Portrait of Perfection - kirpalsingh.orgkirpalsingh.org/Booklets/Portrait_of_Perfection_1.pdf · portrait of perfection ... as an ideal son, husband, father and civil servant, transcended

Portrait of Perfection A Pictorial Biography of Kirpal Singh

(Published in 1981 by Sawan Kirpal Publications)

Text Compiled from Kirpal Singh’s Written and Recorded Words

With an Introduction by Darshan Singh

i

Portrait of Perfection A Pictorial Biography of Kirpal Singh

From the inside jacket:

This beautifully produced volume is a remarkable record of the life and impact of a twentieth

century saint – Kirpal Singh (1894-1974.) Emerging from the text and photographs is a

portrait of perfection – a portrait of one whose life exemplified the highest and noblest ideals

of mankind: love and service of all creation and the attainment of self-knowledge and God-

realization. People were attracted to him, and their lives were transformed by his humility,

love, compassion and ability to give spiritual experience.

Here the reader witnesses the story of a man who, while fulfilling the obligations of the world

as an ideal son, husband, father and civil servant, transcended human limitations and soared

into the highest spiritual realms.

The images in Portrait of Perfection have been gathered from personal and studio collections

throughout the world. The story of his life is told by Kirpal Singh himself; the text has been

compiled from his discourses, letters and impromptu talks. The result is a portrait which

testifies more vocally to a life of intense and many-faceted perfection than any conventional

narrative can.

Gazing at this testament, the reader may marvel at what can be accomplished in one lifetime.

Among the many achievements Kirpal Singh compressed into his spiritual ministry of twenty-

six years were the founding of Ruhani Satsang and Manav Kendra, his three world tours, a

score of books, the many international honors which were given to him, the four Conferences

of World Religions over which he presided, and the Unity of Man Conference which he

sponsored in the last year of his life.

For those who enjoyed personal contact with Kirpal Singh, Portrait of Perfection will

reawaken cherished memories. For others, it will provide a unique historical and inspirational

account of a saint who came to renew the message of universal love, peace and hope.

TO HIM WHOSE PERFECTION IS

MIRRORED IN THE LIGHT REFLECTING

FROM THESE PAGES, TO HAZUR BABA SAWAN SINGH

WHOSE GRACE QUICKENED THE SPARK,

AND TO SAINT DARSHAN SINGH WHOSE GENTLE TOUCH

ENKINDLED THIS TESTAMENT TO A PERFECT LIFE

MAY IT BE A LAMP ILLUMINATING THE WAY FOR ALL.

ii

Table of Contents

Jacket, i

Table of Contents, ii

Introduction, iii

Chapter One: The Seeker, 1

Chapter Two: The Perfect Disciple, 10

Chapter Three: Rishikesh, 36

Chapter Four: The Mission Blossoms, 43

Chapter Five: Light of the World - First World Tour, 51

Chapter Six: Life in India, 66

Chapter Seven: Prophet of Peace - Second World Tour, 79

Chapter Eight: World Fellowship of Religions, 96

Chapter Nine: Manav Kendra - Man Center, 106

Chapter Ten: Lord of Compassion, 117

Chapter Eleven: Third World Tour, 126

Chapter Twelve: Unity of Man, 149

Chapter Thirteen: From the Evening Comes a Morn, 161

Chronology, 181

Publications of Sant Kirpal Singh, 183

Acknowledgments,186

iii

Introduction

The life of a saint is centered in a dimension so unfamiliar that it is easier for most of us to

believe in God than to believe in sainthood. It is not so difficult after all to entertain the idea

of some form of Supreme Intelligence investing and controlling the myriad universes around

us. But it is hard to believe it possible for mortals like ourselves to be united with that

Intelligence, and, escaping human limitations, to function in this finite world as a vehicle for

the Infinite. This is why we are so apt to dismiss the lives of past saints as mere fairy tales

and make-believe, or as the product of aberrations of the kind studied by abnormal

psychology.

It was perhaps because of this sense of the extraordinary nature of sainthood that for

thousands of men and women around the world, their meeting with Sant Kirpal Singh was the

most significant experience of their lives. To associate with him was to become aware of an

all embracing and boundless love which took to itself all our burdens. It was to confront an

understanding which knew no limits and which could accept everything. It was to know,

however impossible as a rational proposition, that a human being could be one with God and

that God could assume a human form. In other words, it was to realize what was meant by the

word “saint” and to recognize sainthood itself, not as a myth created by man’s imagination,

but as life’s highest possibility actualized from age to age by an infinitesimally small minority

of individuals.

Sant Kirpal Singh laid great stress on the importance of firsthand knowledge as the basis of

true faith. “Seeing is above all” and “Seeing is believing” were among his favorite phrases.

The faith that was based on mere hearsay was poor and vulnerable, incapable of standing up

to the challenges of life. Particularly in this age of science, men could not be expected to

believe in something which could not be proven, something they could not test for themselves.

Rescuing spirituality from dogma and theological wrangling, Sant Kirpal Singh presented it as

a perfect science, the Master-Science by knowing which, one could know everything else.

Well versed in the scriptures and traditions of the world’s great religions, he brought out their

essential unity as no one else could. The rituals may vary, the languages may differ as one

moves from one tradition to another, but the fundamental spiritual truths behind the great

religions remain the same. What is more, according to Sant Kirpal Singh, given the guidance

of a Perfect Adept one could test these truths for oneself.

Throughout the world the prophets and saints have spoken of God in His creative form as the

Word, the Kalma or Naam, and have referred to Light and Sound as its primary

manifestations. Sant Kirpal Singh offered to link seekers to this Divine Principle and

thousands of initiates and non-initiates have testified to the manner in which he opened their

inner eye and inner ear enabling them to experience as a concrete reality what they had taken

for figures of speech. Given this firsthand inner contact, one could, Sant Kirpal Singh insisted,

work one’s way step-by-step to the final goal of at-one-ment with God as surely as a trained

scientist carrying out a well-known experiment. And at every point in this journey a seeker

working under the guidance of a Perfect Master could rely on his help and protective care

both within and without. Countless are the testimonies of the all-encompassing care which

those who came to this Perfect Saint received during his lifetime and after. To know of such

iv

testimony is to realize with a new vividness what Christ meant when he told his disciples: “Lo,

I am with you always, even to the end of the world.”

In inviting seekers to tread the path leading to reunion with God, Sant Kirpal Singh did not

expect them to turn their backs upon the world. He encouraged them to lead a full life as

members of their respective families and communities. But it was not enough to progress

physically, intellectually and materially. He would explain that we needed to develop

spiritually, too. And for this, what mattered was not an outer renunciation, but an inner

detachment. “We cannot learn to swim on dry land,” and it was only while living in the world

and facing its joys and sorrows that we could develop true detachment. When Sant Kirpal

Singh went on his second and third world tours, he inspired hundreds of young dropouts to

return to school and to their families and be productive members of their society. His whole

approach to mysticism was a “positive,” not a “negative” one. When people spoke of science

and technology as undermining spirituality, he dismissed such pessimism. For him there was

no necessary contradiction, for he saw spirituality itself as a science. In 1974, he went even

further and announced that the Golden Age of Spirituality had already dawned. All over the

world – in the West as in the East – people, and especially the young, were turning in

increasing numbers to spirituality for true fulfillment. On meeting him, men shed their

burdens and found themselves filled with a new joyous energy. When they left, he sent them

on their way with the words, “Go jolly!” and his message was always one of hope.

What would we not give to be able to bear witness to the lives of the great spiritual founders

such as the Buddha, Jesus Christ or the Prophet Mohammed! What a special blessing it is to

witness the life of a Perfected Being, for to do so is to know of a truth that transcends human

reasoning. Those who were privileged to come to the feet of Sant Kirpal Singh have shared in

this unique blessing. What is more, modern audiovisual technology has made it possible to

record for posterity his life and his work with a vividness and authenticity not possible in the

past. The photographs gathered in this volume speak for themselves and carry their own

conviction as written records alone cannot. They give us fleeting glimpses of the omni-

faceted perfection of one who was all things to those around him: friend, brother, beloved,

boon-companion, father and mother.

Even though the early phases are not as well documented pictorially as the later ones, the life

story which unfolds in the pages which follow is one of unique balance. There have been

saints who hardly seemed to need to undertake an arduous quest. There have been others

whose period of discipleship was brief or who lived far away physically from their mentors.

There have been still others whose ministry was short or characterized by the development of

some one aspect of Mastership. With Sant Kirpal Singh however, all three phases (seeker,

disciple and Master) were well marked and well rounded.

Though blessed with special gifts from his childhood, it was only at the age of thirty, after

years of anguished searching, that he found his spiritual haven in Baba Sawan Singh of Beas.

Having come to a Perfect Master, for almost a quarter of a century he served him – body,

mind and soul – with a devotion and completeness of self-surrender that have few parallels in

the annuals of spirituality. With the passing of Baba Sawan Singh from among us in 1948, he

took up the spiritual mission entrusted to him with an energy and unflagging determination

which left those around him astounded and amazed. He wrote numerous books, discoursed

many times a week and on occasion several times a day, answered letters from India and

v

abroad by the thousands, and yet found time to meet privately any seeker or disciple who

sought him out. The story of the founding of Sawan Ashram at the outset of his ministry and

of Manav Kendra at its close, of the World Fellowship of Religions, of the World Religions

Conferences, of the Unity of Man Conference, of the annual tours within India and of the

three world tours – all these are now history. A hundred years, even a generation hence, men

may ask how a single individual, starting from almost nothing, could accomplish so much in

so few years. They may well wonder how much was truth, how much mere myth and legend.

The portrait sketched through the mosaic of Sant Kirpal Singh’s words and pictures

assembled here should allay such doubts better than anything else. They speak for themselves

and testify more vocally to a life of intense and many-faceted perfection than any

conventional narrative can; for as the poet would say: “A thousand lifetimes may be too brief

an instant to sing of the Beauty of the Beloved.” Let that Beauty therefore speak for itself and

let the reader glean something of the magic of the Beloved’s glance even from the printed

page! Let him realize, as Sant Kirpal Singh said, that even though “Truth is higher than

everything, higher still is true living.” For the terms “God” and “Truth” acquire force and

meaning for us only through the example of lives like his, where precept and practice are one,

where we see the God Power in action in day-to-day living.

Darshan Singh

Delhi, India

February 6, 1981

Param Sant Kirpal Singh

-1-

Chapter One: The Seeker

Autographed photo of Kirpal Singh

Dear friends, let me introduce myself to you. So much has been said about me. With all that,

I take myself to be a man like you.

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji

Of Course, I had the good fortune to sit at the feet of my Master, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji,

in India, and solve the mystery of life.

-2-

What is the mystery of life and how did it take possession of my mind? I will relate to you an

incident from my life when I was about sixteen. I came across someone who was dying. She

was a young lady who had children. Her husband and her parents were also there. While

sitting beside her it occurred to me, “This person is dying; there is something in her which is

also in me, but it is leaving her body – what is that something?” I could not at that time

perceive the answer, for I did not have the knowledge. “What is it that is working in everyone

and yet leaves a dying person?” I sat there and witnessed this individual call all those near

and dear and ask for their forgiveness for any wrong or any act that may have displeased them.

She called her children, kissed them and told them, “I am going.” She called for her husband

and begged leave from him. Then she quietly closed her eyes and was gone. I was wonder-

struck to witness this amazing sight. Before my eyes the body was lying there and yet that

which had motivated it was gone. It was still in me but it had left that body; where it had

gone to I did not know. This I could not differentiate in spite of my search after knowledge.

According to Sikh custom, we took the body of the dead person on our shoulders and carried

it to the cremation place. On the way I was still considering, “Well, what was it that had left

the body?” I wanted to differentiate, to analyze myself, but I could not. When we reached the

cremation grounds, it so happened there was a pillar with an inscription which read:

Beware ye that move!

We too were once like you

Enjoying life to the full.

But alas! Now we are a handful

of dust beneath this stone.

Those words pinched my heart.

As we walked farther into the cremation place I saw that an elderly man had died and was

also to be cremated. Within a few yards of each other lay a young person and an old man

with a white beard. The two extremes of life, youth and old age, were consumed in the flames.

My heart was deeply affected with the realization that there is no escape from death for any

one of us. Learned or unlearned, rich or poor, healthy or diseased, everyone has to die. There

is no exception to the rule; even kings, philosophers and saints have to leave the body. And

we must also leave the body. I could not bear the scene. I thought, “What is it which is in me,

but is not in these two bodies?” These questions: “Who we are, whence did we come, whither

shall we go?” took possession of my mind.

I had some awakening, an inkling from my childhood about God. I also had transvision and

could see the past and the future. I only had to think of Delhi or Calcutta and I could see what

was going on there. I prayed, “O God, I pray this disease may be taken away so that I should

become like all other people. Keep it in reserve so I should behave like an average man.”

I was born in a Sikh family – as man is a social being he must have some social body to live

in, so he is born in one family or the other. My father was Sardar Hukam Singh; my mother,

Gulab Devi. The members of my family were meat eaters. As a child, I did not partake of it.

My father said, “Pal, (this was my nickname), why don’t you take meat? It will do you

good.” I replied, “Will you have me make a graveyard out of my body?”

-3-

Pages from school notebooks of Kirpal Singh written in approximately 1908, when he was

fourteen years old. On the left is the schedule Kirpal Singh set for himself to study his school

subjects.

As a young boy I used to read the Sikh scriptures, the Guru Granth Sahib, which is a

voluminous book. The beauty of it is that the teachings of so many Godmen have been

gathered together. It is a banquet-hall of spirituality containing hundreds of hymns. I would

carefully read only one hymn, and then I would write it down, considering that was the lesson

given for the day. All day I would think of that hymn and try to discover its meaning.

Once the desire to solve the mystery of life entered my heart, it did not leave. This question

led me to an intense search through books. I read the scriptures of various religions. The

ancient Hindu scriptures said, “When the soul leaves the body at the time of death it

experiences as much pain as though one was stung by a thousand scorpions” – very terrible

pain was described!

Since I was in a missionary school, I was also familiar with the Christian teachings. There I

found: “Except ye be born anew, ye cannot enter the Kingdom of God,” and “Learn to die so

that you may begin to live.” These teachings are given in all scriptures, but the question

remained, “How to do it?”

I would start reading the scriptures each night and my heart desired those things mentioned

therein. I would study the whole night through, only to rise in the morning without having

discovered the way out.

-4-

All scriptures say there is God, “God is ever-existent, there is no place without Him.” I had

that conviction in my inner self. I was never in doubt about God. But how to see Him? That

was the burning question. The scriptures gave no practical solution, they simply referred to

the need of the company of someone who knows God – call him a Guru, or a Master, or a

Teacher, or anything. “If you want to see God, meet someone who sees God.” They all said

the same thing: Go to somebody who has solved the mystery of life and can give others that

same experience.

I was still not able to solve this mystery, and it became the greatest torment of my heart.

After my educational career was over I had to decide what to do with my life. I was a

voracious reader of books and wanted big libraries. But I had to decide whether to pursue my

worldly ambition or seek God. In 1912, I spent five to six hours daily for seven to eight days

in the lonely wilderness deciding my aim in life. I came to the decision: “God first and the

world next.” I knew that I could never meet the Lord without a living Master or a Guru. So I

decided to search for a Master who would give me the Truth. The question then arose as to

where a perfect Master was to be found. When I looked around there were so many Masters.

To whom should I go? By reading the scriptures of all religions I realized Masters could be

born in the East or West, anywhere in the world, in a higher class family or a lower class

family. It matters little. But one thing was certain – if he himself was a man who had

realized God, only then could one expect inner experiences of God from him.

Prem Singh, eldest brother of Kirpal Singh

As the eldest of the three brothers, Prem Singh was respected as the head of the family when

their father Sardar Hukam Singh died. Prem Singh was employed with the Civil Courts at

Peshawar and maintained his household in Sayyad Kasran. Prem Singh’s house adjoined

Kirpal Singh’s, and they shared a common courtyard. Unlike his two brothers, Prem Singh’s

interest in spirituality did not fully dawn until late in life. He was accustomed to eating non-

vegetarian food. In middle age while paying a visit to Kirpal Singh in Lahore his life

-5-

underwent a dramatic change. Suddenly, he was unable to eat the meat preparations he had

brought with him. Then he requested Kirpal Singh to take him to meet Hazur Baba Sawan

Singh at Beas. On reaching the Dera he saw Hazur coming from the satsang, and like

thousands who had come before him he was awestruck by the grandeur and radiance of the

great Master. Shortly after this meeting he received initiation and his way of life was

completely transformed. When Prem Singh’s end was nearing he correctly revealed from

inner vision that the train on which Kirpal Singh was coming would reach the station three

hours late. Before passing away he told Kirpal Singh that Hazur had come within and he was

at peace. Then before a large group of his friends and relatives he died so peacefully that no

one present, barring Kirpal Singh, know that he had left.

Jodh Singh, elder brother of Kirpal Singh

Jodh Singh’s life held many similarities with that of his younger brother Kirpal Singh. He

was also searching for a perfect Master, and also served in the Military Accounts Department

with the British government. He practiced homeopathic medicine in his spare time as a free

service to humanity, and the combination of his good theoretical understanding and his

unshakeable faith in God enabled him to cure many ailing patients through the remedies he

prescribed. On nearing retirement he had a house built in Dera Beas Colony. Jodh Singh

declared that if Hazur paid even one visit its purpose would be served. This house was used

for the service of the sangat, and when he visited Beas he used only a small room for his own

accommodation. He visited Beas almost every weekend, leaving from work on the Saturday

night train. He reached the Dera by Sunday morning, spent the day in the satsang of the

great Master and then boarded the Sunday night train bringing him back in time to go

straight to his office on Monday morning. Jodh Singh was very devoted to Hazur, and he kept

Hazur’s commandments with great discipline and love. He had developed the habit of sitting

regularly for several hours in meditation each morning. When Jodh Singh died, Hazur

remarked that one of his true disciples had left.

-6-

I had two brothers: Jodh Singh and Prem Singh. Jodh Singh and I helped each other: “If you

find any Godman, tell me; if I find one, I will tell you.” We were searching.

Once my brother Jodh Singh wrote me, “A very great Master is here. Will you come?” I

went and told the man, “I have intoxication that continues day and night; but sometimes, after

three, four or five months, it stops for a day or two. I am very puzzled. Can you help me?”

He said, “You will have to lay down everything – your body, mind and soul – to me. Only

then will I help you.” I thought, “The man is after my body and possessions; he wants my

intellect to be blindfolded.” Surrender comes only when you see some competence. I paid

homage and returned home. I thought to myself, “I know there is a definite need for a Master;

all scriptures say so. I’m quite convinced that without one who knows God, nobody can reach

Him. But where am I to go?” I feared that I might meet one who would turn out to be

nothing but a worldly man; I was afraid lest I go to somebody who had not solved the mystery

of life, but was simply acting and posing. What would be my fate? I prayed, “O God, I’m,

yearning for You. I want to meet You. The world is full of Gurus and Masters. To whom

should I go? Unless I find someone who has reached You, my life’s aim will be spoiled. It is

said that in the olden days You appeared to those who loved You, then why can’t You

manifest now?” If God could give revelations to His lovers in the past, why could He not

give direct revelation to me?

I was so anxious to meet God I used to weep from morning till night. Even while working in

my office, tears would involuntarily flow from my eyes and my office papers were spoiled by

the tears. I could not sleep at night. I would ask, “O God, what is happening?” At home, my

family could not understand what was happening – I had recently been transferred from the

place of my parents and everyone thought the tears were due to this. What can other people

know of the condition of one’s heart? Once the enigma of the mystery of life enters the heart,

a person knows no peace until it has been solved. The questions continue to arise: “What is

life? Who am I?” It is only the Beloved who can understand the excruciating pain in the

heart of the lover. God is the knower of all hearts, and He knows best who is pining for Him.

Even in the early days of my life I used to serve the sick. When my father fell ill and lost his

memory he was like a child again, not knowing how to walk or talk. I had to reteach him

everything. I would say, “This is a spoon. This is a plate.” And he slowly regained his

memory. When my father recovered he said, “I am extremely pleased with you. Ask for

anything you want – wealth, children, fame and the like – and if a father’s blessings have any

effect, you will certainly have what you desire.”

I replied, “I do not want earthly things, I wish only to meet God in this lifetime.” My father

said, “I have not seen God, but if there is God, you shall certainly meet Him!”

In May 1917 God appeared in my meditation in the form of a holy man whom I took to be

Guru Nanak. He would speak to me and lead me into the higher planes.

As I was a poet, I wrote many poems in Urdu and Punjabi in his praise. I composed a poem

in which I described the lovely features of the divine being who guided me on different planes

from day to day for about seven years.

-7-

Kirpal Singh

I have always been a lover of rivers, and in whatever town I happened to be, I would find the

nearest river and spend many hours there, mostly at night. While living in Lahore, I once had

a desire to visit the River Beas. So one Sunday morning I left my house and arrived in due

course at Beas railway station. When I stepped from the train I approached the station master

and asked him to direct me to the river. He asked, “Have you come to see the saint of Beas?”

I replied, “Does a saint live here, too?” He said, “Yes, on the bank of the river.” I told him

that I would be happy to see the saint and the river also, and I made my way to the Dera,

where the saint lived. In those days there were no restrictions for those who wished to see the

Master, so I walked straight in. Hazur was taking his meal. After a while he came out. I was

astonished to find the same form I had been seeing in visions for so many years. I was

wonderstruck and asked him, “Maharaj, why this delay in meeting thee?” He said, “This is

the most opportune time.”

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

-8-

“The Guru appears when the chela is ready” – even to the most skeptical mind. Perhaps none

of you have been so skeptical as I was. I was afraid lest I go to somebody who had not met

God, and my life would be spoiled.

So this is how I physically met my Master Hazur Baba Sawan Singh in the month of February,

on the day of Basant Panchmi, a religious festival which occurs when the fields reach their

full bloom. I wrote to my elder brother Jodh Singh, “I have seen a personality walking in all

the humility of Guru Nanak. But wait till you hear from me next.” A few days thereafter I

wrote again: “I have found the Master, you too should come.”

The next time there was initiation, later that month, Hazur said, “You sit inside.” He went

outside and gave initiation. I was sitting inside in his room waiting for him and thinking,

“Perhaps he will call me.” I couldn’t dare move, because he did not call me. When he

returned I asked him, “Will you kindly initiate me?” And he said, “Oh yes, surely.”

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

He granted me initiation – a direct firsthand experience of the Light and Sound of God, the

two outer expressions of Absolute God. He gave me an experience of transcending the body,

“Here it is, you are not the body.” With a little thought of his, with his attention, I rose above

body-consciousness and knew this body was only a dead body enlivened by spirit. I saw I

was the indweller of the body.

-9-

Only one who is already united with God can help us unite with Him. That divine Power,

God, is within each one of us. The question is, why can we not unite with Him by our own

unaided efforts? It is because the soul is under the powerful sway of the mind, which in turn

is being controlled by the senses, and these senses are running riot with the outer pleasures.

We are thus totally identified with mind and matter so much so we have forgotten our true self.

It is the God-in-man who can link us with God. Absolute God, when He came into expression,

was called Shabd, Naam or Word. This Word or Naam in the garb of man is called Guru. He

is not the physical body but the divine Power which works at a human pole called the living

Master, Guru, Murshid, or any other name you like. He is in fact “Word made flesh,” who

comes to dwell amongst us. Man alone can be the teacher of man. It is with the help of some

human instrument that God works for mankind.

The qualification of the Master lies in the fact that he is competent to give firsthand

experience of the Light of God and the Music of the Spheres, to the learned and unlearned, on

the day of initiation. These are the gifts of God.

So why am I relating this to you? If you are really after God, God makes some arrangements

to bring you in contact with someone who can put you on the way back to God. And the

mystery of life and death is then solved.

Kirpal Singh

-10-

Chapter Two: The Perfect Disciple

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

Somebody once asked me, “What made you acceptable in the eyes of your Master, and how

did you get from him all the instructions you are following?” The only words I can say are,

“It was love – love that he gave me for himself. And that taught me everything.”

It is the Beloved who teaches the lover the art of love and who enables him to progress

steadily on the path of love. One who loves is the lover of the Beloved. One who obeys

becomes the beloved of the Beloved. And that love should be respectful.

Once I wrote my Master a letter in which I said, “I pray, grant me your love, but that love

should be within respectful limits.” Hazur received the letter, put it on his breast, and with

tears in his eyes said, “I want such a one who loves with respect. I really appreciate suchlike

love.”

The relationship of love between the Master and his disciple covers many phases and many

developments. It begins with respect for one knowing more than oneself. In the beginning

when I went to my Master people asked me, “How great is Baba Sawan Singh?” I told them,

“I do not know how great he is, but I know he is surely far, far above me – far above that

which I wanted.” That is all you can say in the beginning. Only those who are equal to him

can know him. A Master alone can know what a Master is. We see only that much which he

reveals to us.

-11-

Gods, men and angels – greater than these was he;

My Emperor was unparalleled in this world and the next

For when the veil lifted, I beheld God Himself in human form

And O Lord, he was so different from what I thought him to be.

In all splendor did the Creator manifest to him,

And in all finality was he merged in the Creator.

God Himself was not found separate from him,

Nor was he discovered as separate from God.

So enchanted were they with one another

That God was lost in him, and he was lost in God.

In this world of finitude

He was the secret of Eternity.

God dwelt in his frame

And he proved to be none other than God Himself.

Come, let us behold him at the satsang this day and drink in

the oneness of his eyes,

For who knows what the morrow brings,

Or when our end will come?

Translation of a poem by Kirpal Singh to his Master,

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

Autographed photo of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

-12-

I used to go to Hazur at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh in Beas every Sunday. He looked after me as

a father looks after his son. He would say to those serving at the Dera, “All right, arrange this

room, bring his bedding.” I requested, “Master, please don’t you worry. I’m here at your

feet.”

He would say, “All right, you’ll have to look after this Dera. Those who come, you’ll look

after them.”

The room of Baba Jaimal Singh, Hazur’s Guru and founder of the colony

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh’s house at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh, Beas

Kirpal Singh frequently stayed in this tree-shaded house while visiting the Dera

-13-

The entrance at Hazur’s house

The lettering above the door reads, “Dera Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj.”

To Hazur’s right is Kirpal Singh’s elder brother Jodh Singh.

The Satsang Hall in Beas built by Hazur

Here, satsangs (spiritual gatherings) were held.

-14-

If one could just get a glimpse from afar of the glorious turban of Hazur while he was

standing in the midst of thousands of persons, a thrill of joy would run through one from head

to toe. Maulana Rumi says, “Even if I were to behold the face of my Beloved hundreds of

times with hundreds of eyes, I would still get a novel experience from such a blessed sight.”

He goes on to say, “Just as a drunkard feels restlessly agitated by looking at vintage splashing

in a goblet of wine, similarly by looking into the cups of the deeply set eyes of the Master, the

souls of the devotees soar high in ecstasy divine.”

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh giving satsang on tour at Kalu ki Barh in July 1945

-15-

When I came to my Master I only asked him two or three questions. I simply sat by him,

listened to what he said and got everything by radiation. One third of a Master’s teachings are

by word of mouth, two thirds by receptivity, by radiation. Soul speaks through the eyes; they

are the windows of the soul. Through the eyes you learn so many things. They speak a

language which even words cannot express.

In the beginning, I asked my Master how much time I should devote to the spiritual practices.

Hazur knew fully well that I was a government servant. I had to put in eight hours to my

service, and I was also a householder with a wife, Krishna Wanti, and my son, Darshan.

Knowing all that, he said, “Devote a minimum of five to six hours of meditation a day and the

more you can do the better.”

So what did I do? In the morning I used to sit from three or four o’clock until nine. I had to.

There was no question of whether I could do it. Then I took my food at twenty minutes after

nine because I had to leave for the office and be there at ten o’clock. Even the busiest man

can find time. Where there is a will there is a way.

A devotee dedicates his life to the service of his Master and dissolves his will in that of his

Master. It is a life of complete surrender.

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh giving a discourse

Kirpal Singh can be seen at the right.

I was assigned the duty by the Master to give talks at satsang in Lahore, the capital of Punjab.

It was a big center. When Hazur would stay there for three or four days, usually ten thousand

to twenty thousand people gathered.

Once I asked Hazur, “What are your orders regarding satsang? What if a man is sick and

cannot attend the satsang?” He replied, “If you are sick in your bed, but you can move, then

attend satsang.” Just note, he did not say that if you have strength to walk, then attend satsang.

-16-

One Sunday at satsang time I was really sick, but I could move in the bed. I remembered

Master’s words and I thought, “Well, I can move.” The satsang place was hardly a furlong

away. On the way I sat down four times to take rest. When I arrived I was very tired and

weak. I sat down and started the satsang. That day the satsang extended for three hours. And

when I returned – I came running.

Twice a week I used to see Hazur. I would reach Beas about nine or ten at night and had the

privilege to be with him for any length of time. One Saturday evening, as I sat by him, I was

thinking in my heart of hearts to remain with Hazur and arrange for someone else to give a

talk at satsang on Sunday. But at midnight, Master said, “Kirpal Singh, tomorrow aren’t you

to give a satsang at Lahore?” I said, “Yes, Sir.” Hazur said, “Then you should go.” So of

course, I caught the train for Lahore and gave the satsang. Duty is duty.

Left to right, sitting: Prithvi Raj, Har Narain, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj (in chair),

Jagat Singh, Lal Chand; first row standing: Harbans Singh and Bachint Singh (Hazur’s sons),

Jodh Singh (Kirpal Singh’s brother), Bhagat Singh, Kirpal Singh, Kulwant Rai;

second row standing : Ram Nath Mehta, Mr. Hiranand, Radha Krishna Khanna.

One way of pleasing the Master is to live up to what the Master says without any regard to

what your mind says or what your heart likes. Once I had started a talk when I got an

intuition that my Master had come to Lahore. I was thinking what to do, “Should I run to see

the Master, or do this duty?” Naturally, my heart wanted to fly to see him, but at the same

time I was bound by the words of his order, “You have to give a talk.” So I attended to my

duty. When the talk was over, after two hours, I ran to the place, but Master had left and gone

back to Beas. I went to Beas on the evening train. When I reached there I told Hazur what

had happened. “Master, I don’t know whether I have done right or wrong. I was duty bound

to give a talk at the very moment I got that intuition that you had come to Lahore. I could not

decide but I stuck to the duty.” Hazur said, “I am pleased you have done your duty – that you

have acted up to what I said.”

-17-

Krishna Wanti was married to Kirpal Singh at an early age, according to the custom of the

times. A very affectionate and self-sacrificing woman, she was a devoted wife and loving

mother. She assisted her husband in social service, particularly during a deadly influenza

epidemic. She was of a pious disposition and wrote poetry in Punjabi. In the summer, Kirpal

Singh was fond of meditating on the bank of the Ravi River and would return home in the

early hours of the morning. No matter how late her husband returned, Krishna Wanti would

be waiting to let him into the house after hearing his gentle tapping on the door.

Krishna Wanti, Kirpal Singh’s wife

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Parents should look after their children properly and help them to become noble by setting a

worthy example for them.

The Masters lay great emphasis on the need to transform our lives, but they say it is not

necessary to leave the world in order to pursue the inner path. They say to remain in the

world and yet be not of it.

So I have led a householder’s life. In this regard, marriage is no bar to spirituality if lived

according to the scriptures. One duty may be of begetting children. The saints say that if a

child is to be given birth, let him become a saint, a donor to the poor, a server of the needy, or

a valiant one who can protect the forlorn and weak.

When your son or anybody else lives honestly and ethically, naturally you are happy. My son

Darshan, at the beginning of his career in government service, was detailed to go to Bombay

with two other men to allot important contracts; I think they had one month to settle

everything. They were all offered huge bribes. My son wrote me a letter: “I have come here,

one of three. The others have made much money, but I have not succumbed to this temptation

and have not made any.” I then wrote him, “By doing so you have pleased not only the God

in you, but your father, whom you once said was very difficult to please.”

“As a child I probably had the best possible fortune of being brought up in an atmosphere

charged with spirituality, charged with bliss, charged with tranquility. Every day large

numbers of people were coming to my father, Kirpal Singh, for peace and solace.

I would often see my father either sitting in meditation or attending to his literary work late at

night when I went to bed, and then again when I got up in the morning I found him in

meditation. I could not expect to have breakfast until I had done my meditation. He was the

most loving father that anyone could have and at the same time the most strict

disciplinarian.” – Darshan Singh

I remember how Darshan, at the age of four or five, once accompanied me to Hazur and made

a request for initiation. Hazur gave him some sweets and at first he was satisfied. But the

next time he went he prayed for the same gift which had been granted to his father. Hazur

took him inside, made him sit in front of him, and asked him to concentrate within. In an

instant the lad witnessed a star-spangled sky. Hazur then asked him to open his eyes, saying

that it was enough at that stage. Darshan came running outside saying that he had received

Naam as far as the stars and inquired up to what stage I had been taken! Herein lies the

greatness of a saint.

-19-

A poet himself, Kirpal Singh recognized and encouraged his elder son’s literary gifts, and

throughout his life read and corrected each of Darshan Singh’s poems. Here Darshan is

reciting one of his poems in the presence of Hazur. (Kirpal Singh is seated near the pole on

the far left.) Poetry recitations during special functions were a regular feature. Hazur told

Darshan when the boy was about to enter college, “Kaka (my dear son), Persian is a very

sweet language. It is the language of mystic poetry and should be studied.” This made

Darshan give up his plans for studying science and in due course he developed into a leading

mystic poet writing in Urdu.

Seven boys joined together with the blessings of Hazur to form the Sawan Service League in

the late 1930’s. Kirpal Singh guided them so that all their duties were carried out in a spirit

of humility. One of the members of the League, Darshan Singh (center, in a dark jacket), was

in charge of checking-in the shoes of the disciples attending satsang.

-20-

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, Kirpal Singh, and Darshan Singh

When a devotee is enamored of God, it is for God Himself to take care of everything; He

intervenes, for He sees such a devotee has given up everything for Him. A devoted lover of

God does not look to anybody else. Such a devotee is loved by God and the Master, so

naturally the Master has to take care of all his needs.

My eldest son Darshan once fell ill and the doctor announced that his condition was so

dangerous that within three days he would probably die. He told me I should take leave from

my work and sit beside his bed day and night – he might pass away at any moment. Of course

I took the leave, but it happened that one of the three days was a Sunday; and I was detailed

by my Master to hold the satsang at Amritsar every Sunday. The doctor had said not to leave

my son’s bedside. Faced with this dilemma I thought, “To whom does this child belong? We

are all in the Master’s lap. We cannot control life and death; it is all in his hands. I should do

the work he has given me.”

I left home and went to Amritsar and held satsang there. After the satsang it was about

noontime, and as the Master lived in Beas, just about twenty miles away, my heart said, “Well,

why not have Master’s darshan before returning home?” The natural desire of a devotee

would be to have a look at the Master. It was during the hot summer season, and the day was

bright with sunshine. I caught a train and reached the Dera at Beas at about 2:00 p.m.

When I entered the Master’s house he was upstairs, and though I gave no intimation of my

arrival, he sent a man down to call me. The Master was lying on his bed, but when I entered

the room he sat up and asked me, “What is the condition of your son?” The Masters know

everything. I had not told him anything previously about my son’s illness. I replied, “Hazur,

he is seriously ill.” I told him what the doctor had said, and that I had followed the doctor’s

-21-

advice and taken leave from my office to sit beside his bed. When Hazur asked me for further

information I told him, “I understood your orders were to go to satsang, and so I had done my

duty, for life and death are in the Master’s hands. After the satsang was over in Amritsar I

came directly to Beas for your darshan instead of returning to Lahore.”

The Master became very quiet and sat with his head in his hands looking quite sorrowful. I

asked him, “Hazur, why are you in such a mood? Whoever has even a single thought of you

for a moment is released of all his worries, and yet you are sitting like this, how can that be?”

He replied, “Well, Kirpal Singh, you have thrown all your burden on me. You have taken the

load off your head, and now I must bear the burden myself.”

On returning home I found my son was all right, and his condition had not deteriorated as the

doctors had thought and thereafter he recovered from his illness. These are the ways of a

perfect Master; this is his greatness. If you leave everything to him, placing yourself

completely in his hands, he will do all your work.

During the marriage of Hazur’s grandson, Charan Singh

Some of the prominent satsangis are, from Hazur to the left:

Gurbaksh Singh Randhir, Parshotam Singh, Bachint Singh (Hazur’s son), Darshan Singh,

Kirpal Singh, and Harbans Singh (Hazur’s son). From Hazur to the right are:

Charan Singh, Pundit Lal Chand, Bhai Shadi, and on the far right is Seva Singh.

Love is a very great power. Love begets love. If you love the Master, the Master loves you

the most; you become the beloved of the Beloved.

Sometimes if I could not go for one week to see him, Hazur would ask those whom he met,

“Have you seen Kirpal Singh? Has he met you?” If a mother does not see her baby for three

hours in a day, how does she feel? Sometimes he would come see me in my office. He

traveled by car to Lahore, about sixty miles. He stood under my office and sent a man to call

me down.

-22-

Once, when my Master came to see me in Lahore, I was unable to receive him because I was

bedridden – I could not even move from the bed. When he arrived, he asked someone about

me and was told of my illness. So he rushed up to my room although it was on the third story.

When he came in, I was so weak I could not even move. He sat by my side, and I was able to

sit up; he stayed with me for only a while, but when he started to leave I went running down

after him. This is what love does.

Love means you cannot differentiate between yourself and him. Sometimes if he thinks of

you, you feel the Master within, in your very body. From thousands of miles you can enjoy

the company of the Master by radiation. My Master used to go to Dalhousie. During the

daytime some moments came when I felt very sweet feelings and cooling waves of thought

from head to foot. You can feel a sort of purity and bliss. I wrote down the time. I later

inquired from someone, “What was the Master doing at that time?” The answer was, “He was

remembering you.”

When he remembers, we remember too – our love is only reciprocal. When we are charged

with love, love of God in man, we cross from the stage of duality to oneness. That will only

develop when no one and nothing stands between you and the Master, not even your body or

intellect. When you are one with the Master, naturally he works through you. As St. Paul

said, “It is I, not now I, but Christ that liveth in me.” The outer criterion is that if you put a

question to the Master and the same question to the initiate, even though they are living apart,

the words uttered by the disciple will be the same as those uttered by the Master. It is because

they are receptive to one another – they are one. This is the ultimate goal of love.

Hazur and Kirpal Singh conversing during a walk at Beas

Jodh Singh, Kirpal Singh’s brother, is seen walking between them.

I found many times during the life of my Master, people used to ask me questions. I

would give them some reply on certain points. They would also go to my Master and ask

the same question. And fortunately it so happened, the very same words were uttered by

the Master. When you are one with the Master, naturally he works through you. If such a

love exists between an initiate and the Master, the Master will transfer everything to him.

Hazur ordered me to do satsang work, to visit the sick, the needy and the poor. He gave

explicit directions on writing the Gurmat Sidhant, which he graciously consented to

publish under his own name. When the great Satsang Hall at Beas was being built, people

said to me, “Why do you attend to the physical labor? You should attend only to the

written work.” I replied, “Since I am blessed with a physical body, I must serve

physically. I have an intellect and should serve intellectually. And since I am an

embodied soul, I should also serve spiritually.”

-23-

My Master used to make me sit by him and give talks. He was training me as a father trains a

child. I would repeat my experiences to him. I used to turn to him and talk and the people

enjoyed it.

Once after Hazur had initiated some people at Lahore he told me, “I have planted the seed of

the Holy Word in the hearts of these persons. You will have to nurture them with the Water

of Life.” I told him, “Master, I am a mere pipe. Whatever life-giving water you send, that

will be given. If no water comes, the pipe itself would become dry and nobody would get any

benefit.”

Peshawar (now in Pakistan), 1938

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh is sitting in the center. To Hazur’s right is Kirpal Singh, Gurmukh

Singh, and Sundar Singh Kochar. On Hazur’s left is Prem Singh (Kirpal Singh’s eldest

brother) with folded hands, Sajjan Singh and Beant Singh on his extreme left; Nanak Singh,

at whose house Hazur was staying, is sitting looking up at Hazur.

My Master used to send people to me, including heads of different sects who came to see him.

They would stay with me for a week or so at Lahore. If any learned man went to see him, he

said, “All right, go to Kirpal Singh – he will open all the parts of the rifle and then reassemble

it, and tell you what is what.”

Dr. Schmidt, a Swiss homeopathic physician and President of the World Federation of

Homeopathic Doctors, came to India with his wife. He was initiated by our Master. On their

second visit to India, people tried to influence his wife to also become initiated. But she

wouldn’t agree. She was a follower of a guru in Europe. Dr. Schmidt requested me to kindly

do something so that his wife might also be initiated. My Master told me to take leave for

four or five days and give time to attend to her. The first question she asked was, “What

brought you here to the Master?” I explained to her for about ten minutes why I had come.

“Oh, that is exactly what I want,” she said. She then asked, “Why is it that your Master does

not appeal to me?” This was a very direct question. “My European guru used to influence me

and I was affected by him,” she said. I told her to look at me for two or three minutes and

then I asked if she could say anything other than what I wanted her to say. “No,” she said. I

told her, “That is why your guru has influenced you. You could not say anything other than

what he wanted you to say. My Master does not influence anybody. He leaves it to your own

will and pleasure to find what is what.”

-24-

I told her, “If you don’t follow the talk given by my Master tonight, just simply look at him,

sweetly, attentively, nothing more. And then let me know what you find.” She sat in on the

talk, and after it I asked her, “Well, how did you find my Master?” “Oh,” she replied, “he

was very attractive, very beautiful.”

Standing with Kirpal Singh are Mme Schmidt and Bhai Bishan Das Puri at Beas

Once, Dr. Julian Johnson and I were both sitting at the feet of Hazur. If we leave the Master

to his own self, he reveals many things to us. Sometimes he will speak of his own self – who

he is, what he is, what he is here for. So, he mentioned that night, “Well, we are sent by God

for a certain mission, and when we come we bring our own working staff with us. When our

work is over at one place, we are sent to another place.” How beautifully he put his coming to

the world, though in very sweet terms full of humility, giving an inkling that he came with

authority from God.

Dr. Julian Johnson, an American disciple, is seen sitting to Hazur’s left wearing a turban.

Dr. Johnson spent the later part of his life at Beas and wrote several books in English

on Sant Mat, including The Path of the Masters.

-25-

Once, Hazur visited our home town, Sayyad Kasran in Rawalpindi. He was usually

accompanied by hundred of followers, and there was always a free kitchen arrangement for

them. On this visit there was a large group of people camped nearby. There were some

people who were against Baba Sawan Singh’s teachings, so they planned to bring disgrace

upon him by going to his free kitchen after the meal had finished and the kitchen had closed.

Nearly three hundred of them sat down outside the kitchen door and demanded that food be

served to them immediately. Someone told me what had happened and I hurried to the

kitchen to find that there was just half a basket of bread. I called the cook and told him to

light the fires and make more bread, but the three hundred people outside started shouting for

food. Just then, Hazur entered the kitchen and said, “Kirpal Singh, why are you not giving

them food?” I replied, “Hazur, there is only half a basketful of bread – how can I feed three

hundred people with that? We have to make more.” Baba Sawan Singh smiled and said,

“Fear not, but cover the basket with a cloth and go on serving the bread.” I did as Hazur

instructed, and the three hundred men ate and ate until they could eat no more, and when the

meal was finished there was still the same amount of bread left as there had been at the start.

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh serving chapattis (Indian flat bread) to disciples

Once, Master asked me to initiate two hundred fifty people in the monthly satsang.

Competition naturally arises. Those who were after the Mastership became worried, “The

Mastership has gone from our hands.” The Master had ordered me to give initiation, and to

also give talks at satsang places, attend the poor, the needy, the sick, everyone. Even when I

left the office, I used to attend to the sick in hospitals and homes until eight, nine, ten o’clock

and sometimes even later than that. They would say, “When he comes the pain is relieved

and the trouble subsides. Even the highest fever, 106-107 degrees, goes down to 100

degrees.” I never applied anything, but automatically by radiation they were relieved. People

complained to my Master, “Look here, he is showing miracles – he wants to vie with you.”

Master told them, “No, no, he does not do that; it’s his radiation that does it.”

-26-

Kirpal Singh, sitting on the dais with Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, is giving satsang

There was a great conspiracy. Letters began pouring in, in different languages and from

different towns, accusing me: “He is such and such man; he is such and such man.” Master

knew all about the letters; there were heaps of them. At least he knew at heart of hearts what I

was. But he sent me a message, “Don’t go to anybody’s house, but on Sunday you may go to

hold satsang at Ravi Road, Lahore.” I said, “All right, I will abide by whatever are his

orders.” I had more spare time because I only had to go on Sunday to the satsang place. It is

something like a servant who normally cleans twenty rooms being told to clean only one and

leave the rest.

So during this time, under explicit directions from the Master, I wrote the book Gurmat

Sidhant, which is in two volumes of over two thousand pages. It was written through my

hands I would say, not by me, but by the Master within me. I used to begin writing at about

eight or nine at night. One day a writer was there watching me. At about midnight he said,

“You are writing so fast, but you are not copying anything. How do you write?” I said,

“Somebody is dictating to me; I cannot write as fast as it is dictated.” If you become

receptive to the Master, you will become what he is. Receptivity means that nothing remains

between you and your Master, the God-in-him.

So I curbed all visiting. In fact, a relative’s son died and I did not visit them at their house,

but went only to the cremation. There was another case of a satsangi who was dying. He sent

a message for me to go to him, for the Guru’s sake, before he died. I had a strong desire to go,

and the pain of sympathy was so great that I cried, but I had to send the message that I

sincerely wished that he have full protection, and all my good wishes were with him, but that I

was helpless, for I could not disobey the Master’s orders. That satsangi died. When Hazur

came to Lahore the man’s widow complained that her husband had died in torment because of

his desire to see me, and told the Master of my refusal to visit him. Hazur turned to me and

said, “Kirpal Singh, in this type of condition, you should go.” From then on, I would only

attend when people who were dying summoned me to their sickbed. It became very difficult,

but his orders were to go only whenever the person was dying.

-27-

A handwritten letter, in Urdu, from Hazur Baba Sawan Singh to Kirpal Singh

An English translation appears below.

Once my Master wrote me a letter that has been my guiding principle all through life:

May the compassion of the Lord of thy soul

be with thee,

May the Lord of thy soul help thee ever

and anon.

Dear Kirpal Singh Ji,

Radhaswami. I have received your loving letter and am happy to read its contents. My dear,

saints inherit discomfort in life.

“When the crown of love was placed on my head,

Sighs were given as cash grant and desert as property.”

“We are puppets in the Lord’s hands,

We are dragged by our destiny;

We go wherever we are ordained to,

Nanak, how true it is!”

We people have come [into the world] to serve the Lord. You keep yourself engaged in

meditation and complete the course of spirituality. But the service of His creation is equally

essential. Look at me. I remain engaged in the service of humanity from morn till night.

Sometimes I do not get sufficient time to do meditation, but Hazur Maharaj [Baba Jaimal

Singh Ji] used to say that service [to humanity] is no less important than meditation. And, if

you feel that people do not pay as much attention to our love as they should, we do not expect

any compensation for our services to the satsang. All sorts of people come to satsang. There

are some whose hearts are overflowing with love and are ready to sacrifice their all – body,

mind and money. There are also some who indulge in tall talk and calumny; they are ever

ready to slander. But our duty is to love all. If they do not give up their wicked ways, why

should we leave our noble ways? My advice to you is that you should do satsang while

fulfilling your official duties honestly and also complete your course of bhajan and simran. I

am greatly pleased with you. You are serving the Lord with all your resources – body, mind

and money.

Convey my Radhaswami to Bibi Krishna and love to children.

Yours,

11 June 1939 Sawan Singh

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The Master enjoined that we should earn our livelihood by honest means and share with

others.

One of Kirpal Singh’s ideals in life was to earn his livelihood by the sweat of the brow. He

began his career in the Military Engineering Service. On his first day of work in that

department a contractor approached him for acceleration of the payment of his bill, and

offered him a bribe. Kirpal Singh said, “You need not offer this bribe to me because it is my

duty to help you, and I am paid for this work. So rest assured that you will get the payment

against your bill shortly.” The contractor, however, thought that perhaps the amount of the

bribe was not enough, so he added more rupees, which at that time were silver. When, even

on insistence, Kirpal Singh did not agree to accept them, the contractor put the money on the

table and left. Kirpal Singh then picked up the entire amount and threw the money after him.

When those rupees crashed to the ground they produced a great jingling sound and everybody

jumped in their chairs. Then a complete silence fell over the office. The older government

servants tried to explain to him that such payments were common practice and that he should

not turn away the goddess of wealth. He, however, decided to resign from that job.

Government identity card of Kirpal Singh issued in 1943

I worked as a government servant until 1947 when I retired. I was in charge of a Military

Accounts and Pension section. Others were supervising different sections. My section was

calm and quiet; the people worked with no worry and did double the work of the other

sections. One day another superintendent came to me, “How is it that in your section we find

everything going on quite calmly, very sweetly with no quarrels? The men are always

working.” Even when newcomers were added there was no growling. I told him, “Well,

control yourself and concentrate on your work. I have self-discipline, you see.”

Once it so happened I was away on leave for a month or so. In my absence two or three

clerks were recommended for dismissal and immediate action was taken. When I returned

from leave those who were dismissed came to me. The officers who recommended them for

dismissal said, “They are no good; they have made mistakes.” I asked, “Who is there who

does not make mistakes? Some make more, others less.” I recommended that they should

first be warned to be careful and then given some proper guidance. I recommended to the

Comptroller that they be reconsidered. I told him, “Dismissing a person means stabbing his

-29-

family. What sins have they committed? If someone has made one mistake, two mistakes –

anybody is liable to make a mistake – they should be guided properly, not dismissed.” They

were reinstated. A man can come around if you teach him like that. Kind words don’t cost

anything.

When I was about to retire after thirty-six years of government service I was asked by my

chief if I would like to have an extension but I politely declined the offer saying, “I have

served the world enough. Now I have decided to dedicate the rest of my life to the service of

God and His creation. I will be able to arrange my affairs within the limited amount of my

pension.”

When in office those under and those above me both loved me. I took them all as equal.

When I retired, one Muslim peon who had only been working there for a day came to me

crying like anything. I said, “Why are you crying? Others may have seen something good in

me, but you have hardly known me, what have you seen?” He said, “You consider me as a

man – not as a dog.”

Lahore, March 1947

The farewell party held on Kirpal Singh’s retirement from government service

When I used to go to my Master I would sit amongst hundreds and thousands. I always sat at

the back and looked into the face of the Master continuously. His face was always changing

in many ways. At every moment there was a new glory. One man who used to sit in front

once came and sat by me. He said, “Look at the Master. He looks very beautiful from here.”

Some people began to leave the front rows and sit in the back with me.

In 1927 I had a vision, I saw the exact month and day Master would be leaving us – twenty-

one years before he really left the physical body. Afterward, I never had a moment of

complete joy in his lifetime because I always had that sting from the thorn of separation

which was awaiting me. I was constantly dreading his leaving. So I always prayed, “Master,

let me go before you.” He always said, “No, it cannot be done. You are to continue. You

have to work.” I thought, “Why, why, why do I have to?” But orders cannot be questioned.

-30-

Once I wrote about what happens to an initiate who is left behind after the Master has left the

physical plane. It was a practical description. There was a Sufi Master, Nizamuddin Aulia,

whose disciple, Amir Khusrau, was not present when he left the body for the final time.

When Khusrau came, he lay down on his Master’s tomb and recited this couplet:

Since my Beloved has hidden her face,

night has fallen.

It is time to return to my Eternal Home.

And he passed away. When I read out that part of Gurmat Sidhant on physical separation to

him, Hazur said, “That’s all right, Kirpal Singh; read it again!” I had just quoted two or three

sentences. Then again I read it to him. He said, “Will you read it once more?” Again I read

it. Perhaps he was telling me, “You, poor fellow, will have the same fate awaiting you.”

One of the poems I had written transcended certain bounds, but I gave out the truth of what

was to happen in the future. I was addressing Hazur, “You have given me the promise that

you will be with me forever.” But I saw in 1927 how he would leave the body, how he would

leave us behind. I saw that doom. In the poem I gave the exact time. When Hazur heard the

poem he said, “He has come to know this so early!”

To be with the physical Master is a great blessing; it is a special blessing. In the presence of

the living Master, what you get is direct – after that it becomes a little difficult. For those who

develop receptivity, who go within, there is always the inner Master. But that enchanting,

intoxicating physical presence is not there. From 1927 – three years after my physical

initiation – I wrote so many poems, but not a single one was without pathos, without sadness.

I was always seeing that moment when he would be leaving:

“I wish to become a sacrifice to your glimpses. Your eyes are full of intoxication yet they are

full of simplicity. They have that heavenly Light in them. And your radiant face, your whole

countenance, is so bewitching that it captivates the heart. Even though I stand at a distance,

whenever I get the slightest gesture from you, the slightest sign, that gives solace to my heart.

The only comfort offered to my aching heart is when it is soothed by your gesture. Otherwise

I am in continuous anguish because of your physical illness. I am sitting at your threshold,

and all I desire is that you grace me with the blessed glimpse of thy darshan. Your words

were very sweet, sweeter than honey, yet the promise that you gave me, that you will be with

me for all times, that promise will not come true, for I know there will be a physical

separation. Give me the alms of thy sight, of thy darshan. I pray that the house, through the

windows of which you give us your love glances, should remain intact for all time to come.”

A poet said, “To live in paradise without the Master is a hell for me. And to live in hell with

my Master is a paradise.”

-31-

During physical illness Hazur gave his darshan to the sangat through a window of his house at

Dera Beas. Kirpal Singh would be standing in the crowd below, and Hazur would always

give him a special gesture: a gesture with the hand, a gesture with the eyes, a gesture with the

head to tell him that things were all right.

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh laying the foundation stone of the Satsang Hall

at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh

-32-

Throughout his lifetime, Hazur spared no effort for reforming and improving the angle of

vision of the masses. In spite of his attaining the age of ninety, he set aside all his bodily

comforts and devoted eighteen out of twenty-four hours of the day in the service of humanity

and thus afforded spiritual satisfaction to every aspirant, publicly and in seclusion. Physical

structure composed of flesh, blood and bones, like machinery, can only work up to a limited

extent. The result of this carelessness towards his bodily rest, and consistent hard labor, was

that his physical framework could not endure the burden of weariness anymore, and on

continued requests and entreaties from almost every individual, Hazur yielded to their prayers

and was inclined to take rest and seek medical advice. Accordingly, in September 1947 he

came to Amritsar for medical treatment.

His health improved a little at Amritsar but it became worse on October 4. On October 5,

Hazur sent for me from Beas. In a weeks time his condition was again better.

On the morning of October 12 at seven o’clock he called me. When I was in his august

presence he said: “Kirpal Singh! I have allotted all other work but have not entrusted my task

of Naam-initiation and spiritual work to anyone. That I entrust to you today so that this holy

and sacred science may flourish.”

My eyes were filled with tears, and afflicted as I was, I beseeched: “Hazur! The peace and

security that I have in sitting at your feet cannot be had in higher planes…” My heart was

filled with anguish, I could not speak anymore and sat staring – Hazur encouraging and

caressing me all the time.

After this, whenever I had the privilege to be in seclusion with Hazur, he talked about the

interior affairs of Dera and instructed me how to act when he departed forever.

During his illness, in the last days of February 1948, Hazur inquired, “How many souls have

been initiated by me?” Registers were consulted and after counting was finished Hazur was

informed, “Up till now about one hundred fifty thousand souls have been awakened by

Hazur.” The same day Hazur said, “Kirpal Singh! I have done half your work and have

given Naam to over one and a half lakh persons and the rest you have to accomplish.”

I, with folded hands and faltering words, said, “Hazur…it will be as Hazur orders…but…I

have a request…I wish that the remaining half of the work may also be finished by

Hazur…We will dance as Hazur will make us dance…I wish Hazur may remain with us and

sit only watching, and all orders will be complied within Hazur’s presence.” Hazur lay

silently gazing at me.

One night Hazur, mentioning his inner esoteric experiences, remarked, “The sun has risen

high. Can the people of Jullundur also see this sun?” The relatives and those sitting nearby

were ignorant of this esoteric expression. The opinion of the doctor in charge was, like the

others beside him, that Hazur’s brain did not work properly on account of his illness. A little

later at night when I went to him, Hazur repeated the same question, addressing me, “Kirpal

Singh! The sun has risen high. Can the people of Jullundur also see the sun?” I replied, “Yes,

Hazur, the sun has risen high – and not only the people of Jullundur but also those living in

England or America who will traverse to inner planes can see this sun.” Thereupon Hazur

said, “You have correctly answered my question.”

-33-

The subject of illness of saints is a perplexing one. The fact of it is that this illness of Hazur

was the result of the weight of our karmic debts, of the deeply heaved sighs and tears of those

afflicted amongst us. Saints voluntarily take upon themselves the burden of their own

initiated souls without a murmur or a word of complaint, and this becomes their usual task.

Kirpal Singh with Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

Every day Hazur grew weaker and weaker in body. From the night of March 29, 1948, to the

morning of April 1, unusual restlessness and visible fluttering was seen visiting his physical

frame. This symptom was also created for putting to test those surrounding him. Throughout

the period of his illness Hazur said many a time, “If a person proficient in bhajan and simran

sits by me, I feel comforted and relieved. Therefore those who come to me or sit near me

should do simran.” Accordingly, at the time of appearance of this symptom of fluttering of

the body Hazur again spoke several times in these words, “If the person who has to do the

work of spirituality after I depart, comes and sits by me, my trouble will be gone.” To comply

with this – evidently the last wish of the Master – the near and dear relatives of Hazur came

and sat in bhajan and simran one by one by the side of his bed, but there was no relief

whatever in the fluttering symptoms of Hazur’s body.

On the morning of April 1, 1948, it was extremely benevolent of Hazur to afford a chance to

this humble servant to be by the side of Master, in seclusion, for about ten or fifteen minutes.

At that time with a heavy heart I sat neat his bed and prayed to Hazur, “Master! You are

above body and bodily influences, unconcerned to comforts and discomforts, but we humble

and helpless beings are afflicted hard and cannot endure the sight of your suffering bodily.

You have all powers. We would be extremely grateful if you very graciously remove these

signs of disease from your body.” It is true that prayer succeeds where all other human efforts

fail. Hazur, with his utmost benevolence, accepted this prayer.

-34-

When I opened my eyes, Hazur’ body was in a state of perfect repose. Hazur’s forehead was

shining resplendently. He opened his mercy-showering lovely eyes intoxicated by God’s

divine love and cast a glance at my humble self – both eyes gleaming with a radiance like a

lion’s eyes. I bowed my head in solemn and silent adoration and said, “It is all Hazur’s own

benignity.”

Hazur steadily kept gazing for three or four minutes into my eyes, and I, in silent wonderment,

experienced an indescribable delight which infused a beverage-like intoxication down to the

remotest corners of my entire body – such as was never before experienced in my whole life.

Then those mercy-showering eyes closed not to open again. In his last moments Hazur was

all peace.

When he breathed his last, I put my hand upon his feet and said, “The sun of divinity which

had risen has set, and I have no words to express my grief.” Thus in his ninetieth year, on the

morning of April 2, 1948, at 8:30 this brilliant sun of spirituality, after diffusing his light in

the hearts of millions, disappeared to rest below the horizon at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh.

To live without the Master is very difficult, unbearable. We know when the Master leaves he

is never away from the initiate, but the initiate as a son of man has great suffering. Even now

when I remember my Master I shed tears. But he left his orders for me. Why? There can be

no question why.

My life without You has

now become a heavy burden.

My life and soul have lost

their very purpose without You.

The moment You turned Your eyes from me,

the entire creation turned against me.

Even those who were kind and compassionate

have become callous and cruel.

I beseech You, O my Beloved, not to leave

me alone at this juncture.

For without You my whole life

would be a wasteland.

The orchard of my heart is desolate

and bereft of any charm.

In Your absence, where is the once blooming

and ecstatic state of my heart?

I’m afraid lest the secret of our love

may be disclosed now.

Otherwise, who knew this hidden tale

besides You.

Translation of a poem by Kirpal Singh on the loss of his Beloved Master,

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

-35-