A Life of Spirituality

From 1903 to 1911 though employed in service, Hazur¹ spent most of His time in devotion and Spiritual Practice. In 1911 He felt the need of propagating Spirituality so intensely that He retired from Government service long before He was due to retire and dedicated the rest of His Life to the service of seekers after Truth.

At a distance of three miles from the Railway Station of Beas – on Eastern Punjab Railway – He founded a beautiful colony on the bank of river Beas – the foundation of which had been laid in 1891 by Baba Jaimal Singh Ji during His lifetime, and styled it after His Master’s name as Dera Baba Jaimal Singh. Here, besides pacca² houses and bungalows, a huge and spacious hall – known as Satsang Hall – was also erected in 1934–1935 at a cost of about two hundred thousand of rupees. This hall is in the form of letter ‘T’ with dimensions 40’x120’, the like of which can hardly be seen in the whole of Northern India.

The Master³ was married in early life but His wife died even before gauna⁴. He was married again after completion of 25 years of Brahmcharya⁵. This time He married Shrimati Kishan Kaur and got three children – one of whom died in the prime of youth, while the other two Sardar Bachint Singh and Sardar Harbans Singh are still alive.⁶

The entire life of such spiritually-minded personages is always replete with miracles. They are heralds of Peace, Truth and Brotherhood. He obliterated all distinctions of high and low, caste, colour and creed, and showered a gentle rain of Mercy upon the hearts of depressing and woe-stricken populace. In the days of India’s partition when Punjab was a hot bed of communal strifes and evil forces were working havoc and destruction upon the life and property of innocent persons on all sides – when the madcaps burning with passions of hatred and ill-will were engaged in the nefarious activities of bloodshed and vadalism and were playing indiscriminately with fire and sword and the people were suffering untold miseries and privations– and imagine all this in the blessed name of religion – He stood four-square to all the winds that blew and collecting together over 100 Muslims from the surrounding area gave them shelter in Dera Baba Jaimal Singh and made proper arrangements for their safe escort to Pakistan.

Hazur was a great reformer of unique importance. He was a Pole Star to the entire humanity and always befriended those in trouble and tribulation. With the water of Truth, Brotherhood and Equality, He with His own hands washed clean the malice and ill-will from the hearts of the people drenched through and through in the poison of materialism. He made each one drink the Goldy Wine to his fill and always laid stress on an honest livelihood. He Himself depended for His maintenance on His own pension and never accepted any gifts or presents from anyone– not even from His disciples.

He revived the teachings of Holy Saints and brought them into limelight. Like His predecessors Guru Nanak, Kabir Sahib, Tulsi Sahib, Paltu Sahib, Soami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji, Maulana Rumi, Shamas-i-Tabrez and others, He pulled up the aspirants from their deep slumber, and put them on the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga or Sultan-ul-Azkar⁷ which is the most ancient and Eternal Path leading to Reality and which being natural is unchangeable from times immemorial and will ever remain as such without any modification.

_______________

Explanation: 1) He was briefly addressed as such by thousands and for brevity’s sake we will use the same in these pages. 2) Massively – sturdily and soundly – built houses / in Hindi pacca also means concrete (editor’s note, 2010). 3) Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. 4) Marriage consummation ceremony. 5) Celibacy. 6) Since died. 7) Commonly known by this name among Muslim Saints.