The Inward Journey of the Soul (Chal Hansa Nij Desh) By Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj Translated and Edited from Hindi by Veena Howard, Ph.D. USA Copyright © 2014 by Santmat Society of North America™ All rights reserved Swami Vysanand Ji Maharaj Contact Information: Maharshi Mehi Brahma Vidhyapith Near Geeta Kutir, Gali No. 3, Haridwar (Uttarakhand), India Cell phone: 09219980695 Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj iii Sant Tulsi Sahab 1763-1843 Baba Devi Sahab 1841-1919 Maharishi Mehi Paramahans Ji Maharaj 1885-1986 Maharishi Santsevi Ji Maharaj 1919-2007 iv v vi Table of Contents Words of Blessing from Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj ....................... 9 Acknowledgements ..............................................................................11 Translator’s Preface ..............................................................................12 Foreword .............................................................................................15 Endorsement ........................................................................................17 Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj (A Short Biography) ............................18 Introduction ......................................................................................... 24 1. The Traveler of the Subtle Inner Path............................................27 2. The Divine Reality (God) in Santmat ...........................................33 3. Worthiness of a Seeker ..................................................................39 4. The Mantra of an Accomplished Teacher .....................................49 5. Without Essential Information no Meditation (Necessary Knowledge Prior to Meditation Practice)...................67 6. Resolute Practice ...........................................................................79 7. Bhakti: Devotion and Love for the Divine ..................................149 8. The Merits of Past Lives ..............................................................157 9. The Will of the Divine ................................................................165 vii viii Words of Blessing from Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj Sanskrit is the oldest language of the world. [It was also known as the “mother” of all languages.] However, in due course of time its pristine status has become unknown and even has been undermined. Hindi is indeed the national language of India, but it is only in legal documents; the reality is quite different. There are many States within Hindustan (India) in which the speaking of Hindi is looked Unfortunately, in our own country, we have become impoverished with respect to our Hindi language. In our present world, English is the only language that has been widely accepted and spoken by the people of this world. English has secured its status as the language of our modern world. Today, people can spread their ideas through this language to the far corners of the earth. These English-speaking individuals can take the pearls of their philosophies and weave them into the necklace of the hearts of people of any country. India has been the leader in spiritual knowledge, and, I believe, it will also hold the same status in the future. However, only those 9 The Inward Journey of the Soul their teachings abroad. Our honorable Gurudev Maharshi Mehi Santmat, also spelled as Sant Mat) that no one can shake my faith. Those who will read the philosophy expounded in my books will also realize the truth and It is my regret that our Guru’s teachings, due to the limitation of language, could not reach Western countries. Now, our institution of Santmat is seeing a ray of hope in this direction. I believe that through this medium the Divine vision of our Gurudev could be realized. This ray of light is our scholarly sister Shrimati Veena Howard. Through her, the seminal books of Santmat, including Philosophy of Liberation and Harmony of All Religions, have been translated into English, and they have reached different regions of the world. In the series of translated books on Santmat, now my book, Chal Hansa Nij Desh has been included. She has translated and edited the book, and it is published with the name, The Inward Journey of the Soul methods of how the soul transcends various realms of consciousness in the mystical journey within and reaches the ultimate state of Divine realization. I give my thanks to sister Shrimati Veena for her efforts and also pray to my honorable Shri Satguru Maharaj that in future such important works would continue to be performed through her. I give my blessing to Mr. Don Howard who provided diligent support in this endeavor. I also give good wishes for the spiritual progress of their daughters Mira and Gita. Vyasanand—Feb. 22, 2014 10 Acknowledgements I offer our special thanks to friends and fellow seekers who have assisted in the translation and publication of the book, The Inward Journey of the Soul. Our special thanks to James Bean (Maine, USA) Neerja (Delhi) for her initial draft of the biography of Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj, Pawan Agrawal (Jaipur) for his gracious assistance in the printing of the book, and I am grateful to my brother Charlie Lal (USA) for his encouragement with this project. My deepest gratitude to Mr. Don Howard (USA) for providing his unwavering support with this project. We are extremely fortunate to have this knowledge compendium of Santmat, which Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj has graciously produced for the seekers of the Divine. I am especially grateful to Swami Ji for his brilliant effort in producing this, and also for his patience and grace in guiding me through this process of translation. 11 Translator’s Preface In his book, The Inward Journey of the Soul, Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj provides a superbly detailed account of the various essential elements for success in the inward path to union with the Divine Reality (Supreme Being, Paramatman). The components of the inward spiritual path have been elaborated by learned and accomplished Sants of the Santmat tradition, including Maharshi Mehi Parmahans Ji Maharaj and Maharshi Santsevi Maharaj. However, there existed no volume that provided a detailed and systematic elucidation of these elements. Grounded in the fundamental teachings of his Guru Maharshi Mehi Paramhans Ji Maharaj and the principles of Santmat, Swami Ji creates a meticulous guide to help the seeker on the inward path that has no signposts. seeker for understanding and undertaking the inner journey for the attainment of Absolute Peace (Shanti) and realization of the Divine. He creatively equates these with the seven elements necessary for a farmer to attain success in farming. Of course, these seven elements 12 and business. These seven elements include worthiness of a student, a mantra resolute practice, devotion, merit of past lives, and the will of God. Swami Ji methodically takes the reader through the requirements, pitfalls, and signposts that are extremely valuable for a seeker. This translation was undertaken to render the original Hindi exposition, Chal Hansa Nij Desh (O Soul-swan! Return to Your Abode) into a widely accessible English version. The title of the book, The Inward Journey of the Soul, has been selected to convey the essential substance of the book. The task of a translator is with its frequent references to the Indian religious mythological characters and poetry of various sants in a variety of languages. These languages include Sanskrit, Hindi, Gurumukhi, Avadhi, Urdu, and other regional vernaculars of Northern India. Many terms in the original languages have no equivalent in the English language, and therefore required explanations from the editor. Furthermore, it has been challenging to replicate Swami Ji’s lucid, oral style imbued with metaphors from Indian religious texts and traditions into English. The primary task of this translation has been to preserve the voice of Swami Ji and thus render a translation that remains faithful to the original. This book was initially written for the native people familiarity with the principles of Santmat. But in the course of development, and for the purpose of making it accessible to a wider audience, we have added many explanatory notes. Swami Vyasanand Ji’s concern has been to reach people from 13 The Inward Journey of the Soul all walks of life, especially the underprivileged and illiterate masses who reside in the deep villages of India. Accordingly, the style of the book follows the oral tradition, in which repetition of ideas is frequent and desirable. In this translation some editorial license had to be taken to make the text accessible to the western mind. All editorial decisions have been made for the purpose of clarifying the original intent of the author. In a few cases the editor has applied the comments suggested by readers and students. We offer this translation at the holy feet of Swami Vyasanand Ji Maharaj on the occasion of the 10th Annual International Satsang Mahadhiveshan in Kurukshetra, India, March 2014. We are deeply grateful for his monumental endeavor in producing this momentous treatise. This would serve as a guide to those who are committed to treading the path to the Divine. This monumental task would not have been possible without the encouragement and loving guidance of Swami Ji. When we felt disheartened, he gave us reassurance that helped us to continue with this arduous task of translation. He patiently answered all our questions and elaborated on the issues that were unclear to us. Without his divine assistance and blessings, it would not have been