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Concept of Brahman or Kal
According to Hazur, Kal or Brahman is the universal
mind - the master and presiding deity of the spiritual-material region
of creation. With the creative energy derived from the Supreme Being -
Radhasoami Dayal - Kal or Brahman was instrumental
in the creation of the lower divisions of creation known as Brahmand,
and desh, and pind desh. He thus not only acted as creator and
the sustainer, but also as the destroyer of these regions. The functions
of Kal or Brahman differ from that of Dayal or the true Supreme Being in
the sense that Dayal creates through his own spiritual agency and never
destroys the creation; He and His region are beyond all change, decay and
dissolution. But Kal who conducts creation through the agency of spirit
energy derived from Dayal, destroys the regions at his own will; he then
acts as the personification of the destructive principles or the god of
death. He and his regions are all subject to change, decay and dissolution.
To interpret it scientifically Hazur Maharaj holds Kal
as lowest emanation of the pure spiritual energy. According to him, when
the evolution of creation in the first grand all-spiritual division was
completed, a black-blue (shyam) layer appeared at its bottom. As no such
admixture could be allowed in the first grand all-spiritual division, it
was forced out of Dayal Desh. A spiritual current was applied for its overthrow
and it came to have its separate existence. On account of depletion in
its spirituality, Kal or Brahman was actuated by a desire to create his
own kingdom or region in imitation of Dayal Desh.
Kal is known not only as Brahman but also
as Niranjan and Purush in the first three subdivisions of
Brahmand. In the three reflexes or and desh, he is known
as Brahman, Vishnu and Mahesh. Sometimes Kal incarnates
in human form (avatar) to propagate his cult and baffle such jivas
as are anxious to attain true salvation. It obstructs their path in all
possible manner. Hazur says that in fact Kal cannot and does not
wish the jivas to return finally to their original abode, because then
his grand sport of exploiting the spirit entity will be over for ever.
Concept of Maya
By maya Hazur does not mean advaits agency
of creating illusion or the creative energy known as prakriti in
samkhya philosophy. But in His view it relates to a form of matter
which covers the spirit entity. It emerges out of Kal at a particular stage
of creation. In the first three subdivisions of Brahmand (Second Grand
Division), it is known as prakriti, maya and jot. In the three reflexes
of Brahmand, it is called Saraswati, Lakshmi and Shakti. Hazur says that
the tendency of maya is downward and outward, as it forms the superficial
covering of all bodies created in various spheres of the second and third
grand division of creation. It acts through the three gunas, five tattwas
and ten indriyas. Maya also functions as an agency of Kal to entangle the
jivas in Karma by providing them with objects of worldly pleasures (bhog)
so that they may never rise to a higher plane than that of antahkaran and
man. On account of Karma, the covers of maya get coarser and the jiva remains
absorbed with worldly objects and suffer the pangs of birth, death and
rebirth.
Concept of Surat (Spirit Entity)
Hazur Maharaj describes surat,
the spirit entity, as a particle or the smallest representative unit of
the Supreme Being like the ray of sun or drop of ocean. It has originated
from the Supreme Being and has in essence all the attributes of the Supreme
Being. Since Shabd is the first manifestation of Supreme Being,
the spirit-entity has a natural affinity with it. On account of its admixture
with mind and matter, it has been deprived of its independence and has
to perform such actions, through the physical body, as are not natural
to its original attributes.
Situated inward at the focus of the two eyes known as
teesra til, the spirit-entity has been called the surat.
As it descends at the heart centre and functions in the world, it is called
jiva. Surat gives energy to every part of the body acting as the
life-giving current. Though invisible, it can be known through its functioning.
As it descends from above, it imparts vitality to mind, and then it combines
with the current of mind and supplies vitality to sense organs. The jivas
come in contact with the material objects and experience pleasure and pain
through the sense organs. The mind and senses become inoperative when the
spirit current is withdrawn from the mental plane in deep slumber, coma
or death. Thus the spirit-entity gets more and more enmeshed in mind and
matter, and being engrossed in worldly bondage, indulges in Karma.
Concept of Karma
Karma is the activity of mind and sense organs. As soon as
desires arise, currents issue forth and flow towards the appropriate sense
organ. If the object of pleasure is available the current comes in contact
with it and gives pleasure to the mind. If the object is out of reach,
the mind thinks about it and derives pleasure and then identifies itself
with that pleasure. It seeks various means of procuring that pleasure and
makes efforts in that direction. If it succeeds it gets pleasure, and if
it fails it experiences pain. The process is repeated many times and the
individual is caught in the net of desires which is the real cause of karma.
Hazur holds that all acts, including spiritual practice,
are good which tend to free the spirit from matter and raise it towards
its source; all acts which degrade the spirit by weighing it deeper into
matter are bad. According to him there are three categories of karma -
kriyavan, prarabdh and sanchit. Kriyaman karmas are those which a person
performs during his life time, prarabdh being those performed in past or
present life whose fruits are to be reaped in the present life, but the
results are to experienced in future life. Hazur holds that the effects
of all karmas can gradually be eradicated by inner spiritual practice,
surat-shabd-yoga, and true love and devotion at the feet of Supreme Being
and his human manifestation, Santsatguru. By practicing devotion and observing
the rules prescribed for it ....Surat can easily, though gradually, overcome
or reduce the effect of all these karmas and then get rid of the body,
breaking the shackles of matter in the material spheres.
Hazur further says that the Radhasoami faith recognizes
transmigration of soul. For so long as the spirit remains confined to the
second and third grand divisions, it must remain clothed in some sort of
body or covering and when one body is worn out it must assume another in
the higher or lower spheres or sub-divisions according to its acts (karma)
and predominate passion or desire. It is clear, therefore, that karma is
reflected, multiplied and recorded upon manakash and these impressions
impel the mind to repeat the karma again and again. Karma thus accumulated
leads jivas to the cycle of chaurasi and keeps them away from salvation.
Concept of Salvation
Hazur has defined salvation as the deliverance of spirit
from the bondage of body, senses and mind and its gradual ascension
and eventual entrance into the first or highest division by the practice
of surat-shabd-yoga.
The spirit, according to Hazur, can liberate itself of
worldly bondage if it would efface karma through the practice of surat-shabd-yoga.
This mode of devotion is the only and surest means of eventually attaining
complete liberation from the bondage of material coatings appertaining
to the lower and higher regions of matter. Striking a similarity with exponents
of theistic Vedanta, Hazur believes in sadeh mukti as well
as videh mukti. When the spirit entity traverses through higher regions
and enjoys the bliss of spiritual life, the devotee feels the same effect
of liberation in microcosm as would be felt after death in macrocosm. The
videh mukti (freedom from physical body and physical world) can be attained
only when the spirit entity crosses the regions of pind and brahmand and
ultimately reaches Dayal Desh - the first region of all-spiritual love
and everlasting bliss.
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