Sri Maan Sant Baba Dharam Singh Ji Nihang Singh 112

The shining saints of the Knights of God adorn the divine person of the Tenth King like so many blue pearls strung upon the frame of his kingly raiment. Baba Dharam Singh was one such priceless 'Pearl of the Faith' who taught spirituality not by mere words alone--but by the guiding light of his divine penance and selfless mien of superhuman devotion unto the knightly spirit of Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj.

Early Life

In the early 1830's, in the village of Abyana, a sleepy hamlet in the rural towm of Ropar, Punjab--this great saint was born unto his divine parents, he was named Tani Ram by his devout father Sardar Seva Singh ji.

Before reaching the high plateau of sainthood, young Tani Ram expressed his devotion in the singing of pastoral ballads which were prevalent in Punjab at that time and which were sung by bands of wandering minstrels who travelled from village to village reciting the tales of great lovers and martyrs who graced this great land with their deathless passion and awe-inspiring exploits.

It was folk tales such as Heer-Ranja, Laila-Majanoo and Sassi-Punoo and the great devotee Pooran Bhagat which first captured the imagination of young Tani Ram when he was just a youth, diligently studying the language of the gurus at his local Sikh Temple.

The flame of religious passion and moral high character was sparked within the soul of this impressionable youth by reading and re-reading these tales of immortal love. In fact, at that time these folk tales were sung with the awe and chaste devotion accorded to spiritual hymns because they so encapsulated the high ideals of chivalry, truthfulness, undying love and loyalty to ones cherished ones, family and country. Sadly in the present day and age these morality tales have been debased into spectacles of low culture and base instincts.

But in the times of Tani Ram, when their inherent purity was still unquestioned, he utilized his youthful voice to sing the revered verses therefrom with such melodious strains and divine melancholy evoking that spirit of love so highly enshrined in that bygone era of yore that the village people felt as though they had been transported back to that lost age of righteousness and bold lovers of moral certitude and honour.

In fact, as his fame spread, one of those aforementioned travelling bands of bards and minstrels happened to chance upon the flutelike resonance of Tani Ram's pure voice. And so entranced were they by the youth's ardent passion and detachment from mundane affairs that they offered to make him an honorary bard and to join their ranks as a divine preacher of bygone morality and virtue.

And so it was that Tani Ram began a short career as a wandering minstrel praising the great folk heroes of the Land of the Five Rivers. Though alas, as he found no lasting peace by so exerting himself, he soon returned home to aid his father in their agricultural endeavours and also returned to his spiritual studies.

In time he became very close with the head Granthi of his local Temple and in delving into the Sikh Scriptures he began to find inklings

Baptism and Holy Penance

Indeed, as time progressed and Ram Singh performed many Akhand Paaths--the divine lamp of the Guru was blazingly kindled--and he took the baptism of the double-edged sword from Buddha Dal at Holla Mohalla in Amritsar, he was then renamed Dharam Singh.

He now dressed in the sacred royal blue garments of the visiting Nihang, and when he returned his village he forsook his former toils and lived as a solitary ascetic in the jungles and forests where shrines to divine martyrs (Shaheed Singho) of the past were erected, there he practised austere penance and meditated on God with the utmost perseverance and devotion.

It must be noted that the villagers much detested the loss of their most beloved youth unto a life of seclusion and hermithood, they now pleaded with Babaji to return and sing Gurbani rather than Heer-Ranja!

Babaji obliged them and performed much seva unto the villagers who now requested him to get married so that he would live amongst them more permanently as a householder. Babaji agreed to do so and he had two daughters by his holy wife their names were Kishen Kaur and Chint Kaur. In fact their female birth was a blessing for Babaji because by not having a son he was free to resume a life of penance after their betrothals, which is precisely what happened in due time.

Now he continued to meditate in the forests around the shrines of the Shaheed Singho and his blessed food would be brought to him here. Babaji next travelled to Holla Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib where he formally enlisted with the Buddha Dal battalion upon which he was given his own horse and as he was strong and healthy, he was given the duty of preparing Shaheedi Degh for the sangat twice a day. Babaji also did other seva such as procuring crops for the langar and cleaning tools and utensils in the sand pits as well as collecting firewood from the forest, when he was finished his seva Babaji would sit down and meditate or recite Gurbani.

A Life of Rightous Service

It was at this time that Baba Dharam Singh ji met his spiritual sibling--Baba Mitt Singh ji, who was also a God Conscious saint of the highest order, this meeting forever altered the lives of the two as they now could confide their divine revelations unto each other and could magnify their service rendered to humanity.

Jathedar Baba Santa Singh ji who was blessed by both saints spoke of them thus: "Baba Mitt Singh ji and Baba Dharam Singh ji, what can be said of this divine pair of holy hermits? Who can praise their penance? The religious merit they earned in their divine lives is simply inestimable, they meditated on God millions of times, they were His own Beloveds, they were one with the Cosmic Beloved, the spiritual influence they inspired others with was like a holy flood--they made many mortals into saints who now possess virtues that I cannot praise with a million symphonies--such is the glory they spread in this world".

This beloved pair of holy saints travelled to Hazur Sahib at Maharashtra where they undertook magnitudinous seva in restructuring Gurwara Mata Sahib Devan, Baba Dharam Singh served his spiritual brother Baba Mitt Singh ji for many years, and after the sad passing of Baba Mitt Singh ji, Baba Dharam Singh ji became the Jathedar of Gurdwara Mata Sahib Devan.

Under Babaji's supervision Baba Mitt Singh Boonga--a memorial shrine consecrated unto the divine memory of his spiritual brother was erected, much langar seva was done by Babaji and the Gurdwara and sangat flourished impressively.

In 1953 an evil-minded man from Bombay poisoned the holy food at the Gurdwara and many Singhs were extremely sick. Unfortunately Babaji suffered an incurable urinary tract infection and was so debilitated by it that it was thought he was soon to die. When Baba Joginder Singh Muni of Sachkhand Hazur Sahib heard of this tragedy he was naturally alarmed and he immediately took measures to have Babaji brought to the Takht Sahib for treatment.

Thus Baba Rai Singh, Bhai Gagan Singh and Bhai Teja Singh and other able-bodied Nihangs took turns shouldering a cot in which the ailing saint was carried to Hazur Sahib, upon reaching the holy gates, Babaji insisted on getting down and walking himself into the Shrine. Now at Hazur Sahib, the finest physicians were sequestered to administer aid to Babaji--but to no avail, it was then decided that Babaji must be taken to Hyderabad to have an operation performed, otherwise death was seemed an impending certitude. Babaji refused however to travel there, he was unafraid of death; he accepted the will of God and was resolved to leave his mortal coil in the sacred shrine itself.

The priests of Hazur Sahib were greatly saddened at the prospect of losing such a dearly beloved saint, and thus as a last measure for healing they decided to hold an Akhand Paath to save Babaji. After the reading was performed, Sodhi Divan Singh and Sarmukh Singh chauffeured Babaji to Maorooti Rao who was an expert Aryu Vedic physician, miraculously he healed Babaji with the application of herbal tonics and natural remedies alone--much to the disbelief of the surgeons and doctors. Thus it was that by the miraculous power of an Akhand Paath and Ardas, the saint was restored to full health--much of this was due to the piety of Baba Joginder Singh Muni, upon whom Babaji heaped meritorious praises and adulatory grace for saving him, unlike the envious Pujari Harnam Singh. Babaji then gave his bachan that due to Joginder Singh Muni's pureness of heart--in a short time he would be righteously enthroned as the rightful Jathedar of Hazur Sahib.

When Baba Ladha Singh ji--Jathedar of Nagina Ghat sadly passed away, he was especially mourned by Babaji as he had been one of the original Singhs who travelled on foot with him and Baba Mitt Singh ji from Punjab all those years ago. Baba Chet Singh of Buddha Dal issued an edict that Baba Kartar Singh should be the successor and Baba Dharam Singh ji used his vast influence to impress this upon Pujari Harnam Singh that the turban of succession should be folded on the head of Baba Kartar Singh at the funeral ceremony of Baba Ladha Singh ji. This ancient tradition would symbolize the fact that the takht sahibs accepted him as rightful heir of the Nihang Chaunni, Harnam Singh however refused to comply, saying pridefully that only he himself could name the rightful successor.

Baba Dharam Singh ji further impressed upon him that the ancient tradition was that Buddha Dal was the supreme institution in the Khalsa Panth and that it's edicts were historically binding, and thus should be adhered to now, as otherwise people's faith would be undermined. In light of this pressure, Harnam Singh agreed not to alter the longstanding Khalsa Tradition. However, at the dussera bhog after the final ardas when the siropa was supposed to be presented to Baba Kartar Singh ji--Harnam Singh retracted his promise and refused to comply. Baba Dharam Singh ji told him that it would be a terrible sin to continue such insolence in front of the sangat at such a sad occasion, but the devious Harnam Singh stood in front of the sangat and spitefully announced that as he had not come to a decision as to who should be anointed, he could not crown Kartar Singh, with this he promptly left the assembly.

Baba Dharam Singh along with Baba Kartar Singh, Bhai Sarmukh Singh Jageerdar, Sardar Daleep Singh and other Sikhs from Mata Sahib Devan left immediately on foot for Hazur Sahib, when they reached the holy precincts a heavenly vision descended from the skies in the form of a shower of light as Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj gave them a blessed vision on his Blue Steed with his glorious visage ablaze in unimaginable splendour as he floated amongst the ranks of the sages before his marble shrine. The divine image was enthroned in the royal robes of an emperor and blinding light surrounded all as his holy hands blessed the turban-crowned heads of his Beloved Nihangs

As he entered the shrine with such divine splendor Babaji shouted a battle cry praising the Tenth Guru and saying Ardaas he issued His holy edict saying in a strong voice so all could hear his blessed speech " O beloved sangat, O mighty Guru--the head pujari of this thy immortal shrine has desecrated it's precincts by withholding his promise and practising falsehood even from such a holy seat as this--this vile sinner must shame us no more and must be replaced instantly".

Hearing the impassioned Ardas against him Harnam Singh now ran and grasped the feet of Baba Dharam Singh pleading for forgiveness before the divine flagpoles, Babaji replies that the matter was out of his jurisdiction and could only be answered in a higher court of God. This came to pass when Harnam Singh was exiled as an apostate a few days later after yet another argument was entered into by his insolence with Sardar Baldev Singh Mohitmin.

Granting Grace and Heavenly Ascendance

In closing, the diversity of Babaji's influence can best be illustrated by his kindness to Giani Gurbax Singh ji who would become a great scholar of Buddha Dal widely recognised a Brahmgian, one who had attained complete knowledge of the Divine. Giani Gurbax Singh ji had grown up amongst the minstels and dancers of folk culture as had Babaji. Baba Dharam Singh once asked him to dance, in he did so in order to please the saint by fulfilling his request. He performed a wonderful traditional manner, upon doing so Babaji remarked that he was indeed a fluent dancer and a young man of tremendous valour. Baba Dharam Singh then said with the same excitement and joy one performs worldly dance, they should exercise such emotions in loving worship of God and divine praises. So saying the two rose and performed such a worshipful dance unto the Lord that they were fully absorbed in divine ecstasy. After this Babaji told Gurbax Singh that he should infuse this divine happiness into all his actions of seva (selfless service) and simran (meditative remembrance of God). This teaching had a great infuence on moulding the personality of this esteemed saint and remarkable scholar who would one day succeed Baba Dharam Singh Ji and serve at the shrine of Mata Sahib Devan.

As the year 1957 approached, it became clear that Babaji's time on earth was wanning, that September many divine devotees came from far and wide to have the last blessed vision of this holy man. Babaji told the sangat to always live in peace and to undertake humanitarian service with pure hearts full of love, and to always praise God with every passing breath. When this great saint passed away he was 125 years old and a worthy shrine unto his service was erected rightfully placed next to that of his spiritual brother--Baba Mitt Singh ji.