Bhai Darshan Singh Jee (Gargajj)

Bhai Darshan Singh Jee Gargajj (Jalandhar)

- Principal Gurmukh Singh Jee Patiala

A naam-colored, and dear companion, famous in the jatha by the name Gargajj, shudh Akhand Paathi, a Keertani, one who would roar in a loud voice while chanting the Gurmantar—Bhai Darshan Singh Jee Gargajj was born in the year 1909 in Mitha Tiwana, District Sargodha, Pakistan, in the house of Bhai Hira Singh, and Mata Bibi Jaswant Kaur Jee. 

His parents were followers of the Gursikh Rehat, and he too was instilled with a devotion for Gursikhi and a love for Gurbani from his parents in his childhood.

He received his worldly education up to the tenth grade from Sargodha High School. This area was famous for its cotton production, and near Sargodha, in Phulanwan, there was a large cotton market and also a mill, whose owner was Bhai Kesar Singh Jee.

He started a job at that mill as a commission agent. The cotton season was only six months long, and the mill would also run for 6 months and then close after the season. Because of this, he got plenty of time to receive instruction in Naam and Gurbani.

In his youth, he received Gurbani santhiya from Sant Nihchal Singh Jee Jagadhri.

According to him, Sant Jee would sternly correct those who recited Paath incorrectly, and he too worked hard to make his recitation of Gurbani pure and smooth.

He had such mastery in separating the spellings of Gurbani words, the Bishraams, and the pronunciation of vowel signs that during an ongoing Sri Akhand Paath Sahib, if any Paathi did not pronounce a vowel sign correctly, he would, in a state of Anand, say in a thundering voice, "Look carefully, 'such-and-such letter' has this vowel sign. Pronounce it correctly."

His Anand Karaj, according to the custom of the time, took place in his childhood with Bibi Harbhajan Kaur. She was brought to his home 10 years later after the muklawa ceremony. Two sons and one daughter were born in his home. All the children were Keertaniyaa, followers of the Gursikh Rehat, and walk on the path he laid out for them.

His daughter, Bibi Mohinder Kaur, was married to Bhai Harbans Singh Jee Lucknow, whose Anand Karaj was performed by the respected Bapoo Jee (Bhai Sahib Randhir Singh Jee) himself.

Bhai Harbans Singh Jee was also one of the leading, selfless Keertaniyaa of the jatha, and his wife, Mohinder Kaur, was also one of the foremost female Keertaniyas of her time.

In the year 1937-38, at a Smaagam in Lyallpur, he met Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh Jee through Bhai Malla Singh Jee, a resident of Phulanwal.

In 1939, during a Sri Akhand Paath Sahib and Keertan Smaagam held in Phulanwal, he and his family took Amrit and became followers of Gurmat.

Due to his being a shudh Akhand Paathi, he developed a deep love and affection for Bhai Sahib. Bhai Sahib would recognize such gems and, with his spiritual magnetic power, would draw them in such a way that whoever came into his Sangat, would become his forever.

Below, two incidents are recorded, which Gargajj Sahib himself mentioned through his own writings and which were published:

After meeting Bhai Sahib, my interactions with him began to increase, and I started attending many Smaagams, both near and far. The blessing he bestowed upon Daas was that invitations to attend Smaagams started to arrive. 

In the year 1940, in the month of September, Bhai Sahib visited Srinagar, Kashmir.

In early October, a Sri Akhand Paath Sahib and Keertan Smaagam were planned in Abbottabad.

Bhai Sahib sent a letter asking Daas to bring two other Paathis and reach Abbottabad on the first of October. Without thinking, Daas hastily sent a letter of acceptance.

But when I asked for time off from the owner of the cotton factory, he refused. He said that his niece was getting married and that I had to go to Lahore with the mechanic to buy parts in his place to get the factory started.

Due to this reason, I wrote another letter to Bhai Sahib, apologizing and stating my inability to reach the Smaagam.

After returning from Lahore, I asked at home if any letter had come from Bhai Sahib, because having failed the test, my mind was constantly focused on him. My Singhni handed me a letter that had arrived from Bhai Sahib.

This letter was handwritten by Bhai Sahib, and for an ordinary person, reading it was no easy task. So I was unable to read the letter. I took the letter to Bhai Malla Singh Jee, who was a close associate of Bhai Sahib, and requested him to read it aloud to me. He read it to himself two or three times and then read it to me.

The gist of it was: "By the immense grace of Satguru Jee, the Abbottabad Smaagam was held in Chardi Kala. But it is a matter of surprise that a Gursikh, after giving his word, would back out at the last moment. The time is coming when these factories, the thought of which is causing a blockage in the mind, will become 'thissu phissu'."

For me, this phrase was new and strange. I asked Bhai Malla Singh Jee about it. He explained that 'thissu phissu' seems to mean they will be destroyed and ruined.

My mind fell into doubt. I spoke to the owner of the cotton factory about this, but he didn't pay it any mind. Slowly, this matter also faded from my memory.

In 1947, the country was partitioned. One day, suddenly, the Muslim military arrived and surrounded our town of Phulanwal, and the order was given to reach the military camp before four o'clock.

When we asked them about our homes, property, shops, factories, and goods worth lakhs, asking what would become of them, the reply came: "What are you to them? Pakistan or the Merciful Lord, Allah Ta'ala, is the owner of these things. We belong to Allah. Therefore, all of this is ours. You go to your Hindustan."

This conversation with the military officers brought back the fresh memory of Bhai Sahib's prophecy of "thissu phissu," which had now come to pass.

When Bhai Sahib was writing the letter to Daas, he was seeing the impending event happen clearly. At the same time, this event also made the meaning of the phrase he had used so casually firmly imprinted on my mind.

Similarly, he mentioned another incident. In 1941, Bhai Sahib again wrote a letter from Srinagar, Kashmir, asking me to attend an Akhand Paath Sahib and Keertan Smaagam being held at the home of Bhai Harnaam Singh 'Daar Jee' in Abbottabad.

I sent my acceptance, and daas reached Abbottabad. This Smaagam also took place in the first week of October 1941.

At the conclusion of the Sri Akhand Paath, Keertan began. During that Keertan, Mahant Karam Chand of Shah Jeewana Mandi, District Jhang (associated with the institution of Bhai Ghannaiya Jee), came and sat right in front of Bhai Sahib.

When the seventh Pauri of Sri Asa Dee Vaar was completed, he turned to me, sitting beside him, and asked, "Who is this devotee?"

This Mahant Jee had a very beautiful beard, but his head was clean-shaven, and he wore a white cotton cap on his head.

Daas informed him that this was Mahant Karam Chand of the seat in Shah Jeewana Mandi.

At that very moment, Bhai Sahib casually said these words: "Now, we will only have his darshan in the form of a Khalsa."

What were these words? They were an arrow released from the bow of the unseen, which was to hit its target after a gap of about eight years.

In 1948, this Mahant Jee went on a pilgrimage to Shree Hazoor Sahib with the sangat. One day, while doing parkarma of the Takht Sahib, he had a flash of the darshan of the Guru Gobind Singh Jee.

It wasn't just a flash; these words from Satguru struck him like an arrow: "What is this pretense you are maintaining?"

His heart could not bear the blow, and he fainted. His followers were with him and began to rub his hands and feet.

After a long time, when he regained consciousness, he said, "We will not be returning tomorrow as per the planned program; we will stay for another ten or twenty days."

It was during these days that he received the gift of Amrit and became Hardarshan Singh from Karam Chand.

The following year, in 1949, a Rainsabaaee Keertan was happening at the Kalghidhar Singh Sabha Gurdwara in Ludhiana, when Bhai Hardarshan Singh Jee came and sat before Bhai Sahib.

After a Shabad concluded, Daas asked Bhai Sahib, "Who is the gentleman sitting before you?"

He immediately replied, "This is the devotee from Abbottabad, who has now become a Singh of the Guru." As soon as he said this, I remembered the words you had spoken about eight years earlier.

Through his earned spiritual state from the practice of Naam, Bhai Sahib had reached such an avastha that he could casually read events written on the slate of the future, just as we, sitting in a room, can clearly see and examine all the objects placed in front, behind, below, and above us. But he kept such miraculous events contained within himself.

If a word was uttered casually, it would happen, but he did not make an open display of it. Countless such blessings are present within Naam.

For a seeker of the spiritual path to embark on this journey for the sake of these miraculous powers is a very loss-making and misleading deal.

Our duty is only to chant Naam, and that too only for spiritual progress, which we must do knowing it as the Satguru's hukam and with humility.

Bhai Darshan Singh Jee “Gargajj” used to tell in his own words that before taking Amrit, he used to eat a lot of meat.

But when he was taking Amrit from the Nirbaan Keertani Jatha, the Panj Pyare instructed that meat was absolutely forbidden, neither jhatka nor eggs, nor alcohol.

He then pleaded, "I am very addicted to eating meat, how will I be able to quit it?"

At that time, the Jathedar of the Panj Pyare, Baaoo Mal Singh Jee, said in a commanding tone, "Alright, from today, for one month, every day at exactly 1 AM, set an alarm on your clock and wake up. After a full head-to-toe ishnaan, in solitude, vigorously practice Naam Abhyaas until daybreak, and after that, do your Nitnem. After that, do an Ardaas at the Gurdwara and then get busy with your work. Fulfill this program as a command for one month, and then ask your mind if it still longs for meat or if even the thought of it seems bad."

As he told it, he bowed his head before the divine command of the Panj Pyare and started to act upon it.

Only about a week had passed practicing Naam Abhyaas in this way when his state of mind completely changed, and the practice of Naam began to resonate with great force and in many waves.

After about fifteen days, when he examined the state of his mind, let alone eating meat, he didn't even feel like looking at it or thinking about it. And then this program became permanent for life and was maintained until his last breath.

He would work for six months and spend the other six months in the company of Bhai Sahib, traveling to Smaagams.

He used to recite the shabad 'Guroo-Vaahe' in a very loud and booming voice, which is why Bhai Sahib added the word 'Gargajj' (the roarer) to his name.

One time, he, along with Bhai Sahib and the Jatha, was traveling from Baramulla towards Srinagar in the summer. In the same bus, some Gorey (Englishmen) were also traveling to enjoy the cool air of Kashmir.

On the way, seeing the heart-captivating mountain scenery, he went into a state of ecstasy and let out a roar of 'Guroo-Vaah' in a thundering voice.

That was it; those Englishmen were so startled they fell from their seats and screamed that a "Wolf" had come.

Seeing their terrified state, the Singhs laughed and reassured them, explaining in English that it wasn't a four-legged, bloodthirsty lion that had roared, but rather this Lion-like Singh had roared in a state of wonder upon seeing the scenes of nature. So, do not be afraid.

They all started looking at him in amazement. His roar was commonly heard in Keertan Smaagams. This was a very strange thing seen in him, which was less common among other Gursikhs.

When he would enter a state of bliss while chanting Naam or see Gursikhs approaching, he would get filled with joy and, in a very loud voice, instead of Vaheguru, he would let out a roar of 'Guroo-Vaahi'.

Those who didn't know him would get scared by his sudden loud, booming voice and would say, "What happened to Bhai Sahib?" The reply would be, "He sometimes enters a state of bliss from Naam."

While he was an eager listener of Keertan, he was also a good Keertani and a strong Akhand Paathi himself. He would perform Keertan for hours on end in Rainsabaaees without getting tired.

As the Shabad resounded, he would sing with ever-increasing enthusiasm and Prem.

Remembering his passion for Keertan brings to mind another of his companions, a detached soul (Bairaagi). This soul, colored in the hue of Naam and detachment, was Bhai Santokh Singh Jee Bairaagi. 

After the partition, he had a small book-binding business in Sri Amritsar. Sensing his intensely detached inner state, Bhai Sahib Bhai Randhir Singh Jee had named him Bairaagi. Bairaagi Jee and Gargajj Jee were a Keertan pair. They would remain engaged in Keertan all night long.

A short while before Bairaagi Jee's passing, Bhai Sahib himself, during the Smaaptee of the Poh Sudi Smaagam in Narangwal, had Bairaagi Jee sit with him on the vaajaa and sang this Shabad:

“ਨਦੀਆਵਾਹਵਿਛੁੰਨਿਆਮੇਲਾਸੰਜੋਗੀਰਾਮ॥”

The rivers and streams which separate may sometime be united again.

Having received Santhiyaa of Gurbani Paath from childhood, he was a strong Akhand Paathi who recited shudh Gurbani with correct vowel signs.

For this reason, right after he took Amrit, Bhai Sahib would send for him for the seva of Akhand Paath. He had a lot of Gurbani memorized.

While he would perform the seva of Akhand Paath for hours, he also had a daily discipline of doing Sehaj Paath of Shree Guru Granth Sahib Jee. He would complete more than one Sehaj Paath almost every month.

He gave Gurbani santhiya to many Singhs, Singhnis, and children. Just as he had a deep understanding of the grammar of Gurbani Paath and its vowel signs, he was also very knowledgeable about different reading variations (Paath bheds).

He would spend almost all his time in the circle of the Sri Akhand Paath and, when needed, would also help correct the Paath of the Paathis.

After the partition of the country, he stayed for some time with his relative Bhai Amrik Singh Jee in Ludhiana and enjoyed the sangat of Bhai Sahib.

Then, in 1955, he went to his old associate from his time in Phulanwal, Bhai Kesar Singh Jee, who was the owner of the cotton factory there and had settled in Jalandhar, and started working as an accountant for him.

Bhai Kesar Singh Jee was in the contracting business. In this connection, he once came into contact with Bhai Mohinder Singh Jee S.D.O, who was an overseer at the time and lived in Rajpura, to get the bills for the construction of Gharuan Hospital approved.

S.D.O. Sahib was fond of Keertan and playing all the instruments. He inspired him to attend the Rainsabaaee Keertan in Kharar, and seeing his high and pure lifestyle and conduct, he became connected with the sangat of the Jatha.

He remained in the Jatha for a very long time, making the echoes of Keertan resound. Hearing his Keertan, countless sangats became connected to the Guru's charan.

He did this work while living in Jalandhar until 1965. After that, he spent most of his time with his elder son, who was employed in a government department, living in cities like Pathankot, Udhampur, Srinagar, Baramulla, etc.

Finally, he came to his younger son, Bhai Amarjit Singh, in Jalandhar and continued to enjoy the weekly Keertan Smaagams of the Jatha as well as Sri Akhand Paath Sahibs. For about 25 years, he gave Gurbani Paath Santhiyaa to young children, and he did this Seva for about three hours every day.

Due to a stroke, his legs became weak, and later his speech also began to falter, and what he said could not be fully understood. But even then, he did not abandon his daily Nitnem and his Amrit Vela discipline.

After Naam Abhyaas and Nitnem at Amrit Vela, he would go for darshan at the Gurdwara every day and return home after sunrise. Around 2 AM at night, he would alert the nearby Singhs to observe Amrit Vela so that they could do Naam Abhyaas together.

Due to weakness in the nerves of his legs, his walk also began to stagger.

One time at Amrit Vela, as he was going to a Singh's house for the Amrit Vela Smaagam and Nitnem, chanting "Guru Guru," two policemen on patrol mistook him for a drunkard and made a sarcastic remark:

"Baba, you should have drunk less, now you're swaying as you walk."

Baba Jee remained silent and stayed absorbed in the colors of naam. It is fitting for those who practice Bhagti to endure harsh words and live in the Guru’s hukam.

Although he was not very old, his physical weakness increased due to the illness of paralysis. Later, the lower part of his body became numb, but his consciousness remained connected to the Guru's charan until his last breath.

He spent the last two to two-and-a-half years of his life's journey on a bed in the factory with his son. The family performed his Seva devotedly.

When his physical suffering became very great, he called five Singhs and listened to Nitnem and Sukhmani Sahib at Amrit Vela with full attention.

Seeing his physical body, made of the five elements, extremely weakened and frail, the Singhs prepared Degh right there in the Gurdwara and performed an Ardas for his release from suffering.

After distributing the Degh, they brought his share and gave it to him to eat. The direct power of the Ardaas was witnessed. The Singhs and family members continued the recitation of Vaheguru Jaap near him, and on that very day, March 22, 1984, at 11:30 AM, he peacefully left his physical body and went to reside at the Guru's Charan.