God is the Supreme Power who has created this universe and all its beings, and yet dwells in every particle of it including man. He is The Truth that has existed in the infinite past, who exists in the present, and who will always exist in the infinite future.
Everything in the external world that man perceives through his senses is perishable, thus making the sole pursuit of worldly possessions a futile one. God is the only entity that man can perceive through the grace of the Guru that is indestructible and that is the source of the Supreme Happiness. Thus, realizing Him is the highest purpose of the human birth.
The letter Gu in Sanskrit stands for darkness and Ru stands for light. A Guru is an entity who leads an individual soul that is enveloped in the darkness of ignorance to the light that is God. A Guru is born in this world by God’s will and all of his actions are His will.
The Naam is a set of mystic words that praise and invoke God. It is provided by the Guru to the seeker as a means for salvation. The diligent practice of meditation on and remembrance of the Naam has the capacity to fulfill all the needs of the seeker including the realization of God. Religious scriptures and the saints who have realized God state that the sacred Naam of God is the only means of salvation in this Kaliyug or the age of degeneration. Saints like Kabir, Farid, Ravi Daas and Paltu Ji realized God through meditation on the Naam and they exhorted all to follow this path. In the present day and age, the tradition of Gurus of the Dera Sacha Sauda - Shah Mastana Ji, Shah Satnam Singh Ji, and the present Guru, Sant Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan have been encouraging people to practice the remembrance of the Naam to find real happiness in their lives. They explain to people that this is a path that they themselves have walked and have found the Divine through it. They tell them that this is a simple method that all can adopt irrespective of their religion, caste, language, nationality, etc. For practicing the remembrance of the Naam one does not need to change one’s religion or one’s appearance. Also one need not abandon one’s family or worldly duties to be able to follow this path. Naam Sumiran is something that can be done at anytime and any place as its practice is not dependent on any external factors. The benefits of practicing meditation on the Naam are obvious in as little as a week or two. For someone who is new to this path, the changes that happen inside one’s being during the meditation sessions would be nothing less than a miracle. It is only then that one begins to truly concur with Shakespeare’s famous words: “Verily, there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”
The Naam has the desired effect for the seeker only when it is provided by a true saint. Thus it is necessary that the seeker chooses his Guru with care. Even though it is the saint who finds the seeker and not the other way round, religious scriptures give the following characteristics of a true saint for the benefit of the seeker:
In the Kaliyug or the age of degeneration, the true saint preaches only the Naam as a means of salvation as it is the easiest and yet the most powerful of means.
True saints are not hateful towards anyone under any circumstances. They practice the same love and goodwill for all, as their very nature is such.
They are free from the evils of lust, anger, greed, infatuation and egotism.
The true saint comes to unite people. For him all humankind are the children of God. Thus he does not discriminate among people on the basis of religion, caste, race, language, nation, etc.
The true saint does not ask for monetary offerings from the seeker as by nature he is free from greed.
The true saint preaches that there is only one God even though people call Him by different names depending on their religion and language.
Sat is Truth or God and Sang is His company. Thus Satsang is the company of God. A Guru is a spiritual master who has realized God and has become one with Him. Thus, the company of such a Guru is Satsang.