Bhai Darshan Singh GaRguj

Bhai Darshan Singh received the gift of amrit in 1939 at a smaagam organised by Bhai Saahib Randheer Singh jee's NirbaaN Keertanee Jatha when Bhai Saahib had gone to village Fularvaan for an akhand paath saahib and amrit sinchaar. Before this, Bhai Darshan Singh's life was much like any other worldly persons. In Fularvaan Dist. Sargodha (Pakistan) Bhai Darshan Singh had a cotton factory which ran for 6 months during the cold season and shut down during the summer.

Bhai Darshan Singh told us, in his own words, "I used to eat a lot of meat in Fularvaan. When I received amrit at the hands of the NirbaN Keertanee Jatha, the Punj Pyaaray told us that we could not eat any meat, neither halaal nor jhatkaa and no eggs or liqour either. I at that point asked 'I have a very deep-seated habit of eating meat. How will I ever give it up?' The jathedaar of the punj pyaaray, Baoo Mul Singh jee said to me with fervour 'Oh really? From today onwards, for the next month, everyday, wake at 1 AM. Set you clock's alarm. Take a complete bath including your hair and then in a peaceful place, till sunrise, meditate on naam and then do your nitnem. Then go to the gurdvara and do ardaas and then go to work. Follow this program for a month and then see if you still want to eat meat or if even thinking of it disgusts you."

Bhai Darshan Singh submitted completely before the godly order of the Punj Pyaaray and began to live by the new schedule. About a week passed doing naam abhyaas and his mental state totally changed and the khandaa of naam began to go very hard with a lot of power. After 15 days, when he looked within himself, Bhai Darshan Singh could not find any desire to eat meat. And then he made this program ordered by the punj pyaaray permanent for the rest of his life. He would work for six months and the next six months he would spend with Bhai Saahib Randheer Singh jee, going to various smaagams.

Bhai Darshan Singh recounted how once Sree Maan Bhai Saahib jee said "Darshan Singh, enjoy as many smaagams as possible! All these factories are going to be reduced to nothing" Bhai Darshan Singh didn’t' understand what Bhai Saahib meant at the time, but in 1947 at the time of Partition, he had to leave behind his home and factory and move to East Punjab with nothing at all. Only then did Bhai Saahib's words begin to make sense.

Bhai Sahib would in a very loud and thunderous voice roar "Gurroo-VAHi" and because of this, the nickname Gargajj (thunderous roar) began to be attached to his name.

Once, Bhai Saahib and the Jatha were going to Baramoola Kashmir in a bus and with them some English travellers were also going to enjoy the cool weather. Looking at the mountains and beautiful scenery, Gargajj jee felt divine inspiration and let out, with his thundering voice a loud "Gurrooo-VAHI!" The poor English travellers fell off their seats and began to scream "Wolf!!" Seeing the terrified English, the Singhs began to laugh and assured the travellers that this was not the roar of a wolf or bloody thirsty tiger, this was a Singh-tiger who became enchanted by seeing God's creation and then could not help but roar. "So don't be afraid!" They all were stunned and began to stare at Gargajj jee. During keertan smaagams, this thundering could regularly be heard in the background.

Where Bhai Darshan Singh was a great lover of keertan, he also was a very good keertanee and akhand-paathee. For hours on end during ran sabaaees, coloured in divine love, Bhai Darshan Singh would do keertan with no sign of fatigue. The more keertan he would do, the louder he would sing. Remembering his keertan, we recall another soul, Bhai Santokh Singh jee Bairaagee, who after partition moved to Amritsar where he had a small book binding business. Bairagee jee was given this name by Bhai Saahib himself after seeing his vairaag. (Shortly before Vairagee jee's passing away, Bhai Saahib, at the Poh Sudee Smaagam in Narangvaal, had Bairagee jee sit on the vaja beside him and sang the shabad

"ਨਦੀਆਵਾਹਵਿਛੁੰਨਿਆਮੇਲਾਸੰਜੋਗੀਰਾਮ ॥ "

These two (Gargajj and Bairagee jee) were a good pair and would do keertan together all night.

Gargajj jee had much BaaNee memorised and daily read a lot of Sree Guru Granth Saahib. He taught many people how to read from SGGS. Where he had a deep understanding of Gurbanee grammar, he also understood the deep meanings of shabads.

In his final years, Bhai Darshan Singh's legs stopped working and he lost movement below the waist. But despite these physical difficulties, his awareness remained unaffected. For his final two years, he remained lying on a bed and his family served him very well. On his final day, he listened to nitnem and full Sukhmani Saahib from 5 Singhs with absolute concentration. The Singhs, seeing Bhai Darshan Singh's weak body went to the gurdvara and did ardaas for his liberation from the cycle of life and death and distributed degh. Some degh was also brought back for Bhai Darshan Singh. The effect of the ardaas was almost immediate. Bhai Darshan Singh peacefully left this world on March 22 1984 at 11.30am and went to Gurpuree, while his family and the Singhs repeated "Vahiguru" at his bedside. The memory of his naam abhyaas and his passion and enthusiasm for amrit vela will forever be in the hearts of his admirers.