The Sant
Nirankari Mission (Punjabi: ਸੰਤ
ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰੀ ਮਿਸ਼ਨ, Hindi: संत निरंकारी
मिशन), abbreviated as, SNM,
and also known as Universal Brotherhood Mission, is a spiritual organization.
The Sant
Nirankari Mission is neither a new religion nor a sect of an existing religion,
but an all-embracing spiritual movement dedicated to human welfare.[SNM 1] Its
objective is to establish Universal Brotherhood among people from diverse
backgrounds throughout the world.
Today, SNM has
over 100 branches outside India, most prominently in Britain and North America.
Its world headquarters is located in Sant Nirankari Colony, Delhi.[SNM 2] Baba
Hardev Singh Ji provides spiritual guidance for Nirankari devotees. The group
is characterized by its focus on a living leader.
Contents
Etymology
Sant- संत refers to a saint 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 and omnipresent and care taker,
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.'
"[SNM 3]
Basic 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.[SNM 4]
All human
beings are God's children.
A True
Spiritual Guide reveals God. Without a True Master, a human being cannot attain
God-realisation.
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.[SNM 4]
(Reference:
SNM Ideology section[SNM 5] and Avtar Bani[SNM 6])
Five
principles
During the
session in which a devotee receives Divine Knowledge, the devotee is also
introduced to the Five Principles[SNM 7] that he/she must practice to the best
of their ability.
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[SNM 6]
Verses 9A to 9E. The explanation of these verses may also be found in the The
Unique Mission,[SNM 8] authored by Amrik Singh.
Simran
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.
Tu hi Nirankar
Main Teri
Sharan Haan
Mainu Baksh
Lao
A direct
English translation[SNM 9] 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[SNM 6] 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
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,[SNM 6] 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 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.
A typical
Nirankari congregation
A few minutes
before the satsang 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[SNM 6]),
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 (Avtar Bani,[SNM 6] 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 can refer to the youth section of the official
website.[SNM 10] 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[SNM 6]),
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.
Ivocation[SNM
6]
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.
Thou Formless
One; Hail the True Master (Taken from Avtar Bani[SNM 6])
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.
Nirankari Sant
Samagam
Annual
Nirankari Sant Samagam in Delhi can easily be described as the "Mission in
Action". Its message of human unity, equality and fraternity based on
spiritual awakening finds a fine expression. People from all shades and layers
of society assemble at one place forgetting their social, economic or financial
status. The mammoth gathering presents a view of unity in diversity, and mutual
love, respect and understanding. Humility marks the conduct of every devotee
participating in the Samagam so much so that one is found touching the feet of
the other irrespective of the age, sex or the status.
Nirankari Sant
Samagam is also held in several other major locations annually such as Mumbai,
Uttar Pradesh USA and Canada etc.
Nirankari Sant
Samagam provides the devotees of Nirankari Mission to come together and serve
for formless God and other devotees.
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).
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".[SNM 11]
Avtar Bani
The Avtar
Bani[SNM 6] 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.[SNM 12] Its initial version was first
published in 1957. Its "Big Brother", the Sampuran Avtar Bani[2]
(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, Telugu, Nepali and Marathi verse.
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. It may 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.
Religion
Unites, Never Divides
Peace, not
Pieces-let us work for it
Unity in
Diversity, not Uniformity
Know One,
Believe in One, Be One
Our Mission is
Universal Brotherhood[SNM 13]
Besides these
slogans the sayings of Baba Gurbachan Singh ji[SNM 14] and Baba Avtar Singh
ji[SNM 15] may also be found in the books titled Precious Pearls[SNM 16] and
Spiritual Sparks[SNM 17] respectively.
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. The sarovar is
surrounded by a beautiful park. Many devotees use the sarovar during the Annual
Nirankari Samagams (very large congregations), which are held in November every
year in New Delhi, India.
Nirankari
Museum
The Nirakari
Museum was officially launched by Baba Hardev Singh ji on 22 February 2005. The
museum is located within the Sant Nirankari Sarovar in North Delhi. The museum
depicts the journey of Nirankari Mission through audio-visuals and pictures
.jpg)
.jpg)
