Some agricultural official comes from Punjab. Maharaj speaks to him mostly about practical farming matters, but with enlightened wisdom. He begins by reporting from vision that this year rains will be heavy and early, so farmers must harvest wheat early. Then Maharaj begins talking about his successes in turning wasteland into a flourishing farm at Shiv Sadan, and suggests to the official that he visit there. After some discussion of farm matters such as harrows, generators, seeds, and dairy animals, Maharaj says,
This year there was a loss of about 2000 rupees per acre in Punjab. By contrast, we took hukam about how to apply fertilizer to our rice fields so that it would be immediately absorbed. The hukam came that there would be a lot of disease in the rice, so we should apply the fertilizer in such and such a way and then it would be disease-free. It worked so well.
This is not a theory. The Secretary and Commissioner of Sugarcane came to Shiv Sadan and saw that we were growing lots of sugarcane. They warned us of a very dangerous red rot in sugarcane throughout our area and recommended that we should destroy our crop. But the hukam instead came to apply the ash and holy water from our havans. I had faith in hukam, so we did that and the sugarcane grew very tall. When they came back, they saw that there was no red rot in our sugarcane. They said, “God’s blessings can do so much.” Blessed vision is necessary.
We had planted poplars on both sides of our roads, but someone gave us bad advice. The young trees dried up so badly that they were brittle. The hukam came to wash our statue of Baba Siri Chand and put the bathing water from the statue on the trees. Our people had some fears but they did that, and now you will see those trees growing very well.
Dharma is so powerful, especially for farming. I asked the rice which seeds would be record-breaking and what to apply on the crop. The answer emphasized putting the blessed water from the havans on the rice field. The rice also told me which fertilizer to use and which kind was not needed.
Everything speaks. There is life in everything, but God’s blessing is needed (to communicate with it). If village-level people benefit from these practical successes, there will be great progress. Some of these methods are contrary to what is in the books.
Some pandits come in, so Maharaj continues talking about spiritual agriculture, but adds the importance of havan:
Diseases are ended by putting ash from havan on the crops. Havan is no theory. Guru Nanak says that the benefit of rain is that grass grows, and then cows eat it and give milk, and then the ghee from the milk is offered in havan, and as a result, the rains will be good. Havan also neutralizes cruelty.
People think havan is a tradition belonging to Hindus, but it is an ancient matter of vision and belongs to no one religion. In my childhood, the vision came to do havan while reading scripture. Now look: Sikhs line up to bow at the havan, for there their work is done. Another time, the hukam came that people should do havan in their homes, and then corruption would end. I have seen that there is indescribable practical power in havan. We went to where people cannot go (Shiv Sadan, which was not reachable by good roads) and there was so much progress there.
Today we need dharma. We are sitting on very holy dharmic land. People asked me what is the reason for doing Chaur Sahib. I don’t know. We just follow the hukam, and it works. The scriptures have taught us so much about how to live, but we have forgotten it all. Dharam is universal, but people are not. Those who wrote the Vedas remained anonymous, hiding their enlightened wisdom.
The planets, heavens are great powers, and they speak. Mata Ganga gave me hukam, “Come!” so we went to Her banks for tea. She said, “I will go far to that side” (leaving a lot of land on our side for farming). This is related to the power of havan. Now look at the result: There are great fields where there were only snakes and crocodiles. She is not water; She is such a loving, sacred power. Everything is real. Where havan goes on, that place becomes so holy and powerful.
There is great power in these things. Today we need peace and love so badly. We should take those from Them and give them to the people. They are always ready to give. In an instant, They will appear and talk with us, to make us good and to end cruelty. Emphasize dharma, for it is much needed. If you plant something without dharma, it will give very bitter fruits.