Principle

The path of spiritual progress leading to Self-realisation, propagated by Gurudeva Mangatram is the Surat Shabd Yoga, the path advocated by a number of spiritual teachers like Vasisht and Patanjali in ancient times and saints like Kabir and Guru Nanak in mediaeval times.

Gurudeva's teaching includes the themes of bhakti yoga, gnana yoga, nishkam karma yoga and surat shabd yoga . At this stage of experience, the moolmantra was revealed unto young Mangat: Om Brahman alone is being, without shape and form, One without a second, all pervasive, blessing incarnate. To him, the Supreme Lord, we offer our salutations.

Gurudeva was born in 1903 in Rawalpindi district (now in Pakis-tan). He lived a life of deep meditation, austerity and inward solitude. This twentieth century saint, through his deep insight, revived the ancient samata spirit of the Upanishads. His philosophy was shaped through the divine inspiration he derived from mining ancient wisdom. Gurudeva's utterances have been collected and published in two Granths: Shri Samata Prakasha and Shri Samata Vilas.

Gurudeva would often experience the descent of the revelation of the Word. The flow of revelation would continue like the flow of water in a stream. Gurudeva said: "When divine rapture pours out, the intellect becomes inoperative - it does not think in terms of dualities. In that state of wakefulness, no wrong word can possibly be uttered. Only he who has realised the blissful state within can know what the freedom from thinking is. When the intellect is merged into the Word, right thoughts rise up spontaneously and without thought-activity, the revelatory words rush out on their own. Nothing remains concealed in that state - neither the world nor its Creator. Hidden secrets reveal themselves with absolute clarity."

Mahatma Mangatram lived a life of complete celibacy - naishtika brahmachari and renunciation. He devoted most of his time to the worship of God through smaran, dhyan and samadhi and in the service of the poor. He exhorted the people to become wide awake, to use their intelligence and power of discrimination to understand the true path of Dharma.

Five cardinal principles laid down by him, which can help us to achieve self-realisation are: Simplicity or sadgi , truth or sat selfless service or seva , right association or satsangh and right remembrance of God or satsmaran .

Gurudeva said that the cessation of strife, conflict and violence will not be realised unless the sense of I-am-the-doer ( kartapana ) is not eradicated. It is the sense of I-am-the-doer that is at the root of the problem and gives rise to desires which create suffering. Also it is this "I" that gives rise to dualistic forms of thinking; the "other" is treated as an object that has to be possessed, and so has to be looked upon as something inferior. So the sense of doership should be eradicated, and it is upon its eradication that one's cosmic vision is opened up, which means there arises the vision of Unity of Being in terms of which the "other" is seen as one's own self.

Gurudeva Mangatram's teachings establish a correspondence between the macrocosm and microcosm, and thereby is affirmed the principle of samata , or what we call the principle of unity of Being, as the coincidentia oppositorum . The one who has attained samata has gone beyond the conflicts and contradiction of opposites.