SAAR-SIDDHI (Ultimate - Attainment) By Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami The devotional literature of Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami is like a moon amongst the stars illuminating the innermost of aspirants. Sadguru Nishkulanandji has been a foremost luminous celibate amongst the group of the supreme celibate saints of Lord Swaminarayan Bhagwan. Nishkulanand Swami wrote the sacred book of “Saar Siddhi”, each verse and word of this great poem of devotion describes the supreme majesty of Shree Hari. Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami had been a unique saint and most dedicated disciple of Sahajanand Swami. The book ‘Saar Siddhi’ written by him, acts like a lighthouse – a beacon amidst the stormy ocean of life. It illuminates the path for pilgrims through eternal happiness and bliss of the divine. This book is the best amongst spiritual literature. It is an everlasting tiffin for the soul in his pilgrimage through life. What does ‘Saar’ mean? Saar means essence or nectar, which is most important or essential. Lord Shree Hari is the most essential and essence of everything. This book or scripture therefore aims to achieve or attain Lord Shree Hari. Saar Siddhi is the ways and means to attain the supreme Lord Shree Hari. The divine image of God - Shree Hari - is not attainable without detachment; similarly, the progress on the path of devotion is not possible without devotion. This scripture aims to attain emancipation and eternal bliss. Devotion is the only means to realise the divine image of Shree Hari. To be associated to God with selfless love is called devotion. This aim can be attained only by devotion. Kadavun - 1 Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami puts a lot of stress on the attainment of idols – the image of God. The image of God is not easily attainable. It is most difficult to see God in person. The scriptures have shown the ways and means for realisation of God for attaining God in his human form. Dharma (ethical duties), Bhakti (devotion), Gyan (ultimate knowledge), and Vairagya (detachment) coupled with Sant Samagam (holy company of saintly souls) are the ways to attain God. Saar Siddhi narrates these in detail to help us in our realisation of God in his divine human form. What do we need to possess, to please Lord Shree Hari? 1 Be like an illuminating pillar. A fire ignites other fires. A life illuminates other lives. Love sustains and spreads love and enmity sustains and spreads enmity! If we desire to reform and rebuild others, then in the first instance we too will have to revolutionise our own life, to transform it into a most powerful magnet. We will have to generate detachment and devotion in our own life to reform others. An illuminating lamp holds the capacity to ignite thousands of extinguished lamps, but millions of extinguished lamps - even in their unified capacity, cannot light an extinguished lamp. A Satpurusha - a saintly soul - holding within him the fire of life to gift to others the illuminating flames of life. He can take them onto the path of virtues. He can kindle in them the light of ultimate knowledge, light of devotion, detachment and ethical duties. One who is not at peace within himself, cannot bestow others with eternal peace. One who himself is ignorant cannot illuminate others with ultimate knowledge. One, who knows not the art of swimming, cannot teach others to swim. A lazy and good for nothing person cannot teach others the ways of absolute consciousness. We will have to become peaceful, if we want to give peace to others. The luminous beacons like Swaminarayan Bhagwan, Shree Rama, Shree Krishna, Sadguru Muktanand Swami and Sadguru Gopalanand Swami achieved this. We too are required to transform ourselves into pillars of light to illuminate others just as honeybees are drawn automatically to a blossoming flower and nectar like pollen is transported automatically to various destinations. We are required to desist from the path of sin, we are required to be generous, we are required to live at the higher plane through spiritual ascent, we are required to awaken from the sleep of delusion, we are required to do devotion. If aspired to act in this way to become a pillar of luminous light, then such life would illuminate the lives of hundreds and thousands. Satsang has changed and reformed the ideology and thinking of many people. The virtuous association and spiritual wisdom of his life had changed the ideology, thinking and lifestyle of Tulsi by transforming him into Saint Tulsidas. Our scriptures have said: Sandalwood is cool but the moon is yet cooler than sandalwood. However the saints are cooler still. Holy company of a saint revives our inner powers from its dormant state. We should live in the holy company of Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami. We should live in his company by reading and studying his scriptures - his book of Saar Siddhi. Saar Siddhi holds within it the immense power to emancipate souls. 2 (Find out the essence – the nectar of everything. Grab the opportunity and take full advantage to please Lord Shree Hari) Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami insists on pleasing Shree Hari. Try your best to earn the pleasure of Shree Hari. Lord Shree Hari (Bhagwan Swaminarayan) began his great work of Satsang at the tender age of eleven years and accomplished great achievements within a short period of forty-nine years. He had not wasted a single day, by sitting idle. He had toured and travelled continuously day and night, in rain and cold, in heat and storms. If he was hated somewhere, he would still stop there for penance and meditation or stop to make available the means of emancipation for his few followers residing at such place. He walked constantly and visited every place in India - forests, hills, mountains, shrines, hermitages, the homes of the poor or rich people alike, villages, towns and cities. Why did he perform such hard work and painful tours? He did if for the salvation of the infinite number of souls. Identify the opportune time to please Shree Hari! Shree Hari has said, “O Paramhansas! Introduce daily a new soul to the image of God. Practise virtues and ethical duties in your life and help others to practise it.” Lord Shree Hari displayed his pleasure by a warm embrace. He displayed his pleasure by gifting his own shawl to the saints and devotees. He showered his pleasure by offering prasadam from his own dish. He blessed them by petting their backs. (A devotee pleases the thirty-three carore Gods and deities, when he pleases Lord Shree Hari.) Thirty-three carore (1 carore = 10 million) Gods and deities are pleased, when Lord Shree Hari is pleased. The great heavenly serpent, the Sungod, Moon, Indra, Brahma, Shankar and others Gods are please on earning the pleasure of Shree Hari. It is not necessary to contact an individual God to earn their pleasure. Just as the whole tree, inclusive of all the branches and leaves receive water and nourishment are irrigated at the root of the trunk, similarly all gods and deities shall be pleased if we please Lord Shree Hari, practising ethical duties. Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami preaches to nurture firm faith and trust in God. Respect everyone and don’t insult anyone. The satsang shall be green and lively. Your faith in the form of God should be like that of a married woman. Sattvik Gods are always respectable and deserve a hearty salute. Faith and trust should be firm. Such faith should not be founded on greed or elemental need. It should be for ultimate emancipation. Lord Shreeji Maharaj admired the faith of Nandubhai. Vajiba of Vijapur was another faithful devotee 3 of Shree Hari, though she never saw Lord Shree Hari. Vajiba was a firm and faithful devote of Shree Hari. She was well matured in her faith in God. Lord Shree Hari disguised himself in the form of an ascetic and went to her house. He spoke badly of Shree Hari to weaken her faith and trust, but the faithful lady Vajiba rebuked angrily, “Look you ascetic! You are too small to shake my faith. Even the greats like Brahma cannot shake my faith.” Vajiba never knew that Lord Shree Hari himself was arguing with her to weaken her and test her in her faith in Lord Sahajanand. Such firmness and trust should be maintained always. We should not look here and there for support from others. Depend absolutely on Lord Shree Hari. Surrender to Shree Hari. Sadguru Premanand Swami sings: (I chant the names of Sahajanand Swami. I desire not to chant the names of other Gods.) Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami says that though there may be many stars in the sky, the light would not be evident at sunrise. The devotional service removes the darkness of ignorance and spreads the light of knowledge. Such is explained the importance of devotional faith, Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami says: Many zeros suffixed to zero gives a zero – hence add no value to a number if ‘one’ is not prefixed to it. The efforts of writing such zeros are nothing but blackening of paper. Sadguru Nishkulanand Swami asks us to remember God, sing devotional songs of God, and do satsang at samaiyas. He asks us to live a holy life by practising the preachings and orders of Shree Hari. The soul indulging in other acts earns nothing. His worldly life and worldly acts for the enjoyment of the sense objects are like writing and adding zeros. In his life ‘account’ there shall be no balance except those worthless zeros! No balance, no capital, no wealth! The people chasing wealth and money for ephemeral pleasures hold nothing in their balance sheet of life except, those innumerable zeros.