On December 15, 1982, Satgurudev proceeded on a spiritual tour of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.  Like in the past, Rev. Nirankari Rajmata Ji as well as Pujya Mata Ji also accompanied him.

His Holiness reached Pavta on December 15 to bless the devotees. The gathering was presenting a live example of the culture of Rajasthan. All of us in the entourage were impressed by the culture as well as the language of Rajasthan.  The programme had been organized in Ram Leela Ground.  The route from the residence of a local leading saint Rev. Banvari Lal Ji upto the venue of the congregation was jam-packed with people.  A local band was leading Baba Ji�s car with their sweet music and the devotees, both men and women, were singing and dancing to announce Baba Ji�s arrival to one and all.  The eminent citizens of Pavta had already assembled to welcome Gurudev.  It can only be called a miracle of Gurudev Hardev that several men and women from Arya Samaj as well as Sanatan Dharm as also the leaders of the so called Dalit people were present at this single forum.

My heart felt extremely delighted to see a live manifestation of the Mission of human unity for which Gurudev Hardev was endeavouring.  Appreciating these feelings of the people thus gathered, Gurudev stated:

I am experiencing a rare kind of the feeling of delight to see you all sharing the same forum, forgetting all kinds of discriminations.  My belief has further strengthened that the dream of �Global Family� (Vasudhaiv Kutumbkam) would now materialize soon.  In fact, true religion teaches to sit together, to rise above all kinds of discriminations, to treat all the fellow-beings as the children of the same Supreme Father, the Almighty One, and serve and love them all in a selfless and guileless manner.

From here, when Gurudev Hardev reached Jaipur, the sight that met the eyes there was absolutely different from the one at Pavta.  Here a large number of educated youth and Sindhi and Rajasthani families were hailing Baba Ji by raising slogans together.  One could find these Sindhi and Rajasthani families, both educated and the illiterate, feeling equally delighted to welcome His Holiness.  Blessing the Sadh Sangat , Gurudev said:

We should not be satisfied with this much, rather we should not sit back till this message of Truth is reached out to each and every home.  This world in misery can be made happy only with the joint efforts of saints like you.

Next day His Holiness reached Bharatpur at about 1.00 p.m. to bless the congregation organized there in the local Zila Miyanwali Bhawan.  The local Rajasthani devotees, both men and women clad in their special traditional costumes were leaving no stone unturned to announce the arrival of their Baba Ji.  Here too, Gurudev Hardev said:

Pride, whether based on caste, State, language, or the strength of one�s body, mind or wealth always breeds the feelings of hatred and jealousy.   As a result, man falls from the lofty status of a human being.  But those who are humble and meek at heart are lofty in deed.

From Bharatpur, Satgurudev reached Agra in the evening, where a congregation had been organized in the big hall of Bhagwati College.  In his discourse, Satgurudev said here:

All that we do (rites and rituals) without God-knowledge, goes waste.   For example, if a passenger traveling by train says that he is humble, noble, soft-spoken, helpful as also respectful towards others but he has not bought the ticket, he will not be forgiven.  All his good deeds will prove useless.  In the same manner, penance, holy bath, pilgrimage and charity etc. are good deeds but they all become futile if man performs the same without knowing God.  Such deeds cannot bring salvation.

Gurudev Hardev�s dinner as well as halt for the night had been arranged at the residence of Seth Achal Singh Ji, the head of the Jain community there.  His son, Munna Babu is a devout follower of Gurudev Hardev as also the right hand of the local Pramukh, Bhalla Sahib.  On his persuasion, 10-12 eminent citizens of Agra were also present there.  At the request of Bhalla Sahib as well as Munna Babu, Gurudev blessed them and said, "I deeply value the efforts of anyone who spends his time and money for the service and welfare of humanity.  I believe that such people earn the blessings of the Almighty.  I would humbly request all the gentlemen present here that while they take pleasure in the service (worship) of human beings, they may also not lag behind in the worship of their Creator.  I am convinced that we win over a mother�s heart quite naturally by loving her child.  But this does not mean that we should confine our love to the child only.  We should give full reverence to the mother also.  Only then can we be called human beings in the true sense."

Satgurudev went for dinner to be followed by a stroll, but I started talking to those gentlemen quite intimately.  They were full of praise for Gurudev Hardev�s kind and serene nature but were also feeling regretful because they had not been able to ask Gurudev one or two questions because it was already quite late.

I requested them humbly that if they thought it appropriate and considered me capable of answering, they could let me know the questions.  Quite readily they asked, "We have liked almost everything about Nirankari Mission, but we fail to appreciate the way of eating you have adopted.  We are members of Jain community.  It is only because of this reason that we hesitate to come closer to you."

Contemplating upon Satguru Baba Ji, I submitted, "We do not force anything upon anybody.  In this Mission every individual is free to lead his or her life according to his or her conventions."  I also informed them that �there are many Jain followers of Gurudev who eat and dress according to their own tradition till date.  Even otherwise, what unites us with each other is the God-knowledge.  Anyone desirous of God-knowledge can attain the same by taking Gurudev Hardev�s shelter.  Gurudev does in no way interfere with anybody�s way of living, nor does he allow anyone to indulge in such interference.�  At this, almost everyone spoke in one voice, "If that is the case, then it is very good."  They would have added something but Munna Babu, who also belongs to a Jain family, interrupted and said, "I am a living testimony of this reality that without changing anybody�s convictions, Baba Ji bestows salvation by revealing God."

Next day, Satgurudev left Agra and reached Urai where a large number of local residents were also present along with the Sangat to see him.  Prior to the discourse, Behn Kanta Ji described the way Baba Ji was being kind to women and said that it is only because of Baba Ji�s grace that she was working shoulder to shoulder with other Mahapurushas to spread the message of the Mission.  The woman who was treated as a shoe by men till yesterday, is enjoying an equal status with them here today.  Pointing towards Pujya Mata Ji and Rajmata Ji, Kanta Ji said that their presence on the dais along with Gurudev is a living evidence to prove what she said.  Speaking further, Behn Kanta Ji said that it has always been the privilege of a mother (woman) to give birth to the saints, seers and prophets.  No society can ever flourish without encouraging women.  While Behn Kanta Ji was speaking, I was remembering Manu�s words: Yatra Naryastu Pujyante, Ramante Tatra Devata - where woman is worshipped, dwell the gods.

Before Gurudev Hardev, Pujya Rajmata Ji spoke briefly: "We should not stress more upon our rights.  We should pay more attention towards fulfilling our duties.  As we perform our duties diligently, we start receiving our rights automatically."  Rajmata Ji said, "I would request the mothers as well as sisters present here not to shirk their duties.  They should give due respect to all their relatives i.e. parents, children, in-laws as well as other relations, serve them according to their means and earn the blessings of Satguru."

Immediately after this, Gurudev Hardev spoke briefly.  But every word he spoke carried a deep meaning.  He said:

Only such a person shows devotion to God in real sense, who give the Formless One a place in his heart and then loves and respects everyone and leads a life devoid of ego.

Immediately after the congregation, Satgurudev left Urai and reached Kanpur in the evening, where a Satsang programme had been organized in the big hall of local Nirankari Bhawan.  Satgurudev stated in his discourse:

Both God-knowledge as well as action are integral parts of life.  They cannot be separated from each other.  Just as a bird has two wings and it touches the heights of the sky with the help of both of them.   If we clip one of its wings, it becomes utterly helpless and cannot fly at all. In the same manner, the harmony of God-knowledge and action takes man to the heights of life.  With the combination of God-knowledge and action, we receive the fruit of selfless devotion which helps us in attaining salvation.  The meaning of selfless devotion is only that devotion is adopted for the sake of devotion and not for the fulfillment of ulterior desires.  The cessation of desire and craving, means salvation.  Therefore, we have to attain eternal salvation by treading the path of God-knowledge, action and devotion together.

From Kanpur, Satgurudev reached Bamrauli where hundreds of devotees were waiting for him eagerly.  During his discourse at this place, he said:

This Almighty God pervades every particle of the universe.  We have been gifted this human life to recognize this Supreme Power.  The one who unites with God during his life-time, makes his life fruitful.  For this one has to shed one�s ego. It is also necessary to serve the Satguru as well as the Sadh Sangat in a spirit of surrender.

From here Satugurudev reached Allahabad at night on December 18, 1982 at night where many devotees, including those from neighbouring rural areas were waiting for His Holiness.

In the morning a congregation was organized in the compound of the Nirankari Bhawan itself.  By and by the programme took the proportions of a huge Samagam.  Satgurudev stated in his discourse:

Man today is afflicted by the feelings of hatred, jealousy and animosity.  Given to caprice he is unable to get rid of the impurity of mind because he has linked himself with worldly objects and moves under their influence only.  So long as he does not link himself with the all-clean and all-pure One - the Formless One, he cannot become pure and pious himself.  The mind gets rid of all its impurity and becomes pure and pious only by getting linked with God.   The real shrines for pilgrimage are the saints by a dip in the Ganges of whose teachings we go across this world.   The places of pilgrimage that you see today are the places where God-realized saints must have dwelt sometime.  The aspirants would know the Ultimate Truth (God) from them and liberate themselves from the bondage of life and death.  Even today, let us go to the places where saints are present, seek their shelter and receive God-knowledge.  In this manner, whereas we receive salvation during this life time, we merge with God after death and are liberated from the cycle of life and death forever.

From Allahabad, Satgurudev reached Rewa in Madhya Pradesh.  Addressing the congregation here, he said:

Take a piece of bamboo.  Cut it and make it pointed.  It can be used to hurt any one.  But the same piece of bamboo wins over everybody�s heart when it is given the shape of a flute.  The same is the case with the man�s mind.  When it adopts evil tendencies, it causes suffering and destruction.  When it adopts saintly tendencies, it becomes humble, compassionate and a cause for rejuvenation and regeneration.

From Rewa Satgurudev reached Satna where a majority of devotees are Sindhis.  The devotion of Sindhi families makes one bow at their feet quite spontaneously.  It is almost impossible to describe in words their faith in the Guru.  Their special quality is that they engage themselves in the service of all the saints physically, mentally and materially without making any discrimination from where they come.  I was overwhelmed to see this kind of faith and devotion here also.  Whether they belonged to a rich family or were less affluent, all of them were dressed in clean clothes as they came to receive the blessings of Satguru by bowing at his holy feet.  Their faces were beaming with a special kind of joy.  Expressing his thoughts here, Satgurudev said:

In life, a self-willed person suffers from ego whereas a devotee (Gurmukh) who has faith in the Master is humble at heart.  We must uproot the wilfulness that is the cause of de-generation.  Saints always stick to humility and modesty.  Wherever they live, they distribute love and spread their sweet fragrance.

Next day i.e., on December 20, 1982 Satgurudev reached Katni and inaugurated the Satsang Bhawan there.  Like Rewa and Satna, here also Sindhi families were in majority.  Satgurudev stated here:

This soul (Atma) is a ray of the Super Soul.  It attains bliss only after it realizes God.  Out of ignorance man today is looking for happiness in material objects, while real bliss can be obtained only through devotion to God.  The pursuit of material objects makes one proud and the one who is full of pride and ego can not be happy.

From here Satgurudev reached Jabalpur where local Mahapurushas and other devotees were eagerly awaiting his arrival.  In his discourse here, Baba Ji said:

Man got this human birth to know God.  This soul will keep transmigrating and will not find salvation from it until it realizes the Super Soul - God.  Those who do not waste this precious human life and contemplate God after knowing Him, they get liberated from all the bondages, from transmigration, from cycles of life and death.

From Jabalpur Satgurudev reached Seoni.  Addressing the devotees here he stated:

Due to ignorance man falls from the exalted status of humanity.  He fails to get linked with the Almighty God.  He falls a prey to pride.  He starts considering himself as the doer and, therefore, suffers.  If this ignorance is removed and man realizes the Truth, he comes to understand the Ultimate Reality.  He is thus salvaged from all delusions and can lead a life of a devotee in true sense.

From Seoni, His Holiness reached Varsa, where a large number of devotees were waiting for him.  The gathering presented a unique convergence of Maratha and Sindhi families.  It gave an immense pleasure to observe Sindhi Mahapurushas speaking Marathi fluently and the Maratha saints were also trying to use Sindhi words and sentences.  Satgurudev stated in his discourse here:

Saints assimilate the Formless Almighty in their hearts and love each and every human being.  God is the supreme source of all kinds of happiness.  The one who unites with Him and becomes himself happy, makes others also happy.

In Varsa Baba Ji kept on visiting the houses of different Mahapurushas and blessing them till midnight.

From Varsa, His Holiness reached Hyderabad.  The Hyderabad Sangat consists of as many Punjabi families as Sindhi and the Telugu speaking families from Andhra Pradesh.  One can easily say that the three streams converge here and create a holy Sangam.  Here also the Punjabi and Sindhi Mahapurushas were found as fluent with Telegu as with their own mother tongue, Punjabi or Sindhi. Moreover, the inhabitants of Hyderabad are already known for their fluent use of Hindi as well as Urdu.  Therefore, whatever language a speaker uses to express his feelings - Hindi, Punjabi, Sindhi or Telugu, everybody enjoys it in an equal measure.  Because of the combined efforts of Bhai Sahib Jagat Ram Ji and Rajesh Ji, a large number of Muslim brothers and sisters too attended the congregation.  On this occasion, Gurudev Hardev appreciated the feelings of unity among residents and addressed them in the following words full of inspiration for devotion:

The creator of the whole universe is One.  He permeates each and every particle of the universe.  Whether in a temple or a mosque, He - Ishwar or Allah, is present everywhere. Like a poet said -

Zahid Sharab Peene De Masjid Mein Baith Kar;
Ya Wo Jagah Bata De Jahan Khuda Nahin.

(O� Priest! Let me drink wine in the Mosque, or tell me the place where God is not there.)

This does not imply that we have got the permission to drink wine inside a temple or a mosque.  The couplet seeks only to convey that there is no place where the Almighty is not present.  Whether 'Ishwar' or �Allah�, the Almighty in whose name we have built the Temples, Mosques, Churches and Gurdwaras is one and only one.  Out of ignorance, only we have given this Supreme Power different names and forms.  This delusion, however, shatters the day we receive the knowledge of the One from a God-realised person.  When we know the One and believe the One, we are able to become one also.  And then we begin to build a pleasant world.

After blessing the devotees in Hyderabad, Satgurudev reached Tadepalligudam in Andhra Pradesh on December 26.  Here saints had arrived from Hyderabad, Cuttack and other places also.  Reciting the mantras from Vedas (mainly in Telugu), the local residents eulogized God as well as the Satguru.  Various speakers expressed their feelings in Hindi, English, Urdu, Telugu, as also in Sanskrit which presented a beautiful picture of  harmony among various regional languages.  His Holiness stated here:

Whosoever attained God-knowledge, considered the entire mankind as the children of one Supreme Father and loved all.  This is the distinction of you all also.  Today when walls are being erected in the world in the name of language, caste, creed and religion, when people are being divided into different groups, at such a juncture only your actions, your behaviour can bring human unity and the spirit of co-operation.

From Tadepalligudam, Gurudev reached Madras via Vijayawada.  Madras is the capital of Tamil Nadu.  The local Mahapurushas understand very little of Hindi.  Still they enjoy the Satsang thoroughly.  The moment someone utters the name of Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj or Nirankar, they feel overwhelmed with joy.  A delightful feature is that the members of Sindhi as well as Punjabi families can speak Tamil quite fluently. Thus even those who are unfamiliar with Tamil face no difficulty in participating in congregations.  Wherever necessary, the local Mahapurushas take the help of English language also to express and make their views understood.  Nothing is hidden from Gurudev.  He is well aware of the fact that whereas on one hand, the Sangat of Madras consists of extremely rich Mahapurushas, on the other there are those Mahapurushas also who work hard as labourers day and night to make both ends meet.  Keeping this fact in view, Gurudev stated in his discourse:

Whatever be the circumstances, a devotee always glorifies God and leads his life in complete submission to His will.  And here lies true happiness.  Actually, surrender is the other name for happiness.  All the people in the world suffer from unhappiness in varying degrees, but devotees attain ultimate happiness and bliss after knowing, loving and eulogizing God.

From Madras Satgurudev reached Bangalore, the famous city of Southern India and the State Capital of Karnataka.  The local language of Karnataka is Kannada.  Here also, seeing the convergence of Pujnabi, Sindhi as well as Kannada Mahapurushas, one feels like thanking His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj by whose grace all discriminations of language and State, etc. have been completely wiped off from the minds of Mahapurushas.  What could be a better gift by Nirankari Mission than the unprecedented success with which it is uniting the country at a time when it is being segmented on the basis of State, language and customs?   Addressing a mammoth gathering of people here, Satgurudev stated:

We remember the prophets, take their names.  But we cannot find happiness by mere making a mention.  For that our actions have to match theirs; we will have to lead our lives the way they led theirs.  If the elder brother earns a degree and the younger brother thinks he can get a job on the basis of the same, he is mistaken.  He will have to exert and earn the degree himself. Only then will he have the right to get the job.

The same day, His Holiness addressed the devotees assembled in the compound of a hotel in Mysore. He said: 

There is no distance between man and God; it is mere ignorance.  God is ever present with us.  He exists everywhere.  He pervades each and every leaf, each and every branch.  But when it comes to knowing Him, man considers God to be residing at some far off place.  This is ignorance.  When this is so, man may perform any act of devotion, it will remain futile.  Yes, if one attains God-knowledge through a saint who is himself God-realised, and then loves everyone as a manifestation of God's own light, it makes devotion meaningful and yields happiness.

From here, Gurudev returned to Delhi by air. 

After the conclusion of this spiritual tour, His Holiness stayed in Delhi for 18-20 days.  During this period he was busy day and night with the planning for Mission's progress. At the same time, as usual he visited the devotees in and around Delhi and blessed them with his holy presence, besides giving the message of God-knowledge and devotion to the world.

During these days, i.e., on January 10, 1983, a brilliant and distinguished poet and a staunch devout of the Mission, Hardev Singh 'Almast' breathed his last and passed into his eternal abode. A special congregation was organized on January 16 to take inspiration from his life. In ordinary language we may call it Shraddhanjali Samaroh - a function to pay homage to Almast Ji.  He was the Editor of the English Edition of �Sant Nirankari�.  His Holiness described his work as a source of inspiration and said:

'Almast' Ji loved all, that is why everyone loved him too.  He had real compassion for the mankind in his heart.  Our real tribute to him would be to adopt his virtues in our own life.

Before this, like in the past, 'Bhakti Parv' was celebrated on January 13 at Santokh Sarovar in Delhi.  Thousands of devotees from Delhi and adjoining areas of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan attended the Samagam.  The programme was from 12.00 noon to 4.00 p.m. but looking at the gathering, the programme was started at 9.00 a.m..

I feel I must mention here that many years ago Baba Avtar Singh Ji was so pleased with the untiring service of the renowned saint of the Mission, Shri Santokh Singh Ji that on his request, he gave his consent to organise this Samagam every year at Santokh Sarovar which was named after him.

Three years ago, as per the wishes of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji, this Samagam was named as 'Bhakti Parv'.  The objective behind giving this name was that we should derive inspiration from the lives of great saints on this day and try to know and understand the true meaning of devotion.  Incidentally, this year the Samagam got devoted to the memory of two great saints, Shri Prabhu Dayal Ji (Talwandi Sabo) and Shri Swaran Singh 'Lehri' (Kadiyan, Amritsar) and taking inspiration from their lives.  Both these saints had laid down their lives during violence by fanatic extremists a few days before.

Due to these incidents, on the one hand there was a deep sense of anguish and a strong feeling of resentment cast over the entire atmosphere, thousands of devotees, on the other hand, were sitting with their heads bowed in surrender to the will of God.  Some of the speakers felt so agitated that they went to the extent of saying that if their Satguru gave the permission, they would themselves deal with the extremists.  Others, however, expressed the view that the will of God must prevail and that, as saints we do not have any right to return violence with violence; we can only pray to God Almighty to grant good sense to the fanatics suffering from ignorance so that they too understand the language of love and humanity and thus are able to offer true reverence to their Gurus and prophets.

Concluding the Samagam, Satgurudev said:

Saints keep treading the path of Truth steadfastly.  They never give up the path of love, compassion, tolerance and good-will.  They stay linked with the Almighty Nirankar in all circumstances. They do not get provoked by atrocities committed upon them.  We must also follow the same tradition of saints.

Around 4.00 p.m., at the conclusion of the programme, everyone returned back to their homes, perplexed by their feelings but without uttering a single word.

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