5 Inspiring stories from Bhai Jeewan Singh ji’s life

Bhai Jeevan Singh jee used to be invited by Giani Baba Kartar Singh jee Bhindran Wale to do Keertan at Mehtaa. It has been said that Baba jee would wait at the train station for Bhai Sahib and the Akhand Kirtani Jatha Singhs to come. When Bhai Sahib jee used to get off the train Baba jee would rush to the train to greet Bhai Sahib. When they would meet they would embrace one another with so much pyaar. Baba jee held Bhai Sahib jee in great regard. Baba jee himself would serve Bhai Jeevan Singh jee langar with his own hands. Whenever Bhai Jeevan Singh jee would enter the Diwaan where Baba Kartar Singh jee would be doing Kathaa, Baba jee would stop the Kathaa and say request Gurmukh pyaare Bhai Jeevan Singh jee to do keertan for the Sangat.

There was a young Singh in England who had taken Amrit for about a year. His Amrit-velaa (habit to wake up early) started getting slack. He used to do Amrit-velaa with Gursikhs regularly at a Gursikh’s house but he gradually stopped attending daily. One day, early in the morning at Amrit-velaa, the Singh was asleep and hadn’t woken up for Amrit-velaa. His father was at work on the night shift and his mother was up doing her paath when suddenly the phone rang. Bhai Jeevan Singh jee said, “Is bhaji there?”The Aunty jee replied, “No, he is working on a night shift.” Bhai Sahib said, “No, I am not talking about Pita jee. Is Bhaji there.” (Bhai Sahib always makes himself out to be the youngest, such is his humility). The Aunty jee rushed up to wake up the young Singh and tell him to answer the phone. The Singh shared the Guru’s Fateh over the phone with Bhai Sahib and then Bhai Sahib said, “Bhai ji, you haven’t done kirpaa (mercy) on me today, it is Amrit-vela, and you forgot to wake me.” There was a silence. The Singh felt so embarrassed for missing Amrit-vela. The Aunty jee and son looked at one another wondering how Bhai Sahib living in Canada knew that he had missed Amritvela that day.

Bhai Sahib visited a family in England in the late 1980s and stayed at the house for Akhand Paath sevaa. Bhai Sahib listened the Paath for many hours and corrected the Paathis (readers) when they made a grammatical or pronunciation error. Seven or eight years later Bhai Sahib came back to England and was invited to the same family. Several years earlier the Singh whose house it was had passed away. When Bhai Sahib jee asked the lady about her husband she became emotional and as soon as this happened Bhai Sahib jee went upstairs in Sri Guru Granth Sahib jee’s room and stayed there. He never came down and after a good 4-5 hours the bibi asked her daughter to ask Bhai Sahib jee to come down. The girl went upstairs and found Bhai Sahib jee sitting in smaadhee (meditative pose). She asked them to come downstairs, to which Bhai Sahib replied that she should tell her mum that he will only come downstairs after her mum accepts the Bhaana (Will) of Akaal Purakh and not to become emotional about her husband. The Bibi agreed and Bhai Sahib jee came down and later did keertan at the house.

 

One evening, the Gursikhs had just finished doing kirtan at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Slough (England). A Singh phoned and said that had booked kirtan in Hounslow, and that the Gursikhs should come straight away. Bhai Jeevan Singh jee said, “Lets go quickly, we should always be on time”. As Bhai Jeevan Singh jee, his singhni (wife), and two other Singhs walked downstairs into the shoes section, a mona (man with hair cut) was walking in to the Gurdwara. Accidentally, he bumped into Bhai sahib. He said “sorry,” and looked into Bhai sahib’s face. Those who know Bhai sahib know how enigmatic his smile is, and how his face always shines. Bhai sahib said to him, “I came here especially to see you, I have something for you.” Bhai sahib then took off his dastaar (turban) and handed it to the youth. The mona youth could not believe his eyes; Bhai sahib said these words to him with so much honesty, pyaar (lovingness) and humility that from that day on the boy kept his kesh and came into Sikhi.

A Muslim man passed by Bhai Sahib somewhere and he stopped and looked at Bhai Sahib’s face. The man goes up to Bhai Jeevan Singh jee and says “I can see ‘Allah Da Noor’ (the Light of God) in you”. Bhai Sahib folded his hands and humbly said,”O great man! Can you please give me your wonderful eyes with which you see such wonderful things.” Another time, there was Sangat sitting in Canada and someone approached Bhai Sahib with a question in front of others. He said, “Bhai Sahib, you tell us – as you have met God.” Bhai Sahib replied with a humble and astonished “Achaa? (O really?)” and walked away.