Glimpses of the Power of Hazur

– Selections from ‘Father and Son,’ by H.C. Chadda –

We are grateful to T.S. Khanna and Charles Fulcher for translating from the Urdu these glimpses of Baba Sawan Singh’s majesty. The book from which these selections were taken, written by the Editor of the Hindi and Urdu editions of Sat Sandesh, is based on the recollections of the Living Master Kirpal Singh.

Once Hazur visited the city of Rawalpindi – now in Pakistan. While the train on which Hazur was returning from Rawalpindi was still standing in the railway station, an old Muslim man was buying grapes on the platform nearby. The Muslim happened to look up while paying for his grapes and he saw the radiant face and the snow white beard of the Master sitting in the train.

He marvelled and exclaimed,

Heaven! Heaven! What a Light of God!

In his desire to be closer, he was drawn immediately to the side of the railway car, and addressing Hazur through the window, he said,

Please accept these grapes, Maharaj Ji.

The Master smiled at him and merely touched the proffered grapes, saying,

Oh, I have gotten them.

In the same moment the conductor whistled for the engineer to start the train, and the old Muslim had to jump clear of the moving train. This was their first and only meeting.

The old Muslim returned to his home village of Mataur. He caused quite a stir of interest among his family member and friends by recounting to them the deep impressions that he had felt when he had seen and spoken to such a Radiant Personality so briefly in Rawalpindi. He was positive that he had never before seen or heard of the like of such a man in all the world. It so happened that a Mr Parmanand and a Sardar Balwant Singh and some other initiates of Baba Sawan Singh also lived in the same village. Upon hearing the account of the old Muslim, S. Balwant Singh inquired of him as to whether he might have seen ‘Guru Maharaj.’ The old Muslim was puzzled by the reference until he was shown a picture of Hazur. When he saw the picture, he immediately acknowledged,

This is the One I saw!

About a year later, the old Muslim was stricken and about to die. He sent for S. Balwant Singh, and told him,

Your Master has come, and he tells me that he will take me.

He had seen and spoken to Hazur only once; yet his soul was taken care of by the Master at the time of death. What a blessing!

*****

Another time the Great Master was travelling on the express ‘Frontier Mail’ train, which goes at least 40 miles per hour between stops. Along the right of way there happened to be a man riding a camel. This camel rider looked up at the passing train just in time to see Hazur looking out of the window of His compartment! Who can say what passed between them during this instant?

Death came to this man too, after four years had passed; and he said,

The brilliant and Radiant Form of Hazur has come. I saw His reflection once before in a passing train.

So even a glance from a Perfect Master cannot leave you unaffected.

*****

At the time of the creation of the country Pakistan, many people came to Hazur whose family members had been killed, or who had been robbed or financially ruined, and could not be comforted. But Hazur would raise His hand and utter the few words,

Don’t worry; the Lord will give you more,

and these simple words would serve as a balm for their broken hearts.

*****

It happened that once Hazur was holding Satsang in Delhi. After the Satsang, a lady in the audience rose to her feet with folded hands, and began to weep profusely.

Hazur inquired kindly,

What is the matter, Bibi?

She responded,

True Emperor, I am a great sinner. My life has been very dirty. What could you see in my heart that caused You to manifest within me? During the Satsang You gave me darshan of Your Luminous Form within. But I am a sinner and not fit for that great privilege.

Hazur replied,

Now that the Luminous Form of the Master has come within you, please consider your body as existing for my sake and keep it clean.

*****

The branches of a tree that is laden with fruit are always bowed down towards the earth. Likewise, humility is the ornament of all True Saints. Therefore, notwithstanding the fact that a True Master is the Living Human Pole – Word made flesh – where God expresses Himself in the world from time to time throughout history, still the Master will be heard to say that He Himself is a sinner: a servant of all.

Sometimes, if the Master is left undisturbed by questions so that He can speak in accord with His own will and pleasure, He will give hints about Himself and direct references as to what He is. For if He did not, how would those of us who live constantly at the level of the mind, intellect, and physical senses, be aware of the possibility of Spiritual Development? Maharaj Kirpal Singh Ji has mentioned the following incident in several Satsangs:

Once during the night Dr Julian Johnson and I were both sitting at the feet of the Great Master Sawan Singh. There was nobody else present. Dr Johnson asked Hazur whether a disciple should ask for anything from the Guru.

Hazur replied:

The disciple asks at all times and continually; he will ask for one thing or another from the manifold gifts of the Guru.

Then silence prevailed for a while. The Master commented:

When we (Masters) come into the world, we bring our own working staff. When the work is completed at one place, we are sent to another place.

This is an amazing fact: that the Master comes into the world completely prepared. But the roof of this is evident at every step in the life of Hazur. One must admit that there was something in Hazur, which Baba Jaimal Singh left Beas to search for in the Murrie Hills. There was also an incident which occurred when Hazur was working as a subdivisional officer.

Speaking of it later, He said:

One day I was coming along to report for my official duty when I smelled a beautiful fragrance. I proceeded farther along the road and saw a Fakir Who was emitting the fragrance of His Spiritual Radiation. When He noticed me, the Mystic smiled and said,

You have come. …

Hazur’s power was such that arrogant outlaws bowed before Him, and learned intellectuals became like school children.

Once a blind philosopher named Kartar Singh, who was considered an intellectual giant and able to defeat anyone in a debate, came to the Satsang of Hazur. The Master invited him to sit in the front of the Satsang, where he listened very attentively to Baba Sawan Singh’s marvellous words.

After the Satsang, he told the Master,

Maharaj, I am one who has defeated many in religious disputations at large conferences, and those I have defeated have never returned. But today is my first day at Your Satsang, and I am sitting here like a child in elementary school.

Dr Julian Johnson (M.D.) went from the United States to India to meet Baba Sawan Singh. He told Hazur,

Once I came to India as a missionary; but now I have come to sit at Your Feet.

Dr Johnson remained for many years at Hazur’s feet, and wrote several books while in India. Master Sawan Singh wanted Dr Johnson to return to America to let others know about the Path. But Dr Johnson could not bring himself to leave …

There was a murderous outlaw named Udham Singh, who used to threaten many of the dear ones who would come to Hazur’s Satsang. It so happened that Udham Singh himself came by chance to the Satsang of the Master. He became conscious of his wrongdoings as he heard the Master talking. After that, he would put a piece of cloth in his mouth and proceed to praise Master Sawan Singh continuously for three or four hours. Hazur would ask him to please stop, but the former outlaw would rise with folded hands and address Hazur, saying:

True Emperor, my tongue has criticised You very much. I was just now washing the dirt from it by speaking Your Holy Name.

Many people who had derogatory things to say about Hazur because of hearsay would eventually come to the Satsang to hear Him speak. Hearing Him, they would realise their mistake and ask Him for forgiveness.

The merciful Hazur would reply,

What you have said has not reached me,

and would cast a glance of loving forgiveness and sympathy upon them.

In the company of a True Sadhu, even the man who criticises will be liberated.

In the Court of the True Saints, all are forgiven. The Master liberates the people of this world from the bondage of their sins. In this liberation of the soul, there is no consideration of ‘Who is a sinner?’ or ‘Who is righteous?’ from the standpoint of worldly values. There were quite a few former outlaws, like Bidhi Chand, in the congregation of Guru Arjan. A complaint was lodged with the King that Guru Arjan had robbers in His Satsang.

When the King asked Him about it, the Guru replied,

They might have been robbers once, but now they are Mahatmas.

Hazur used to say with His Holy Tongue that the washerman gets different kinds of dirty clothes to wash; but he never refuses to wash them because they are too dirty! That is His work in life, He is a professional. He knows there is whiteness in the cloth, and He will bring it out – in one, or if necessary more, washings.

There is another instance of a robber on whom the Great Guru Hazur showered unlimited Grace. This robber was running from the police. He came to the colony at Beas for refuge, and stood in the courtyard of Hazur’s residence. He became extremely thirsty, and felt as though his throat was drying up, so he asked for water from Gandhi, the Master’s personal attendant. As he began to drink, Hazur appeared at the window and gave darshan. Their eyes met. On seeing the Godly Beauty of Hazur, the robber bowed down and saluted the Lotus Feet of the Master. Some time later, when the way was clear, the poor man slipped away.

When the time came for this robber’s death, he told his family that there was a tremendous argument within. The angel of death was saying that he would take the soul of the robber. But the Mahatma Whose reflection he had seen only once in Beas said that the soul belonged to Him:

This man came to my shelter and I will not leave him.

The angel of death was helpless before the Great Master and gave up.

Whoever comes under our shelter, we embrace him. This is the characteristic of the Swami.

*****

Naam is not the Five Words; these can be given any young girl at a spinning wheel. It is a question of protection and Spiritual Capital. […] Once someone told Hazur that a certain person had overheard the initiation instructions.

He replied,

If a dog walks through a cotton field, does he come out wearing a suit? Naam is a matter of the attention: it is not words.

Hazur used to say,

When the Guru gives Naam, He resides with the initiate. He will not leave the disciple until he reaches the lap of the Supreme Father.

The Master is within the disciple, even in the rivers, in jungles, and in barren places. Even at the time of death He does not leave him, but guides the soul on the Spiritual Planes. The disciple may leave the Master, but the Master will never leave him.

Several times people said to the Master,

Please take back Your Naam.

But Hazur would reply:

Naam once given is never taken back. You may leave, but I will never leave You.

Once there was a happening with Bibi Hardevi. When telling this story, Hazur would look at Bibi and laugh, addressing her as wife of a gentleman – Hazur called learned and rich people ‘gentlemen.’

Once Bibi went to see the Master by railroad and got off at the Beas station. The train was late, and it was about 11:30 p.m. The way at night was dangerous. She called on the Satguru’s Name and started off all alone in the dark night, placing a bundle of her belongings on her head. Her shoes were pinching her feet, so she removed them and wrapped them around her waist.

The night was dark, and she sow no one around for miles. When she reached a canal under construction, she saw some people moving nearby with loads on horseback; but she was absorbed in her mind and kept on going. She went on some distance, and then saw that ten or fifteen people on horses had crossed the road and dismounted, blocking her way.

Just then she saw the Great Master Baba Sawan Singh appear and begin walking with her. The Master told Bibi to give her load to Him.

Bibi said,

No Sir. Why should You take the trouble to carry the load for my head?

As the two walked, they could hear the horsemen behind them, calling out. Bibi asked what it all meant. Hazur told her to keep going. When they arrived at the Dera, the small gate was open and the main gate closed. Hazur called the watchman, but by the time he came, the Master was gone.

It was one o’clock in the morning. Bibi asked where Hazur was; he watchman said that He was resting in His apartment. She did not want to disturb the Great Master, and bowed her head to the door of His house. She had just turned to leave when Shadi – Master’s personal attendant – called her and said that Hazur was waiting for her. Bibi bowed down before Him. The Master told her to touch her ears – a gesture of repentance after mischief – ‘for having come alone in the nighttime. Do you know that those people were robbers and would have attacked and plundered you? I had to walk all along with you.’

At this Bibi became very frightened and grabbed the Master’s blessed knees.

*****

The wife of a loving Satsangi of Hazur, Hem Chander Bhargwa, asked the Master to give her a boon. Hazur told her that she would have it. But she insisted on receiving it instantly.

The Master said,

all right,

and opened up the Sound Current for her. It was so loud that she could not bear it. She begged Hazur to stop it, but the Master said,

Saints do not take back the boon They grant. Put your soul into the Sound.