On September 27, 1982, a congregation had been organized in the ground adjacent the Satsang Bhawan in Pathankot.  It would not be exaggerated to call it a Samagam rather than a congregation.  The long queues of devotees who wanted to pay obeisance to Gurudev continued for three hours.  Appreciating the enthusiasm, faith and perseverance of the devotees of the area, Gurudev said:

Saints, I am extremely delighted to listen to your feelings which are full of faith and determination.  The time you are passing through is certainly becoming quite alarming.  Many Nirankari devotees have had to sacrifice their lives.  Those who believe in God always accepted the will of the Almighty with a smile.  Devotees know that whatever happens is for their betterment.  With the grace of the Almighty a day will come soon when the Truth for which you endeavour will definitely bear fruit.  Very soon people will realize that you are pure and true devotees who wish well for all and do well to all, even to those who wish evil for you and do evil to you.  You do not harm anybody either by your words or actions.   Even while they suffer, devotees do their level best to do good to others.  May you stick to the path of Truth with the same faith and devotion as you possess today.  We must not give up the divine virtues of humility, love, compassion and mercy even in the face of the worst provocations from the world.

Thus blessing everyone, Gurudev proceeded to Mukerian and Talwara.  In Mukerian, people received the blessings of His Holiness while standing along the road only.  Here Gurudev saw the land for Satsang Bhawan.  At Talwara, a large congregation was organized at night.  Addressing the gathering, Gurudev stated:

Today, the world is burning in the fire of hatred and animosity.  The most important task before us is to explain the meaning of true religion and bring man close to man.  And while we perform this duty, we should never be afraid.  The principles of Nirankari Mission have not been laid down by us (for the first time).  Since beginning, saints have been telling us that we must treat our body, mind and wealth as gifts of God to us and that we must use them as trustees only. We should feel happy if we receive same thing and we should treat it as the will of God if we lose something.  We should never feel proud of our body, mind or wealth, because if our body is strong, the mind is pure and if we have plenty of wealth, then we must consider it the grace of the Almighty.  We see with our own eyes that people with physical strength, wisdom of mind and a lot of wealth depart from this world and all these powers, their achievements fail to save them.

In the same manner, those who are proud of their caste, creed or status, they have never found any peace of mind themselves, nor have they allowed others to live in peace.  Pride is not liked even by the Almighty God.  The damage that this pride of caste, creed and religion has done to our country is any times more than the damage done by foreign invaders.  We have to save ourselves from the feeling of hatred which is the root cause of all the evils.  We must understand the true meaning of religion and save ourselves from the malady of ill-will, animosity, hatred and pride, etc.

Late in the evening, some of the Nirankari devotees asked His Holiness, "Baba Ji, we wish well for all and we do good to all, but even then some people are harming our life and property.  How long will such a treatment be meted out to us and how long we will keep tolerating this silently?"

Gurudev looked at their faces gravely.  He could see that they were feeling agitated in their minds.  He tried to remove this feeling with these few words: "Saints never give up their behaviour, the way they act.  You should also not show any laxity in your approach.  You must continue to pray and work for the welfare of all.  Gold attains its purity only after getting heated in the furnace.  The world will soon be able to see the reality of your Mission.  You should devote yourselves whole-heartedly to Simran (remembrance of God), Sewa (selfless service) and Satsang (company of saints).  The Almighty God will set everything right."

Next day a congregation had been organized in Hoshiarpur in the morning.  The loud speakers had been arranged in the main bazar of the town in such a way that the people in the entire market could listen to the discourse by Satguru.  It would be appropriate to call this congregation also a Samagam. Briefly, Gurudev told the devotees:

We have to lead our lives like devotees.  We must realize the presence of God in our hearts all the time and lead a pure, noble life as per the will of God.  We must love all that is created by God.  We must not speak any words which might hurt the feelings of someone else. We must not allow any bitterness to enter our behaviour.  We must always remember these words of Mahapurushas - "Mithat Neevin Nanaka Gun Changian Tat." (Sweet words and humility are the essence of all virtues, says Nanak)

After the Satsang programme concluded in Hoshiarpur, Satgurudev proceeded towards Phagwara.  Here also Gurudev Hardev stressed the same point and stated:

We should contemplate and remember this Formless One while doing all the chores of life i.e. sleeping, walking, eating, drinking or moving about. In other words we must remember Him every moment.  We should also give respect to all the saints and Mahapurushas and earn their blessings.  This removes ill-will from our minds and gives place to the Formless One to dwell in it.

Gurudev cited two lines from Avtar Bani and said:

Jis De Dil Nirankar Da Vasa, Honda Nahin Oh Be Sabar,
Kahe Avtar Har Hal De Andar, Karda Rab Da Shukar Shukar.

(The one in whose heart dwells the Formless, does not feel impatient; Avtar says, such a person expresses his gratitude to God in all circumstances.)

The same night His Holiness reached Jalandhar. Though no congregation was scheduled there, even then hundreds of devotees met Baba Ji and received his blessings.   Next day, i.e., on September 29, 1982, Gurudev left for Malerkotla in the morning.

A large number of people were waiting eagerly for His Holiness in Malerkotla.  Thousands of devotees from Sangrur area were also present there.  It seemed as if the whole city had turned up to have a holy glimpse of Satgurudev.  Baba Ji appreciated the enthusiasm of the devotees and stated in his discourse:

Whenever the world goes astray from its path and man becomes brutal like animals and the falsehood rules, only the saints come forward to show the right path.  The same task is being performed today by you Nirankari devotees, even though you have to face many hardships.  Those who have even an elementary knowledge of History are well aware of the fact that whether we mention the name of Lord Rama, Lord Krishna or from Guru Nanak Dev Ji to Guru Gobind Singh Ji or Prophet Mohammad or Lord Jesus Christ, what kind of good treatment they received from the world?  They were called Bhootna-Betala (mad and wicked) and utterly humiliated.  If the one was crucified, the other was kept thirsty to be killed and someone else�s children were buried alive in walls.  So, the world has always been committing such atrocities.  Hence we too should not allow the thought of complaint to enter into our minds.

Thereafter, His Holiness reached Ludhiana.  A Samagam had been organized on behalf of the family of Mata Sant Ji, known as Beji, and Bhai Sahib Harnam Singh Ji.  Addressing the gathering of devotees, Gurudev said:

The vast following of the Mission that you see today owes itself a lot to the spirit of sacrifice of our elders.  They used to derive true happiness by offering food and clothes to others and remove their hardships.  Anybody may work hard for one�s own family and relatives, but devotees do not only fulfill their duties towards their own selves, their families and friends, but also are ever ready to forego their own comforts for the sake of the welfare of each and every human being, without any hesitation. As you have seen, many of our Mahapurushas sacrificed their lives so that the world could live as a single human family - universal brotherhood, and everybody finds welfare for himself or herself.  The most befitting tribute to our predecessors, our martyrs will be to endeavour day and night to fulfill their unfinished task.  Secondly, we should serve their families with body, mind and wealth and earn their blessings.  It is impossible to serve our ancestors and the bygone martyrs in their physical form.  We can only serve the Mahapurushas who are with us at present and render ourselves free of our debt towards them for the sacrifices they made for us.

After dinner, as usual, His Holiness was taking a stroll on the rooftop of the Bhawan.  Some of the local Sewa Dal Adhikaris and Pracharaks also joined.  I could make out from their faces that they were feeling overwhelmed with joy to find themselves in such a close proximity of Gurudev.  They seemed to be intoxicated with a unique kind of divine bliss.  Breaking the silence, one of them mustered up courage to appeal to His Holiness, "Baba Ji, many of our Sewa Dal members who have been rendering physical, mental and material services, too sometimes complain of physical ailments, mental tensions or lack of material resources which makes their life hell.  Please shower your benevolence so that these Sewadars who are your children may not face any hardships or misery or suffer from want; let them lead a happy life while serving at your holy feet." 

Probably that devotee had still not concluded his submission, when one of the Parcharaks interrupted and said, "Baba Ji, all this will, of course, be set right by your benign benevolence. But I am afraid, what I want to know is as to why should they at all face any hardship while they are rendering their service unto you?"

Gurudev became somewhat serious and said, "Pleasure and pain, profit and loss, fame and defame, birth and death - they all are there in everybody�s life.  Whether we talk of saints, seers and prophets or ordinary persons, they all had to face the ups and downs of life.  No doubt, selfless service is bound to relieve the devotee from hardships sooner or later, but even if it does not seem to be happening, their service does not go waste.  It bestows them with strength and ability which gives them courage to tread the path of their life happily, without getting afflicted by their circumstances.  So, we should continue to render service (Sewa) in all circumstances.  Adversities which are there today are bound to disappear, if not today then tomorrow."

Next day Gurudev left for Chandigarh.  The car in which Baba Ji and Pujya Mata Sawinder Ji were traveling, was moving at somewhat slow speed.  Suddenly, it appeared that Pujya Mata Ji had chosen to assert her right, I don�t know why.  She said, "Baba Ji, I have a question to ask.  You are telling us to remain humble and behave normally.  You want us not to hurt the feelings of others.  You ask us not to allow the feelings of revenge to enter into our minds.  You are advising us to do our duty without paying any consideration to what others do.  Is all this advice for us only?  Is it not the duty of the others too to follow all this?  Baba Ji, I want to ask you today whether those who are killing the innocent people will always be spared? Shall we not think of any means by which such brutal people can be brought to the right path?"  Pujya Mata Ji started gazing at Gurudev�s face while waiting to see whether he offers any solution to the problem. Gurudev, however, remained quiet.  After waiting for sometime Pujya Mata Ji asked again, "Does this silence mean that you do not approve of what I think or you do not find any weight in what I say?"

Breaking his silence, Gurudev said, "No, there is no such thing.  I was only wondering as to why should such a question arise in your mind at all.  As you hear daily, whenever I say something, I do not refer to any particular individual or a group.  My words are addressed to all.  I want that everybody should avoid evil deeds and refrain from shedding the blood of the innocent and the unprotected ones.  As a matter of fact whatever I say is meant for all.  Those who agree and follow, find happiness and those who do not, Nature takes care of them, applies its own law and brings them to the right path sooner or later."

Pujya Mata Ji did not appear to be satisfied with this reply.  She said, "After all, some means or the other will have to be adopted to make others too realize their responsibility and stop doing evil deeds." 

Gurudev smiled and said, "The path of love and self-improvement that the Mahapurushas have adopted today will soon bear fruits.  You must keep treading your path. Don�t allow even the very thought of leaving this path enter your mind.  The day is not very far when others too will understand the meaning of true religion and be forced to give up the path of brutality." 

Shortly after this, the caravan reached the outskirts of Chandigarh.  As in the past, a huge Sant Samagam had been organized here this time also.  During his discourse, Gurudev said:

By nature, saints would usually like to be guided by the spirit of love and service to others.  They pick up arms only when they are compelled to do so or where there is no other course.  But with the people of the world these days, it is just the opposite.  To take to weapons has become the nature of people, while love is only a compulsion; they resort to love when there is no other alternative.  On our part, however, we must always keep on marching with love as the basis of our conduct.  History tells us that Lord Rama, who was a living manifestation of cool and calm nature, picked up his bow and arrow only when the evil tendencies forced him to do so.  Lord Krishna too kept on counseling Duryodhana and his companions again and again that if not their rightful due, the Pandavas should be given at least so much as to make their both ends meet, but when all his requests and pleadings bore no fruit, he was forced to resort to the war.  Similarly, our great Gurus who used to teach that �all human beings must be acknowledged as one race� and that �only those who love, find God,� too picked up their bow and arrow and the sword, when they were absolutely forced by the atrocities and the bloodshed committed by cruel people.  We must avoid the path of cruelty.  We must become truly religious and adopt the path of love and compassion so that we lead a happy life ourselves and allow others too to live happily.  If we go astray from this path, we too will not be able to save ourselves from the Law of Nature.

On October 1, 1982 His Holiness blessed the devotees at Ambala Cantt. and reached Delhi where he continued to visit various colonies and bless the devotees till the Samagam.

This time, the Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam took place on October 23, 24 and 25, 1982.  The venue was spread over all the three spacious grounds opposite Raj Ghat on Ring Road in Delhi.  The Samagam was celebrated with great enthusiasm.

It may be pointed out that the Samagam this year had its own grandeur.  It was the Sant Nirankari Mission�s 35th Annual Sant Samagam and these thirty-five years had a long story to reveal in the history of the Mission.  From 1978 onwards, certain pages had begun to be added to it which would serve for ages to come as a source of inspiration to lead a life of complete surrender before the will of God. 

In fact, the Mission had to pass through difficulties right from the beginning.  Those who opposed the Truth tried their best to finish it so much so that after the assassination of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji, not only the critics but even the well wishers of the Mission had started thinking that now the Mission would not be able to survive.  But the Satgurudev�s spiritual command did not only infuse a new life in the Mission but also proved the spiritual principle beyond doubt that the Truth and the Satguru (True Master) are immortal; they never die.  Gurudev turned the Nirankari saints into living examples of his own spirit of tolerance, humility and humanism.  The popularity that the Mission gained as a consequence of this, was evident from the huge gathering of more than 600,000 people who came to attend the 35th Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam.  All the arrangements made by the organizers with the best of their efforts proved inadequate.  In any case, it would be sufficient to submit here that like previous year, this time too the venue spread over all the three grounds proved too small for the Samagam.

The Samagam starts with the preparations by the Sewa Dal volunteers.  Within days, they turn the grounds into a new township.  Every year, the lay out is prepared by Rev. K.R. Chadha and his team which is given its practical shape by these young saints.

Several singers, artists, poets and speakers coming from different States take part in the Satsang programme of the Samagam.  A detailed report is published in the 'Sant Nirankari' magazine for the benefit of the readers.  Rev. �Nirmal� Joshi has been carrying out this responsibility with  a great sense of devotion for the last several years.

As in the past, during this Samagam too a Sewa Dal Rally, a Poetic Symposium and a meeting of the Mukhis/Parmukhs (the saints holding management responsibilities) were held as scheduled. 

During his discourse at the conclusion of the Satsang programme on the first day of the Samagam, His Holiness stressed two or three points.  He said:

We must remember those martyrs due to whose supreme sacrifice we are able to sing the praise of the Almighty Nirankar in a peaceful atmosphere like this today.  We should also take inspiration from their families who have submitted to the will of God in all circumstances without any sign of grief on their faces and have been following the path of Truth with a great sense of perseverance despite all kinds of hardships they have had to face.  Let us move forward with a similar spirit of faith and devotion while preaching the message of the Mission and be prepared to make any sacrifice for this noble cause.

Satgurudev stated further:

Today, we find many who indulge in tall talk, but if their minds are filled with animosity, jealousy, hatred or greed, then mere words cannot make them exalted.  We find the bird kite flies very high in the sky but its eye is fixed on the ground below, so that wherever it finds a piece of meat, it should swoop upon the same.   In the same manner, the one who is ignorant of the fundamental truth in the religion would definitely speak volumes about the teachings of the great masters, would narrate the stories of high morals, mention lofty feelings and even the world may describe him as a great preacher,  but the feelings of greed and selfishness in his heart make him fall from the lofty heights just like the bird kite.

On the second day i.e., on October 24, 1982, Gurudev stated in his discourse:

Only those who unite themselves with God earn happiness of all kinds.  Whenever a person united himself with the Almighty, his life blossomed into a spring of joy automatically.  Those who forget God, become vain and ego-centric.  They start considering themselves as the doers.

Clarifying this further, Gurudev said:

O� man, you are proud of your material possessions, your magnificent palaces and bungalows and because of this pride you consider others as inferior and shun them.  You must pause for a while and think as to where would you be tomorrow?  You would be buried under this very ground.  The feet of others, whom you shun, would be found trampling over you.  Devotees, however, live in a state where they do not feel proud of anything.

After returning home, the moment I lay down on the bed, Gurudev�s discourses on both the days started echoing in my mind. The thought that came to my mind again and again was that on one side is Gurudev Hardev who is devoting his day and night to the cause of human welfare, sacrificing all his personal comforts at this young age, and on the other side are people like us who are enjoying life to the maximum without even remembering that we have certain duties towards the families of our martyrs.  It is the greatness of Gurudev Hardev that he is all the time finding new means to jolt us again and again, wake us up and make us conscious of our duties. 

As is the nature of mind, it gets a new wave of thoughts every moment.  I was still thinking about the families of the martyrs when suddenly my mind turned to the discourse that Baba Ji had delivered that day.  I started thinking as to how can we think of helping or serving someone when everything is beyond our control.  So, Gurudev Hardev was right when he stated that we should unite ourselves with the Almighty and be happy.

This thought-wave had still not completed itself when my mind started chasing the previous day�s discourse that we generally make tall claims, we soar high like the bird kite, but our greed and avarice make us fall into the ditch of degradation.  While tossling in these thoughts, I slipped into the lap of sleep.

On the same day i.e. on October 24, 1982, the Sewa Dal Rally had also taken place in the morning.  His Holiness had stated very clearly:

The Khaki uniform that these Sewa Dal volunteers are wearing symbolizes service to others, to obey, and not to command or order others.  The whole body of a Sewa Dal volunteer tends to render service to others. They are humble at heart.  Even if they have to give some instructions as a part of the organizational responsibilities, their words reflect humility.  They are always guided by the spirit of mutual respect and regards.

I realized that Gurudev Hardev always speaks in a persuasive manner, whereas if he wants, he can easily ordain and use commanding language.  He can very well say that the Sewa Dal volunteers must consider their Khaki uniform as a symbol of service and not of authority, or that the Sewadars must be humble and modest.  But the result of this persuasive approach is that the youth start doing of their own what they are expected to do.

On the last day of the Samagam, Gurudev Hardev showered lot of praise on the devotees and said:

Since everybody followed the guidelines and maintained discipline, one did not come across a single instance of disturbance or clash despite such a large gathering.

Explaining it, Gurudev added:

Irrespective of their number, saints always maintain harmony because they are linked with the Formless One who is immutable.  Today, it is imperative that we should all the time be engrossed in devotion to God, lead a disciplined life and thus be happy ourselves and also make the world happy.

For details of Baba Ji�s discourses on all these three days, the readers may go through the 1982 Samagam issue of �Sant Nirankari� magazine. 

On the last day of the Samagam, I did not return to the Bhawan with Gurudev Hardev.  I kept standing on the stage. I was wondering how great these devotees are!  They came, stayed together for some time and now they are dispersing, returning to their homes. Neither they feel tired physically, nor do they ask for comforts.  They spend thousands of rupees just for the sake of this divine bliss they find here.

I was still thinking of this when several devotees approached the stage and started touching the feet of this humble being, this thin and lean person i.e., me, hailing Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj and then they rushed towards their residential tents.

Just at that time, a senior Police Officer, who had also been observing the entire scene with astonishment for quite some time, asked me, "Are you not aware of the kind of the unsafe time you are passing through?  Any of your people can be attacked and killed any time.  I think your Baba Ji has intoxicated you all with some intoxicant under the influence of which you seem to have forgotten even your death."

On this, I submitted very humbly, "Sir, you are right.  Our Satguru has intoxicated us with Divine Name which makes us lead our lives in a fearless manner.  We firmly believe that life and death are controlled only by the Almighty God, our Supreme Father and none else.  Sir, please pray for us so that this faith keeps growing from strong to stronger and then from stronger to strongest day by day and that we may be able to make some humble contribution to this crusade of human welfare which Baba Ji has started, in a fearless manner, without any feelings of animosity, and earn the blessings of Satguru as well as Nirankar."

As I looked around, I observed that with their luggage loaded on their trucks and buses, all the devotees were ready to depart for their homes.  The entire Samagam venue was resounding with the slogans of �Hail Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj.�  Everybody seemed to be feeling blissful after performing their duties with a sense of satisfaction. Thus the 35th Samagam concluded in an atmosphere filled with devotional zeal and fervour. 

To say, the Samagam was over, but truly speaking, Gurudev kept visiting the venue for the next three to four days to personally supervise all the arrangements and bless all the devotees who were busy winding up.  On the fourth day, the devotees who had not been able to return were brought to Nirankari Colony where arrangements for their boarding and lodging continued for many days.  Gurudev had to spare two or three hours daily for these devotees.  I could observe that Baba Ji would listen to them lovingly and offer practical solutions to their problems. 

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