Our Community

Community updates at Tracy:

Interfaith Community Breakfast, Oct 24th (9:30-11:30am):

Interfaith conference is coming to our Tracy Bhawan on Oct 24th. Please see below for invitation.
 

Interfaith Community Breakfast Event Report

By Prafull Lande

On Saturday, Oct 24^th 2009, the Sant Nirankari Mission (SNM), Northern California Chapter hosted interfaith community breakfast event in Tracy, California. The event was organized to by ‘Interfaith America’ for the purpose of ‘Celebrating Unity of All Faiths’ and attended by around 60 delegates from different faiths and religions. Interfaith America was founded in Dec. 2008, and since January has held quarterly breakfast programs designed to make real the “Beloved Community” of which Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed and spoke. Interfaith America seeks to build heart-to-heart connections between people beyond all the barriers, which have divided us in the past.

The event started at 9.30 in the morning with greetings by Rev. David Rosenblum, who is the co-founder of Interfaith America. It followed by a group prayer and everybody sat together for breakfast while Mark Denni, co-founder of Interfaith America played some beautiful music on guitar. The breakfast was arranged by Rev. Gurvinder Singh and his family as their service to this noble cause and was greatly appreciated by everyone. After breakfast everyone gather together in the main hall. Rev. Dev Raj Vijh, Parmukh (Chief), SNM Northern California thanked and welcomed all participants. Mrs. Manjeet Rai representing SNM as the host speaker inaugurated the event with lighting four candles. Explaining the meaning behind that symbolic gesture, she said that although these four candles have different color and fragrances, the light that they are spreading is the same. So are the religions of the world. Apparently they might look different but they all have same divine light.  In her opening speech she spoke about Sant Nirankari Mission’s message of love, peace and universal brotherhood. She also mentioned about Swami Vivekanada’s vision of Universal religion and how SNM is making that vision a reality under the guidance of Spiritual master His Holiness Hardev Singh Maharaj.

After Mrs. Rai’s opening address Rev. Anderson Pamilton, Pastor, Corinthian Baptist Church of Stockton was invited as the first designated speaker. His was a very powerful speech, which highlighted one important message pertaining Interfaith. He said, we all have to come together as one unit. Not as Black or Whites but as Humans. There is only one race in the world and that is human race. As humans we need to be considerate to all. He reiterated holy Bible’s message “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”

Rev. Ben Venkatesh representing Shiva-Vishnu temple of Livermore was the second designated speaker of the morning. He started his speech with Vedic prayer. During the speech he said that being a Hindu who studied in Christian school he was always fascinated by both philosophies and devoted his time to understand both religions better and found so many parallels in philosophies of these two religions. He concluded with a quote from Hindu’s holy scripture Bhagvad Geeta “Ekam Sat Vipra Bahudha Vadanti” which means there is only one truth we call it by different names.

After the speeches Dr. Koya, Mark Denni and Rev. David read a few passages from different Holy Scriptures as part of world scripture reading. Participants were divided in different groups and every group was asked to discuss and share ideas with each other and one speaker from each group summarized key points discussed with the audience. In one group a young participant Nitpreet was given the responsibility to represent his team and he confidently and beautifully expressed the idea that religion teaches to unite and love. Priest Rev. Narinder Pal Singh (Pali Noor) shared with his team His Holiness Spiritual Master Hardev Singh Maharaj’s quotes and Mark Denni highlighted those words in his summary speech. Those words were “It is nice to be important but it is more important to be nice.”  And “Beauty of life doesn’t depend on how happy we are but how we make others happy.” Another participant quoted “If we cease to love we cease to live.” Rev. Devraj Vijh quoted "'Talking is good, listening is better but action is the best". Rajesh Fandan representing his group mentioned that his young team member Bhavana liked one thought that was said during the event and that was “Saving one person’s life is like saving humanity.” In his concluding remarks he said one lit candle can lit all other candles which means the enlightened one has the power to give others the light of God knowledge.

After the group discussion everybody joined in closing prayers that were said by Dr Hanif Koya. After the prayers SNM presented a short documentary on the theme of “Harmony of Faiths” and it gave everyone a glimpse of mission’s activity in the area of Interfaith and universal brotherhood.

The event was a great success especially with youth participating in big numbers. Next Interfaith community breakfast will be held in Jan 2010.

Report from Bay Area Family Church.......

Interfaith Community Breakfast-CELEBRATING THE UNITY OF ALL FAITHS

November 1, 2009

On October 24th, 2009, about 65 people from different religious backgrounds gathered for an Interfaith Community Breakfast at the Sant Nirankari Mission hosted by Interfaith America under the theme “Celebrating the Unity of All Faiths”.

October 24th, 2009
by Kaori Zinke
On October 24th, 2009, about 30 people from different religious backgrounds gathered for an Interfaith Community Breakfast at the Sant Nirankari Mission hosted by Interfaith America under the theme “Celebrating the Unity of All Faiths.”
Following a healthy and delicious breakfast of traditional Indian and American food, everyone took off their shoes, and gathered in the sanctuary. For me it felt very special to be there because I had heard about the San Nirankari Mission movement, but now I was experiencing it.
Their main goal as a spiritual movement is to spread the message of universal brotherhood – that we are all family regardless of what ethnic, religious or any other background we have. Before the speakers went up to give their presentations, Dr. I.S. Rai, President of the Sant Nirankari Mission, welcomed us with the lighting of four different candles. Each candle was a different color and gave off a different scent when lit. There was one tall and luminous white candle that was used to light all of the other colorful candles. Each candle represented a different religion, while the white candle and its flame represented God’s light, or love. So as the candles were lit, we could see that although each candle was different, they all burned with the same light, the same flame. In this way I could really feel that although all of us have different thoughts and beliefs, we can all unite and become as one through the power of God’s love.
Each of the speakers shared with the audience with the message of mankind as one universal family, and how we need to help each other instead of making enemies with each other. Reverend Anderson Pamilton, Pastor of Corinthian Baptist Church of Stockton, invoked in the audience a feeling that we are all part of the same team. It doesn’t matter whether that person is black, and the other one is white; the main point is that we all need to work together and unite in order to improve this world. He quoted the Bible, “How good it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity,” and also said, “We have to get prepared down here in order to go to the place up there.” His simple, but profound message made me realize that we are a team, that we can celebrate our differences instead of rejecting them, and use our unique skills and resources we have to make the world a better place.
Dr. Ben Venktash, who practices Hinduism, said he felt blessed to be in the presence of so many enlightened souls. He spoke about miracles, quoting from Albert Einstein, who said “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” He connected the idea of creation beginning as light in the Hebrew Bible, with the primal sound of Om which marks the creation in Hindu scriptures. Dr. Venktash’s speech helped me understand and open my heart towards the Hindu faith.
After hearing selected quotations form the World’s Scriptures, we were given the opportunity to get into groups and do a short interfaith dialogue: to discuss about our own faiths and beliefs, and about the idea of interfaith work amongst all religions. As each group’s representative got up to speak, different messages were given, but all came under a message of uniting as family, as brothers and sisters, under our Father God.
One group realized that as we lose our ego, we come closer to God. Also, they noted that unless we realize that we are all of one Father, God, we cannot exist as brothers and sisters. Another group, headed by Richard Zinke, expressed how the family is the school of love, and especially that the grandparents are the head of the family, and the seed of love. There was one especially important saying in my dialogue group that really stood out: “Talking is good; listening is better; action is best.” When one of the members from my group said this, I realized that this interfaith meeting was just the starting point of a greater effort to work together, as different religions and faiths, to improve the world, little by little. I began to see how, as religious and faith groups, we could start working together and contributing our time and resources to do service projects, and to help those in the community who are in need. Finally, the last group shared the importance of spreading God’s message of love and brotherhood, and that the ultimate cause of fighting in the world is because of ignorance. Many people still do not know the important message underlying interfaith work, which is being able to live and work together as one family under God. However, understanding this point is essential to solving many of the conflicts in the world and creating greater peace among all people.
I really felt a spirit of love and brotherhood at this interfaith breakfast. On a more personal level, I was able to meet Sandra Mirabal, a lady who has gone through many hardships in life, but who still has such a strong faith in God. We both shared about our lives and our faith with each other, and the different things we were going through, and we comforted each other. In addition to feeling a sense of unity between the people of different faiths present at the event, I was able to gain a wonderful friendship. The benefits of this program lie not just in the message itself, but in the friends of faith that I made along the way.
We all look forward to the next event in January, 2010. For more information please visit the Interfaith America website, the Sant Nirankari Mission website and blog and the Interfaith America facebook group.

 

Picture Coverage: Interfaith Community Breakfast

 

Interfailth 2009

AFP Annual Holiday Gathering

December 8, 2009

On Saturday, December 5, 2009, thirty Ambassadors for Peace of Northern California, representing fifteen nationalities, met for a Holiday Gathering at the home of Alain & SiewLian LeRoy. Following an opening prayer by Dr. Rai from the Sant Nirankari Mission in Tracy, we shared a delicious potluck dinner.

Ambassadors for Peace Association of Northern California
Annual Holiday Gathering

Rev. Kevin Thompson, pastor of the Bay Area Family Church, was our keynote speaker for the evening. Pastor Thompson presented a summary of Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s recently published autobiography “A Peace Loving Global Citizen.” The most amazing thing about Rev. Moon, said Pastor Thompson, is that he never quit, he never gave up, in spite of the persistent opposition he encountered at every turn.

Dr. Mehri Pirooz told us how she left her home country of Iran, pregnant, with her other children in tow, and a very small amount of money, survived and prospered with faith in God. Ms. Marilyn Harris of the Khadafy Foundation for Non-violence, told of her challenges helping families cope with losing children to urban violence. Dr. Rai thanked all for the invitation, and said the Ambassadors for Peace and the Sant Nirankari Mission embrace very similar values.

Bishop Andre Jackson shared a personal testimony on the value of moral purity in the family, and home. He reminded everyone what a true Ambassador for Peace is, and how one’s spirit should manage our bodily desires. Mr. Bill Richie, with Service for Peace, reflected on the value of modeling Rev. Moon’s life-long, Christ-like standard and example, in our own, daily lives.

Grazyna Hagen prepared beautiful jade plants, as holiday gifts for everyone. Before closing the evening, by popular demand, we sang a rousing verse of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” We all headed home in joyous holiday spirit, with renewed hope in the support and encouragement of our fellow “Ambassadors.”

His Holiness Discourses

2009 Monthly Discourses at Tracy:

Month of Nov.


Month of Oct


Month of Sep.


Month of Aug

Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam's in Delhi, INDIA

Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam (61st)

happened in Delhi, India. The whole Nirankari community from all across the globe arrived in Delhi for

BABA HARDEV SINGH JI MAHARAJ

annual congrgation.

62nd Samagam Details-photos & reports 



62nd Samagam Slide-Show:




62nd Nirankari Sant Samagam Photo-Gallery:



Samagam-Day1-Day2-Day3-Day4



His Holiness Discourses - Day 1:

Day-1 Saturday, November 14, 2009

In his message to mankind on November 14, 2009, the first day of Annual Samagam, His Holiness Baba Hadev Singh Ji Maharaj stated;

“Every year devotees belonging to different places and cultures, who speak different languages and wear different clothes from each other, gather in this form to distribute the fragrance of love and also make their significant contribution for spreading it further in the world. Creating a beautiful atmosphere in these grounds, all of you are also helping strengthen the feelings of humanity, love, brotherhood and a feeling to sincerely fulfill all of one’s responsibilities. May God Formless bless so that the objective with which you have gathered here, is fulfilled; so that there is love and brotherhood in your life as well as the world.

The atmosphere prevalent in the world is known to all; even the country has many weaknesses which make it backward instead of strong; mankind is getting damaged throughout the world. All of you have gathered here to pray to God Formless to give wisdom to all so that all live a beautiful life, make a beautiful contribution and make this earth beautiful.”

Later blessing the congregation, His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj stated;

“All of you have gathered here for this 62nd Annual Nirankari Sant Samagam. Devotees wait throughout the year to come here and enjoy the atmosphere of Samagam where devotees belonging to different parts of country and the world and cultures sing one song of love in one voice. Though spoken in different words and manner yet the voice, the song is one. In the last seven hours many spoke of love and brotherhood, highlighted the significance of One Formless God in life. All of you also heard the words of some of the Honorable dignitaries responsible for the governance of the country; they also expressed similar feelings because this is what is urgently needed today.

The direction which man is following today, the tendencies and inclinations with which he lives his life is showing its result. Saints warn man that the direction he is facing is not to his benefit. So he should face and move towards a direction which benefits him as well as also helps create a beautiful atmosphere in the world. Man today has fallen from his lofty status; his selfishness, narrow-mindedness, hard-heartedness and barbarity is causing much weaknesses to the society as well as the world and taking it towards destruction. Man wastes away in vain the limited life-breath which he is given. What sort of wisdom is it? Saints give man the message to realize the value of his life-breath.

Man makes innumerable achievements and feels yet as a poet says, ‘Aadmi Kau Hi Mayassar Nahin Insaan Hona’ – that man is not human. He gets born as a human, attains precious life-breath and yet what is its value that he realizes? Saints in every age asked man to awaken and get established in his true form. Man has lost his true identity somewhere, though he knows much about others and other subjects! He has still not awakened and established in his true form even after living his life for so many years; it is because of such an awakening that human life is considered precious. That is why man is also counted as an animal and inhuman. Saints want man to get established in his true form before his life-breath stops; man gets established in illumination, those feelings and outlook which benefits him and also makes the atmosphere of the world beautiful; so that man makes a success of his life before his life-breath stops.

Saints warn man to realize the value of his life-time and find his true identity which he has lost. Man cannot find where he is lying buried! He is ignorant of his Destination. Man’s destination is worldly achievements; for that he is ready to kill innocents and cause death and destruction. Man gives minimum significance to the most significant aspect of his life. That is why saints had to put in a lot of effort; it was not an easy task on the part of Gurus, saints and prophets; they are still doing it because man has always been living in such a manner in the world. In every age man collected and enjoyed the objects for his comfort and enjoyment; today man has made an enormous progress in science, technology and other fields; there might be some difference in the kind of worldly progress man made in different ages. But the basics, in man were always the same; the feelings of greed, anger, attachment, pride were the same in man in every age. That is why saints had to give this message in every age. Lord Rama, Krishna, different Upanishads, scriptures, different saints at different times asked man to use his thinking which God has given him to also think about the Redemption of soul and also get rid of the evil tendencies of the mind through this awakening.

Saints are giving a similar message to man to understand this aspect while he is still living wherein lies her own welfare and whereby he can make a contribution even for others’ welfare. Such a message is meaningful and valueable. The words of saints are not meant only for the enjoyment of ears; they are extremely significant. It is essential to adopt them instead of merely hearing them. It is by moving one’s footsteps in their direction that man can Redeem himself. The river is constantly flowing; whether someone drinks its water or not, takes a bath with its water or not, does not make any difference to the river; the one who drinks its water quenches his thirst, the one who bathes with its water removes his dirt. Similarly, the words of saints are redeeming; it depends upon every man whether or not he wants to immerse himself in that sea; whether or not he will give significance to Truth in life; whether or not he will remove the darkness of his ignorance; whether or not he will leave hatred and adopt love; whether or not he will leave pride and adopt humility; what he chooses from the choices he was given and what was its result? History tells us about what was attained by those who chose an inhuman as well as human path, the unsaintly as well as the saintly path; one received condemnation while the others attained reverence; one is looked down upon whereas the others got fame.

Despite his thinking power given to him, if man chooses what causes loss, can he be considered wise? He gives a proof of his unwisdom at every step and yet thinks he is very wise? He is disillusioned that he is very wise and educated! Saints show him the mirror that his actions do not prove so; he is a human to look at but his actions prove him differently. Who takes advantage from the mirror which saints put before him? Did he remove the marks from his face and put his disheveled hair in place by looking into the mirror? Or did he look into the mirror and yet did not do anything to make himself beautiful?

Today there are innumerable human to look at, but how many are truly human? There is a vast difference between only a human face and human tendencies. Saints want man to also adopt human tendencies and actions. Man reaches materialistic heights but he should also live a truly human life upon earth. This is the objective behind the Samagam which has been organised.”

  

His Holiness Discourses - Day2:

Day-2 Sunday, November 15, 2009

Blessing the congregation at night the same day, His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj stated;

“On the second day of Samagam all of you have once again created a blissful atmosphere. All heard the beautiful feelings of saints in different languages. Despite the difference in their language and also the age of devotees, whether it was a senior or a youth or a child devotee, their awakening and inspiring words based upon Truth were meant for everyone’s welfare. Reference and examples were taken from religions scriptures, holy words of saints and sages and even our every day use objects to somehow make all understand. For example in order to inspire and bring about an awareness in their child, parents use various methods; they speak to his in a childlike manner, cajole him sometimes use hard words and even punishment so that he becomes sensible, receives education and learns moral values. Similarly saints used different words and also ways of expression to make man understand. The way of speaking such words of Bulleh Shah Ji is different from that of Kabit Ji. The way of expression of such words is different in Holy Quran from Holy Bible. Similarly the way of expression is different in ‘Ramcharitmanas’ from that of ‘Bhagwad Gita’ and the holy words of Guru Sahebaans. So the way of expression of such words changes from time to time; but their feelings are similar; so that the men living in the world realized that human birth has its specific significance; man has to fulfill certain objectives during it and make a success of his human life.

Even today saints drew everyone’s attention towards this aspect in their beautiful words. They drew our attention towards the situations prevailing the world. Comparisons which were made cannot be avoided; a day will always be compared to a night, a flower to a thorn, heat to cold etc. are such comparisons which are natural and have always been made. Saints with their words draw attention towards aspects which should be adopted. An English term says, ‘This world is divided between haves and have nots’; such words describe the economic difference between people, those who are economically rich and poor, those who have wealth and property and those who do not have them. But if we look at the same words from a human and a spiritual angle, we will find that the world is again divided between haves and have nots. There are some who are very rich in spirituality, content, compassionate, full of love and virtuous while there are others who are full of hatred, ego, who always compassion, who trouble and butchere the innocents and plunder everything. So there is a compassion between the two.

Saints want man to illumine such a light within his heart, attain such an awakening whereby his love for worldliness and worldly objects changes. A poet has said, ‘Dayare Ishq Mein Aisa Maquam Paida Kar, Nayi Subah Nayi Sham Peda Kar’. To create a new morning and a new evening means to attain a conversion; so that a revolution happens in his life. The word ‘conversion’ here does not signify religions conversion; its implication here is not to convert or change ones observance of certain rites and rituals or costume. Such things have no relevance in spirituality at all. None of the Gurus, saints, prophets gave any significance to such aspects which have gained so much strength down the ages. Just as man’s habits gain strength and become rigid with his passing age, innumerable beliefs have also become strong down the ages and centuries. Will it be easy to uplift the world from the same! It is indeed very difficult. Even thousand of year age, there were no believers when Truth was place before them; they did not change their beliefs which they had at that particular time to believe in Truth; rather they crucified, tortured, killed and humiliated those who kept the Truth before them! There was time when it was believed by all that earth is flat instead of round. Later when a scientist declared that it is round instead of flat, all declared him to be an insane and also humiliated him. They were not ready to change their age-old belief that earth is flat. But ultimately it was proved that earth is indeed round!

Similarly man continues living his life imbibed with innumerable beliefs. Since he does not know Truth and has no awakening, he lives his whole life in ignorance and delusion. Ignorant of the existence of God, he lives only with certain beliefs. As a result he lives only in ignorance. He does not come to know the Destination and wastes away his precious human life.

Saints in their clear words tell man that he is still deluded if he thinks that he has read many religious scriptures, Vedas and Shastras, ‘Betha Pundit Pade Puran Bin Dekhe Ka Kare Bakhan’ – but in the very next line, the route that the saint has taken himself has differed from the one who only reads the scriptures, just as a highway bifurcates after covering a certain distance! And the turning point, the difference is also being described by Kabir Ji when he says in the next line ‘Toon Kahe Kagaz Ki Lekhi, Main Kahoon Aankhan Ki Dekhi’ – that we were together before the turning came, we both read the scriptures; but now I have met someone who has given me the ‘Vision’, so I describe now what I ‘see’ while you describe what you have only read. What I was reading earlier is now accompanied by the ‘vision’ of God-knowledge. But man’s nature is such that he likes to live in the delusion that he knows God, he has reached the Destination only because he reads and recites, takes holy baths, goes on pilgrimage and performs many rites and rituals. Man’s self delusion about himself is such as that of a man who pulls in his stomach when he stands on a weighing scale! Even when he pull-in his stomach, the scale will still not show his weight to be lesser! Such is the delusion of man!

Saints tell man that God-realization but man does not understand it. An English adage says, ‘Those who were seen dancing were considered insane by those who were not listening to the music!’ since he himself cannot hear the music, he is calling as mad those who are dancing! So the reference is being made to Vision of God-Knowledge which is ‘seeing’, the feelings within the words heard; the words heard are understood according to one’s capacity to understand. For example different sounds are based upon different decibels. The level of decibels in the sound which humans hear is very different from what animals, birds and other species hear. There are many clouds in the cosmos which only birds and animals can hear! Similarly those who have got the ‘vision’ can understand the heard words and also experience their bliss. Such a one, like Meera, then dances. But those who do not have the ‘vision’ will quite naturally call Meera an insane! Kabir was called an insane by those who did not have his ‘vision’. How could they see what Meera saw, how could they hear what Meera heard? How could their feelings be like Meera’s?

So saints want everyman in the world to pay attention to this aspect by which he can attain Redemption, whereby he attains an inner and not an outer conversion; whereby his feelings, thinking convert; through such a conversion a thorn which pricked becomes a flower, now it gives comfort; the one who spoke and hurt with bitter words now comforts with sweet words; instead of looting others, he serve others with his belongings. Such will be the conversion in thinking, feelings; he will earlier he was happy in others’ unhappiness and loss!

Man’s state of mind today is such that he does not hesitate to humiliate and throughout his own mother who gave birth to him; such is man’s selfishness, thanklessness, greed, pride. Saint live their life while remaining above selfishness, greed; they convert their feelings; if they do not get something, they still keep their faith firm and intact upon God. A poet has said ‘Aagar Aastha Hai Tau Band Dwar Mein Bhi Rasta Hai.’ Even through the illusion of a closed door, one finds path through faith. The same poet also says, ‘Duniya Haar Gayi, Aastha Paar Gayi’. All scriptures stress upon faith, devotion, selflessness.

So saints know and surrender themselves to this God Formless, see it in every form, every place and thus live their life. By remembering and seeing the One in everyone, one gets united with others in the thread of unity which can lead to the establishment of peace and harmony upon earth.”

His Holiness Discourses - Day 3:

  

Day 3: November 16, 2009

Blessing the congregation on November 16, 2009, the third day of Samagam, His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj stated;

“Last three days, the unfathomable sea of devotion, love, faith was seen wherein imbibed with beautiful feelings all experienced bliss and also made their contribution towards making the whole atmosphere beautiful. Such fragrance is very rare in the world overflowing with the stench of hatred, animosity and violence. A fragrant atmosphere has become very rare in the world. So this fragrant atmosphere created here because of love, devotion and faith in which all feel happy to see each other. Saints have covered long distance to be here despite their social and family obligations; so that they strengthen their devotion and faith further and can also do the welfare of the world – an objective which every saint has worked for.

There is widespread darkness in the world. A detailed mention was made today of the Light of God-Knowledge; so that the illumination within mind illumines the world; so that our soul gets rid of ignorance and gets established in Truth. For this purpose, this message also given here by the devotees while referencing to different religious scriptures, Shastras and holy words of different Gurus, saints and sages was aimed at removing the darkness as it gets removed when the Sun rises. The Light of God-Knowledge as mentioned here, also removes our delusion when it gets established; we get rid of bondage when our delusion gets removed.

All of you also heard the poems recited by devotees today. All of them spoke on how we can make a beautiful contribution for the world; in other words, it is the saintly tendency, the noble tendency which is helpful in making the world beautiful. So light should be illumined in our mind to make the world beautiful as well as get us glory. It becomes possible when the Light of God-Knowledge remains illumined within our mind and we also continue obeying the teachings which accompany it. When this Light remains illumined within our mind, our thoughts and tendencies remain beautiful; we live a truly devoted life; we become true devotees.

A devotees in not a name given to a specific costume; one is a true devotee when has the feelings of love, kindness, humility and large-heartedness; this is the recognition of a devotee. Poets expressed their views upon how we can make a beautiful contribution for the world; so the feelings of love, kindness, humility etc. are the ones which bestow beauty. It is not by making beautiful gardens and buildings that we can give beauty to this earth and world. The beauty in the world gets established with such feelings. So when we make ourselves beautiful, we make our contribution towards making the world beautiful. Saints have always lived their life in this world imbibed with such feelings; they have always been making this beautiful contribution.

But living in the world man gets influenced by worldly impressions; man's mind gets overpowered by darkness; the feelings of ego and pride which are extremely prevalent in the world start affecting man's life. That is why an inspiration is given again and again for congregation, God-remembrance and service is given; so that worldly tendencies do not affect man. That is why saints remain awake towards this side and again turn back their words if they go astray. Once again they start treading a noble path. Saints have always given this message to every man. Even today a similar message is being given. All of you are also praying for yourself, so that this Light remains illumined in you mind, so that you live a beautiful life as well as also become a blessing for the world. Otherwise, man today is only a curse for the world. He has created a hateful, violent, and a horrible atmosphere all around. The comfort and solace in the world is given only by saintly and noble tendencies.

May God bless so that devotees continue performing such actions. May God give them the strength to also accomplish the objective of others' welfare for which they pray and have gathered here from far and wide; so that an awareness is created amongst mankind. They want the rays of the Light to spread all around. So that unlit lamps get illumined by lit lamps. Along with awakening others, they should themselves remain awake; they should also keep their Light illumined. It should not be as a poet says, 'Shama Jalti Rahi Aur Roshni Gul Ho Gayi' – that the light disappeared even when the light was burning. It appears very strange that the light should disappear while the candle is still burning! It means that the eyes were closed while the candle was still burning! That is why one should also fully take advantage of the light after burning it! One should not get entangled in doubts and delusions. Someone has said, 'Kissi Hor Passe Sanu Lejayi Na, Aap Phseya Tey Sanu Phsayi Na'. There are many who create doubts and delusions in man's mind; man should remain awake towards this aspect and not let his mind get influenced by others' words and assumptions which create discord. Such single-directional thinking often causes much harm; man has to rise above it. If man has to make his thinking single-directional, it should be towards creating a beautiful atmosphere within homes, society and country, to tread the path of humanity and remove doubts and delusions wherever possible.

His Holiness Discourses Videos:


Day1  


Day2 


Day3 


Day4 



Satsang Progame Videos:

Day1 

Day2 

Day3 

Kavi Darbar 

Day4 

Tracy Kitchen Renovtion Project

One of the biggest milestone of Yr. 2009 is the

"Kitchen Renovation Project"

This is like a dream come true for the whole Tracy Community. All saints are thrilled to see that dream project is coming into reality. See yourself and enjoy the new addition in our Tracy Branch.

Kitchen Renovation Slide Show

Kitchen Renovation Pictures

NewKitchenPictures 

Tracy Photo Albums

2009 Albums:

His Holiness Birthday 

Rakhi at Bhawan

Sangat in Reno, Nevada

ManavEktaDivas

SewadalCamp

Babaji's 55th Birthday Celebrations at Tracy 2009


Blood Donation Camp

Rev. Kesho Ram Ji's Visit

Rev. Puri Ji Journey

Misc Pictures


2008 Albums

Blood Donation Camp, April 2008

GuruPujaDivas

2007 Albums

2007 in photos

2005 Albums

Misc Pictures

Our Mission: SANT NIRANKARI MISSION

About us
The Sant Nirankari Mission is 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..

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).

Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj California 2009 Visit

Announcement of Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj 2009 California visit was the most cherished moment for Tracy Sadh Sangat. Every saint was turbo charged and start working for His Holiness visit preparation. Sewa Dal worked tirelessly day and night to make everything ready for HH visit.

Baba Ji Arrival at SFO (San Francisco Intl. Airport):


Baba ji arrived at San Francisco Intl. airport on Sep 10th.

Baba ji and Mata ji welcomed by Rev. Dr. I. S. Rai ji (SNM USA President) and Rev. Dev Raj  Vijh ji (Northern California Sangat Pramukh).

 


















He resided in Tracy, CA (Northern California Satsang Bhawan) for two days, Sep 10th and Sep11th.

Baba Ji Arrival in Tracy, CA (Sep 10th, 2009):

His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh ji Maharaj, was welcomed at Tracy by Sadh Sangat. Sewa Dal band and young kids group, leads the arrival parade with banner and flags in their hands.Youth members performed a Bangra Dance in front of Baba ji and Mata ji. Several devotees also danced in front of Baba ji. Later Baba ji gave welcome speech inside the main Sangat hall. Namaskar started after Baba ji speech. Every devotee got chance to meet and greet Baba ji in person. It was a precious moment for every devotee to receive blessings from Baba ji in person.

Youths performing Bangra Dance in the welcome ceremony of Baba ji and Mata ji.

Babaji's Discourse (at Tracy Bhawan):

Part-1

Part-2


Media Coverage for Baba ji Samagam:

Humanity only religion in the world: Nirankari Baba

TRACY, CA: "To love all and hate none" were the words spoken by Nirankari Baba Hardev Singh Ji at a huge congregation held in Tracy, California on Friday, September 11 to promote peace and harmony.

More than 800 people from diverse backgrounds attended this unique event. Prior to his discourse there were hymns recited which spread the fragrance of love. Speeches and poetry also added flavor to the evening. People of all faiths and cultures were present and Babaji talked about the only religion in the world - the Religion of Humanity.

He said that before being a member of a particular faith, culture or society we all are human beings and all distinctions should come later. To live a peaceful life one has to be full of love, compassion, tolerance, broadmindedness and rational and this has been the teaching of saints and sages. In the end he said that limited choice that we have is between non-violence and non-existence.

We must choose he path of non-violence. As said by Mahatma Gandhi one needs to realize that there is no way to peace but peace itself is the way. Finally he quoted Martin Luther King Jr - "Stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear."

It was a powerful message and applauded by one and all in the audience.
Some special guests attended the congregation that included Mayor of Tracy Brent H. Ives, Interfaith community members and Ahmadiyya community members. After the discourse, Nirankari Babaji met one and all personally and blessed them.

Volunteers of the mission served community dinner (Langar) to all attendees. One could feel a feeling of love, respect and togetherness in the atmosphere. Nirankari Babaji is on a world salvation tour to spread the message of love and universal brotherhood. He came to San Francisco Bay area on Sept 10 evening and was welcomed by few members of the mission at the airport.

A welcome program was arranged later in the evening at the Tracy Bhavan where hundreds of devotees participated. After Tracy, California he is scheduled to visit Los Angeles, Phoenix, Ann Arbor, New York.

Empowering Yourself Through Spirituality: Nirankari Baba

NORWALK, CA: His Holiness Baba Hardev Singh Ji Maharaj, head of the Sant Nirankari Mission, led a congregation on “Empowering Yourself through Spiritual Connection” Sept. 13 at the Marriott here, organized by the Sant Nirankari Mission USA West Coast branch. Its objective is to establish universal brotherhood among people from diverse backgrounds throughout the world.

Babaji’s secretary, Kavita Bekal, of Delhi, who is accompanying him on his one-and-half-month world Sant Nirankari Samagam tour, told India-West that the spiritual master, around 55 now, took the reins of this mission in 1980 at a very young age. His wife, whom devotees address as Pujya Mataji, “is revered and totally involved as well.”

The Mission has more than 2000 branches all over the world and “he has transformed the lives of millions of people,” Bekal said. Local weekly congregations are held in Corona. “Babaji hardly sleeps for about four hours only and is dedicated to spreading his message.”

Dr. Iqbaljit Rai, president of the U.S. branch of the Mission, told the gathering, “There is a lot of togetherness here. People all over the world are scrambling to find a solution to the unrest they have in their minds and all around. Harmony is the solution and our destination. Knowing God and self-realization is the journey towards it and let us all travel together to go there.”

Many learned saints from different centers had come to share and preach and, as coordinator and emcee Atul Batra said, the Mission was very happy to introduce so many dedicated people to the over 1000 devotees who had come to listen and get blessings from Babaji.

Ishwarji from Japan said we need to get salvation while we are alive to make our life meaningful. Norma Lee from the Family Federation for World Peace spoke of how happy she was to be connected, and ‘sangha’ ‘seva’ and ‘simran’ had changed her life.

The devotees sat with an open heart and open mind as Babaji gave his sermon. His eloquent words filled the hall: “All the truths are already in the scriptures, we are just revising them. The irony of life is that we cannot walk properly on this planet but boast about walking on the moon. We need to live with the basic values of love, humanity and compassion.”

He said it is “very important to be aware of the influences around us and not yield to the bad ones. Just adapt to the good ones and get rid of the vices. Let our vices die before us so we do not carry that burden with us. We need to work harder to break the man-made barriers.”

Babaji, who is visiting the U.S. after a gap of three years, said that even as this congregation comes to an end, it is “vidai” (goodbye) not “judai” (breaking up).

“Spirituality is incorporated in religion,” he told India-West. “A religious person should be spiritual as well. However, today, religion is only associated with rituals and ceremonies, so we have to emphasize on spirituality and spread it because it is very necessary and very universal.”

Songs were also sung on the occasion, including young kids associated with SNM-Los Angeles who sang “Tum se kya maangoo, Tum khud samajh lo,” and “We are the world.”

Cerritos Commissioner Pat Patnaik presented Babaji with a Certificate of Recognition, while Congresswoman Linda Sanchez sent a certificate and kind words on her behalf. Babji’s sister Mohinee Ahuja offered thanks to God for our health, intelligence and family.

Lunch was provided by Delhi Palace, who also sponsored the congregation along with many others.

Babaji will next be traveling for to Michigan for the Samagam and then on to New York.

NORWALK, CA: There was standing room only inside the banquet hall at the Marriott in Norwalk Sunday, September 13. More than a thousand people of all ages and walks of life came together for a conference entitled, "Empowering Yourself Through Spiritual Connection."

The audience was captivated by the motivational thoughts shared through presentations, speeches, and songs. The speakers came from multiple regions of the world including India, England, Canada and different states within America. The essence of all their contributions was to spread peace and love.

The highlight of the conference that stilled people in their seats was the final spiritual sermon given by the Chief Guest, Baba Hardev Singh Ji, a spiritual leader who has transformed the lives of millions.

In his straightforward sermon, Baba Hardev Singh Ji stressed the necessity for harmony. He cautioned that man has learned to walk on the moon but has forgotten the basics of how to walk on the ground with humility and love. In Hindi, Baba quoted a message he has been saying for nearly 20 years, "Kuch Bhi Bano Mubarak Hai, Par Pehle Insaan Bano."
He said when you write the number 100, if you remove 1 then you are only left with zero. Similarly if you remove humanity from your life then you cannot be considered a success at anything else.

He asked the audience, if love is necessary only for one race or one religion? No, it is important for every human being. He stressed that his message is a universal one that has been carried through generations but vices like pride and jealousy brought man to the point that they hung a prophet on the cross who was only showing the right way of living.

He encouraged the audience not to adopt vices while living in this world but to embrace virtues like love, tolerance, compassion, humility and broad-mindedness. He said to separate yourself from that which separates you from loving others.

He said that when a fire spreads, there becomes a greater need for water. Similarly, as more hatred spreads in the world there becomes a greater requirement for love.
At the conclusion of the conference, people lined up for several hours to get blessings from Baba Hardev Singh.

The conference was organized by the southern California branch of the Sant Nirankari Mission. The Mission has more than 2,000 centers worldwide with its world Head Quarters in Delhi, India. Local weekly congregations are held in Corona.

Picture Coverage for Baba ji Samagam:

Tracy Samagam 2007 

Tracy Samagam 2009 

L. A. Samagam 2009