An interview with Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj by Life Positive

[Samta]

The Sant Nirankari Mandal is probably one of India's largest spiritual movements. An interview with its spiritual leader, Baba Hardev Singh.

By strength of spirit, a person gets courage to face criticism
-Baba Hardev Singh

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"Ik tuhi Nirankar, mein teri sharan, mujhe baksh lo"

What is the philosophy of the Mission?
Sant Nirankari Mission is an all-encompassing spiritual movement that aims to establish universal brotherhood through the fatherhood of God. The Mission's philosophy is that God is formless and can be realized with the grace of a living master. Spirituality is the way through which the mind can be sublimated by removal of poisonous attributes like jealousy, arrogance, intolerance, pride and prejudice, hatred, etc. The pollution of vices is converted into the oxygen of saintly attributes.

What is the distinguishing factor of the Mission that makes it stand apart?
The Mission's objective of imparting divine knowledge instantaneously to a seeker makes it stand apart. The only prerequisite is that the seeker must humbly ask for it and should have an intense desire to realize God, like a drowning person's desire to survive. Besides, the Mission's core values like equality of men irrespective of their color, caste, nationality and religion, are other distinguishing factors.

What was it like, being part of the mission?
I was fortunate to have been born and brought up in the Mission. With the grace of my true master, Baba Gurbachan Singhji Maharaj, I have always been in the company of saints and associated with seva, satsang and simran from my childhood.

The Mission has been a part of your family, since your father was the previous satguru. Is the post hereditary?
Baba Buta Singhji, the first head of the Mission, handed over the responsibility of the Mission to Baba Avtar Singhji, who was not his blood relative. Satguru declares his successor in accordance with the ancient tradition of gurmat in which there is no scope for bias based on familial background or socio-economic status.

You often call yourself a das(servant)...
I call myself a das because I see in each and every human being a twinkling spark of divinity. Because I am the das of the Almighty, I am a das of his devotees.

Do you feel that with the changing times the ethos needs to be redesigned?
The foundation of the Mission's philosophy is God, the formless One, who is unchangeable and imperishable. Baba Buta Singhji, founder of the Mission, set out with the objective of enlightening the world with God knowledge and establishing universal brotherhood. Because there is widespread ignorance about the formless One, the Mission's philosophy is still as relevant as it was when it started. Spiritual awakening is the objective of the Mission.

Can rites and rituals lead to God?
People are ignorant about the supreme power of God and are trying to please or realize him through rituals, austerity, and so on. They may do some good if the practitioner has a theistic bent of mind. Generally speaking, the human eye can see everything except itself. To see it, one needs a mirror. Similarly, one can see one's real Self in the mirror of God knowledge.

Then what should be the ultimate path?
Divine love - love for God and love for others - is the only path. Due to ignorance about the Omnipresent, the world is divided on many issues. The Mission has been constantly striving to bring souls in communion with the Super Soul through its message. Everything else is incidental. Peace, universal brotherhood and communal harmony are the goals to strive for. The Mission is trying to foster love among fellow beings. The key benefit of communion with the formless One is that man lives a life devoid of ego. Such souls are assets to the world and create a congenial atmosphere for peaceful coexistence. The Mission, with its message, is also helping seekers become good citizens.

How do you perceive various aspects of life like unity, truth, and ahimsa?
Truth, that is the formless One, is the only absolute. All other aspects like unity, ahimsa, etc, are relative and cannot be brought about in a true sense of the word unless man realizes the basic and ultimate Truth.

How can we practice compassion?
By strengthening our spirit. Once we accomplish superiority of our soul, the love for our fellow beings emerges as a side-effect. Otherwise, one's actions or words could hurt people. By strengthening one's spirit a person gets courage to face criticism and not be hurt by it. The human soul is essentially compassionate; it is wrapped in numerous layers, which represent negativities. Find that soul by looking within yourself.

Could you throw some light on the ego?
Ego is the worst enemy that one can possess. The concept should be thee and thy and not me and my.

What is the goal of the human being?
There is no distinction in the basic instincts of an animal and human. However, humans have a profound level of understanding. We all are blessed with human life to get salvation. Realize your mission. There is only one lifetime, and only one chance. God knowledge is the beginning and God realisation is the end.

Your message for Life Positive
Life Positive is doing a great task. Wherever there is negativity there is havoc. In today's fast-paced media, and temptations of mainstream journalism, Life Positive is doing a commendable job of covering important essential aspects of the society. The spirit is positive and life has to be positive.