2 December 1900
Warmest greetings from Jaimal Singh to my obedient son, Babu Sawan Singh.
May the Grace and Mercy of the compassionate Anami Lord always be upon you.
Dear son
Your letter has been received and I am very happy to know of your well-being. Whatever He has given to you has come from His gracious Mercy.
Always keep repeating the name of the Satguru inside, and also do whatever work He gives you. Consider it all to be the Satguru’s work. One should remember:
I am merely a labourer; nothing is mine.
Bhajan and Simran should be done regularly.
When the going becomes very difficult while you do your official work, immediately concentrate the Inner Seeing faculty, nirat, on the Shabd stages within and continue with your Simran, while casually attending to the work as well. It will give you a bliss just like meditation, and the official work also will keep getting done. In Simran at least there is no problem, my son, so keep doing it. Simran’s current links up with the Dhun, and the current of the Dhun links one with the Shabd – and Shabd is the very essence of the Anami Lord Himself. For this reason, if Simran is done with Love and devotion steeped in the soul’s seeing faculty, it brings great joy and bliss. Grace and Mercy then descend in full measure. The mind and soul get intensely dyed in the hue of the Shabd Dhun, and every day the prayer and supplication reach Sach Khand. I am indeed very pleased with you, my son.
The situation here is that the walls of the small rooms have been constructed up to the roof level, and the beams have been placed on them. The roof will be finished with planks and ties in eight days. We have received the bolts; Dhanpat sent them from Khairagali. He sent thirty surplus washers, which have been of no use to us. We ordered ten plates from Amritsar – these have been fastened, two to each beam. A canister of coal tar is now urgently needed, because even though we have an extra half canister of coal tar, lots of it is going to be used. It is needed promptly. The beams and ties of the roof were placed ten feet high, that is, the height of the roof was set at ten feet. I think it is good; but now, good or bad, it is going to remain as it is. The bricks may suffice, or some may be left over; it will be as Hazur wills it.
A postcard was sent to you earlier. It has probably reached you, or will reach you soon. Also, provisions worth 100 rupees have now been purchased for the masons and carpenters: 60 rupees’ worth of wheat, 30 of ghee, and 10 of sugar – but ghee worth 40 rupees has already been consumed. Let’s see if all the work can be done in fifteen or twenty days. This letter has been written on the 21st of Maghar1.
You must write how much has been lost, and how it was lost. A letter in Gurumukhi will be read only by me.
You should not worry. This much, however, is clear: that whatever we owe to others should be given. This taking from some and giving to others is a great snare of Kal. All beings of the entire creation – from gods and goddesses to the subtle beings or the gross – all have been caught in this net from the very dawn of time. The individual who, instead of his own rightful earnings, considers it better to fraudulently live off another’s just labour has not realised that what the Lord has given is specific to his needs, that from it he should use nine parts for himself, as the tenth part is not his: it belongs to the Lord Who created him. It was his promise to the Lord that from his earnings he would give the tenth share to Him – this he does not understand. As he acquires name and fame, he increasingly uses force or fraud in order to usurp the rights of those lesser or lower than him, while hoarding his own wealth, or spending it uselessly, or doing other bad deeds. Such a being subsequently has to pay those from whom he has taken, and pays it by taking birth repeatedly – by becoming an animal, cow, or donkey, again and again. So understand, my son, that, apart from your rightful earnings, you are never to use what belongs to others. This is the first step on the Spiritual Ladder. Even if you are the king of the whole world, you are still to eat only the rightful fruit of your own labour. So do your government service and earn your rightful remuneration. Use it for yourself and as far as possible share it with others, give it to your family, and to the Sangat as well – and do your Bhajan and Simran every day.
Best wishes to Chanan Singh. Bhajan and Simran is to be done every day, my son. Bibi’s warm greetings to you, her true brother, and to all the others. And best regards from all the Sadhus at the Dera to you, and to all the others.
2 December 1900
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Explanation: 1) The 9th month of the Sikh calendar; from 14 November to 13 December.