The celebrations began on February 3rd at the farm, the place where the whole project started. In 1973, when there was nothing but a small mud hut, Sant Kirpal Singh personally visited the farm. Today therefore it is written “Residence of Kirpal” above the door. With all the simplicity of the building, you feel a very special atmosphere when you enter the room. Traditionally in this region important events are started with reciting the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy scripture of the Sikhs) to ask for blessings. So the opening ceremony of the Guru Granth Sahib was also outset of this programme.
Thereafter all went to the opening of the Medical Camp in front of the Kirpal Sagar Charitable Hospital. The camp had been announced weeks before with posters, newspaper articles and loudspeaker proclamations, and so many were already waiting to be examined. Needy people receive free medicine and treatment here, or receive a price reduction, depending upon their personal situation.
(Behind some of the pictures below you can find photo galleries)
During the registration process the ailments of the people were noted and then referred to the respective specialists. More than 700 patients had their blood pressure taken and blood values tested in the laboratory, an ECG performed, etc. and then received the appropriate medication. Several consulting departments, such as for an orthopaedist, a gynaecologist, an abdominal surgeon, for problems with internal organs, for eye testing and also general medicine, were set up in a tent. More than 50 patients were diagnosed with diseases requiring surgeries. The necessary operations will be performed in the next few weeks. It also proved to be very advantageous that it was possible to use the hospital facilities such as X-ray or laboratory facilities for closer diagnosis.
Immediately before the beginning of the camp, the new dentist’s room and homeopathy department were ceremoniously opened. All in all, many grateful voices could be heard appreciating that medical aid was made available to the poorer sections of the population.
The Kirpal Sagar Academy, supported by K.H. Public School, had prepared an impressive programme in honour of Sant Kirpal Singh for February 4.
One student led through the programme in fluent English. Quotes from Sant Kirpal Singh’s writings where the guideline, especially from the book “Prayer”. Social topics were also taken up by the students and presented on stage with amazing acting talent: Gender equality, child marriage, religious tolerance, weaknesses of the educational system and others. Dances and musical performances set special accents. Spontaneously the western guests were invited to contribute, and some of them sang and performed music together with the students, so that in the end the title song of the grand finale “Together we can change the world” expressed what everyone actually felt.
On February 5th the three-day reading of the Guru Granth Sahib ended on the farm. Shabads (religious hymns) and speeches, and the touching words of a disciple of Sant Kirpal Singh, who had come from America despite her old age, went to everyone’s heart. She had experienced the very first time of the construction of the project. Her concern was to say that Sant Kirpal Singh had never left, He is always present.
In the evening, a theatre group from Amritsar presented the life history of Guru Nanak.
More than 500 years ago he already proclaimed the existence of One God and the equality of all human beings. He stood up for reforms such as the return of religions to their common spiritual core, but also for the equal rights of women and opposition to the caste system. Sant Kirpal Singh wrote about him among other things: “Guru Nanak is not the monopoly of the Sikhs or of India, he belongs to all mankind. Love for God and man is the core of Guru Nanak’s message. … We must learn to serve the needy lovingly, quietly and unobtrusively and to have respect for all the saints of the past.”
On February 6 at four a.m., a round tour of the festively lit Kirpal Sagar led to the Kirpal Bhawan, the event hall, where Shabads alternated with speeches. Particularly touching was the birthday song which was also sung during Sant Kirpal Singh’s time and which begins with the following lines: “Maharaji, today is your birthday and we are happy to celebrate it. The whole night we will celebrate this birthday. The day we had been waiting for has come.”
Late in the morning, the Unity of Man conference began. Representatives of different religions, Sadhus, Swamis and speakers from Unity of Man addressed the audience. Jasbir Singh Chawla led through the program. In the following some short excerpts from the speeches (use the grey arrows on the right to click on):
Hindu representative Ashoka Mand Ji, the first speaker, referred to the Bhagawad Gita, which says that God does not dwell in temples but in every person and that we should banish all desires from our hearts if we want to become one with Him. He ended his speech with the appeal not to fight in the name of God.
Sarain Singh, a Sikh representative from the Namdhari lineage, stressed that Guru Nanak’s message was also that of the unity of mankind, of which this conference is an example. “If we are one, we grow, if we separate, we perish.” Finally, he called for the protection of nature, in which God is also contained, and pointed to the careful use of the scarce water resources.
Mrs. Sarabjit Mangat, a well-known artist and expert of the Punjab culture, once again welcomed everyone and said: “I congratulate you on the birthday of Sant Kirpal Singh, because it is also your birthday, as the saints always come for all humanity.” She underlined the idea of unity in the different religions. In a beautiful picture she compared Sant Kirpal Singh’s words to a seed planted in our hearts. When it grows and yields flowers and fruits in us, we will will be able to reach the hearts of others.
She pleaded for the appreciation of the mothers at home, who create the atmosphere in the family. This promotes the development of the children and contributes to shaping society.
She presented the plan to build a cultural heritage centre in Kirpal Sagar in the form of a village, where on the one hand the traditional handicraft techniques are shown, but also the spiritual heritage of India, higher values and the art of life will be imparted. An emphasis will be laid on Kabir, the great mystic from the 15th century, who is equally appreciated and revered by various religious movements.
Eva Wahl, vice chairman of Unity of Man Germany, reminded the words of Sant Kirpal Singh: “My children are scattered all over the world, they will all get together and there will be a revolution of spirituality.” It will be a non-violent revolution, a revolution against the evil propensities of the human mind that keep us away from God. She took up the idea of unity by recalling how Sant Kirpal Singh during one of His world tours once greeted the audience with the words: “My own self in the form of ladies and gentlemen.” In this way He appealed to the people on the level of the soul. Not only did He teach that God resides in everyone, He had this stage of consciousness – He was competent. He regarded all people as equal, because the same power enlivens us all, and therein lies the unity.
One of His subordinates, who had only worked with Him for a few days, cried bitterly at Sant Kirpal Singh’s retirement. When Sant Kirpal Singh asked him why he was crying, he replied: “You were the first one to treat me as a human being.”
Man’s problem is the weaknesses of the mind. If we overcome them, we can make our life a “masterpiece” and one day can leave this world with a smile.
Hindu Swami Nirmal Aarti Devaji first recited verses in praise of God from the Hindu scriptures and then the Mool Mantra from the Jap Ji of the Sikhs. He said: “We want to reach God, therefore we come to Satsang (the spiritual assembly). There, the soul awakens from its sleep. All religions say “God is in you”, but we seek him outside. We should attain Him during life, not after death.
He recalled the quote from the Bible: “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar and added, “If we remove the hate from our heart, we will feel love.”
Guru Nanak also said, “No one is good, no one is bad, the same light shines in all”. When we are content, we can convey contentment to others. If we meet an egoist, but remain gentle and loving ourselves, it will soothe him.
It is the greatness of Sant Kirpal Singh that He shows us the way within and the light. He concluded with the wish: “May all humanity forever live in unity”.
Muhammad Hameed Kausar of the Muslim Ahmadiyya movement emphasized that the essence of Islam is love and unity. It is their philosophy to love everyone and not to hate anyone. All humanity is the family of God. The one who serves the most is the best in the family. He illustrated it with a parable:
An old man had seven sons. When he was about to die, he asked them to bring him seven sticks and tie them with a string. Then he asked them to break this bundle, which they could not. He released the cord and gave each son a single rod to break. Now they succeeded easily. They asked what this meant. He replied: “If you seven hold together, no one can break you; if you divide, you will break”. The cord symbolizes the saint who binds society together and connects you to God.
Loving humanity is the greatest service to God. If we give someone even a glass of water, we receive inner peace. God says to man: “Cleanse your heart and you will meet me and be in union with all.” So here at Kirpal Sagar we have come together to unite all, not with the force of arms, but with the weapon of love, which is the strongest weapon in the world.
He admired how much Kirpal Sagar has grown and blossomed by God’s grace since he first came here and wished there were branches of it all over the world. With Kirpal Sagar, Dr. Harbhajan Singh realized Sant Kirpal Singh’s dream of serving humanity.
Raj Brahma Kumari reminded us that God gave us the chance to be born as a human being and gave the soul seven virtues. He said to the soul: “Go into the world and do good”. But we have forgotten God. He comes again and again to awaken humanity. The fact that these virtues are actually in us is shown, for example, by the fact that anger fades away after some time. So man is created for peace, not for anger. The soul is full of peace. God, our Father, is a great king and we are his children, but we behave like beggars. And so God says, “Oh child, find your own greatness.” When our heart is pure, it is easy to connect with others.
It is important to have an aim in life, because this shapes our habits. The path may be rocky, but only in this way you develop. If it were completely smooth, one would become too carefree and slip off. So always keep your goal in mind. An aimless person is like a fallen leaf drifting in the water.
An atmosphere of peace emanates from Kirpal Sagar. When we think of great souls, a vibration arises because our thoughts shape the atmosphere around us. In Kirpal Sagar you can feel the radiation of God.
Develop inner values, purify yourself and God will reflect in your face.
Wolfgang Gerlich, chairman of Unity of Man Austria, told us that he came to Kirpal Sagar in 1982, when nothing had yet been built here. Nevertheless, one felt a special vibration that touched the heart. There was a lot of work and when they once were cutting thorny bushes, Dr. Harbhajan Singh said: “You cut the outer bushes and Master removes the inner bushes”. At that time he said that Kirpal Sagar would one day be a lighthouse, and everything that was predicted has become reality. Sant Kirpal Singh laid a strong foundation for all mankind with Unity of Man. Kirpal Sagar means “Ocean of Grace” and these are not just words, as everyone who comes feels something. Here we can drink the water of life of which is written in all the Holy Scriptures. It is a place for man-service, land-service and service to the soul. Serving the soul is supreme.
Baba Jagjeet Singh, a representative of the Sikh religion, said that all who came here from different villages, cities and countries are very fortunate. As all the previous speakers mentioned: If we want to achieve love and peace in ourselves and in the world, we should listen to great personalities. Regardless of the colour of someone’s skin or the country he comes from, if he has the power to unite us with God, he is a saint. Purifying our hearts, serving humanity and developing humility – this is what all saints teach us.
Finally, Karamjit Singh
, Chairman of Unity of Man India, spoke. He warmly thanked each speaker with personal words. He recalled the beginnings of Kirpal Sagar and Sant Kirpal Singh’s prediction that this place would become a place of pilgrimage for all mankind. Sant Kirpal Singh came to the farm in 1973 and commissioned Dr Harbhajan Singh to create a platform where all people could come together and remember God. It is a place where everything is put into practice.
After the programme all guest speakers were honoured with shawls and commemorative coins. Afterwards, over 100 sewing machines for widows in need, special tricycles for people with walking disabilities and blankets for the needy in the area were handed over with the support of various charities.
So their radiant faces marked the end of the event. For many of the needy, a single measure had brought a new perspective into their lives – be it through the opportunity to earn money, or through new mobility and the possibility to literally meet others at eye level. This gave the conference a very practical outcome.
During the conference, a young woman sang a poem composed by a Pakistani Sufi saint, to which she had added self-composed stanzas:
It is our aim to find God, but our intellect cannot grasp Him, He can only be reached by our heart.
Man is perishable, life lasts but for four days. We are travellers in this world, today we are here, tomorrow we must leave.
Some sleep until the last day of their life, some yearn to find the Beloved.
We have not met God, our Beloved, yet. Had we met Him, the flower of our heart would blossom.
Do not ask me when I have met God, my Beloved. Only my heart and God knows, nobody else. It is a secret between Him an me.
Lovers only can understand my love for Him, the world does not. My Beloved has an unexhaustable treasure, why should I crave for riches?
I received the treasure of the Almighty, my Beloved. It is the most valuable thing in the world.
Praised be the Gardener who created this garden of Kirpal Sagar, which is full of love. God resides in it.