First Open Session
5 February 1974, Morning
India always stood for Unity.
Prime Minister Srimati Indira Gandhi
India was the mother country of individual religious accomplishment.
Reno H. Sirrine
Prime Minister Srimati Indira Gandhi had a big surprise when she came on an unscheduled and consequently unpublicised visit – the scheduled visit was charge gathering, reminding her of multitudinous election crowds she had torn herself away same with the difference that this was an international gathering. Another remarkable thing was the absolute quite and disciplined manner of the vast multitude with practically no security arrangements and wholly redundant in a situation where the vast pandal filled to capacity was just an island surrounded by a surging sea of humanity – a remarkable thing indeed!
On the specially constructed unusually wide and deep platform were seated with the sponsor president H.H. Sant Kirpal Singh Ji, Yogi Bhajan – with his white-robed American disciple kirtan group in turbans and dupattas seated on one end of the stage –, the stage secretary Sri Raja Ram M.P. Vice Chancellor, Kashi Vidyapith, Sri Gulzarial Councillor, Delhi, Giani Zail Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, Maha Mandleshwar Swami Ved Vyasananji, Swami Chidkashi Jain Muni Sushil Kumar, Venerable Nichidatsu Fuji head of Buddhist order in Japan, Baba Bhatt, Sri Parmanand Ji, Minister Jammu and Kashmir, Swami Arvindanand Ji and others.
Sri Radha Raman Chief Executive Councillor, Delhi, and Chairman Reception Committee formally welcomed Prime Minister, Srimati Indira Gandi and said,
We are glad to find, on this auspicious occasion, our topmost leader, Prime Minister Srimati Indira Gandi, in our midst. This great world conference on the Unity of Man has been convened to propagate the idea of Unity of Man. We are glad that all enlightened people of different faiths and schools of thought from all over the world, who believe in the Unity of Man have responded to our invitation and traversing long distance have come here to participate in the deliberations of this conference. We are happy that Srimati Indira Gandhi has found time even in these extremely busy times to come and address us today for which we are grateful to her.
We have made rapid all-round progress in science and technology, but it is set naughty when there is a decline in human values. And so we find that a search is on, in most countries of the world today, to find ways and means to preserve human values and standards. It is against this background that the world conference on Unity of Man has been convened. And once again I welcome prime minister Indira Gandhi to this conference, on behalf of our sponsor president Sant Kirpal Singh Ji and the heads of religious formations and others collaborating with Him, on my own behalf and of delegates, both Indian and foreign, and finally, on behalf of this vast gathering here.
The President, Satguru Kirpal Singh Ji welcoming Prime Minister Srimati Indira Gandhi said,
The Inner Feelings of heart cannot be expressed through words, for Love is always dumb; the Power of Love works through radiation. I have Love and good will in my heart for all of you sitting here. And the Love and affection that I have for Indira Ji cannot be expressed in words. She has devoted her whole life to the cause of Unity of Man.
Before this we have been holding many conferences at the level of religion. These were instrumental in mitigating bigotry and narrow mindedness to a very large extent. So far so good. But there was yet considerable work left to do for Unity and for that we now have this conference at the man level, the first of its kind. I recently went to the west. The idea appealed to them greatly. Here in India too the need for it is being felt in all quarters. Man has first to become man, in the true sense of the word. Even God is searching for man – a perfect man. The great Urdu poet Iqbal says in a couplet that Moses went to Mount Sinai in search of God, did he know not that God Himself was searching for man?
Who is a man? He who represents the ideal of manhood, who loves God and since God resides the ideal of manhood, who loves God and since God resides in all hearts he loves all creation: his body and soul should give out radiation of Love, of humanity; he should have Love and regard for everybody – his compeers, his superiors and those who are below him for God is in all of them. Man is the roof and crown of all creation and so this conference is being convened on the level of man. Our dear Prime Minister has taken time from her busy hours for which find no words to thank her. I thank her on my own behalf and on behalf of all of you for coming here to address us.
Yogi Bhajan thanked the Prime Minister on behalf of foreign delegates. He said,
Distance has no meaning today. In the west we have always looked to mother India to give birth to an illustrious son through whom we should be able to give the message of ancient life to the world and thus serve mankind. We have come here from all parts of world to learn from the way of developing Spiritual Consciousness which the west has to learn from the east an which would be the basis of World Unity. It is a unique situation in the world today that out of the great personalities today three are women and our respect Prime Minister, Srimati Indira Gandhi, is one of them and she is a pillar of light in the world.
It is an inspiring thing to all of us in the west that today, once again, the message and call for Unity has come from India and it is a great day, a blessed day that the Great Son of India, Sant Kirpal Singh has accomplished a great task, a unique and unparalleled task, of bringing people from all over the world together here. It is a great day in history that has given us the message to leave words and take to action. Thank you and God bless you all.
The Prime Minister, Srimati Indira Gandhi addressed the conference first in Hindi and then, in English. She said:
Since we have many friends from outside the country, I would like to say just a few words in English. It was very good idea of Sant Ji to call this conference of all religions. As I said in Hindi: Just now, one of the books that had a profound influence on me when I was quite small was called The Essential Unity of All Religions. I saw from it how in fundamental thought, in the encouragement of an atmosphere of Love, of harmony, corporation, of helping others, all religions had a deep message to give. We in India have for many years tried to practise these ideas, but being human beings we are full of failings and we do not always live up to our ideals. We were also taught that, just as the rain falls in many parts of the earth and ultimately most of it finds its way to the ocean, in the same way, whatever path we find of worship. If we do it with sincerity, ultimately it leads to Truth and to a greater understanding of the world and our ourselves, and give us the Inner Strength with which to meet the challenges of life.
There has always been materialism and evil in the world, but along with, there have also always been forces which have tried to combat them, which have tried to forge a path of peace and harmony. Today perhaps we nee this more than ever before, not because man is worse, but because he has more power to do bad things. And we see that this power, which could have gone such a long way in relieving the suffering of many people who have been deprived, underprivileged and oppressed through the ages, is used for warlike efforts, for threats, and for creating disharmony rather than cooperation. So conference like this, with different trends of thought and philosophies coming together, may find a way which can inspire people today to give of their greater knowledge, their greater capacity, their greater power to forge a new path for mankind.
Many people have written that 1973 was the end of an age. We do not know what the new age will be like, but it will be different. In what way it will be different lies in the hands of all of us, especially the young people – because it is they who will make this new age. It depends on them whether they want to follow the path of peace and they have the capacity to create, harmony, to create better understanding out of the ancient truths. A remarkable thing about these truths is, that although they are ancient, you will find that they apply to modern life – in the context of what is happening today, they are relevant; they give the answers wee need. But unfortunately the world doesn’t seem to have time to think, to study these things, to find out their deeper meaning; time to let them act and to take real strength from them. Whatever this new age will be, it will be an age of man – of the common man – and therefore whatever direction can strengthen man – and by strength I do not mean the strength of weapons, the strength of power, organisations, but the real strength of weapons, the strength which lies within each one of us – whatever will strengthen that part of us will enable us to use this power wisely and make the world, and make a man better human being. So the challenge which faces humanity today is greater perhaps than any challenge it has faced before.
Along with the challenge is the opportunity. Never had we had such an opportunity for moulding a new way of life, because with better communications, as was said just now, distance is not a barrier. The seas, which we thought divided one continent from another, are like bridges which join the continents together. The mass media also give the opportunity of bringing different thought to different parts, of creating a better understanding can grow cooperation, and out of cooperation can come peace for the individual, for the world as a whole, so that we can go towards what many people have dreamed – the concept of one world. In our philosophy it has often been said in many different words that all of the human family perhaps as only those people who lived around them, because they couldn’t see any farther, they live – not only through words, but through bridges of understanding, of thoughts, of concepts and we should use this opportunity for strengthening the forces of peace and understanding.
We are talking here of harmony, of peace of the oneness of man; but I am very sad that in my own country there is a great deal of disharmony. There are forces of violence – forces which want to exploit the difficulties between people. Sometime we quarrel over religion, sometimes over caste, or language, or we quarrel over one state and another; and the net result is not the spirit of disharmony and the spirit of discontent. We are facing very great difficulties, but the question is how do we combat them? How do we get the strength to meet them and to find a way out? It cannot be through disharmony. We are naturally very sad when people die through these violences, whether it is because of those who try to prevent them; and our full sympathy is with the families of the bereaved with those who have suffered in other ways. But when we look back after some time we find that these kinds of eruptions do not achieve what we want. They achieve only disharmony and encourage, what is not good in man because each of us has the good and the bad.
It is up to us which part we encourage, we allow to come out. And this I think is the message this conference can give to India, which needs it just as much as the rest of the world. So all of you here some have travelled long distance, but the distance we have to travel in the spirit is much longer than any distance which you can cover by ship or by plane or by the train, and if we can go in the right direction, lift up our spirit for right action, then I think all of us together can contribute to the making of better world. So I think that this conference has served a very valuable part; all these steps are not big steps, they are small steps; but any journey however long is completed by the steps one take towards the goal. So I think that Sant Ji and all those who have cooperated with Him in this great venture are to be congratulated and we seek their blessing in our work; and to all of you who have come I give my good wishes. Thank you.
Thanking the Prime Minister, Mr Reno H. Sirrine, the leader of the U.S. delegation to the conference, said:
The Prime Minister mentioned that this was the age of the common man; and I am sure that this includes all of us without exception.
Most of us came to India because India is the mother country of individual religious accomplishment. I came here because I want to walk without feet, I want to fly without wings, I want to see without eyes, and I want to hear without ears. If I am able to accomplish any one of these four things, I will have developed spiritually as an individual. And this is our job: to individually develop ourselves so that we become workers for world peace, for religious Unity; so that we can relate to each other man to man and understand each other. This great challenge is even greater than the physical challenges that we see around us day by day.
As I walk back to my seat, would you, instead of applauding thank God for the privilege of being here in this wonderful country, where we have an opportunity to really get to know ourselves and our Creator.
Giani Zail Singh, Chief Minister, Punjab, congratulated the Living Master, Sant Kirpal Singh for convening this world conference for promoting Unity, Love and understanding which were the crying need of the time in a world torn by hatred and fear. Sant Ji belonged to the line of luminaries Who gave the message of Love and since Love knows service and sacrifice […] a call for selfishness service. Service of man was in fact service of God since God had made man in his own image. This was the message of all Masters Who came but Their followers went against the teachings of their own preceptors and that is the reason for all our woes and for the hatred and fear today. Sant Ji has revived the old teachings of the Master and it would do a lot of good if young men were to follow in His footsteps and act up to His teachings.
Kaka Sahib Kalelkar, a close associate and follower of Gandhi Ji said,
We are very fortunate to have been born in a land where we have all races and cultures living together. Our culture forbids us to speak ill of other religions. We only see the good in all religions and cultures and strive to promote a sense of kinship and family feeling among votaries of different religions. And in conformity with our culture we have a secular government. Love knows service and he who loves is never afraid, the modern age is the age of Universal Love. The petty conflicts today may flare up into world wars. Love and service of man are the tow effective antidotes to that. It is therefore most essential to propagate the ideal of Love and service among the people and Sant Kirpal Singh is doing this most important work, I wish Him all success in His endeavour.
Sri Paramanand, Minister, Jammu & Kashmir State said,
In this age of proliferation and stock piling of weapon that scientific progress has placed at the disposal of man, the message of humanity takes on a special significance and Sant Kirpal Singh deserves our gratitude for having organised this World Conference on Unity of Man. It is a glimmer of light in the all pervading darkness, this message of Unity of Man that we are all One and no physical barriers and boundaries can divide and separate us.
Swami Arvindanand Ji said,
By God’s Grace or by merit of karmas, you are blessed with the man-body and if you cultivate and develop certain human qualities you are a man and if on the other hand you adopt evil ways and develop tendencies and develop good qualities. And man making or regenerating man is, therefore, the very basis of the mission of Satguru Kirpal Singh and His Manav Kendra. He has taken the first step in the right direction by organising this footsteps and stop not till we reach the goal, of Unity. To err is human and we have our shortcomings, we always had them, but we have a competent guide in Param Sant Kirpal Singh, the cosmic man, to light our path to the top leaders and administrators seek His guidance and blessing. There is no other way than to take refuge under the sheltering wings of Godman.
I do not wish to ask you to raise your hands but would ask all of you to make a firm resolve that from now on you will cleanse your hearts and minds of all parochialism and see man as fellow man and brother and not as Hindu, Moslem that you have some understanding of the teachings of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji. It is the Power of Love of the Living Master Kirpal Singh that draws you to Him and you sit with rapt attention from morning till evening. If He were to leave this stage there would be nobody left here except the loudspeakers and the poles supporting the vast canopy and the Power of Love, the uniting and cementing force, a minute vibration of which can span distances of mountain and sea. And so we should all become living embodiments of Love and carry the message of the cosmic Lord Whom we call by the name of Satguru Kirpal Singh to the whole world.
The Living Master, Sant Kirpal Singh, cast His glance of Grace at the vast assemblage sitting patiently from the early hours of the morning for a few words from Him. He seemed to be looking far into the future into the streak of Light which he had frequently predicted, but something in the deepening shadows of the last hours of Kali Yuga must have caused Him much concern, for in all His speeches standing and strength to change our angle of vision. And He Himself led the mass prayers after fully explaining its techniques in a few simple words.
He said,
Yesterday, the day before and today, the ideal was placed before you that mankind is One. We are all One it is true, but for that some effort is required on our part. We should pray to the Almighty to give us strength to change our angle of vision. So I would request all brothers and sisters here to sit still, close your eyes and withdraw your attention from all outside and pray to God in all sincerity and from the depth of heart. A True Prayer which comes from the heart is always answered. An what is the True Prayer? When mind thinks, the heart feels and the tongue expresses. The Almighty heeds such prayers.
Gurbani says in this context:
Sat santosh Kare Ardas, tan sun sad bahalai pas.
First of all the prayer should be true; it should come from the heart, the tongue should express it the same way and the mind fully concurs with it.
That is a true prayer. The next stet is to sit at the door and patiently wait. Hurry won’t do. So I say to you, the ideal before us is that mankind is all One. The labels of various formations that we carry on our bodies came later. You are welcome to have them, they are the distinctive labels of the different schools that we have joined to know self and to know God. That school is best which turns out a large number of successful students who pass the examination.
Now please sit still and meditate for just three minutes. Close your eyes. Withdraw your attention from all outside. Pray to God sincerely and from the heart. He is within you and hears all your prayers. He knows the very trend of your thoughts, the way they are shaping. Now sit still, withdraw your attention from all outside and pray,
Oh God, we are stranded. We have lost the way. Show us the way. We are all One Family, children of the same Father. And You are our Father.
And the vast gathering sat in still meditation for three minutes after which the session dispersed.