On 13th May 2016, millions of people all over the world found themselves dumbfounded with the news that Baba Hardev Singh ji, together with his son-in-law, Avneet Setya ji, had merged with Nirankar. Baba ji, who had been the spiritual head of the Sant Nirankari Mission for the last 36 years, was physically no more.
Until the official announcement was out, the news of the accident – a car collision, in which four devotees were involved, quickly spread all over the world. Everybody, everywhere, wanted to know about Baba ji. There was coverage in the media, both nationally and internationally. There was relentless speculative search, on the part of multi-national channels, internet sites, daily press releases and even the loyal devotees, to establish the facts. The telephone lines at the Nirankari Headquarters were also jammed. The thoughts that crossed every devotee’s mind were, ‘what’s happened to Baba ji; is he with us or not?’
Even as I write this article, I am still shocked that Baba ji is physically no more. His legacy has been considerable. The daily Satsang (Oneness Gathering), wherever it happens to be; the opportunity to be in the presence of saints from other parts of the world; and the sheer blessing to be at the annual Meet, be it in Delhi or elsewhere, were all made possible with the grace and guidance of Baba ji.
Today, like every other day, since the demise of Baba ji, I have been harbouring a guilty feeling that may never dissolve. Being in this Mission, all these years, I have failed to appreciate the efforts and the teachings of my Lord and Satguru. Instead of trying to retain and implement the spiritual teachings into my life, I have personally treated my involvement in this Mission as a time-out from my materialistic life. The Mission has directly and indirectly given me a place to feel spiritual bliss. Although I have been taught that I should work to transcend materialistic or negative thoughts, I have simply kept on adapting the teachings to my daily needs. Had I heeded Baba ji’s teachings completely, without trying to amend or bend them into my daily lifestyle, I certainly would have been on the righteous track, prescribed by my Satguru.
My entire growth has been based on the hands-on teachings of Baba ji. Since his physical departure, I have come to realise the importance of the Gyan, which is now vouchsafed by Satguru Mata Savinder Kaur ji (Mata ji). The Mission is the Gyan, which is now enshrined in Mata ji. Just as the Mission goes on, we too must go on. After all, ‘time and tide wait for no man’, and ‘yesterday is history’. Hence, we must value time today.
In many instances, we are told not to live in the past and live for today and tomorrow. In this given scenario, yesterday is definitely history, but the facts and teachings are still relevant. It’s akin to a child going to school to study subjects that were formalized centuries ago. This applies to the teachings of Baba Hardev Singh ji. The teachings will always be relevant in all scenarios to anyone of any religion, class or creed.
Since 13 May 2016, certain routine scenarios have changed. Today, when I attend the weekly Satsang, changes are constantly taking place. The picture depicting the head of the Mission is no longer that of Baba ji, but that of Mata ji. Everything has changed in this material world, but nothing has changed in the spiritual world.
When I look at my life, I realise that the projections that Baba ji had for this Mission were not only near-sighted but also far-sighted. So much so that when Her Holiness, Mata ji, delivered her very first blessing (vichar) to the saints of the Mission, in under a minute, it was Baba ji’s Mission she was talking about. She made it clear that Baba ji was a vital part of this Mission. She elicited saints’ blessings and strength to be able to lead the Mission in the direction that Baba ji would have found appropriate.
In her second official vichar, she made it clear that all the saints from this Mission should value the time that they had with their Satguru Baba ji. They should try to look back at his teachings and imbibe them in their lives.
For us to be the spiritual beings that our Satguru, Mata ji, wants us to be, we should value the time that Baba ji gave to us, in his term as Satguru. Every moment he gave to us, had some purpose and value. In recalling and abiding by his teachings, we honour Baba ji’s sacrifices for the Mission and humanity at large.
While living in the present and preparing for the future, we should have the attitude of gratitude for the life that the Satguru has gifted to us. At the same time, value the time we had and have in this Mission.
The material world constantly changes. The spiritual world, however, remains still and blissful. This is only so if we keep the Mission’s teachings close to our hearts, and implement them in our daily lives.
Let us, therefore, value time for both our ‘here’ and ‘hereafter’ to be nirvanically comfortable.
– Jaidev Nanwani, Singapore
