People
Two Bouquets: In Memory of Sardarni Mohinder Kaur
by INNI KAUR & HARINDER SINGH
SARDARNI MOHINDER KAUR [September 24, 1921 - March 22, 2011]. She was Honorary Director of Dr. Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra, Dehra Dun, India, and the Editor of Panchbati Sandesh.
I from Inni Kaur
"Shukar!" was the word I uttered when I received the dreaded phone call that my beloved aunt, my spiritual sounding board, had left for her heavenly journey.
Tears flow, yet shukar resounds within.
My mind cries, "You will miss her."
My heart rejoices, "She has gone Home."
"She loved me the most," I write unashamedly. Knowing fully well that there are many who would challenge this claim of mine.
The truth: Everyone was her favorite and she was the favorite of all.
Seekers travelled miles just to spend a few days with her at Panchbati, in Dehra-Dun. She welcomed everyone with open arms and nourished each soul.
My tiny aunt's heart overflowed with love. Never a harsh word or an unkind thought escaped her. She was truly beautiful inside and outside.
"What made her so loving?"
"What made her so special?"
"Was it her close connection to Bhai Vir Singh?"
Or
"Was it because she was so grounded in Sikhi?"
I know not.
All I know is that she lived with The Presence and she glowed.
For me, she was "Grace in Motion."
To say that I will miss her is an understatement.
Her last words to me were of loving encouragement: "There is clarity coming in your thinking."
Au revoir, my beautiful aunt! Au revoir!
Till we meet again ...
II from Harinder Singh
Rare are those who have fragrance and Aunty ji's fragrance invited you to all sort of creative impulses, including the Presence in Mere Sainyan Jio this week.
Aunty ji's journey to the world beyond us commenced on Tuesday (March 22, 2011) and Guru Amardas (in instructions through Baba Sunder ji in Ramkali Sadu) reminds us to ‘celebrate' it with Waheguru's Glory!
The ‘sohila' is a reminder to us, about here and now.
Made from the humblest of materials as it is, the human body is yet the holiest thing on earth, Waheguru's very temple, meant to enshrine the Infinite's Sanctity. It must be kept holy, that therein the precious feet of the Beloved may be lovingly treasured and adored. The lover of Waheguru is always holy, the real saint, for the devotee's mind is ever bathed in the water of the Remembrance, the source of love and wisdom and goodness.
How foolish of me to drowse away the precious hours of life, careless of the future thus infallibly and inevitably earned! Intoxicated with the sweets of the present and eager for more of such pleasures, I forget altogether that my life is to know and love the Infinite and the Eternal, and to give all I have as sacrifice in Waheguru's dear service.
Till the last moment I give no thought to what follows death, and so when the ‘sadu' (call) comes I am taken unawares.
Death is the forgetting of Waheguru; one who lives always in the thought of Waheguru can never die, even when the body falls away into the dust from out of which it came.
How can one living in the Eternal fall under Death's power? Death is the fruit of the perversion of the mind, of adherence to the petty ego which is impermanent, unstable; it is the natural fate of those who turn away from Waheguru their Life but can never touch those who are filled with the Love.
Brief is life, and the world is a trap from which it is hard to escape; nothing can save you and me but love for Waheguru - which is a Sikh's aim, for I do not know certainly how long I have to live. This love is Waheguru's own gift; it drives out all false ideas and clarifies the vision of the Truth, and so infinitely deepens the attachment to it.
The lover finds the Beloved, and in the Beloved's arms forgets the long fever of separateness.
To this end, then, let all our prayers be turned, so that Waheguru may in Compassion give us grace to truly love and, with the wisdom of the Guru Sahibs as our guide and inspiration, burn away the ego which is the veil that hides the Hidden from our eyes.
[Inni Kaur is the author of the recently released children's book, Journey With The Gurus, which is available at www.JourneyWithTheGurus.com . Harinder Singh is a co-founder of the Sikh Research Institute.]
March 24, 2011
Conversation about this article
1: Manoranjna Sivasankar (New York, U.S.A.), March 24, 2011, 1:06 PM.
She was married to my cousin, Shiv Naubh Singh. I always called her Aunty. Every one in my family was delighted to welcome her as she mellowed Bhapa Shivi! He was known to be gruff but sincere. They both learned to adore and almost worship Dr. Balbir Singh. Bhai Vir Singh hovered in the atmosphere around Panchbati, his home in Dehradun, where the three of them lived in the last chapter of their lives and which continues as the Dr. Balbir Singh Sahitya Kendra. My husband, Siva and I got to know Aunty and Bhapa Shivi when they came to New York on assignment with the U.N. Aunty pampered Siva as the jawaai and treated him with goodies from tiny kitchens from which she brought delicious morsels. Bhapa Shivi learnt to write poetry during this period. His letters to Dr. Balbir Singh, published in the Panchbati Sandesh, show not only his love and devotion to him but also his transformation to a very deep and humble soul. The credit goes to Aunty more than anyone else. Aunty traveled with Guru Granth Sahib and regularly did paatth. One day, I surprised her and found she had spread a tablecloth on the bed on which she had placed the Guru Granth and was reading! She was practical and had no compunction with formalities. She was open to new ideas, continued to have music lessons, never complained. Siva has always described Aunty as someone with such peace in her face. When he likes someone, they are often described as similar to Aunty. A benchmark. I tried to visit Dehradun on my trips to Delhi. Panchbati will still be there. But it will not be a homecoming. Aunty filled it with welcome and love. Aunty, you will always be with us. Still, we shall miss you so much. We send you our love.
2: Gurbeen (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), April 11, 2011, 2:45 PM.
Thanks so much, Inni and Harinder, for writing this wonderful article. Indeed Aunty ji will be greatly missed. We have all been so blessed to have her and Shivnaubh Uncle as mentors and family. It's time for us to continue shining the light. Love and blessings.
3: Meena Puri (India), May 02, 2011, 6:35 AM.
I now feel I have become an orphan. She was the only mother I knew. Thank you for all the love given so unconditionally.
4: Pawandeep Singh (Kanpur, India), December 15, 2012, 3:02 AM.
I spent a few moments with Aunty ji and it was in 2011, or may be 2012, in the early months. I don't have words to express my feelings, I feel I have lost my best guide. She was the purest soul I knew.