"DIVINE DARSHAN"

    Come, my Friend (God), so that I may behold Your Vision
(Darshan). I stand in my Home (inner Being), watching for You;
my mind is filled with such a great yearning... (sggs 764).
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What feeds our animal nature in this world is lust and greed — "Kanik Kaamini" or passion and desire. But the food for our True Nature is the Divine Knowledge (Aatam-Giaan, Intuitive Wisdom), and "Divine Darshan".

Thus, Realization of "Divine Darshan" is the ultimate Spiritual Goal. Baabaa Nanak exclaims in the Gurbani (SGGS): "Without the Divine Darshan, how can I live, O my mother?"

Literally, "Darshan" means "vision", "visit", "meeting", "sight", "seeing" or "beholding". In order to see an object, three things are necessary: Form, time and space. But, the Divine - Dib or Divya - as indicated in the Gurbani is Formless, Timeless and Unlimited. Furthermore, this Formless Principle is said to be inaccessible and invisible to the physical senses and the mind; for He is beyond time and space. This leads to the following questions: How can then one have "Darshan" of the Sublime and Eternal Essence which is Transcendental? If our physical senses and the mind are incapable of seeing this Formless Spiritual Factor as reported in the Gurbani, then what does Gurbani really mean by seeing the Vision of God's "Darshan"? This is an attempt of this Gurbani Reflection.

Name and form is possible to an object limited in time and space only. Therefore, in material sense, vision implies seeing of an object with physical eyes. A person invariably contemplating on certain types of foods and drinks may see them in dream and later in waking state as well. The same applies to the so called Vision of God. For instance, if an object, a figure, an idle, a picture or a painting is meditated upon long enough, it may appear in dream and may later in waking state also.

Seeing of such images is not Realization or God's "Darshan". Because such phenomenal and illusory visions results in a state of time and space — false ego, bondage, ignorance, body-consciousness, fancy, hallucination, delirium, optical illusions, psychosomatic illness, psychotic states, emotional disturbances, and so on. It is said that even a person under the influence of intoxication sees phantoms in the sky! Being extremely subtle and Transcendent in nature, the Formless Reality cannot be perceived by material senses; such as our physical eyes that are already blinded by the cataract of Maya.

A twentieth century Giaanee, Raman Maharshi, inquires: "What is Realization? Is it to see God with four hands, bearing conch, wheel, club, etc.? Even if God should appear in that form, how is the disciple's ignorance wiped out? The truth must be eternal realization... Can the appearance with four hands be eternal realization? It is phenomenal and illusory." The Gurbani concurs with it as follows:

Therefore, all visions originating in the mind — time and space — are phenomenal and illusory, thus Mithiya (Mayaic). Any such vision once originated must also end. Thus, they are transient. Mind is nothing but thoughts-stuff (Phurne). Our false ego is the root-thought from which all other thoughts arise. Accordingly, any vision seen through the Mayaic mind is fleeting, thus worthless. They have their beginning and end; for they depend on something else for their sustenance. Hence false and irrelevant. Therefore, not a sign of one's Spiritual Progress or Self-unfoldment. According to the Gurbani, anything that comes and goes is unreal, and not worth pursuing or relying upon. Unless the Realization is Eternal, it will not serve any useful purpose.

Overtaken by the sense of duality (Doojaa Bhaav), however, the mind takes impermanent to be permanent, false to be real, untruth (Asat) to be truth (Sat), time-bound to be timeless, formless to be formed, and so on. In other words, our defective mind avoids the Real, and our True Nature flies from this pluralistic world. Mind being the puppet of Maya (illusion, doubts, ignorance, wrong self-identity or body-consciousness), many of our concepts and notions are based on falsehood. As such, all mental visions depend on the thought-condition of the individual (Jeeva) and not on the Aatam Giaan.

The term "Divine Darshan" used in the Gurbani is metaphor for undivided Realization of the All-pervading Mool within — Vision of Oneness of the world of plurality, Eternal Realization, Divine Sight, Self-luminosity, Inner Communion, Mystic or Superconscious Vision, Purified Vision, Divine Union, Divine Gaze through the Spiritual Eye or higher perception, Vision of Cosmic Unity, Vision of One Homogenous Reality, Vision of the Highest Truth...

It is a way of describing the True Nature of the Formless and Timeless Factor (Aatamaan). In other words, it is the Spiritual Realization, which is essentially the same as the Realization of the followings: God, Divine Will (Hukam), Spiritual Experience, Divine or Universal Presence, Blissful Realm, Divine Court, Timeless Consciousness, Joti-Svaroopa, Eternal Peace, the State free of desires and fear, the State of truthfulness, the State of conquered ego, the State of no-mind or emptiness, Freedom from Maya, Inner Perfection, Naam-Amrit or Immortality, Shabad-Surti, Satguru, Sajjan, Saadh, Dasam Duaar (Tenth Gate), Sach-Khand, Chauthaa Pada, Turiyaa, Sunn Samaadhi, Nirvana, Jeevanmukta (living liberated), and so on. It is the Complete Love of the Mool, which is the Love of All. Clearly, the State in which one experiences the "Divine Darshan" is beyond the reach of the physical body, mind and intellect.

In essence, "Divine Darshan" is the Realization of the Oneness of the Soul (Aatamaan) and the Supreme Soul (Parmaatam) without differentiation, just as water poured into water and milk poured into milk become one without differentiation. To put it otherwise, one who experiences "Divine Darshan" knows God as the Mind of the mind, the Eye of the eye, the Ear of the ear, the Mouth of the mouth, the Cause of all causes, the Life of the life, and the Consciousness of the consciousness. When such person wakes up the whole universe wakes up with him; when he sleeps the whole universe sleeps with him; when he eats the whole universe eats with him. It is the "Divine Darshan" that brings all worldly sorrows to its end, and, therefore, it is said to be the holiest of holy experiences.

In such Eternal or Purified Vision, there is neither doer nor enjoyer. On the contrary, in the impure vision (false ego-sense or Haumai) there is division, duality, doer and enjoyer — subject-object relationship. When the mind turns towards the All-pervading Mool within, it abandons its identification with the body and attains the Divine Consciousness. This is the Vision or Darshan of the Divinity. However, overtaken by the spell of the mind's defects (egoism, Mayaic Budhi...), we behave like somnambulists, going about our daily lives mechanically, unaware of the Mool within.

How can this duality resulting from our mind's defects be removed? According to the Gurbani, it cannot be eliminated by any amount of religious rituals such as mechanical reading of the Gurbani (Akhand Paaths, Nitnem, etc.), religious robes, outer show of religion or spirituality, ignoble qualities, giving charity and alms in pride or ignorance, making pilgrimage to the so called sacred shrines and ritual bathing in their waters, Naamlessness, selfish Kirtan, material consciousness (Manmukhtaa), other worldly entanglements (Karamkaand)...

Duality or Maya is eradicated through the meditation on the Divine Name, which is simply Love of the Infinite Mool within. The cessation of the perception of duality within and without comes about with the sincere longing for "Divine Darshan" (Eternal Realization), Spiritual Wisdom (Aatam-Giaan), Shabad-Vichaar, mental subtlety, abidance in Truth, and total detachment. After cessation of duality, only the Pure Consciousness remains. Then one abides and rejoices in one's own Eternal Mool within. This is the direct Spiritual Experience called "Divine Darshan" in the scriptures — Vision beyond illusion.

Thus, the key to experiencing the "Divine Darshan" is in becoming Gurmukh (Spiritual Being...). According to the Gurbani, only Manmukh (unwise or material being...) get deluded by their mental defects, who think that the perishable is imperishable. The truth is that the Parmeshar alone exists, rest is transitory Leelaa (Cosmic Play). In that sense, the duality and egoism do not exist any more than water exists in the mirage! Therefore, the Gurbani urges us to abandon our false visions, concepts and notions which are not based on facts. Instead, they urge us to clear the mind, and rest in the Purified Vision which is based on the Truth (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss).

The Gurmukh knows that the Mool is Eternal and self-evident, and that all visions are in the Mool, not other way around. Therefore, we are urged to realize the Eternal Truth that we never were not in the Blessed Divine Vision (Mool-Realization). The ignorance of the seeker lies in not knowing This Truth. Its "here" and "now"! There is no "other time" or "other place". It is not far or near. Neither it is after death somewhere; for it is not a post-mortem state. The Reality is closer to us than our very breath. Since the Mool is eternally holy, we are as holy as we can get, at this very moment! We are simply That! But, we do not know about it; because false ego ("I-ness", Haumai...) has intervened.

With the departure of false ego-sense and its defects, all concepts and notions (duality as well as non-duality) cease to be; then one comes to abide in the Purified Vision within, instantaneously. In that Blissful Realm, there is no student, no teacher, no teaching, no creator, no creation, no destruction, no worlds, no universe, no time (or death), no existence, no names, no forms, no "I", no "you", no "this", no "that", no truth, no false, no likes, no dislikes, no humans, no demons, no elements, no bodies, no meditation, no sorrow, no enjoyment, no beginning, no middle, and no end.

When the mind sees its True Nature ("Divine Darshan"), it is not experience of one thing discovering another. It's the self experiencing the Self, or its the mind experiencing the Mind. In other words, upon awakening of this Sublime State within, there is no separation between the experience, experiencer and experiencing left; there is no separation between the seer, seen and seeing left; there is no separation between the knower, known and knowing left; there is no separation between the body, perceiver and perceiving left; there is no separation between the mind, feeler and emotions left; there is no separation between the intellect, thinker and thoughts left; there is no separation between the witness, witnessed and witnessing left; there is no how, when, and where left: All is at all times, beyond the comprehension of the body-mind-intellect. This is the State of "Divine Darshan". In essence, "Divine Darshan" is none other than living in unbroken Unconditioned Consciousness, our True Nature (or Shabad-Surti). To experience this Cosmic Vision, we are urged by the scriptures to set our vision in life right, clear, and focused.

Call him by whatever name you may, an individual immersed in "Divine Darshan" is true World Citizen (the Gurmukh); uncluttered by caste, class, education, religion, race, language, country, society and family. The only God he cares for is man. He belongs everywhere and everyone. All are his brothers and sisters. He is Universal Consciousness whose limits are nowhere, but whose Presence is everywhere. He sees That who sees in all alike. His is a life of Universal Love, Oneness and Divine Ecstasy. He is beyond names and forms. This is the ideal placed before man by the world Masters and the genuine scriptures.

— T. Singh
www.gurbani.org

Updated on Thursday, April 18, 2013 3:29 PM (PST)

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