Moments - Here and Now with HH Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

A year has gone past like a whiff of flowers in the wind and as one looks back, a thought comes to the mind - how did it go by so fast? Wasn't it just yesterday that the unthinkable happened and we were left wondering what would become of us? But then time has it's own way of reminding us - It has been more than 3 billion seconds since that fateful evening on the 13 of December 2012, precisely at 6:28pm... Yes 6:28pm... The clock now etched in the memories of millions, not forgotten so easily.

Look at it closely.... 3 billion odd seconds... Ever wondered about them, what did they stand for? Was it just time going by? From a time keepers point of view... Yes! But from another perspective they were not just seconds but moments.... Yes moments... And dare we say they were more than 3 billion moments, for each of those moments captured billions of moments that one had spent with the beloved father - HH Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji. Moments that were unique to each of us in their own ways, yet had the common thread of the Lord's weaving in it. Each moment that stood still in time, savoured and felt deep within the ravines of the heart. Each moment brought a tear to eye and wish on the lip - if only for a moment....

Words were spoken, gratitude expressed and tributes flowed... A soul celebrated... A year that went by... But something is still amiss... The emptiness inside echoes... Unnerving one... Almost to the point of desperation, as the mind seeks the answer tot he question 'did we miss something? And then a faint voice fades in... Like the soft notes of the taanpura, it fades in slowly at first... As if slowly spreading the fresh smell of the incense and as the voice breaks in and gains in volume... You hear it.... I have been here all the time, through the billions of moments that have gone by, looking after you... Yes looking after you... Through your trial and tribulations, through your tears and fears, through the questions and answers that you have posed and given, through your minds and your hearts... Each and every moment. And then the voice asks - But where have you been? Have you felt each and every moment, heard Me speak in each of them?

And suddenly it dawns, each moment was an opportunity... An opportunity to express our love and gratitude to our eternal father who led by example through the year and thought of us every moment, every second, while we debated and thought and wished and hoped and prayed... He looked after us, felt every moment of ours without judging us, letting us breathe and survive, not missing even a moment. He was there in the tear, the smile, the wish, the abyss and beyond doing what He always did without any expectation, prompting us to look back and reflect how many of those moments did we live? And we realize not even a percent of what He did.

A pall of gloom falls upon, did we then fail Him? And the humble notes of the music answer back... No this is not to remind you of the moments gone by, but to present you with more moments, more opportunities that are coming your way... And He says 'I will be there'. The question is will WE be there... An opportunity... An responsibility... To live every moment, feel every moment of His presence and yes to add and cherish billions of moments with our Lord, Master, Satguru, Friend and Guide... His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

Happy Diwali - Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji - A Memoir

It is that time of the year that one starts exchanging season’s greetings, wishing everyone, getting blessed by the elders of the family and blessing the younger one’s. Like every year this year seemed like the earlier, but as the day wore on and one went about greeting everyone, an odd feeling set in, something was amiss, but one couldn’t place it… 12 hours later and towards the fag end of the day, now, past midnight, just as one is about to plan ‘a to do’ list or turn in, one realizes what is amiss. When one has been celebrating a festival or a season since childhood, the daily chores of the festival are a matter of habit and one goes about it mechanically.

For years it has been habitual for one to start the ‘Diwali’ season by either going to Sri Bhaini Sahib and doing Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji’s darshan or if one is not able to make it, atleast call and seek His Holiness’s blessings and wish Him a very Happy Diwali.

It is written that ‘Diwali’ is celebrated when the victorious Lord Rama reached Ayodhya after 14 years. The streets and houses were lit with rows and lamps and everyone was overjoyed. Onecould only imagine the poet’s words, but in Sri Bhaini Sahib one could witnessit in Satguru Ji’s presence.
The evenings there were spent witnessing the brilliance of the hundred of lamps lit in His Holiness’s presence. The sounds of the hymns punctuating the cool wind that begins to blowin November. The glowing face of Satguru Ji lighting up the world of each andeveryone. What a sight… How lucky were we to have witnessed heaven on earth, usmere mortals, who had done nothing but sin. It was only His benevolence thatgave one that chance.

Always involved, always alert and always willing to be an active participant in each and everyone’s life… even the little joys. His benevolence resounded in the musical composition He composed extempore on witnessing a tray full of glowing lamps brought forth as obeisance at His feet on the occasion of ‘Diwali’ by a humble woman, answering her prayers and showering His blessings upon everyone present.

Looking back at all those years and the memories associated with them brings one back to the wish… If only one could relive that moment again, have that one glimpse, feel the presence… His ever smiling face, the look in His eyes that drew one and all to Him and prompted each one of us to call Him or meet Him and wish Him a very Happy Diwali.

It is almost a year since His physical self passed away, the silence has been deafening, the lamps have remained unlit, destiny has taken its own course, some cross roads have been crossed while the territory is still unchartered, waiting for the traveler to continue one’s journey. The mind seeks His presence, the heart skips a beat at the slightest of the sound, and the head turns and looks back is He still there?And His benevolence answers ‘Don’t turn back, look at Me in front of you, the eternal light… I am the twinkle in your eye, the prayer on your lips, the beatin your heart, the love of your life and the path of your destiny. Fear not for I am there forever as long as your soul lives. I rejoice in your joy and am a partaker in your journey. I am the light in the lamp and the glow thatsurrounds it. Spread forth its warmth and look at me… Will you not wish metoday?” And I bow to thee, with tears in my eyes and a gentle nod… Look uptoHim and whisper ‘Happy Diwali to You My Lord, Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji… may we be the earth on which lie the rows of lamps illuminated by your benign presence. May we be worthy of your benign self. May every word, effort of us,bring praise to Your thy self and make You proud of us. May we be so lucky to be blessed with your love, affection and presence forever ’ Dhan Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

Six months on... His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

Six months is an awful lot of time in a lifetime. Sometimes they pass by so quickly that you hardly notice and sometimes you wish they would pass faster. But rarely does a moment come when you wish time would stand still and the six months shouldn't have passed. It has been six months since His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji united with the eternal light.

Although life has changed since, His omnipotent presence continues to pervade the heart and soul. The thought of His radiant smile continues to light up the dawn of the day , enchanting the very source of life. Seasons may have changed, from winters to summer and now the Rains, but the air still carries His fragrance, fresh as ever, like a dew on a flower.

Through the travail and travel of the past six months Every walk has been a walk to remember. He is the source and focus of each and every conversation, every spoken word a memory in itself. Each memory laying its claim as the purest and the closest. To have loved and be loved thus is truly divine and it is this love that continues to guide the spirit and lives in the soul of each and every one of us. 

To have read or heard of the Peahen's knock on His door would have just been a poet's imagination, but to have seen it, is to have felt the depth of Your love.

So much remains unfulfilled, the mind wanders, the soul searches and the heart pines, for where are you my Lord - Will we ever meet?

As we bow our head in reverence and in solemn memory, may we be born again and again where we can always meet.

Dhan Satguru Jagjit Singh J

God fearing or God loving ? Notes from here and there with His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

Religion and Spirituality are two facets of the same coin as much as Love and Fear are of the same coin. And all of them are intertwined and are the bases that contribute towards the formation of a person’s faith. Faith in itself is defined by one's belief in the occurrence and acceptance of miracle(s) and its creator and leads to the reinforcement of either love or fear depending on which hand the Creator deals out on that particular day.

Like everyone else we have been brought up on the path of our religion and faith and have been nurtured and tutored who and what to follow from childhood. But as we grow up and the environment around us changes, the marquees of faith and religion keep changing. And it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain both. At such junctures a sense of fear is then instilled in the faithful, that if you don’t do this, this will happen and if you do that, then that will happen. Slowly and surely as one grows up he becomes a God fearing person and hence in the eyes of the world a good person.

But is this what Religion and Spirituality is about? We do something because we fear that something might happen that we may not like? A well meaning but never the less a debatable question that cropped up in a discussion.

In a mind that has been pre-occupied and images keep floating in and out with memories of His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji, one dwells and wonders at the above take on Religion, Spirituality, Love, Fear etc., Would our relationship and faith fall into the same gambit or is it something else.

The answer to it perhaps lies in the personal and spiritual relationship that His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji shared with each and every one of us. Yes each and everyone of us... come to think of it... if one was to go back and think, He has known each and everyone of us by name, mind you no small achievement considering we all must number more than a million. Add it the fact that this was over 92 years of His physical presence, across at least 7-8 generations of each family. Wow... how many of us even remember the names of our friends from schools or far that matter family members and cousins with whom we have spent our childhood.

As mere ordinary humans, mired in the hum drum of our daily lives, like others we all have the same fear and would have accounted and added to the God fearing population if not for His Holiness. His enduring love, the jest and energy that He poured in knowing each and every facet of one's life and His guiding force behind each and every decision, that made one forget their fears and do everything for the love of doing it and do it to get His benevolence and love. Whether it be adhering to the tenets of religion as taught by Him or something as simple as wearing a simple dress. His benevolence and large heartedness was such that each and every effort reinforced a relationship steeped in love and not fear.

The physical self may not be there but His unending love, continues to stir emotions, encourages everyone to be steadfast and build more relationships of love and not fear. Instill in each and everyone His virtue that enables us to be not God fearing people but God loving people.  For it is only when we do that, we tread the path the He has shown us, of humility and love, where the possibilities are limitless and happiness knows no bounds, a path that leads us to Him, without fear.

He is our guiding force; our spirit and our heart beat... His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

Memories - Here and there with His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

Several books and articles have been written about the Glory and the proactive efforts of His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji. And several more will continue to be written in the future. But what underlined each story, each incident and each effort of His?

Was it just Him being a great Spiritual Master, an un-paralleled leader or as many of us would relate Him as our deity and God? If one was to scratch the surface and read between the lines, the underlying basis of everything was His promotion and growth of collectivity and within that the individual.

While every well known and successful Corporate house in the world draws from its experiences and treads the path well laid, a Spiritual Master like His Holiness's had the collective wisdom handed down from the lineage of the great Sikh Gurus right from Guru Nanak to Satguru Pratap Singh Ji. But what made it perhaps more challenging despite that was that each Guru has to take it beyond the previous Guru and not only tread the path well laid but create a path of His own that would not only accentuate and further the cause of mankind but benefit the individual human at large.

In every effort, in every endeavor of His the thought of how the individual would benefit would be underlined. A small incident, insignificant as it might sound in the larger scheme of life, but never the less significant to us illustrates this thought of collectivity and the individual.

It was 26 or 27 December 2001, when I visited Sri Bhaini Sahib and had the good luck of His Holiness divine audience as He walking out of His room. It had been a year since He had been convalescing from the stroke He had had a year earlier. He looked at me and unexpectedly said "Aren't you the boy from Hyderabad? Your house has mango trees, right? I nodded as He went sat under a big white umbrella in the well laid out garden across His room. I paid my obeisance to Him and in a moment of uncertainty I blurted out a strange hitherto unknown request. I requested Him to allow me to make a documentary on Him. It would be important to highlight the fact that at that point of time in my life, I was going through a low period professionally and emotionally, actually on the verge of suicide if I may say so. The thought of making a documentary in that state of mind was in my opinion today was nothing less than preposterous.

What was most amusing was the fact that I had no clue whatsoever of how I would go about it. It also dawned on me that I had never ever met Sri Satguru Ji at close quarters and here I was dreaming of making a documentary. Added to this was the matter of funds required to make something of this magnitude, it certainly was not going to be easy to conceive and execute the whole project given my financial status, however the illusion that I would be able to pull it off remained.

I was introduced to Harpal Singh Ji, hazuri sewak to Satguru Ji (personal aide to His Holiness), who was amused by the fact that I wanted to undertake a project like this. He was very forthcoming in his suggestions and tried his best to explain to me the amount of time and serious research a subject as vast as this demanded. I remember vividly, sitting in the garden of his house he mentioned that whatever I finally made, neither me nor him nor anybody else would be satisfied, given the innumerable, insurmountable efforts of His Holiness. Undeterred I requested for help in doing the same and was rewarded with a copy of the book “Sarab Kala Samrath” authored by him. I spent the whole night and the next day going through it, an effort compounded by the fact that although I was familiar with the Gurmukhi alphabet and had been taught as a child, I was not fluent and found it difficult to read.

The book was a blessing in disguise as it was to form the basis of the documentary and in fact much as I tried for a better title I would never get a better one and the documentary would also be subsequently named as “Sarab Kala Samrath – The Master of All Arts – Journey onto the path of truth”.

I boasted neither literary training nor accomplishments; this was going to be an attempt and more an emotional recount of personal faith and belief as a Namdhari, rather than solid historical research and documentation. In a more concise and practical way I would say this was an attempt to go back to my roots, to try and discover my own bearings, to try and find my way to the heart of the man who led us – His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

One thing led to other and we landed up for filming in Sri Bhaini Sahib in January 2002. As the months rolled by, during the Holla celebrations at Sri Bhaini Sahib in March 2002, we presented our first cut to His Holiness. I was asked to complete it and as result of the screening, historical archive footage, pictures and a few videos were given to me for the same. Finally in June 2002, we presented the final cut to His Holiness.

It was evening; a VCR was quickly installed in His room. Pandit Gopal Singh Ji as asked to join His Holiness and along with His aides Racchpal Singh and Harpal Singh, the documentary was played. Through the screening I kept looking at His Holiness in anticipation, but His face never displayed any emotion. My stress levels went up and at the end of it I was hoping I had not made a mess. But lo and behold, as soon as the film ended He looked at me and with His irreplaceable smile said 'Well done', 'How did you find the time to do this?' I was stunned and overcome with emotion and frankly didn’t know how to react. I paid my obeisance and walked out relieved, satisfied that at least the film had not been rejected. What happened through the filming, editing and the release are stories in their own way, to be reminisced at a later date.

But what defines the whole event was that the documentary proved a turning point in my life and brought to fore the collective and individual factor of His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji's each and every effort. The documentary threw open doors that I had not known, relationships that have become enduring and personal. While I grew independently, emotionally and gained my confidence back, it served as a means to share His Holiness with the rest of us as well. It brought me closer to my Lord spiritually and opened me to the vastness of His benevolence. If not for that one look of benevolence I would be not exist today. After having seen, heard and read His human exploits, I realize that 'Sarab Kala Samrath' wasn't even a drop in the vast ocean of His Holiness Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji, but He was benevolent and instead of looking at our short comings, motivated us to do more, making us feel proud of ourselves and take up a way of life that was more fulfilling than before. We are indebted to His ethos of personal development leads to collective development and drop in the ocean, even though a drop, still adds to the collectivity of the ocean.

I miss you my Lord, my Mentor, my Friend, my Colleague and if I may say my Heartbeat, the heart pines for you and longs for your benevolence.

Dhan Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

It has been a month... It has been 31 days... It has been 744 hours... It has been 44,640 minutes... It has been 2,678,400 secs

It has been a month... It has been 31 days... It has been 744 hours... It has been 44,640 minutes... It has been 2,678,400 seconds

If time was a measure of a human's love for God then nothing more would illustrate the fact more than the above. Each day of the month, each hour of that day, each minute of that hour and each second of that minute one image has dominated every thought since that fateful moment of history... His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji.

As the time has flown, the outpouring of grief... Wait... No... this was no outporing of grief. It was and is the outporing of unending Love, an expression of one's hitherto unknown feelings for someone who until now was unobtrusively a part of everyone's life, a feeling that gave the faithful the strength to follow the path and the atheist the contradiction to doubt his doubts.

In the circle of one's life most of our moments are normally spent thinking about one's own welfare and our daily vocabolary is dominated by I, Me and Myself. And its rarely out of place to think thus. But a moment in life that makes you forget that and makes you think every second, minute, hour, day and month henceforth only about Him can only be termed as the moment of truth, that is extremely pious and reveberates one's Love for God. A moment that will last a lifetime and will continue to illustrate the unending, unfathomable and unparalleled Love that God commands and can only be His.

As we continue to run our race towards our Career's, Professions, Businees's... A moment brings everything to standstill, asking us to stop and reflect, what is it that made Him love and be loved so much?

The answer lies within our outporing every second since... To have lived a life for one's own self is human, but to have lived One's life for everybody else and to have made everyone's life His own is the trait only known of God. Its a trait that needs to be emulated every moment of one's life. A trait that will make one proud of not oneself but Him. A trait that will make one proud to be known as His faithful, His Stock, His Family, His Life... For in doing so we will continue to Live Him and His Godliness for our lifetime... Lets make Him and ourselves proud.

maan kara-o tuDh oopray mayray pareetam pi-aaray.
I take pride in You, O my Darling Beloved.

ham apraaDhee sad bhooltay tumH bakhsanhaaray. ||1|| rahaa-o.
I am a sinner, continuously making mistakes; You are the Forgiving Lord. ||1||Pause||

ham avgan karah asaNkh neet tumH nirgun daataaray.
I make mistakes each and every day. You are the Great Giver;

daasee sangat parabhoo ti-aag ay karam hamaaray. ||2||
I am worthless. I associate with Maya, your hand-maiden, and I renounce You, God;
such are my actions. ||2||

tumH dayvhu sabh kichh da-i-aa Dhaar ham akirat-ghanaaray.
You bless me with everything, showering me with Mercy; And I am such an ungrateful
wretch!

laag paray tayray daan si-o nah chit khasmaaray. ||3||
I am attached to Your gifts, but I do not even think of You, O my Lord and Master.
||3||

tujh tay baahar kichh nahee bhav kaatanhaaray.
There is none other than You, O Lord, Destroyer of fear.

kaho naanak saran da-i-aal gur layho mugaDh uDhaaray. ||4||4||34||
Says Nanak, I have come to Your Sanctuary, O Merciful Guru; I am so foolish - please,
save me! ||4||4||

Dhan Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

'All I ask of you is your Heart' HH Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

A single picture can sometimes create an avalanche of memories. Memories so fond and over powering that you realize their worth now, much later after the actual moment. The overwhelming emotion is such that your heart swells up with love hitherto you have unknown of, a longing of that smile that is now captured in the lens of your heart. 'These are the matters of the heart...' they say and they often last for a lifetime, for it is the timeless love that the heart cherishes, pure and unadulterated love that only the Lord and Master can give, despite the tantrums and impossble demands we place on Him. And what does He demand of it in return? or rather does he expect anything in return at all.

Legend says that when Sri Satguru Gobind Singh Ji formed the Khalsa, He asked for 5 human heads, 5 people who would sacrifice themselves at the altar of the Lord, the 5 who would become the chosen 5, the Punj Piaras, as we know them today. Times were tough, the Mughals were at their zenith, morale was at an all time low and here was the Guru asking for heads. As destiny would have it , the brave 5 rose to the occassion and the rest as we know is history and the rise of the Khalsa.

Three hundred plus years later the Moghuls are no more, the rule of the land is in the hands of the voted representatives and morale ? Depending on who you are and what your status is, could be on the either side of the pendulum. In an environment of relatively, comparably free country if a Guru was to ask for something today what would it be? a head? In a society wound with several faiths, surely that wouldn't be an issue now. Wouldn't several of us say and probably even offer our heads, if and when the Guru asked? Yes we would. But is this what He would desire? The surprising answer lies in a simple statement of His Holiness Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji...

In a poigant moment He had remarked with a smile that could be only His, I do not demand a head or a sacrifice on the altar, I know several will do it if asked for. What I ask for though is - your Heart, can you Love me as unflinchingly as I Love you, can follow the ideals of our relationship, can you adhere to the tenets of Sewa, Simran and shun jealously and falsehood. For if you can do that then you would have given me your Heart. After all a Sikh-Guru relationship is a matter of the heart. I don't need a Head, I need you, your Heart and your unconditional love, so that history can then repeat our folk lore and be an example onto others for generations to come.

May we all follow the path with His benevolence and make Him proud of us and may history remind the future generations here is a Satguru, the True Master who asked for the Hearts of His loved ones.

Dhan Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

He is our breath, our heart beat, our love and our destiny - HH Sri Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

It was a friend and a fellow Namdhari who asked me to narrate an incident that I witnessed about Satguru Ji. Strange as it might seem, my whole life seems to be only incidents with Him. And stranger is the fact that these incidents continue to happen even now. It seems and feels thus every moment.

For in Him we see our parents and our Lord and our life, He is our breath and heart beat, He is our Love and our Destiny, He is our Satguru, The Lord, Master, Friend and our motivation.

Tears n even more tears, they say you shouldn't cry, but then we had never experienced so much love ever before, He always said you walk a step towards Him and He would walk not just the mile but a lifetime with us, and guess what He has done more than that, He continues to walk even today. There is not a single moment that goes past without Him being in our thoughts, is it a bane or a boon? It's probably a boon that we Namdharis were lucky to be touched by God Himself and we can proudly say we have seen God, we have spoken to Him, He has spoken to us, He lives within us always and guides us to walk His path, the path of truth, the path of Satguru Jagjit Singh Ji

May His benevolence be always upon us, May we be true to Him and His ideals even more so now, may we ring true His words and may we represent Him within our communities, families, friends, business, professions and humanity. May we live Him a life time.

Let the tears stop but the memories flow, for the day they dry, we would be astray from His path, lets tread His path, with Him arm in hand.

Dhan Satguru Jagjit Singh J