War. Crime. Loot. Politics. Noise. Drugs. News. Do the above-mentioned words make you uncomfortable and weary? Do they disturb your peace of mind? Your thoughtful silence is an obvious affirmation to the fact that most of the inputs that influence us from morning till evening, 365 days of the year are definitely instrumental in creating fear, anxiety and pandemonium in the control centre of our mortal existence, termed as mind.
Well then, welcome to the world of joy and bliss. The hub of love, harmony, brotherhood and spiritual ecstasy. Nirankari Sant Samagam, the spiritual festival of Oneness, has been a source of inspiration and bliss for many for the last 73 years. The Nirankari Samagam has come a long way, from being organised at Idgah ground with a few hundred devotees to being held at Ramlila Grounds, then behind Red Fort, followed by huge grounds at Burari and presently at the Nirankari Spiritual Centre at Samalkha, Haryana with participation of around a million devotees. The Nirankari Samagam is not merely a gathering of a huge number of people but an amalgam of various languages, cultures, nationalities and other backgrounds for a very pious purpose. The devotees dedicate themselves to selfless service, introspect on their spiritual growth and pledge to improvise thoughts, words and actions in the year to follow. A sight to behold, the Samagam campus can be seen vibrant with sounds of “Dhan Nirankar Ji” (Praise be to the formless almighty God), the greeting that Nirankari devotees address while bowing to each other, a subtle reminder of the presence of God in each one of us.
The three-day mega congregation starts with Samagam Sewa. The Samagam days witness an array of devotional speeches, poems and hymns that are focused on the basic ideology of the mission, that knowledge of the formless God and a life lived in continuous realization is the only way to eternal peace. The Samagam campus takes the shape of a mini spiritual city with all basic amenities like free community kitchen (langar), subsidised canteens, free medical care, ATMs, toilets, residential tents, publication counters, care for specially-abled and much more, all of which is controlled and executed by the group of Sant Nirankari Sewdal volunteers.
2020 has been a year of challenges. A year that brought Covid-19, lockdowns, financial challenges and medical revolution across the world. The Nirankari Family, under the divine guidance of their Satguru, faced each challenge with assuredness and responsibility. The selfless service rendered by thousands of Nirankari devotees in the form of langar, free ration kits, free masks, blood donation, sanitisation drives, free PPE kits and converting Satsang Bhawans into isolation centres can be seen on the mission’s website (www.nirankari.org) or through video new programmes on the mission’s YouTube page.
Followers of the Nirankari Mission are in the habit of regularly attending satsangs, which for obvious reasons could not be organised after March 22 2020. With the grace of Satguru Mata Sudiksha Ji Maharaj, the online platform was used and devotees from across the world connected with each other on a daily basis through online ‘Gyan Charcha’ programmes. Topics like Practical Spirituality, Loving Devotion, Tolerance and Magnanimity, Knowledge and Wisdom, Faith, Desire and Ego were discussed through speeches, hymns and poems. The discourses by Her Holiness Mata Ji motivated and guided all to stay composed and stable in the global scenario of fear and uncertainty. At a time when everyone was uncertain about the 73rd Annual Samagam, Her Holiness declared that the Samagam will most certainly be held, albeit through the online medium on December 5, 6 and 7. The topic of the Samagam was announced as Sthirta (The Eternal Stability).
Thereafter, with all government norms in place, the recordings took place in the august presence of Satguru Mata Ji at Burari, Delhi during the first and second week of November. Many items were recorded by devotees in their respective cities also. The recorded programme was webcast through the mission’s website and on Sanskar TV on the afore-mentioned dates. Lakhs of devotees across the world were overwhelmed to view the Samagam from their homes, manifesting the word of Her Holiness, that this year we will celebrate ‘Samagam from Home’. The kitchens at home turned into langar halls of samagam, devotees dressed up in their best like they do at samagam and sat dedicatedly with family members to view the complete samagam virtually.
The proceedings of day 1 started with Her Holiness delivering a message for the entire humankind. In Her message, she said that though Covid-19 had changed the lives of people on the planet drastically, those who remained connected to the eternally stable Nirankar (The Formless Almighty God), remained stable and composed. They instead took lessons from this period, increased their level of gratitude and resolved to become an instrument of divine will by helping out those in need. Her Holiness said that this period has distinctly taught us that materialistic gains are only a means to livelihood and thus the doctrine of ‘Detached Attachment’ can save us from stress and illusion. At the end of the message, she said “Let’s love not because we have to, but because it’s the only way forward”. Other speakers of the day also spoke about various dimensions of stability in spiritual sense and how it becomes easier to attain equanimity in life, if we have company of conscientious people.
The second day of the samagam was embellished with the Sewadal Rally, with recordings of volunteers from hundreds of cities across India and abroad. Many cultural items were presented along with physical formations and games, each item establishing some human value that can make this world a better place to live. The satsang programme of day 2 was also a wonderful panorama of melodious spiritual hymns and sublime speeches, expounding the need of spirituality in today’s time. The programme concluded with the discourse of Her Holiness Mata Ji, which carried many simple yet profound messages. She said that the process of peace and stability is not outside in, rather inside out. Any amount of disturbance in our sur roundings can be dealt with, if our inner state is rooted in faith and awareness. She explained drawing an allegory of a boat in the sea, that the boat will continue to waver and move in random direction till it is tied to the shore with an anchor. Likewise, God-Knowledge acts as the pivot, giving stability to the wavering mind. She said, Sewa (selfless service), Simran (mindful remembrance of God) and Satsang (company of enlightened saints) act as catalysts to help us keep our faith intact. Indicating that we need to implement spirituality in our practical lives, Satguru Mata ji said that rather than becoming a liability on society or our families, we should become an asset for all by sincerely obeying our duties. We should not even become a burden for ourselves by regretting our past or worrying about our future. We should rather live in the present moment responsibly with gratitude.
The final day once again gave millions of viewers the chance to listen to the wise words of various saints, coupled with awe-inspiring poems that formed a part of the much awaited ‘Poetic Symposium’ based on the topic- ‘Sthir se naata jod ke man ka, jeewan ko hum sehej banayen’ (Let’s connect to the stable One, attaining equanimity in our lives). The discourse of Her Holiness on this day stressed upon the need of acceptance in our life. She said we have all originated from one source, and if we remember this fact, all hatred and judgment can be brought to an end. Rather than making materialistic gains a yardstick of our achievements, let’s see how many hearts we have won, and to start with, we need to practise this from our homes. As humans, we should realise the responsibility we have on our shoulders and try to become a blessing for mankind. Mata Ji also prayed to almighty Nirankar that may humanity find relief from the current situation, so that normalcy returns soon, giving us all an opportunity to become a part of congregations and samagams, like before.
The 73rd Nirankari Samagam, though organised virtually, left a deep imprint in the minds and hearts of the devotees and many others who witnessed the soul stirring Mahayagya over the three days. It indeed made us all more thankful, dutiful, calm, composed, connected and stable. To know more about the mission, visit www.nirankari.org or the YouTube page of Sant Nirankari Mission.
