One whose mind is attached to the Guru’s feet
- his pains, sufferings and doubts run away. Serving the Guru, honor is obtained.
I am forever a sacrifice to the Guru. ||2|| Gazing upon the Blessed Vision of the Guru’s Darshan, I am exalted.
The work of the Guru’s servant is perfect. Pain does not afflict the Guru’s servant.
The Guru’s servant is famous in the ten directions. ||3||(Page 864)
One look of grace of a Holy person is enough for a devotee. All the blessings and love are contained in that look. In fact, the devotees are always hungry for such a glance.
The devotees of Sant Baba Basant Singh ji Maharaj were increasing day in and day out. Everyone felt that Sant Baba ji was blessing him or her in one way or the other. The attraction for the holy saint increased. The feeling that kept on cropping up was to serve him in some manner. Some felt that they should prepare different foodstuffs and offer him. They were on the look out for a new type of offering to serve him and to receive further blessings from him.
Sardar Thakur Singh lived in village Naushehra, which was a kilometer away from the Tap Asthan. He had a good sugarcane crop that year. When the crushing season came, he decided to serve the juice of the first crushing of sugarcanes to Sant Baba ji.
During the evening, he collected sugarcanes from the field, cleaned them and kept them near the crusher. He decided to crush them early in the morning. Next morning the sugarcanes were crushed and a big pitcher was filled with the fresh juice.
With the pitcher on his head, he came to the abode of Sant Baba ji near Bhatolian. Sant Baba ji was sitting under the mango tree. He bowed his head in reverence to Sant Baba ji and offered the pitcher of juice.
Sant Baba ji asked him, “Bhai! What have you brought?”
Sardar Thakur Singh lowered his head and humbly replied, “Maharaj ji! With your blessings the sugarcane crop has been in abundance and is now ready for the crushing. I have brought juice from the first crushed sugarcanes. Please accept it and bless me.”
Sant Baba ji smiled. Taking a clue from the facial expression of Sant Baba ji, Sardar ji poured a small portion of the juice in a bowl and kept it in front of him.
After looking at the bowl for some time, Sant Baba ji drank the juice from the bowl, sip by sip.
After he had finished, Sardar ji brought water and Sant Baba ji washed his hands and cleansed his face.
Sant Baba ji then thanked the Lord for His kindness in providing him with the juice. After he had rendered the prayer, Sant Baba ji asked Sardar ji, “Don’t leave the rest of the juice here. Take the pitcher and serve the juice to others in the family.”
Sardar ji said, “Satya Vachan Maharaj!”
He picked up the pitcher and after paying his respects to Sant Baba ji came to his house. He considered the juice as the Parshad and asked everyone in the family to share it.
All in the family enjoyed the sweet juice Parshad.
During the daytime, Sardar ji returned to his crusher. While he was collecting the remains of the crushed stems of sugarcane, he observed to his astonishment that a snake had also been crushed along with the stems. Sardar ji was shocked and started sweating. He suddenly became very weak, and his body started shaking in fear.
He thought, “What will happen now? All his family members including him drank the poisonous juice. I have committed an appalling crime. I cannot be excused. What should I do?”
He sat on the ground and caught hold of his head in his hands. He thought of Sant Baba ji. He ran and reached the abode of Sant Baba ji. He fell on the feet of Sant Baba ji and started crying. When Sant Baba ji asked him about his behavior, he explained the incident and blamed himself for the crime he had committed.
Sant Baba ji listened to him patiently and when he was through with his tantrums, asked him, “Who tasted the juice first?”
Sardar ji replied, “Maharaj ji! The first sip was taken by you.”
Sant Baba ji explained to him, “Bhai! When you had offered the juice to me in a bowl, I offered the juice to the Almighty for His Bhog. I tasted the juice only as a Seet Parshad of the Almighty. After washing my hands I had thanked the Almighty and prayed for your prosperity, success and welfare for all in your family.”
Sardar ji said, “Maharaj ji! You are always very kind and bless me. But I have made a terrible mistake.”
Sant Baba ji said, “Every prayer to the Almighty has some significance. The Lord is kind and looks after his devotees. You should not worry.”
Sardar ji was a bit relieved on hearing these consoling words. It struck him that the prayer to the Almighty for the Bhog was not by an ordinary person but by a Holy soul. The prayer had a divine content. It could not be ineffective.
Nothing happened to anyone.
Sardar ji and his family members were all obliged to Sant Baba ji to have saved their lives. They became devout followers of Sant Baba ji. Sardar ji accepted the ambrosial nectar of the two edged sword and became a baptized Sikh. He addressed the sangat during the congregations and narrated the incident of the conversion of poison into nectar and conveyed to the people the real significance of ‘Prayer to the Almighty’, as explained to him by Sant Baba ji.
In the midst of poison, the Ambrosial Nectar is revealed; by His Mercy, one drinks
it in. O Nanak, praise the True Lord; blessed is the Creator, the Embellisher. ||2|| Those who are permeated by falsehood, do not love the Truth. If someone speaks the Truth, falsehood is burnt away. The false are satisfied by falsehood, like the crows who eat manure. When the Lord grants His Grace, then one meditates on the Naam, the Name of the Lord. As Gurmukh, worship the Lord’s Name in adoration; fraud and sin shall
disappear. ||10||(Page 646)
Another family, a follower of Sant Baba ji had a similar experience. This family offered LASSI to Sant Baba ji. When the vessel in which the Lassi had been churned, was cleaned, the remains of a snake were seen in it. The snake had also been churned along with the LASSI. The worried family members informed Sant Baba ji about this incident.
Sant Baba ji spoke very valuable words, “Recite Gurbani! Remember the Lord Almighty. I will also remember Him. The Lord will take care of everything.”
Everything remained all right. Sant Baba ji had pointed the way to seek the support of the Lord’s blessings. It had an in depth meaning. Sant Baba ji proved that for a truthful person, it was enough to take the encouragement from Gurbani. The true devotion has the power to convert poison into nectar.
1. Once Sant Baba Basant Singh ji went to a nearby cremation ground. He collected pieces of cloth that had been removed from dead bodies. He also collected thread tied to the wooden spikes hammered into the ground around the site of the cremation. With the help of a strong thorn, converted into a needle, the pieces of cloth were sewn with the thread. A GODRI (shawl) was prepared to cover his body during the winter months of December and January.
During the night it rained heavily and the shawl got completely drenched in the rain. Sant Baba ji thought about the time the shawl will take in drying and then when would he be able to cover himself. He did not waste time and allowed the shawl to swim with the running water of the rain. He had understood that the Almighty Satguru did not want him to wear a shawl. The Will of God was his happiness and he accepted that cheerfully.
2. During his entire stay on the outskirts of village Fatehpur Bhattolian, the dwelling of Sant Baba Basant Singh ji Maharaj was under a mango tree. A thin sheet covered the branch of the tree under which he sat for his worship. The dwelling was so small that there was no place for any person to stand. Sant Baba ji could only sit under this branch.
A beautiful Gurdwara has now been constructed at this place. A small thatched hut adorns the place reminding the devotees of the simple life led by Sant Baba ji during his youth. A Diwan (congregation) is held in the Gurdwara on every Sunday and also on SANGRAND (the first day of the new month). The Gurdwara is being managed under the instructions of the present head of Nirmal Kutiya Johalan.