His Ways Are Miraculous

G. L. Kohli

Maharaj Ji used to say that if we knew how much He loved us, we would dance with joy. How can a child comprehend the love and protection of the Father!
In 1966 I developed kidney trouble and suffered constant pain in the left kidney. On x-ray examination it was found that there was a stone there. I went to Maharaj Ji, showed Him the x-ray, and begged for His mercy. He advised me to take up homeopathic treatment, which I immediately started, but there was no relief. A satsangi sister who knew my trouble, brought a prescription and gave it to me in the presence of the Master. The Master bade me to try it—it was a mixture of some herbs to be boiled and then taken a glassful at a time. I took it for three to four days, and on inquiry from the Master about its efficacy I said that the medicine was of a very bitter taste. The Master said, “If by my drinking this bitter medicine you get cured, give it to me—I will drink it for you!” Every time He went outside Delhi He would, on return, tell me that He had brought some new medicine for me. In short, in this way, a full year passed by. Then one day I urinated blood, and seeing this, I resolved that I must go in for an operation. So I went to the Master and begged Him to permit me to undergo the operation. He lovingly consoled me and gave the required permission saying that there was nothing to fear—it was just a minor operation.
The day I had to enter the hospital, I went to the Master; He was sitting in His room. I told Him that I was entering the hospital. He gave me such a loving glance that I was over whelmed. He stretched His arm, and pointing with His finger, told me that they will cut like this and take away the stone.
The next day I was operated upon. In the evening the surgeon who had performed the operation came to the ward, and standing beside my bed told me, “Mr. Kohli, in normal cases this operation takes about three hours, but in your case it took us just thirty-five minutes!” And then stretching his arm and pointing with a finger exactly as the Master had done, he said, “We cut like this and took out the stone.” Like lightning it occurred to me that it was THE MASTER SPEAKING. I was so overwhelmed I could not speak a word, and my whole body was charged with His loving divine radiation. With great difficulty I could only thank the doctor.
After a week I was discharged from the hospital. On reaching home I told my wife that I would go for Master’s darshan. So in spite of the surgeon’s instructions not to walk, I went all the way on foot to the Ashram. When I reached the Ashram and was about to enter the Master’s gate, He came out and inquired why I had come in that condition—He was Himself coming to see me! He took out a piece of paper from His pocket and showed me. My name was written on top of some other names. He was going to visit that day. He then brought me back in His car to my place. On the way, I told Him what the surgeon had said. Master smiled and replied, “Why should they take long? They did not have to look for the stone.”


The Naming Of Jonathan

Fay March

When the Great Master Kirpal Singh Ji sent a telegram with all His blessings and the name for our son Paul, Olga wisely counselled not to say anything in order to avoid the possibility of troublesome outsiders. As it turned out, the trouble came from my own husband whose initial love and wonder quickly turned to hatred for this unusually beautiful boy. He began by being jealous of the visitors and satsangis who came to the hospital to see me and the baby. Despite the fact that our family has been blessed in hundreds of ways, the seeming antagonism by his earthly father toward the innocent child Paul increased, even as he grew into a most precious toddler. And so it happened that little Paul begged our Father God to send down his most beloved friend. The request was granted and a younger brother was soon to be born.
As the day for delivery drew near, I longed for more meditation time in order to figure out how to avoid repeating the unpleasantness, yet wanting Master’s blessing, and again the proper name for the babe. However, managing a large active family, and preparing for my absence made each day seem fuller than the last. As it turned out, false labor gave me an undisturbed ten hours in the hospital, where my husband dozed peacefully and I gratefully meditated. Bathed in Master’s Light, we were at last sent home. My mind was at rest for I knew all would go well.
A Holy Presence stood beside me that night when we returned to the hospital for delivery. The miracle of birth itself is always accompanied by religious revelations. And this was no exception. When a clear familiar voice announced, “His name is Jonathan,” my heart was filled with joy. But having been a skeptical scientific person, I thought—what if He is referring to some attendant in the room—so I asked, “Whose name?” Those who know Master can hear this answer, “Tisk! The baby’s!”
We had no long list of preferred names ready this time, but I left it all up to the Master, while my husband wrote down combination after combination, which he rejected. After three days, he came up with the finalists, which included Jonathan. When he showed me the piece of paper with everything crossed out but Jonathan, I silently gave thanks once more that the Grace of the Master is always overhead guiding all things, large and small. And due to being admitted to the hospital twice in one day, no record was made of my presence, so I had no visitors
—no cause for jealousy—and plenty of time alone for meditation. Thank you again Beloved Master.


Perfection in all its Aspects

Ram Prakash Bahi

I was initiated by the Master at Sawan Ashram in May 1964. At the time of initiation, He put me a direct question, “Have you understood the teachings and are you convinced that this is the right Path?” With all humility I replied, “Yes,” and I was accepted and the dream of a lifetime was fulfilled.
From the day of initiation, I began working hard on the Path by putting in regular time for meditation, maintaining the self-introspection diary and attending Satsang. All this resulted in abundant and bountiful grace of the Master in all spheres of my life. My meditations were fruitful and I was blessed with wonderful visions, especially of the past Masters. That was all in the beginning of my spiritual career, but now the effort has somewhat slackened with the passage of time—though not the grace.
In my family, I was the first to be initiated. Subsequently, Master’s grace was extended to other members as well, thus creating a congenial environment for me to pursue the path.
After initiation I had a great longing for selfless service in the vineyard of the Master, preferably for some literary work or help with the Master’s correspondence. I did not get an opportunity for a long, long time. But when the opportune moment came, there was a call from the Master Himself at Satsang: “Some educated person is wanted who can give an English rendering of my Satsang talks.” This was in 1968 when the English Sat Sandesh was being started in India, and with His grace, I could begin to fulfill my dream of seva. Two years later when the magazine began being published in America, I was asked to help with the correspondence work. Master reads our hearts and graciously accepts what we have to offer. My work for the Master brought me nearer to Him, and I got the unique opportunity to understand something of His towering spiritual personality from different angles—of course, only to the extent to which He chose to reveal Himself. Otherwise, who can understand a Perfect Master?
Maharaj Ji would always encourage those who helped with the Satsang work. I vividly remember the day when I showed Him my first set of correspondence drafts for approval. He patted me warmly on the back and said, “The trend is o.k. Go ahead with the work.” That was boost enough for me to carry on with the office work in the Ashram in the years that lay ahead. Whenever I carried the typed correspondence to Him for His perusal and signature, I would take a corner seat in the room and listen to Him with full attention. Left alone, the Saints utter very important Truths. I still remember how on one occasion, the Master in response to a question, said: “Women and Gold are the greatest hindrances on the Spiritual Path. Even if you find them in a jungle, never lay your hand upon them.”
He could be amazingly frank and direct when answering satsangis about their problems. Once a person complained about his own ill health, and the Master straight away replied, “Observe brahmacharya (continence) and everything will be all right!” He would not mince His words and would repeatedly warn those around Him against the materialism of the world. “Wherever you go you will only find business,” He would say. “No truth, no reality, and no spirituality. There is only vested interest.”
The Master Power affords constant protection to the disciple. Once I had gone to the Ashram for Satsang and during my absence a burglar tried to break into my home. He attempted to force the lock, but thanks to the Master, he was unsuccessful in spite of his best efforts. Twice in my life I was saved from what could have been a fatal accident—and this only by His boundless grace.
If anyone was in the grip of suffering or had suffered some misfortune, the Master was there to give His ineffable sympathy. Once a satsangi came to the Ashram with four sons suffering from polio. His eyes were overflowing with tears, and the Master in His graciousness gave him great consolation and massaged the legs of his children as if to tone down the severity of their past karmas. I remember a lady suffering from terrible body pains praying to the Master for relief. The Master smiled and said, “The elephant was gone through and now only the tail remains" —and it was not long after that the lady died.
But for all His gentleness and compassion, the Master could be stern and firm when the situation demanded. He would reprimand initiates who would give various excuses for not getting on with their holy meditations. Once a lady, giving such excuses, said to the Master, “It is perhaps the Higher Will that we are not in a position to do Simran and Bhajan.” The Master immediately retorted: “Please do not deceive yourself. It is the will of your treacherous mind, and not the Master’s. He always wishes the satsangis to progress on the Way by putting in all their efforts.”
Long before the Master left the earth-plane, I was granted a vision of His physical departure. I, however, did not take it to heart because I never thought that I would live to see the day. But in different ways, especially during the final phase, He was preparing us for what was to come. One evening, while addressing a group of foreign satsangis, He warned them, “Time is very short. Develop inwardly as far as you can. This is the true achievement. Intellectual understanding and bookish knowledge, however great, will not help. They are all wilderness!”
Just as we cannot do justice to the glory of God, we cannot likewise do justice to that of a Godman like our Great Master. He was Perfection in all its aspects and His life is an example for each one of us to illumine our way.


The Grace of the Master

Sunnie Cowen

At the end of November 1963 when the Master was on His second tour and visiting Chicago, He was asked to stay at my home at St. Petersburg Beach, Florida. Truly I was happy to be having Him and His entourage. He called me into His room one evening—I believe it was the day before I left for St. Petersburg. He said in His sweet beautiful way, “Sunnie, do you have any help there?” I replied with ego, “Oh, yes Master, don’t worry about it!” And He merely smiled and said, “That’s all right.”
When I came down to St. Petersburg, I telephoned the woman who helped me two or three times a week and asked her on the phone, “I have just returned to St. Petersburg, and I need your help as the Great Master will be coming.” She answered me saying, “I am sorry, Mrs. Cowen, but I have my regular families and I cannot come now for this is Christmas time and they will be giving me gifts.” I answered her, “What will these gifts mean to you when it is the Great Master who is coming with such blessings to bestow on you?” But she said, “No, I must work for them.” Then she said, “Wait a minute. My sister-in-law from Georgia came in last night and I’ll ask her if she’ll help you.” I could hear much discussion going on while she talked to her sister-in-law. Finally, she came back to the phone and told me, “My sister-in-law can give you only one day a week as she has come to Florida to help some other family.”
I thanked the Lord and Master Power; one day a week was better than nothing. Time was short and I wanted to get ready for the Beloved Master and His entourage.
She came about 9:00 the next morning, and with her arms folded, said, “I can only give you one day a week as I’m to take care of some other family daily!” I replied, “Good. Here is everything.” I told her to go to the first bedroom, and that I would help her immediately. Before I had a chance to get to the bedroom, I heard all the things drop on the tile floor. Running in, I exclaimed, “What happened?” She was sitting on a chair, and pointing to the Beloved Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj’s picture on the dresser, she asked, “Who is He?” I explained, “Why, that’s the Master! It is because of Him that I want this place perfect!” Controlling herself, she said, “If you promise never to tell my sister-in-law, I will tell you why I am here.” I promised her I would not reveal her name or her sister-in-law’s name, and so, now, I will call her Mary. This is her story.
Mary told me she dreamed of the Master for three nights in a row. He said, “Go to St. Petersburg—there is a woman that needs you. Help her!” She told me she had either five or six children (I can’t remember how many) and a husband. She had never left the State of Georgia and she was working at Christmas time for her families there; but, after the third night, she left her husband, children and the families she served to come to St. Petersburg, for she felt that she must. When I think of this my heart overflows with love of how the Great Master knew and knows when we poor mortals think that we are aware of everything. Our egos—how they must be killed!
Mary came about 7:30 a.m. every morning, and that dear soul never left until 10:30 or 11:00 at night. We not only turned mattresses over, washed windows, and aired the place; we worked outside on the lawn in seeding the earth, watering it, and doing many other things. With the time passing so quickly, before we knew it, Master telephoned me and asked if He could come the next day as He wanted to stay at our house on the beach. The day that Master arrived dear Mary looked so beautiful in her spanking white apron, while I, as usual, had on slacks and my hair was in curlers. When the Master came in the door, the first words I heard Him say were, “Well, Mary, I see that you got here.” Later Master spoke to her for a half hour. While He was talking to her, one of the satsangis interrupted and said, “Master, Master, the Mayor is waiting for You in St. Petersburg.” And Master replied in such a beautiful way with His wonderful smile, saying, “All children are important.” I will never forget that. When they went on to the Mayor’s office, Mary’s face was radiant. Mary wanted to tell me what Master had said, but I told her no; I felt His words were just for her alone.
We left for Miami on New Year’s Day in 1964, but this blessed soul worked with me and some other friend of hers until about 11:30 on New Year’s Eve with such joy and happiness that my soul still thrills as to what the Master Power does in such a loving and kind way. Those were such beautiful blessed moments.
I’d also like to relate another incident which illustrates the grace of the Master.
A few years ago in New York I was in meditation when Master spoke to me inside. He wanted me to call Ruth Carr, who is a disciple of His in St. Petersburg. I telephoned Ruth, and she was crying. She explained that her son, Dr. Carr, was dying from cancer of the throat, and they were taking him to the hospital to give him severe treatment. She was extremely upset but I said, “Ruth, have you forgotten what our Master says? He takes care of seven generations past and seven generations to come. Now you have faith, and telephone any news later.”
The following morning she telephoned, and I’ll never forget what she told me. She said that they had taken her son into the hospital and strapped him down on a bed. A nurse was standing by him who was about to pull the lever to start this intensive cobalt therapy which would burn through his throat. As she was about to pull the lever, a voice came from the microphone which was placed above the bed. It said, “Rescind that order!” Now Dr. Carr heard it, and the nurse heard it. She still tried to pull the lever, but could not press it down. She tried again, but at the same time the voice came again, “Rescind that order!” When Dr. Carr heard that, he said, “I’m signing out of this hospital, and left. The doctors attending him pleaded with him to come back, explaining that this was a serious matter and that this intensive treatment had to be given. But he had heard the voice, and he had seen that the nurse couldn’t pull the lever. The doctors persisted in their requests to readmit him to the hospital, assuring him that they would give him any treatment he wished. When he later signed himself in again, and when they were taking more tests, the doctors found that the cancer had been cured. Dr. Carr is alive and well and an example of the mercy extended by the gracious Master to an initiate’s family.


Hazur’s True Successor

Chandra Batra

It was a long time after my Guru Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj had left the physical body before I started going to Sawan Ashram to see Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj. During the intervening years there were all sorts of difficulties. It was not until about 1953 that I went to see Sant Kirpal Singh, although He had sent me several messages. But I was stubborn and ignorant of the fact that the Master Power was working on earth at that time through His Holiness. So I refused to go and see Him. The inner desire of being close to the Master and attending true Satsang was very strong, but outwardly I just wouldn’t go. I thought Sant Kirpal Singh was a great soul, but not my Guru.
One day I was in a bus passing some houses when I saw an old brother satsangi from Beas sitting in one of those houses—I immediately jumped off the bus and went to talk to him. I was so happy to see again my brother in faith; I asked him where in Delhi I could get good Satsang. He whispered to me, “Dear Sister, If you want real Satsang then go to Sawan Ashram—Sant Kirpal Singh is the only one who has the Guru Power.” This old man was an initiate of Baba Jaimal Singh Ji Maharaj, and I used to see him very close to our Satguru Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. I believed his words.
I went twice to Sawan Ashram without being able to see the Master—I felt this to be a kind of punishment for me because I had been refusing to go for so long. But the third time I went He was there, and He gave me such a warm welcome—I can never describe it. I apologized to Him for not coming to have His darshan for so many years. He replied so sweetly, “If a child leaves home in the morning, and returns late having been delayed on the way, won’t the father wait patiently and greet him lovingly when he returns?” I explained that some of the satsangis had told me that he was not the true Guru but Kal—the negative power. The Master gave a big smile of love, and told me, “Then you should be repeating the five charged Names!” I replied, “There is no need for that. Now I am satisfied and I will never make such a mistake again.” The Master assured me that there was always a place for me and that I was welcome to come for His darshan any time I wished. So I began going regularly to the Ashram.
Shortly after this I felt very sad to think there was no one left in this world to call me by my first name—only Baba Sawan Singh and my husband used to call me Chandra, and both of them had left this world. Next day when I went to see the Master, I found Him busy with His mail. But He immediately took off His reading glasses, and started talking to me. The first thing He asked me was what I wished to be called: “What did Hazur call you?” Tai Ji then said, “Don’t you remember, Hazur always called her by her first name?” The Beloved Master said, “All right, I will call you Chandra.” I felt so deeply moved to think that my longing would be fulfilled.
During an initiation at the July Bhandara in memory of my Master Baba Sawan Singh Ji, I was quietly standing at one side and I was praying intently that I might have the darshan of my own Master Baba Sawan Singh, although I knew I was quite unworthy to receive such a great gift. Suddenly the Master Kirpal Singh passed close to me and told me that I could sit in with those being initiated if I wished. So I went in and sat through the initiation, and there I was blessed with the Radiant Form of Baba Sawan Singh within. Master asked what each person had seen within, but He did not ask me. But in the evening when the Master visited the langar (kitchen) where I was serving He very sweetly came up to me and asked me what I had seen that morning.
When my son was a college student there were some disturbances in which he became involved against his will. The Principal penalized him and other students by not recognizing their examination papers and withholding the certificates. This was done even though my son sent in a written apology. It was of course a terrible blow, and I went to the Master for help.
The Master told me I should go and see the Principal who was a missionary, and point out to him that he had come to India to help people, and to reconsider what he had done and not ruin my son’s career. But the Principal would not listen to my plea. On the Master’s advice I made a second appeal, but it was as fruitless as the first. The Master then told me, “All right, don’t worry, God is over your head.” A few days later the newspapers carried the news that the authorities had decreed that all missionary teachers should leave the country within thirty-six hours. When my son and I showed this news to the Master He calmly and smilingly said that there was still time for this man to change his mind, and we should make a last appeal to him. This we did, and he gave my son his certificate.
When we went to thank the gracious Master He told us a story about Baba Sawan Singh. A widow whose son had been falsely accused of murder came to Hazur weeping bitterly to beg for His help. The Judge in the case was a satsangi, and Hazur asked him to review the case. The Judge said that when he was at Beas he was a satsangi, but that when in Court he was the Judge, and that he could not remit the death sentence. Hazur told the widow to lodge an appeal; the case was reopened and her son found innocent. When the mother and son went to Beas to thank the Master, that Judge was also there. Hazur lovingly said, “Bibi, it is all due to the grace of my Master, Baba Jaimal Singh. You know, we never depend on worldly Judges, we have our own Lord, the Supreme One overhead.”


The Power of a Sat Guru

Hiro K

I think it was in 1957 that I took to liquor. I was a little over twenty at the time, and word reached my father. When I returned one night I found the door bolted and my father told me, “I dislike a drunkard son in the house.” Next morning I promised my father that from that day I would neither drink nor have meat, and asked for his blessings in this. Two ladies in our neighborhood had given me two photographs, one of Baba Sawan Singh and the other of Maharaj Charan Singh of Beas. When after work I went to bed, I would look at the picture of Baba Sawan Singh. From then on I would pray to Him; and after the way my father reprimanded me and the rest of the family made fun of me over liquor, I prayed to Him to save me and to bless me.
During the same year, Maharaj Charan Singh visited the Bombay area. A satsangi told me of this and knowing my keenness, informed me that though no group initiation was planned, he had arranged for me to have Naam by myself. “There is going to be special Naam for brother Hiro,” he said. I was happy and we agreed to depart by the morning train from our town, Ulhasnagar, for Bombay. I got up early next morning and had my bath, and seeing me bathe this early my father asked me what I was about. I told him of my intentions, and he said very firmly, “Now stop it. You aren’t going, my good fellow. You are still young and not even married. If you want Naam you may have it when you get old.” So I went to my friend and told him that my father would not grant his permission and that I would not go. He looked rather sad and said, “All right. You must be an unlucky person—it was being granted specially for you.”
A few days later it so happened that Sant Kirpal Singh Ji also toured the region and came not only to Bombay but to Kalyan. I found myself helping with the langar, cutting vegetables, cleaning rice, washing, etc. The others thought I must be an initiate, working in that manner, but were surprised when on the third day they found me among the candidates for initiation. With the blessing of the Great Master, I saw Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji along with Him at initiation and was overjoyed.
When taking Naam I was rather worried about returning home. I pictured my father losing his temper and abusing me. My problem was postponed because, on the suggestion of one of my satsangi brothers, I went off to Bombay with the satsangis who had come with the Master. This way I was able to spend a night with the Master. When I came back five days later, to my great surprise, my father said not a word about my absence. Such was the grace of my Sat Guru.
As I was apprehensive about having taken Naam without my father’s permission, I made it a point to sleep by myself so that no one would see me meditating early in the morning. If my parents were sleeping in the open outdoors in the summer, I slept inside; and when they moved in during winter, I moved out. I would often pick up a photograph of my Master and pray, “Sat Guru, please draw my father to Your Feet. Please see that he, too, comes on the Path.” Though my father never spoke of it to me, within three months he was asking a neighbor to take him to Maharaj Ji’s Satsang. He got so absorbed that I would borrow tapes of the Master so that my father could hear them. Another three months and he decided to take Naam and proceeded to Delhi for initiation.
We had a small manufacturing unit for making medicines at the time. Such was the Master’s grace that our business expanded and each year saw it grow. My father made it a practice to attend the 27th July Bhandara at Delhi while I would go for the one marking Maharaj Ji’s birth in February. We could not travel together because one of us had to be there to attend to the business.
Thus it was that my father came to Delhi in July 1971. Maharaj Ji was in the nursing home having had an operation. He managed to go in to see the Master and was so touched by His state of health that as the Master lay fast asleep he sat down and spontaneously prayed to Baba Sawan Singh: “Please take my life and restore life and health to the Master for suffering humanity.” That was on 11th July, and Hazur heard his prayer. On the 13th at 3 a.m. my father died suddenly. The next day, Maharaj Ji getting better, was discharged and unexpectedly returned to the Ashram.
My father had been the Satsang President in our area. After he left us, the satsangis chose me to carry on in his place, but I managed to get involved in some petty quarrels and was no longer regular in attending Satsang and Satsang duties. In 1972 when Master visited Baroda to lay the foundation stone for Manav Kendra, I was also there. In the presence of some twenty five satsangis, the Master turned to me and said, “You see, I am looking to each and every step of yours, minute by minute; but you are not looking to me. You can’t see me, but I am always seeing you.” It was as though He was reprimanding me, and when I found Him alone, I begged Him, “Bless me despite whatever I may have done, good or ill.” He answered, “No, what you are doing is not right. Go to each and every satsangi who is not attending the Satsang or who is sick. You must love all of them and I will see how far you can do this when I visit the center next time.” I told Him that I did not have the strength and that He would Himself have to accomplish this. Master laughed and blessed me. From that day, though I don’t know how to account for it, Satsang work at our center has gone from strength to strength. There is so much love and goodwill among the brothers and sisters there.
The following year I went with a group of some forty sat-sangis to Sawan Ashram. The Master was happy to meet us and said, “Now at last you are working.” Laughing He would
address me as, “Our Kalyan director.” One day, turning to me, He suddenly asked, “What is your name?” I was taken by surprise. “Had the Master forgotten me?” I asked myself, and replied in a matter of fact way, “Hiro.” He said, “You know the meaning of hira?” I did not follow what He was driving at, and He went on, “You have to be a hira or diamond not merely in name: you must prove it through your work.” I was so abashed and so taken by what the Master said that I just ran away and did not stop until I got to the bridge outside the Ashram. How was I to live up to what the Master wanted of me!
While with the Master I reminded Him that He had not been to our part of the country for some three years. He graciously agreed to come and drew up a program. Four days were marked off for Bombay and one for Ulhasnagar. I requested Him, “Master, could we possibly have two days instead of one?” He agreed and said, “Come to Baroda.” And so I found myself with some brothers and sisters in Baroda when the Master visited Manav Kendra there. He was to come on to Bombay thereafter, and on the day we were to depart, the Baroda group leader handed us the train tickets rather late. Those with me were keen to meet the Master before departing but He was not at Manav Kendra at the time and was in Baroda some distance away;
I told them that there wasn’t time and the Master was coming to Bombay anyway. When we got to the station, the train was three and a half hours late, so we went over to the Master’s in Baroda. “Without meeting me how could you go?” He asked. “How could your train come?” My companions explained what had happened, and the Master laughed and blessed us. When we returned to the station the train was there ready to take us back. You see, such is the grace and the power of a Sat Guru.


He Knew Everything

Carmen Uribe

Our Beloved Master Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj visited Chicago on His second World Tour in 1963. He stayed at the Hamilton Hotel which was completely crowded. Master was in-side His suite; the crowd was outside waiting to see Him. All of a sudden, a young lady arrived sobbing and asking who could speak Spanish (this lady was from Monterrey City, Mexico). When I met her to find out what she wanted, she asked me, “Where is the Saint, where is the Saint?” I pointed to Master’s room. Then in great desperation, she asked me to tell Master about her grandmother who was dying in Monterrey, saying that she had nobody else in this world and did not want her to die. Approximately thirty minutes passed before Master came out. That place got more and more crowded every second which made it most difficult to approach our Beloved. When at last He came out, I tried to get close to Him, but before I could, He came to me and touched my shoulder saying, “TELL HER NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO HER GRANDMA.” I was astonished, for I thought that Master did not know anything about that crying lady and her grandmother. I thought He didn’t know, but He knew everything.
In 1967 my hand broke in many places in a traffic accident. When I went to see the doctor, he took an x-ray of my hand and told me that I had to wear a cast for four or five months. There was also a big possibility of an operation. Once he placed the cast, I did not feel any pain and even doubted if it was broken.
About one week had passed after my accident when I had our Beloved in a vision. I saw Him in an almost empty room sitting on a chair behind a small wooden table. I rushed to meet Him and He looked at my broken hand inquiring with His loving eyes what had happened. Then I answered, “It has been broken.” He glanced at my hand with a compassionate look and touched the cast with His Holy fingers...the cast fell down into many pieces. I then shook my hand out of the cast, and said to Him, “Look, Master, look! My hand is healed and doesn’t hurt at all! I’m going to tell them You are here.” He just looked at me very lovingly again, and I left the place. When I woke up, the cast was still on my hand, but I had not even the minimum pain. That same month I went to see the doctor several times to tell him that my hand was all right, that I had no pain at all, and to take the cast off. The doctor took another x-ray and said, “What is this? I can’t believe it. I was sure you were going to lose your hand! Only a month, and your hand doesn’t need any more treatment. This is a miracle!” The doctor didn’t know anything about the Master, but Master knew everything about that doctor and everyone else.


The Great Experience

Raj Kumar Jain

I was devoted to spirituality from the very first. By birth, by education and by inclination, my sanskaras—my tendencies due to impressions from past lives—were such that they drew me in this direction. A man who seeks the spiritual goal overcomes worldly attachments and lives for the welfare and good of others, and not for his own. Existing thus, he moves progressively towards his chosen goal.
Bearing this idea in mind, I studied over the years the lives of some three or four hundred sages, seers, and men of achievement. On the philosophical side as well, I had made an extensive study of all the major religions. But while I could understand what I was studying, I could not quite grasp the level at which each sage spoke. In my heart of hearts I wished that I too could attain to their level.
I first met Maharaj Kirpal Singh Ji on 20th February 1967, when He visited Indore. As we sat there, the Master asked me if I had made any study of spirituality. I answered that I had read the Gita, theRamayana, the Jain Scriptures, and Vedanta—anything, in fact, I could lay hold of in the field of religion. At this point my wife asked the Master about the secret of stilling the mind. The Master questioned her if she had had Naam. We had not even heard of the word and did not know what it meant. The Master then asked us to attend some of His Satsangs and two days later, offered to initiate us.
When the morning for the initiation day arrived, my wife got up and began preparing to go to the Master. As for myself, a doubt crept into my mind: I asked myself if one really needed to go to a Guru? Whatever is there is within us and what can another person give us from without? I had no desire for initiation, but my wife insisted that I accompany her because she was going early in the morning to an unknown North Indian Mahatma and she did not want people in our neighborhood gossiping. And so I went, and having gone, sat for initiation. I had some experience, both of Sound and of Light but argued to myself that the Sound could well be that of my blood circulating, and as for Light—having lived a clean and honest existence, why should there be any darkness within me?
The initiation proceedings carried on till after midday. Langar (free food) was ready when things were over and we were asked to stay: “The Master has blessed the food and you must partake of it,” we were repeatedly told. But we did not understand such things then and we left as we avoided eating out. We did not even take the parshad that the Master was giving. On returning home we had our food and at nightfall I turned in.
Next morning, according to the Master’s instructions, I sat for awhile in meditation and had some experience of Light. Thereafter, as was customary with me each morning, I went to my temple. I did not have to go outdoors as I had a small shrine in my own place. There I would worship the idols of our deities and recite traditional mantras. On that morning however, as I stepped in, the idols were no longer there; in their place I could only see the Master. As for the mantras, they blanked out from my mind; and the only mantra I could recite was the five charged Names that the Master had given me at initiation.
When I came back to my room, to my astonishment, when I closed my eyes the Master stood at the center between them. When I opened my eyes He was still there at the seat of the soul. Whatever I did He was there; my eyes filled with tears and I wept copiously. In fact for the next seven days it was always the same. Whether I closed my eyes or opened them, I could only see the Master and I could only weep.
After the first of these days my wife remarked that I had missed going to Court the previous day and she urged me to get ready for going to work that day. I answered that I was in a state in which I could not go—“You dragged me to the Sardar Sahib, and now I only see Him and nothing else. I cannot help my tears. So what am I to do?” We decided to visit an old sat-sangi of Maharaj Ji, and when he learnt of my condition he turned to my wife and told her that I was blessed. “Only a vessel of gold can hold the milk of a lioness,” he remarked using an Indian idiom, “and the Master has dyed you in His color on the very first occasion!” He advised me to keep repeating the five charged Names. They had great potency in stilling the mind. I followed his advice and I had a strange experience of happiness and bliss. All these years I had been reading about spirituality, and now at last I was getting some taste of it.
My wife however, thought that the Master from the north had cast a spell upon me. Why was it that I saw Him and nothing else? I was preparing for my Master of Laws examination, but could no longer pursue my studies. It was a difficult examination, and all my preparations stood in abeyance. I finally wrote to the Master telling Him of my problem, but got no reply. Some satsangis advised us to go to see Him. “He who has given the malady is best equipped to grant the cure,” they said. And so we came to Delhi and stayed there for almost a month. At our first meeting we were with the Master for half an hour and He poured out so much love—love for which my soul had been thirsting for so many lives, that my bliss was ineffable. I told my wife, “Whoever this white-clad Mahatma may be, He is surely a living embodiment of love!” During the month we were there, we got the overwhelming impression that the Master carried with Him all the treasures of spirituality and was moving about among us to distribute them in abundance—but alas, we were unwilling to receive of His bounty.
While we were with the Master, He advised us to give the maximum amount of time to Bhajan. I did not even understand what Bhajan was. He explained that whatever you saw in this world was mere dust and that we must turn our attention away from it and focus between the eyes. Concentrating our attention thus we should intermittently engage in Simran, and this would help us move from the finite to the infinite. This is a lesson I have been endeavoring to follow ever since—and this not merely when I sit for meditation, but at all hours of the day.
There were two other lessons that the Master imparted to us. “Don’t get too involved with people,” He said. “Maintain your relationship with others at a minimal level, but do not get caught up in friendships and enmities.” The other great lesson He imparted was that we should treat work as worship. Whatever we did, we should do it with heart and soul, to the best of our ability.
In 1969 when the Master’s Diamond Jubilee was being celebrated, I came from Indore for seva. I helped edit a souvenir volume that was brought out to mark the occasion. One day, after the souvenir came out, the Master remarked to me, “You have come here for seva, but do remember that in your life there is no such situation.” “What situation, Master?” I asked. He continued, “Once a rich man engaged a servant to look after his horses. When he was given the job, his terms of service and his duties were spelled out in the contract: he had to feed the horses, to massage them, wash them, and train and drive them. One day when the owner was mounting one of his horses, the animal took off. He called the servant to help hold the horse lest he have an accident. The servant answered that this task had not been written into his contract.” The Master’s meaning was clear enough. When we come to Him we must give of our best. If a problem arises, we must do what we can to resolve it and not keep waiting for instructions or keep telling ourselves that we were never entrusted with this particular responsibility.


Fifteen Months at Manav Kendra

S.P. Chopra

On December 18th 1954, my neighbor in Bombay came to inquire if I could accommodate a few devotees traveling with a great Saint. For a holy cause like this I readily agreed.
This Saint gave his first talk in a church, interspersed with quotations from the Bible. The next, in a Krishna temple, was full of references from the Gita. I felt that this Saint had a thorough grasp of all scriptures. Immediately after the talk I went to see Him. We met on the veranda of the house where He was staying, and with very sweet and loving words He said, “Thank you for sparing the accommodation.” I replied, “The accommodation is Yours.” To my surprise He answered, “Yes, it is my own house.”
As I came to understand something of His teachings, I decided to go in for initiation. The Master had by then left Bombay for Kalyan so I followed Him there. The initiation had already begun when I arrived. Gyani Ji, who had spent four days at my home, told the Master that I had come, but Maharaj Ji said I should have come on time. I was just thinking to go back, when the Master looked at me and said, “Are you Chopra?” I said, “Yes.” He then asked me to step in for initiation. I must say that with His grace I got a very good experience on that eventful day—25th December 1954.
Before Master returned to Delhi, He ordered me to hold weekly Satsangs in my home. It was then I realised the significance of Master’s words: “Your house is mine.” Thereafter Satsangs continued at my home till I retired in 1966.
In 1970, when the construction of Manav Kendra started, he Master assigned some important work to me requiring my presence there for fifteen months. During the planning stage, many people thought that it would take five to ten years to complete. One day the Master inquired from the architect how long it would take. He replied, “As long as the Master desires because this work is to be done with His grace alone.” The main work was finished in about two years.
The site for Manav Kendra was almost a jungle, and in those early days we had no accommodation at all. The Beloved Master used to come and sit in His car when it rained and do His work there. Whenever it was sunny He would sit under a tree along with us. As we worked, He went on dealing with the correspondence. Now and then He would inquire about the work and visit the construction sites.
In those early days we would come across a lot of cobras. We brought this to the notice of the Beloved Master. Out of compassion for all, He mentioned that as we were destroying their natural habitat, why should we kill them? We should give them other accommodations. Since that day we never molested any cobra, and instead would cover them with mud and lift them out of our way; they would then find another place to live.
One other thing that I noticed was that Master never liked the idea of cutting down a tree unless it was absolutely necessary and construction work could not possibly proceed without this vandalism. One day I mentioned to the Master that the cutting of certain trees was unavoidable for carrying on the work. My gracious Lord replied, “Trees and water are the greatest blessings of God. Before cutting any tree, think it over thoroughly.” The result of this policy is that a tree still grows through the roof of the Master’s residence at Sawan Ashram. Thus at Manav Kendra too we were able to build His house incorporating a large tree in the main room.
During these busy months Master used to stay at Manav Kendra for a week or so and then return to Delhi. I used to be in charge of the work, and in His absence carried on according to His instructions. Once, Master was leaving for Delhi and instructed us to finish a particular job before He returned. However, the work could not be completed in time. I told the Master when He returned that due to heavy rains we could not proceed and complete the work on schedule. The Master smiled and said, “The rain god is doing his work—he does not stop—why should you stop your work? You carry on your work, and let him carry on his!” Thereafter I noticed several times that there used to be very thick, black clouds and it would be raining heavily all around Manav Kendra, but there would not be a drop of rain on our work site.
The Master would serve the sevadars food with His own hands. While distributing chapatis He would generally give four or more. Once I asked for only one but He said, “What is this disease of eating scantily? Why don’t you eat more and work more?” This was the type of humor that the gracious Master would let us enjoy.
The first important item of work to be completed was a high service water reservoir. At one point in the construction, the architect decided that the cement work had to continue till midnight and even later if necessary so that it could be finished. We all assured the Beloved Master that we would not leave till the work finished. The Master, on leaving for His Rajpur residence, asked if there was sufficient milk to serve tea to the satsangis working on the construction. I replied in the affirmative. Then He said, “Make sure that the people are served tea not once but twice.” These were the tiny details which He would personally look into. He cared so much for His children, that knowing they would work all night in the cold, they would naturally require a warming cup of tea to help them carry on.
We often had to work for more than twelve hours but we never felt any fatigue. Once I entered the room where the Master was resting and I saw that He was very tired. I requested Him not to work so much Himself and to take adequate rest. The Master replied it was not He who was tired, but we who were working so hard. I could therefore see that He was taking on Himself all our fatigue and that was why we never felt any, even if we had to work fifteen hours a day.
Once some young girls from Delhi came and they were working with lime; their fingers became blistered. When I told them not to do this work, they replied that they did not mind as long as Master gave them darshan. In the evening, Master asked all of them how they were. They showed their hands, and Master said, “Chopra has been told to give you special ointment.” After the Master had left for His Rajpur home, the girls came to me, but I did not know what should be given. I just gave them some ointment and said they should apply it. The next morning there were no injuries on their hands and they continued their work. These young girls, from good families and unaccustomed to hard labor, worked at Manav Kendra like coolies for the love of the Great Master. It was on this occasion that Master quoted Guru Gobind Singh, “I will turn sparrows into hawks.” The entire Manav Kendra was built in the Master’s love.
During this time Master always set a target of work and saw that it was finished in time. Initiates used to come from all over the country in groups and mostly work for a fortnight and then return home. The greatest attraction for everyone was the serving of food from the hands of the Beloved Master Himself. One evening when we all returned from work and sat at His Feet, the Master told us that we were very lucky, and we should thank the Lord who had blessed us with such Sewa.
Once the ladies working in the langar (free kitchen) complained that as they were not at the work sites they did not get the Master’s darshan when He toured them; they suggested that their duties should be changed. The next day at about 11:30 the Master took me to all the points of work, and as we were passing the langar the Master wanted to know what that place was. I told Him. The Master went inside. The ladies were very busy, some making chapatis, some cutting vegetables, but the Master went to each group, talked to them, and told them to do Simran instead of talking among themselves. The ladies were very happy that the Master had given them darshan at their own place of work.
During this whole period of intense work I noticed that the Master was very exact about correct planning and correct expenditure. He would see to everything Himself; whenever someone made a mistake, He would point it out in such a loving way that no one would ever feel any distress.
When the plans for the Mansarovar were drawn up and approved by the architect, the Master, after having examined the site, called me and said, “If you are going to implement this plan how will you do it on this rocky ground?” I could see immediately the Master was right. I took the plans back to the architect and told him what the Master had said. The architect reviewed the situation and changed the plan making the pool oval shape. When the Master saw the new plans, He was so happy that He congratulated us as if we had been responsible for coming up with this new idea.
Whenever the Master was at Manav Kendra, He would inquire as to the number of people working, the distribution of labor at various points, and whether all the satsangis had their tea and their fill of food. Then after spending the whole day, He would leave for Rajpur to attend to His files and meet His children from the West where He gave His informal question and answer sessions which have since been published as Heart to Heart Talks.
In the early days of the work, I was standing beneath a huge clustered tree formed out of the intermingling of five trees. I humbly pointed out that it was a symbol of the unity that the Master loved so much. He said, “Great Saints have already stayed under this tree. When Guru Gobind Singh returned from the hills, He, too, had stayed under this very tree. This is a sacred place."


Sweet Stories About The Master

Michael Grayson

I would like to share some wondrous anecdotes of the Beloved Master’s Love, Light and Life this unworthy one has experienced in His Presence.
Beloved Master was so great, so magnificent; little by little He graciously revealed to us more and more of His divine personality.
One time we were walking along in the foothills of the Himalayas, Master was so very gracious— radiating the Divine Love like anything. The dear ones there were so intoxicated they could be seen kissing the ground and hugging trees due to seeing that Divine Love permeating everywhere. Someone came running up to the Master, “Oh Master, it’s such a wonderful job you are doing—there is so much love in the air.” Master replied, “I know my own true worth—I’m just a mere pipe. What good is an empty pipe unless something is flowing through it? Unless my Master sends His grace, then?” Just imagine the humility!
The Beloved Master could read our every thought. Sometimes He would let on, sometimes He wouldn’t. One time we were standing near the excavation for the pool of Manav Kendra. It seemed to be at least six to seven feet deep and there was no water in it. Master was telling two dear ones who came to visit all about the work going on at the project. While talking He moved so close to the edge of the Mansarovar that a single inch or so more and He would fall in. Master was still busily talking to the visitors. I thought to myself, “If the Master takes a single step backwards He’ll fall in!” I just thought this. But immediately Master stopped talking to those people and turned around and said to me out loud—“Don’t worry—I can take care of myself.” Then He went right back to talking to those visitors.
Even from hundreds and thousands of miles away the Master knows our every thought, word and deed. And why not! He is right with us, the very life of our life.
One time we were sitting with the Beloved Master. He looked at us and said, “You know, you people don’t know how lucky you are to have a real Master, a true Master, a perfect Master—one who will never leave you nor forsake you till the end of the world.” He told us, “Rest assured, I will take you back Home. Don’t you have any doubt in my words.”
Often times Master would be shedding tears of love. “These are the tears of love for you all,” He would say.
And the Master was completely unpredictable. He had an indescribable sense of humor. One time He graciously gave me a cup of tea. I took only a few sips then He asked for the tea back. Master then took some corn flakes and crushed them in His hands put them in my tea and said, “Now you have it!”
He was always giving us tea, sweets, and food. Usually we were so intoxicated in His love we couldn’t eat. We only wanted to look at Him. On suchlike occasions Master would lovingly look at us and say, “First eat your food—then eat me and drink me!”
When Master would smile or laugh the whole Universe would be bathed in His effulgent joy.
There are so many stories that could be told about how the Master worked for the benefit of His dear children, but it should be pointed out that what appears to be a miracle is in fact a higher law of nature at present unknown to us. Slowly and surely He revealed more and more of Himself.
Here is a story that shows how the Master drew His disciples to Himself, even in the most adverse situations. I was in basic training in the Army and I used to hold regular Satsangs with His grace. Some sergeant or officer would try and get them stopped, but a higher officer would say, “No, let it go on.” One day we were holding Satsang on the third floor of an abandoned building where hardly anyone ever went. And there were about fifteen people present. In the middle of the meeting somebody walked in who we’d never seen before. We were surprised because I hadn’t put up any posters. He walked in and said, “What in the world is going on in here?” I said, “We are telling of the teachings of the Great Living Master Kirpal Singh, how to solve the mystery of life and death, how to know oneself and to know God.” He said, “I have been looking for a Master all my life.” After the meeting was over he came up to me and said, “You’ll never believe how I came to this meeting.” He was walking outside that building during the Satsang and he said all of a sudden he couldn’t take a step further, an uncontrollable power came over him. He had to go up to the third floor of that building and see what was going on. Later he became a strict vegetarian and received initiation.
Meanwhile in his Company there was one of his friends who was very desperate; he hated the Army, and was having marital problems, and he wanted to commit suicide. So my friend thought the best thing would be to take him to Satsang. Sure enough he came, and we told him there’s hope for everyone and nothing to be disheartened about, and the Master is full of so much love for you and everyone else, no need to worry, relax, and then solve this mystery of life which is the purpose of having the manbody. He began studying the teachings, and left off the idea of suicide. He became a strict vegetarian right in the Army, which isn’t easy. Then he sent in his application for initiation, and while he was waiting to hear if he’d been accepted or not by the Master he became very skeptical for some reason. Maybe he thought, “Well, perhaps the Master is just a big fraud.” He came to me one day and said, “This is it, I’m going to commit suicide!” So I said, “Well, before you do anything hasty, there’s just one thing—why don’t you go and sit down in some quiet place and pray with all your heart and soul that the Truth might be revealed to you.” He said, “All right.” And he did it. He had that one-pointed attention—he was a desperate man, and Master says where all human effort fails prayer succeeds. So he prayed; when he opened his eyes he saw the Radiant Form of the Master standing before him blazing in Light right there in the barracks, smiling at him. So of course he didn’t kill himself, and he got initiated in due course.
Here is another story which tells how the Master draws His own children. Once I met a young couple at the Ashram, and I asked them how they had come and why. They told me they had traveled to India not knowing why, they just had a desire to see what they would see. When they arrived at Bombay, someone handed them a pamphlet about seeing the Divine Light, it didn’t have anything to do with our Master or anyone else in particular. They read it and wondered, “Is there really such a thing as Divine Light?” They sat down and they prayed that if there is Divine Light please show us the way to it. When they opened their eyes there was the Radiant Form of our Master standing in front of them. He led them all the way from Bombay to Sawan Ashram—a considerable journey! They arrived there and were attending Satsang every day but still hadn’t been initiated. So I said, “Why don’t you ask the Master for initiation?” They replied, “We didn’t know we were supposed to ask—we thought He’d just give it to us.” So that night they asked, and Master said smiling, “Oh, so that’s why you’ve come!”
Here is another example of how the Master drew people to Himself. Master had told us that we should take advantage of any way of letting people know the Truth so that all sincere seekers might avail themselves of the wonderful opportunity of coming to the Master. So we went to extremes on one occasion: we had fliers printed and put them on the windshield of cars in the parking lot—just as an experiment. It was to announce a birthday celebration Satsang. Then we stepped back to watch people’s reactions. Unfortunately most people threw them right down in the gutter, and because the Master’s picture was on them we went round picking each one up. We decided never to do that again. Anyway, at the birthday celebration a couple of fellows showed up;. they were newcomers so we asked them how they had come. They told us they’d seen the picture of the Master lying in a mud puddle—it was one of the ones we had missed! They picked it up out of the mud puddle and read it, they came; and later on they got initiated. So we can see the different ways in which the Master Power works to draw people onto the Path.
At one time I remember we were all sitting with the Master in India, and someone told the Master when He was speaking they could see roses coming out of His mouth; another person described the beautiful brilliant aura they could see round the Master’s head; another person told how the Master was just streaming with Light; but still another person said, “Well, all I see is a man with a turban and beard.” Master just smiled through it all. Then He explained that it was all a matter of developing receptivity, and the grace of the Master.
Here is a story about the beautiful Guru-Gurumukh relationship which our Master had with His Master, and to which we should all aspire. Once Hazur was distributing parshad to all the dear ones (parshad is food blessed by the Master). The Indians wear long loose shirts, so they can hold out the bottom like an apron, and Hazur would fill it up. So each disciple was coming up to get his share of the parshad. When it was the turn of our Master He was more after looking into His Master’s eyes than having the blessed food, because our Master Himself often said all the parshad is already within you, you may eat to your heart’s content. So when He came up to His Master He began steadily looking into Baba Sawan Singh’s eyes. Of course Hazur was looking steadily into His—He was His beloved Gurumukh disciple. So at the same time that they were both steadily looking into each others eyes Hazur kept putting more and more parshad into our Master’s outstretched shirt. Pretty soon the parshad was just flowing over onto the ground; so all the other disciples, when they saw what was happening, came running up and started gathering up what was spilling over, and Hazur was going right on pouring it into our Master’s lap handful after handful while they were absorbed into each others eyes. Hazur all of a sudden stepped back and surveyed the scene, and He said, “This is how it will be in the future.”


The Story of Master’s Gardener

Baba Ji (Mehku Lal)

I come from Allahabad District in Uttar Pradesh. As a child I had experience of the inner Light; it was as Maharaj Ji said, a Light brighter than a thousand suns. At times my father or my uncle would have to shake me by the shoulders repeatedly in order to bring me back. But at the time I did not realize the significance of the gift I had got. As I grew I got attached to my uncle I more and more. He was a non-vegetarian, and I began following his ways. I took up a job in Amritsar in the Punjab, and worked there for about twenty-five years.
Then one day it suddenly came to me that I had fallen into evil ways and was not making the best use of my human birth. Only a saint could help me, I said to myself, and it was
imperative that I seek one out. Not knowing to whom to turn, I proceeded to Haridwar and to Rishikesh. I went to the Kali Kambli Ashram of the Mahatma (the Mahatma who always covered himself with a black blanket) and presented myself. I was told I could stay there and could serve and live there. I was only there for three days; on the third day I heard enough to realize that I could not find salvation there. It was winter time, but without a second thought I departed.
Knowing some people in Dehra Dun, I took a bus there. I had only one rupee in my pocket, but it was just enough to get me there. Next morning, remembering my quest, I left my friends and went to Shri Banta Singh who owned a workshop and many trucks. I cannot say how I got hold of the name, but I asked his assistance to get to the Radha Swami Satsang. He told me I could stay with him as he did not know where it was, but later he could arrange for me to travel free to Delhi.
I was at Banta Singh’s for three days, and then traveled by one of his trucks to Delhi. I had visited many a temple in my time and decided to go now to the Sisgunj Gurdwara. While I sat and listened to the Gurbani, I experienced great peace—such is the power of the words of the Great Masters. But when I left, my restlessness returned. I wandered to Sabzi Mandi, and seeing a venerable old Sikh, stopped him and asked him if he could direct me to the Radha Swami Satsang. He told me that there was a Satsang nearby at Sawan Ashram, and he gave me directions.
There was a wedding in progress at the Ashram when I got there; the daughter of Master Pratap Singh (Master Ji) was getting married. I was given a lot of parshad and realized that I was very hungry. Shortly after it was getting time for Satsang. It was the eve of the Master’s birthday; He came out to hold the first Satsang for this special occasion. Not knowing who He was, not knowing what I was doing, I grabbed Him by His left sleeve, crying, “Look here Sardar Saheb, You must listen to me!” He turned and looked into my eyes, and we both stood motionless for what seemed a long time. Meanwhile, the Sangat must have watched us with surprise, wondering who this madman was who held the Master by His sleeve. After what may have been some twenty minutes, the Master said that He would talk things over with me on a later occasion, and I let Him go.
As the Master withdrew from me, I felt lost—even here, it seemed to me I could not find the answer I was seeking. The Master had turned away without answering my question. Little did I realize then that He had already reached deep into me through His prolonged glance and had bestowed upon me the treasure I was after. That night I stayed at the Ashram and I shared my problem with a satsangi named Rajinder Singh. He asked me if I would like to take Naam and I answered that I was a follower of Kabir and was not interested in getting Naam. “But won’t you stay on for the Satsang tomorrow?” he asked. Rajinder Singh arranged for me to spend the night at the Ashram in a very small kitchen. As I lay down I did not realize that I had my feet towards the Master’s home and my head the other way. Imagine my surprise on waking in the early hours in the morning and finding that I was lying the other way round. How had I circled around, I asked myself? The space was too narrow and how could I do so without hitting a wall? There’s something miraculous here, I thought—I have found a Saint at last who can help me redeem my life.
And on that day I told Rajinder Singh that I wanted Naam. Looking at me he laughed and said, “Oh, but Naam is bitter. Why are you in such a hurry—you didn’t seem to want it yesterday, why now?” When I joined the rest of the candidates for initiation, I realized that I was perhaps the only one who had hardly attended any of the Master’s Satsangs. Some had attended four, some five and some many more. The Master came in and questioned each of them in turn; I said to myself that He would surely ask me to wait. When it was my turn I just looked down and hid my face in my hands; but the Master quietly turned to the next man. When we sat down for meditation, I got mixed up over Simran and I could not learn the five Names. Even so, I had inner Light and was blessed with His inner darshan.
After this I left with Rajinder Singh for Pilibhit to live at a farm there. On reaching it I caught a cold and developed double pneumonia. The fever grew, and as it became very excruciating I thought my end had come. I called Rajinder Singh and told him to sit down and pray to the Master. Within five minutes or so I saw Hazur appear before me, immaculately dressed and with a stick in His hand. He was accompanied by Maharaj Ji and both were bathed in Light. They came and blessed me, and as it were, drew a thorn from my flesh, and departed. My anguish and my pain disappeared and I lay quiet and peaceful. Rajinder Singh noticing that my groans had stopped, thought that all was over and I was gone. Anyway, to make sure he shook me, and I told him I was all right. “The Civil Surgeon and the Doctor have both come to see me,” I told him, alluding to the two Masters, “and now I am all right.”
That was some eighteen years ago or so. It was not long after that I moved to Delhi. Rajinder Singh found work for me not far from the Ashram, and I was glad to be near the Master. One day on account of a mistake, I was reprimanded, and, touched to the quick, refused to have anything from my employer. One of the satsangis at the langar would privately give me food, and when the Master returned reported the problem to Him. “Why do you have to feed him in private?” He asked. I was summoned, and Maharaj Ji told me that I could live at the Ashram, eat there at the langar, and help look after the land on the other side of the railway tracks. “Maharaj Ji I would be glad to be here and live on whatever I am given at the Ashram. But I cannot give up smoking so how can I stay with you?” I asked. Maharaj Ji was very gracious and He said that I could live there without giving up smoking.
And so this is how I began living at the Ashram and working for the Master as His gardener. Later when it pleased Him, I moved to His bungalow at Rajpur. He would come there frequently on very short visits and then return to Delhi. Many a time He would say, “Baba, you are the master here. You have the keys. I am only a guest who comes for a day or two and then goes away.”
While living at Rajpur it came to me that it was not right for me to smoke. Those who came on the Path had to give up so much, and I who had received so much grace could do no less. And so I gave up smoking. And then one day the Master suddenly remarked, “I never see you smoking now! What is the matter?” I explained that I had given up smoking. “Why have you done that?” He asked, “Whoever asked you to give up smoking?” From then on I not only resumed smoking but did so with full assurance of Maharaj Ji’s grace. Earlier I would sneak away to have a smoke—now I smoked openly and without inhibition.
Maharaj Ji has been so bounteous to me—He is the Lord of everything. When I began working, I was given my monthly wages. Working for Him, did I need them? I was living at the Ashram and He was always looking after me. All I needed was three rupees a month for my bidis (Indian cigarettes). What was to be done with the rest of my wages, I was asked. “They could go back to the Ashram,” I said.
Once while at Rajpur, the Master was away for a long time. The money He had left for my living expenses finally ran out. From where would I get my next meal, I asked, but then reminded myself that the Master knew my needs better than I did. To my surprise Mata Janaki arrived at the bungalow and gave me a five rupee note. I would not take it, but she told me, “It is not I who am giving you the money; it has been sent to you by Maharaj Ji.” My need had been answered and I gladly accepted what He sent to me.
Even now He never fails me and knows my needs better than I do myself. You may think He is gone but He is always there. In December it gets cold up here at Rajpur, but when Mata Ji (Mrs. Brij Mohan Sharma) came back from Delhi recently, she had a thick heavy coat for me. It is the coat I am wearing, now. So warm, so comfortable; it keeps out all the cold. It is Master’s coat and it has come from Him. How you would ask? He left it with His Beloved son, Darshan Ji, and knowing my need he has sent it on to me.
Not long after I came to the Path, Maharaj Ji asked me how much time I gave to Simran and Bhajan, and exhorted me to give as much time as possible if I was to make progress. When I was with the Master I would keep nothing back and I told Him, “Maharaj Ji, You are God, You are the Lord of the universe. When You can appear to me and bless me with Your visions with my eyes open, why do I need to shut my eyes and search for You within? I live every moment in Your sweet remembrance. Grant that it may be so forever and do not press me for Bhajan and Simran.” Thereafter the Master never raised that point again, though He would question other disciples on the subject. It is a joy to live in His remembrance; whenever He wills, He grants me His darshan.


How Master Saved My Son

Sushila Devi Sharma

My son Jag Mohan was laid up with typhoid, and we were treating him with homeopathic medicines. One day at Satsang my father-in-law told the Master that the boy was seriously ill and that we were not having him properly treated. “Is that so?” said Maharaj Ji, “I will come round to see him myself.” That very day after Satsang He came to see the boy, and asked Brij Mohan, my husband:
“Have you consulted a good specialist?”
“No Master.”
“Must you always place your burden on my shoulders?”
“Maharaj Ji, everything is in Your hands and within Your
grace."
But the Master ordered that we call in a specialist, and over the next few weeks we consulted several; the boy was reduced to a skeleton, and for fifteen days he was hardly in his senses— his tongue had gone black, and even his teeth had lost their color. Finally, as the other doctors had given up the boy as lost, we consulted Dr. K.L. Jam, one of the best child specialists in Delhi.
The doctor was frank and refused to give us false hopes. “It is a very difficult case,” he said. “The boy is three-fourths gone!” “Life and death lies in the hands of our Guru,” said my husband, “Ours is only to do our duty, and so, doctor, proceed with whichever treatment you consider best.”
I may mention here that the Master had, during this time, inquired repeatedly about the boy. After Dr. Jam had prescribed his treatment, we proceeded with it. However, Jag Mohan’ s condition took a turn for the worse the following day. As a last resort my husband left to call the doctor again. The boy’s legs and hands had gone stiff and were quite numb. The only sign of life that remained was the faint heaving of his chest. I suddenly got up and set off for the Ashram.
When I reached the Ashram, the Master was in His room at the back. I stood listless and lost at the door outside. Kaptan Saheb seeing me asked what the matter was; I had nothing by way of a reply. He went in and told the Master I was outside, and that something seemed wrong. Maharaj Ji in a loud voice asked for me to be called in. There He sat in His chair, and I collapsed at His Feet, sobbing, “If he has to live then let him live well Maharaj Ji. Why must You test and torture me in this way? For three months I have not even been able to have a wink of sleep!” I wept bitterly and I cannot remember what I may have said in those moments of anguish. He let me be at His Feet, and running His hand over my head and back comforted me, “Kako, you have a Satguru, and you have full faith in Him. He looks to all your problems and your needs. Then why do you cry like this?”
Seeing my condition, Tai Ji begged Maharaj Ji to do some-thing. Straightening up, He summoned Kaptan Saheb, and asked him to fetch an old homeopathic doctor He knew and bring him over to see the boy. Turning to me He said, “Now go home and I will come to see your son myself.”
It was raining hard, and I had hardly got home when the Master arrived. Soon after, Kaptan Saheb arrived with the doctor. After examining the child the old doctor said, “I can give the medicine, but there is little hope for the child.” The Master on hearing this took out His fountain pen and ran it over both palms and both feet of the child sketching some lines. Having done this, He turned to the doctor and said, “Dr. Saheb you give the child the medicine. Hazur’s grace will help and do the rest.” Then He turned to me and said, “Do not lose heart. Be brave—you are a lion’s child. Rest assured Hazur will help!” And indeed throughout my son’s illness I took things in my stride. Two occasions apart, I met this prolonged ordeal with a strange reserve of patience and courage.
The Master then warned me, “Look after the boy well, but when he comes back to his senses it will seem as though he had died. Do not let this perturb you but do as I suggest.” He gave me directions, and from that day on I had a large vessel full of water always on the boil. Some five or six days after this, Maharaj Ji left for Rajpur, and Brij Mohan departed with Him also. I was left by myself to look after the boy, and my aging parents-in-law were with me. Sometime around 3:00 at night my son suddenly came round. He had been lying unconscious for over twenty days and on coming back to himself cried out, “Mata Ji, where are you?” I at once took him in my lap and the moment I did so he went completely cold. There was just no sign of life in him at all and even his breathing stopped. Those around me said the child was gone and thought of waking up his grandfather. I stopped them saying, “Don’t disturb him; let me do what the Master has instructed me.” Without losing my nerve I got up, prepared four or five hot water bottles and laid them on the chest, the legs and along the arms of the child. It was summer time and rather hot, and my sister said, “Why are you doing all this?” I replied, “Let me do as Maharaj Ji has told me—and please don’t disturb me at this moment!” As I watched over the child, a few minutes later, his eye-lids fluttered. I was reassured, and I asked my sister to prepare a cup of tea. A little later the boy opened his eyes a little and I gave him a few spoons of tea He lay with closed eyes for some time more; when he opened them again, he quietly announced, “I have been inside with Maharaj Ji. He gave me so much love.” I told him that Maharaj Ji had been coming to see him during his illness so often. “Oh no,” he said, “He was with me inside all the time. And the amount of love He gave me, it cannot compare with what I can get outside.” Later he had so much to share about all his experiences inside while he lay bereft of his outer senses. He even knew of events which had taken place while he lay unconscious. One thing was very clear—while the body lay lifeless, the soul inside was not.
When the Master came back from Rajpur I told Him what had transpired. He patted me and said, “You are a brave daughter of mine. Did I not say Hazur’s protecting hand is always over you?”
While the boy was still convalescing, he began to pester me for things which he was not supposed to eat. He grew so difficult at times that it became a more trying problem than the illness itself. One day I was at my wits end with the boy. When the fever left him he had gone so weak that he had to learn to crawl, to stand, to walk all over again at ten years old. Having gone through all that and seeing him so stubborn, I cried out, “Maharaj Ji, how long must you go on testing me in this fashion?”
No sooner had I said this than there was a tap on the door and Maharaj Ji was standing there. I was overcome with guilt, “How foolish you are to drag out the Master like this!” I said to myself. I was too lost to even offer Him a seat. He walked up and patted me on the back saying, “What is the matter now?” “Maharaj Ji,” I said, pointing to Jag Mohan, “This boy is driving me crazy. Now that he is better he will not rest until he has what he is not supposed to eat.” Maharaj Ji then said to the boy, “Look towards me, into my eyes.” And when the boy did so, He lovingly told him what he was to eat and what he was not to eat.
From then on there was no problem. Maharaj Ji’s grace had worked a miracle. Even if the boy saw others around him eating what he was not supposed to, he showed no signs of being tempted. When he was well enough to go out, we took him to see the Master. His illness and recovery had taken six months. It was around 10:00 in the morning when we reached the Ashram, and the Master was sitting with a large group including a number of foreign disciples. He took up the child and embraced him with great love and setting him on the floor, told those present, “This boy is a rare example of Hazur’s grace—His time was up and he had to go. But through the grace of Hazur he has been given a second life and is well again.”
The Master’s grace has been our anchor ever since we came to His Feet. In fact, looking back, His protection was there even before that, though we were not aware of it at the time. Where does one begin? Where does one end? Maharaj Ji showered His love with such abundance, and Brij Mohan, my husband, has already shared some of his extraordinary experiences. I will now relate an incident which has nothing to do with any member of my family—one I had the privilege to witness which brings out so amazingly Maharaj Ji’s extraordinary humility and His fathomless reverence for His own Satguru, Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj.
Some eleven years ago a marriage had taken place in Delhi. The sister of Joginder Singh who runs the Khushdil Hotel, was getting married. There were many satsangis there and Maharaj Ji came. With the groom came one of the grandsons of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. On seeing him, Maharaj Ji went up to welcome him, and taking off His turban from His head bent to place it at his feet. The young man with great alacrity bent and tried to stop Him. “This is not right,” he said. Maharaj Ji replied, “You are of Hazur’s blood, and nothing is too much by way of honoring you. You are of my Guru’s family and I owe everything to Him.”
The great love and regard with which Maharaj Ji greeted His Master’s descendant and the warmth with which they met each other was a great wonder to us. It was an object lesson in humility. It was such a vivid example of the way in which we should hold our Satguru in deepest reverence.
There were occasions when I would go and help in Maharaj Ji’s kitchen and do the cooking. If something was made with love He would be happy to have it and was sure to appreciate it. As He would sit eating and my husband and I would be standing by serving, He would at times take a piece and share it out among us. He would do it with so much love. If Tai Ji asked what He was doing, He would say with great simplicity, “They look after me and feed me. I must do the same and look after them, mustn’t I?”


The Master’s Drawing Power

S. Ramalingam Naidoo

In December 1967 I received a cablegram in South Africa from our Beloved Master, Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj, asking me to come to Him by January 8th, 1968, and also to accompany Him on a tour. Things happened so suddenly that in three days I completed my affairs and set sail for India on 27th December and arrived at Sawan Ashram on 6th January at 7:40 p.m. With tears in my eyes at the darshan of the Beloved Master, I fell at His Feet. He said, “I have been waiting for you.” Master gave me the gift of Naam two days later, on Monday, 8th January, and as promised, took me on tour the same evening.
On one occasion at night staying at the Agra Hostel, I was not able to meditate properly, and cried for His Beautiful Form. The next morning when I went for His darshan, He smiled and said, “Have you now seen that Beautiful Form?”
Master lovingly called me Naidoo Ji or Naidoo Saheb. Before returning to South Africa, He said, “Why so soon?” Then He added, “I want you to give Naam Initiation over there and carry on this work on my behalf.” I was very humbled. I could not speak. He handed me the instructions of authority. He blessed me time and time again, and hugged me several times. He has now left us physically, but spiritually He is with us always.


The Story of the Kirpal Printing Press

Daram Vir Sharma

I was initiated by Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj in 1946. I was about fourteen years old and I was initiated along with my mother. Although my family was religiously minded, the other members refused to acknowledge the Great Master at Beas—they couldn’t even bear to hear the sound of His name. Such was the opposition within the family that my mother was unable to leave our village to receive Hazur’s initiation; He graciously initiated her through a letter which was sent to her.
After the passing of Hazur from this earth-plane, my mother heard from Bibi Lajwanti, one of His most devoted workers, that Maharaj Kirpal Singh Ji had been appointed to carry on the work of Hazur and was living in Delhi. But it was not until 1953 that we were able to come to Delhi to have the darshan of the new Master. Two years later I came to live in Delhi and went to Sawan Ashram regularly to listen to His Satsangs. Sant Kirpal Singh was always very kind to me and would ask me to wait till after the Satsang so that He could speak to me. In 1964 He suggested that I should buy a house near the Ashram. After this He allowed me to serve Him in a personal way; He was drawing me closer to His Lotus Feet. I was able to travel with Him to several parts of India where I saw many sadhus and saints, but of them all I could see that the Beloved Master had the greatest gift of Spirituality. In discussions they could not stand against Him even for five minutes.
In the early 1960’s I became very ill, so ill that the doctors warned me that if I didn’t give up the vegetarian diet I would be in danger of losing my life. They pressed me to take eggs and advised me to drink brandy. Such was my weakness that I foolishly gave in believing that this would save my life. And such was the greatness of the Master that He took me in His arms, protected me, and helped me to give up these things. I know that it was only the great mercy of the Master that saved me.
It was in the end of 1965 that a meeting was called in Sawan Ashram when the Master was away, and it was decided by the six satsangis who were present that the Ashram should establish a printing press so that it could publish its own material. I had been invited to attend that meeting, but could not. When the Master returned, having been on a short tour, He asked to see me and said that I should take part in setting up this printing press. The fact was that the other members had fallen out of the scheme, and here was the Master asking me to take part. When I told the Master that I didn’t even know the A-B-C of the printing business, the dear Master laughed and said, “That’s of no importance! This work has to be done, and you will see Hazur will bless you.”
On 8th February 1966, the Master inaugurated the Kirpal Printing Press. The Master Himself started the machine, He fed in the paper, and took it out. The first thing that we printed was the Master’s Birthday Message of 1966. He Himself actually printed the first copies.
Shortly after that I was able to buy another four machines and we started printing most of the Beloved Master’s books. In fact we printed about 90% of the Ashram work which included the calendars, the Hindi and Urdu editions of Sat Sandesh, and in 1968 and 1969 the first English editions of Sat Sandesh.Of course, there were many difficulties to be overcome, but the grace of the Master was always there. On one occasion we were very late in bringing out a calendar. The blocks for the colored photographs of the Master not only arrived late, but to my great dismay, the quality did not do the Master justice. However, Mr. Chadda came up with the brilliant idea that I should take the problem to the Master, explaining that if the Master passed the photographs, the whole Sangat would not only approve them but they would be very much appreciated. This I did that very evening, and to my surprise, Master was quite delighted with the photographs, and to my even greater surprise, this calendar indeed proved to be a great success with the Sangat.
My personal experience is that the dear Master showered us with so much love that those who were fortunate enough to serve Him thought that He loved them more than anyone else. When the work was started for Manav Kendra I was nominated by the Great Master to be the cashier on the Management Committee. He took me up there with Him; and although my health had never permitted me to work longer than two hours at a stretch, by the grace of the Master He was taking work out of me from eighteen to twenty hours every day, winter as well as summer! For years I had learned to live with my bad health, and accepted the fact that after every two hours of work I had to lie down and rest. It was the blessings of the Master that enabled me to keep working, sometimes till 2:00 in the night.
The Master would continuously instruct me from day to day and the work of building up Manav Kendra progressed very rapidly. Once I was working in the full heat of the sun; the Master came up to me and said, “The natural heat from the sun protects us from tuberculosis.”
The scheme for planting all the young trees at Manav Kendra was completed in one day, but during the night very heavy rains fell. In the morning I could see that these young trees were waterlogged, so I rushed to get a bucket and started scooping out all the excess water. When the Master saw what I was doing, He came over to me and said, “Yes, plants have to be protected just as we protect young children.”
I remember that the First Unity of Man Conference was scheduled to start on 2nd February 1974. Only five days before, Master ordered me to produce a souvenir program, explaining that it must be ready by the second day of the Conference as the Prime Minister, Mrs. Gandhi, was to attend. You can imagine that was a very difficult order to execute; there were no articles ready and no photographs available—let alone the blocks—and Master wanted it ready in five days! I know it was only His special blessing that enabled us to get two hundred and fifty copies ready in time. When I took these copies to the Master He was very much pleased to see Hazur’s Photo on the cover.
When He was preparing to leave the physical body, in August of that year, the dear Master sent messages through other satsangis for me to come and see Him every day. Whenever I went to have His darshan He would open His eyes, look at me, and silently bless me with great love. My memory of Him is that although I had met so many great leaders and holy men, there was nobody who could come up to Him. Without the Master’s grace I have found that no one in this world can do anything—not even meditation. Without His grace we are nowhere.


The Master’s Saving Grace

S. R. Bhalla

It is difficult to speak about the Master. To speak about Him is only to limit the Limitless.
In 1953 Master wanted me to do some work at Dehra Dun for three days. On the way back I was involved in a scooter accident which could easily have meant my death, but I escaped with only some bruised fingers. Later the Master asked my wife if I had arrived home safely; she thanked Him for protecting me from serious harm. He replied, “You had sent your husband to me. If something serious would have happened, you would have held me responsible—so he had to be saved.”
On one winter night in 1957 my wife and I stayed on at Sawan Ashram until very late. At 1:00 a.m. we went to the Master and asked permission to return home. The Master was busy with his foreign correspondence. We took leave and started home. We were hardly out when the Master came barefoot to the outer gate of His bungalow and called us back. When we returned, He said, “I know you always go home by the shortest way, through the park, but tonight you should go by the other way.” We obeyed Him without question although this meant another three miles to our long ride home.
The next morning I went for the Master’s darshan before going to the office. When I reached the park I found the police were escorting the body of someone who had been murdered in the park the night before. I realized that had we gone through the park we either would have been murdered or involved in a murder case.
I was working on one of Master’s manuscripts and could not go to Him for His darshan for several days. My wife went during the day to deliver the pages to the Master. When she reached the bus stop near the Ashram she fell down, and was unconscious for a few moments. She got up, but had temporarily lost her memory—she could not make out where she was nor where the Ashram was. She wandered about in a dazed condition for about two hours. Then she saw someone standing about a hundred yards away and decided to go ask where Sawan Ashram was. When she came close she was astonished to see it was the Master, and that He was standing in front of the Ashram. He said, “Daughter, I have been waiting here for the last ten minutes just to tell you that I knew you had lost your way. Don’t worry. I hope you have not been injured by the fall.” He then went on to explain, “The circle of births and rebirths for a number of lives has been wiped off through this fall. I am glad you had such a firm determination to reach the Ashram, and that you were successful.”
Master cared for everyone in even the smallest matters. Once when, during the winter, I was working late at the Ashram, my wife decided to meditate in the shed. She was feeling rather cold. The Master came out of His bungalow and went to the shed; He tapped on my wife’s head as she was in meditation and asked her, “Do you want to die? Well, please don’t die here as I shall be held responsible. I’m concerned about your health. My room is for you people. Why do you sit here in the cold? He took my wife into His room and made her sit in front of a heater, adding, “I know you are not keeping well. I know you do not want to disturb me, but I do not want you to suffer.”
On August 15th, 1974 my wife, child and myself spent about half an hour with the Master around 4:00 in the afternoon. He had a thermometer in His hand and told us He was feverish. We were very much upset. My wife touched the Master’s Feet and found them to be burning hot; she implored Him, “Master let me take Your fire.” The Master looked at us with great love and compassion and said to her, “If you fall sick who will look after your child? Who will cook for your husband? And, moreover, you have got to do a lot of work.” My wife replied, “Master, if I lie on the bed, only two people will suffer, but if anything goes wrong with you, hundreds of thousands will suffer. Please give me Your fever!” The Master replied, “I understand your feelings, but no mother would like to give poison to her child. This fever has been given to me as a gift from Sawan Singh. I would not like to part with a gift from my Beloved.” Later on He cryptically said, “Say whatever you like now because afterwards you will not have another opportunity.” We did not understand what He meant. We said, “Master, You are unwell, and You are getting so busy. We, will only come to see You once a month or once in every two months—we don’t want to bother You oftener; we want You to be well.”
We then told Him of some minor difficulties, but He said, “No, this is not a real problem—ask me something of greater importance for you will not have this opportunity again.” We again could not reach to the depth of His words. He was just trying to tell us that we would not see Him again in the flesh.


The Power of our Simplicity

Shirley Tassencourt


JUST
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen
look listen


Master was always trying to bring US into the power of our simplicity. Of course, consciously or unconsciously we were always resisting it. We were trying so hard to keep everything fancy, trying to stay in the dance of the world or the bias of the mind, and He would say with that great energy of His that cut right into the infection like surgery, “All right, simple things are simple.” There was nothing left to do but drop all your lovely complications and DO IT. If you dared to say, coating your pride with humbleness, “I’ll try”—you remember how many seconds you could remain there! “No, don’t say you’ll try.” Your full intention is not behind it, He implied. “Say you’ll do it!”
He really was such a thief. Morning darshan He would come in and sit on the couch, His knees apart, elbows on each knee, hands clasped together, eyes sparkling with jollity. “Any questions? (pause) Do not be afraid, I am no bugbear. Do you think I have long claws or big teeth?”
That’s where we should have run like crazy (if we wanted to continue our dance with Kal). Such a bugbear, our Beloved Master. He just reached out with those incredible hands of His and adroitly removed all excess baggage (mind).
One gal, who was totally dependant on her glasses, had them stepped on during meditation as they lay at her side. She was absolutely panicky at the loss of her heavy lenses, a fear she had carried since childhood. Much to her surprise she had no real problem even with her sharp reduction of vision. Everything was really okay. She was so grateful for this release from the baggage of this old fear.
If you carried ‘the baggage’ that you were incompatible with certain people, that’s for sure who you were cast with, right off. If you were carrying the baggage ‘Here I am half way round the world, I must see India or at least an elephant,’ you most likely got that chance, to your distress, for what was it? in comparison to being with Master!
To those who were laden with the burden of distraction— right off, the first morning He would say, “You are here for no purpose but meditation.” If you were crippled by the opposite weight—“One hour of good meditation is worth a whole night of incorrect practice.” Or if you were really overburdened that way, simply “Stop meditating!” I couldn’t bear it when He said that to me, taking away my dearest possession, but I understood it. We always understood. We know! But it takes a master thief to lift it from us.
Master was always working to bring us down to the simplicity, the no-mind, the clean polished self that could reflect the God in Him back to Him. While you were at His Feet (at the Ashram or with Him) He would give you whatever you needed in a living situation to experience your excess possessions, then very deftly—He’d take it, you’d let Him, and thank God from the bottom of your heart for such a thief.


Master’s Amazing Grace

Shirley Tassencourt


Hanging here (whose intention is heaven)
Between the thousand petalled lotus
And the thousand fingered clutching of old Kal
This eon-old epidemic of desire
Whose stinking karma
Burns with such a high smell,
Help me.
My God,
The miracle
The grace and miracle
That you should send

HIM

This Lord
This Perfection
Who holds the seed of our perfection
Why have we
Forsaken Thee?
HE asked a friend
“What do you want?”
“I want You!”
“You may have me.”



The Merciful Lord

Sushila Mehta


Merciful Master Kirpal Singh was all compassion, so much so that He would Willingly take upon Himself even the sins of others.
I had been married for quite some time. We had five children. It was a horrifying thought to have any more when in 1943 I felt that I was in the family way again. I was extremely miserable. With the consent of my husband I took some special medicine. It had its effect, and I miscarried. But for one full year I suffered terribly from the consequences of this miscarriage. I think I had to pay very dearly for this misdeed.
Two years later I had the good fortune to get initiated by Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. A couple of years after, the country was partitioned and my husband was transferred to Delhi.
It was in 1960 that I went to attend Satsang at Sawan Ashram. A devotee was giving the Satsang, and Master Kirpal Singh Ji was sitting on the dias beside him. In the course of the Satsang the gentleman explained that if any woman had an abortion by operation or otherwise, the Master would not at the time of her death come to receive her soul for taking to higher regions. Hearing this I was dumb-founded and greatly upset; along with my husband, I called on the Master. With tears in my eyes I asked what would happen to me for this foolish act committed seventeen years before. The merciful Master looked at me and consoled me saying, “I take that sin on myself, you should not have any such thought while meditating.” I felt relieved at once, and expressed my sincere gratitude to the Merciful Lord.


Day of Departure and Prayer

Hildegard Loth


Autumn—
and harshness breathes to me:
Loose leaves from far off days—
Yellowed are the words
from the pen of my king.
I neglected his commands—
So even now, from all sides,
the antagonists buffet the house
with fierce winds
and blow the rays from the holy repository.

Autumn—
and harshness drips upon me from above,
dampens the tree, the leafless twigs and branches.
Withered and dead are blossoms
from the brightest days.
The king will come and ask:
Where is the fruit?

Autumn—
and harshness is the voice of the wind to me:
It is late,
winter stands at the threshold.
In sackcloth should you go
twelve miles through the snow
up to the castle of your lord.
Seek from him a New Year
and armour of faith and patience.
Humbly should you implore the king’s heartwarming light,
so that some day
the fruit of your life
shall spring from the blossom on your tree.


Mysterious Are His Ways

B.S. Teji

Before coming to the Lotus Feet of the Holy Master, I, like many others, used to say that there was no need of a Living Master. The scriptures were enough; they provided the necessary food. So I lovingly studied them. But with all that I felt that I was lacking something—and that was inner peace.
I had the good fortune to be posted to Sultanpur Lodhi, the sacred soil where Guru Nanak had lived for fourteen years. It was here that I got my first copy of the Guru Granth Sahib, and made it a point to read from it before going to the Court for my work. One day I forgot; but although I had left my house to go to work, on passing a Gurdwara, I remembered and cycled all the way back so as to say my prayers. During this period of about three years (1968-1971) my constant prayer was—Naam daan ki daat bakhsho—Grant me the gift of Naam.
At this time I had a dream in which I was shown glimpses of the site where Manav Kendra was to be built. I saw on this site a one-room dwelling which existed at that time and where now stands Master’s bungalow. I came to know that this was a place where Guru Gobind Singh Ji had spent some time.
I had not heard the name of Sant Kirpal Singh Ji until I was fortunate enough to hear Him give a discourse near Ludhiana. I began to understand the Truth—this Truth was that I could only receive Naam from a Perfect Master, and that it was a tangible experience. I still had no desire to go to Sawan Ashram—but my time had come! One day my father-in-law decided to go to Delhi to have the darshan of the Holy Master. I had arranged for my wife to accompany him, but at the last minute they insisted that I should go also. This meant that I had to apply for two days leave. It was granted. In fact as this short visit was to coincide with the monthly Satsang held at Sawan Ashram at the beginning of June, 1971, within a few minutes of my decision to go, our number grew to eleven.
As we arrived at the Ashram, the Holy Master was ready to give the evening meditation sitting. I was stunned to see such a large gathering. When the Master went inside His bungalow we were asked to follow. All that He told us I do not remember but this phrase from the Gurbani stands out:
The words of the Guru are the Guru, and Guru is but His words—words being a pool of nectar.
If the disciple follows what the Guru says, the Guru would ferry him safely across.
I had become completely absorbed in His radiation and love. On that day for the first time I understood the difference between “Gurbani” and “Guru ki Bani”—the words of the Master, oral or written (Gurbani), and the Word of the Master made manifest within (Guru ki Bani). The Holy Master, turning to me said, “So you are only staying for two days!” This went straight to my heart because that was the period of my leave.
On the Monday morning I received initiation (Guru ki Bani) from the Holy Master.
In September of that year I went with my wife and youngest son aged three years old to Manav Kendra. One evening Master was giving a Satsang and the child began to cry without any apparent reason. Finally, he said he wanted some sweet water, and I immediately conveyed his demand to the Master, who graciously asked for some sugar to be put in the water and brought to the child. This the Master offered Himself with a piece of burfi (Indian candy), but the child refused to take them. At this the Master closed His eyes for a while, and then after a few seconds, opened them and addressed the child saying, “You will certainly have it one day!” At this the child stopped crying and became more cheerful.
During the stay at Manav Kendra I was happy to do seva of uprooting thorny bushes. As this site was at the far end of Manav Kendra and Master had only recently come out of the
hospital after His operation, it was hard for Him to walk there. The other satsangis working near the road had the benefit of the Master’s darshan every day so I began to feel somewhat deprived. I became restless the next day as I had missed darshan again. But the next evening, after Satsang, the Master managed to say a few words to me, “Do not be so disheartened. I knew you were working at the other end of the site but because of my weak health I could not go there.” I became very ashamed of my vain desire.
During 1972, two colleagues and I completed reading Master’s book on Nanak’s Jap Ji and His Naam or Word, during our lunch breaks. One of my colleagues inquired if what we had read could be had as a practical experience. I invited him to accompany me to see the Holy Master Himself, so together with three lawyers, we went to Delhi, and the gracious Master initiated them all in a separate room. We came back to our work the next day, but my colleague was unable to start his Court duties; he sent a message for me to meet him in his retiring room. There I found him so intoxicated that he could not carry on with his work—he was afraid of falling from his chair!
When the Holy Master came on tour to the Punjab the local satsangis asked me to beg Him to deliver a Satsang in our place at Dasuya. I personally went to Ludhiana to request the Master to come for that purpose. The Master was so kind He changed His program so that one Satsang could be given at our place. I hurriedly went back to tell them the good news and to make arrangements for the Master’s stay. I foolishly thought, however, that one eighty-pound bag of flour would be sufficient for the langar, and this was ordered. When the Master arrived, Satsang was arranged in the Court compound.
There was such a huge gathering that I very soon became aware that I had made inadequate food arrangements; it appeared to me that Master’s visit had been turned into a disaster by my foolishness. I became very ashamed of myself, and when the Holy Master left my house, I lay on the ground in despair fully convinced that I had lost everything. I was still weeping when a car arrived at my house and I was told that the dear Master had asked for my wife and me to join Him at the next stop on His Punjab tour.
The Master was so merciful that He then took us on to His next stop and even then would not let us go—we were requested to accompany Him for the rest of the day which meant we not only were with Him for His visits to three separate towns, but all the time He was showing me quite silently how arrangements should be made. Thus I learnt in one day what my thirty-five years of living had not taught me. The Holy Master did not utter a single word about my shortcomings: He simply showed me how things should work.
Mysterious are the ways and teachings of the Holy Master!


He Came to Save the Sinners

Naseeb Kaur

Long before I actually met Maharaj Ji I used to see Him in my dreams. I, however, felt that I was being haunted by some evil spirit, for during the day as well this figure would overshadow me even when I was engaged in domestic chores.
In June 1971 I had an opportunity to visit Delhi and to meet Maharaj Ji. When alone with Him I said, “I recognize You all right. But Your radiance within is far greater than it is without.” He was going to explain, when I queried, “When did we meet before?” “I know you from many lives ago,” was His reply. “When you will go within, you will see that radiance.” Now I was quite satisfied and felt convinced of His competency. Yet there was one thing that kept rankling in my mind; I was fasting when I had come, and it occurred to me that if Maharaj Ji was a perfect Saint, He would help me break my fast. I had hardly gone out of the room when a sevadar called me back. Maharaj Ji sweetly said, “Excuse me. I am sorry. I forgot I had to help you break your fast—come in—have a cup of tea before you.” As commanded, I broke my fast. There was now not the least doubt in my mind about His being God-incarnate.
One afternoon, seva was being done near the Father’s Home in Manav Kendra. A satsangi sister was resting on one of the stairs leading to it. I, however, sat down to rest far below. She called me to come up where she was sitting. I replied, “No sister, I am the lowest of the low —a great sinner. It is His grace that He has accepted me and granted me the gift of Naam which I hardly deserved. I ought to have valued it more.” I had just said this when Maharaj Ji sauntered up with a walking stick in His hand, and said, “I have come to save the sinners—the righteous are already saved!” I told the sister that Maharaj Ji had just come. She said, “No, it cannot be—He never stirs out at this hour, particularly when it is hot outside.” To ascertain the position, I ran to His residence. I found Tai Ji and Mohan (the driver) resting. “Where is Maharaj Ji?” I inquired. “He is resting inside,” was the reply. As I was keen to meet Him, Mohan said, “Why now? He is resting at the moment.” In the meanwhile Maharaj Ji from inside asked him to let me enter. I went in and inquired if He had just been outside. He said, “No, ask these people here and make sure.” Then He lovingly blessed me as if I were His own child — but He never revealed the secret of His bilocation.
Once we went from Dasuya to Srinagar to pay our homage to Maharaj Ji who was staying in the house of S. Jaswant Singh; He called me to His room and said, “Even if you are overtaken by a serious mishap, you have not to worry at all.” “When Your protecting hand is over my head, why should I bother?” I replied. But inwardly I felt as if I had been stung.
On our way back, when in Jammu, Maharaj Ji put us into meditation. While within, I saw two satsangis taking a truck loaded with wood for my village; a satsangi was to leave his mortal coil—and this fuel was for his cremation. That very day when we reached home, we learned that our father had been walking up and down outside the house, and some satsangis subsequently told us that when people inquired from him as to what he was doing, he replied, “I am preparing to meet my Lord.” He came out of the house, was on his way to the bus stand to catch a bus, when suddenly he collapsed and breathed his last. I kept steady without shedding a tear; it was all His blessings; Maharaj Ji’s protecting hand was indeed over my head.


His Word was God’s Word

Kuldip Kaur Mehta

Maharaj Kirpal Singh Ji was my youngest uncle, and ever since I can remember, His word was God’s word for all of us in the family. Whatever He said even casually turned out to be true. My father, Sardar Prem Singh, the eldest of the three brothers, was not keeping good health. One morning, before going to work, Maharaj Ji remarked to him that on that day there would be one family member less. He went away, and all day long, seeing himself the most likely subject of this prophecy, my father kept waiting for the end. When Maharaj Ji returned and the evening advanced, he brought up the subject. Maharaj Ji looked surprised and said, “But did I say it was going to be you? I never did.” A little later Maharaj Ji’s own son was suddenly taken ill and in a couple of hours he was gone.
Maharaj Ji’s love for everyone is proverbial. But He held my mother in special esteem, for what reason I do not know— maybe because she was His eldest sister-in-law. He loved us all very much, and after my father died He gave us the love which a father gives his children. When I was to be married, He attended to everything and it was He who gave me away as the bride. After the ceremony was over and I was preparing to leave with my husband, He embraced me and His parting words of advice were: “Deepo (as He always called me) you are now going to your husband’s home and from this day that will be your home. There are two things I want you to remember: first, never give yourself airs on account of your parents among your in-laws and their family; second, whenever you come to meet anyone from your parental family, respect the privacy of your in-laws and do not carry back any tales. If you can remember this you will be able to avoid a good deal of trouble.”
I settled down to a new way of life, and the years passed with their ups and downs. My husband was an initiate of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh, and he too, from his childhood, knew Maharaj Ji very closely as he and his parents lived in Lahore. Being on the Path and sharing this love for Maharaj Ji from our early years has been a bond of great strength between us; but there was one sorrow, one emptiness in my life: I had no children. Each time I was in the family way, something would go wrong and it would all end in disappointment. After the third such failure, I wept bitterly, exclaiming: “Mother, my neighbors and friends tell me this or that. Someone tells me I must be under the shadow of some evil spirit, another tells me to go to this shrine or to that temple, still another advises I get some charmed thread or talisman. They want me to go to this holy man or to that, but Mother for me Maharaj Ji is everything and I do not see why I should go to anyone else. I cannot bring myself to it.” On my mentioning Maharaj Ji my mother (Mata Janaki) took out a letter she had received from Him. He had remembered me and had asked her to bring me along with her when she went to Rajpur. “If I come,” I said, “I am going to have it out with Him! He Himself is the greatest—He can do anything. Why doesn’t He do something for me?”
I accompanied my mother to Rajpur, and we would visit Maharaj Ji every morning. The first two days I could not muster my courage to say anything. On the third morning, Maharaj Ji was indoors. My mother went in but I continued to sit outside. Seeing her, Maharaj Ji said, “Hasn’t Deepo come today?” On learning I was sitting outside, He exclaimed, “Have I put an ‘out of bounds’ sign outside? Then why is she outside?” And He called for me to come in. My mother then said that I had come prepared to have a row with Him. Maharaj Ji sat up on His bed and said, “Come right in. I am ready for the fight. Start!” He no sooner gave the signal than I let myself go, unlocking the tale of my woe. “You are my Guru, you are my God, You are my everything. Then why should others have to tell me to go here or there, to get this talisman or that?” I asked. As I let myself go, Maharaj Ji had got up from His bed and had come to sit by me. He comforted me and laughed at me, “So you want a talisman? So you want a magic thread? Give me a piece of paper and we will make a talisman for her.” Tai Ji handed Him a pen and a bit of paper and He began drawing all kinds of things on it and handed it to me. Then after I had my say and my sobbing had subsided, He pointed to a fruit tree outside, “Have you seen how it grows, how it comes to flower, how from the flower the raw fruit emerges, and how in course of time you get the ripe mango from the raw fruit? The human body is like a tree which comes to flower and later to fruit. Such is the nature of life.” He patted me and reassured me, “Hazur’s hand is always over you. You don’t have to worry. All will be well!”
Such was the magic in His words that I left completely assured. When I was in the family way again, things began to go wrong as in the past. My mother wrote to the Master, and He replied suggesting that I place myself under a doctor’s treatment. He further suggested that she bring me to Rajpur. I went with my mother, and when Maharaj Ji would come up we would have His darshan. One day when He was visiting, He picked up my bottle of medicine and seeing the label, began reading out with evident amusement, “ ‘Male child guaranteed.’ Ah ha, sure guarantee! Son for sure!” Noting the irony in His tone I told my mother that it would be a girl for sure, not a boy.
When the time came, Maharaj Ji was in Delhi, The last three days were extremely difficult—a nightmare. Finally on 6th October a little past midnight I was delivered of a daughter by Caesarean section.
Maharaj Ji came to visit me in hospital two days later. When I spoke of my acute weakness on account of the operation, He comforted me, “What is an operation? When the plaster begins falling off the wall, the mason comes and clears it all away, takes out all the loose bits, and replasters it. He then puts a coat of whitewash over it and it is all the same once again, no difference—it is perfectly the same again. An operation is like that too. These doctors, they cut you up, fix everything in place, stitch you up again and you are as well as you ever were. So don’t worry, you will be on your feet soon.” He had only to say these words, and it became so.


In His Service

Jiwan Singh

It was in 1930 that the God Power guided me to the Feet of Hazur Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. When I stood with folded hands before that Exalted Being, He looked at me for about five minutes and then permitted me to enter the Initiation Hall. At that time Maharaj Kirpal Singh was delivering Satsang at Lahore, to water saplings like me. One day my youngest brother came from his village to see me so I did not go to Satsang. That night Hazur appeared to me in a dream and rebuked me: “An instruction was given to you, but you have overlooked it.” From that day I did not miss a single Satsang of His Holiness Sant Kirpal Singh.
In addition to delivering Satsang at Lahore and Amritsar, His Holiness was asked by Hazur to deliver Satsang in Sheikapura, a town about thirty miles away. His Holiness used to go there by bus. He did not accept even a glass of water from Sardar Sanghara Singh at whose residence Satsang was held; He returned to Lahore without drinking or eating anything. The same was the case when He went to Amritsar for Satsang.
My personal acquaintance with His Holiness Sant Kirpal Singh started in 1938 when I was permitted to help Him collect material for Gurmat Sidhant; this afforded me the opportunity to meet Him almost daily. His description in Gurmat Sidhant of the relationship between Master and disciple, and the love and respect linking them, made a great impact on all of us. I would collect from His house whatever part of the manuscript of Gurmat Sidhant that was ready; I would make a fair copy of it by hand, and return it next morning.
Once when I went to collect the work, He explained some points in the manuscript and blessed me as usual; but when I looked back after leaving Him, I found He was still looking at me. I looked back two or three times more—He was still standing there looking at me. I could not understand this at the time. The next day I had a very bad fall; I had to remain in bed for a month. It was then that I realized the grace of the Godman had saved me from permanent injury.
One morning I entered His room, He was sleeping on a cot. I saw His naked feet and the Padam—lotus sign. Exactly at 9:30 He got up; He praised the Guru Power for His prompt awakening. In five minutes He was dressed, we both went downstairs, and He gave me the necessary instructions. So simple and innocent were His ways that no one could realize He was an officer of the Military Accounts Department let alone a God-in-man.
After retirement in 1968, I came to Sawan Ashram and started helping S. Bishan Singh Ji with the library work. Later the accountancy work was also entrusted to me. I would show His Holiness the day-to-day transactions listed in a ledger so that He could check all the Ashram activities. This was a special blessing to be able to have His darshan every evening before I left the Ashram for my home. I have had my shortcomings, but He continued showering His love on me.
I did not press any of my relatives, except my wife, to become disciples of Hazur or of His Holiness Sant Kirpal Singh. As a duty I brought them all to Satsang so that even if they could not accept the Path now, it may be of benefit should it be their destiny to meet a competent Master in their next lives. However, the Great Master was so gracious; one night my brother-in-law could not get relief from a cough and heavy cold; he was suddenly awakened and saw Light with the Form of Hazur changing into that of His Holiness Sant Kirpal Singh. He was ordered by His Holiness to give up alcohol and meat, and told there would then be no more disease. He obeyed, his health improved, and later on the whole family willingly became disciples. Twice when their car was overturned all of them were saved. His Holiness used to tell us, “The Savior is more powerful than the negative power.” Such blessings one can never forget.


How We Met The Master

Ric Finnie

The Master physically appeared before us in early September 1970. This happened in a forest in the Himalayas not far from the source of the river Beas. My wife was present and my son was awaiting birth.
To fully describe the experience requires a brief explanation to show how I found out who actually appeared before me and what we were doing there at the time; all Master’s wonderful work to be sure.
Before going to India, I and a friend (who is also an initiate of Master Kirpal) heard of a boy who had the reputation of having some inner knowledge and inner light. We decided to go and see him. He was living five hundred miles away from our residence and when we walked in he was sitting on the floor in a half lotus position—he had a shining face. He talked to us, and he showed us some pictures and gave us information on Master Kirpal Singh. We left the residence of that boy with a boost.
About six months later when my wife and I went to India overland from Europe we decided to spend the monsoon months in the Himalayas. We were directed by some friend to Manali in the Kulu Valley, a hill station well known for natural beauty, snowy peaks, green forests, fast rivers, apple orchards and a number of thousand-year-old temples. It all had a very peaceful radiation. As soon as we arrived we looked for a house to live in. We often took walks in the forest; it was not a big forest but the pine trees stood very tall. The forest floor was clear and light, full of good mushrooms to gather. There was the site of the Old Adimba Temple. This was a sacred forest in the gods’ valley. Our house was on the edge.
One day we noticed two new cars had come to the neighborhood, to the resthouse which was surrounded by an apple orchard at the edge of the forest. The occupants attracted our attention; we saw these people several times during the next few days as they came and went. As we were going home through the forest in the evening around sunset we came upon two men seemingly out for a walk. Both were elderly Indians, one dressed in Western style, and one in the Sikh form. The one who was a Sikh engaged me in polite conversation, asking where I was from, and how we enjoyed India and so on. The moment He addresscd me my consciousness was immediately, irresistibly, drawn up to the level of the third eye, and while I answered His questions my voice was trembling. I did not know the reason for this helplessness of mine; I noticed only His head with much Light in the face. I was looking at Him like a child, and after a few moments like this I realized Who He was; I exclaimed quite loudly in a childlike way, “Oh!” He then said, “Thank you very much,” and stepped back. After that I didn’t see Him
anymore. No sooner had I realized who it was than He had confirmed it—I was completely intoxicated with some sort of Divine Nectar. I must have stayed like that for three or four hours. I didn’t want to talk to anyone or be with them. Just after the moment of meeting I started to walk home quickly as there was no point in losing what I had just received. I had never experienced anything like that and wanted to safeguard it. Anyway, the other man came after me and he seemed quite surprised to have witnessed this happening. He asked in a serious way if I was a vegetarian and was I interested in spirituality, was I meditating, and things like that.
Anyway, before taking initiation in 1972 in Montreal, Canada, we wrote to the Master and He confirmed His presence in the forest at that time.
Our second personal meeting occurred at Hardwar during the Kumbha Mela of 1974. I would say it is a personal souvenir in exceptional circumstances.
My wife, my son and I attended the Conference on Unity of Man at Sawan Ashram; when it was over we went to south India to the place where our son had been born. After one month we returned to Delhi, and desiring to see the Master once more, we proceeded to Dehra Dun (Manav Kendra). Arriving there we were told Master had left that day and there was no room so we could not stay there at night. We heard the Master was in Hardwar and no foreigners were to go there. As we had the intention to see the Kumbha Mela we left for Hardwar the next morning after a poor night in a Dehra Dun hotel. We took a group taxi to Hardwar. We didn’t know what was going on with the Master over there and we weren’t sure it would be possible to see Him. Anyway, we started by taking a refreshing bath in the Ganges, then we crossed the bridges over the fast flowing river; the place was full of pilgrims. From a distance we noticed a banner with the names of Ruhani Satsang and Kirpal Singh on it, so we walked over the dry bed part of the Ganges where there was a nest of camps on the opposite bank. We were happy to find the way home but not too sure of the kind of reception we were to expect. We arrived in the middle part of the day, the camp was practically empty, there were a few Indian disciples, and the langar staff. Master was in His tent resting. There was another Western boy and he was also not too sure of his reception at the Camp. In the afternoon we went into Master’s tent and Master asked where we were putting up, and if we had any bedding, and finally agreed to let us stay in the security tent. He told us to make the best use of our time while we were there.
Every morning and evening there was a Darshan, and the Master would put the devotees into meditation; there was peace, beauty, and bliss of the simplest, unforgettable quality. We had an opportunity there to see Master doing the work of God among His humble faithful brothers. The Master, after having put these people into meditation, would move on to a bench on the right side of the gathering, put His turban near Him on the bench, and look lovingly all over mother earth so specially sacred and dear to Him—He must have known that this was His last Kumbha Mela in the old tired body He had asked to work so much. Anyone who would have looked into His eyes at that time would have felt deeply related and very close to Him as one could see He was enjoying the gift of life and love in a very sweet and penetrating fashion.
The next day was the highlight of our stay at Hardwar with the Master, this was the opening procession of the Mela at the end of which thousands of pilgrims go bathing together into the sacred river.
We all went to the side of the procession route; Master came and sat down in a chair with all His children around Him under a freshly painted banner of Ruhani Satsang. Then we all watched the procession. Master had a basket of garlands of orange fragrant flowers. We could see many bands and military men on beautiful big horses who would keep the crowd in order and then thousands of sadhus, rishis, mahatmas, and swamis wearing different robes in sacred colors. Thousands of naked sadhus coming down from the mountains were bearing garlands of orange flowers and had their long hair tied in chignons bigger than their heads. Some naked sadhus, both male and female, had long hair, but some had shaved heads. Others were in orange robes, and some wearing brilliant dresses were carried on flower-covered litters. Statues of gods were carried, some sadhus were dancing, and others playing music. Many swamis stopped at Master’s feet, and they were garlanded and embraced by Him. The procession lasted more than two hours and it was the most fantastic thing we ever watched. It is considered by Indians as a great blessing to be there, and we felt there the powerful sacred charging of mystic India in the pure tradition of all time at the feet of our most sacred Master.
After three days and two nights, the Master left to go to Manav Kendra, and like everybody else, we just followed.


The Abundance of Love

B. N. Mehta

I was initiated at the age of sixteen by Baba Bagga Singh of Tarn Taran who was an initiate of Baba Jaimal Singh. I did not fully grasp the theory which he taught, I only remembered the mantra which he gave me. I was God-fearing from a very early age and I had great regard for all saints.
I heard about Sant Kirpal Singh Ji Maharaj through my mother who used to attend His Satsangs; she pressed me to go also, but I avoided it. I can never forget my first meeting with the Master—it was in 1952. I was standing near our house, and the Master came walking by with some other people. When we passed each other I immediately knew that He was Sant Kirpal Singh although I had never seen Him before. We stood and stared at each other; that look I can never forget. It was that look which brought me to His Holy Feet—although I did not go to Him until three years later. I used to go to the office on a bicycle, and I used to pass close to Sawan Ashram. One day my bicycle somehow turned into the Ashram; I don’t know how it happened. There was a gathering of people, and Master was on the dais; at that time I was not much impressed, and I soon left. After a week my bicycle took me there again, I was drawn into the Ashram. On that day the Master was not feeling well and the Sangat was listening to a tape recording of one of His discourses—the Master was inside His house. I felt critical that the Sangat was outside and the Master was inside His house, so again I went away. But on the next visit I stayed for a longer time; I received something, some pleasure, something which I can’t describe—indeed nobody can describe what that pleasure is. Immediately after that Satsang it was announced that the Master was leaving for His first foreign tour and would be away for six or seven months. It was also announced that He would give initiation on the following day.
I felt the next six months would be a very difficult time for me unless I had been initiated, so I felt the greatest need for initiation. I asked my wife if she was ready for it, and although she said she was not, both of us went next morning to the Ashram.
We didn’t know the rules of the Ashram, we just sat under a tree about fifty feet from the Master’s house; we were alone, all the other people were standing by the gate of the Master’s house waiting for Him to come out. When the Master came out He immediately came to us without talking to anyone else. We were so astonished, we had never met Him before, and here He was coming directly to us! We folded our hands in respect, Master asked us, “You have come?” I said, “Yes.” I was so very pleased — so astonished. He then asked, “Why have you come? For initiation? All right, come along.” So we sat for initiation, and with His blessing both of us had a good experience; our spiritual life started from that day.
I began going to the Ashram every day; I enjoyed it because at that time the Sangat was so full of love, everyone would talk about the Master during His absence. I felt the Master was showering love towards me and that “He is my own and I am His.”
When the Master returned He would order everyone to keep the diary; I used to show Him my diary every day, and He was very pleased; He guided me and helped me to reform my life. Once at Satsang I was sitting just in front of Him—He just looked into my eyes and what I got that day I can never forget; golden rays came from His eyes. He raised me above body-consciousness and I saw beams of golden Light.
Before my wife died in 1963, Master very clearly told me, “She is leaving. You are not to worry about her soul, I’ll take care of it.” He saved me from any sorrow and grief. The morning we took her mortal remains to the cremation place the Master was holding initiation at the Ashram. I sent Him a message and He just kept silent for a few moments. In the evening He came to my house. My children were so very sad, they were crying. The Master told us, “Although I was in the initiation hall this morning I was also with you at the cremation place.” These are words which I can never forget—“I was with you there.” How much love He gave me at that time!
Then He brought me closer to His Holy Feet; He gave me some seva, construction work, and afterwards the general management of the Ashram. Master told me that before I started any work I should always consult Him; He would sometimes scold me if I did anything without getting His permission first.
On one occasion a certain satsangi had repeatedly imposed himself on the Master; the Master had already devoted time to him. Later, when the Master walked out of His house, he tried to stop Him once again. This time the Master decided to ignore him, and He walked on. The satsangi was in great distress and called out, “For the sake of Hazur You must talk to me!” The moment he mentioned the name of Baba Sawan Singh the Master stopped at once and returned to talk to him. I was standing nearby and afterwards the Master remarked to me that since He had been called in the name of His Guru He had no choice but to stop; such was His reverence for the name of His Master.
Once a young woman came to see the Master. After the usual greetings the Master asked her, “Anything new?” She had nothing to report, so He said again, “Are you sure you have nothing new to tell me?” She then remembered that the day before a centipede had got onto her hand. Master asked her what she had done about it. “I just panicked and cried, ‘Oh Maharaj Ji!’ and tried to shake it off.” “And did it come off?” the Master asked, “Oh Maharaj Ji, it came right off through Your grace.” On hearing this Master looked at her and then at all the satsangis present and said, “Even the insects and animals listen to me—it is only you humans who do not.”
I was once on tour with the Master, and we visited Ludhiana. At Satsang there I happened to see a holy man who looked rather like Baba Bagga Singh, my first Guru. Seeing this resemblance I began to remember my former teacher, and I had an intense desire to have his darshan again, especially as he lived in those very parts. Later in the evening the Master invited me to go for a walk with Him. As we walked about the streets I suddenly found myself outside a house where Baba Bagga Singh was sitting on the veranda. Leaving me there the Master turned and walked rapidly away. He had answered my wish, but for my part I was frightened—was it possible that He was angry with me and that was why He had left me so suddenly and quickly? I hurried after Him but no matter how fast I walked the Master walked much faster and I could not catch up with Him.
During His last days on earth the Master gave us many hints of His coming departure. On about August 14th Master was lying on the roof terrace in the evening. Dr. Harbhajan Singh suggested that His bed be moved away from under the tree, adding that it was not healthy to be there. The Master remarked, “There aren’t many days left. But if you must,” and motioned for the bed to be moved. When I remarked to Him, “You give us such an abundance of Your love in such excess, and we don’t deserve it,” He replied, “It will not go on like this.” He said this only a few days before the end, and I did not realize His meaning.


Coming to His Feet

Rudolf Cascone

If this article causes any reader the least displeasure I most humbly beg for forgiveness from the loving heart of His Holiness Sant Kirpal Singh.
I was born in New York and lived in Brooklyn and Long Island for many years—everyone knows how city life can tincture one’s personality. Resentment is an easy thing to acquire as an accepted mode of social behaviour. It is only when one meets a Living Example of True Love and Holiness that all these social modes begin to depart and one begins to move in, and be motivated by love for God’s creation, all humanity and all nature.
Sometimes at moments of despair my heart would cry out for truth and love from God, and would wish there was a true Path to follow with others of the same mind searching for true love and fellowship.
My prayer was answered in the God-form of my cousin. She would be my direct link to this Path. She was involved in yogas, spiritual and mystical circles with which I had had only brief encounters. But the message was so clear that now was to be the time for me to make myself ready, and my cousin would lead me to the truth.
I had already left my job some four years ago and had moved to Florida as I knew that whatever would happen would happen there.
After a few weeks of being associated with my cousin, her family and friends, my whole life was being drastically changed and overhauled. Truth was being stressed in my work and relationship between individuals. After attending a few meditation meetings at a Unity Church, strange and wonderful things were taking place. I would hear trumpets all around and at different times, telling me to wake up, wake up, the time has come. At first I would suppose it to be outside on the radio or a passing car, but later I found it to be within myself. Then my cousin introduced me to a young couple who lived next door to her who were initiates of Master Kirpal Singh; I was advised to read Morning Talks and other books of the Master.
From the experiences and dreams I was having, my cousin deduced that something of a great nature was about to happen to me and perhaps it was linked up with this great Saint from India who was coming to the West. The eventful day arrived in December 1972 when the Master would appear at the Gait Ocean Mile Hotel in Florida. We were driving along the route towards the Hotel and all along the trumpets were still in my ear, but once we were within a mile or so of the Hotel it stopped; all was silence.
There were hundreds of people there as we awaited the Master. Later my cousin said that around me was a pink aura. The Master had a star in His right eye as He gave darshan to everyone. My cousin said He looked just like a big babe sitting there. We went the next night to see Him, and we all took initiation papers not knowing if it was the right thing to do. I wrote my cousin a letter the day after expressing my doubts as to the Master’s authenticity and expressed these doubts verbally to her, to which she replied that He was, in her estimation genuine—a true Saint. She told me to sit on the beach with her husband who was in the same boat as I was in. It now came to me at this point to sacrifice all doubt. I knew she was right and I knew I would have to take the first step forward towards the Master. This I did that very day. There was a meeting in a local high school which I attended where the Master was speaking. The Master was to have two meetings here, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. As I was early, I browsed around and looked at some books. Two books struck my eye: Mystery of Death and Spirituality. I watched two young men struggle over which book to buy, when one finally chose Mystery of Death this decision made me choose the other book, which was more of a beginner’s introduction to the Path. I sat down on the right side of the auditorium awaiting the Master. I felt that a decision made on my own without any prompting was the right and only way to make any sense. I was all alone now and it was just myself and a Saint; I needed help.
My mind was revolting from the position in which the self had placed it. It now realized it would have to sacrifice everything at the Feet of this Master and was so outlandish in its requests I fain repeat them here for fear of shocking some dear ones. I truly needed help, and at an appropriate time while looking at the book on my lap a light flashed from its cover and struck the eye of someone sitting in the row behind me. He waited for a moment and then got up and sat next to me introducing himself. He told me how he had a difficult time deciding to be initiated. He pointed out a passage where the Master said He would accept anyone on an experimental or trial basis to see for himself the worth and value and competency of the Master and the Path.
I had already decided to be initiated and needed no prompting in this, but I was grateful for the company and friendliness sent by the God Power overhead. The struggle continued however, as the Master came down the aisle towards me I was in a turbulent strife and not wanting to even be near Him. As the crowd surged forward I too was pushed to within a few feet from where the Master would pass. I was now the first on the aisle. I repeated my wish not to be so close but my new friend insisted it would be my pleasure. Here I waited for the Master to pass by. With hands folded I greeted Him. He walked on His toes and as He walked He was aware of everything and everyone being very careful and gentle. He was dressed in white. As He came to me His whole body took hold and He rose within Himself to a tight strain as if He were walking on the edge of a wire. I knew He had felt all my turbulent emotions and hostility.
The Master spoke for a while, and after answering many questions, the meeting ended. But now the turbulence was multiplied and I left the building to ride about in my car, and
reevaluate what had taken place. My mind was now so against Him that it was only through sheer obstinate will, and the righteousness which was saying this is the last chance I had in life and I should not lose it at any cost, which drew me back.
Back again at the high school I was found by my new friend. He now told me I should be seated in a more appropriate seat. He took a pillow he had and placed it right at the Feet of the Master, and made me sit there. Thanks to the Master I have never had any more trouble of this nature. The mind had accepted Him by His Grace. The next day was initiation day and we were told not to eat anything, but a little tea was acceptable. I arrived early at the Women’s Club in Ft. Lauderdale, and the previous evening I had made sure of its location. My cousin had mentioned to me to be aware of every detail of moments of importance like this. So each step was noted, what number was given to me as I signed the register and where I should sit: on the Master’s right and in the front row.
The Master came with a few other disciples. It was a beautiful morning. As the instructions were being given we all settled down and meditation began. I had not been aware of hardly anyone else except the Master and my eyes were from the last days enlarged and slightly extended from the sockets. So in meditation I could not keep them closed for any length of time, and naturally they opened; to my surprise I found the Master was seated on a chair directly in front of me looking straight at me. As I looked at Him, He was not angry, rather He was smiling. We seemed to be talking to each other. He said, “Oh, you caught me.” But I said, “Oh no, it is You who have caught me.” Then as I looked deeper I asked, “Who are You?” And it was then that He separated Himself into layers right in front of my eyes. Each layer or each part separate from each other; and He would change color also, from light to dark and vice versa. I then closed my eyes in respect, and the Master came down with such agility it sounded as if He were bouncing down to where I was and came around in back of me where He bent my head forward and pressed my eyes back into my sockets.
I had good experience from then on and kept my head bent forward in a humble manner and received His grace of Naam, burning the seed of karmic impressions so as to make them not take root, all by His grace. The Master then blessed our food and left for His hotel and a little later, the airport.
So He came, this wondrous Godman from the East to give His priceless jewel of love and grace of which my heart and soul were to know its worth only later.



Part Three