I wave the fan over them, carry water for them, and grind corn for the humble servants of the Lord. Nanak offers this prayer to God - please, grant me the sight of Your humble servants. ||4||7||54|| (Page 749)
There was hardly any individual passing the way, who did not participate in the SEWA of the construction of the road. The spreading of the mud was being carried on to level the road. The passerby may not have visited Nirmal Kutiya Johalan, but nevertheless joined for the social cause started by Sant Baba Basant Singh ji Maharaj.
One day a horse driven cart meant for carrying goods passed that way. The driver owner saw people working on the road. The cart stopped for a while for the way to be cleared. A sewadar said to the driver of the cart, “Bhai! Why don’t you come down from the cart and take part in this social service?” He added, “This service is being carried out under the aegis of Sant Baba Basant Singh ji Maharaj of Nirmal Kutiya Johalan. You will receive the blessings of Sant Baba ji on participating in this Sewa.”
The driver of the cart said, “I have to reach some place. I am in a hurry. I will join the service some other day.” Saying so, he went away.
When the cart was crossing the railway line, due to some unknown reason, the horse sat down on the railway track. The jerk was so sudden that the cart man saved himself from falling off the cart with much difficulty. He came down from the cart to see if the horse had injured itself. He found that the horse was all right but it was not getting up from the tracks. Loving words, harsh words and not even his stick was able to persuade it to get up and clear the tracks
The cart man thought that his horse would get killed if a train arrived. He pulled the horse hard and sometimes pushed the cart and said, “If you keep on lying here, you will get killed. Please have mercy on me and get up.”
All his efforts were in vain. There was no help nearby. He thought of calling some persons involved in the SEWA of the road but remembered that he had refused to respond to their request for service. How could he now face those sewadars? It would have been the right approach for him to involve himself in the SEWA. He prayed to Sant Baba Basant Singh ji Maharaj by making an image of Sant Baba ji in his mind and his eyes at the feet of Sant Baba ji, “If the horse gets up from the tracks, I will serve on the road for the whole day and also use my cart for carrying the mud. I seek your forgiveness for my mistake.”
The horse got up when he ended his prayer. He was astonished. He could not comprehend the behaviour of his horse. It was indeed a teaching for him. He did not go ahead and returned to the spot where the SEWA was being carried out. He requested for being permitted to do SEWA with his cart. The sewadar who had talked to him earlier said to him, “Bhai! You had to go for an important work. What happened?”
The cart man narrated the incident at the railway tracks. The sewadar said, “There was something else in your destiny today. You and your horse had to serve here and receive the blessings of Sant Baba ji. How could you go away from this service?”
The cart man replied, “I have understood everything. I have learnt my lesson.”
The sewadar advised, “O Blessed One! Go and have DARSHAN of Sant ji Maharaj. Bow at his feet and accept his blessings. You are a fortunate one. Do you know that Sant Baba ji has also participated in picking up the mud baskets?”
Serve, serve, forever serve the Lord. Death hangs over your head.
Do seva, selfless service, for the Holy Saints, and the noose of Death
shall be cut away. ||1|| (Page 214)
The cart man went to the Kutiya and paid his homage to Sant Baba ji and he requested for forgiveness (in his mind). He and his horse were involved in the social service for a full day at the site. His mistake was forgiven on his fulfilling his promise. He thanked Sant Baba ji from the core of his heart.
1. Many people were motivated on seeing the sangat involved in the leveling
of the road. Some of them brought their tractors to speed up the work. Among
them were Jathedar Gurdip Singh son of Sardar Moola Singh of Kangniwal
village and Sardar Lachman Singh son of Sardar Hukam Singh of Bolina village.
They helped in pushing the mud with tractor implements and reduced the
work of the sevadars. Jathedar Gurdip Singh used his new tractor of Massey
make for the purpose.
2. Jathedar Gurdip Singh of Kangniwal was a regular visitor to Nirmal Kutiya Johalan He was blessed by Sant Baba Basant Singh ji Maharaj with all happiness. Once when he came to the Kutiya he was instructed to bathe in the waters of the Holy well. He was then made to wear the symbols of the Khalsa. This was the beginning for his initiation.
Jathedar Gurdip Singh and his brother Resham Singh were instrumental in
destroying SULTAN DI MATT in the premises of the Gurdwara at their village
Kangniwal. They destroyed the MATT during the night. They were of the
view that there was no need for a MATT in the Gurdwara as the devotees
should only be involved in reciting and listening to Gurbani.