Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj

His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj was born on February 23, 1954 in Delhi. It was a divine gift to the divine family of the then Nirankari Baba Avtar Singh Ji and Jagat Mata Budhwanti Ji. As grand parents, they showered all the worldly as well as spiritual blessings on the child Hardev. His parents Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji and Rajmata Kulwant Kaur Ji were equally affectionate. With the growth of child Hardev, grew his thoughtfulness and sobriety. He saw every object and observed every event with due curiosity but used to keep silent. Respect, regards for elders and trait of humility could be noticed in him from the very childhood. Interest in congregations and listening to discourses also became conspicuous in him. The kind and pure hearted child Hardev was never found spend-thrift and emotional. He was mostly seen tight-lipped, rarely using his soft tongue. He also started taking keen interest in photography. Hardev Singh Ji received his elementary education at home. With his sharp intellect, he learnt alphabets of Hindi, English and counting very quickly. Thereafter, he was sent to Rosary Public School, Nirankari Colony, Delhi, where by sweet nature and intelligence he cast spell on teachers and fellow students. They say that boy Hardev was often found in the class sitting thoughtfully with eyes half-shut. But he was always discovered to be fully attentive and responsive to what the teacher taught. In 1963, Hardev Singh Ji was sent to the residential Yadvendra Public School, Patiala, an institution of national fame, from where he passed the high school examination in 1969. His co-operative and compassionate nature made him popular with the teachers and the fellow-students alike. His school education was equally supplemented and cemented with spiritual touch received through the letters of his affectionate mother, Rajmata Ji. During his stay in the school, Hardev Singh Ji also developed keen interest in mountaineering. With his class-fellows and even alone, he would cover difficult terrains to reach certain places. This hobby added the trait of patience and perseverance in his life. He was never found tired or worried. He was also very skill-full in vehicle driving and horse riding.

On completion of school education at Patiala, Hardev Singh Ji returned to Delhi and started further education under Delhi University and also took keen interest in the socio-spiritual activities of the Mission. He became very regular in Sangat and Seva. His humility earned him the name 'Bhola Ji'. In 1971, Hardev Singh Ji joined the Nirankari Seva Dal as its primary member and enjoyed himself serving in cotton Khaki uniform. He organised "Youth Forum" in 1975, which focused on promoting truthful and simple living, service with devotion and love, refraining from incurring undue expenses and practicing prohibition. During the Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam in Delhi in 1975 Hardev Singh Ji was married in a simple ceremony to Sawinder Ji, daughter of devoted saints Shri Gurumukh Singh Ji and Smt. Madan Ji of Farrukhabad (UP). Born on January 12, 1957, Mata Sawinder Ji is well educated and duty conscious.

Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj became the spiritual mentor of the Mission under tragic circumstances. On April 24, 1980 the orthodox fanatics had snatched from the Mission the Sat guru and a crusader for peace and tranquility from the world, Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji. Young Hardev had lost not only the Sat guru but his beloved father also. This was the moment when forbearance, patience and tolerance of every follower of the Mission were under severe stress and a grave test. The very future of the Mission had been challenged. Nirankaris who had been taught to surrender to the will of God were finding it difficult to accept the verdict of 'destiny' that sounded to them as a deliberate violation of 'divine law'.

At the same time, every Nirankari believed that the Sat guru is an ever-living entity which must manifest itself in some other physical frame or human body. They had, however, not to wait for long. Immediately after the funeral of the mortal remains of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji at the electric crematorium in Delhi on 27th April, 1980, Hardev was greeted and hailed as the Head of the Mission and everybody present witnessed the Sat guru manifesting in him. Hardev, who was known for his quiet nature, addressed the devotees as a perfect spiritual master. His Holiness declared, "Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji's martyrdom is the will of God. Perceptions differ from people to people. The ignorant say that it may lead to bloodshed but the devotees believe that being a supreme sacrifice, it shall usher in peace and harmony. Imbibing such lofty ideals, we should continue to spread the Mission with a greater zeal."

Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj ruled out even the remotest thought of vengeance saying that 'it would go contrary to what Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji lived and sacrificed his life for'. He exhorted devotees to carry on his message of compassion, goodwill, love and Truth and pray for the welfare of one and all. The result was quite instantaneous and healthy. Nirankaris remained non- violent even in the face of serious provocations from miss-guided fanatics and extremists.
The supreme sacrifice of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji and the first holy discourse by Baba Hardev Singh Ji had far greater and much deeper significance. The former showed that the Mission had paid the heaviest price for peace. Earlier, more than 60 leading missionaries’ forbearance was put to the hardest test when they were compelled to undergo the agony of judicial custody for about two years for the fault that was found to be not theirs at all. Now the Mission lost its spiritual mentor whose only fault was that he preached Truth and peace. Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji showed utmost respect to the saints, Gurus and prophets of the past. He held the Holy Scriptures in highest esteem. The only thing that he pointed out and stressed was that one must know the God he or she worships. Mere reading the religious books was not sufficient, he said. He wanted that their believers must follow the teachings in practical life, whosoever be the great master they believe and whatsoever the Holy Scripture they worship. His critics, however, did not try to verify the Truth he proclaimed, nor did they see how he sought to preach it. And he became a victim of their fanaticism, their ignorance.

Coming to the first holy discourse by Sat guru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj and the message contained therein, one must appreciate that the words came from a youth of 26 years whose loving father had been assassinated brutally. Ordinarily, such a Young man must be burning with feeling of vengeance. In this case, he had all the resources at his disposal. He had only to give a hint that could cause riots and disturb peace for the entire country, may be many countries. But Baba Hardev Singh Ji chose to accept the price the Mission had been required or called upon to pay for peace. And with his call to Nirankaris to continue to spread the voice of truth while praying for goodwill of all, a disastrous mishap stood averted. No doubt the followers of the Mission continued to suffer both in terms of life and property here and there, the voice of Truth spread far and wide carrying with it the message of peace, love, humility and tolerance.

Religion for All | Sant Nirankari Mission

If one can easily acknowledge the concept of one God for all, it should not be difficult to accept the idea of one religion of man, a religion that can suit the whole human race. The Nirankari Mission has succeeded in achieving this end through a living revelation of the all-pervading God, the same for all religions, ignoring the non-essential rituals which are different for different religions. Nirankari Missionaries quote from the holy books of all religions known to the world because they recognize the truth which is common to all faiths. For this reason people from all faiths have readily accepted the teachings of the Mission.

With the help of the divine knowledge bestowed by the True Master, an enlightened person perceives God in all and all in God. He regards every human     being         the creation of God. With true love and faith thus developed, one starts loving and serving his fellow-beings in the real sense. A compass of righteousness is fitted in the heart of the    seeker   which    always keeps    him in the right direction and relieves him of suspense and superstitions.

When spiritualism    takes the    place of     ritualism, one follows and observes the golden tenet, "All to give all for all". Conversely, one believes that all his assets, material and mental belong to God, and we, as trustees only, are ordained to use them for common good of whole human race. This spells a living above narrow prejudices and dogmas of caste, color, creed etc. Thereby one becomes respectful towards others'    mode of   dress, diet and culture, and leads a purposeful self-reliant family life. The physical distance between distant places can be covered by any mode of conveyance, but the distance among the hearts of persons living even under the same roof can be covered only by realising fatherhood of God which strengthens the bond of human relationship making us firmly awakened that we are all one belonging to the One.

The Mission would like to describe this as one 'religion for all'. The world, the Mission feels needs to understand the basic spiritual message, the message of God, of truth, of love as professed by the great masters and enshrined in Holy Scriptures. This is what the Mission seeks to promote. It helps seekers of truth to know God, perceive the Omnipresent and understand the man’s relationship with the Creator, have faith in the Almighty, surrender to the Divine will and obey the commands of God. It explains that man is God’s own image on earth. God dwells in every soul and, therefore, it is easy to worship Him through the service of man. So, why not accept and adopt ‘humanity’ as religion, the only religion!

Satsangs

Sant Nirankari members have no particular place of worship as it is considered that regardless of wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you can worship formless God. The members meet at places called Satsang Bhawans (Congregation Halls), to share their spiritual experiences and praise the almighty formless God. The mission believes that congregations help devotees to strengthen their faith, increase their devotion towards Nirankar and attain spiritual steadfastness. This is reflected by the verse 56 of Avtar Bani, which says that "Seek the company of True Saint, this will bring spiritual glow on your face; seek the company of True Saint, this will remove impurity from your heart." (Please note that there are other verses 57, 112, 138 and 223 that elaborate on this point. Please also refer to the Punjabi version for the original description as this is only an English translation)
The congregations are open to all without any discrimination of religion, caste, nationality, colour or race, and irrespective of whether one is rich or poor, and literate or illiterate. Holy scriptures of different religions or sects are also read and the common aim of all religions i.e. selfless love for all is stressed upon.
In Satsang Bhawans a chair on a stage (platform) is reserved for a pre-decided devotee who will represent the Satguru and other devotees pay respect to Satguru by bowing down to him. Another devotee, known as stage secretary, sits on stage floor and manages events. Nirankari's also bow down (to touch the feet) of one another irrespective of age, gender, financial or social position as they believe and perceive the presence of God in all. Touching each others feet is also seen as a practice useful in removing pride or ego from a devotee's mind.

Simran

Tu hi Nirankar
Main Teri Sharan Haan
Mainu Baksh Lao
A direct English translation^[7] might be:
Thou formless One
I take refuge in Thee
I pray, forgive me
The devotees use this simran to attain spiritual strength. They may pray whenever/wherever they feel like (after all for them God is omnipresent, i.e. all around), but constant realisation of formless God is encouraged. This is reflected by the Avtar Bani verse 117, which says that "Keep on remembering God, saying Tuhi Nirankar [One Thou Formless God] and keep on singing the praise of God; do remember Him every moment and make Him dwell in your mind." (Please refer to the Punjabi version for the original verse as this is only an English translation)
Saints often advise "Hath kar wal, te dil yaar wal", which simply means that while worldly responsibilities are being carried out using the body, the mind of devotees must remain connected with Nirankar.

Five principles

During the session in which a devotee receives Divine Knowledge, the devotee is also introduced to the Five Principles^[6] that he/she must practice to the best of their ability.
1. All assets – physical, mental and material – belong to the Divinity and man, as a mere trustee, should use them as such. One should not feel proud of their possession
2. Not to be proud of one's caste, creed, race, faith and other class distinctions and hate others on this account. All men should be regarded as such. One has to feel himself as one with whole human family and love the mankind.
3. Not to look down upon anybody because of his mode of dress, diet and living.
4. Not to renounce worldly life to become a vagrant recluse or ascetic but to lead family life in accordance with normal social norms and sustain family by honest livelihood.
5. Not to divulge the Divine Knowledge bestowed by the Satguru to others without his permission. Never to be possessed by pride because of enlightenment.

About us

The Sant Nirankari Mission is an all embracing spiritual movement, cutting across all divisions of caste, color, and creed.

The Mission seeks to reveal God, also known as Nirankar, to all human beings irrespective of their religious faith, sect, or community and thus liberate them from the shackles of ignorance, superstition, ritualism, and dogmatism in the name of devotion to God.

It firmly believes that the realization of God is the real objective of human life and this can be achieved only through the benevolence of the living true master: the Satguru..

The realization of God not only maintains balance between spirituality and materialism in day to day life, but also takes a person to the cherished achievement of brotherhood of mankind which leads to peaceful coexistence.

The meditation here is to feel the existence of God all of the time and everywhere. The Mission also emphasizes the need and importance of the company of fellow enlightened beings (Satsang) and selfless service to humanity (Sewa).