60.
Message of the 15 Bhagats or saints (Part-14)
Bhagat Pipa ji
Bani registered in Sri Guru Granth
Sahib ji : only one shabad on page 695
Other writings : Bani
Pipa ji, Sarb Gutka
Principal Teachings : Almighty
God who is the Master of this universe does not reside in some forest, hills
or temples. He resides in the temple of human heart which He Himself
created. The success or achievement in spirituality is only by the grace of
the Guru through exploring one’s mind.
Our
life is governed by the combination of two entities. One is our body and the
second is its driving force the soul. A person feels dissatisfied even after
all bodily and worldly needs are fulfilled. He remains miserable and sad
even after getting all the wealth, property, ability to rule others,
pleasures, comforts, good reputation and honor. So Sri Guru Arjun Dev ji
states in Sukhmani Sahib on page264 :
The rulers of the all the world are unhappy
The
power to rule is the biggest possession in the world. If a person gets all
the pleasures, powers, comfort, and other things in life and yet he remains
unhappy then that person has something to think about deeply. But the impact
of Maya(mammon or wealth) is such that instead of finding a way for real and
eternal peace and happiness, a person always makes aimless efforts to
acquire materialistic things and tries to obtain happiness from their
achievement.
But
there are a few lucky people who are loved by the Guru, who don’t desire
pleasure even after mastering worldly possessions. These blessed people who
turn their back and ignore the comforts of materialistic life, toil hard for
better and higher eternal pleasure.
Such
a man was Bhagat Pipa ji, the king of Gagron. He was born in the village
Patan(near Kota, Rajasthan India) in the royal family of Rajputs. Due to
this inherited status of being a king, he did not encounter any scarcity of
material possessions or things. He had every type of comfort and royal
pleasure one could want. He had 12 very beautiful queens. He
was not happy within in spite of having all these worldly sources of
pleasure. So in order to get liberation from this sorrow and to get inner
peace, he started to worship Goddess Durga (goddess of power in Hindu
religion). But Durga who is but the creation of the Creator (God) couldn’t
satisfy him spiritually.
One
day a group of Vaishnav Sadhus (saints) came to his city. They sang hymns in
a very endearing and captivating manner. Pipa ji felt relief and a soothing
sensation when he heard the melodious hymns of God’s devotees. He asked them
who inspired them to adopt this way of life. They replied that Ramanand ji,
a highly spiritual saint of that time was the guiding star of their
activities.
From
that time Bhagat Pipa ji decided to become a disciple of Ramanand. He found
out where Ramanand ji lived and reached his place with all the royal party
including his queens and other attendants. Ramanand ji refused to see him
when he saw the royal entourage and glamorous attendants. The
great saint Ramanand ji sent word through his messenger to Pipa ji that even
the human body does not come with you to the place to which he wants to go
and become an inhabitant of. A person who cannot leave the royal comfort of
queens, officers and attendants here, how can he be accepted in the court of
God? To get to that place even pride of renunciation has to be abandoned.
Pipa
ji realized his mistake. He sent his officers and queens back to his place
and he himself reached the place of Ramanand ji to quench his spiritual
thirst. He sent a request through one of the disciples of Sri Ramanand ji to
bless his glimpse, but Ramanand ji in order to test him said,” A yagna (Holy
feast with spiritual Mantras) is going on. I have no time.”
Pipa
ji just stood there with closed eyes and waited for the next order. Ramanand
ji felt his pious internal desire to meditate and made him his disciple.
Pipa ji stayed for sometime with his Guru Ramanand ji, meditated on naam and
got the order from his guru to go back to his city Gagron.
Now
he would spend most of his time reciting naam and meditating and less time
in official and administrative affairs. With the passing of time, he was so
involved in spiritual activities that he felt that royal affairs were
becoming obstacles in his spiritual path. So he left his kingdom and became
an Ascetic (Sadhu).
His
queens too got ready to go with him. He told them that if they want to go
with him, they had to take off their royal clothes and put on a ragged
blanket for clothing. The queens could not accept this condition. Only the
youngest one whose name was Sita obeyed his order. She wore a ragged blanket
and stayed by her husband throughout his life.
He
constructed a small hut far away from a river and started his meditation
just as a student starts his studies in a school. As a teacher gives a test
to his students to evaluate their learning so that they can receive degrees,
similarly God also checks the devotion of his devotees. One day he saw a pot
full of gold coins on the way. He used to go to take a bath on the river and
pass this way every day. He shunned that route forever saying that it was
possessed with Maya.
Due
to his meditation and recitation, his reputation spread everywhere. Even
kings came to receive religious sermons from him and started meditation of
God.
Brahmins
began to feel jealous after seeing his glorious reputation. Devotees and
congregation flocked together from all directions and the offerings they
brought started to pile up. Pipa ji always remained level headed. If
somebody donated or stole something then Bhagat Pipa ji would say to his
disciples that God Himself sent donations and thieves too came under His
order.
There
is a beautiful Matth (religious place) at Dwarka in the memory of Bhagat
Pipa ji. It is called Pipa vutt. Two manuscripts of his written bani are
available. One of them is “Bani Sri Pipa ji” and second is “Sarab
Gutka(encyclopedia of Sikhism) . But only one shabad is enshrined in Sri
Guru Granth Sahib ji in which he tells us clearly about the real residing
place of Almighty God and the method to arrive there.
The
residing place of God is not a temple made of bricks and cement. He(God
Almighty) resides in the human body. So the body is a beautiful temple in
which Almighty God lives in the form of a Divine Light.
To
achieve God, some people wear the dress of a yogi, some go to pilgrimage,
some worship idols and others light lamps for meditation and still others
offer flowers, leaves and food to their deities.
Bhagat
Pipa ji says,” I searched a lot for God through external rituals but all in
vain. But when I explored Him through introspection and recited His naam
with all my concentration, then I found the master of all treasures(God)
within me. With His Grace, I have come to know that this world is a game.
Neither anything comes nor anything goes but remains constant merely
changing forms and with this knowledge my cycle of rebirths is finished. The
real thing is that the Creator who is the Master of this Universe resides in
our heart and not outside somewhere. He who finds Him (God) within one’s own
self, achieves Him(God). Who ever tries to find God in forests, Hills or
Caves gets nothing. Almighty God is the root of the entire Universe but His
knowledge and perception comes through Satguru. As mentioned on page 695 :
Within the body, the Divine Lord is embodied.
The body is the temple, the place of pilgrimage, and the pilgrim.
Within the body are incense, lamps and offerings.Within the body are the flower offerings.
I searched throughout many realms,
but I found the nine treasures within the body.
Nothing comes, and nothing goes; I pray to the Lord for Mercy.
The One who pervades the Universe also dwells in the body;
whoever seeks Him, finds Him there.
Peepaa prays, the Lord is the supreme essence;
He reveals Himself through the True Guru
This
statement of Pipa ji agrees completely with laws of physics that is the Law
of conservation of energy. The law states that,” Energy can neither be
created nor destroyed. Its final total remains constant. It simply changes
its form from one to another. Energy converts into matter and matter
converts into energy. This underlines the universality of Bhagat Pipa ji’s
order, which he achieved through concentration on the divine.
He
breathed his last breath at the age of 136 years and departed for his
heavenly abode in 1562 A.D., but his words are still immortal.