Chapter from book “Forever with Master, vol. 1” by Dr Harbhajan Singh
In Dehra Dun – April 2 – 4, 1974
Master planned to celebrate the death anniversary of His Master Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj in Manav Kendra from April 2 – 4, 1974. More than twenty thousand people gathered there on April 2. In spite of heavy rain, the Sangat did not move and continued listening to the Satsang.
The canopy started leaking and the water could enter into the Pandal. While holding Satsang in the sweet remembrance of His Master, Master wept bitterly like a child and spoke to the Sangat,
‘For how long will you hear the Satsang from this throat,
the sun is going to set.’
Many Rishis and Munis and religious leaders of different religions participated in the Bhandara. At the end of the Satsang, Master told all to put in some minutes for meditation in sweet remembrance of the Master. He said,
‘Everyone should sit in meditation.
There is no non-initiate,
as it is our turn to meet God.’
After about twenty minutes Master asked all to leave the meditation. He asked for the different experiences they could get during the sitting, like, ‘Who saw the brilliant light within? Who saw the Golden light? Who saw the moon, sun and star? And who saw Master’s form within?’ After counting, there were more than five thousand people who got that contact within. One of the religious leaders sitting on the stage requested the Master to allow him to speak. Master agreed and he said, ‘Master, your disciples are capable to see what we did never see so far. We feel shame sitting on the stage.’
Master said, ‘I have given you examples of a living Master and the competency of the Master.’
April 3, 1974 at midnight
More than forty persons were sitting in Master’s room in Dehra Dun; most of them were from Chandigarh, from Amritsar, from Delhi, and some were from other centres. It was midnight. I said, ‘Master, I have a question.’ Master made a sign which meant, not to speak. I said, ‘Master, if the disciple does not tell about the competency of His Master, then who else will tell?’ Master allowed me to speak. I said, ‘Master, I have read the book Godman, written by You. There I have read that in the Iron Age only fourteen Masters and seventy Bhagats would come. After reading I got sad and thought: Then my Master is not a Master. Because up to Baba Sawan Singh, there are all in all 14 Masters who have already passed.’ Master said, ‘That I have not written.’ I agreed and said, ‘Master, but it was written by Bhai Bala during the time of Guru Nanak, and you confirmed it in Your book Godman.’ Master told, ‘Bring the book.’ The book was brought by Devi Dass Patwari, the cashier of Amritsar-Centre. When I opened the book. Master said, ‘Well, tell, who were those Masters?’ I answered, ‘Master, You made one sitting in Srinagar. There You told about the fourteen Masters.’ — ‘You go on and tell’, Master said and I continued. ‘After reading the book that night I became very sad; I did not sit in meditation, but You withdrew me above the body consciousness. The sound became very strong, and soon I saw a brilliant and shining gold-like list bearing the names of all the 14 Masters.’ I asked Master to confirm whether this meditation was positive. Master asked, ‘How did it look like?’ I answered, ‘Master, it was shining like gold, and seeing to it my sight would not withstand, and then the sound current became very loud and I was able to read it.’ Master confirmed, ‘Your experience was positive, tell further!’
I said, ‘Master, I came to know that the name of Kabir was not there. Whereas I did not know why I thought of Kabir.’ Raising His hand Master said,
‘What to say of Him (Kabir) — He was the Creator.
He came in all the four Ages:
In Golden Age He was Satsukrat.
In Silver Age He was Munindar.
In Copper Age He was Karuname.
In Iron Age He was Kabir.
He did not come through the womb of a mother.’
I said,
‘Master, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind there are ten Masters.
Guru Gobind Singh, after leaving Punjab, initiated one,
Ratnagar Rao, who further initiated Tulsi Sahib.
So the 11th was Tulsi Sahib,
the 12th was Swami Shiv Dayal Singh Ji,
the 13th was Baba Jaimal Singh Ji,
the 14th was Baba Sawan Singh Ji,
but I did not find Your name there.
I wept bitterly, and then I saw Your name (Kirpal)
along with Kabir’s at the top of the list,
and it looked like Guru Nanak and Kabir being one.’
Then Master facing all said,
‘Mind, that the Golden Age is approaching.
Everyone has to go back now. No one will be spared.
Those who disobey the order of the Master
will have to travel a very long road
for the completion of their journey.’
This was the most important declaration during His tenure of twenty-six years.
( Note: Master has written further in that book that many fragrant Saints would follow afterwards .)
April 4, 1974
Master at 7.00 a.m. sent me a message through Hyat, the cook of the Master. He told me, ‘Maharaj Ji remembers you.’ I went to Master and Master asked me, ‘What is your programme?’ I said, ‘Master, the Sangat from Amritsar has come by a hired bus and we all have to go back to Amritsar.’ Master said, ‘But you cannot go today. I have something very important for you.’
Never in the past Master had spoken such words of emergency to me, so this gave me a special vibration to accept at once I remained with Master from 7.00 a.m. to 5.00 p m and Master even provided me with food during the day.
Being with Master the whole day, I felt like an ignorant and illiterate person sitting along with a chancellor of a university. Master told me a lot of things about the Satsang, about the Mission and about the Satsang in the West. By hearing all that I felt more and more little as I never thought that ever I would be worthy of hearing such things.
Afterwards, Master gave me an initiation chart in English and told me, ‘This you will need.’ I said, ‘Master, why do I need it, since it is Your work?’, and I started weeping. Master asked ‘Have you any wish or do you want to say something?’ I said, ‘Yes, Master, since initiation I am carrying a wish with me, a part of which you already fulfilled.’ — ‘What was that part?’, Master asked.
(Dr Harbhajan Singh answered…)
‘Some years ago in Rajpur I requested You »May I meditate or not, but my wife must meditate!« And Your Good Self answered, »Once this was also my wish, which was never fulfilled. I told my Hazur that He may use me in the Mission, but that my wife did not cooperate with me. You are the first one who put me this question, so it will be fulfilled.« In Srinagar You asked the experience of my wife after sitting in Pahalgam, in 1973. She answered that she put in thirteen hours a day, and she was very happy. But Your Holiness said, that you were not happy. So she accepted happily to meditate more since it was not difficult for her to put in more time. During Your illness she even was able to put in 22 hours a day. Now she puts in more and more time, and the inner Master tells many things, which, if told, do not help a disciple who is not receptive to the Master and the teaching. You confirm her experiences and You always devote much time to us when we stay with You while others are sleeping.
And now with all Your Grace, You helped us to know, that very few people would believe us, others would not surrender to the inner Master.
You have shown the very dreadful time between the Iron and Golden Age, when lots of brothers and sisters would start to depend on others and would not follow the inner Master. So I have two things to place before Your Holiness. Either to awake all brothers and sisters, and show them what will happen in future, or You help us to work with You till it finishes and You ask all of us to go back with You.’
Master happily agreed to the latter and said:
‘Master is not the physical body. He will guide you both
and you guide then all.’
Master once wrote me a letter:
‘You are blessed with right understanding, rather rare right
understanding of its special significance which will help
you and all your brothers and sisters.’
I told Master, ‘This we are doing already and we tell more about the competency of the Master than about other things.’ I further told that during this time between Iron and Golden Age, no Master is needed and the Power from Agam (seventh plane) has to take the test to bring the new Age into the world and It works inside and outside as well. And we cannot tell about all that without Your due permission; like on June 1, 1973 in Srinagar, when I wanted to say a lot about Your competency, which could spread all over the world till now, but at that time you did not permit me. Weepingly I said, ‘How can we help to separate us from You. Can You tell the way?’ Master’s eyes flushed with tears and He said, ‘You are my borrowed servant, you have to obey. Be silent, if the heat goes out of the brick kiln, the brick cannot be used for building.’
We both (I and my wife) only with Ranjir Singh from Amritsar and one disciple of the Master went back to Amritsar. My heart and head was burdened like anything.
I and my wife started to visit Master every week in spite of being very much engaged in Amritsar with my practice and the Satsang work.
Read next chapter: “In one and a half months I will be healthy”