, most eagerly sought for, by him. Hazrat Musa was in search of fire in a desert on his way back to Egypt
Before proceeding further, I interrupt the flow of subject in the run, let me unveil another fact that Rev. Baabuji, except once, as mentioned above, took the transmission from his Guru through out his life time and rest of his spiritual training done during the “dreams”, i.e. during his sleeping state. Subsequently he began to record them and forward the same to Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj who used to reply him precisely giving some instructions to follow up. However, at many occasions he did not obey his instructions.
(we learn here from Dinaysh that Babuji received Transmissiion from Lalaji "ONCE...)
This is evident from a letter written by Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj, dated 12th Februrary, 1931, published in the book written by him titled- “Truth Eternal”.
“Your letter received. Dear Raghubar Dayal Ji and I had gone to Orai. We have returned yesterday. The conditions you have written about all merit thanks giving. This is the blessing of the condition of Fana (is the non- cognizance of one’s attributes as one’s own ;) after which if God willing, the Blessing of the condition of Baqa (is the recognition of the same as the attribute of God) will be granted to you from the same Shrine. As is the stage and condition of Fana, in the same proportion, the condition of Baqa is liable to bestow. What can be written about the interpretation of the dreams? Our aim is to get the result. I have understood well the symbols and considered enough. I have saved the time by reading much in details. Rest is all well. I will be in Mainpuri from the 15 to the 17 February. From there, I have to go to Etah where there will be a meeting from 20th to 22 February.”
Note: - The above-mentioned letter of Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj addressed to Rev. Baabuji in response to his covering letter along with the date wise dreams seen during the month of January 1931. Hint about the August Shrine, which Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj had given in his letter was for Hazrat Baqibillah Barong Saahib Rahamat Ullah Alahi. The situation of the Shrine is at Qutub Road Delhi
However, he (Baabuji) never went there physically. In his diary dated July 26, 1931, he writes- “Dreamt that I went into meditation, and I was at the shrine of a Saint Baaqi Billah and was doing meditation, when a condition of intense emotion prevailed over me and a faint cry came out of my mouth. Again I submit that the points which have awakened these days have unlimited purity, delicacy and subtlety, but slight weakness is felt at that point. Really, ascent in this condition is impossible without satsang, and grace of the Guru. This point is so delicate and light that it can not be expressed”.
It is not only Rev. Baabuji of Shahjahanpur (UP), who was the disciple without accepting formally initiating by his Spiritual Master, but there are more such examples like Kabir and Eklavye. However, there motto was not to capture the ‘Seat’ of their respective Masters.
What made Baabuji to teach the people , he himself did? What was the necessity of introduction of a new hierarchy of “Sahajmarg”, naming H.H. Mahatma Ramchandra Ji (Laalaaji) Maharaaj its “Aadi Guru?” Why Shri P. Rajagopalachari, the President S.R.C.M., WHQ Chennai writes, “My Master always strongly maintained that Laalaaji Maharaaj had no Guru.”
Some confused and so-called Masters of wisdom or the self-declared Masters, propagate that Mahatma Ramchandra Ji (Laalaaji) Maharaaj of Fatehgarh (UP) India
A letter dated 09.12.1930, written by Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj, addressed to Shri Madan Mohan Laal, who was then the center-in-charge of Shahjahanpur, is meaningful in this context. “… Because of your transfer from Shahjahanpur, there is a likelihood of the function being spoiled. So on my own behalf and on that of my elders, I invite the attention of Br. Pandit Rameshwar Prasad to agree to take up this work in hand during your absence. May God give him courage and perseverance. That dear one will, perhaps, establish a condition of honor after casting off that small portion of boyhood, which is very negligible in him now, due to the demands of his age. God may help him. Brother Ram Chandra undoubtedly has ability and agility in this respect, but I am sorry that due to restrictions of his father, narrowness of heart and space, and intricacies of his home, my sagacity did not permit me for the time being to throw the responsibility on him. …”
The theory of Emanation is a discussion of the origin of things. It forms the province of Greater Mysteries
Mr. E.G. Browne says, Ibnul-Farid, like Muhiyyuddin ibn ‘Arabi had no connection with Persia
Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj has observed at many places in his writings-
“So long as one’s individual light stays behind, the reflected image of name and form will survive. However, an image is after all images. The present personality is certainly an embodiment of some other personality, who had existed earlier. If somebody could imagine himself as the embodiment of his father and the father being, again an embodiment of his grandfather and so on. And, thus slipping into the past up to such an extent that he starts feeling that the same image is ending and that he understands the extremity of a link by witch it is attached to the trunk and nothing else, then it may be possible that such point is ultimately his point of origin.”
“O God! This devoted follower has also undergone through many lives as different personalities and embodiments of other ones and has ultimately reached to a level of a selfless form of an image of truth. I am trying to live according to your hopes and expectations and am trying to carry out my responsibilities well. You are the knower of every heart. So I leave it up to you judge as to how capable your devout is in fulfilling his role and how true is the role played by him and how otherwise it is. If he is the image of any one, at what level of truth is he in. I firmly believe that you, with your benevolence and mercy have taken care of this body from the day it came on to this world and spread the first ray of light of truth even when I was in my devoted mother’s lap. I had the good fortune of being in the warmth of that divine light for seven years of my life.”
By emphasizing on the above (just before in bold letters) he wants to throw light on two most quoted terms in Sufism, i.e. ‘Fana’ and ‘Baqa’. Fana means to consider one’s self as existing in the form of his Spiritual Master; and annihilate his own self in Him. In Fana, the Abhyasi looses consciousness of himself; hence, here is the scarcity of cognition and not the cognition of scarcity. With the Sufi Fana is the non- cognizance of one’s attributes as one’s own; and Baqa is the recognition of the same as the attribute of God. In other words, so long as you are present in your own sight, God disappears, and when He is present in your sight, you disappear. For example, when you are concentrated on words, you lose sight of ink, and when you are concentrated on ink, you lose sight of words.
Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj often used to recite a couplet of Maulaanaa Jalaluddin Rumi, which means, “Close your lips, close your eyes and close your ears. Laugh at me, if you do not see the secret of the Truth”. This relates to a Grate Saint and a Philosopher named who had prescribed a five years’ course of silence on his disciples, before they were admitted to his mystic path. The word mystic is derived from mu, to close. The secret rites and lessons of the Greek mysteries were things about which the mouth was kept shut. According to Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj, purification, devotion and dedication are the three main stages for realization. Repentance, abstinence, renunciation, voluntary poverty and trust in God are the methods of purification. He often used to say that to welcome voluntarily the Illat (sickness), Quillat (poverty) and Zillat (insult), are the three signs of progress in this Holy Path. These three ‘benedictions’ of Rev. Laalaaji Maharaaj, are confined within the four walls of ‘Laalaaji Nilayam’ only, which is His abode of religious fraternity, where He lived for more then two decades and presently where His grandson and his small family lives with simplicity and austerity of which He was epitome and He Himself lived a very hard life.
This is without any prejudice and with all apologies, from all those, who so ever they may be. This also disposes of all the queries about the subject, of numerous kinds, sent through any source, treating ‘Laalaaji Nilayam’ of Fatehgarh (UP), India
Humble self,
Dinaysh Kumar Saxena,
‘Laalaaji Nilayam’ (Samaadhi Waalon kaa Ghar), o1/45-A Talaiya Lane, Mahatma Ramchandra Marg, Fatehgarh, (UP) 209601 India
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