Tales of The Mystic East

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Item Code: NAC993
Publisher: Radha Soami Satsang Beas
Language: English
Edition: 2006
ISBN: 9789380077130
Pages: 316
Cover: Hardcover
Other Details 9.0 Inch X 6.0 Inch
Weight 470 gm
Fully insured
Fully insured
Shipped to 153 countries
Shipped to 153 countries
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More than 1M+ customers worldwide
100% Made in India
100% Made in India
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23 years in business
Book Description
Introduction

Tales have been told as long as people have been talking. Tales well told communicate their message in a way that all of us like to hear. Many of us may not relish a philosophical or moral treatise but truth in the guise of a good story will be enjoyed by all.

Over hundreds of years as stories are handed down from one generation to another some points slip out some creep in some are exaggerated. The authenticity of the stories is not the issue whether a particular event took place or not a Saint really did this or that a miracle actually happened. What is important is the moral the message contained in the story. Saints use stories to hammer home what we need to know. The stories serve as vehicles for their teachings enabling the reader to absorb their perennial wisdom in a simple direct way.

Most of the stories in this book were drawn from the discourses of maharaj Sawan Singh (1858-1948) known by his disciples as the great Master. A military Engineer and Persian scholar he was a disciple of Baba jaimal Singh (1839-1903) who founded the Radha Soami Satsang near beas in the Punjab India for forty five years the great master taught the path of mysticism and meditation known as surat Shabd yoga the way of the saints and the science of the soul.

In this revised edition of tales of the mystic east some sixty additional stories have been translated from the original Punjabi and included with those of the earlier editions. As before the tales have been retold with additional contextual and cultural details for the benefit of readers unfamiliar with the Eastern traditions.

The book is now in two parts: the first and major part of the book contains new stories, as well as the retranslated and sometimes reworked tales from the first edition; the second part contains largely new material in the form of personal anecdotes originally recounted by the Great Master, and now retold, but retaining as far as possible his words and manner of speech.

The central truth that weaves its way through the book is the one message of all enlightened souls since history began: Love is God. But it is not, in fact, that simple, for the way to the kingdom of love crosses enemy territory, the enemy is mostly undercover, and we keep losing sight of the danger all around. The enemy is our mind; indeed, the mind is our favorite companion, and it is only gradually that we discover it is a trickster and a traitor—that it is our only real foe. It deceives, flatters, and seduces; like an autocratic dictator, i can even destroy us with its power.

The stories are very simple and will be enjoyed by young and old alike. This is the beauty of stories as a teaching medium, for we can all appreciate them from our particular point of view. For the discerning reader, they alert us to the many pitfalls on the way to God. And they inspire us to engage the enemy in battle by pointing to the beauty and brilliance of the land ahead. They talk of surrender, simplicity, devotion; of faith and obedience—the way of the spirit; and they talk of hypocrisy, confusion, vanity, anger, lust— endless deceits of the self-absorbed mind.

Set in the context of the traditions of Hinduism, Islam, and the Sikhs of north India, they remind us that, irrespective of the words and ways we use to describe moral and spiritual truths, those truths themselves are the same. We may call love God, Allah, Ram or Wahiguru; we may call the spiritual Master the Satguru, Guru or Murshid; we may call God’s creative power the Word, Shabd, Nam, or Kalma; we may worship in a synagogue, church, mosque, temple or gurdwara; we may express the entire gamut of human experience in any language; but none of this matters if we are looking for Truth, because Truth exists at a different level from all these forms.

The Great Master was known for his succinct and powerful way of speaking, not just during his discourses, but in everyday life also. A Muslim friend once told him he was going on a pilgrimage to Mecca and asked him if he wanted anything from there. The Great Master said, “Please give my regards to the God of Mecca.” The man was puzzled. “Is there a different God in Mecca?” The Great Master smiled and said, “Then why go there?”

When the voice of truth speaks, it strikes us. We may gain more in a flash of understanding than through weeks of study and reasoning. Such understanding fortifies us—we step back from the immediacy of the situation and review it with a detachment that stands us in good stead.

That we may gain more from such understanding than anything gained through the skills of body and mind is the moral of the story of the legendary One-Eyed Khan.

Born in poverty—his father was a drunken cobbler, his mother a prostitute—One-Eyed Khan was half blinded as a boy. One night his father returned from the tavern and found him praying. This so angered him that he broke his wine flask on the boy’s forehead, which left him blind in one eye.

As he lay dazed in a pool of wine and blood, God spoke to him: “Fear not, young Khan, for you shall hear my voice within you; with your single eye, you shall have understanding, for you shall see into the hearts of men.”

One-Eyed Khan became a wandering storyteller—the most magnetic in the land—who drew large crowds whenever he paused in his travels. It is said that when he spoke, birds stopped singing and flowers bent their heads towards him to catch every sparkling word from his golden tongue.

When the old king, who had no son, wanted to appoint a successor, he asked One-Eyed Than to attend a meeting in his bedchamber. At this meeting each of the chief ministers was invited to say what he’d done to deserve being king. Unknown to them, One-Eyed Khan was asked to look into their hearts and see what lay behind their words.

The chief treasurer spoke first. “I have introduced ten new taxes, 0 King, and doubled the gold and silver in your royal chests.”

“Well done,” said the king, “but tell me, why are the poor still poor and beggars still begging?”

“It is Allah’s will,” replied the treasurer.

The chief judge spoke next. “I have made a hundred new laws, 0 King, and brought order to every corner of your kingdom.”

“Well done,” said the king, “but tell me, why do the poor still lie in chains, their pleas unheard?”

“It is Allah’s will,” replied the judge.

The chief priest spoke last. “I have converted thousands to the faith, 0 King, and filled all your mosques to overflowing.”

“Well done,” said the king, “but tell me, why do the poor not pray in my mosques and prefer the tales of One-Eyed Khan to the teachings of my priests?” “It is Satan’s will,” replied the priest.

Finally, the king turned to One-Eyed Khan and, much to the disgust of the three chief ministers asked him what he thought of their claims to the throne.

One eyed Khan closed his one eye looked deeply into the hearts of the three chief minister and listened to God’s voice within. Then bowing low to the king he replied as follows I say our people are enriched by the wealth of God within them not by trade or taxation. I say your people find peace in god’s law of love not in the whips and manacles of lawmen. I say your people enjoy dancing to god’s music in their heads not praying on their knees in mosques.

Hearing these words the three chief ministers moved to wards one eyed khan to silence him. The king held up his hand let him finish he said so bowing again to the king One Eyed Khan continued. I say that every person in your kingdom whether rich or poor man or woman. Muslim or jew has the right to hear god’s voice and see his face and to know he loves them. Yes o king god loves your people more than your ministers do.

Enraged by this criticism from the mouth of a low born vagrant storyteller the ministers started beating him with their fists.

Stop! Cried the king raising himself from his bed. One eyed khan has spoken the truth and I appoint him to succeed me on the throne.

But my Lord pleaded the chief judge he is the son of a cobbler and a common prostitute.

Maybe he was replied the king but today he has become my son and tomorrow he’ll by your king.

So it was that one eyed Khan became king. The lowliest of men was transformed because he had understanding he heard the voice of god his eye was single his life was filled with light.

Commenting on the great Master’s stories his disciple Maharaj Charan Singh (1916-1990) himself the spiritual master at beas from 1951 to 1990 said being a scholar of Persian his whole background was that of the Persian mystics. If you read Persian literature you will find they always explain beautiful spiritual truths through parables and stories. His approach to satsang was in the same pattern. He would impress on us beautiful truths through an interesting and simple story.

In the Upanishads it says; cows are of many different colors but the milk is all of one color white thus the great teachers who proclaim the truth use varying forms to put it in yet the truth contained in all is one.

The stories in this book point to many different aspects of the way to god. As you enjoy them remember that a cup is a cup not the milk. The truth that we really want cannot be obtained through any book but only through spiritual practice guided by one who hears God’s voice within.

 

Contents

 

  Introduction xiii
  Part One
Legends and Tales Told by the Saints
 
1 Fools Take No Advice 3
2 The Inviolable law 4
3 The pangs of Separation 5
4 The Mason Wasp 6
5 The True Philanthropist 7
6 How Saints Change Lives 8
7 Why Oh Why, O Lord 10
8 The King and the Fruit of Perpetual Youth 14
9 Sant Kabir and Indumati 16
10 Bhikh, Bhikh, Bhikh 17
11 The King of Bokhara 20
12 The Value of the Kingdom of this world 23
13 A Yogi’s wealth frittered away 25
14 Knocking the pot 27
15 The Real form of a saint 28
16 The Lord is the doer 29
17 Shah Jahan’s Humility 31
18 The Frog and the swan 32
19 Soak your prayer mat in wine 33
20 Temptation of the Dates 36
21 The Prophet and his devotees 37
22 The Faqir and the Moneylender 38
23 The One Good Hour 40
24 The Dancing of Bulleh Shah 43
25 The Blind Man in the Maze 46
26 Narad Muni and the Selection Ceremony 47
27 Why Guru Nanak Preferred the poor Man’s Food 48
28 The Sultan Who moved his beard 50
29 The List of Thefts 53
30 Lord Buddha and the Shepherd 54
31 Bhai Bela’s Sentence 55
32 Who Has real knowledge 58
33 Kabir Sahib Puts a Raja to the Test 59
34 Eat a Dead Body! 61
35 Bulleh Shah Goes Astray 62
36 Honest earnings 63
37 Teaching With Pigeons 65
38 The Direction of the Horse 66
39 The Palace of God 67
40 Getting Rid of Flies 68
41 No Other place to go 70
42 The House of Sant Kabir 72
43 Lord Indra’s Bow and Arrow 74
44 Out Attachments bring us back 76
45 The Tricks of the mind 78
46 The Poor Tradesman and the Philosopher’s Stone 79
47 How Baba Namdev Sold his cloth 81
48 Alexander the grate’s last wish 83
49 Queen Draupadi and the Hermitage Sage 86
50 How Shallow our love! 89
51 The Torturing of Hazrat Mansur 90
52 The Price of Hot Coals 92
53 The Faqir and the horse Thief 94
54 Czar Peter of Russia 96
55 The Ship that endured the storm 98
56 Paradise is not enough 101
57 Who is really a disciple 102
58 Guru Ramdas and the Mud Platforms 104
59 The Governor and the guru 106
60 Controlling the mind 109
61 Lost in the Taste of Honey 110
62 The Palace of Seven Storey’s 112
63 Man is the teacher of man 114
64 A Mantra to cross a stream 115
65 Bhai Suthra and the fire of the holy man 117
66 The Faqir’s advice to the doubting villagers 119
67 Do Not Beg from Beggars 121
68 God is Dead 123
69 The Lion Cub that thought it was a sheep 125
70 The Blindness of Dhritarashtra 126
71 The Benefits of Taking refuge 127
72 A Saint’s Words are never in vain 128
73 Hazrat Junaid and the Injured Dog 129
74 The Midnight Sun 131
75 Sheikh Shibli and the Two Seekers 132
76 Dalla is Tested by the Guru’s Gun 134
77 How King Janak Gained True Knowledge 136
78 Surrender only to the Lord 139
79 The Value of Meditation 141
80 The Black Refulgence 142
81 A Race to Encompass the Earth 143
82 Mahatma Shukdev and king Janak 144
83 The Thief who mended his ways 147
84 Do Not Denigrate a saint 149
85 The Love of Laila and Majnun 151
86 The Guru’s Thief 153
87 How the Lord Bestows his grace 157
88 Samman and Moosan give their all 160
89 Divine Intoxication 163
90 Going Beyond the words 164
91 The Saint in Strange Surroundings 165
92 The Queen Mother’s Advice 167
93 How Much for a pair of Shoes 169
94 A Bird’s Complete Love 171
95 The Will of the Lord 173
96 The Gift of the Cobbler Saint 176
97 Hate Leads to Hate love to love 179
98 The Rainbird 180
99 In One Ear and out the Other 184
100 The Empty Handed Monarch 183
101 The Flawless Beard 184
102 The Feasts of Dharam Das 185
103 The Torn Shirt 187
104 God Sees Everything 189
105 Who is the True Ascetic 190
106 Pride Falls before the saints 194
107 Never to Ask for Jalebis Again 196
108 The Punishment for Empty promises 197
109 I Want you alone 199
110 The Dictates of the Mind 203
111 How the Faqir Dealt with the ants 206
112 The Stubborn Pig 207
113 What the Holy man learned from the faqir 209
114 God’s Will or Man’s 213
115 The Shepherd’s Offerings 215
116 I Am God! I am God! 217
117 The Value of a Diamond 219
118 Why the Dervish Died 221
119 What the boy saw in the fire 223
120 The Priceless Manuscripts 224
121 The Lord Knows the Devotee’s Heart 226
122 O God! Set Fire to Paradise 227
123 The Modern Disciple 228
124 My Guru is Beyond Comparison 230
  Part Two
Stories and Incidents from the Times of the Great Master and his predecessors
 
125 The Great Master Meets baba Ji Maharaj 233
126 Baba Ji by his side 236
127 The Initiation of Hukam Singh 238
128 Thousands of Thunderbolts 240
129 Machhar and Ramditta 242
130 Please Let me Bow Before you 243
131 The way out of the jungle 245
132 Human Birth After Life as an acacia 246
133 The Sweet Scent of Devotion 248
134 Naked Oblivion 249
135 The Fragrance of a Saint 250
136 As ye Sow 251
137 His Pound of Flesh 252
138 Who is the greatest 253
139 Two Gods 254
140 The Guru’s Pleasure 255
141 Now I Believe 256
142 Absorbed Inside 258
143 The Army Officer’s Karma 259
144 How the Bengali babu Won the war with his mind 262
145 Inadvertent Karma is Still Karma 263
146 The Tomb of Baba Kalha 264
147 The Joy of Death 266
148 The monkey and the goat 267
149 Rabia Basri a True lover of the lord 268
  Sources 271
  Endnotes 277
  Glossary 279
  Addresses for Information and Books 291
  Books on this science 297
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