“His eyes were intoxicated with the love of God
And His hand was one with that of God.
He was the mouthpiece of God,
And God Himself spoke through that human throat.”
- Kirpal Singh
Once again, late summer is upon us. The heat drops from the low hundreds down into the nineties, the humidity rises and the wind kicks in, bringing with it black thunderclouds. By late morning, the sky is growing dark, lightning flashes on the horizon, and thunder rumbles in the distance, not unlike the “big drum” of Brahmanand – a feeling reinforced by the orange/crimson hue of the skies as the sun begins to set. Then the rain comes. You can see it from a distance, like a large, grey curtain blocking out the horizon, moving gradually toward you. With little warning, it hits driven by 40-50 mile-per-hour winds, soaking the streets and land. Then, as suddenly as it begins, it drops back to a light drizzle, and then a light breeze as the storm moves on.
It’s remarkable how similar the weather here in the Sonoran desert is to that of the Punjab in northwestern India. Actually, it’s about 10-15 degrees hotter there, and the storms are more torrential. They are also the source of farmers’ livelihoods, and in fact the dominating theme of mid and late summer. Perhaps this is why July – the month the monsoons begin – is called “Sawan”, “the month of rains”.
It was coinciding with the advent of the summer storms that Sawan Singh was born on June 20, 1858. The timing of Sawan’s birth is notable for a number of reasons. First, there is a tradition among some mystics that the births of great souls are often heralded by dramatic weather changes, often rain or snow storms. Also, just as the summer rain is the primary source of nourishment of Indian farmers’ crops, so too was Sawan’s mission as Living Shabda Teacher nourishment for the spiritual seeds sown by his master, Baba Jaimal Singh.
There are so many stories to tell about Sawan Ji, I’m not sure where to start. All who came into contact with him had profound respect for this man who many called “A King among Saints”. He had a profound understanding of not only spiritual matters, but also the human condition. He knew that learning to take control of your attention, withdraw it from the outer senses and unify it with God was anything but an easy task. To be sure, the actual spiritual science of Surat Shabda Meditation is one of the simplest things you can do. Just take time every day to sit quietly, perform the inner repetition given by your teacher and allow the Light and Sound of God lift you up and transport you within. What could be simpler?
But the actual task of remolding your entire self into God’s own image is a much more arduous undertaking. Leaving negative habits behind, transcending the five passions is a long-term process. It is not something that can be achieved by simply attending a lecture or weekend seminar, or being well read in spiritual theory. It is something that must be practiced and lived on a day-to-day basis.
Sawan used to say that true spiritual growth is a subtle, gradual process. It takes a lifetime. Old habits must be unlearned, and this in itself can be quite difficult. Our habits are familiar to us. In a sense, they are our oldest friends and we are loath to leave them behind.
True spirituality (i.e., self-realization, God-realization, erasing our karmic debt and achieving spiritual freedom in this lifetime), while it looks wonderful in theory, can be a very threatening prospect. It entails leaving our habits behind and venturing out of our comfort zone, into the unknown. For this reason, Surat Shabda Meditation (Sant Mat, the Way of the Saints) is a practical, personally testable science of spirituality. Each of us can explore this science in the laboratory of our human body, and examine the results of our experiments as we progress. In “Spiritual Gems” Sawan Singh put it this way:
“To give up worldly pleasures, to control the senses and bring the attention in one center by controlling the wild runs of the mind while still alive and kicking, is not an easy task. But what is it that with love and faith man cannot accomplish? You strengthen your will power and go ahead. Success is sure. Remember that once the seed of Nam has been planted, it must become a tree and bear fruit. Brahmand may perish, but the seed of Nam will not perish. There is no superior nor more precious thing than Nam. The sweetness of Nam – Shabd Dhun – is incomparable and incomprehensible in both the worlds. Nam is within you, for you, and within your reach – just inside the tenth gate. Saints ask, ‘Can there be a simpler proposition?’”
This is also one of the reasons why Sawan’s spiritual preparation included studying every major religion. He needed to be able to communicate with people of various religious backgrounds and explain how the essence of how the Audible Life Current of Shabda (aka, Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost, Ruach, Kalma, Naam, Word, etc.) is the very foundation of all religions. Furthermore, Sawan taught us that the science of tapping into this Current had been practiced by every real saint and mystic since humanity first became self-aware. Sawan’s grandson, Charan Singh, noted that Sawan was very fluent in Persian, and had great admiration for Islamic Sufi mystics. He also had a great talent for telling stories (akin to Jesus’ parables) to make a spiritual point.
So this, perhaps, is the best way to tell the story of Sawan Singh. His life was so long, his presence so commanding, it is difficult to offer a complete description of this great soul. Sawan served as a Living Shabda Master for nearly half a century, from 1903 to 1948; longer than any Surat Shabda Master in recent history. During this time, he took the tiny seedlings of Satsangs (groups of initiates various villages) that Baba Jaimal Singh planted, watered them with divine love and watched them grow into mighty oak trees of spirituality.
Baba Jaimal Singh – by the end of his own mission – had initiated approximately 2,400 souls. According to several accounts, he often said that the person who was to do the real work, would come after him, “with tenfold powers, mercy and grace”. During his tenure as Living Master, Sawan Singh initiated 126,000 souls, and traveled frequently and widely throughout the Punjab. As a result (Kirpal Singh wrote),
“There is not a village or town in the Punjab where His followers are not found in large numbers. In different parts of India, more than thirty Satsang halls were constructed, which formed centers for imparting practical spiritual-knowledge.”
One of Sawan’s chief assistants, Daryai Lal Kapur, observed,
“When He started regular Satsang at the Dera, the number of Satsangis in the Punjab was about two thousand, and the attendance at the annual bhandaras never exceeded two or three hundred. (Today the attendance at Bhandaras is well over 100,000).”
Furthermore, Mr. Kapur continued,
“In Jullundur City, where the number of satsangis now exceeds twenty thousand, there was only one Satsangi, S. Bhagat Singh.”
In the LightSong of Eternal Love,
Have a Beautiful Day!
Michael
http://spiritualfreedomsatsang.org