Some Moments With the Master

Divine beings have come to this earth, from time to time, to enlighten man and guide him in the right direction, to teach him what Divine Love or Ishq Haqiqi means and how it can be attained and sustained, and to explain to him the very purpose of life. One such divine being was Sai Rochaldas Sahib, a brilliant star in the galaxy of Sufi saints of Sind. He was unique and his life was an example of perfection. He was a perfect disciple, perfect householder, perfect lover, perfect yogi and perfect Master. Following the spiritual path under the guidance of his perfect satguru, Sai Hazrat Qutab Ali Shah Sahib, he realised the Truth and attained to Oneness. He personified divine love—Ishq Haqiqi. As a disciple, he had absolute faith in his satguru, he showed complete obedience to the precept, zeal and earnestness in practice and steadfastness and firmness in endeavour. He was pure in his mind and his spiritual endeavours were without any ulterior motive. As a householder, he was dutiful, loving, gentle, humble, contended, hospitable, generous, simple, compassionate and fond of beauty, discipline and orderliness. He had fully resigned himself to the will of God. He always wore a simple dress and never put on the garb of a monk or a priest. His dwelling place was very simple. It did not have the semblance of a temple or a shrine. As a lover, he had attained total absorption (fanai) in his satguru, in the deity and in the gurushabd, culminating in the annihilation of the self and realisation of the Self or the Truth. As a yogi, he was adept in pranayama but he never displayed his attainments and powers and refrained from using the occult powers that usually come to a seeker with the practice of pranayama. Going beyond the realm of occult which he treated as an aspect of maya—the cosmic illusion—he delved deep into the domain of spiritualism. He attained union with the Absolute, Haq or Brahm.

Divine beings have come to this earth, from time to time, to enlighten man and guide him in the right direction, to teach him what Divine Love or Ishq Haqiqi means and how it can be attained and sustained, and to explain to him the very purpose of life. One such divine being was Sai Rochaldas Sahib, a brilliant star in the galaxy of Sufi saints of Sind. He was unique and his life was an example of perfection. He was a perfect disciple, perfect householder, perfect lover, perfect yogi and perfect Master. Following the spiritual path under the guidance of his perfect satguru, Sai Hazrat Qutab Ali Shah Sahib, he realised the Truth and attained to Oneness. He personified divine love—Ishq Haqiqi. As a disciple, he had absolute faith in his satguru, he showed complete obedience to the precept, zeal and earnestness in practice and steadfastness and firmness in endeavour. He was pure in his mind and his spiritual endeavours were without any ulterior motive. As a householder, he was dutiful, loving, gentle, humble, contended, hospitable, generous, simple, compassionate and fond of beauty, discipline and orderliness. He had fully resigned himself to the will of God. He always wore a simple dress and never put on the garb of a monk or a priest. His dwelling place was very simple. It did not have the semblance of a temple or a shrine. As a lover, he had attained total absorption (fanai) in his satguru, in the deity and in the gurushabd, culminating in the annihilation of the self and realisation of the Self or the Truth. As a yogi, he was adept in pranayama but he never displayed his attainments and powers and refrained from using the occult powers that usually come to a seeker with the practice of pranayama. Going beyond the realm of occult which he treated as an aspect of maya—the cosmic illusion—he delved deep into the domain of spiritualism. He attained union with the Absolute, Haq or Brahm. As a Master, he was a Brahmgyani, fully competent to lead and guide a seeker on the spiritual path and he helped many a seeker. His life teaches us how one can live as an ordinary person among men even after having attained the supreme divine state—the state of turiya-atit or baqa-ba-Allah. His life also teaches us that for realising the Self it is not enough for one to merely undertake japa or to recite the name of God. One must also adopt the right way of life or conduct. He used to say, “What is the use of a talk if one does not follow the right mode of living or conduct!” Some of us had the privilege to have spent some time with him. Now when we look back, we realise how blessed were those moments that we had spent in his presence. For many years he had maintained himself in strict silence. It was towards the end of his life that he entered into conversation openly. His utterances were highly significant and of deep meaning. He was very sweet and loving in his speech. His method of guidance was always informal. He did not speak like a scholar, or an erudite or a pundit. Since he had himself practised and realised what he wanted to convey, his utterances were practical and spontaneous and not merely academic. At no stage did he expound an idea through a discourse or a lecture. It is not that he was incapable of doing so. But those who are ever absorbed in the Almighty do not do it; they are not bound by the laws of the mundane world. They act spontaneously under a divine impulse or as the Lord makes them act at a particular moment. He was omniscient; and he spoke in such a manner that the doubts of the seekers were removed without their having raised the doubts openly before him. Fortunately, some dedicated disciples of his took down notes of the dialogues on some occasions. The Master left his mortal frame in December, 1957.

DR R.M. HARI was born at Rohri, Sind, Pakistan on 30 April, 1912. His father Sai (Dr) Rochaldas Sahib was a saint of a very high realisation. The atmosphere at home was pious and holy. Sadhus and fakirs were frequent visitors at home and they were always treated and served with respect. Dr Hari, therefore, had the privilege of being in holy environments since his birth. He had his schooling at Municipal High School, Rohri. He then passed the examinations in Homoeopathy and became a qualified homoeopathic physician. Following in the footsteps of his father and preceptor, Sai (Dr) Rochaldas Sahib, Dr Hari also decided to do free charitable homoeopathic service. He never invited donations or subscriptions for his living or the dispensary. He fully surrendered himself to the Lord, and the Lord took care of him throughout his life. He always helped the needy. Out of love and respect, he was also addressed as Dada Sai. The life of Dada Sai is a unique example. His basic approach was ‘evolution, progress and enlightenment within and secrecy and anonymity outside’. He always concealed himself and avoided display and ostentation. He would not hesitate in inviting criticism to safeguard spiritual secrecy and anonymity. He never sat down as a head of a congregation to deliver a sermon. At times Dada Sai chose to live in an aristocratic manner and had the experience of everything in the world. He had a very fine taste and liked everything in a gracious and exquisite manner. He visited many countries in the world. Those who saw him were astonished. On the other hand he also lived such a simple and austere life totally devoid of material comforts and in great anonymity that those around him were dumbfounded. For him all states were alike, he was even-minded in all conditions. For him, joy and sorrow, and acceptance and rejection, were all alike. He never approached anybody for help, and yet he was always helpful and generous to others. He was humble and free from ego. He never spoke ill of anybody. Dada Sai lived a full life as a householder. He was very meticulous in everything he did. He was always engrossed in activities of one kind or another — medical practice, reading and writing books, housekeeping, attending to family members and guests, extensive tours at home and abroad, visiting saints and places of pilgrimage, innovation and experimentation in herbal medicines, magnetic therapy, and gems therapy. He took personal interest in raising and care of birds and bushes. Every action was done with a keen sense of beauty, etiquette, orderliness and discipline, and yet devoid of any attachment. All his children received proper university education and were fixed in different vocations in life in India and outside India. Dada Sai was specially interested in extensive tours. Since his childhood he had accompanied his father to various places of pilgrimage, shrines and abodes of saints and holy persons. He was always fearless. He toured the jungles of Himalayas alone on foot. One day while he was resting under a tree in a jungle in the Himalayas, a huge wild bear came up to him and was about to attack him. Dada Sai remained calm and unmoved. He just fixed his gaze in the eyes of the wild bear. The bear too kept gazing at him, at a distance of only a few feet. Dada Sai showed no signs of fear. After about 15 minutes when the bear got tired and Dada Sai made no movement of eyes, it turned its back and went away. Once Dada Sai went unarmed into a habitation of aggressive tribals in the mountains in Baluchistan. At first, the tribals attacked him and were about to kill him. But Dada Sai attracted and befriended them so well that he was made to live as their guest for many a day. Dada Sai was always cheerful, smiling and contended. There was a special attraction on his face. He was tall, fair and well-built. He always dressed as a simple ordinary man and did not put on a saintly garb, or dressed himself as a priest or a monk...