A Look at Maharaj Sawan Singh
Michael Turner
alt.meditation.shabda
BOX OF RAIN
The Story of
MAHARAJ SAWAN SINGH:
The Great Master of Beas
What do you want me to do?
To do for you,
To see you through?
For this is all a dream we dreamed
One afternoon long ago.
- Hunter/Lesh
His eyes were intoxicated with the love of God
And His hand was one with that of God.
He was the mouthpiece of God,
And God Himself spoke through that human throat.
- Sant Kirpal Singh
Once again, July is upon us. And, for the first time in several
years, the summer monsoons are appearing at their regularly scheduled
time. The sweltering heat drops from the hundreds down into the
nineties, the humidity goes through the roof and the winds kick in,
bringing with them huge, black thunder heads. By late morning, the
sky is growing dark, lightning flashes on the horizon, and thunder
rumbles in the distance, not unlike the "big drum" of Brahmanand - a
feeling reinforced by the orange/crimson hue of the skies as the sun
begins to set. Then the rain comes. You can see it from a distance,
like a large, grey curtain blocking out the horizon, moving gradually
toward you. With little warning, it hits - a few big drops at first,
then a torrent, accompanied - driven by - 40-50 mile-per-hour winds,
flooding the streets and arroyos. Then, as suddenly as it begins, it
drops back to a light drizzle, and then a light breeze as the storm
moves on.
It is remarkable how similar the weather here in the Sonoran Desert is
to that of the Punjab in northern India. Actually, it's about 10-15
degrees hotter there than here, and the storms are much more
torrential. They are also the source of farmers' livelihoods, and in
fact the dominating theme of mid and late summer. Perhaps this is why
July - the month the monsoons begin - is called "Sawan," or "the month
of rains."
It was coinciding with the advent of the summer storms that, Sawan
Singh, was born on June 20, 1858. The timing of Sawan s birth is
notable for a number of reasons. First, there is a tradition in
mysticism that the births of great souls are often heralded by
dramatic weather changes, often rain or snow storms. Also, just as
the summer rains are the primary source of nourishment of Indian
farmers crops, so too was Sawan s mission as Living Shabd Master
nourishment for the spiritual seeds sown by his master, Baba Jaimal
Singh.
There are so many stories to tell about Sawan Ji. I'm not sure where
to start. All who came into contact with Him had profound respect for
this man whom many called "A King among Saints." He had a profound
understanding of not only spiritual matters, but also the human
condition. He knew that learning to take control of your attention,
withdraw it from the outer senses and unify it with God was anything
but an easy task. To be sure, the actual spiritual science of Surat
Shabd Yoga is one of the simplest things you could possibly do. Just
take time every day to sit quietly, perform the mental simran given by
your guru and allow the Light and Sound of God lift you up and take
you in. What could be simpler?
But the actual task of remolding the entire self into God's own image
is a much more arduous undertaking. Leaving negative habits behind,
transcending the five passions is a long-term process. It is not
something which can be had simply by attending a lecture or weekend
seminar, or being well-read in spiritual theory. It is something
which must be practiced and lived on a day-to-day basis. Sawan used
to say that true spiritual growth is a subtle, gradual process. It
takes a lifetime. Old habits must be unlearned, and this itself can
be quite difficult. Our habits are familiar to us. In a sense, they
are our oldest friends and we are loath to leave them behind. True
spirituality (we're talking self and God-realization, of achieving
spiritual freedom and erasing our karmic debt in this lifetime), while
it looks wonderful in theory, can be a very threatening prospect. It
entails leaving our habits behind and venturing out of our comfort
zone, into the unknown. For this reason, Surat Shabd Yoga - Sant Mat,
the Way of the Saints - is a practical, personally testable science of
spirituality which each of us can perform in the laboratory of our
human body, and examine the results of our experiments as we
progress. In Spiritual Gems, Hazur Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj himself put
it this way:
"To give up worldly pleasures, to control the senses and bring the
attention in one center by controlling the wild runs of the mind while
still alive and kicking, is not an easy task. But what is it that
with love and faith man cannot accomplish? You strengthen your will
power and go ahead. Success is sure. Remember that once the seed of
Nam has been planted, it must become a tree and bear fruit. Brahmand
may perish, but the seed of Nam will not perish. There is no superior
nor more precious thing than Nam. The sweetness of Nam - Shabd Dhun -
is incomparable and incomprehensible in both the worlds. Nam is
within you, for you, and within your reach - just inside the tenth
gate. Saints ask, ‘Can there be a simpler proposition?'"
This is also one of the reasons why Sawan's spiritual preparation
included studying every major religion. He needed to be able to
communicate with people of various religious backgrounds and explain
how the essence of Surat Shabd Yoga - the Shabda, Holy Spirit, Naam,
Word, Ek, etc. - was the very foundation of all religions, and
furthermore that the science tapping into this Audible Life Stream had
been practiced by every real mystic since humanity first became self-
aware. His grandson, Charan Singh, noted that Sawan was very fluent
in Persian, and had great admiration for the Islamic and Sufi
mystics. He also had a great talent for telling stories (akin to
Jesus' parables) to make a spiritual point.
So this, perhaps, is the best way to tell the story of Sawan Singh.
His life was so long, His presence so commanding, it is nearly
impossible to offer a complete description of this great soul. He
served as Living Sant Satguru for nearly half a century, from 1903 to
1948; longer than any Satguru in recent history. During this time, He
took the tiny seedlings of the sangats (groups of initiates in various
villages) which Baba Jaimal Singh planted, watered them with Divine
Love and watched them grow into mighty oak trees of spirituality.
By the end of His own mission, Baba Jaimal Singh Ji had initiated
approximately 2,400 souls. According to several accounts, He often
said that the One who was to do the real work, would come after Him,
"with tenfold powers, mercy and grace." During his tenure as living
Sant Satguru, Sawan initiated 126,000 souls, and traveled frequently
and widely throughout the Punjab. As a result, as Kirpal Singh notes,
"There is not a village or town in the Punjab where His followers are
not found in large numbers. In different parts of India, more than
thirty Satsang halls were constructed, which formed centers for
imparting practical spiritual-knowledge." One of Sawan's chief
assistants, Daryai Lal Kapur, also noted,
"When He started regular Satsang at the Dera, the number of Satsangis
in the Punjab was about two thousand, and the attendance at the annual
bhandaras never exceeded two or three hundred. (Today the attendance
at Bhandaras is well over 100,000)."
Furthermore, as a dramatic example, "In Jullundur City, where the
number of satsangis now exceeds twenty thousand, there was only one
Satsangi, S. Bhagat Singh."
There are some basic facts which should be known about the life of
Maharaj Sawan Singh. He was born into respectable Grewal Jat family
of Mahmansinghwala, District Ludhiana, Punjab. His father was Sardar
Kabul Singh and His mother Shrimati Jiwani Ji. Like many devoted Sikh
families, they prayed for a spiritually inclined son and were blessed
on July 20, 1858, with the birth of Sawan Singh. In 1884 He was
admitted to the Thompson College of Engineering at Roorkee. Upon
graduation, He joined the Military Engineering Service, working at
various time in Nowshera, Nathiagali, Cherat, Abbottabad and Murree.
While also in His twenties, Sawan married Shrimati Kishan Kaur, with
whom he had three sons, two of which survived.
Throughout his twenties and early thirties, Sawan divided His time
between work and studying spiritual books and being with holy men.
Regarding this spiritual fascination, Sant Kirpal Singh notes (in
Sawan Singh: A Brief Life Sketch),
"The study of the basic principles of all religions was an article of
faith with him. With his good knowledge of Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu,
Persian and English, he studied the scriptures of Hindus, Mohammedans,
Sikhs and Christians, and paid great attention and devoted serious
consideration to the writings of the Saints, the Sufi problems, the
fundamental problems of love and devotion, and general ethical
doctrines."
While working in Peshawar, Sawan became acquainted with Baba Kahan, a
local fakir, and asked him for the gift of true spirituality. Baba
Kahan told Sawan "You will certainly have a spiritual benediction from
the hands of a perfect Saint, but not from me." When asked where He
would find this person, Kahan replied, "All your efforts shall be in
vain, but in the fullness of time that personage shall himself find
you."
Sawan's job took him to the Murree hills in the early 1890s, where he
remained stationed for a number of years. Being a key stopping point
along the way to Amar Nath, a place of Hindu pilgrimage in Kashmir,
residing in Murree afforded Sawan the opportunity to meet a wide
variety of sadhus, yogis and other holy men. Daryai Lal Kapur notes
that, during this time,
"With a Buddhist Bhikshu he studied the Buddhist and Jain sacred
literature. But his hunger was not satisfied. He wanted to see the
Lord, face to face, while living. If the Creator Lord was the Father
and human beings were His sons, why should it not be possible to see
Him and commune with Him during ones life time? An American
missionary, with whom he studied the Bible, confessed that he did not
know of any method by which this could be done. All others, however,
tried to persuade him to join their own cults and tried to attach him
to their rites and rituals, and various other modes of worship. He
also came into contact with some Tibetan Lamas, but their methods did
not seem to go any higher than Patanjali s Yoga, which he had already
studied."
Look into any eyes
you find by you,
you can see clear to another day.
- Hunter/Lesh
In 1894, while Sawan was stationed in Murree, Baba Kahan's prophecy
was fulfilled. Baba Jaimal Singh was visiting the town, and passed
Sawan on the street. Thinking the elderly "sadhu" to be someone
attending to business with the local officials, Sawan paid Him no
mind. As they walked by, Babaji remarked to Bibi Rukko (one of His
original satsangis and personal attendant), "I have come for this
Sardar." Bibi wondered how it could be, as Sawan didn't even
acknowledge their presence. Babaji replied, "This poor fellow is not
to blame. He is ignorant and does not know. He shall come to us on
the fourth day from now." As Babaji affirmed, four days after, Sawan
heard that a great holy man was in the area. Given his interest in
spiritual matters, Sawan sought Him out and spent the next several
hours discussing all aspects of spirituality. After this, Sawan
requested, and received initiation. Babaji remarked at the time of
initiation that he had traveled all the way to Murree for Sawan alone,
saying, "I was holding something in trust for him. That trust I have
discharged today."
For the next nine years, Sawan was Babaji's most devoted student.
Though, at Babaji's insistence, He kept his job with the military
engineering department (like all Sant Mat Masters, Babaji insisted
that his students work at real jobs), Sawan took any opportunity to
visit Babaji at his hut by the Beas River whenever He could. From
1894 to 1903, He and Babaji maintained regular correspondence, many
letters of which were preserved in the classic book, Spiritual Letters
(published by Radhasoami Satsang Beas). Babaji's counsel, concise and
to the point, helped to form the foundation of what has become modern
Surat Shabd Yoga.
"When you are doing your Bhajan or Simran, do not have any worldly
cares in your mind nor let yourself be distracted by any thoughts.
First, do your Simran for a quarter of an hour. Then, gradually, fix
your attention in the Shabd Dhun. Then give up Simran, and anchor
your mind and soul in the Shabd. You will then experience great
bliss, and Supreme Grace will descend on your from the highest
region."
In instructing Sawan Singh about His daily routine vis a vi living a
spiritual life, Babaji could also be quite stern, to which this
classic letter from October 17, 1902, will attest:
"You do not seem to understand that when your official duties are
over, you are not to talk to anyone. In the evening between six and
eight, you should sit for Bhajan as long as possible - be it half an
hour, an hour, fifteen minutes, or an hour and a half - and keep the
surat (attention) on the inner planes. Then hold Satsang from eight
to 10:00 P.M., after which you may get to sleep or talk, as you
please.
Then, at 4:30 in the morning, you are to sit for Bhajan and continue
up to 5:30 A.M. Then, throughout the day, you have to attend to your
official routine and may, if you like, talk during those hours. But
as soon as you are free from office duties, you must not waste time in
idle talk or in the company of non-Satsangis. You should have your
meals in private . . . You are never to have your meals cooked from
non-Satsangis in your kitchen, especially if they take meat and
drink. If you associate with non-Satsangis, you will have to suffer
the effects of their company."
Do not mistake Babaji for being mindlessly caught up in his own dogma,
or cultic. He was just very particular about the soul He had chosen
to follow Himself as an instrument of God-in-Expression. His basic
message was actually quite moderate. Beyond the trappings of
spirituality, He knew that it all boiled down to:
"Listen to the Shabd Dhun, calling in your heart, every day with great
love and devotion, for fifteen minutes, or ten minutes, or five
minutes, or an hour or two, according to the time at your disposal.
But you must listen to It every day for a while."
On December 29, 1903, Babaji passed away. But before doing so, He
established Sawan as His spiritual successor. As noted earlier,
Babaji never gave Satsang from the Satsang hall Sawan had built.
Sawan was the first to do so, while Babaji was still alive (one of
Babaji's ways of pointing Sawan's successorship).
One thing which is interesting to note here is that, even after He
assumed the mantle of Spiritual Mastership, Sawan continued to work as
a military engineer, giving Satsang at the Dera whenever weekends or
vacation time would permit. He continued to do this until April 1911
when, much to His employers' distress and chelas' delight, He took an
early retirement from His day job and began serving as a full-time
Param Sant Satguru at the Dera until His passing in 1948.
Sawan's tenure as Great Master of Beas appears to have been divided
into two parts. From 1911 until the early 1930's, He primarily stayed
in the local area, overseeing vast construction projects. The Satsang
Hall which he had built for Babaji was soon flooded with people and
became too small to even give initiation in, much less give general
Satsangs. So He built another, and then another. And still devotees
kept on coming. In addition, to accommodate the incredible influx of
people flooding into the area, Sawan built guest houses for them to
stay in and large kitchens (or langars) to feed them. All of these
accommodations and services He provided devotees free of charge. The
enormity of this project can only be appreciated when you see a video
of Dera Baba Jaimal Singh today.
There is one video they made of a July Bhandara (religious festival
honoring Sawan's birthday) during Charan Singh's tenure as the Living
Saint of Beas. At least a quarter- million people attended this
gathering. Huge awnings were erected to shield the sea of satsangis
from the blazing summer sun, as well as the possibility of torrential
rains. And a phenomenal amount of food was prepared to feed the
attendees for free the whole weekend. The seva which people did in
just preparing enough chapatis (kind of like an Indian tortilla) to
feed a 250,000 people qualified the gathering as the 8th Wonder of the
World.
Once Sawan had enough housing and meditation halls constructed to take
care of foreseeable needs, He turned His attention to touring, and
giving Satsang and initiation. The stories one could tell about Great
Master's tours around the Punjab, and then India in general, would
fill several volumes - and in fact have. One of the earliest classics
on these spiritual missions was Julian Johnson's outstanding work,
With a Great Master in India, in which Dr. Johnson (one of the first
Americans to visit Sawan in India) recounts his stay at the Dera in
the early 1930's, and accompanying Great Master on tour.
One thing which struck me in reading this book was Dr. Johnson's
account of a visit Sawan paid at a Radhasoami ashram in Allahabad
presided over by Shiv Dayal Singh's nephew,Sudarshan Singh (readers
who are Eckists will note the similarity with the Master who Sri Paul
Twitchell says was his first guru, Sudar Singh, who also lived in
Allahabad). Other excellent accounts of Sawan's tours are contained
in aforementioned Call of the Great Master and Heaven on Earth, both
by Daryai Lal Kapur, Spiritual Heritage, by Charan Singh, and With the
Three Masters (a three-volume set) by Rai Sahib Munshi Ram.
Commenting on Sawan's spiritual mission, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji notes,
"He revived the teachings of holy Saints and brought them into the
limelight. Like His predecessors - Guru Nanak, Kabir Sahib, Tulsi
Sahib, Paltu Sahib, Soami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji, Maulana Rumi, Shams
Tabrez and others, He pulled up the aspirants from their deep slumber
and put them on the Path of Surat Shabd Yoga or "Sultan-ul-Azkar,"
which is the most ancient and eternal Path leading to Reality and
which, being natural, is unchangeable from times immemorial and will
ever remain as such without any modification whatever. His teachings
are esoteric and not exoteric. He taught:
‘God is in every heart. Spirituality is the common heritage of the
entire world and humanity, and is not reserved for any particular
country or nationality. The be-all and end-all of spirituality are
the Union of the soul with the Omnipotent Over- Soul. Man is the room
and crown of all creation and nothing else is greater than He. He is
the direct manifestation of God and is the marvel of God's greatness.
In the twinkling of an eye, he can rise to Heaven and come back. The
sun and the moon, Paradise and Hell, the earth and the sky are his
playgrounds. As is correctly said: ‘In short, thou art next to
God.'"
Sant Kirpal Ji goes on to say,
". . . Hazur unfolded the Divine mysteries with such an easy and
facile grace that His words went home and penetrated deep down into
the hearts and made an everlasting impression. This is possible only
when a really competent personage, with practical personal esoteric
experiences within, expounds the truth of the actual spiritual
experiments and has the competency to infuse into the innermost
recesses of the brain - not only mere words - but the results of His
own vast spiritual experiments, along with the pith of the essential
principles of them."
In "Spiritual Gems", Great Master Himself commented about the
spiritual science of Surat Shabd Yoga and the role of the Living
Master,
"All Saints are Sons of God; their mission is to make others the sons
of God; their method is the Word - Sound Current. There is no other
method. The difference lies in the extent to which this Word has been
traced by its votaries. The Word is light. It resounds throughout
the whole creation - material, mental and spiritual - within and
outside us. It is light and sound both. Sant Mat connects with it as
Sound. The lights and sounds at the different stages of the journey
are already known to you. The significance of the World will grow
step by step with experience . . .
(Christ's) Sermon on the Mount gives his moral teaching and is the
beacon of light for the guidance of humanity. The strength to live up
to this teaching he derived from the practice of the Word, the Sound
Current. And the higher the rise on this Current, the greater the
strength. There are many who excel others in this field and go beyond
their reach. You can realize the truth of this statement if you work
your way up.
The physical, astral and causal bodies are the cages, one inside the
other, to keep the soul from escaping and flying to its Home. It is a
parrot in a triple cage. When the cages are cut off, it comes into
its own and is free to fly. This is freedom of man, to be attained in
human form while alive.
I doubt if light and sound vibrations could be fitted in a
mathematical equation. But this is a fact: the Word gives out both,
light and sound. At this end, in the physical plane, the light and
sound are lost in gross matter. On the finer planes - astral, causal
and spiritual - Sound is audible and Light is visible. At the upper
end, the Sound is the finest music - unheard by human ears - and the
Light is of millions of suns and moons in one ray. Some idea, just an
idea, of the beauty and grandeur, has been given to you in terms of
sounds and lights of this world. The Reality is beyond description,
and our mathematics is too poor to solve even the problems of the
physical plane."
In His Brief Life Sketch of Sawan, Kirpal also notes Great Master's
physical appearance (which is verified over and over in the myriad of
photos taken of Him),
"With the thoroughly realized spiritual knowledge, Hazur was also full
of physical beauty: His well-proportioned bodily frame, cyprus-like
stature, resplendent, shining face and forehead, immaculately-white
long beard, spotlessly-white head turban, and a mole on the right
cheek - all so lovely-attractive - were the focus of myriads of
longing eyes. On His feet there was the Padam-Rakha (or Lotus-line)."
As I mentioned earlier, Sawan was also a master teller of parables.
One story Sawan used to tell was about a Sufi master who had two men
before him applying for initiation. One was a great scholar of
religion and philosophy, the other an illiterate peasant. He told
these two men that he would accept only one for initiation, and would
therefore ask them to perform one or more tests to see who was more
worthy. The first test he assigned was in giving each man a live
bird. He told them to find a place where nobody could see them
(including, I presume, each other), kill the bird, and bring it back
to him. The scholar, being a clever sort, spent some time looking
around until he found a wall by a field which was deserted. He
quickly broke the bird's neck and brought it back to the master. The
second applicant was gone much longer. When he finally returned, the
bird was still alive. When asked why he had not done as he had been
instructed, he replied to the effect, "There was nowhere to perform
the act. For everywhere I went, God, and, moreover, I could see me do
it. At this point, the master dismissed the scholar and immediately
took the other fellow inside for initiation.
Maybe you'll find direction
Around some corner
where it's been waiting to meet you
- Hunter/Lesh
Sawan didn't just tell these stories as allegories, either. In one
book, I believe it is "Call of the Great Master", Daryai Lal Kapur
recalls a drunkard who was nearly run over by Sawan's car while
returning to Dera Baba Jaimal Singh. Sawan personally got out of the
car and helped the man to the side of the road, made sure he was all
right, then got in the car and went home to the Dera. The drunkard (a
dacoit, or common ruffian or criminal) was overwhelmed by His kindness
and asked who the tall man in the spotless turban was. When informed
that He was a great saint who lived at the Beas colony nearby, the man
hurried there to meet him in person.
When he got to the Dera, Sawan was in the process of giving Satsang,
and the topic just happened to be about turning one's life around,
particularly the perils of constant inebriation and living a life
outside the law. In spite of the large crowd, Sawan's gaze turned
straight to this man and penetrated right to his soul. The effect was
so profound that, when Satsang was over the man - still quite drunk -
crawled to Sawan's feet, wrapped his arms around them and begged for
initiation. Sawan, smiling, looked down at him and stated that the
price of initiation was quite high. The man said he would pay any
price. Sawan told him that the price was not monetary, but, rather,
one of changing his life. The supplicant replied that he would do
anything to receive just a morsel of God's grace pouring through the
Master's eyes. Great Master said, "Okay. In addition to doing your
meditation, you must also give up meat and alcohol, and earn your
living by honest means from now on."
At this, the man became quite distraught. "I've been drunk all my
life," he cried, "There's no way I can stop now. And since I've been
an adult, the only way I've made money is outside the law. How can
you expect me to get an honest job?" Sawan, beaming brightly, quietly
told him, "I understand. It's not easy to change one's habits.
Promise me at least this much that at least you will neither drink nor
break the law in my presence." The man quickly agreed to this and was
granted initiation.
For a short time, he kept his word, devoted regular time to his
meditation and avoided intoxication and lawless behavior. Within a
few weeks, however, he started hanging out with his old circle of
friends. One night, they were all going to a wedding which had always
been an occasion for some serious partying and carousing. But as he
was raising the first glass of wine to his lips, a vision of Great
Master appeared before him. "I thought I told you not to drink or
engage in illicit behavior in my presence," Sawan said, looking very
stern indeed. "If you continue to do this, you will lose all of the
spiritual wealth you have accumulated through initiation and the
Divine Grace will be withdrawn. In fact, you will accumulate further
negative karma on an exponential basis and soon be in prison."
Mortified by the realization that whatever he did, it was always in
the Master's presence, the dacoit threw down the wine glass and said,
in effect, "I'm outta here!" His friends laughed, thinking he was
just freaking out, and tried to hold him down and pour wine from the
jug into his mouth. Somehow, he managed to get free from their
pinning, smashing the wine jug in the process. "Listen," he said,
"whatever you guys want to do is up to you. But God has given me a
chance to turn my life around, and I'm not about to blow it! Here's
the key to my strong box. Take the money I've stashed in there and
divide it amongst yourselves. If you want to continue on as you've
been doing, fine. But leave me out of it."
Now, I would be remiss to not mention that this fellow did end up
getting arrested for a multitude of misdeeds. It turns out, he was
quite a notorious criminal in the area, and in fact was renowned for
having escaped jail several times. But when he was imprisoned this
time, he made no attempt to escape, nor did he offer any complaint.
For he knew the Master was always with him. It wasn't a matter or
speculation or theory, but rather a matter of living reality. He knew
because he could see the Master's radiant form, and hearHis voice.
And through this Divine Grace, he happily paid his karmic debt.
This is an important point to understand. For while the Master will
at times intercede with Kal and the Lords of Karma to lessen our
karmic load, that is not His primary purpose. Rather, through
blessing us with Holy Naam initiation, He lifts us up and teaches us
to have equipoise, inner peace and balance when our payments come
due. Once, when Sawan was a young man, he badly broke his leg while
on horseback. The break, and subsequent shock were so severe, that
His life was actually in peril. But rather than panic, He simply
placed His attention within, did His simran and was blessed by the
radiant form of His Master, Baba Jaimal Singh (Babaji). Babaji told
Him that His karma - which had originally mandated death from the
accident - had been lessened to a simple broken leg and that,
furthermore, the sincerity of devotion would eliminate any pain
associated with the accident and he would be fully mobile within a
month.
Sure enough, coming out of meditation, Sawan found that the pain had
vanished. And the break, though certainly inconvenient, was not
horrific. Moreover, true to Babaji's inner darshan, Sawan's leg
healed in exactly one month and, in fact was stronger than ever. This
story has been retold many times by satsangis who knew him and could
personally attest to the fact that, when walking the countryside or
climbing steep mountain trails, Sawan was always ahead of the pack,
often leaving the rest of the people in His dust - even when He was
well into His 80's!
Sawan Singh remained in excellent health until the last couple of
years of His life. In late 1947, He became quite ill and, in October
went to Amritsar for treatment. Recovering somewhat, He returned to
the Dera a few weeks later and began making preparations for His
transition from this life. However, his health never did completely
return. Near the end, Kirpal Singh recounts one experience near the
end of Sawan's life here.
"In those very days, 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 friends sitting
nearby were ignorant of this secret expression. The opinion of the
doctor in charge was also, like the others beside Him, that Hazur's
brain was not working properly on account of His illness. A little
later at night when I went to see Him, Hazur repeated the same
question, addressing me: ‘Kirpal Singh! The Sun has risen high. Can
the people of Jullundur also see this Sun?' I replied, ‘Yes, Hazur,
the Sun has risen high - and not only the people of Jullundur but also
those living in England or in America who will traverse to inner
planes, can see this Sun.' Thereupon, Hazur said: ‘Thou hast
correctly answered my question.'"
On the morning of April 1, 1948, Sant Kirpal Ji sat with Sawan in
meditation and prayed that Sawan's suffering be alleviated. He
recorded their final time together as follows:
"After the prayer, when I opened my eyes, Hazur's body was in a state
of perfect repose. Hazur's forehead was shining resplendently. He
opened His mercy-showering lovely eyes, intoxicated in God's Divine
Love, and cast a glance at my humble self - both eyes gleaming with
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
my eyes, in silent wonderment, experienced an indescribable delight
which infused a beverage-like intoxication down to the remotest pores
of my entire body - such as was never before experienced in my whole
life. Then those mercy-showering eyes closed, not to open again.
Thus, in His 90th year, on the morning of April 2nd, 1948, at 8:30,
this brilliant Sun of Spirituality, after diffusing His Light in the
hearts of millions of the masses, disappeared to rest below the
horizon at Dera Baba Jaimal Singh."
A box of rain
Will ease the pain
And love will see you through.
- Hunter/Lesh
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFS
alt.meditation.shabda