Guru Arjan Sahib tells us of this strong desire to meet the Lord, which lies deep within the soul. What are the means for realizing this desire? We must first decide if that yearning is really there or not. No doubt the tongue does declare it and the mind agrees, but usually the heart really desires only the world and worldly things.

Comb your heart thoroughly to find out exactly what it really wants and you will see that out of a whim, sheeplike, you follow others who say they are seeking the Truth; but this is not truly wanting the Lord. If the heart truly desires, the prayer springs forth without effort, like an overflowing expression which cannot be controlled or stopped; and the heart cries out, "0 Lord, 0 Master, give me this thing!" See for yourself, when we want something how we cry for it--in the night, throughout our sleep, and in all our waking hours. Every moment is spent concentrating on the desire for that worldly wish; automatically, and with each breath, the prayer springs forth from that heart which is deep within us--the soul. This is the condition of most of us.

When the heart sincerely pleads for something, that prayer is accepted by the Lord; but the trouble is that usually the heart does not want what the tongue is asking for. We are not true to ourselves; we go on cheating ourselves. If only we were sincere, with the tongue, heart, and mind all wanting the same things, we would get our wish, without doubt. Our prayers reflect our desires--mostly all for worldly things, and our heart responds to this. We consider God to be some useful benefactor; and as long as He helps us achieve what we want, then we believe there is a God; but if we do not get our own way, then God becomes a doubtful factor.

Majnu, the famous Persian lover, for whom all the world and all religion existed only in his beloved Laila, was once told by someone, "Majnu, God wishes to meet you." He replied, "If God wants to meet me, He will have to come in the form of Laila." He could not even accept God without his beloved Laila. We also will not accept God unless He conforms to our desires; all our remembrances of Him are for the sake of the world. Surely, when someone like Majnu died, would he not get Laila instead of God?

It is all a play of the heart. When the cry comes forth from a true heart, then God prepares the way for granting the wish. It has been very beautifully expressed in the Gurbani: The prayer which is true is heard by God, and He brings that child unto Himself so that He may listen to him. When tongue, mind, and heart become one, that is true: all else is untrue, illusion, falseness. Secondly, one should wait. If a prayer comes from such a child, the Lord makes that child sit beside Him, and then says, "Ask, child, for whatever you want."

Whether the heart can truly desire the Lord is a deep question. There was a true devotee named Namdev, and it is said that the balcony of his house collapsed with want of repair; so his relatives told him to get a carpenter to do the work. He went the next day to seek the carpenter; but being a true devotee, he started thinking only of the Lord, and in so doing forgot all else and sat down quietly in His remembrance. When he arose, it was late evening, and he returned home. His people naturally asked what had happened about the carpenter. Namdev said, "Oh, I forgot; but I will bring him tomorrow." Many days then passed in the same fashion; and finally the exasperated members of his family protested and threatened him, "If you do not get the carpenter today, you will get a very rough reception upon your return." This is what is meant by, Devotees and the world can never meet. Anyway, Namdev promised that he would really bring the carpenter that day without fail. We must remember that lovers and devotees cannot be forced to accept a certain attitude to life, for they are intoxicated in the object of their heart's attachment. So once again Namdev lost himself in God's remembrance, and when he opened his eyes it was evening. He thought, "Well, now they will treat me very badly," but he started homeward philosophically accepting all that the Lord sent with a grateful heart. However, God had seen His devotee's difficulties and had Himself gone to Namdev's house in the disguise of the carpenter, and in one day had completed all the repairs. One can imagine what beautiful work had been accomplished by the Lord's own hand. When Namdev arrived at the house, he at once recognized the fine work and realized what had happened. There is a Persian saying: Only the bulbul can understand the bulbul's language. [A bulbul is a bird with a very happy song.] The eye of a true devotee can easily recognize the handiwork of his Master. Even before Namdev entered the house, neighbors called to him to ask where he had found such a competent carpenter, and what his wages were, etc. Namdev laughed joyfully and replied that that particular Carpenter's wages are paid in love! They did not fully understand this, but they asked how they could get hold of Him. Namdev said, "Break away from (gain detachment from) the world and the family, and then my Carpenter will come."

When one has broken all attachments, He will come without asking. Of course, Namdev was one of the few true devotees of God. He did not ask God to help him, but God Himself is concerned for those who are true to Him. I can quote an instance from my own life, during Hazur's lifetime, when my son fell seriously ill. (He was about 18 years old at the time.) The doctors told me that his condition was dangerous, and that I should take leave from my work for three days and remain with him, for he might die at any minute. So I naturally did as they advised, but Sunday fell within those three days, and I was detailed by my Master to hold the Satsang in Amritsar every Sunday. The doctor had told me not to leave my son's bedside; but I thought, "To whom does this child belong? The Guru knows everything; I should do the work that He has given me." So I went to Amritsar and held the Satsang there. After the Satsang I remembered that Amritsar was halfway to Beas, and my heart said, "Why not have the Master's darshan before returning home?" So I caught a train to Beas and reached there about 1:30 p.m. It was a very hot summer season, and Hazur was upstairs; but when He heard I had come, He called me to His room. He was lying on His bed resting; but when I entered the room, He sat up and asked me, "What is the condition of the boy?" The Masters know everything. I replied, "Hazur, he is seriously ill; but as I understood Your orders were to go to the Satsang, I considered that more important." Hazur became very quiet and looked quite sorrowful, and I said, "Hazur, why are You in such a mood, when the slightest thought of You can make one forget all sorrows?" He said, "Well, you have taken the load off your head, and now I must bear the burden myself." Upon returning home I found my son was all right, and his condition had not deteriorated as the doctors had thought. These are the ways of Perfect Masters; this is Their greatness. So I may say that if you leave everything to Him, placing yourself completely in His hands, He will do all your work.

He will come to the heart that truly yearns for Him. Even if the heart is even slightly turned to Him, He will look after you. But for the heart that truly yearns in all fullness, what can stop His coming? In the Gurbani it states that the Merciful Lord has given orders for whatever the child requests to be granted. The true child desires only this happiness: That his heart may reside in Thy lotus feet. Also in the Koran it is written: I will give whatever he wants. All Masters have said the same thing in different languages. If the desire in the heart is really strong, then most definitely we can realize the Lord when there is the pain of true desire in our cries. When the heart is filled with worldly desires, physical comforts, and earthly relationships, then where would the Lord take up residence? The tongue speaks of God, and outwardly we bow down and worship all manner of images and conceptions of God; but our family and others live in our hearts. Man was intended to be a temple of God true enough, but he himself has made the human form a temple filled with lifeless, perishable images. How can the Lord manifest in such a place?

When the voice of true yearning springs forth in desperation, then what are the means of realizing God? He Himself extends His mercy and leads the seeking soul to the Living Master--the Master-soul Who has already realized Him. The tiny cries from an ant can reach Him more quickly than the loud trumpeting of the elephant--we must simply have the true yearning in the heart, that is all. He hears; He is in each and every being; He is not far away beyond the skies--He is the very Soul of our soul. By His mercy, the Satguru is met; and this is the greatest good fortune that one can receive. We meet that Master-soul when the Lord Himself so desires. And as we do not know the Lord, so we cannot know the Master either. By the guidance of someone with eyes, can the blind man find that which he seeks. He whose inner eye is not open is at the level of mind and senses; he cannot see the Lord working at the Human Pole. Such a person can have no conception of that Higher Power working there, and so for him the Human Pole is merely a man. You will remember that during the life of Guru Nanak, He was called one who is misguided. By whom? By those whose eye was closed. So we can meet the Lord only through a competent Master. If the word "competent" is used, it means that there are those who are incompetent also. You should be aware that the world is full of such so-called masters; you can pick up a stone and find some guru, sadhu, or saint underneath. A truly competent Guru--a Realized Soul-Who has become One with the Greater Soul, is very, very rare. It is not a mere acting and posing and cannot be denoted by merely changing the outer appearance and by wearing garments of various shapes and hues. It is a question of competency.

It is the mandate from God, that without a Satguru, realization is not achieved. The Lord Himself has made the law: that without a Perfect Master, He will never be realized. It is a fundamental law--nothing to do with delivering lectures, reading scriptures and other books, or thinking. Absolutely not. Realization is a matter of practical experience alone. Neither can He be realized through outer demonstrations, rites and rituals, building fine palaces and temples, or extensive expansion of religious organizations. To know a True Master, there is but one criterion, through which none can be deceived. A True Master will give something--something to start with by which one is fully convinced of His competency. Do you understand this? It must be some small experience at least of the inner knowledge. And that is given when? When your heart turns in that direction. If one has only curiosity or a motive to test only, and has no sincere desire, then no experience will be gained.

During Hazur's lifetime, He was once told of a man who had discovered the secret words which the Master gives only at initiation on the Inner Path, and Hazur was asked what would happen in such a case. Hazur replied by giving an example of a dog who wanders through a cotton field, and asked if that dog, by merely passing through the field, comes out with a suit on? A person may by chance hear the whole of the Master's initiation, but how can he benefit if the Master has not accepted him, and he received none of the Master's attention? This whole spiritual science is of attention. A single loving and purposeful glance from the Master is enough to lift the Living Force within a person.

We saw, when sitting at Hazur's feet, that many learned pundits came to Him. Such persons do come to God-realized Men, usually to argue on various points. We saw that they came and sat proudly--even arrogantly--proud of their great learning. So great was their pride that they could not listen to the Master's words. Hazur would often say, "Brothers, you also travel within as I do; so why not travel inside together instead of arguing here outside?"

One day a certain well-known philosopher named Kartar Singh Nabina, who was blind, came to Hazur's Satsang; and the attendants guided him to the front row of the Sangat. After the Satsang, he remarked to Hazur, "Maharaj, I am one whose speeches have astounded the whole country, and before whom when lecturing none could stand and speak against; but today I have sat at Your feet, and I feel like a small child at nursery school." The God-realized Man's talk is so simple, clear, and accurate that it immediately affects the receptive heart. There is a great difference between the words of a Realized Soul and those which come from an empty vessel. Listen to the Saint's true words, for He speaks of what He sees.

The eye of the Master is so developed that God is really apparent to Him, everywhere. Nanak's Lord is apparent. How then can the Master look down on anyone? With one Light the whole world was created; Who is good and who is bad? Their great love is for all; and this is another criterion found in a Realized Person. They have no jealousy, no desire to fight or quarrel with anyone. They have love even for those who have declared themselves enemies.

When they asked Christ how they should treat each other, He requested them to repeat what Moses had told them to do; and they said that Moses had said to give an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Jesus then explained that those instructions conformed to the extreme hard-heartedness of the people living at that time. When the people asked Jesus for His advice on the subject, He quoted Moses' higher teaching, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, and said further, Love thine enemies.

In Hazur's time, there were those working to damage the spiritual cause; they would even give public talks against Him, and when they came to Beas they would have the effrontery to take their meals from the Dera's kitchen. Someone complained about this, but He said, "That's all right; let them eat." No one was ever refused food. This is another simple example of a True Master's love for all men. He has no hatred or vengeance, and wishes only the welfare of those who would do damage. In due course of time, the very people who had worked against Hazur began to respect Him, a respect that has not failed up to now. Truth is truth, after all.

It appears that the whole world is shopping around for one worldly thing or another. All is forgotten in the stomach's affairs. However, sometimes, somewhere, a person with true thoughts, a true lover of God, can be found. Nevertheless, such People are very rare. The holy places are filled with worshipping people who pray, read, and discuss the religious books; but if one looks into their hearts, one sees what they want--they are in remembrance of the Lord, but for the world's sake. Excuse me, but we would like to make God into a catspaw; we have no real desire for Him in our hearts. Firstly then, we should know that whatever desire lies in our hearts will be fulfilled; there is no doubt about this. I have quoted from various scriptures and, in a common sense fashion, placed the facts before you. If today we are not getting God-realization, what is the reason? The reason is that we are not really desiring it--desiring it with the heart, mind, and tongue. We have no truth on the tongue, and we do not receive the gift.

If you stand in the doorway of your house and tell your friend to enter, but you do not stand aside that he may pass through, then how do you expect him to come in? Pray and wait; the Lord is not deaf. He knows the innermost part of our soul. He knows where our attention wanders; He knows our each and every whim. Place your desire before Him and await His pleasure. He Who is the true Doer sees our desires. A child's father may know that the stubborn child wants a certain thing, but he will not grant it if that thing will not give the child any benefit and will bring only misery and loss. Many a desire has been fulfilled, only to leave behind a bitter taste, flavored with regret. So what is the highest prayer? Ask Him for Himself, or ask Him for that which He knows is best for you. Just leave everything to Him and you will succeed in all things.

In this hymn, Guru Arjan describes how the yearning in His heart to meet the Lord has become a ruling passion in His life. --"O Lord, when will I meet a Perfect Master?" When he reaches the height of the Most High, only then will he know the High One. How can material eyes see that which is fine, pure, and imperishable (Agam)? Looking into the atmosphere, little is seen of what it contains; but that does not mean it contains nothing. Whatever is there is very minute; and either the eyes must become deeply perceiving, or the atmospherical content must be enlarged to the grosser vision of the eye. The latter can easily be achieved with the aid of a microscope; and thereby, within the range of the human eyesight, the tiny microbes present in the atmosphere can be seen. Similarly, those whose inner sight has developed can see the Lord. So we should find that kind of competent spiritual Master Who can develop our inner sight to that range of refinement which reveals the Truth. Only then can our true work be done.

Furthermore, I want to tell you that the status of gurus varies. I have already mentioned those who act and pose and wear different outer garbs; leave these aside, for the world is full of them. We find also the gurus of the religions, those with outer knowledge who teach morals and customs. This is good work, for man is a social being and needs social guidance. Human beings must live together in society, and for that the existing social or religious orders are necessary. If it were not for these, new ones would have to be created. It is better for a man to remain associated with that order into which he was born, and in those very circumstances make his life pure, chaste, and righteous. If even these gurus of the outer knowledge would teach that knowledge correctly, then people would become happy and peace-loving. Here in India, for example, so many problems have arisen out of the creation of a separate Pakistan; this and other similar social situations arise out of the lack of proper teachings and an excess of narrow-mindedness, even though the tenets of all religions uphold the fact that we are all children of the one Father. Gurbani tells us: One Father, and we are His children; and the Koran says, We are all members of God's family. All True Masters have taught this basic fact; and if He is in every human being, then why all the conflict and enmity? The teachers of all religions teach the same thing, and that alone should be enough to quell any suspicion of argument or fighting. Each religion teaches its followers to think ill of no man, not to steal, to make one's life good and pure and chaste, to serve others selflessly, to have no hatred in the heart, to love all men. If only these tenets were taught accurately and strictly adhered to, the world would be a far better place than it is at present.

But all these fine ethics are not enough for higher spiritual knowledge. There is a higher type of Guru: the Guru that teaches an inner knowledge, without which the continuance of birth and death in this worldly existence cannot cease. While this inner knowledge--the Knowledge of the Beyond--remains unknown, no real spiritual progress can be gained. The world then is full of teachers--Sadhus, mahatmas, rishis, munis, etc.--but One Who has actually experienced the Truth is very rare and hard to find. You will remember that King Janak sought far and long, and eventually he found but one man with this kind of knowledge. Those who were present at the King's initiation were astounded to witness that such experience could be received in but a short space of time. If during those days, when Spirituality was on a very high level in India, only a single exponent of the inner science could be found--Ashtavakra--do you think there are thousands scattered around the earth today, in this age?

It is true that the more really Spiritual Souls there are in the world, the more grace and joy and happiness there is. They can easily be recognized once They are found: They have true love for God, and Their ruling passion is a love for God and not for the world. Unless one has found such a Master, there is no real spiritual progress. One may ask where such a Guru can be found. Well, He will not be a prisoner of any particular religion or country; He may be born in any religion and in any social status. Ravidas was born in a cobbler's family, and Kabir came into a weaver's home, and other Masters into other different circumstances; but that made no distinction, for wherever the Light came, so the moths flew to it. There is absolutely no question of high and low where True Masters are concerned, for wherever knowledge is, knowledge will be available. Everything else is merely a waste of one's precious time here.

When I was young I used to read the Guru Granth Sahib [the Sikh scriptures or Gurbani] by taking a single verse to study, and would grasp its meaning fully before going on to the next verse. This kind of ardent concentration is due to past background. During the study of these great scriptures, again and again I read the advice that one should meet a Guru. So frequently was this advise repeated that I began to pray, "O Lord, I might or might not meet a True Guru, and in the search I might accept someone who has never reached Thy presence, and my life then will be wasted. In the past, Thou hast showered direct mercy upon great devotees like Dhruv and Prahlad; canst Thou not be pleased to do so today?" It became the greatest torment in my heart. I knew that I could never meet the Lord without a living Master or Guru, but I feared that I would meet one who would turn out to be nothing but a worldly man. The yearning, however, became overpowering, and I did continue the search and met many people; but finally with His Grace I came to Hazur. This outer meeting happened in 1924 although He had been appearing to me in my meditations within since 1917. I had considered at first that Guru Nanak had come, and in those clays I wrote a poem telling of my meeting with Guru Nanak and the beauty of His countenance. I received daily guidance from within for seven years, and traveled with Him in the realms Beyond. When, in 1924, I met Hazur I recognized Hazur to be my inner Master Who had been appearing to me within. So I am explaining that God does hear our cries--the cries from the true heart. Why should He not listen if one is sincere? Upon meeting Hazur physically, I asked Him, "Master, why such a long delay before this meeting?" He replied that it was the most opportune time.

Remember, these Perfect People are not just a body. The Master is that Power which is in all creation working through a Human Pole. There are three phases of the Master. One is that Power in the physical form, which we call Guru, meaning teacher Who teaches us an ethical way of life and Who has real human sympathy. The Guru is human, that weaker souls may gain strength and faith. On the outer level, He is a man, truly and completely--another phase. But He is not these alone; He is also something else, and when one rises above the body consciousness, sees Him within, and converses with Him within, one knows Him as Gurudev, which is the inner Radiant Form of the Master. When the disciple of a True Master takes initiation, learns how to rise above and leave the body at will, and reaches the feet of the Radiant Form of the Master and converses with Him, then that disciple becomes a gurusikh. The Master's Radiant Form accompanies the disciple from this stage onward, through each plane, until the disciple blends into or merges with the Sat Purush--the True One or Ultimate Lord. That same Power which works in the world is known also as Satguru--the physical form in which that Power has manifested. So you can understand how the Satguru is always complete--He is overflowing with completeness. That completeness would not be there if He were merely a physical form. Man cannot understand the Satguru, what to speak of the Ultimate Lord. Satguru pervades all creation.

You can take the life of any Master, in Whom the ruling passion for God has been fully developed, and you will find that He lived in torment until He realized Him. All Masters go through such torment, for it heralds the coming of the Lord. To see a blossom-laden tree brings a joyful hope to the heart, an indication of the promise of a fruitful harvest. Overcast skies announce the advent of refreshing rain. So the heart which is overburdened with the deep sorrow, agony, torment, and yearning of separation from the Lord can rejoice in the knowledge that these signs herald His early arrival.

There was once a Muslim mendicant woman named Rabia Bash, whose life was filled with constant heartache over the separation from the Lord. She would read the Lord's namaz (prayers) from very early in the morning all through the day; and when night arrived she would rest and sleep for half an hour, and then start the namaz again. Some interested people asked her if the Lord came to her before her prayer or after the prayers, and she replied, "Brothers, the Lord comes before I start to pray." They were insistent to know how she knew this, and she said, "When a strong wave of sorrow and yearning and helpless restlessness comes over me, then I know that He has come to push me forward." So such experiences announce the Lord's early arrival. You can read more about this in the biographies of Masters. From a very early age, worldly affairs held no interest for Guru Nanak; and His father, observing the boy's condition, sent Him on a holy pilgrimage. When Nanak returned home His sadness had, if anything, increased; He went to His bed and lay there and would not get up. He was the only son of His parents, and naturally they were very worded. Actually, Guru Nanak's attention was withdrawn; but they thought He was sick and summoned a doctor. During the examination the doctor felt Nanak's pulse, and you can read Guru Nanak's remarks in His hymn: The doctor was called and felt my pulse; The poor innocent doctor knows not that pain lies in my heart. And further on--Go, doctor, to your home,' I am intoxicated in the thoughts of my Beloved. Longing for the Lord should be of immense magnitude: either from the past impressions, or from sincere desire in the present life. If in such a condition you then meet the Master, your work will reap achievement. Those who are themselves imprisoned in the cage of body and mind cannot possibly bring any soul above that level of body and mind.

So in this hymn, Guru Arian stresses this intense yearning. A child is not amused by play when he is hungry for food. A mother may try to amuse a child by giving him toys or playing with him, but if the child is hungry he will not be satisfied with any attempt to humor him. When he gets the milk, only then does he become quite content. Guru Arjan is describing His own condition, which is like that hungry child who will not be satisfied until he is fed. Worldly toys, etc. can give no real satisfaction--if a true yearning is awakened in a person's heart, can he ever desire the worldly things again? Never. Guru Ramdas tells us that if one took all the pearls from the oceans and the diamonds from the earth, and all the gold, silver, and various other precious things and made a huge pile of all this, then you may ask a True Lover of God if He would like to have it as a gift, and He would not care to even glance at such worldly treasures. If our yearning is not as strong as this, then we cannot be successful in our aim.

Once two seekers went to a Master for initiation. The Master was bathing in the river at the time, and He invited the two to bathe also. When they joined the Master in the water, He took hold of one and, grasping his head, held it under the water for many seconds. The man, of course, struggled for breath; and when the Master pulled him up he was gasping. The Master said, "Listen carefully, child. If your yearning for God is as strong as your desire for breath, then you may come to me; otherwise, go on your way." Just tell me, how many of us have this kind of yearning for the Lord? He will most decidedly come to the one in whom this true desire is born. Wherever fire bums, oxygen is there to help increase the flame--without any effort--this is a natural law; and God's spiritual laws are natural, too.

Hazrat Junaid Sahib, Who was born in Persia, was once out riding near the River Dajla. His horse suddenly refused to continue in the same direction; so Junaid Sahib allowed the horse his head saying, "God is everywhere; let us see where you will take me." The horse quickly galloped toward a nearby hill and then stopped at a certain place. Junaid Sahib dismounted and thought, "Now what kind of God's wonder will I see?" He saw that a man was sitting nearby. In the course of conversation with him, Junaid Sahib discovered that the man had been in search of a True Master for years, without any success, until he had finally decided to sit in one place constantly; and if his yearning was strong enough, then the Lord would come to him--hence the reason for his sitting in that wild and lonely spot. After some further conversation, Hazrat Junaid gave him the blessing of initiation; and as He prepared to leave He gave the man His address saying, "Remember my address, and if you ever need me you may come there." The man quite casually replied, "Oh, as You were dragged here today, so will You come again."

The torment and agony of separation is most necessary. God is not far away; He is within you, so leave all so-called gurus--excuse me, but leave them. You can be helped in this particular work only by Those Who are True.

One morning in Amritsar I was with Hazur in the home of one Lala Duni Chand, when a certain Sikh gentleman arrived. I asked him where he had come from, and he replied, "Last night, Hazur came to my house and told me to come here this morning to meet Him." In reply to my further questions, he said, "No, I have never met Hazur before." When Hazur saw him He said, "Oh, so you have come, brother!" He who stands on the peak of a hill can easily survey the whole surrounding district, and can detect by the rising smoke any fire which may be blazing. So the True Master sees all and makes the arrangement for the meeting. Only such a competent type of Personality can truly be called a Guru, Master, Mahatma, etc.

One's mother can offer a whole sumptuous meal of various different dishes, but of what use are they to he who hungers for the Lord? One thousand worldly attractions cannot give the satisfaction gained from the Guru. Great is the love of a parent, but the Guru's love exceeds that of thousands of mothers and fathers put together. His love is unselfish--His every moment reflects the wish in His heart for His children to stand spiritually on their own feet.

One night some years ago, I was in Hazur's presence on His roof-terrace. Graciously, He would always call me to Him whenever I arrived. He was alone on this occasion, and I bowed before Him where He was reclining on a bed. I asked Him, "Hazur, it is all right for those who have learned to stand on their feet and walk around, but what will happen to those who have not learned to move at all?" Hazur sat up and said, "Kirpal Singh, do you want me to stop giving initiation?" I replied, "No indeed, Hazur." Baba Sawan Singh Ji then said, "Is there any father who does not want to see his children stand on their feet? Never even think that He Who has given the initiation has no mercy; He is waiting for the time when they will reach His feet."

Even now I can stress that, although Hazur has left the physical form, He is never far away. Whosoever initiates the child, sits within him always. The Master is constantly with you in this world, and also when you leave the world--during life, or at the time of death, and after. It is the greatest of good fortune to meet such a Guru. Hazur was not just a physical form, but we live in a delusion. He would give many small examples like: "If your chair breaks, you look for a carpenter to repair it; and if your bed breaks, again you seek the carpenter; and if the doors or windows need repairing, you are again looking for the carpenter. Would it not be better to keep the carpenter living in your house?"

So become a gurusikh--when the Guru appears within you, you have become a disciple of the Guru. He is always with you, but He must become manifest within. Hazur would say that the Guru can be likened to a veiled woman who stands in the doorway. She cannot come outside, and if she hears the child crying from very far way, she lets him cry; but if the child comes near to the door and cries, she takes hold of him and drags him inside. At this very moment the Guru is standing at the door behind the two eyebrows; He is there just waiting to pull you inside. Sit at the door and do Simran--the only difficulty you have is that you do not give enough time to learn how to sit there. And He is just waiting for the time when His children will come unto Him.

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