The Saints Within Us Seek Harmony in Oneness

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: The message from each speaker who was asked to present to the congregation echoed very similar concepts, even as a few had allegiances to different religious institutions and may have been born into different faiths. In the tradition and custom of the Sant Nirankari Mission which had invited them to speak, they were all called out as Reverend, in honor of their belief that there is a Saint that lives within each of us.

It was a message of harmony and oneness; hence the theme – Harmony in Oneness – of this special Sunday afternoon’s meeting, on January 10, of the congregation which normally meets every month at India House. About 150 people, including a few guests, came together for a special Spiritual Congregation to honor and welcome the President of the Sant Nirankari Mission, USA, Dr. Iqbaljit Rai, who made a short trip through the Bayou City.

The Houston branch of the SNM had organized the Spiritual Congregation which opened with display models made by the children of congregation families and books on the Mission available for distribution. Central to the tenets of the SNM, which is also known as the Universal Brotherhood Mission, are the concepts of oneness, discipline, duty and cleanliness, all of which were evident in the way the guests were greeted.

Women and girls in sky blue kameezes, white salwars and duppatas and men and boys in blue blazers, grey pants, white shirts and red ties welcomed arriving guests with folded hands and escorted them to the central hall. On the raised stage sat Dr. Iqbaljit Rai in an armchair, his legs and feet covered in a white sheet, again a custom of the SNM to have an elder preside over the meeting.

Those entering the hall prostrated in front of him and made donations in a white box to the side. In front, white sheets marked the area where some women and the children sat cross-legged and behind them were rows of chairs. On the two side walls and stage banners proclaimed Universal Brotherhood, Blessed are the Peace Makers and Peace, Not Pieces. The group of children and teens came together to deliver a song, “I Believe In You” to the tune of “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees. (A video clip of the performance is on our YouTube channel; visit our website www.indoamerican-news.com)

The audience heard from congregation members Rajneesh Bala, Anil Sadan, Dev Bilol Pokhrel (from Dallas), Deepak Verma and Dr. Raj Bhalla about the message of oneness for all humanity that is central to the SNM. Bala said, “I am a drop that fills the bucket”; Sadan sang a Punjabi bhajan and Verma spoke of the God Knowledge that is given without hesitation to the members and the SNM’s five principles. Presenting a bouquet of flowers to Rai, Bhalla spoke last of his own lifetime spent on acting on the path of the SNM.

Speakers from other organizations echoed similar traits and principles in their followings. Exler Bob gave a speech on communism and democracy acknowledging the universal peace federation as the path to God’s ultimate purpose. Guru Bhakti from ISKCON said we are all spiritual beings and spoke about unity in diversity. And Kusum Vyas who works with the United Nations on Green Environmental projects explained her passion for saving the planet.

At the end of the two-hour program, Dr. Rai spoke softly, but with tender guidance, of the world’s differences being transitory but being avoided if we all come to work together. “Every living thing has something to share,” he said, “and a disturbance in one place can disturb the whole Cosmos.” He talked about the convergence of science and religion and said that Einstein, Tagore, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha all spoke of Oneness. “We must illuminate the darkness of the mind,” he added, saying “Global Oneness cannot be achieved unless we have Cultural Oneness, which is how SNM has spread to all the continents.” He concluded that self-realization through God realization must make connection with our soul.

Two brief video clips were also shown about the Social Welfare Activates of the SNM, focusing on the cleanliness campaign organized by SNM with hundreds of volunteers cleaning the railways stations in Mumbai and New Delhi as well as the Run for Oneness campaign. The meeting ended with a hymn in Punjabi “Tu Ek Nirankari” and the SNM prayer, with a langar of dishes prepared by a few different households served in the lobby.

The SNM will hold its “NIS2-Nirankari International Samagam-2” in Toronto from Jun 28 2016 -July 3 2016 focusing on a “World Without Walls” and nearly 10,000 people are expected to attend.

Visit www.nirankari.org for more details.