A typical Nirankari congregation

A few minutes before the satsang (congregation) is due to begin, the stage secretary or another appointed devotee sings verses from the Avtar Bani. The Nirankari congregation usually then begins with the following verse (Thou Formless One 1; Avtar Bani), reproduced below. (Note that the congregation usually sings this in Punjabi language, but the English translation of this verse is available here). Normally, devotees present in the congregation sing along with person on the stage, but there is not a strict obligation to do so.

THOU FORMLESS ONE 1 (Taken from: www.nirankari.org Literature>English>Avtar Bani>Prayer 1)

O' Thou, formless, colourless and boundless God, millions of bows unto Thee;

O' Thou, beyond the comprehension of mind, intellect and wisdom, millions of bows unto Thee.

O' Thou, the Infinite, incomprehensible Lord, millions of bows unto Thee;

O' Thou, the Lord of Lords, the Supreme Sovereign, millions of bows unto Thee.

O' Thou, Eternal, Ageless, Omnipresent, millions of bows unto Thee;

O' Thou, the Redeemer of sinners in all ages, millions of bows unto Thee.

O' Thou, the Omniscient, Knower of the instincts of all beings, millions of bows unto Thee;

O' Thou, the Divine Name and the One the Divine Name stands for, millions of bows unto Thee.

O' Thou, the Sustainer of all living creatures, millions of bows unto Thee.

Avtar says, O' the Sustainer of the life-breath, millions of bows unto Thee.

O' God, I pray for Thy shelter, Thy support, I sacrifice my body and mind unto Thee;

Avtar says, I do sing Thy praise day and night.

None can move without Thy command;

Avtar says, I cannot do anything, only Thy will prevails.

The congregation then proceeds and this is where most of the variation between different congregations occurs. Devotees at this stage are called upon to express themselves. This can be either in the form of a speech, poem or a devotional hymn but sometimes plays may also be enacted. To gain a greater insight of the kinds of hymns, speeches, poems and plays presented in the congregations, the reader is referred to the youth section of the official website. The website also hosts a whole range of regional and national congregations in audio-visual format under the Archives section, some of which may be in English. It may also be of interest to know that most devotees begin and end their presentation by saying “Saints say with love, Dhan Nirankar” or its Punjabi/Hindi equivalent.

Towards the beginning of the final discourse by the saint presiding on the stage, the congregation recites the following verse (Invocation; Avtar Bani), reproduced below. (Note that the congregation usually sings this in Punjabi language, but the English translation of the invocation is available here). The speech from the presiding saint is usually of the longest duration, but may vary anything from 15 minutes to an hour. Some presiding saints use a selected Avtar Bani verse that they may like to base their speech upon. In that case, the stage secretary reads about two lines of a particular verse at regular intervals during the speech.

INVOCATION

O' Almighty God, beyond attribute and formless;

Thou art the creator of the universe; Thou art the sustainer of all.

Thy vast entity is there in every particle of the universe;

Thou were true in the past, art true at present and shall be true in future, and the world is an illusion.

O' God, Thou dwelt in every being, Thou art beyond decay, and Thou art the supreme creator;

Be kind and bless everybody to transcend the ocean of materialism.

Thou art formless and in form, Thou art the nurturer of the universe;

Endless is Thy glory, Thou art the supreme donor, the boundless.

O' the Supreme Father God, all human beings are Thy own children;

Be kind and benevolent to all, may all be redeemed.

The congregation finally concludes with a prayer (see the English translation below) that all devotees sing along in the end. The prayer may be heard at www.nirankar.org >Multimedia>Devotional Songs>Juke Box>Album: Avtar Bani Hindi Vol. 1 Singer: Jagat & Pushap Lata Music: Jagat. Play both the Param Pitta Parmatama and Sumiran (Dhuni) . You will need Real Player for this. Note that this is in Hindi Language.

Thou Formless One; Hail the True Master (Taken from Holy Avtar Bani, available at www.nirankari.org > Literature>English>Avtar Bani>First Verse)

O' the Supreme Father God, Thou pervadeth each and every particle;

Thou art the Supreme Doer, the Commander, and the Master of all.

Beholding Thee all around, Avtar prays unto Thee;

Thou art the Lord of Lords, and I am the humblest of the humble.