| About
Sant Nirankari Mission |
The
Sant Nirankari Mission was established in 1929 within an undivided
India.
Under
the guidance of His Holiness Baba Hardev Ji the mission is an all
embracing spiritual movement, seeking to unite mankind through the
realisation of one God.
By
such wisdom, material, social and religious divisions melt away
to be replaced by bridges of compassion, unity and harmony.
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| A
devotee |
A
formless God ...
Nirankar
- is a term which means formless. The scriptures tell us this is
an attribute of God. So we acknowledge God as Nirankar.
One
God, One Religion...
Right
from the beginning of this universe we believe there has only been
One religion and One God.
We try to create unity under the umbrella of 'One God, One Religion'. |
| Devotee
- Harmohinder Singh Bhatia |
He
is formless, colourless and everywhere.
Everything
on this planet is subject to change, but God never changes. When
nothing was, God was!
Living
by the five principals...
For
all devotees, the Nirankari Mission has formulated five principles
that must be practiced and adopted in their every day life.
Read more about the basic five principals.
True
religion unites never divides...
|
My forefathers are from a Sikh background, however that doesn't
mean I have to let go of my Sikh traditions.
I encompass them within my life of knowing God.
|
| Devotee
- Gurpreet Bhatia |
Our
belief is that true religion unites people of all religious faiths,
beliefs, cultures and nationalities. It knows no taboos and traditions,
rites and rituals, omens and superstitions.
God
is one - but people worship him differently. That doesn't matter,
as long as people realise and acknowledge the oneness of God.
He
can be practiced and known through the grace of our spiritual teacher
-
Baba Ji.
| Spiritual
guidance from Baba Ji |
 |
| Baba
Ji |
Baba
Ji is our spiritual guide. He can be called master, Guru or even
a friend it really doesn't matter.
We
receive knowledge from him - the knowledge of God. He reveals the
oneness of God. He is our guide and master who enlightens us spiritually.
Baba
Ji preaches, 'One God and One Religion' - the religion of love and
humanism.
We
don't have any status in the mission, we are all volunteers - so
is Baba Ji himself.
| Greeting
each other with love and respect .. |
We
believe God resides in all human beings, he is everywhere. So when
greeting a fellow devotee we touch each others feet, bow and say
- "Dhan Nirankar" meaning - "God is great".
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|
Touch
each others feet
|
Bow
to one another
|
Whether
young or old, the touching of feet is a mark of respect and acknowledgment
that God resides within them.
Our
place of worship...
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| Wednesbury
Satsang Bhawan |
Our
worship is called 'Satsang' - meaning, a place where one is connected
to the truth. 'A Bhawan' - meaning a house of prayer, is where we
meet.
When
members of the mission meet together for worship it is called a
congregation or satsang.
During
worship ...
During
a congregation someone is sat at the front centre stage on a chair.
He or she wears a scarf around their neck showing representation
of the spiritual guide Baba Ji.
Everyone
who enters the hall bows first to the spiritual guide representative
at the front then sits down.
A nominated
devotee conducts the service.
Prayer...
Prayer
- means praising God almighty through religious recitals, bhajan
singing, poetry and songs - these are all the different forms of
praise.
A special
mantra (prayer) is recited by devotees at anytime and is often recited
during satsang gatherings.
Members
of the mission take part in the service by singing songs, reciting
hymns, speeches, poetry etc, as a way of expressing of their own
personal experiences.
|
Take
a look inside a Satsang Bhawan
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Discourse
- The final words...
The
service concludes with the recital of a prayer in Indian known as
the 'Manglacharan' after which the spiritual guide representative
will give a speech/discourse.
If
the service is in the presence of His Holiness Baba Ji, he would
do the concluding discourse.
| Praising
the almighty |
| Traditional
Indian musical instruments are played during a service. |
 |
Listen to songs sang at a satsang gathering.
You
will need Realplayer to listen to the audio. Download
Realplayer here.
|
|
Three to four hundred devotees of the Sant Nirankari Mission
attend services in the West Midlands. |
| Devotee
- Sukhjinder Singh |
Times
of worship ...
We
hold regular worship everyday in the evenings at the Wednesbury
Bhawan.
Our
Satsang service times are as follows : Mon - Sat 7pm- 8pm
Sun 10.30-12.30pm. Worship is normally conducted in Hindi, Punjabi
or Urdu. On Thursday the Satsang is completely carried out in the
English Language.
Young
faith ...
Our
younger members usually attend the English speaking services, so
they can learn more about the mission.
About
50% of the congregation are under 25. We have a very active participation
from young people.
Come
as you are ...
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| Inside
Smethwick Bhawan |
When
visiting a Bhawan (hall of worship) there are no strict dress or
seating requirements as in many other religions.
However
if the congregation are seated on the floor - as in our Smethwick
centre - everyone has to remove their shoes for hygiene reasons.
Three
to four hundred Sant Nirankari devotees attend Sunday congregation
in the West Midlands.
Religion
should flow through your actions...
Our aim to is to dispel ignorance and unite the
community. |
| Devotee
- Harbans Singh |
Within
the mission we do various charitable activities.
Just
last year we had over 100 ladies join in a sponsored walk for cancer
research. Also a lot of our members make regular blood donations.
The spiritual teacher Baba Ji says that we should all donate blood
for the benefit of mankind.
In
Indian the mission is the largest supplier of blood units every
year!
Uniting
the Community...
Our aim is to be a fundamental part of the local community - to
dispel ignorance and create harmony.
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| Young
volunteers joined the Birmingham Artsfest to promote the spirit
of volunteering and contribute to a community event. |
Sewadal
volunteers
The
mission has a volunteer group named the 'Sewadal'.
The
group is responsible for helping out in different activities, including
the coordination of congregations, food aid distributions, blood
donations, camps etc.
 My
life as a devotee
Living
by the five principals
Blessings
from Baba Ji
Inspirational
poetry and shorts stories - by devotees of the Birmingham
Sant Nirankari Mission.
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