Inclined towards God since childhood
The founder of the Sant Nirankari Mission, Baba Buta Singh
Ji was born in the year 1873 at Village Hudwal, Distt. Kaimalpur
(Pakistan) in the family of Shri Bishan Singh Ji and Smt. Mayawanti
Ji.He had spiritual leaning from the very childhood and had developed a
special aptitude for reciting Gurbani (holy verses from the Adi Granth).
Meeting True Master…his Satguru
On a day in 1913, Baba Buta Singh was singing at a congregation.
With tears in his eyes, he sang: Mohan ghar aavo, haun karon jodariya (O
Lord, come home, I humbly entreat.).Those sitting in the congregation
were enjoying the delightful recitation. One of them, Bhai Sahib Kahan
Singh Ji, who was also listening to Baba Buta Singh Ji with rapt
attention, noted the repetition of the above line.
Meeting with Avtar Singh Ji – foundation of Sant Nirankari Mission
The Sant Nirankari Mission had its formal beginning on May 25,
1929, the day when Baba Avtar Singh Ji received God-knowledge from Baba
Buta Singh Ji and joined him in taking the spiritual light to as many
people as possible.The orthodox elements of the time did resist them but
indirectly served to make the Mission known to more and more people.
The last Journey
It is said that Baba Buta Singh Ji knew about his end. In 1943,
he was convalescing at a popular tourist resort, Koh Murree (now in
Pakistan). Some of his disciples were looking after him. He asked Baba
Avtar Singh Ji to call other disciples also.
When most of the disciples assembled, Baba Buta Singh Ji asked Baba
Avtar Singh Ji to arrange for some white sheets, etc. normally required
at the time of funeral.
| Baba Avtar Singh Ji (1899-1969) |
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Childhood Days
Baba Avtar Singh Ji was born in a small village named
Latifal in Jhelum District ( now in Pakistan) on December 31, 1899 in
the family of Shri Mukha Singh Ji and Smt. Narayani Devi Ji. He was
being brought up with due affection and indulgence, but when he was just
6 years, his father died after brief illness.
The Holy Meeting
On 25 May 1929 came the turning point in the life of Baba
Avtar Singh
Ji, when he met his guru Baba Buta Singh Ji in Peshawar. Ecstasy took
hold of him and he was all praise for the Master and Nirankar, the
Formless God all around. He surrendered himself completely to Baba Buta
Singh Ji and announced that hereafter his life would follow the way as
Baba Buta Singh Ji would lead.
Expansion
Baba Avtar Singh Ji succeeded Baba Buta Singh Ji and
preached the divine message during the period from 1943 to 1962. He was
all out for the uplift of mankind through dissemination of the divine
word. He faced opposition from different fronts in carrying out his
missionary obligations, but he remained moulded and welded to the Truth.
He appeased the flood of opposition with his deep spirit of humility
and love. He possessed wonderful skill to convince his critics, provided
they chose to listen to him. There are many instances where critics,
after listening to Baba Ji, joined the Mission and dedicated their lives
to the propagation of its message.
Organisational Set-up
To give an organisational outfit to the expanding Mission,
Baba Avtar Singh Ji founded Sant Nirankari Mandal in 1948 and got it
registered with Headquarters at Delhi.Establishing branches in various
cities with Pramukhs-incharge also came in the priority agenda of the
Master for holding regular congregations and taking forward the message
of the Mission. For this very purpose, Sant Nirankari Sewa Dal also came
into being in 1956 with Chacha Pratap Singh
Ji as its Head.
Devotee Once Again – A rare example
One of the unique things related to Baba Avtar Singh Ji is
that during his life time itself he took a decision to revert from the
Satguru to an ordinary devotee. The Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam which
opened on November 5, 1963 was, of course, the first occasion when
devotees from all over saw Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji as the Spiritual Head
of the Mission. With this, the Satguru stood manifested in Baba
Gurbachan Singh Ji.
Last Journey
Going by worldly norms, having been the spiritual head of the
Mission for about 20 years, many devotees insisted that Baba Avtar
Singh Ji be given a grand funeral with sandal wood etc.
| Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji (1930-1980) |
" It seems that nothing has been talked about,
More than God. Yet, few care to realise Him."
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Early Life
Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji was one of those great masters who
lived and died for the noble cause of human unity through spiritual
awakening. Throughout, he endeavored to transform the demoniac face of
human society and inculcate the spirit of peaceful co-existence, love
and harmony. He was pained to find people quarrelling and suffering
because of hatred generated by ignorance, blind faith and superstition.
Head of the Mission
On December 3, 1962, while addressing a gathering of
devotees at Paharganj in Delhi, Baba Avtar Singh Ji declared that
hereafter they should address Gurbachan Singh Ji as Satguru, the True
Master. On November 5, 1963, the entire Nirankari world saw the Satguru
already manifested in him when they assembled in Delhi for the 16th
Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam.
Organisational Reforms
With the passage of time, the fast growing number of
devotees needed some organizational reforms. For this purpose, Baba Ji
convened the First Mussoorie Conference on July 17 & 18, 1965, which
was attended by the organizers and the preachers of the Mission. A
number of important decisions were taken to streamline the
administrative outfit and to spread message of Mission. To this end, the
administrative work of the mission in the country was divided into four
zones.
A Multidimensional Vision
Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji believed in prompt execution keeping both
short-term and long-term objectives in mind. He implemented his vision
by taking small steps and never delayed short-term actions simply
waiting for long-term plans to materialize.That is why he was able to
turn the apparently impossible looking into the possible. A little ahead
of the Sant Nirankari Colony, the Mission had a large piece of
wasteland. In 1965, when the country was facing a severe shortage of
food grains, Baba Ji thought of contributing his mite in this direction
by bringing the said wasteland under cultivation.
Resistance
Quite predictably, the voice of truth first raised by Baba
Buta Singh Ji and Baba Avtar Singh Ji and now spread by Baba Gurbachan
Singh Ji was resisted by the orthodox.The rapid progress of the Mission
had sometimes upset these elements to the level of desperation. Many a
time, Baba Ji called upon them to first understand the Mission and then
point out if there was anything wrong. But all his gestures fell flat on
them. Congregations were disturbed at many places. Violent attacks were
also reported from several centers.
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