Childhood

Charm-i-oo-maste Khuda
Daste-oo-daste Khuda.
Guftai-oo-guftai Allah bavad
Garche az halqum-i-Abdullah bavad.

His eyes were intoxicated with love of God and
His hand was one with that of God. He was the
mouthpiece of God and God Himself spoke
through that human throat.

This spiritual luminary assumed the garb of man on 27th July, 1858, in a respectable Grewal Jat family of Mehmansinghwala, District Ludhiana, Punjab. His father, Sardar Kabul Singh Ji, loved the society of godly people and freely mixed with them, and his mother, Shrimati Jiwani Ji, was a living specimen of the ancient virtues of simplicity, good-will, resignation and contentment. Baba Sawan Singh Ji was the only son of his parents and was the cynosure of all their hopes and aspirations. (1)
 
The privilege of being the parents of such a great personality must surely be founded on some noble background from past lives. From a very early age Kabul Singh frequently kept the company of holy men, serving them with sincerity, and because of this Baba Sawan Singh Ji had the opportunity of doing the same, remaining constantly at his father's side up to the year 1870. The passion to serve and be near godly men developed within him and he spent every available spare moment in this way, from 1870 to l878. After passing his tenth class in 1878 he took some employment, but became sick and was called home, where he stayed for two years.
 
The lives of those who are destined to take the dear souls across the river of life are predestined to prepare them for the important work. In this period of two years, Hazur met a great renunciate, an expert in Vedanta and Yoga by the name of Bhoop Singh Ji, and benefited greatly from the time spent in his company. As a result, Hazur was filled with the desire to renounce the world and become a sadhu. Profound thinking does not arise from merely another's promoting, but is already there, from the Beyond. A hen may good-naturedly hatch a nestful of eggs in which some duck eggs have been mixed, but when the little birds come out and go near the pond, the ducklings will jump in and start swimming and the chicks will stand and gaze in wonder. Similarly, wise souls are not earthly but heavenly beings. Guru Nanak was once made in charge of a shop in Sultanpur, and one day whilst carrying out his duties a fakir approached him and remarked, "We do not come into this world for this." That very day Guru Nanak left everything and "tightened his belt" ready to serve humanity for its upliftment.
 
From a very early age the conscious awareness of his predisposition toward spiritual things and aversion to worldly affairs was deeply embedded in Baba Sawan Singh's heart. However, truly exalted souls conceal their own inclinations and perform whatever tasks the worldly duties demand. Whenever he had a tendency to renounce the world he would thrust aside the noble aspiration in consideration of his parents, for being the only son he preferred to serve them, knowing that a renunciate may not serve according to his choice but must be prepared to serve humanity at large - wherever its need may call him. This is indicative of Hazur's great wisdom, for he who shirks his duty will never reach perfection.
 
Up to 1883, when the Master was 25 years old, his time was spent as described. Sardar Kabul Singh Ji then insisted that he should enter military service, and approached his commanding officer about a commission for his son. While this was being processed, Hazur started teaching at an army training school in Farukhabad, but the company of illiterate, alcohol drinkers and meat eaters became unbearable, so he went to Roorkee and passed an entrance examination into the Thompson College of Engineering there. During his stay in Farukhabad he had spent his leisure hours on the banks of the Ganges, where he met many holy people, in particular a man by the name of Bhai Nihal Singh. He then (after his graduation from college) got his commission in the army, but simultaneously he was given an offer in civil engineering, and preferring the latter, he accepted a post as overseer in Nowshera. When searching for a place of residence there, some people told him about a lovely house which was available, but unfortunately was haunted by ghosts and unsuitable to live in due to the danger to life. Hazur persisted in taking the house, and the people were amazed to witness how the ghosts magically disappeared. He who belongs to the Lord of all creation has nothing to fear - men and angels are waiting to serve him. "All creation is at Thy feet, and Thou art in command over all creation."

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