Sant Nirankari Mission

The Sant Nirankari Mission (SNM) was formally launched in May, 1929 when Baba Buta Singh ji bestowed Divine Knowledge to Baba Avtar Singh ji in the province of Punjab (British India). The SNM website states that the Mission is “neither a new religion nor a sect of an existing religion, but an all-embracing spiritual movement dedicated to human welfare”. Its objective is to establish Universal Brotherhood among people from diverse backgrounds throughout the world.^[1]

SNM has over 100 branches outside India, most prominently in Britain and North America. Its world headquarters is located in Sant Nirankari Colony, Delhi - 110 009 (INDIA). ^[2].

His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh ji. provides spiritual guidance for Nirankari devotees.

The group is characterized by its focus on a living leader.^[3]

Etymology

Sant- संत refers to a devotee in Hindi and Nirankar - निरंकार refers to the “formless God”. "Nirankari- निरंकारी" is a person who is devoted to this formless entity.

Nirankar

The exact description of "Nirankar" (or formless God) below is taken from the official Sant Nirankari website.

“The Mission believes in God, who is One, omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, eternal, formless, a non-psychic objective reality and perceivable. He is distinct from celestial bodies such as sun, moon, stars; earthly elements such as earth, water, fire; and subtle elements such as air, ethar and jeeva. These nine elements constitute the entire creation and are distinguishable from the tenth, the All-pervading Divine Spirit, which creates, sustains and regulates the whole universe. This aspect of cosmos has been termed as 'Nirankar' (Formless God), though invisible yet all-pervading. In fact what we see is unreal as it decays and dies. But what we do not see is reality because out of that invisible power the visible comes into existence. The changeless in the changing physical world is called God and the changeless in the changing human body is called the Soul. The one who experiences it is known as 'Nirankari'. The sole aim of the Mission is to impart the knowledge of Nirankar (The Formless God) to the seekers' soul.”

In fact, as mentioned in an article published in February 2006 issue of the English version of the Sant Nirankari (which is the main publication of SNM), that "It is the clarion call by the Nirankari Mission to one and all, "Come and see God."" ^[4].

Basic Sant Nirankari ideology

The fundamental beliefs of the Sant Nirankari Mission include:

• God exists.
• God is a single entity, though He has been called by several different names such as Allah, Ishwar etc. throughout history.
• God is formless and therefore may also be called as (Nirankar)
• God can be personally realised. In fact, God realisation is the sole purpose of human life.
• All human beings are God's children.
• A True Spiritual Guide reveals God. Without a True Master, a human being cannot attain God-realisation.
• There is only a single True Master in the world at any present time.
• If a human being wishes to gain God Knowledge, they must ask for it.
• God can be seen.
• Following the five principles (see below) is essential for attaining God-realisation.

(Reference: SNM Ideology section and Avtar Bani)

Five principles

During the session in which a devotee receives Divine Knowledge, the devotee is also introduced to the 5 principles that he/she must practice to the best of their ability. These principles have been taken from the official website (for greater depth, please see “Ideology” section of www.nirankari.org and then click “Five principles”).

1. All assets - physical, mental and material - belong to the Divinity and man, as a mere trustee, should use them as such. One should not feel proud of their possession

2. Not to be proud of one's caste, creed, race, faith and other class distinctions and hate others on this account. All men should be regarded as such. One has to feel himself as one with whole human family and love the mankind.

3. Not to look down upon anybody because of his mode of dress, diet and living.

4. Not to renounce worldly life to become a vagrant recluse or ascetic but to lead family life in accordance with normal social norms and sustain family by honest livelihood.

5. Not to divulge the Divine Knowledge bestowed by the Satguru to others without his permission. Never to be possessed by pride because of enlightenment.

The original description of the Five Principles may also be found in Avtar Bani Verses 9A to 9E. The explanation of these verses may also be found in the book titled The Unique Mission, authored by Amrik Singh.

Simran (Prayer)

Nirankari devotees are introduced to the simran (prayer) below when they are given Divine Knowledge from an authorised saint, who has been appointed by the Satguru (His Holiness).

Tu hi Nirankar

Main Teri Sharan Haan

Mainu Baksh Lao

A direct English translation (Reference: God Remembrance) might be:

Thou formless One

I take refuge in Thee

I pray, forgive me

The devotees use this simran to attain spiritual strength. They may pray whenever/wherever they feel like (after all for them God is omnipresent, i.e. all around), but constant realisation of formless God is encouraged. This is reflected by the Avtar Bani verse 117, which says that "Keep on remembering God, saying Tuhi Nirankar [One Thou Formless God] and keep on singing the praise of God; do remember Him every moment and make Him dwell in your mind." (Please refer to the Punjabi version for the original verse as this is only an English translation)

Saints often advise “Hath kar wal, te dil yaar wal”, which simply means that while worldly responsibilities are being carried out using the body, the mind of devotees must remain connected with Nirankar.

The simran also has some salient points of interest. Notice that it involves the use of the word “Ik” (One). The idea behind this is to simply illustrate the principle that God is a single entity, even though this entity has been called by several names used throughout history by different people. The simran also uses the word “Nirankar”, to signify the formless nature of this entity. The use of the words “teri” (thy) and “Tu” (thou) highlights the fact Nirankari devotees relate to this entity as closely as the way two ordinary human beings interact with each other.

Satsangs (congregations)

Sant Nirankari members have no particular place of worship as it is considered that regardless of wherever you are, whatever you are doing, you can worship formless God. The members meet at places called Satsang Bhawans (Congregation Halls), to share their spiritual experiences and praise the almighty formless God. The mission believes that congregations help devotees to strengthen their faith, increase their devotion towards Nirankar and attain spiritual steadfastness. This is reflected by the verse 56 of Avtar Bani, which says that “Seek the company of True Saint, this will bring spiritual glow on your face; seek the company of True Saint, this will remove impurity from your heart.” (Please note that there are other verses 57, 112, 138 and 223 that elaborate on this point. Please also refer to the Punjabi version for the original description as this is only an English translation)

The congregations are open to all without any discrimination of religion, caste, nationality, colour or race, and irrespective of whether one is rich or poor, and literate or illiterate. Holy scriptures of different religions or sects are also read and the common aim of all religions i.e. selfless love for all is stressed upon.

In Satsang Bhawans a chair on a stage (platform) is reserved for a pre-decided devotee who will represent the Satguru (His Holiness) and other devotees pay respect to Satguru by bowing down to him. Another devotee known as stage secretary sits on stage floor and manages events. Nirankari's also bow down (to touch the feet) of one another irrespective of age, gender, financial or social position as they believe and perceive the presence of God in all. Touching each others feet is also seen as a practice useful in removing pride or ego from a devotee's mind.

According to official biography of Nirankari Sants written by Balwant Gargi. Describing Buta Singhs death Gargi writes "At 2pm they about thiry in numbers, filed past their guru, touching his feet and offering money. As he received each offering, he rubbed it against his chest and then laid it by his side. His aged mother, sitting by his side, asked, "even now so much love for money, dear son".^[5]Balwant Gargi in his biography gives eye-witness account of a senior civil officer, Hardev Singh Chinna, and his wife, Naresh, drinking the footwash of the Baba for sipritual enlightenment immediatly after gulping several glasses of whiskey which were freely served and enjoyed. "Naresh had emptied her glass and fixed herself another" She took a short gulp and said dreamily "i am happy". Chinna, her husband, said strongly, "Babaji is the tangible form of the formless"^[6]

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.

Sant Nirankari sewa dal (Volunteer group)

While the Sant Nirankari Mission is a spiritual movement, it believes that devotion to Nirankar (formless God) may be expressed by exemplary behaviour towards other human beings. The Mission therefore has actively promoted the creation of a Sant Nirankari Sewa Dal (i.e. a volunteer group). The highest form of sewa (volunteering activity) is considered that which is done in a selfless manner. On this, the Avtar Bani verse 226 states “Greater than (the pledging of) body, mind and wealth is the service; Which is rendered selflessly, without any motive and has the approval of the True Master.”

[edit]History

The need for a sewa dal arose in the mid-fifties, a period when the number of devotees was increasing rapidly. Volunteers were needed to organise the arrangements for the large congregations (i.e. security, tents, food and beverage facilities, first-aid, accommodation etc needed to be managed).

[edit]Uniform

The male volunteers of the sewa dal in India have a khaki uniform, with white head-gear. Overseas male volunteers have navy blue blazers, grey trousers, white shirts with navy blue ties. The women wear blue cotton kamiz and white salwars. The uniform has intentionally been kept simple to allow people from many backgrounds to take part in volunteer activities. Sewa dal members pay for their uniforms from their own resources.

[edit]Administration

The current sewa dal is managed under the leadership of Reverend H. L. Arora, Reverend Vasudev Singh, Reverend H. S. Kohli, Reverend J. S. Khurana and Reverend O. P. Nirankari.

The sewa dal has carried out numerous voluntary welfare activities, all of which may not practicably be highlighted here. But a sample of the kinds of activities they engage in is outlined here.

• SNM Houston and SNM Ann Arbor fight against hunger
• SNM undertakes relief works in tsunami afflicted regions
• SNM donates for tsunami victims
• SNM Vancouver hold clothing drive for charity
• SNM Oxford celebrates Christmas by giving and sharing
• SNM Washington DC aid in Maryland Public Television's fundraising efforts
• SNM women walk for Cancer Research UK
• SNM Ann Arbor and SNM Northern California organise free health fairs

The Mission is a leading organisation in organising blood donation camps across India. The main philosophy behind this is based on the guidance of His Holiness who said that “Blood should flow in veins and not in drains”.

Further information on some of the camps that have been organised in various places may be accessed via the links below. Houston 2007,Los Angeles 2006, Melbourne 2007, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi - ongoing, Mumbai 2007, Chandigarh 1998, New Delhi 2002 , Govindpuri 2002, New Delhi 2004, Jammu 1999, Lucknow 2007, Bhopal 2007, Jammu 2001, New Delhi 2005, Trilokpuri 2002, Nirankari Mission featured in Thalassaemia Update, see page 16, World Blood Donor Day at SNM in pictures

Nirankari Mission in Service of Society, written by Brig. (Retd) Shamsher Singh, provides further accounts on the welfare activities of SNM.

Dhan Nirankar (Hail the formless God)

The English translation of this greeting (Dhan Nirankar), which is used by all Nirankaris, means “Hail the Formless God”. It symbolises that the devotee seeks to “welcome the Formless in the person he meets and eulogise only ‘Him’ in his or her ‘auspicious’ company”[3].

Avtar Bani

The Avtar Bani outlines the key philosophy of the Sant Nirankari Mission. It may in fact be considered the Bible or Quran of the Mission. It is named after its author Shahenshan Baba Avtar Singh. Its initial version was first published in 1957. Its “Big Brother”, the 'Sampuran Avtar Bani ' (meaning - the complete Avtar Bani) was published in 1965. The Avtar Bani was originally written in easy Punjabi verse, but some stanzas were in the Urdu and Sindhi Language. It contains 376 hymns which describe the qualities of Formless God (Nirankar), the important role of a True Spiritual Guide in attaining God realisation, the kindness and grace of the True Master, the purpose of human life, the five fundamental principles, true devotion and how a man can lead a saintly life. The Avtar Bani is not worshipped as a holy religious book like the Quran or the Bible, but it is highly regarded by the Nirankari devotees for its authenticity. It has been published in Gurumukhi, Devnagari, Urdu and Roman scripts. It has also been translated and published in English (verse and prose), Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Tamil, Telgu, Nepali and Marathi verse. The full online versions of the Avtar Bani may be accessed through the main Nirankari Website, via the Literature and the E-books links.

Normally, a verse from the Avtar Bani is read out before every discourse in most congregations (except when His Holiness Himself is giving the discourse). The verses are also read out at the beginning of each congregation. Devotees are however free to sing/read these verses as hymns anytime they prefer for personal spiritual enlightenment. In fact, many Nirankari households keep a copy of it. Of course, Avtar Banimay also be available from the Publications Department found in each Satsang Bhavan (congregation hall).

Famous slogans

The five famous slogans below shed light on the philosophy of the Mission. Reference: Nirankari EU

• True Religion Unites, Never Divides
• The World Should be in Peace, not Pieces
• Unity in Diversity, not Uniformity
• Know One, Be One, Believe in One
• Our Mission is Universal Brotherhood

Besides these slogans, remarkable sayings of Baba Gurbachan Singh ji and His Holiness Baba Avtar Singh ji may also be found in the books titled Precious Pearls and Spiritual Sparks respectively.

Voice Divine

Voice Divine is an internet radio programme of the Sant Nirankari Mission which presently broadcasts monthly. A typical programme lasts approximately for an hour. It is mainly hosted by Reverend Mukta ji and Reverend Vivek Mauji ji who are both devotees of the mission. The programme includes interviews from eminent saints in the mission, discourses by His Holiness and devotional hymns. Past episodes may be accessed online through the Multimedia section of www.nirankari.org

Sant Nirankari Mission Sarovar Complex

Santokh Sarovar (Holy Lake)

The Sant Nirankari Sarovar Complex contains a Sarovar (Holy Lake) which contains Holy water. It is named after the devotee, Reverend Santokh Singh ji (Source: Voice Divine episode November 2003). The sarovar is surrounded by a beautiful park. Many devotees use the Sarovar during the Annual Nirankari Samagams (ie very large congregations), which are held in November every year in New Delhi, India.

Nirankari Museum

The Nirankari Museum was officially launched by His Holiness, Baba Hardev Singh ji on 22 February 2005 [4]. The museum is located within the Sant Nirankari Sarovar complex on Burari Road, near Sant Nirankari colony in North Delhi.

Recent awards

Super Achievers Award for administration, awarded by Bharat Nirman on 30 April 2007

Pandit (caste system)Jawaharlal Nehru International Award for Intercontinental Peace, Tolerance and Harmony, awarded to His Holiness byInterfaith Harmony Foundation of India on 21-22 April 2007

Best Stall Award for use of Technology, Presentation and Cleanliness at India International Trade Fair held from 14-27 November 2006

Notes and references

1. ^ Nirankari EU Portal
2. ^ Organizational Structure of SNM
3. ^ Knott, Kim Dr. South Asian Religions in Britain page 765 in the Handbook of Living Religions edited by John R. Hinnels (1997), second edition, ISBN 0-14-051480-5
4. ^ Khinda S. God Knowledge adds charm to life. Sant Nirankari. February 2006. Page 9
5. ^ Balwant Gargi, Nirankari Baba.(1973) Thomson Press, India pp.63[1]
6. ^ Balwant Gargi, Nirankari Baba.(1973) Thomson Press, India pp.84[2]

• The Sant Nirankari Mission Website
• Sampuran Avtar Bani by Baba Avtar singh ji, published in 1965. Translation in verse by G.S. Bhatia (available as an E-book in the literature section of www.nirankari.org)
• Sant Nirankari Magazine
• The Unique Mission by Amrik Singh – This book provides a basic introduction to the Sant Nirankari Mission
• Precious Pearls by Joginder Singh, K.L. Nagpal and D.R. Ahuja. – This book provides a collection of sayings from Baba Gurbachan Singh ji
• Spiritual Sparks by Joginder Singh, K.L. Nagpal and D.R. Ahuja.– This book provides a collection of sayings from Baba Avtar singh ji
• The Matchless Mission by Amrik Singh
• The Master Speaks
• Spiritual Awakening
• Enlightening the World
• Mission and Missionaries
• Annual Congregations
• Annual Congregations - a historical perspective
• Organisational Structure of SNM
• The Enlightened Voice
• Nirankari Journal
• Articles by Nirankari Youth
• Reports and Photographs of salvation tours and major congregations
• Other important literature may be accessed here.