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Chapter Three: Rishikesh

“Kirpal Singh! The people will flock to the place where they find the riches of Naam.”

(Hazur Baba Sawan Singh)

On April 6, 1948, following Hazur’s demise, Kirpal Singh left Dera Baba Jaimal Singh and

started for Delhi. Earlier, Hazur had said to him: “What have you to gain from the Dera?

You better leave Dera. When Baba Ji came from Agra, he brought with him neither money

nor followers. He fetched within him only his Guru and through his blessings the present

Dera came into existence.”

On Vaisakhi Day, April 13, 1948, the new Master held his first satsang at Darya Ganji, Delhi.

In his humility he gave a graphic description of his role: “Just as the commander of an army

grows old and sits in a tent and keeps a boy as an orderly to send his messages to the outside

– so this is my position, that of an errand boy.”

Each saint has his mission in life and comes with a definite instrument of instruction. As soon

as he completes his job, he retires from this world and goes back into the spiritual ocean from

which he sprang, leaving the work of further reorientation to his followers, he does it through

the living successor to whom he entrusted the work on retirement; and only the later, as a

brother-in-faith or Gurbhai may help his brethren on the physical plane.

-37-

Many disciples of Hazur Maharaj Sawan Singh are getting his inner darshan these days, and

those who are thus blessed are mitigating their sorrowful hearts by talking – far more freely

than ever before – face to face with him. We are unworthy sons of the Master, but his grace is

working in all its fullness. Our physical life is destined by the Almighty and each one of us

must play his role as allotted. I have no choice in the matter. It all depends on the Master-

Power working overhead. I am a puppet in his hands and a flute through which he plays.

After my Master left the body I went to Rishikesh, a secluded place in the foothills of the

Himalayan Mountains, to spend the rest of my life in bhajan and simran, as there was no

attraction left for me in the world. In the wilderness, I would put in sixteen to eighteen hours

a day in meditation at two intervals.

Sant Kirpal Singh sitting on the rock in the Ganges River

where he would often meditate during his five month stay in Rishikesh in 1948

-38-

Rani ki Kothi, where Sant Kirpal Singh stayed while in Rishikesh in 1948

Sant Kirpal Singh rented accommodation in a house called Rani ki Kothi on the banks of the

River Ganges. It was here that his wife Mata Krishna Wanti, son Darshan, daughter-in-law

Harbhajan Kaur, and young grandson Raji, Mangat Rai, Madame Hardevi and a few other

disciples joined him. He sometimes put them into meditation for six to eight hours at a stretch.

In the breaks between meditation Sant Kirpal Singh went for long walks. Rishikesh is famous

as the place where rishis and munis reside. He sometimes took members of his party with him

and visited the sadhus and holy men in that area.

At twilight Sant Kirpal Singh sat outside the house and asked those with him to sing shabads

(holy songs) in praise of the great Lord, and he explained their inner meanings.

He ate simple food – a meal in the morning and another in the evening. One day he said,

“Now let me make some chapatis for you today, but in the future you may not be able to get

the same amount of time from me.”

Sant Kirpal Singh sitting in Rani ki Kothi preparing chapattis

-39-

I went all over Rishikesh. I met intellectual wrestlers and those performing the elementary

steps: postures, saying prayers, and performing rites and rituals. Most of them were doing

hatha yoga practices which are very arduous and beset with difficulties and dangers: The

pranas, or vital airs, have to be controlled, regulated and directed properly which is not easily

done. For an average householder it is very difficult and time-consuming. The saints do not

recommend such like practices in this age; people are not physically fit to undertake this type

of yoga.

The transcendence of physical consciousness that a yogi pursuing the path of pranas achieves

only after a long and arduous discipline is attained by practitioners of the Surat Shabd Yoga

sometimes at the first sitting at the time of initiation.

It is the quality of sehaj, or naturalness and ease, that makes the Surat Shabd Yoga accessible

to all. The music of the divine Word is vibrating in all alike, and he who follows its path

needs no special requirements, whether physical or intellectual. It is as much open to the old

as to the young, to the sinners as to the saints, to the simple as to the learned, to women and

children as to men. It is the highest form of yoga which takes the soul to its Source.

Gate to Yogi Raj Raghuvacharya’s Darshan Mahavidalya Ashram

through which Rani ki Kothi can be seen on the far side of the Ganges River

-40-

In Rishikesh I met only one man who was rising above body-consciousness, Raghuvacarya.

That man’s habit was so kingly that he would never stand up to greet anybody. When he saw

me coming at about two hundred yards, he stood up. People said, “That’s strange. He has

never cared for any man. It is the first day of his life for him to stand to meet someone!”

When he came over, then naturally we talked. He loved me and I loved him.

In our talk, it came out that Raghuvacharya went to the first plane, Sahasra Dal Kamal. So I

found only one man there who had transcended the body and reached the first stage. He said,

“What I learned by going through all the Shastras, Vedas, and Upanishads, you can speak of

from inner experience.”

Sant Kirpal Singh with Yogi Raj Raghuvacharya

A view of the Ganges River, Rishikesh

-41-

Another distinctive feature of the Yoga of the Sound Current is the unique and pervasive

emphasis it lays on the need at every step for a competent living Master. The Guru in the

Surat Shabd Yoga is not only a being who explains to us the real nature of existence, instructs

us in the true values of life and tells us of the sadhnas (meditation practices) to be practiced

for inner attainment, he is all this and more. He is the inner guide as well, leading the soul

from plane to plane to its ultimate destination, a guide without whose aid the soul would

mistake the intermediate stages for the final goal and would encounter barriers which it would

be unable to surmount. The Master links us to the holy Word, and without him there could be

little hope of salvation.

Sant Kirpal Singh visiting Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh

-42-

A view from Rani ki Kothi

Hazur permitted me to remain in solitude in Rishikesh for over five months, and then ordered

me to come back to guide the poor satsangis and to continue the work.

No 1 Kingsway Road, Radio Colony, Delhi. This is the house Sant Kirpal Singh settled in on

returning from Rishikesh. People came throughout the day to be in the presence of the Master.

It was five miles to Darya Ganj where the satsang was held and he used to travel there by

bicycle. From here he would set out each day to visit disciples of Hazur living in Delhi.

-43-

Chapter Four: The Mission Blossoms

I was not prepared to live even one moment after Hazur. But Hazur used to tell me, “Well,

look here, you have to carry on the work.” I was just wondering how I would carry on. How?

Hazur said, “I am not tied to any particular place. True saints are not fastened to any religious

sect or dress. They are neither a party to one nor a foe to the other.”

Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, before leaving his mortal frame, had specifically instructed me to

establish a common ground where all seekers after truth could come and sit together.

Consequently, during Hazur’s lifetime and in strict conformity with his wishes, in November

1947, a proposal for “Spiritual Satsang” was laid before him, the main objects of which were

solely ethical and spiritual for the benefit of mankind, irrespective of caste, color, creed, sect,

age, education or avocation – which was heartily appreciated by Hazur. He said, “I am

wholly and solely at one with thee in this endeavor,” and directed me to give practical shape

to this scheme.

Ruhani Satsang was therefore founded according to the instructions of Hazur Baba Sawan

Singh Ji Maharaj. The name Ruhani (spiritual) Satsang was also suggested by the great

Master. The sole objective of this satsang is to present spirituality to mankind, in a lucid

scientific form, where results are verifiable with mathematical precision.

-44-

Ruhani Satsang deals with the science of the soul or contact with the inner self in man. It

teaches how the self can be extricated from the clutches of the outer self, consisting of mind

and matter and the outgoing faculties, so as to enable it to be a witness to the glory of God, to

see His Light and to hear His Voice in the inner silence of the stilled mind. The activities of

Ruhani Satsang are to ingrain in seekers after truth the higher values of life – the greatness of

God and the need for humility, leading to a pure and honest life of truth, chastity, nonviolence,

love for all and a loving selfless service of humanity and the entire creation of God, as an

ethical life is the stepping-stone to spirituality. The subjects of purification, knowledge of self

and knowledge of God, are being dealt with practically so that people of different castes and

creeds – living in their own circles – are being benefited thereby. Hazur Baba Sawan Singh

did not interfere with outer forms of religion. All seekers after truth were asked by him to

stick to the religious formations to which they belonged and realize the aim for which they

had joined one or the other formation, for the aim of all religions is the same: self-knowledge

and God-knowledge.

-45-

An open piece of land was acquired in 1951 to serve as a home for the satsang. Located near

Gurmandi, in Delhi, it lay between the Grand Trunk Road and the railway track running

parallel to it. It was covered with bushes and wild undergrowth, and work clearing and

developing this site as the headquarters of Sant Kirpal Singh’s mission began immediately.

Many people came forth and volunteered to help. The Master set the pace by carrying

baskets of earth on his head in the summer heat. Devotees, inspired by his example, flocked

to take part in the construction.

These photos were taken during the construction of Sawan Ashram, Delhi.

Such was the grace of the Master and the zeal of the devotees that the first buildings were

completed within six weeks. The ashram was dedicated on June 11, 1951. The foundation

stone was laid by Sant Kirpal Singh with the piece of earth he had brought from the sacred

threshold of his Master.

Early June is north India’s driest month. However, when the opening ceremony commenced

in the evening, a thick cloud suddenly overspread the sky and rain came down in a fine

shower.

Look, how gracious my Master is! Whenever we remember him, he sends his blessings in a

shower. This rain heralds his august presence amongst us. My Hazur’s name was Sawan

(meaning the rainy season in India). Like a rain of mercy, saints come by God's orders, and

we should take full benefit by clearing up the land of our whole being with satsang, where all

the dirt and filth is thrown out.

-46-

I’ve built no temple here. People come to me and ask, “Well, what particular temple have

you raised?” I always tell them, “Man’s body is the true temple of God. I love all temples of

the social religions, but here I have none.” And for the other temples, the whole world is the

temple of God, the earth below and the sky overhead.”

The Master’s house at Sawan Ashram, Delhi

-47-

Taken at the house of Brij Mohan Sharma, Delhi, early 1950’s

A copy of an Urdu, Hindi, English self-introspection diary form developed by Sant Kirpal

Singh. It provides disciples with a system for noting their daily failures in ethical living so as

to weed them out. Disciples also note the time they spend in daily meditation and their inner

spiritual experiences of Light and Sound. Every three or four months the diary forms were

sent to Sant Kirpal Singh and he responded by giving needed guidance.

-48-

It is the intention of Ruhani Satsang to help to produce a true Work of Art, that is, a whole

man: one freed from the lower passions and instincts which degrade his true nature. Man as

intended by God is a noble being with noble qualities and aspirations, directed to the

attainment of self and God-realization in his lifetime. He is not on earth merely to eat, sleep,

breed, and then die. These are the limits imposed on the lower orders of creation; but man has

the spark of God in him, and he is intended for higher things.

The seekers are trained and disciplined in order that they may elevate themselves physically,

morally and intellectually. They are enjoined to:

1. Maintain a self-introspection diary, recording their failures in nonviolence, truthfulness,

chastity, loving humility, selfless service and the strict maintenance of the vegetarian diet,

meaning the avoidance of meat, fish, fowl and eggs both fertile and infertile, and abstinence

from all liquors and intoxicating drugs. The gradual weeding out of such failures creates the

right environment for the continued growth of the seed of spirituality, which is implanted in

the seeker by the Master at the time of initiation.

2. Be regular in attending satsang, where seekers and disciples gain right understanding of the

Master’s teachings, and benefit by his radiation.

3. Be regularly devoted to their spiritual practices, both morning and evening.

4. Sing and listen to devotional hymns from the writings of the saints of different religions.

5. Study the sacred literature and books written by the Masters.

The end result of the training thus imparted fits an initiate for the inner journey as well as

making him a decent, law-abiding citizen, and so an asset to society.

-49-

Although the Master primarily focused his attention on the spiritual work once the mission

began, he always found time to meet his family obligations. When his brothers died in the

1940’s, he assumed the responsibilities of the head of the entire family.

The Master is sitting with members of his family after the wedding of the daughter of his

nephew, Sardar Sant Singh. From left to right, first row standing: Manohar Singh, Parkash

Kaur, Maya Wanti, Harbhajan Kaur (the Master’s daughter-in-law), Darshan Singh, Harbans

Singh, Uttam Singh, Sajjan Singh, Joginder Singh, Gobind Kaur; second row sitting: Sant

Singh, Sant Kirpal Singh, Gurnam Kaur, Niranjan Singh, Kartar Singh Duggal, Janki Devi

(the Master’s sister-in-law), Kartar Singh Kochhar, Anup Kaur; third row sitting:

Harbhajan Kaur, Surinder Kaur, Mata Krishna Wanti (the Master’s wife), Savitri,

Kuldip Kaur, Shakuntla, Sumitra Devi (the Master’s sister).

Ruhani Satsang has established, both in India and abroad, training centers (satsangs) or study

circles where man can learn the true values of life from a spiritual standpoint. In the centers,

the students are trained and guided by personal classes, through correspondence, and through

submission of progress reports.

With Hazur’s support I started the satsang; it is not mine but his, and he will take everyone

across the ocean of life. Whatever blessings he extends are being given out. All credit goes

to him.

-50-

Our mission is to fill the human heart with compassion, mercy and universal love, which

should radiate to all countries, nations and peoples of the world; to make a true religion of the

heart as the ruling factor in one’s life; to enable each one to love God, love all, serve all and

have respect for all, as God is immanent in all forms. The goal is that of oneness. I spread

the message of oneness in life and living. This is the way to peace on earth. This is the

mission of my life, and I pray that it may be fulfilled.

The Washington Daily News, Saturday, November 27, 1954

A newspaper report of Sant Kirpal Singh’s coming tour to the United States

-51-

Chapter Five: Light of the World – First World Tour

Many years ago our Master went to Karachi. When he returned to Beas he told me, “I have

received a return ticket from America. They want me to go there, even for a day, and give

them a blessing. But I have returned it to them saying, “I cannot, I’m too old.” And he told

me, “The God in you should go; you will go.”

Palam Airport, Delhi, Sant Kirpal Singh preparing to leave on his first world tour

The first time I left India, in 1955, all gathered together. Some cried, some wept, others

entreated. I told them, “I have to go. I have much work to do.” Then I said, “Well, look here.

You are feeling the separation on account of my going, but you will also have the best lessons

in that you will have more time to put in for the spiritual practices: bhajan and simran. You

will have help even from a distance. Master’s protection is always with you, whether near or

far, that makes no difference.”

Sant Kirpal Singh boarding the plane on his departure from India

on May 31, 1955, for his first world tour

-52-

Greetings to Our Brothers and Sisters in God

Felicitations, O brothers and sisters in God!

The Universal Cup-Bearer comes to you

Holding His goblet of the Elixir of Life

To bestow on you His everlasting bounty.

His hands, God’s hands; His eyes, God’s eyes:

His words, life-inspiring; His touch, so sublime.

He is Grace embodied; He is Love personified;

He is the fountainhead of bliss, eternal and divine.

Behold the Living God treading this earth,

He will open the Heavenly Gate to you.

He will take you beyond the physical plane

To have communion with the Almighty.

We, your fellow-seekers for Water of Life,

Pray to the Divine Master Kirpal,

To infuse you with Spirit immortal,

And bless you with life eternal.

Sant Kirpal Singh received this poem while on tour in America.

It was written by Darshan Singh after the Master’s departure from India.

Sant Kirpal Singh giving a talk at the Friends Meeting House,

Florida Avenue, Washington, D.C., in 1955

-53-

I am not a lecturer; I can give you only heart-to-heart talks.

Sant Kirpal Singh’s first world tour began on May 31, 1955. He made short stopovers in

Bombay, Cairo, Geneva, and then spent twenty-four hours in London. He reached New York

on June 2 and was then taken by train to Washington, D.C. by Mr. T. S. Khanna, the Master’s

general representative; Mrs. Khanna, and a small group of disciples. In Washington, D. C.

the Master gave a number of talks before proceeding to other stops: Louisville, Kentucky;

Chicago, Illinois; Beaumont, Hollywood, Santa Barbara, San Jose, Oakland and San

Francisco in California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Lawnside, New Jersey; St. Petersburg,

Florida; and Boston, Massachusetts. He returned to Washington, D. C. once again before

leaving for England where he stayed in Sussex and London. He stopped in Berlin and Bonn

in Germany on his way back to India. On tour he gave daily meditation sittings, heart-to-

heart talks, public discourses and private interviews to visitors late into the night. He spoke

at churches, temples and lecture halls, and also appeared on television.

I have great pleasure in meeting you here in this part of the world. It is the grace of God

working through my Master that I am here. What I learned at the feet of my Master I will put

before you so that those who are seeking after truth may find some guidance.

This tour will cover thousands of miles of travel, and invitations are still coming from other

places in the United States and Canada. I will do my best to meet with their wishes with the

grace of Hazur Maharaj Ji. Let his name be glorified.

On this tour there was one meeting arranged between East and West. I was selected to

represent the East. It so happened that for some reason or other the man who was detailed

from France to represent the West could not arrive in time. So they told me, “We leave both

East and West to you now.” I told them, “Of course it is said that ‘East is East and West is

West, and never the twain shall meet.” But it is we who have said so. God made the whole

world. It is the house of our Father: East, West, North and South. The whole creation is the

house of God. All countries are so many rooms in the house of our Father. Airplanes have

eliminated distances, so the world has become smaller. All men are alike, born with the same

privileges; born the same way, with the same outer construction and the same inner

construction. So we are all worshipers of the same One Power; we are all brothers and sisters

in God. This is the angle of vision from which the Masters always see.”

-54-

During this visit to America, an intimate meeting was arranged with a group of scientists.

There were long discussions which took over five hours. One man asked many questions and

obviously strongly doubted the subject of spirituality. After some discussions, I asked him,

“Have you been able to create an ounce of consciousness?” He said, “No.” I then explained

to him that the pursuit of science must necessarily remain in the domain of matter, whereas all

the teachings and knowledge of the saints lie in the domain of consciousness: “In the field of

energy you have made so many inventions but nothing in the way of consciousness.”

Then I further questioned him, “Have you analyzed matter? What did you find?” “There are

elements,” he replied. Then I asked him, “Have you analyzed the elements?” He said, “Yes.”

I asked, “What did you find?” He said, “We found atoms.” Then I further questioned him,

“Have you been able to analyze an atom?” He replied, “Yes.” “What did you find?” He said,

“One circle was revolving; there is a movement going on in the atom.” Then I asked him,

“What did you find there?” He told me, “Some sound.” And now they have found some light,

too. Then he came around. There were a number of disciples present at this meeting, and

they were of the opinion that this gentleman would not turn up the next day which was chosen

for the initiation program. But he was the first to arrive, and he got the highest experience

[out of all those there for initiation].

So all credit goes to Him. I’m merely an excuse; something chosen for a channel. For all

seekers, there is food for the hungry and water for the thirsty. Where fire burns, oxygen

comes to help. God has to look after His children, of course through some human pole. It is

helpful to pray to Him, “O Lord, wherever You are, appear to me.” If the prayer is sincere He

will most definitely answer. He has appeared to sincere people who have neither seen nor

heard Him. History has shown, and even recent incidents have proven that prayer is answered.

-55-

The following is an account by Mrs. Gordon Hughes:

“It was in the year of 1928, springtime in Kentucky, April, the month of the brightness of

yellow daffodils and white narcissus. For two years and seven months I had been very ill. All

the physicians and all the specialists I had consulted for my pain-wracked body had said I

could not walk again, that I could not even sit up again.

“It was the hour of midnight. I lay there in the solemn weirdness, desolate and alone. I felt

that I had come to the brink of the crossing into the Great Adventure. I was trying to think, I

was trying to go back through my past life, endeavoring to live it once again. I did not want

to die. I had so much, seemingly, that I wanted to do. The awful darkness seemed to close in

all around me. I seemed to be suffocating. Desperately, I tried to move. Frantically, I tried

to call someone. This seemed utterly impossible. I was in an agony of pain, loneliness and

despair.

“Suddenly, a great luminous brightness appeared in one corner of my room. It grew brighter

and brighter. Within the center of this radiant light, a form appeared, the most glorious being

I had ever seen. He stood there, tall, slender, magnificent. His beard was white and

glistening. His vivid blue eyes were filled with divine, compassionate, flawless love, glowing

as an angel standing in the sun. His glance was penetrative, inspired and keen. His robe and

turban were white, pure and softer than that of the rarest edelweiss on the Alpine snows, and

yet emitted a myriad scintillations of light and color. The palms of his beautiful hands were

clasped together and held against his heart. I thought this must be God. I stared at him in

amazement. He stood there looking at me kindly and graciously. Then, he walked slowly

toward me and passed into my emaciated body.

“The next morning, instead of finding me dead, as they probably expected they would, my

family was astonished to see me rise from my sick-bed, entirely healed and every whit whole.

“Twenty years passed, and again in April in the year of 1948, I saw this being before me

again and again, and often in company with another great Son of Spirituality. There were

times when I soared into the Beyond, and saw these two beings, one tall, slender and blue-

eyed; the other sturdy and strongly-built and with dark eyes as of a dove.

“In due course of time I came to know who these great souls were. When I met Mr. T. S.

Khanna I asked him to show me the former Master’s portrait, and when I saw the picture of

the great saint, Sawan Singh, I saw the glorious being who had appeared to me with healing

in his wings in 1928, and my long search was ended.

“In June of 1955 I met the train, as it pulled into Union Station in Washington, D. C., which

brought His Holiness Sant Kirpal Singh to the nation’s capital. I watched him as he stepped

from the coach, the radiant Son of Sawan Singh, the beneficent herald, the emancipator of

souls. He looked exactly as I had seen him so many times in the higher heavens with our

Beloved Sawan Singh. There was something more than handsome about him…there was an

inner splendor, a singular spiritual magnetism in the flash of his dark eyes, a marvelous

sweetness and kindness in the firm lines of his mouth, a royal grandeur and bearing of

freedom in the poise of his tall and strong figure…”

-56-

A portrait of Sant Kirpal Singh painted by Mrs. Gordon Hughes in the 1940’s

before she had met him or seen a photograph of him

-57-

All alone I cannot do anything. It is my Master who is helping me all around, even without

my knowledge; that is why I say – “He has charged me with this duty.” Well, he is taking the

whole responsibility and he is doing all he can. It is my Master’s spiritual wealth. He has got

enough to spare. He always wanted somebody to squander his wealth, to distribute freely

amongst all; and that is why I had the courage to say, “All right, come on, have it” – not on

account of my standing on my own legs, but because I’ve been standing on the legs of my

Master, and with his grace everybody has had spiritual experience. Can you ever dream that

anyone just comes to you and says, “All right, sit down and you’ll have it,” and then you do

have it? It is a great gift of the Master and God. You are fortunate that you have been put on

the Way and have some experience. You see those things about which you find revelations

referred to in your scriptures. Now you see them with your own eyes and hear with your own

ears.

The following is an account given by Mrs. Olga Donenberg, who later became one of the

Master’s representatives:

“This incident happened to me in July 1954 when I was living in Wilmette, Illinois. It

happened before I was initiated. I used to meditate even before my initiation, and one day I

had a vision. I saw a man in white with beautiful Light all around him and he said, “I’m

coming for you. I need you.”

“Exactly one year later, in July 1955, I received a phone call telling me that there was going

to be some Master appearing in Chicago. As I was waiting for the elevator to take me up to

the meeting hall, the door opened and out came Master. I looked in surprise, and I thought,

here was the vision I had last year. I rushed up to him and said, ‘Master, I saw you.’ And he

replied, ‘Yes, I know.’

-58-

“Well, the next day I took initiation, and I can tell you, what the Master promised, I received.

Then the following day there was a meditation sitting. Sitting in a corner, things became very

clear to me: a man with a white beard, wearing a turban came and took me up – such an

exhilarating ride I will never forget. This was Baba Sawan Singh, and he told me, ‘Kirpal is

my Son, he is the one I have appointed to carry on my work.’ I thought to myself, ‘Yes, but he

must know this.’ But Hazur went on, ‘I want you to tell him this.’ Following the meditation

sitting as I was preparing to go home I thought to myself, ‘Kirpal Singh must know he is the

Master, he doesn’t need me to tell him.’ Then I heard Baba Sawan Singh’s voice telling me,

‘Oh no, you go upstairs and give him my message!’ I felt ridiculous. My mind kept telling me,

‘But he must know he is the Master.’ Anyway, although I felt foolish I did go to his room,

knocked on the door, and said, ‘I have a message.’ He was so gracious, he let me come in

and I told him that his Master had taken me on an exhilarating ride and had told me, ‘Kirpal

is my Son,’ and that Hazur appointed him to carry on the work. And do you know what he did?

He thanked me.”

The letter below is one of a series written by a disciple to the devotees in India to report on

the Master’s tour. It gives a sample of day-to-day activities of the Master:

Yoga Philosophic Center

230 Powell Street

San Francisco, California

August 25, 1955

As you will notice from the top of this letter, this is being written from San Francisco.

Maharaj Ji with his party reached this place on the 20th

August and today is the last day of his

stay. Tomorrow he leaves for Chicago by air and then back to Washington, D. C. So you will

be pleased to see that the tour of the States is just going to end in a few days time and he will

be back in India within the next two months.

August 12th

. This morning sixty people came for meditation and each one had a wonderful

experience. In the evening he gave a talk in the San Jose Club on what Christ meant when he

spoke of the Kingdom of God. Master said that the Kingdom of God is within you and you

can enter it by coming above the body-consciousness.

August 13th

. Today there were more people for meditation than yesterday and all saw the

Light of God and some saw the radiant form of the Master. In the evening he was invited to

the Y.W.C.A. to give a talk there. He explained that the human body is the true temple of God

in which God and you both reside, but as you yourself have forgotten who you really are, you

have to realize yourself before making an attempt to realize God.

August 14th

. Initiation was given to twenty-seven people, all had experiences of the Beyond –

some saw the radiant form of the Master; of Master’s Master, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh; of

Baba Jaimal Singh; of Swami Ji; and of Christ. In the evening he gave a farewell talk; all the

initiates in San Jose and many others came. He explained that progress on the way can only

be made if all of them lived up to what they were told. “All that has blemished your pure life

in the past can be left in the hands of the Master, and in the future you should live a clean and

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chaste life and be regular in your spiritual practices. You will come very close to the Master,

and his love will just envelop you.”

August 15th

. No meditation this morning but many people came to pay homage to the Master

and he met each and every one and had a group photograph taken with them. After that he

left with a party of twenty people to see the famous Redwood Forest. He liked the place very

much for it was left in its natural beauty, and the bliss of the moment caught everyone, so all

sat down and meditated. There was no talk in the evening so the Master dealt with the mail.

August 17th

. Thirty-two people came for the morning meditation and all had an experience.

Two very old initiates of Baba Sawan Singh came today to pay respects to the Master, a Mr.

Bush from Yuba City and Dr. Brock from Port Angeles, Washington. Maharaj Ji was very

pleased to see them. He embraced them saying, “My old brothers have come to see me.”

August 18th

. This morning fifty men and women came for the meditation. Dr. Brock saw the

radiant form of Maharaj Sawan Singh and of the Master.

In California, 1955

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Even children come to me. I give them a little spiritual experience: “All right, sit down, you

will have Light.” And they do get Light, with the grace of God. On tour two children came

up to me, one was seven years old and one, eight years old. They said, “We want to ask you

something.” “What do you want?” I asked them.” They said, “We want to become Masters.”

“Well,” I told them, “you have been put on the Way. You live up to it, when you are

developed you may be selected as a Master.” It is not by voting, like when you have to select

a president, a member of parliament, or a minister; it is God alone who chooses you. He is

searching for a true man.

When I was on my way from Chicago to Washington, in the plane some children came to me

for autographs, which I gave them. An old lady also came up and said, “Will you please write

something for me and give me your autograph?” I simply wrote these words: “It is better for

thee to enter into life with one eye,” and then I signed it. She read it and wondered what it

could mean. Her son was a bishop. He was also traveling in the same plane. He read it

exclaiming, “It is from the Bible, of course.” But even he could not understand its meaning.

Practical knowledge is different. To ask people to observe certain rules and regulations,

rituals and ceremonies, is something else. The bishop asked one of my companions if he

could talk with me. He was of course welcome. He came over to me and I asked him, “What

did Christ mean by the ‘single eye,’ or by having ‘one eye’? Then I explained, “In the East

they call it the ‘third eye’ or the ‘latent eye’ which is in each one of us, even in the blind who

have no outer sight. But our single eye is now closed. We have to open it. When it is opened

you see the Light of God which is already within you. But how to open that eye? It is a

practical matter which you have to learn at the feet of some competent Master who can give

you the preliminary lift and enable you to have the experience within.”

When I was raveling on this tour, I gave free talks without collections or the need of buying

admission tickets. One day while I was giving a talk, “God and Man,” a man stood up and

offered me five thousand dollars. I told him, “I have not come to collect dollars. What I have

gained at the feet of my Master is a free gift of nature, and must therefore be given freely.”

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The people were at first surprised, and then overjoyed at this. Through this principle the

praises of true Masters are being sung all over the world. I received invitations from Europe,

the Far East, Australia, the Middle East and Africa, and they state how they have heard of the

gift which is being given to all. Dear brothers, who am I to give it? The Giver is giving it,

with His grace, and with the grace of all great past Masters.

People want spirituality, no doubt, and many are quite sincere, broad-minded and open to

conviction.

In a letter to an American disciple, Hazur Baba Sawan Singh once wrote: “…the day will

come when your people will turn to Sant Mat….Some day the great work there will assume

much larger proportions. You may look confidently for it, in your own time. Be ready for it.”

In 1907 Kehr Singh Sasmas came to America and with the blessing and guidance of Hazur,

began spreading the teachings of the Masters. Traveling throughout the northwestern states,

Washington and Oregon, he met with many sincere seekers, some of whom had the blessing of

seeing the radiant form of his great Master standing beside him. Dr. Brock came in contact

with the age old mystic teachings expounded by Kehr Singh, and later became the first initiate

of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh in the West. After his initiation he became a representative of

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Hazur and he worked with great devotion to spread his mission. Gradually the mission grew

and spread to the California area. Here Dr. Julian Johnson (who later settled at Beas) and

Mrs. Dona Kelley learned of the Master and took initiation. When Hazur completed his

earthly mission, there were many initiates scattered over North America, as well as Europe.

It was his disciple, Mr. T. S. Khanna, who established regular satsangs in the West, first in

Toronto in 1950, and then in Washington, D. C. in 1951, while working under the living

Master Sant Kirpal Singh.

The Master with Dona Kelley, one of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh’s disciples in the West,

and later one of Sant Kirpal Singh’s representatives

The Master with Dr. Brock, Hazur’s first representative in the West

Mr. Khanna had come to me in India and said that he had been transferred to Yugoslavia. I

asked him, “Are you not going to the United States?” And it so happened that his transfer to

that country was cancelled and he came to America instead.

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In the following account Mr. Khanna describes how he commenced the Master’s work in the

West:

“On arrival in Toronto, I started discourses about the importance of the living Master and

Sant Mat. This created some interest. I wrote to the Beloved Master who encouraged me. He

assured me the Master Power would take care of the rest.

“In America at that time there was no group functioning in Sant Mat, but there were a few

initiates of great Master Baba Sawan Singh scattered in different parts of the country, mainly

in California. Dr. Dona Kelley of California was contacted and accepted our invitation to

join us as a guest speaker at Hazur’s Birth Anniversary celebration in Toronto held on July

27, 1950. There was a good audience and all were served an Indian vegetarian dinner. We

knew the celebration was a success because we felt the presence of the Master.

“The Toronto office was closed and I was ordered to go back to India. It was like a

thunderbolt. Where was the fulfillment of the Master’s prophecy? Sant Kirpal Singh was

informed and the whole situation changed. Our bookings were cancelled. I was posted in

Washington, D. C. on May 15, 1951, with the India Supply Mission.

“In a few days, under the instructions of the Master, we were holding satsang. It was nice to

be with these seekers of truth, and before long we moved the group to the Friends Meeting

House, in N. W. Washington, D. C., a beautiful setting in the heart of the city. Every first and

third Sunday through the years, plus the two annual anniversary celebrations, we conducted a

lively satsang there.”

With Sant Kirpal Singh are T. S. Khanna, the Master’s general representative in the West;

Mohan Kaur (Mr. Khanna’s wife); and their son Gurcharan

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I have to go to England. There is a fortnight’s program there, and some people from Germany

want me. After that I have to go back to India. I would not like to go back, but I have many

sheep to look after. Those left over there are also crying. Some people ask me why I should

not live here. Well, I know your claim is also there. And I am for service. I am not for

enjoyment. Ever since I have come four months back, I have not had a day’s rest. I was only

happy to see the people, the seekers after God. To the best I could, everything was done, was

offered without caring for my physical health or anything like that.

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Don’t be disappointed, I might be coming again sometime. If you devote time for the

spiritual practices you’ll have the Master within, talking to you, meeting with your wishes,

guiding you, helping you on the Way. I have received some letters from your U. S. A.:

“Master entered my room in the morning and talked to me.” This is no miracle, but according

to the laws of nature which are hidden to us. The Master Power is not the man-body, it is the

pole at which it works. But that pole responds even from thousands of miles by simply

directing the needle of the compass of your attention to that particular place. So I can give

you assurance, with the grace of my Master, that you will not be left all alone. If you would

like to see Him working, just invert. Put in more time for meditation. You will see for your

own self with your own eyes that that Power is taking care of you. When I now go, I leave

my heart with you. Even if I go, it does not mean that I forget you; you remain on my mind.

The heart speaks more than words can convey, and eyes are the mirrors of the heart through

which you can see what is there. How can I describe the love that I have for you all? No

words can express it. The father will always be very happy to remain amongst his children.

And I love you all. You are not away from me. You have been, and you will remain, in my

heart, on my mind.

When I left America people offered me thousands of dollars, but I refused it. They said,

“Why? It is for spreading the mission here.” Then they said, “It would have been much

better if you had taken away dollars from us – instead you are taking away our hearts.”

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Chapter Six: Life in India

I had to return to India. I have many sheep to look after.

Palam Airport, Delhi, November 5, 1955 - The Master returns to India

The Master giving satsang at 2:00 a.m. at Sawan Ashram upon his return from his world tour

In India we have an ashram in Delhi. We have a grassy ground there where we can

accommodate twenty-five thousand to thirty thousand people. And we have collected all

scriptures there, because they speak of the same valuable experiences which the Masters have

had in their lives. Men and women go there; they are seeking the truth.

After a satsang at Sawan Ashram, Delhi, India

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Anybody who would like to visit me at the ashram is welcome. I am a very simple man. Just

as you see me now, I am also the same there – not changed.

The ashram is kept in a very simple way. No grand buildings, no temples, no orchards,

nothing of the sort. There are the blessings of a few trees and flowers around it. There are

some homes for people who come just for spirituality. They come empty-handed and they go

away with some experience.

Sant Kirpal Singh with a visiting disciple

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The place is ten thousand square yards. There are about thirty living quarters. It is a very big

place, very long – quite aloof, with no disturbances. In the morning there is always

meditation. Those who wish come for spiritual progress. They come for an hour or two, do

meditation, and under proper guidance they improve. People also come from outstations.

These photos show Sant Kirpal Singh sitting among a number of disciples

who helped in the Master’s mission

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A lady once met me and said, “I don’t want to hear any theory. Just give me the experience.”

And she did receive it.

Even the staunchest skeptics have been initiated. The staunchest Arya Samajes have been

initiated. The staunchest Jains have been initiated. The staunchest Muslims have been

initiated. The staunchest Roman Catholics have been initiated.

Below, an English initiate describes the experience of attending one of the Master’s satsangs:

“On the outskirts of Delhi, a crowd of people gathered in the protecting shadow of a large

canvas canopy. There were the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the simpleminded

and the intellectual, all seated together, cross-legged, on sacking and mats spread under the

canopy. Muslims and Hindus, Sikhs and Christians, they sat elbow to elbow and knee to knee

without distinction of caste or creed. No feelings of hate, of ill will or of hostility could be

perceived in this motley crowd, the nature of which would perhaps rarely be found in the

world today.

“Quite plainly something great and of common importance was about to take place;

something of sufficient interest at least to serve as an adequate reward for the patience and

effort of those devout people, many of whom had taken up their positions the previous night

after long and arduous journeys.

“I did not have long to wait to find an answer – in fact, the answer was known to me already.

From where I stood at the back of the crowd I could see a vast sea of color stretching before

me. The multicolored turbans of the bearded Sikhs and learned pundits, the snow-white

turbans of the elderly gentlemen, the brightly colored dresses of the simple peasants, and the

beautiful soft colors of the veils and dresses worn by the fashionable ladies, all combined to

produce a picture of vivid color that only an artist would have been able to copy.

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“Soon a commotion at one side of the crowd caused everybody to turn around and strain their

necks in that direction. Faces brightened expectantly. A murmur escaped their lips: ‘The

Master has come!’ and with hands clasped together in front of the chest in the customary

salutation, thousands of people rose like one man.

“A figure in white wearing a white turban, and with a grayish-white beard, had appeared

surrounded by a small crowd of excited people.

“A number of less disciplined followers of the Master prostrated themselves on the ground,

clasped hold of his feet and garments, or tried by various other means to show their devotion.

Master does not like this, but although he repeatedly asks them not to behave in this fashion,

they are always carried away by the exuberance of their love for him.

“At the far end of the crowd under the canopy stood a raised platform covered with a

spotlessly clean white sheet. The Master took his seat cross-legged on the dais after he had

disengaged himself with some difficulty from the hands of the excited people. On his left sat

Pratap Singh, the music-master, who commenced to recite verses from the Granth Sahib,

which is the holy bible of the Sikh religion. He had a most beautiful and magnetic voice and

his rendition of the religious verses drew many a sigh from the silent gathering.

Master then examined each verse, interpreting and commenting on it in his wise and capable

manner. It was not a lecture he gave, but a heart-to-heart talk that was understood by both

the young and the old, the intellectual and the simple, but at the same time containing the

most profound religious and philosophical concepts.”

Satsang at Sawan Ashram

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This place was all calm and quiet some time ago. Even now, when you go to the back it is

more calm and quiet – all wilderness. You hear the Sound Principle when you sit calmly in

secluded places where the poisons of the town have not reached. When I am here in Rajpur,

usually in the morning you will find me in the garden. I come sometimes for a day or two,

then go back to Delhi.

Located in the foothills of the Himalayas, the house at 207 Rajpur Road was purchased by the

Master in the mid-1950’s

I sometimes travel around India – north, east, south and west. I usually remain at the ashram

about half a month, and the rest of the month is spent in touring. I don’t go of myself – I see

something is dragging me to go. We are not going out on our own free will for pleasure, or

for seeing things – only He brings about these things. It is God who takes work from us.

Saying good-bye to initiates at the train station in Allahabad in the 1950’s

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At Allahabad in the 1950’s

A Master is the citizen of the world and his appeal is one of universal interest. He is, in short,

the deputy of God come to the world to share his love, light and life with erring humanity.

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The Master undertook many tours in India. The following is an account of an incident which

took place while touring.

“At one time the Master was passing through a village, and hundreds had gathered knowing

he was coming that way. Some had walked for five, ten and even up to fifteen miles, even

though they knew he would be there only for a few minutes. The master was talking to them

as they were quietly and reverently gazing upwards at him. All of a sudden, acting in unison,

there was an enthusiastic and happy ‘hurrah’ accompanied by lively handclapping. I asked

what it was all about. (This was the first time I had heard handclapping in India.) I was told

that the Master had said, ‘I have nothing to give you but my love.’ “

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The Master in Bombay. Standing behind him is his youngest son, Jaswant Singh. As a child,

Jaswant could recall his previous life and had the power of clairvoyance. When the child

spoke too openly of his hidden knowledge, Sant Kirpal Singh gave him a slap and these gifts

were taken away from him.

In Bombay

During Sant Kirpal Singh’s visit to an ancient mosque at Ajmer in the early 1960’s.

Lucille Gunn can be seen to the Master’s left.

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When I went to Pakistan I met some Muslin Sufis. They looked at me and said, “Oh, three

years back we were seeing someone like you in radiant form in meditation. And we were just

wondering, “Who is this Sikh gentleman who we have never seen and never heard of? Who

can that be?” It is God’s arrangement. As I told you, when there is hunger, He makes some

arrangement. They told me they had been seeing me inside. They never believe in any Sikh

form. But they were given initiation. So even if you don’t know about him, He knows. God

appears and manifests in the form in which He is working to those rare hearts who are really

after Him, maybe in a Muslim form, or a Sikh form, or any other form. That is why it is said,

“Guru appears when the chela is ready.”

Sant Kirpal Singh’s visit to Lahore, Pakistan in 1958

In the books that I have written, there are no author’s rights reserved so that these teachings,

which are a gift of God, may easily reach everyone.

Whatever I have written has been for an average layman – so he can follow what is what. I

have not used complex terminology, or wording in a roundabout way. These teachings have

been given directly, so they are easier to grasp.

Sawan Ashram. Sitting to the Master’s right is Baron Von Blomberg

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The Master remained in close contact with disciples and seekers throughout the world in two

ways: inwardly, by the silken bonds of his attention, and outwardly, through the written word.

He was sensitive to the need of spiritual literature for seekers and disciples. The written word

was especially important to those physically separated from him, because it provided a sound

theoretical understanding of the path of the Masters. Literary work was a priority with Sant

Kirpal Singh and accordingly he published twenty books and numerous pamphlets. The

Master wrote the following dedication which appeared in his books: “Dedicated to the

Almighty God working through all Masters who have come and Baba Sawan Singh Ji

Maharaj at whose lotus feet the author imbibed sweet elixir of Holy Naam – the Word.”

Attempting to garland the Master is Baron Von Blomberg. Second from right: H. C. Chadda,

editor of the Hindi and the Urdu Sat Sandesh, and author of Pita Poot (Father and Son),

a biographical study of Hazur and Sant Kirpal Singh. Far right: Darshan Singh, who played an

important part in the publication work for the Master’s mission.

Sant Kirpal Singh at Kurukshetra University. With the Master are the Vice-Chancellor of the

University (to the Master’s left) and disciples. Seated at the far left is Malcolm Tillis who

along with Kate Tillis (standing) edited the Master’s Heart to Heart Talks. Seated second

from left is Leon Gurney Parrott, who was the Master’s representative in Malta and author of

The Celestial Music: An Introduction to Kirpal Singh. Seated second to the Master’s left is

Stanley Shinerock who helped in the publication of Morning Talks, by Sant Kirpal Singh.

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H.C. Chadda, an editor of Milap (India’s foremost Urdu daily), began publishing the

Master’s discourses in that newspaper. The discourses were received so well that Mr.

Chadda sought permission from the Master in 1954 to bring out a monthly magazine in Hindi

and Urdu under the title of Sant Sandesh which means “The Message of the Saints.” In the

humility which is peculiar to the Masters alone, he said, “Chadda, this name is too

presumptuous. I am not a saint, you know.” He thought for a while and then with a twinkle

in his eyes the Master said, “Why not remove the upper dot in the word ‘Sant’?” (The dot

stands for the letter ‘n’ in both Hindi and Urdu.) “Let it be Sat Sandesh, ‘The Message of

Truth.’ “

As the years passed by, the magazine was regularly printed in two languages. However, the

pressing need for an English edition was being felt more and more. Finally in 1968 the need

was fulfilled and the English edition was started. Mr. Bhadra Sena worked on the Master’s

English publications and was chosen to be editor of the English Sat Sandesh. Later, in 1970,

an American initiate, Russell Perkins, joined with Bhadra Sena as editor to help publish the

English Sat Sandesh from America. Darshan Singh helped his father with much of the

literary work. He began in his youth collecting quotes from mystic poetry for Gurmat Sidhant.

Afterwards he helped his father in the publication of various books, messages, and

correspondence, as well as with the publication of Sat Sandesh.

Sat Sandesh contained a discourse by the Master, articles on the Master’s activities in India

and on tour, remembrances of Hazur Baba Sawan, poetry by the Masters and their disciples,

personal accounts of visits with the Master by disciples, and photos.

Standing with the Master is Bhadra Sena, the author of The Beloved Master

and the editor of the English Sat Sandesh

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The first English edition of Sat Sandesh was published in January 1968. The following

extract is from the Master’s message in that issue:

I am sending you Sat Sandesh, the message of the Lord which all saints and prophets have

been bringing from time to time for the guidance and uplift of man. Kabir says: “I am the

knower of the True Home of the Father and have come to give you the message of God.”