Throughout history, many distinguished thinkers and philosophers have tried to look for answers to some of the most pressing questions that have confronted humanity. Although a good number of these questions have been answered, there are others that still leave a lot to be desired. Some of these questions have been so profound that they continue to influence our thought and decision-making processes, even today.
One such question is what is the meaning of life? Humanity has been so adamant to seek answers to this one single question that people have gone so far as to venture into space to look for answers1. This question holds so much value and mystery that humanity will not stop until it gets the answer it is looking for.
While humanity searches for answers to such potentially life-changing questions, I am drawn to the teachings and wisdom of saints, sages, and great masters – masters who have lived amongst us since time immemorial. They have imparted invaluable treasures that the discerning have always held in high regard. Amidst their key teachings has been the understanding of the purpose of this human life.
To be able to answer this question, the wise tell us to realise our true identity as a must. In fact, Baba Avtar Singhji, the second in the lineage of Mentors of the Sant Nirankari Mission, counsels as follows:
Man – why are you asleep
Feigning your eyes – shut?
Wake up – attain your goal,
Whilst in this – earthly hut!
This occasion won’t repeat
In the end, you will repent
O’ man, here for four days
As guest you’ve been sent
– Avtar Bani 1672
Baba Avtar Singhji urges us to awaken and accomplish the very task for which we have been sent on this journey. We can clearly infer from the reminder that the task in question has not, as yet, been achieved. In driving a car, for example, when an unruly pedestrian blocks the road that we are driving on, we have to remind the person to move aside.
Saints and seers have been emphasizing the need to realize life’s purpose even before it became the so-called talk of the town. Being fully acquainted with the said purpose, they were able to diligently advise others. Baba Avtar Singhji, in the same couplet3, states:
Being unaware of yourself,
Know thy Self – via Master,
For your body, vital breath
Belong to Him, Lord Pastor
Picture your countenance,
That you’ll show hereafter
Win/lose- is in your hands
Avtar, an’ loss or laughter
It would appear that the question of purpose has been amply answered in the above couplets. For, according to His Holiness, one can realize one’s true purpose by approaching someone who himself/herself is spiritually adept. It is through such an adept that one realizes one’s actual identity.
The scene in a Bollywood movie depicts a protagonist in the guise of a police officer, who works against the antagonist, who is in the role of a criminal. Both are caught in an adverse situation when suddenly a woman – their mother – appears. She recognizes the criminal, who happens to be her long-lost son. Once the two men realize that they are in fact siblings, and not foes, they shed their enmity and embrace each other!
Similar is the role of the spiritual adept, who awakens us to the fact that we are all part and parcel of the Over-soul, and that the differences that divide us simply arise out of ignorance. When this spiritual identity is made evident, then all divisions cease to exist, giving rise to peace, not pieces4
Sohan Kumar Motwani, Manilla, Phillipines
