As the request of its members, Sant Kirpal Singh addressed a session of the Parliament of India It was the first time in history that a spiritual leader was invitetd.
My dear Dhillon Sahib and all other brothers here: Ever since I was born, I have noticed that all men are alike – the same two eyes, the same two nostrils, two ears, mouth, etc. – the only difference being the wearing of different clothing.
As I studied all religions, I found the same things: no new facts have been revealed; but we have forgotten. I have been on three world tours and wherever I went I have been telling them that unity already exists, but we have forgotten. All are born the same way with the same construction outside and inside. Every morning the municipality disposes of the body waste from all. So all are alike.
A parallel study of religion has revealed that man is considered to be the highest in all creation – all scriptures speak very highly about the human body. I need not go into detail, but different scriptures say man is next to God in a place where Brahm can be realized. So man is the highest in all creation. "All creation is formed to serve thee, o man" – to serve you and all mankind alike.
So as man, we are the crown of all creation. All Masters who came in the East spoke of Man as the golden opportunity in which we can solve the mystery of life, know ourselves and know God – that very Power that is the Creator permeating and controlling all creation. That is why man is taken to be the highest in all creation. Just look to the machinery of the human body: it contains physical body, intellect, and the spiritual side, divine in nature. As man, we are already one, with the same privileges from God; for example, with the same intellectual capacities. As conscious entities, we are drops of the ocean of all consciousness. We are all brothers and sisters in God. All Rishis and Masters who came in the past gave out their teachings in the same way; they always addressed themselves to all mankind alike. They said, "O man!" and they spoke to the world at large, not to the man-made labels we are carrying. Guru Nanak said, "All men are reading in the same class to realize the mystery of life." So as man we are all one, and that Power we worship in one form or another is the same referred to by so many different names.
Unity already exists; we have forgotten. All Masters who came gave the same teachings directly to everybody – no high, no low. They told us that we have received the manbody, which is the highest in all creation; it is the golden opportunity we have now in which we can realize God. We have developed physically; we know how this manbody works, how it is impaired, how it can be returned to proper working order. So many medical systems are used. We have also advanced intellectually very wonderfully. We can go around the world in hours. The world has become small; all the countries have become so many rooms in the house of our Father. We can now reach the moon, and there are others trying to do so. With all these advancements, are we happy? All are afraid of the atom bomb. The war could start at any moment and this world would come to an end. What is the remedy for all this? Masters show us the right understanding. They told all men, "O man, you are the highest in all creation. You must develop your third side, your own Self. Just pay more attention to your own Self, which is the most important part of your life. Then the whole difficulty will be solved."
Who are we? We are conscious entities. We are the driving force of the manbody. Intellect, mind and outgoing faculties are directed by us. This is a machinery run by us; and it is also controlled by some higher Power, so long as we are working in this physical body. Where God resides, all is a manifestation of God; but He resides not in temples made with stones. Once, when I gave a talk in England and uttered these words, one bishop stood up and said, "You have thrown an atom bomb on all our churchianity, if that is so." Masters, whenever they came, told us, "All men are alike. We are all children of God and we worship the same God overhead called by different names." When Masters passed away, these formations came into being. The word "religion" means: "re" means back, "ligio" to bind. To bind back our own Self with the Overself. Social bodies came into being, and are made with the noble purpose of allowing many people to derive benefit from the manbody. The main principle of all religions is the same; differences are due to climatic conditions or other customs prevailing in each one.
As long as there were practical people living, others derived full benefit. For want of practical people the same good old customs became corrupted. Kabir and Guru Nanak came at the time when the two formations of Hindus and Muslims were very powerful, in order to unify them. Guru Nanak said, "I am neither Hindu nor Mohammedan; the God we worship is the same Power." So people asked him, "Well, you are carrying the label of a Hindu, how can you say you are not a Hindu?" He said, "Of course I am carrying the label of a Hindu, whose religion was formed after those Masters who came in the past to keep their teachings alive; but really who am I? My body is made of five elements and I am a conscious entity, a drop of the ocean of all consciousness." At that time (in India) there were only two religions – two outer bodies. Now there are more than seven hundred. So Masters do not touch the outer labels when they come. The outer labels carry with them their own customs, their own ways of living and climatic influences. A first step is all right, but that is only the preparation of the ground. The higher purpose is to know the Self and to know God.
All Masters who came in the East or West told us, "O man, know thyself." Greek philosophers said, "O man, you must solve the mystery of life!" For that you will have to know yourself, "Gnothi Seauton." Latin philosophers said the same thing in their Latin language, "Nosce te ipsum!" Persian philosophers also said the same thing, in their own language, of course. "We have developed physically and intellectually, but, if we have not developed our own Selves, we are foolish", these are the words such philosophers used. Guru Nanak said, "Unless you analyse yourself from the body and outgoing faculties you cannot solve the mystery of life." So Masters came to teach us how to analyse our own Self by rising above body-consciousness. Knowing one's Self at the level of feelings and emotions or drawing inferences is subject to error. But when you come to a Master, a practical man, who rises above body-consciousness daily, he also gives you a demonstration of how to rise above body-consciousness. The true "noscum" (knowledge) will come up only when you sit by a practical man who will give you a demonstration of that. Then you will see for your own self that you are not the body but the driving force of the body.
You will see that this body works so long as we are in it. But how wonderful is this human body! It has so many apertures – two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, etc. – but we cannot run away out of it.
Some power is controlling us in this human body; the same power which is controlling all the universe. When God came into expression, that was called "Naam" or "Word" or "Kalma", and that is the creator permeating all creation and controlling all creation. That very power controls us in the body and continues to control us so long as we remain in the body. When that power is withdrawn, we have to leave the body.
That is the inner way Masters have been revealing ever since Rishis and all others came on the scene. I have given quotations from the original scriptures, a parallel study of which I have given in the book "Naam or Word". I have written a parallel study of all yogas ("The Crown of Life") and so many books on the subject of spirituality, which carry no touch of "ism" but rather the real truth, which was given out by all Masters who came in the past. Now the need is that we all should know we are already one, but we have forgotten. This is the one thing which, if we knew, would naturally cause us to have reverence for all on earth – those around us and those below us. Many difficulties would be solved.
When attending the last Kumbh* at Hardwar, to which my friend has already referred, I told the Sadhus when they were all collected together (and it was very difficult to bring them to sit together) that we are all one as man. No high, no low. I told them that in the old days festivals were held every twelve years to consider the Brahma; the way of living; and also to help solve any difficulties in the country. I told them that this is your job also because the world is aflame; and such is the same fate you have in India. Our house is on fire. With all our difficulties, however, our blessed Prime Minister and others, carrying on the good management of this country, are doing their best. But I told the Sadhus that here in India as man we have failed, as government we are trying our best, but still – "O God, it is in Your hands." Guru Nanak once prayed, "O God, the world is aflame, save it on any plea." So I told them, "Saints are considered to be nearest to God. Now I have brought this message to your notice; my work is done." They unanimously formed a committee to help. They also praised the way we are living and carrying on the government here.
So it is very kind of you people to invite me here. I am glad and thankful to you for this first step. In the government these spiritual things are generally not interpreted. This has been the theme of which Mahatma Gandhi also spoke: that religion should be brought into the government for the sake of practical management.
This is an awakening which has been appreciated all around the world. Here also men are ready, and these ideas, too, are spreading like wildfire. This is the need of the times; if this is done, all our troubles will be solved. We have so many troubles – there is an increase in the cost of living. Now what is the remedy for this? Once I was a President of the Farmers' Movement, and they put before me facts and figures: such as the farmer receiving Rs. 1.60 per kilo for what he grows, the same thing being sold in the market for Rs. 7.00 per kilo. Food passes through different hands and the prices have risen. The government is doing its best to set this right, but in the meantime, to avoid the pinching effects of the expense of the food, we should minimize our outer requirements. This is one thing which will save us from the pinching effects of rising prices. The prices should be controlled. When we consider that all are one and we are from the same country, then we must be true to our own country. We were born in this country, our bodies are framed from the soil of India, and we should do our best to make this country ideal for all.
During my last world tour I was asked on television how could peace be cemented in the world? I replied that peace can only be brought about when the people rise above "isms" – the labels we are carrying – and kings rise above countries. So my submission is, we are all from this country, we have attained this freedom not too many years back. We should all join heads together, which the government is already doing, to make it a very blooming garden, and let others unite. So there are two things before us: we have given precedence to our labels, but we are man first. We say we are Hindus or Mohammedans first, then Indian, etc. I would say that we are men first and then the labels we are carrying. Then comes the duty toward the country: we should be patriots; it is our duty. And we should all lay our heads together to help society realize the unity of all mankind. This can only be achieved when we have right understanding all around.
So with due deference to all, I thank you, you Members of Parliament, especially our dear friend Dhillon Sahib, who has made arrangements for me to come to you and put my heart before you. My real sympathy is for the advancement of this country and I request each one of you, as I requested the religious heads at Kumbha Mela, to lay your heads together. Thank you.
* Kumbha Mela – a religious festivity held every few years in India where representatives and followers of various faiths meet.