Awakening the Inner Light — Teachings of Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen on the Chakras and the Path to Sachkhand

Introduction

This article distills and arranges, in a clear and devotional way, the teachings delivered by the most revered Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen. The material is drawn from a recorded lecture and translated into English; the aim here is not to paraphrase loosely but to present the core teachings as a structured spiritual guide. Sant Ji’s voice throughout is devotional, analytical, and practical — rooted in Gurbani and steeped in the lived examples of saints, poets and scriptures (Kabir, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Guru Teg Bahadur Ji, Bhagat Lochan, etc.). What follows organizes those teachings chakra by chakra so the reader can approach inner transformation step by step.

Mooladhar — The Root of Life and Desire

At the base of embodied life sits the Mooladhar: the storehouse of primal life-force (kundalini) and the seat of desire. Sant Ji describes Kundalini as a living power held at the navel. When it is stirred only by lust or uncontrolled impulse, it binds a person to repeated cycles of yearning, suffering and lower attachments. The Mooladhar is not intrinsically wrong — it is the life-breath that fuels survival — but when its energy is misdirected (through indulgence, ignorant practices or the “snake-charmer” attractions of the world) it becomes the root of bondage.

Practical teaching:

• Self-discipline (tapasya), kirtan, japa and sincere sadhana are the legitimate avenues to raise this energy.
• Unskilled attempts, showy or coercive methods, and “poisonous penance” will not open the door to bliss; they only tighten the knot.
• Examples Sant Ji cites include classical Bhagat stories (e.g., Bhagat Lochan) and how inner purity yields fruits (a child born pure, life restored). The moral: transformation in the Mooladhar requires humility, correct practice and the grace of Satguru.

Sant Ji repeatedly warns: sexual desire (kama) rooted in the Mooladhar will persist unless transmuted by devotion and disciplined practice; when the force rises, lust subsides, and prayer and inner life begin.

Swadhisthana — The Seat That Refines Emotion and Courage

Swadhisthana governs emotion, creativity and the courage to face inner fear. Sant Ji explains that when life-force ascends from the root, the second center becomes a place where fear is confronted and courage is cultivated. He offers historical and scriptural exemplars — Guru Teg Bahadur’s fearlessness and the fearless attitude of those who rise above worldly dread — to show that true spiritual progress requires the heart and mind to outgrow fear.

Key points:

• Courage is not bravado but a steady, fearless orientation born of inner practice.
• Good company (sangat), study of scripture (granth, Vedas by reference), and regular sadhana protect and uplift the second chakra.
• Fearlessness transforms social and personal limitations; Sant Ji draws on stories of saints and sages who faced the world without trembling.

Manipura — The Fire of Purity, Thought and Will

Manipura is the fire-center of willpower, discrimination and transformative thought. Sant Ji describes the rise of energy into Manipura as the sharpening of thought — a place where concentration becomes destiny and mental radiance ripens into virtuous action. He contrasts two worlds: the animal world (driven by instinct) and the intellectual world (driven by thought). Manipura is where human thought can either enslave us with restless overthinking or liberate us through ordered, devotional focus.

Examples and counsel:

• Poets and philosophers (Sant Ji even references Dr. Muhammad Iqbal) show how the life of thought can lead to sublime experiences or to fruitless restlessness.
• Over-thinking without devotion either impoverishes life or drains meaning. Balanced japa and disciplined contemplation are recommended to steady the mind in Manipura.
• When properly harnessed, Manipura dissolves distraction and readies the aspirant for deeper heart-centered awareness.

Anahata — The Open Heart and the Anhad Naad

Anahata, the heart-center, is the realm of pure love, devotion and the anhad (limitless) sound. Sant Ji celebrates Anahata as the pivot where life becomes “music”: kirtan, bhajan and Simran transform the nervous heart into an instrument resonant with the Name (e.g., Govinda, Waheguru). The Anhad Naad — the inner, unfettered sound — arises here and opens the seeker to bliss (paramanand).

Practical teachings:

• Devotional practices and heartfelt kirtan create an atmosphere of bliss in the congregation (sangat).
• The heart must grow in patience, compassion and contentment; these virtues allow the Anahata energy to stabilize and become a channel for divine sweetness.
• Sant Ji recounts gatherings where Gurbani and the Guru’s presence generated palpable joy and awakened this center — underscoring the primacy of satsang and singing in opening the heart.

Vishuddha — Speech, Purity and Creative Expression

Vishuddha, the throat center, governs purification, expression and the creative shaping of one’s inner nectar into meaningful speech and service. Sant Ji repeatedly links Vishuddha with music and creation: the life that bows to pure sound becomes itself song. When Vishuddha is purified, one’s speech becomes medicine; the world of music and poetry becomes a vehicle of transformation.

Illustrations:

• The saint who turns his life into song — who makes every word a raga — exemplifies the power of Vishuddha.
• Genuine bhajan and Guru-inspired expression complete the spiritual practice; mechanical or obscene music is not the same as devotional sound.
• Honest, humble teaching and truthful speech (Bachchan, references to Kabir and Guru Nanak) show that the throat center’s fruit is moral power and communal uplift.

Agya — Inner Vision and the Seat of Intuition

Agya Chakra is the center of inner sight, intuition, and the culminating insight that sees beyond conditioned identity. Sant Ji speaks of Agya as the place where the aspirant receives glimpses of Sachkhand — where the life-force, when rising truly, meets a light that dissolves petty divisions (caste, fear, vanity).

Teachings and examples:

• Direct, heart-felt Simran and the grace of Satguru lead to Agya-level realizations; Sant Ji cites Kabir as someone whose drop became the ocean — a poetic image of total realization.
• The Agya experience is not merely intellectual: it transfigures life and confers a sense of completion and fearlessness.
• Sant Ji notes that some reach Agya without grand external sacrifices — through pure devotion, right song and Guru’s grace — and this is validated by saints across traditions.

Sahasrara / Sachkhand / Nirankar — Completion and Transcendence

Beyond the chakras lies Sahasrara, the door to Sachkhand and Nirankar — the realm of formless, complete God. Sant Ji’s concluding teachings emphasize that the ultimate aim is not chakra-stunts or spiritual showmanship but completion: becoming a whole human, realized and compassionate. He uses many scriptural and lived examples (Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, Bhagat Kabir, Puranlal and the stories of saints) to show how completeness is the fruit of persistent practice, humility and the Guru’s compassion.

Central messages:

• True completion is reached by inner purification, continuous Simran, disciplined sadhana and surrender to the Guru’s will.
• Sachkhand is described as the home of completeness where fear dissolves and the aspirant becomes an instrument of peace.
• Sant Ji repeatedly returns to practical virtues: kindness, patience, service, good company, and musical devotion — these are the means by which one enters the highest field.

Practical, Everyday Guidance (Sant Ji’s Emphases)

Across all chakras Sant Ji gives recurring, concrete counsel:

• Satsang and Gurbani: Regular congregation and hearing/chanting of Gurbani produce an immediate effect on the inner life.
• Right practice: Japa, kirtan, truthful speech and humble service are repeatedly emphasized over ostentation or exotic practices.
• Discipline without harshness: Penitential practices that are “poisonous” or ego-driven close doors instead of opening them. True tapasya is inward and steady.
• Compassion and fearlessness: Fearlessness (nidarataa) and compassion are marks of spiritual maturity; saints from Sikh history and Bhakti poets model both.
• Music and the Name: The Anhad Naad — the unstruck sound born of devotion — and the chanting of the Name (e.g., Govinda, Waheguru) are repeatedly praised as the quickest, kindest means to transform life-force and bring about inner completion.

Closing Reflection

Giani Sant Singh Ji Maskeen’s teaching is both mystical and eminently practical: the chakras are not toys to be tamed by tricks, but living centers to be purified by devotion, right company and the Guru’s grace. From the root’s raw life-force to the crown’s full surrender, every stage asks for discipline, humility and honest Simran. Sant Ji offers plentiful scriptural and poetic references (Kabir, Guru Nanak, Guru Arjan Dev Ji, Guru Gobind Singh Ji, classical Bhagat narratives, and poets like Iqbal) to illustrate one unchanging truth — spiritual ascent is achieved not by renunciation of life, but by the transformation of life through devotion, song, and compassionate wisdom.