The Golden ChainJ the Spiritual Teacher & Yogi Bhfian

A teacher is a human institution which manifests Godhood.
The spiritual teacher is the link of Infinity within two finites.
Truth is infinite. It cannot be captured in any mental or emotional
imagination. Teaching is infinity. It is a flow of the
same energy and reality. Therefore, no finite person can teach
the Truth. Through God’s Grace, you may meet someone
whom you will love beyond emotion, beyond dedication,
whom you love for the sake of love. You are inspired to obey
him, and this opens true selflessness in you.
-YOGI B HAJAN

This chapter includes . . .
THE GOLDEN CHAIN
Tuning into the Golden Chain with the Adi Mantra
Yogi Bhajan on the Adi Mantra
THE SPIRITUAL TEACHER
The Virtue of a Teacher
The “Guru”
The Guru’s Gate
All About “Gurus” (A lecture by Yogi Bhajan)
Yogi Bhajan on What it Means to Have a Teacher
What is the Function of a Genuine Teacher?
About Yogi Bhajan
Yogi Bhajan on Siddhis
Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan
COPYRIGHT YOGI BHAJAN 2003
A teacher is a human institution which manifests Godhood.
The spiritual teacher is the link of Infinity within two finites.
Truth is infinite. It cannot be captured in any mental or emotional
imagination. Teaching is infinity. It is a flow of the
same energy and reality. Therefore, no finite person can teach
the Truth. Through God’s Grace, you may meet someone
whom you will love beyond emotion, beyond dedication,
whom you love for the sake of love. You are inspired to obey
him, and this opens true selflessness in you.
-YOGI B HAJAN
54
54
54
55
55
55
55
56
58
58
59
60
61

The Golden Chain

THE GOLDEN CHAIN OF KUNDALINI YOGA is the
chain of teachers-your teacher, her teacher, his teacher,
and so on. When you are teaching Kundalini Yoga this
chain forms the channel through which the energy, the
wisdom and the protection of the tradition flow to you
and through you to your students. It is essential for a
teacher of Kundalini Yoga to teach in this chain.

The Golden Link (or Golden Chain) is the law of the soul connected
and projected through the mind. If you have faith in your
teacher, you shall always be a teacher-you have to learn nothing.
The law is that teachers are not trained; teachers are born
out of faith, not out of spermatozoa. The energy of teaching is
not transferred through physical power, but through the subtle
power of the teacher. When you disconnect yourself from the
teacher, you fall as a teacher. A teacher is one who links mentally
with the teacher. Guru Ram Das is not away from us.
When we link mentally with him, he comes to our aid exactly
as a physical person would, but with much more grace.
-YOGI BHAJAN
COM M ENTARY: It is true that we must study and become skillful
in the techniques of kriya and meditation , and that a skillful presentation
requires learning and practice. But there were many great
teachers who never spoke, or who only taught with insults, or
who offended everyone in the tradition they served. These h istorical
people were nonetheless recognized as great teachers.
They seemed to violate many of the rules that we are trained to
obey. They were teachers in the true essence of the concept: they
were sandpaper for the ego, a beloved of consciousness; they
were someone who by whatever means gave up their ego in an
act of love or faith. It was the removal of that barrier that allowed
the essential link to the flow of intuition and discipline that we
call the Guru. They obeyed that consciousness and embodied it
regardless of the particulars of their personal ity and training. The
essence of a true teacher is a consciousness that you obey in
order to clean out the ego so that intuition, commitment, and
love can serve the Will.
It is said: “You can pile a donkey with holy scriptures, but it
will still be an ass.” Some students collect volumes of writings,
hundreds of techniques, but never deposit their ego-like dirty
shoes-at the door of the teacher. The result is that the door of
the heart cannot open.
The search for a trustworthy place of Truth to deposit the ego
is fraught with pitfalls and delusions. That search is a path

crowded with dead ends and egomaniacs. It is by grace and good
actions that an opportunity to find a path and to lessen the ego
comes to you.
You teach without your individual agenda involved. Your
uniqueness as a person always comes through. You r capacity to
utilize your ego in order to reach the students where they a re and
to elevate them is also there. But the power is the Golden Chain.
Tuning into the Golden Chain
The Adi Mantra (Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo)
(See Sound & Mantra chapter.)
I n Kundalini Yoga, we always start a class or a personal practice
with this mantra. We acknowledge this technology of transference
in the form of the Golden Chain or Golden Link by tuning
in with the Adi Mantra: Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo. The Adi
Mantra is the first technology of a Kundalini Yoga student or
teacher. It is a meditation. It is a state of consciousness. It is the
link between you as a finite personality and you as a flow of the
I nfinite Consciousness that guides the kundalini energy. At that
moment there must be a merger between you and the teacher;
you must deposit your ego and serve for no gain; you m ust link
to the word of the Guru (the Infinite Teacher) to speak beyon d
the tangles o f time and space; and you must project i t t o the
level of the student. Consciousness and compassion join l ike left
and right hands to elevate all who will hear.
Yogi BhC{jan on the Adi Mantra
A nytime you want to m a nifest a link with spirituality, Ong
Namo Guru Dev Namo is the link. You know how when you
enter a parking lot, and you cross a line and pull the ticket out?
That is this mantra . You manifest I nfinity through the G race of
Guru Ram Das when you chant this mantra. The guardian of
the Aquarian Age is G uru Ram Das. When you have lack of
faith o r a similar thing, you can chant this m antra. Many of you
are going to enter Shakti Pad. This mantra can help you, with
the grace of Guru Ram Das,
Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo is a call. It is a call which can
penetrate through any maya and manifest God and Guru , the
Supreme Consciousness. It is the voucher of the Divine Shakti,
the kundalini.
That is why the fifth G uru, G uru A rjan, the son of G uru
Ram Das, chanted A d Guray Nameh, jugad Guray Nameh, Sat
Guray Nameh, Siri Guru Devay Nameh. Siri Guru Devay
Nameh is the manifestation of Shakti, of the presence of G uru
Ram Das. This may be chanted after the Adi Mantra.

The Spiritual Teacher

“The teacher is an analytical sandpaper who scrapes away your attachments, so that your Self can reflect your essence.” -YOGI BHAJAN

The Virtue o( a Teacher
You do not understand the basic virtue of a spiritual teacher. A
teacher is one who analytically analyzes all your defects on the
basis of the facts. and then gives you a chance to grow.
Without such an assessment and opportunity, nobody has ever
grown in the spiritual world. One who has not grown in the
spiritual world can never enjoy this earth and have happiness.
God gives you the teacher. and the teacher will give you
God. It is a full exchange system. -YOGI BHAJAN, 1978
COMMENTARY: A virtue is the special strength and quality that
someone has that can be used and called into service. A teacher
is not a substitute for a father or a mother. A teacher’s virtue is
not that he or she is someone who will cater to and quell the
pained cries of your ego and your fantasies. The teacher is not a
psychotherapist who is supposed to listen to all your woes and
then help you knit them in a new pattern. The teacher is an analytical
sandpaper that polishes your surfaces. The teacher scrapes
away attachments to the desires, the m ind, and the body. The
newly polished surface of the Self can then reflect the soul and
essence of consciousness without confusion.
Many people look for a “teacher” who will only tell them how
great they are, or give them sympathy and hope. These things are
readily available from friends. A teacher is a friend of your consciousness
and the natural predator of your ego. Near a teacher
all your nonsense will arise. It will seem to be provoked. How else
can the sandpaper do its job? All you have to do is hold still, be
committed and look to the discipline so you can work it all out.
If you can understan d the virtue of a teacher, you will never
be disappointed or led astray. You will also gain the strength to
learn under confrontation and under self-confrontation.

Everybody in one lifetime has one chance to serve one Master.
That is the law. The opportunity doesn’t come back again.
Remember. no Master ever comes back again.
I have come to carry the message of Guru Ram Das. the light
of the times. It is not my proposition that you should love me or
hate me or if you follow me or not. If you love yourself, you will
follow the Truth. Truth is what I share with you. If you don’t want
to share it. fine. Don’t feel bound. I want you to progress. but
never progress like slaves. Progress like free, graceful individuals.
Otherwise, even being infinite in experience is useless.
Remember. nobody comes to the Guru’s gate if it is not earned
already. But it is still yourself who must have the will to enter the
gate or not. -YOGI B HAJAN, 1 978
COMMENTARY: Yogi Bhajan is an acknowledged M aster of
Kundalini Yoga and White Tantric Yoga. He has attained self-mastery.
He will pass this way once. He will leave a huge body of
teachings. Any who wish to travel in the wake of such a huge
ship are welcome. There is room for all, but you will not be carried.
You must experience the grace within yourself on this path.
You are not to be slaves or to follow blindly. But if you choose
to travel this way, do it with your whole heart and soul. Take care
of the day-to-day, the breath-to-breath process.
Here, Yogi Bhajan conveys the attitude of certainty about the
teachings. He shows compassion for all who walk this way. And
he shows steadfastness without doubt. He speaks to a question
that many people ask. Are there many ways to the I nfinite? The
answer is “yes.” (Or, the answer is ” no.” The only way is to live
truthfully.) So why choose anything if there are so many things?
The answer is that it is truly your ego that has the illusion of
choosing. You are chosen by the teaching and the path. If your
past actions have polished you enough that you shine, consciousness
wil l pick you up. Somehow you will meet teachers to
guide you to the choices that can elevate you to the Truth.
That choice in true depth only comes once because Truth is
total; it is unified and complete; it is beyond the divisions of the
m ind. The problem is to be able to recognize it. For that you
must know the characteristics of your own ego. It is not so much
a matter of the details of twenty paths. If your window is dirty,
nothing will make sense. Do a sadhana and take the highest of
what you have attracted. Then, keep up!

All About €'”Gurus􀁝􀁝

I WANT TO DISCUSS A MOST CONTROVERSIAL S U BJ ECT: the
nature and need for a spiritual teacher or Guru. We do not u nderstand
how to be students or how to think of a genuine teacher.
Subconsciously. as a culture, we are rebels and fear authority. For
our own growth and success it is important to consciously discuss
the Guru, why you need it, what it does for you , and when
you need it.
Let us begin with a clear definition. The “Guru ” is the word of
wisdom coming through a person who has attained the state of consciousness
where he or she can speak the Infinite Truth under all circumstances.
Attaining this state is a difficult qualification and cannot
be compromised.
THE IMPACT OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE
To investigate the need and impact of the spiritual guidance of the
Guru. I surveyed the great cultures of the past. I journeyed to
those areas and studied the ancient cultures and their technologies
in detail. I found the old, old records of doctors and the hospitals
where people were treated.
As a result of my search. I came to a surprising conclusion.
The mental turmoil that we suffer under now was not in existence
then. People had a tremendous sense of guidance in life. They
took life in stride. Once I discovered this, I studied the great Greek
masters of medicine. I wanted to know one thing: Did they use
some type of drug or tranquilizer to calm people down? What was
the reason for the high level of mental tranquility people had at
that time? If they used tranquilizers, then there was nothing necessarily
unique to the training or structure of the Greek mind that
created such steadiness a nd sense of control. They did use herbs
and potions to treat ailments, but there was no secret or widespread
use of any drug to control or tranquilize the mind. The
tranquility and excellence of the psyche of that time was due to
something else.
In the life of each individual, two things can happen. One is
that circumstances and pressures of the time make you forget that
you have capability and resources. The second thing is that under
certain pressures, you forget that the stress and pressure are
momentary, and you give in to pressure. That is the start of mental
depression and the inability to cope with life.
FAITH IN THE SELF
If all the spiritual teachers started to teach faith in the Self and
stopped teaching faith in a personality, this world would be

A LECTURE BY YOGI BHA.]AN

Heaven. This existence with its infinite m ind is at your com mand.
You need guidance and training to experience and manifest this
command.
Many people who are known as Gurus or spiritual teachers do
you a disservice. Suppose I am Teacher ” A . ” I speak a very good
truth. I a m very clever. I am beloved. I am entertaining. I am personal.
People love to follow me. What good will it do if you are
only attached to the personal ity and energy of Mr. ” A ” ? H is following
wil l become a train. Mr. ” A ” is the engine and all those
If all the spiritual teachers
started to teach faith in the
Self and stopped teaching
faith in a personality. this
world would be Heaven.
who follow become the railcars.
The moment they start rolling
on his words, they forget everything
else. They are secure and
satisfied. But if he loses steam
or derails, then all is lost.
I magine instead that every railcar
has its own motor, can drive itself. It can stay on track and
reach the destination. From time to time, it comes to a workshop
where a head mechanic can just take care of it, tune it up, and let
it go on. That is a perfect system.
VICTORY OF THE MIND
The ashrams and Gurus in ancient India used to be mental workshops.
They taught and molded the m inds of people to be clear,
strong, and to act righteously under all circumstances.
There is a system of education and guidance called brahmacharya,
often translated as ” celibate. ” There is a more accurate
interpretation. Brahm means ” Infinite God.” Achar means “the
action.” Brahmacharya is a person who learns God-like action,
not ” the one who is celibate. ” People were taught about life, the
intellect, and the Self. People were trained to be brahmacharya.
This process of guidance and training by the Guru was so
effective, that it could redirect and rebuild people who were very
dysfunctional. I n Tibet, if a person who had committed a serious
crime would admit his m istake and surrender himself to the
monastery of the Lama, the law of the Tibetan state would not
punish him. The Lamas would undertake a project to correct and
polish him . They did not recognize such a man as a criminal . They
would respect him. The criminal became a student who had to
learn about life. his Self, and proper actions.
Compare that ancient method of guidance to the modern
approach of punishment. We have lost the guidance of the Guru
and the knowledge of how to train and reset the mind. If the m ind
does not change, the behavior will stay fixed . The punishment we
give people for their crimes, does not punish them at all. Through
punishment, we achieve no goal and no i mprovement.

Punishment is just an effective method to create fear. We create
the fear that if you steal, you will go to jail. Those warnings rarely
stop the criminals.
The mind must be able to know what it perceives and not
confuse what it sees with its own subconscious projections. A
huge amount of pain in human life comes from treating something
not as it really is, but as you project it. This projection creates confusion
and delusion. You project yourself and create a role, with
its commitments, when you speak and give your word. Your mind
must be taught to listen to your word, to see clearly what you
have created, and to live to that word in activity. Your projected
personality in activity is what you are. How you act in relation to
another person is what matWe
have lost the guidance of the ters. It is not your initial sta-
Guru and the knowledge of how tus in life, but your habit in
to train and reset the mind. personality that matters. It
is how you project yourself
in activity which will create your reality, your impact. and your
future.
LIVING UP TO THE WORD, NOT YOUR POPULARITY
A God-conscious person is not one who wears a turban l ike me,
or who wears religious clothes. Those things are only a begin ning
to God-conscious habits. The God-conscious person is someone
who can live up to his word under any given circumstance. Your
word is what you create. You r word is the essence and creativity
of your commun ication. It is your communion with yourself and
others. When a person communicates what he means with perfect
spirit, his communication is complete, and he can live up to
his words. If you say to somebody, ” I love you, ” then l ive up to
it to the last breath of your life. If you say to somebody, ” I am
your friend,” live up to it with your utmost integrity and clarity
about your own word. If you tell somebody you will stand by him
and help him, then stand by and help under all conditions.
I met hundreds of teachers who were popular and known as
Gurus. Most of them said beautiful things and were inspiring. But
there was something very wrong. The students appeared happy,
but they still had inner conflict, lacked depth. and did not really
change. Many things seemed right, but something was wrong and
prevented the students from attaining the steady equilibrium and
peace that the teaching should give.
I concluded there are two basic problems. First, many of the
teachers are competing for a position rather than serving. Second,
they shy away from the direct spiritual confrontation and wrestling
that the student needs, because they want popularity. These days,
teachers compete to be recognized as an incarnation of God. A
great deal of money is spent on this. Many ancient scriptures say

that at this time. an incarnation has to take place. A new spiritual
awakening must occur. So everybody tries to tell the world, ” I
a m the incarnation.” The Gurus who are on this kind of trip lack
compassion.
GARBAGE CLEANER
The Guru opens the door to the cage of a problem and makes a
person free to fly again on his path. He shows him that he is a
part of I nfinity; that he must relate to Infinity and that these shadows
are only temporary. This is the job of a Guru. He is a garbage
cleaner.
In America. we think a Guru is a holy man who can create miracles.
He has many disciples, is skinny, and closes his eyes all the
time. We have imagined all kinds of images and powers that a
Guru has. It is a very strange world where we believe our hallucinations
rather than simple truth . People have been so thoroughly
brainwashed that these weird expectations are taken for granted.
I experienced this stereotype. One student of mine would not
give up her idea. She said to me, ” One morning at 3:30, I had the
experience that you came and made me get up.” I said, “That can
happen, but not in the way you now think it does. My life is dedicated
in one prayer: ” Lord God, all people should love and belong
The Guru shows a person that
he is part of Infinity, that he
must relate to Infinity.
to you.” Emotionally, mentally,
and in action this is what
my frequency is. As a yogi,
both my conscious and subconscious
m in ds act and
project i n that frequency. When you tune i n to me, the only thing
you can do is praise the Lord, because that is what I stand for. ”
I pressed the case to her, “Tell me, my dear, on that n ight,
when you went to bed, did you promise yourself to get up at
3:30, have a cold shower, and meditate?” She said, ” Yes. ” I said,
” Where did you learn to do that?” ” From you . ” I said, ” That’s
why you experienced it. God appeared in the form of my personality
and bugged you to get out of bed, take a cold shower,
and feel good. It was not me personally. I never went to you at
all. Don’t attribute that to me. Whatever your mind tunes into
and whatever words go deep into your self. the subconscious will
use to guide you to the Universal M ind. My words and image
were at the frequency of I nfinity, and your own mind used those
to connect with you. ”
REALIZE THE GURU WITHIN
The only purpose of having a Guru outside yourself is to realize
the Guru within yourself. When you share a problem with your
Guru, his compassion will fill you up, and it will pull you out of
the problem forever. because there is no better remedy than the

flow of a compassionate word from one human being to another.
Another qualification of a Guru is that he acts as a guide, rather
than controller. A guide is not a commander. He may confront your
ego and wrestle with your nonsense, but he always gives you to
yourself so you can give your ego to God. The Guru guides by suggesting
the truth, but not being attached to the suggestion.
That is why in almost every country in the world . there is a
convention or law that says, “If somebody confides in a holy man.
the holy man cannot be made to betray that confidence. ” If these
holy people are put before the court. and they do not want to
speak. they are not forced to do it. The qualified Guru has the
capacity for confidentiality. A sane society recognizes this need. A
Most societies realize that
they need a person with
whom a person can speak,
confront, and communicate in
total freedom and honesty.
great person establishes this
relationship outside of and
within himself. The Guru fulfills
many deep, instinctual
needs in a human being. Most
human societies realize that
they n eed a person with
whom a person can speak, confront. and communicate in total
freedom and honesty. It is a natural instinct of a human being.
The Guru is like an ocean where you can totally merge yourself
and come out washed a nd clean. The Guru is a storehouse of
the technical knowledge of how to be a human being a nd master
life. You can go to the Guru when you have been shaken and get
taken care of, so that you are fit again to take up the responsibilities
of this life. The Guru is the secret chamber of your inner self
where you can confide your greatest secrets and be guided in the
light of righteousness.

Yogi Bhqjan on
What it Means to Have a Teacher
What is this teacher business? You think, “Oh my God, now 1
have to surrender to somebody.” That is not true. You should
not surrender to anybody. But aren’t you that unfortunate that
you don’t have one person in your life who can tell you,
” Stop !” Are you worse than the road? When two roads meet.
there is a Stop sign . So you stop. You look left. you look
right, you look forward, you look in the mirror backward. and
then you go. Why do you do that? Because that guarantees
your safety. There has to be in one’s life a person or a comm
itment. or a thought, or a self discipline. where you can
stop. You can buy the best car in the world, but if it doesn’t
have brakes. you cannot ride in it.
With a teacher there are three things which work: endura nce.
patience, and honor. And if you want to become a great master.
learn reverence. It’s complete. The teacher is a living channel
between now and I nfinity. Try to follow him. Try to understand
him. Try to read between the lines of the teacher. A
teacher can go to any extent. You can’t understand a Teacher
because when you understand, he says, “More.”
Sometimes you get tired. “What is this ‘more. more’ business?
Who the hell is he? What does he want? Why is he saying
these things? Has he crossed my dignity, my identity?” You
are preparing for a court case; you a re not learning to learn.
Every student has to conquer his teacher. Not sexually, sensually,
or wisdom-wise. but in an absolutely super-self and
enlightened capacity. Everybody has to do that. Because you are
the tomorrow; the Teacher is the today. It must be u nderstood
that God is not on holiday. He has not left the planet Earth . H e
has created you, a n d He can take care o f your routine.

About Yogi Bhqjan

There are three in me. One is Harbhajan Singh. One is Yogi
Bhajan. One is Siri Singh Sahib. Siri Singh Sahib is a very direct
hassler who 1ll nail you on the spot. He1ll find what is wrong with
you, analyze you like anything. Yogi Bhajan is that compassionate,
analytical, intelligent man who tells you this is this because
of that, “But it is up to you, son or daughter, to do whatever you
want.” Then there is Harbhajan Singh who will say, 11 Well, let us
all freak out. Don1t worry, there is no problem in the world, everything
is all right, God and me, me and God are one.
-Yogi Bhajan, 1979
HARBHAJAN SINGH PU Rl WAS BORN O N AUGUST 26, 1 929,
at the time of sunset, in the little village of Kot Harkarn, in the district
of Gujaranwala in what is now Pakistan, then part of India.
He was the first son born into a family which had prayed for
the birth of a male heir for over 25 years. With one of those prayers
had gone a promise that such a son would be carried to the shrine
of Vaishnoo Devi to give thanks for the blessing of his birth and
to give him the immediate experience of that holy place.
So it was that a tiny infant, Harbhajan Singh, was tied to h is
father’s chest, nestled under his flowing beard, and carried up the
steep slopes to the cave of Vaishnoo Devi in fulfillment of that
sacred promise. Although youn g Harbhajan Singh was but an
infant whose age was measured in days rather than months or
years, the impact of that first visit, the sacredness of that prayer,
and the determination to fulfill that commitment were events
which were to shape his entire philosophy and experience of life.
Thus began his practice of visiting every possible holy shrine and
holy person, and of pursuing the study of all the teachings, scriptures,
and technologies of the religions of the world.
CHILDHOOD
Harbhajan Singh had been born into a landlord1s family whose
combined holdings included their entire village. Consequently his
birthday was a very festive occasion, one which was celebrated
throughout the village. Each birthday he would be weighed, and
as many kilos as he weighed, that many gold coins, along with
seven times that number of kilos of wheat, would be distributed
to the poor people of the village. From this tradition of feeding
the poor on h is birthdays, the consciousness of seva and the
practice of feeding people was established in him very early in his
life. His early education was unique in that he was the only boy
attending a girP s Catholic convent school, a school that provided
the finest education available in the area. He frequently

unnerved the Mother Superior with h is profound and unanswerable
questions.
SANT HAZARA SINGH
Yogi Bhajan studied Kundalini Yoga, Tantric Yoga and Gong
Meditation under the direction of Sant Hazara Singh, master of
Kundalini Yoga and Mahan Tantric of that time. We can get an
i mpression of Sant Hazara Singh and the kind of training he gave
Yogi Bhajan from some stories told by Yogi B hajan.
Keeping Up
On one occasion young Harbhajan Singh was attending a sporting
event, and in order to see better over the crowd, he jumped
up a nd hung onto a heating duct. Unfortunately, the duct collapsed
and brought down half the wall a nd ceiling on top of him.
He was quite seriously injured, since half of his body was temporarily
paralyzed, and he was rushed to a hospital. This accident
occured at the time of his final exam inations for graduation from
secondary school, and under the British system , to miss the finals
would require attending school for an additional year. At the time
of the examinations, Sant Hazara Singh visited him in the hospital.
When he heard that his young student would have to spend
an extra year in school, he insisted that such a waste of time for
a bright young man could not be tolerated. The tests must be
taken! Harbhajan S ingh was not only in great pain, he couldn1t
write and could barely speak. He protested, the doctors objected,
but Sant Hazara Singh would accept no opposition. Harbhajan
Singh was packed up on a stretcher and carried to the exam ination
hall. Sant Hazara Singh then proceeded to convince the
examiner that Harbhajan Singh should be allowed to take the test,
and that he be read the questions and have somebody be assigned
to write down the answers. The tests were passed. The body
healed. But most importantly, Yogi Bhajan was permanently
i mbued with the principle of “Keep up.” The uncompromising persistence
of his teacher pushed him beyond his self-imposed limits,
beyond the limitations others would impose. He learned to
keep up, to never give an inch, to relate to the Infinite and not to
the finite. “It’s not the life that matters, it1S the courage that you
bring to it.”
Challenge
On another occasion Yogi Bhajan told a story about an incredible
test that Sant Hazara put him through.

As they were taking a walk together, they passed a large tree.
Sant Hazara Singh said: ” Bhajan, you are so big and strong, could
you maybe show me how you can climb this tree? ” So the young
Harbhajan Singh, proud of his young strength, climbed up the
tree. As he sat down on a branch of the tree to take a rest, Sant
Hazara Singh called up to him and said: ” Very good, now wait
there until I come back. ”
The young yoga student sat there waiting unwaveringly for his
Master to come back. He had to wait three days, drink the dew from
the leaves, relieve himself from the branches, before Sant Hazara
Singh returned. When his teacher returned, the young yogi never
received a word of compliment or even concern on how he managed.
Yet, Yogi Bhajan says about his teacher: “He brought out of
me, not the man, not the godly man, not the great m;m, but a real
human. There’s nothing in the world I can pay to him in tribute,
compliment, and thanks. He did the most wonderful job. I used to
say I was a nut, but he tightened all my nuts so well that I became
the best. That’s why calamity is my breakfast, tragedy is my lunch,

and treachery is my supper. You can write it down. It will help you.
Is there anything else which can bother you? If you can eat all these
three things and digest them, you are the best person.”
Commitment
A perhaps painful lesson in Yogi Bhajan’s l ife was taught to him
at the hands of Sant Hazara Singh when in 1 947 Sant Hazara
Singh announced to h is student, Harbhajan Singh, that he (Sant
Hazara Singh) was now about to enter a period of ” living hell ”
and he declared, ” Your orders are that we will never see each
other face-to-face again . ” Santji was to spend many years as a
freedom fighter and gained great renown. He went on to live a
married life. He has since left his body, and his orders were
obeyed by his devoted and disciplined student. The pain of that
separation must have been great. Yogi Bhajan recollects one occasion
when he was passing by Santji’s village (Doraha) and sent
word through a messenger that he was in the vicinity. Word came
back from Santji, ” I know he is there, tell him to proceed.”

MASTER OF KUNDAUNI YOGA

Under the watchful eye of Sant Hazara Singh, Yogi Bhajan perfected
the disciplines of Kundalini and Tantric Yogas. By the
remarkably young age of sixteen, he was acknowledged by his
teacher to have attained mastery of Kundalini Yoga .
YOGIC TRAINING
Besides studying Kundalini and Tantric yoga with Sant Hazara
Singh, Yogi Bhajan took further training in yoga under Acharya
Narinder Dev of Yoga Smriti, who taught Hatha Yoga and the
impact and balance of the nervous system. The latter subject
proved invaluable to him in the Un ited States, where he found
most people suffering from disorders of the nervous system.
The world renowned Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh (where
renowned masters Swami Chidananda. Swami Vishnu Devananda
and Swami Satchidananda studied) served as a spi ritual fountain
for that flow of eternal Truth which is known as Vedanta philosophy.
From this famous source of divine wisdom . Harbhajan
Singh was able to fill his heart and mind with inspiration.
FAMILY LIFE
From his saintly grandfather, as a young child. Harbhajan Singh
heard inspiring stories of the Sikh Gurus, stories of Sikh history,
that shaped his values; values and virtues that later he shared with
his yoga students.
Harbhajan Singh went on to complete his formal education-he
holds a Ph.D. in Psychology-to pursue a career as a government
officer. and to live a householder’s life. He was married in 1 953 to
Sardarni lnderjit Kaur. and together they raised their three children.
GURU RAM DAS
One of the most important experiences in the life of Harbhajan
Singh was the recogn ition of his very personal Guru, Guru Ram
Das . This was the turning point which was to mark out his future
and his destiny. As a government officer he had been posted to
various districts throughout India, and in 1 960 he was assigned
to the district surrounding the city of Amritsar.
Throughout the duration of this assignment, he was determined
to take this opportunity to wash the marble floors of the
Harimander Sahib, the Golden Temple. As a Sikh, he recognized
the special significance of the Golden Temple and the holy city of
Amritsar. But above and beyond that, his personal spiritual pursuit
had convinced him that only through humility and the performance
of humble selfless service could he find the fulfillment which
he was seeking. He had spent many years as a student of spiritual
and religious teachers. He had also spent many years functioning
in his capacity as a teacher, and he had attained the siddhis
(powers) of a perfected yogi. (See sidebar on previous page.) Yet he

knew that there was a need in his life for a teacher. for a guide and
Guru to whom he could belong beyond the personal, individual
ties with any earthly being. He longed for the final touch of infinite
love and understanding which would make all of the pieces of
the puzzle of life fit together. So, every day for four and a half
years. the government officer Harbhajan Singh went and washed
the floors of the Harimander Sahib, the Golden Temple.
By cleaning the floors of his beloved Guru’s House, he came
to realize that he was indeed a blessed son of the House of Guru
Ram Das. He has always said that he is who he is because he
washed the floors of the Golden Temple, not because of any of
his titles or degrees.
TO THE WEST
There were many incidents leading up to the time when
Harbhajan Singh. the customs officer at Palim International
Airport. would depart from that same airport in September 1968
to begin an entirely new phase of his life. The final event occurred
when a Canadian gentleman appeared at the Customs Depot in
New Delhi. He happened to express dissatisfaction with his
efforts to locate a yogi to come to Canada to teach at the
University of Toronto. Harbhajan Singh talked with the gentlemen
about his own yogic train ing; the position was offered to him;
and within a short time, he was making preparations for his
departure.
As it happened, upon reaching London, the airlines had lost
his luggage. All he had with him was a small Air France bag. containing
a tape recorder and a Gurbani Kirtan recording of

Sukhmani. His luggage was never returned. Thus he entered
Canada with just the set of clothing he was wearing, virtually penniless,
only to learn that the gentleman whom he was to contact
in Canada for his teaching position had been killed in an automobile
accident.
The Hand of the Guru is evident as we look back upon these
events. Harbhajan Singh had arrived in the West, and now he
was to set out to discover the course which the Guru had set for
him. He soon secured a job as a clerk in a major book publishing
house, taught yoga at a local yoga ashram and at a popular
housing facility known as Rochdale, and became affectionately
known to his students there as Yogi Bhajan.
In December 1 968, an old friend from N ew Delhi who had
settled in the Un ited States invited Yogi Bhajan to come to Los
Angeles for a weekend visit. Yogi Bhajan immediately sensed that
in Los Angeles was the center of a youth movement toward selfknowledge,
self-discovery, and expression of real and meaningful
values. He saw that the Guru had guided him there because he
had been well equipped with knowledge, experience, and a technology
which could fulfill the longing of those searching souls.
He began teaching Kundalini Yoga, first at the East-West Cultural
Center and then in a furniture store at 8800 Melrose Avenue.
MAHAN TANTRIC
In 197 1 , Yogi Bhajan became the Master of White Tantric Yoga
(the Mahan Tantric). At any one time, there can be only one living
Mahan Tantric. While alive, Sant Hazara Singh was the
Mahan Tantric. When Yogi Bhajan was studying with Sant Hazara
Singh, there had been one other student named Lama Lilan Po.
When Santji passed on, the power of the Mahan Tantric was
transferred to Lama Lilan Po. In 1 971, when Lama Lilan Po died,
this mantle of authority was bestowed upon Yogi Bhajan, giving
him the power and responsibility of the Mahan Tantric.
The Mahan Tantric facilitates White Tantric Yoga. During
White Tantric Yoga meditation, much subconscious negativity is
released from the participants. In order to release that negativity
without its projection onto the partner, the Mahan Tantric filters
the negativity through his own aura. (See the Mind & Meditation
chapter for more on White Tantric Yoga.)

SIRI SINGH SAHIB
Each aspect of his life had prepared him for the many-faceted
role he was to play in the West, as a spiritual teacher, organizer
and administrator of a vast network of communities and businesses
throughout the world, and finally as the Chief Religious
and Administrative Authority for Sikh Dharma in the West. In
1 970, Yogi Bhajan became the first Siri Singh Sahib, and was
given the authority to create a M inistry for Sikh Dharma in the
Western Hemisphere. His unprecedented inspired leadership has
set a standard of excellence, and it has birthed a Dharma whose
roots have grown deep with in the communities in which it serves.
MAN OF PEACE
As Yogi Bhajan has worked diligently to spread the science
and practice of Kundalini Yoga throughout the Western
Hemisphere and beyond, he has become widely recognized as a
world leader and champion of world peace and healing. He has
been actively involved with inter-religious dialogue. In j une 1 985
he established the first International Peace Prayer Day. This annual
event has become a day of unified prayer for world peace and
is attended by many prominent, internationally recognized figures
in the realms of religion, politics, and human ity.
Yogi Bhajan has been able to draw upon the wisdom imparted
to him by the many teachers in his life, and upon the tried
and tested cultural traditions of an ancient and noble society. He
has utilized his training in the yogic sciences and his knowledge
of simple dietary practices derived from a culture which was still
in touch with its own folk medicines. Combining all this with his
innate wisdom and enlightenment gained by serving the House
of Guru Ram Das, the man who was known as Harbhajan Singh,
molded by the Guru as a messenger of Truth, was set upon a mission
to serve, guide, and shape a community of individuals destined
to evolve into leaders and teachers for the Aquarian Age.
(Exerpted from A Man Called the Siri Singh Sahib; 3HO website)

Awakening the
Consciousness