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The Sant Nirankari Mission (Template:Lang-pa, Template:Lang-hi, SNM) and also known as Universal Brotherhood Mission, is a religious or spiritual organisation based in India.

The Sant Nirankari Mission identifies itself as "an all embracing spiritual movement, cutting across all divisions of caste, color, and creed. The Mission seeks to reveal God, also known as Nirankar, to all human beings irrespective of their religious faith, sect, or community and thus liberate them from the shackles of ignorance, superstition, ritualism, and dogmatism in the name of devotion to God."

It firmly believes that the realization of God is the real objective of human life and this can be achieved only through the benevolence of the living true master: the Satguru i.e. the True Master.

The realization of God not only maintains balance between spirituality and materialism in day to day life, but also takes a person to the cherished achievement of brotherhood of mankind which leads to peaceful coexistence.

The meditation here is to feel the existence of God all of the time and everywhere. The Mission also emphasizes the need and importance of the company of fellow enlightened beings (Satsang) and selfless service to humanity (Sewa).

Academics identify the group as an offshoot of Sikhism, which separated from orthodox Sikhism in 1929 CE. Despite the similarity of name, the group is not (or is no longer) affiliated with the Nirankari movement started by Baba Dayal.

The SNM has over 2500 branches, out of which more than 100 branches outside India, spread across the whole world including Britain and North America. The world headquarter is located in Sant Nirankari Colony, Delhi. Currently, Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj, provides the spiritual guidance for the devotees; the Mission is characterised by its focus on God Realisation, Universal Brotherhood, and Peaceful Co-existence.

The Mission believes in Universal Oneness through Oneness of God, Oneness of all Religion, and Oneness of the Whole Mankind as One Family.

History

The founder of the Sant Nirankari Mission, Baba Buta Singh Ji (1873-1943) was born in the year 1873 at Village Hudwal, Distt. Kaimalpur, in Pakistan. He had spiritual leaning from the very childhood and had developed an aptitude for reciting Gurbani (holy verses from the Adi Granth). Baba Buta Singh Ji was 40 years old, when he was blessed with Brahm Gyan or God-knowledge by Bhai Sahib Kahan Singh Ji. For about 15 years he remained quiet, assimilating the Divine Revelation and comparing it with the vast knowledge of Gurbani he had. Thereafter Baba Buta Singh Ji started revealing the Divine Secret to whosoever was found interested and among his first few disciples was Baba Avtar Singh Ji.

The Sant Nirankari Mission had its formal beginning on May 25, 1929, the day when Baba Avtar Singh Ji (1899-1969) received God-knowledge from Baba Buta Singh Ji and joined him in taking the spiritual light to as many people as possible. Baba Avtar Singh Ji founded Sant Nirankari Mandal in 1948 with Headquarters at Delhi. He also established branches all throughout for taking forward the message of the Truth. Baba Avtar Singh Ji also authored the Holy Avtar Bani, considered to be the essence of the Divine Ideology, and was published in 1965. One of the unique things related to Baba Avtar Singh Ji is that during his life time itself he took a decision to revert from the Satguru to an ordinary devotee. As a devotee, Baba Avtar Singh Ji became an example to others, he showed full reverence to the Satguru of the time, Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji.

On December 3, 1962, while addressing a gathering of devotees at Paharganj in Delhi, Baba Avtar Singh Ji blessed Gurbachan Singh Ji with the divine service to spread the Message of Truth. Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji (1930-1980) was one of those great masters who lived and died for the noble cause of human unity through spiritual awakening. Throughout, he endeavored to transform the demoniac face of human society and inculcate the spirit of peaceful co-existence, love and harmony. He was pained to find people quarrelling and suffering because of hatred generated by ignorance, blind faith and superstition.

The current Mentor and Spiritual Head of the Mission, Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj was born on February 23, 1954 in Delhi in the family of Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji, and was blessed with the divine service to take forward the Message of Truth in April 1980. His humility earned him the name 'Bhola Ji'. As a child, he was very fortunate to have spiritual blessings of His parents and the then Satguru Baba Avtar Singh Ji and Jagat Mata Budhwanti Ji as his grand parents. With the growth of child Hardev, grew his thoughtfulness and sobriety. Interest in congregations, respect, regards for elders and trait of humility could be noticed in him from the very childhood.

Spiritual Ideology of Sant Nrankari Mission

Objective of Human Life

Salvation is the supreme achievement and prime objective of human life. And the realisation of the Formless and all-pervading God is the only means to achieve salvation. This all pervading God is essentially ONE, and formless, bodyless, colorless, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, and beyond birth and death. The Formless God, who is the creator, operator and destroyer of this whole universe, can very well be known, and is worth knowing.

What is Salvation?

As long as our soul is separated from the ‘supersoul’ or Formless and all-pervading God, it keeps on changing bodies which is normally known as cycle of rebirth and coming out of this cycle is known as Salvation. But, once the soul gets the realisation of God or supersoul, it gets merged with it resulting into losing its own identity, and hence acquiring the identity of God Himself. It is just like a glass of water becoming sea once it falls into sea. And after it merges with sea, it loses its own identity (or existence) and gains a much bigger identity (that is) of sea. In spiritual parlance, this merger is known as Salvation from the cycle of rebirth.

God Realisation

God Realization means direct perception of the Formless and all-pervading God or being face to face with the Almighty. There are three steps to God Realization. It is like any other realization. Take one simple example of realizations of say ‘elephant’.

Initially, a child somehow comes to know that there is something like ‘elephant’. Up to this stage he only knows the ‘name’. That means he doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘elephant’, and he can’t even imagine how an elephant would look like. Next stage is when somebody explains to him that the ‘elephant’ is an animal, very big in size, having a big trunk, four legs and a small tail. Now the child knows the ‘meaning’ of the word ‘elephant’. So the child has gone to the second step. He might start imagining now, but his imagination can go haywire because he not yet seen an ‘elephant’. At the third and final level, when the child is taken to a zoo and being told that ‘look, that is elephant’, he gets the full realization.

Case is just similar for God Realisation. Knowing the ‘name’ is the first step, then knowing the meaning or the definition, is the second step, and finally when he is made to realize the God by the True Master of the Day, that is the last step, when the Formless God is before his eyes.

Role of True Master

The God realization is an extremely rare blessing, and, from the time immemorial, and in accordance with all the Holy Scriptures, this realization has become possible only through the True Master of the day.

Knowing about God is a knowledge, and knowing God is Realisation of God, as “Knowing about something” is different from “knowing something”.

True master is the personification of the Formless and all-pervading God, and when the Formless God delivers His message to the mankind through a human being, that human being is known as a True Master, Satguru, Guru or Sakaar.

In fact, the recognition of a True Master is that 'he knows God, and he can bless with the God Knowledge in no time, to anyone, who surrenders unto him.' Another spiritual fact is that the True Master is not a body; the body is only a medium through which the Formless God speaks in order to manifest Himself. True Master is contemporary whereas the Formless God is of timeless existence.

Universal Oneness

Oneness of God

The Mission firmly believes that God is one, only His names are many, for instance, some people call Him Ram or Allah or God or Yehova or Tao.

To understand it more clearly let us take the example of water; like water is one, and it has many names in different languages, i.e. Water, Pani, Jal, Neer, Aab etc. Here, we know that water is the same, only names are different. Similarly, God is also one.

With the realization of the ‘Divine Truth’ the proverbial Light dawns, and the proverbial Darkness vanishes; this oneness becomes absolutely clear, and all the differences arising out of the names also vanish leading to tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

Oneness of all Religions

The Mission believes that there are not many religions as generally understood, but there is only one religion and that is HUMANISM.

The Mission's belief is because of the fact that the essence of all the religions is same, and that is two fold;

First - Realization of the all-pervading formless God;

Second - Living this life imbibed with humility, tolerance of diversity and universal brotherhood.

And when the essence all the religions is same, then we can easily accept the fact of oneness of all religions, and can have tolerance, compassion and love for all.

Oneness of whole Mankind: Universal Brotherhood

The Mission firmly believes in the ideal of Universal Brotherhood, and that the whole mankind is a one family with all kinds of diversity. This is based on the eternal Truth of ‘one father- one family’ means that the there is only one supreme Father (called God) and we are all his children.

After someone receives the ‘God knowledge’ from the True Master the whole world appears to be a huge family, of course with plenty of diversities. And if we go by that realization then, there can be no concept of caste. Because when the father is one formless God, how can there be many castes, different creeds, and differentiation based on colour, language, region or religion.

Finally the result is a life full of love, compassion, humility and service to mankind.

Universal Pledges of Sant Nirankari Mission

1. Surrender - All assets - physical, mental and material – belong to God.

For these assets, we are merely the trustees, not the owners, so there is no place for any kind of pride/vanity. Rather, with a feeling of humility and gratefulness, we should use them according to the will of Almighty.”

2. Equality - “Not to go by considerations of Caste & Creed.”

In fact, we all are the creation of the One and Only One Formless God. And this God has no caste or creed, so being His creation we also need not go by considerations of Caste & Creed.

3. Tolerance (of diversity) - “Not to hate anyone on account of his or her attire or food habits.”

What we eat, drink and wear is for the body only, and all this is dictated by our geographical conditions.

Thus we should not judge others on these counts or impose our likes and dislikes on them.

4. House-holder - “To lead the life of a House holder and not to become an ascetic”

Instead of becoming an ascetic, we should lead a normal life, earn our livelihood ourselves, not to be a burden on others. This has been the teaching of all the True Masters and even a cursory look at the history will reveal that all the Masters and their enlightened disciples have led the life of a householder only.

5. Humility - “Not to reveal the God Knowledge without True Master’s permission”

This pledge saves a seeker from the vice of vanity. Rather, it leads to ‘humility’ for the self and a deep sense of gratefulness for the Master. Just as nobody can become a teacher on the first day of school, God Knowledge has first to be imbibed and lived, only then can one become worthy of passing it on. “An unlit lamp can be lit only by the True Master himself.”

Community Service

Social Reforms

The Mission believes in simplicity in marriages and other social functions. Thus, the devotees keep away from unnecessary materialistic show off. Mass Marriages, where hundreds of couples get married at a simple function is a regular affair. Besides, inter-caste marriages are also encouraged, and in fact Nirankari's do not recognize caste in their social relations. Instead, what they value is spiritual enlightenment and devotion to Nirankar (God). Simplicity in other social functions leads to the utilization of saved resources for the common good of humanity.

Compassionate Aid for Natural Disasters or Other Calamities

Continuing with the Sant Nirankari Mission's philosophy of offering selfless service to mankind is its aid in case of natural disasters or other calamities. After heavy flooding caused a loss of human lives and damage to shelter and property during August and September 2007 in Bihar, Orissa, Nepal, and Himachal Pradesh, the Mission voluntary teams (Sewa Dal) came forward to help the most hard-hit and inaccessible areas. They offered food, clothing, temporary shelters, and subsequent monetary assistance to those hardest hit to reestablish themselves after the disaster.

Similarly, the Mission set up a Relief Camp for Tsunami victims at Port Blair of the Andaman Islands. The camp was highly appreciated by the local government, functioning jointly for more than a year. The two organized proper and respectful disposal of the dead, medicines and actions to prevent the spread of disease, and also services in reconstruction and development of the Tsunami affected areas. Over the years the Mission has offered aid to victims of earth quakes, land-slides, cloud bursts, and other natural disasters.

As a measure of charity and relief to needy sections of society, monetary and medical help is provided to the Handicapped, Poor, Widowed, Aged and other extremely needy cases. Monetary assistance is given on a monthly basis to many such compassionate cases.

Blood Donation

His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj started the voluntary blood donation programme by donating blood himself in 1986, when the Mission organized its first blood donation camp during the Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam in Delhi. The words of His Holiness that “Human blood should flow in veins, and not in drains” provided the necessary impetus.

From 1987, however, the Mission began to hold blood donation camps every year on April 24 as a tribute to the former Head of the Mission, Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji who laid down his life on this day in 1980, as also the other saints who sacrificed their lives to uphold the ideals of Truth, love, peace and unity preached by the Mission. The Mission observes the day as Manav Ekta Diwas (Human Unity Day).

Appreciating the enthusiasm among the devotees of the Mission to donate blood, the Indian Red Cross Society also joined hands and the programme became a mass movement. These camps are now organized almost round the year starting from Manav Ekta Diwas on April 24. Blood Donation Camps are also organized in other countries either on this occasion or subsequently. Besides April 24, blood donation camps are also organized in a big way on World Blood Donor Day on June 14 and National Voluntary Blood Donor Day on October 1. This invaluable contribution has been recognized at almost every national and international forum on blood donation.

Health Care: Free Medical Health Checkup Camps

Sant Nirankari Mission has embarked upon an ambitious program of universal health care, recognizing the need particularly amongst the poorer sections of society in the areas where medical facilities are inadequate or sometimes even nonexistent. The Mission organizes check-up camps for general health, polio prevention, anemia eradication (under Mission’s Anaemia eradication programme), and tuberculosis control throughout the year. In fact, in 21 camps held over the 2007-2008 calendar year nearly 67,716 patients were screened.

Another service camp the Mission focuses on eye health care. Beginning in 1988, in cooperation with Indian Government hospitals, the Mission organized doctors and eye specialists who could properly diagnose those with cataracts, which if untreated can cause blindness. In 2007-2008 over 915 operations were carried out, with the necessary post-surgery medications also provided. Otherwise, the Mission provides eye examination, and the necessary lenses or glasses needed for correction in the cases of those who can not afford them. Lens and spectacles are given to thousands of people every year in the rural areas where the highest demand for these camps, surgeries, and correctional lenses exists.

Another dimension of the Mission's ideology is 'Service to mankind.' Thus, four charitable hospitals have been set-up in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, and Allahabad. As supplements to the hospitals, 167 charitable free dispensaries (107 Allopathic, 58 Homoeopathic and 2 Ayurvedic), 13 mobile dispensaries, 5 dental care centers, and 3 physiotherapy centers are currently operating in India. More than 20 lakh / 2 million, patients are treated annually at these locations.

Education

The Education Department, Sant Nirankari Mandal is undertaking many prestigious educational endeavours:

One Post Graduate College titled Nirankari Baba Gurbachan Singh Memorial Degree College at Sohna, Distt. Gurgaon (Haryana), Two Senior Secondary Schools in Delhi – one each in Paharganj and Sant Nirankari Colony.

Nine English Medium Public Schools – six in Delhi and one each in Faridabad (Haryana), Ludhiana (Punjab) and Durgapur (West Bengal), Twenty three Single-teacher Adult Education Centers in the far off areas of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and other parts of the country. Scholarship schemes are also there for the meritorious students of the schools and colleges run by the Mission.This scheme benefits the proficient and the needy students in academic, technical and professional fields. The students showing excellence in foreign languages, All India and State-level competitions and sports are also covered under the umbrella of the scheme.

Woman Empowerment

To encourage women's empowerment the Mission operates 72 tailoring and embroidery training centers in different parts of India. The courses give women, who oftentimes have few marketable skills, a method to obtain employment or create their own income. This economic empowerment has many positive consequences, often leading to increased social capital for women. Otherwise the skill training may serve as a resource within the family.

Another initiative the Mission supports is primary education to illiterate women, provided under a special program, 'Project Upkar’. Villages having population of Tribals and Gypsies are the main target under this project. The aim is to reach out to those sections of our society which are totally bereft of the modernization and development and living in isolated environments.

Youth Empowerment

Modern age is an extremely competitive age and environmental stress is taking its toll of youth. In order to help youth overcome their shortcomings and be ahead in competition, Sant Nirankari Mission has started the Youth Empowerment programme since April 2007. This programme has been very well received since it is being targeted at undergraduate level and those on the threshold of seeking employment and presently are in preparatory stages. In order to widen their horizon, the faculty comprises experts in their respective fields.

The curriculum for empowerment included, Personality Development, Career Counseling, Interview Techniques, Communication Skills, Moral Development and Awareness of Legal Rights and Duties etc. Above all, the youth is also exposed to Spirituality and its importance in our lives. These programmes helped youth firstly knowing the vast variety of job opportunities available as well as counseling them in selection of the appropriate field in synergy with their attitude and mental frame of mind. The faculty has been interacted by many youths even after completion of such empowerment programmes as they found the curriculum extremely useful and practical and faculties provided excellent guidance for them.

Avtar Bani

The Avtar Bani outlines the key philosophy of the Sant Nirankari Mission, and serves as a holy book for the devotees. It is named after its author Shahenshan Baba Avtar Singh. Its initial version was first published in 1957. Its successor, the Sampuran Avtar Bani ("complete Avtar Bani") was published in 1965. The Avtar Bani was originally written in 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 importance and role of True Master 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. 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, Telugu, Nepali and Marathi verse.

Nirankari Museum

The Nirankari Museum is a unique creation in the sense that it depicts a spiritual jouney from violence to peaceful co-existence, from individualism to Universal Brotherhood, from ignorance to enlightenment. The Museum was officially launched by Satguru Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj on 22 February 2005, and is located within the Sant Nirankari Sarovar premises in North Delhi. It also depicts the ideology and history of the Nirankari Mission through audio-visuals and pictures.

Notes and references

1. ^ Padma Rangaswamy (30 December 2007). Namaste America. Penn State Press. pp. 269–. ISBN 978-0-271-02775-3. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
2. Sardar Harjeet Singh (2009). Faith & Philosophy of Sikhism. Gyan Publishing House. pp. 144–. ISBN 978-81-7835-721-8. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
3. W. H. McLeod (28 July 2005). Historical dictionary of Sikhism. Scarecrow Press. pp. 180–. ISBN 978-0-8108-5088-0. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
4. William Gould (31 October 2011). Religion and Conflict in Modern South Asia. Cambridge University Press. pp. 237–. ISBN 978-0-521-70511-0. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
5. Knott, Kim (1998). "The Religions of South Asian Communities in Britain". In Hinnells, John R (ed.). A new handbook of living religions (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Mass: Penguin Books Canada Ltd. pp. 756–774. ISBN 0-14-051407-4. OCLC 317517572.
6. Martin E. Marty (1 July 1996). Fundamentalisms and the State: Remaking Polities, Economies, and Militance. University of Chicago Press. pp. 273–. ISBN 978-0-226-50884-9. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
7. "Punjab: The Knights of Falsehood – Psalms of Terror". South Asia Terrorism Portal. New Delhi: Institute for Conflict Management. 31 December 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2010.
8. Singh, Nirankari Baba Avtar (2001) . Sagar, Kirpa (ed.). Sampūraṇa Awatāra bāṇī (in English and Panjabi (Panjabi in roman script)). Translated by Amrik Singh (3rd ed.). Delhi: Sant Nirankari Mandal. OCLC 54861839. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |laydate= (help); Unknown parameter |laysummary= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
9. "Our Staff Reporter" (23 February 2005). "Nirankari Museum inaugurated". The Hindu. Chennai, Madras, India: Kasturi and Sons Ltd. OCLC 35304678. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
10. Tribune News Service (24 February 2005). "A museum of spiritual panorama". The Tribune, Chandigarh, India. Chandigarh, Indi: The Tribune Trust. OCLC 47351219. Retrieved 11 December 2010.

• McKean, Lise (1996). Divine enterprise: Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 273. ISBN 0-226-56009-0. OCLC 32859823. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
• Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer. Sikh History in 10 volumes. Singh Brothers, Amritsar, 2011. Vol. 7
• Dr Harjinder Singh Dilgeer. Sikh Twareekh. Singh Brothers, Amritsar, 2008. Vol 3.Template:Pa icon

References from Sant Nirankari Mandal website

1. "History | Baba Buta Singh Ji (1873–1943)". Sant Nirankari Mission. Delhi, India: Sant Nirankari Mandal (Regd.). Retrieved 10 December 2010.
2. "Souvenir 50th Samagam – Organisational Outfit of Sant Nirankari Mission". Sant Nirankari Mission. Delhi, India: Sant Nirankari Mandal (Regd.). Retrieved 10 December 2010.
3. Singh, Nirankari Baba Avtar (1976). Awatāra bāṇī. English version by Gurbachan Singh Nirankari (G.S. Bhatia). Delhi: Sant Nirankari Mandal. OCLC 13611411. ASIN B0006E107M, Avtar bani. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 1999. Retrieved 11 December 2010. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |laydate= (help); Unknown parameter |laysummary= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
4. "SNM History – Baba Avtar Singh Ji". Sant Nirankari Mission. Delhi, India: Sant Nirankari Mandal (Regd.). Retrieved 11 December 2010.

External links

• Official website

• Use dmy dates from May 2012
• Spiritual organizations
• Organizations established in 1929
• Organisations based in India