THE SAINT AND THE YOGI
The flow of the teachings between Baba Virsa Singh and his student, Yogi Bhajan
By Jivan Mukta
“Maharaj Virsa Singh is the one who has sent me on this mission to the west”
– Yogi Bhajan
Introduction
This is a revision of the flow of the teachings between Baba Virsa Singh and his student, Yogi Bhajan. This approach is to present and explain how spiritual ideas evolve over the course of time. According to Anthony Grafton, “central premise is that ideas do not develop in isolation … one must study ideas not only as abstract propositions but also in terms of the culture, lives, and historical contexts”[1].
The potential for making a comparative analysis of these two teachers is still to be known. The magnitude of an analysis of their teachings is too large to address here. My intention here is to focus on two notions that according to my consideration require clarification. My view is that, we can see a development from the teacher to the student, while retaining the same essential meaning in two areas:
- Spiritual source of religion
- Spiritual ancestors and linage
These topics have largely been ignored, misinterpreted and disconnected from context and the real historical evolution of ideas in Kundalini Yoga. Therefore, there are some great gaps in the body of the teachings of Yogi Bhajan. Even if for practitioners of Kundalini Yoga, the experience of this techniques functions at many levels, which for me it does, the philosophical and historical grounds of the teachings must be known too. This affects the emotional capacity to personally engage in practices and views that transcend people. This also helps to see how ideas develop into schools of thought that inspire people independent of who teach them.
While the two teachers were connected on a personal level, some of the notions passing from Baba Virsa Singh to Yogi Bhajan suggest a connection that persisted at the level of their message, even after their personal relationship ended in 1971. The little we know about the connection between the Saint and the Yogi in the Kundalini Yoga world, is precisely the reason why we should speak about this. Even if this type of inquiry is resisted or unwelcome. We should always search the truth about people and the teachings they shared.
The following pages are my humble effort to show that there is a real link between core concepts of the two teachers and that it would be appropriate to reconsider unquestioned notions about their relationship and what passed from one to the other.
The Recent Times
Until 1971 Baba Virsa Singh was revered as part of the life and teachings of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. Vikram Singh, a former student of Yogi Bhajan and a famous musician, witnessed the place and type of relationship between the two. He explained in an interview:
“We actually celebrated Virsa Singh’s birthday as a kind of gurpurb in March of 1970 (…) Virsa Singh was a big thing in the beginning (…). He [Yogi Bhajan] appeared to idolize him and kept his sandals on his meditation altar (…) He said very clearly that Virsa Singh was his teacher and how much he owed to him. (…) As he used to tell it, Virsa Singh really put him through it making him do 40 day sadhana after 40 day sadhana of Ek Ongkar Sat Nam Siri Whahe Guru for 2 1/2 hours every day. Finally, one day, when he was cleaning the bathrooms at Gobind Sadan, Virsa Singh came, touched his third eye and he was enlightened. I heard him say this myself”[2]
In 2020, Pamela Dyson one of the former head secretary assistants of Yogi Bhajan published a book about her experience with him. As his chief secretary, they were very close to each other and she recalled Yogi Bhajan saying that,
“Maharaj Virsa Singh is the one who has sent me on this mission to the west. Maharaj is not an educated man, but rather he is regarded as a sant (saint). His knowledge comes direct from God. He has many prominent people who just come to him for guidance. I have been serving in his ashram for many years, along with my wife.”[3]
These first-hand accounts differ from the information available through the platforms known as The Library of Teachings (of Yogi Bhajan, 2020). A search in these online archive of provides the following outcome:
"No results”.
Several controversies around Yogi Bhajan have ignited a series of reconsiderations regarding his teachings, origin of the practices and historical views. Until recently, the name of Baba Virsa Singh was little known to the mainstream practitioners of Kundalini Yoga. Once I asked the CEO of the Kundalini Research Institute (KRI), Amrit Singh Khalsa, about this historical mismatch of information, he quoted the head of Public Affairs office (Shanti Kaur) and mentioned that,
“Yogi Bhajan had specifically told her to not get into the Virsa Singh issue until after they both were dead. But her research shows that he only studied with Virsa Singh from 1966 – 1969. Yes, YB did refer to Virsa as “his teacher” when he first came to the US, but that stopped after their falling out in 1971. Given that he only studied with Virsa for 3 years, I don’t think we would say that Virsa was one of his most important teachers”[4]
WHAT HAPPENED?
Why the relationship between Baba Virsa Singh and Yogi Bhajan was hidden from the records in the first place? Why would some speak about extricating Virsa Singh from the records?
To answer this question I can only think on an earlier conversation I had with Guru Fatha Singh Khalsa while I was writing my doctoral thesis, 3HO in the Light of Experience (2016). Guru Fatha Singh is the author of the most complete biography of Yogi Bhajan and in that email conversations mentioned that:
“Yogiji's stated intention for extricating his students from Baba Virsa Singh, that intention being to align his students with the orthodox Sikh lineage rather than the cult of Baba Virsa Singh”[5]
Field Work
In February 2019, I visited Gobind Sadan, the ashram of Baba Virsa Singh in the south of New Delhi. This was an adventure driven by an open-minded exploration mode. Literally searching for something I did not fully comprehend at that moment. It was mostly a spontaneous trip to India based on a vague intuition following a controversial trail. These paragraphs are the fruit of my contact with the place where Baba Virsa Singh lived and the wisdom that he imparted [6]. I have sincerely and frankly explored the matter within myself and my personal conception and preconceptions. Here I see myself as a participant observer, that has an “empathetic understanding” as scholars of Comparative Religion call this approach[7]. Here I wish to share some thoughts about this journey.
It is important to note that this essay cannot fully cover Baba Virsa Singh's life or comprehensively summarise the extensive scope of his teachings and the impact of his work within his Ashrams and beyond India. Neither am I going to directly discuss Yogi Bhajan’s views – which is something that I have analysed in my doctoral dissertation.
The aim of this exploration is to offer an equitable focus on this Indian teacher and some of his ideas, who unfortunately have not received the attention they deserve and have been subject to misunderstanding.[8].
The spiritual source of religion
“I will work even greater deeds through you. All will join you in this mission. Do not despair. I am always with you to bring joy. Let there be no sadness. The pin of separation is for those attached to the body. My spirit always has been and always will be with all of you. Recite the Nam’”[9]
– Baba Virsa Singh
Baba Virsa Singh was an illiterate man. At a young age he left school and dedicated his life to meditation on three wooden platforms he made for that purpose. According to Baba Virsa Singh’s own words, his teachings are essentially based on his visions: “Everything came in visions (…) Nothing has come from my thought; everything is from visions”[10]. His early inclinations led him to dedicate his youth to contemplation. This gradually grew towards greater empathy and sympathy for people’s material and spiritual needs as well as a dedicated respect for nature and the cultivation of land.
He connected with all sort of people. And he was capable of delivering his message in many contexts and to very different audiences. While addressing the theme of religion he distinguished the aspects that he deemed essential in all religions. According to the Sant:
“Every religion has two aspects. One involves vision; the other involves history and rules. The history and rules of religions are matters of tradition of rituals and limitations on behavior. This comes after the visionary basis of the religion.”[11]
This gives us a hint about what was his religious method. The source of religion is for Baba Virsa Singh accessed by seers. And what do seers see? A vision. Some you go through a psychic experience that has the power to transform the way life is seen. It is an inner experience that contains a revelatory power. A transformational power that a person experiences within. Such was the projection of Virsa Singh in the students who met and followed him. He was himself a seer. While embodying the archetype of the mystic that possesses him directly, making the seer a receptacle for religiously charged realisations. And this makes Virsa Singh different, within a country that is so packed with religious symbolism and ritual. The Sant was not keen on conventional ritualistic or religious formalities. Like mystics often are he was a rebel. He explains,
“I never went to any place of pilgrimage. I never visited any temple or Gurdwara or any spiritual person. I was simply sitting in meditation. Great attraction towards Him developed as I sat. As that attraction grew, I used to sing hymns to Him, day and night”[12]
A Man of God is Never Alone
“When a man of God comes to work in the world, all the prophets come to help and guide him as he serves the world (…) The prophet, the Messiah, or Messenger is merely a speaker for the sound of God, and nothing is more powerful than God’s order. If a person poses as a Prophet but is speaking out of personal ego, it a great crime against the public, and the impostor is banished forever from the eyes of God.”[13]
From the point of view of what a man of God feels and sees and lives his life as a massive religious experience. It is massive in the sense that goes beyond personal, and affect public life. And it has a transpersonal dimension as it convokes other realms of the spirit and spiritual aid. This religious experiences convince, bringing people together, sparking change and collective action.
The condition that takes one to progress, is having a “religious experience” (or many) as the ones Baba Virsa Singh speaks about. And according to him, this goes in direct benefit of humanity. Prophets and men of God are not so much seen through ideological lens, but rather, through the experiential lens. This network of visionaries and seer is essential part of Virsa Singh’s religious experience. Making him feel linked to other alike, soul at a soul level. And they come to “help and guide”.
Through this passage he addressed the importance of authenticity. For him spiritual instruction is the number one purpose of life. Everybody is here to evolve towards the inner truth. And he somewhat gave this experience to others. Having spiritual vision has the power to inform and transform our behaviour and life around. Many scientific studies show the power of conversion based on religious experience (for example in leaving addiction like alcohol).
In addressing the phenomenon of “false prophets” or fakers, Baba Virsa Singh remind us that the impact of a man of God and a con man of God can be equally deep for different reasons. Personal ego aggrandised by spiritual ego is often very harmful to others and in a profound sense. This is certainly the issue in all spiritual journey. The path implies learning about all inner parts: shadow and light. It is a path of a student, it is the path of teaching: “All of us should make it our mission to go deep and open our inner eyes. If we look clearer with our inner eyes, we will see that God is one, religion is one and the message is one.”[14].
Less Religious more Inter-Religious
His experiences and teachings, however, exceeded the frames of reference of Indian or Sikh culture. Baba Virsa Singh, being a man born in a Sikh family in Rajan Jung, near Lahore, nowadays Pakistan, was brought up in the images, notions and symbols of his native culture. Nonetheless he often spoke about other prophets or masters. About Jesus, he once spoke in very personal ways:
“… I saw Lord Jesus standing with his hands raised on the hill in Gobind Sadan, giving boons to this place and saying “blessed” in a loud voice. He said, “Those people who are now opposing you will offer flowers.” I was sitting half awake, half asleep; I could clearly see and hear him (…) One day Jesus said to me, “I will work through you.”[15]
Baba Virsa Singh had unique personal and transpersonal experiences with many of the prophets of older epochs. Those who have listened and read his lectures have seen the profuse references related to many spiritual masters he often called ‘prophets’.
But he also addressed spiritual practices. He mentioned how the core practice of meditation should be embraced by everybody. According his view:
“the difficulty is that the people who preach do not meditate themselves. They do not serve; they do not love. Their words therefore do not affect people’s minds. Dharam (…) is established, but this people who preach are not firm.”[16]
HIS REVELATORY EXPERIENCE
This is possibly Baba Virsa Singh’s most important revelatory experience. Possibly the one that changed his life and stablished or confirmed the linage that he experienced and carried:
“… One day I had a vision of Baba Siri Chand confidentially instructing me in the Nam. After that, I sat in meditation continuously. Then Baba Siri Chand said, “I want to introduce you to my father” (…) Guru Nanak approached wearing a very long robe, brown like the color of a mouse. He wore wooden sandals with a raised peg between the big toe and the toes. He had a red cap, his beard was gray, and he was very tall, above six feet. Guru Nanak said, “Ik Onkar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru”. Baba Siri Chand has given me the same Nam. Repeat it again and again and give it to others also. Guru Gobind Singh also gave the same Nam in the same way, removing all doubt.”[17]
As we look into his teachings, we need to consider that the causes and circumstances around this vision are unknown, but history has left us memories, accounts and images of him spending hours of consistent meditation and in remembrance of the Sikh hymns and other mantras.
These visions of spiritual masters and Baba Virsa Singh cannot be recreated with words. This is the mystical visions of this saint and healer. His visions, nevertheless, reveal the conception of cooperation between spiritual beings of different times, yet creating a linage that is passing a coherent message to the future generations and humanity. The spiritual encounters above quoted, not only transcends the time, the physical contact and even the culture. According to Baba Virsa Singh, as we will see next, there is a motivation to spiritually connect souls together in the path to God. A linage constituted in this visionary and experiential way transcends the unilinear anthropological concept of linage. A linage, we see here, is more than linear and limited by a religion. According to the Sant,
“The Masters are blessed by God. Take blessings from them, take healing from them. Prepare a lot of food, string lots of lights and flowers for their birthdays. Create happiness on their birthdays. Why? Because all of them are one”[18]
The spiritual Ancestors and linage
As the direct consequence of his inner experiences, Baba Virsa Singh used to pay homage to several spiritual master of different traditions, he respected them all as messengers of God. This is not a rare occurrence in India. Sikh religion itself has produced a sacred scripture, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, that was written by 33 authors who belonged to 3 different religions (Muslim, Hindu and Sikh) - all gathered together as a coherent body of consciousness and spiritual wisdom.
Authentic spiritual teachings are applicable across all times or cultural grounds. The true teachers, masters or prophets that Baba Virsa Singh quoted are linked to each other by God. For a person of faith the presence of spiritual masters in their life is as real as the presence of material things around us. Baba Virsa Singh’s idea of ancestors is grounded on the metaphysical idea of oneness, oneness in light and God’s essence. In his own words:
“We should transcend the barriers of sects and think of all Prophets as our fathers; they all came to love us. We can love Ram as the one who is Everywhere. We honor Mohammad as Nabi (Messenger) because the vision of Allah, the all-pervading Power, came to him. We worship Guru Nanak and Krishan because they were one with God. When we think of the dervishes, we feel great satisfaction, peace and love, for they were annihilated in the Being of God, the Light of God.”[19]
For Baba Virsa Singh all prophets are “one with God” and when he was once questioned about the appropriateness of paying homage to beings of different lineages, he stated: “It is a manner of respect for our ancestors”[20]. This ancestors he speaks of have an inner and intimate connection with him and people alike him. In several occasion during his lectures he expresses his encounters, because they simple appeared to him, like he said that, “Sometimes Guru Nanak or Lord Krishna came in vision”[21].
Thus, his mission is preset by the spiritual masters, that he claimed to follow, honour and serve. His idea of humility is graspable in this reference he makes to the ego: “When there is I-ness, there is not You. When God comes, there is not ego”[22]. The relevance of purity is evidently important to Baba Virsa Singh and this is not an uncommon approach for those familiar to the Sikh notion of the Khalsa.
The ‘Khalsa’ and the ‘Isht’
“He who repeats night and day the name of Him Whose enduring light is unquenchable, who bestows not any thought on any but the one God; Who hath full love and confidence in God Who put the no faith even by mistake in fasting, or worshipping cemeteries, places of cremations, or yogis’ places of sepulture; Who only recognises the one God and not pilgrimages, alms, the non-destruction of life, Hindu penance or austerities; And in whose heart the light of the Perfect One shines, he is recognised as a pure member of the Khalsa”.
- Guru Gobind Singh in Dasam Granth.
In the vision of Guru Gobind Singh, the Khalsa is as sublime as the personal experience within the heart of a persons. The Khalsa has elements that often revolves around the idea of purity, in which an intimate communion of awareness happens. For the Sant, the meaning of being Khalsa is interpreted in a very similar way,
“Khalsa is one who loves the Name of God, is joined with God, and also links others with God”[23]
It is interesting to notice that he took upon himself the mission to serve without portraying himself as the representative of a religion or the creator of a new movement. He rather felt himself linked to a bigger purpose or mission of many more spiritual and historical figures. While he conceived the message of prophets somewhat perennial, universal and one, he took upon himself to serve the transmission of that message. As Baba Virsa Singh emphasised,
“It is not my mission to make you join me by breaking your connection with them (the prophets of humanity) I have not uttered a word that has not been said before. I am only referring to those things which have already been said by the Prophet Muhammad, Lord Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Lord Buddha, Lord Mahavir – by all the prophets. I just repeat them again and again.”[24]
In the view of Baba Virsa Singh, there is only an apparent separation between the spiritual masters and prophets of different religions. In modern terms, this would look like a spiritual, global network, which revolves around the Name of God or God himself. Ultimately the prophets and teachers he often quotes and refers to are to remind people about the simple and eternal truths humanity tends to forget... In order to train this remembrance, Virsa Singh taught his students to choose their preferred divine reference. In this sense, he was not a preacher of religious model, but a religious experience; he believed that there is only One God to be accessed internally through the representation that each individual chooses to follow, focus on or worship. He explained this in terms of Isht, the formal spiritual reference to which one should direct the thoughts and emotions. As part of his experiential view of religion, he taught people how to connect and link to Isht. He explained:
“First of all, it is very important to focus your scattered mind. You must do so by concentrating on your isht (the form of God whom you worship). Bring your isht into your thoughts again and again and again … Then as you keep on growing in meditation, your beloved isht becomes your own form … then both forms disappear – your form as well as your isht. In this new state, you see only God everywhere … Now you need not sit in meditation with your eyes closed in order to be aware of God. That stage was initially necessary, but to progress in meditation you must pass beyond it … this not a theory you have read in a book; it is a reality. It is Gian, the divine inner wisdom…”.[25]
When Baba Virsa Singh referred to his encounters with Guru Nanak, Baba Siri Chand and Guru Gobind Singh he did this while delivering their messages. That is why his work in bridging the esoteric message of his teachers to regular people was important. This took place not only throughout his lectures and live’s example, of course, but also through the creation of a specific department in his ashram in New Delhi to promote the truth of all religions. An example of this according to Mary Pat Fisher is that,
“The Gobind Sadan Institute for Advanced Studies in Comparative Religions has sponsored a seminar of scholarly research re-establishing the honor once given to Baba Siri Chand, who at one time had millions of followers. It is Baba Siri Chand who appeared to young Virsa Singh in vision and told him to recite and teach an especially transformational Nam – “Ik Onkar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru”[26].
Perhaps q full book should be dedicated to Baba Siri Chand. His importance and spiritual actions seemed to have been downplayed by the dominant historical interpretation in Sikhi scholarship[27]. This Yogi and Baba Virsa Singh are evidently linked together through the aforementioned transmission of wisdom and a specific mantra or Nam for humanity, as Baba Virsa Singh explained. This mantra is not only a central prescribed practices for followers of Baba Virsa Singh, but also for the practitioners of Kundalini Yoga.
The Epistemology of the “Golden Chain”
“That’s why we call it the “Golden Chain of Royal Linkage”. It is a Raaj Yog – empowering your royalty and your reality at the same time, in the most graceful way”
- Yogi Bhajan
An idea of the “chain” presented by the teacher of Yogi Bhajan can be traced and observed without extensive research into the matter. What we cannot see is that the term “Golden Chain” originates from Baba Virsa Singh, though the idea is explicit in his lectures.
“Golden Chain” is the term used in Kundalini Yoga for referring to a concept that has already been present in Indian spiritual traditions for centuries. It is part of the teacher-student relationship and it expresses in different religions in India. For example, according to Swami Dayanada, one of the greatest teachers of Vedanta in the 20th century:
”We do not see the beginning of the teaching. It is just taken back to the rishis, the inspired sages to whom the Veda was revealed. Do not bother about the mula, the root of these sages (…) If one must go beyond the rishis, then it can just be said the guru is the Lord (…) Traditional study generally begins with a tribute to the teaching and to the teachers -to those who focus the light that dispels the ignorance concealing the nature of oneself”.[28]
A tribute to the linage of teachers and the message transmitted by the ancestor is a building block in all Indian spiritual system. For the believers and teachers like Swami Dayanada, Baba Virsa Singh, Yogi Bhajan and those who practice or teach Kundalini Yoga there is a common faith in the Grace and the message that flows through people in the process of linking to God.
The actual comprehension of this chain, goes beyond history and culture and it is made possible by faith and inner experience alone. Only through the correct mode and approach can one understand this chain that seems unbreakable and ever available. In the mind of the one who believes, there is no way such a lineage, chain and linkage can be created or destroyed by people. According to the Baba Virsa Singh,
“The messengers that come from God will never be separated. Why are you wasting your time? The family of prophets will never follow your views. Their program has already been set. Their message has already been given. That family will remain together (…) It is a difference in language, but they are saying the same thing”[29]
“the truth of these institutions is experience directly”
Baba Virsa Singh was opposed by contemporaries who criticised him when he claimed to speak and receive instruction from different divine beings of various traditions and times. A trained historian of religion can study these phenomena experienced by the believers. But he does not have the methodology to judge the verity of such experiences. Rudolf Otto, one of the classic scholars of History of Religions considered that,
“Whoever, on the other hand, penetrates to the unique center of religious experience … so that it starts to awaken in his own consciousness, finds that the truth of these institutions is experience directly, as soon as he penetrates into their depths”[30]
And such is also the reality of the “Golden Chain”. It is not a modern invention, it is a deeper, visionary aspect of most religions. It is part of Indian spiritual heritage, that was given a name in the 20th century. The biggest mistake people make is to think that he - Yogi Bhajan - made up the concept of the “Golden Chain”. The inception of the idea evidently comes through the contact with Baba Virsa Singh, and through the vast variety of spiritual experiences and ideas that Yogi Bhajan gathered in India before his trip to North America.
According to these lines, the idea of chain as well as the idea of experience seem fairly coherent between the teachings of these two teachers, although the notions presented by the Saint seem to have gained further attributes in the Yogi’s teaching. As ideas evolve, so does language, so what was deemed as “vision” by Baba Virsa Singh, Yogi Bhajan conveyed it as “experience” of some sort. And thus the idea of “chain” of the former developed into the idea of “Golden Chain” in the latter.
In recent times some historians have missed to see the essential experiential quality of this chain. This is the case of Philip Deslippe who has tackled the notion of “Golden Chain” without properly acknowledging the spiritual experience that inspires its formation. According to him “… when the Golden Chain of Kundalini Yoga is investigated rather than invoked, it unravels”[31]. And without making a distinction between anthropological linage (in anthropology linage is unilinear descent group, that can demonstrate their common descent from a known ancestor) from the idea of spiritual linage, an idea denoting a spiritual communion of souls sharing a spiritual mission that transcends a culture, time or space.
Trying to “unravel” the “Golden Chain” in the scholar way is an epistemological mistake. In History of Religions (1975), Ugo Bianchi considers that for the scholar, a religious experience can be addressed through a wider historical knowledge of the forms, variety and depth of its references. This is the way such a scholar can widen the understanding of people’s experience. That kind of knowledge helps the historical inquiry to access precious information regarding human experience that the historian would otherwise have missed and that would be harmful to ignore[32]. Thus, the view of Deslippe is not precise and wide enough in his analysis, as he completely ignored the “forms, variety and depth of the references” in Baba Virsa Singh about the spiritual chain linking God, various spiritual masters and regular people who engages visionary meditations, mantras and practices.
Nevertheless, this is an epistemological mistake that not only historians can make, but that students of Yogi Bhajan also seem to repeat. How so? As much as Yogi Bhajan spoke of the “Golden Chain” in terms of personal spiritual connection and inner experience, much like his teacher did, he also differed from Baba Virsa Singh saying that the “Golden Chain” was an idea based on scriptures. According to Yogi Bhajan “Scripturally, they call it the Golden Chain of Teachers, passing it on from one to another, to another, to another”[33]. This is a mistake, as no source before Yogi Bhajan refers to a “Golden Chain” as such. Deslippe and other historians have picked up this mistake to declare the whole notion of “Golden Chain” of Yogi Bhajan as invalid. On the other hand, some students of Yogi Bhajan also take the idea of “Golden Chain” as a unilinear link of teacher and students.
Thus, there are two ways how these teachings about the chain or “Golden Chain” are interpreted narrowly; either because it is epistemologically disconnected from the visionary spiritual experience, and therefore does not account to its spiritual substance. Or, because it is disconnected from the process of how ideas and language evolves through time. Interpreting the “Golden Chain” without studying the ideas about the spiritual chain present in Baba Virsa Singh can only be misleading. It would be as if we try to understand the ideas of Martin Luther about the personal connection to the Lord without looking into the reference in the Gospel that inspired him. As far as the “Golden Chain” is concerned, to admit that the Golden Chain it is neither a historical line in the anthropological sense, nor it is based on a scripture because that does not exist. This chain is mostly a matter of religious experience that originates in people’s practices and their subsequent interpretation.
Snatam Kaur published and interview where she defines the Golden Chain. She is not a historian, but she is known as one of the most charismatic female spiritual leaders in the international community of Kundalini Yoga. She is an acknowledged musician and a famous singer in the Kundalini Yoga circles, as well as a teacher and a nominee for the Grammys in 2019. She once defined the Golden Chain for the online journal Kundalini Times. In her words:
“The Golden Chain is not linear or literal. It is a vibratory frequency that each teacher, past present and future, can tune in to, and that has brought forth and will continue to bring forth beautiful experiences for people on this planet”
In the words of Snatam Kaur is an example in which one can see the pattern that shows a similar explanatory content coming from Baba Virsa Singh. The concept of “Golden Chain” is not defined within narrow historical or cultural terms alone, because according to her, present and future teachers “on this planet”, “can tune into” it and have “beautiful experience” too... She refers to it as a “vibratory frequency” to connect to, to experience. The idea she conveyed is not framed in the traditional notion of Nam or God as often were the explanatory terms used by Baba Virsa Singh, yet it is the same Nam sang by her (that she calls the “vibratory frequency”, the mantras). The chain she speaks about implies a mission, as she attributes to this chain, the spread of “beautiful experiences for people on this planet”.
Last Words
“There should be so much aspiration in you that you form an unbreakable link with God”[34]
- Baba Virsa Singh
On the morning of February 13th, 2019, as I departed Gobind Sadan with photographs, narratives, and books of Baba Virsa Singh, a remarkable transformation began to unfold. Intricate fragments of a complex puzzle found their positions within my mind. For me, this pilgrimage to the Ashram served as a means to encounter a reality that transcended mere philosophy or history, revealing a depth and vitality that was truly unique. And this came to my mind, as Baba Virsa Singh once said:
“Differences in languages between people of different religions are trifles that should not confuse you, for do you know what language God speaks? God understands the language of love.”[35]
What I truly sense is that the rupture between the Saint and the Yogi in 1971 did not break the flow of ideas and spirit, and these lines are an example of the connection they had. The historian in me knows that there is much more to see and learn about this complex past. But for sure to cancel the existence and voice of Baba Virsa Singh no longer makes sense.
This is a clear paradox: while some strive to discredit the idea of ”Golden Chain” as a myth created by Yogi Bhajan, they probably ignore, intentionally or unintentionally, that the notion was not his, but his teachers... In the teachings of the Sant, such a chain was conceived through visions and revelations of prophets, gurus and messiahs who have established the purpose and direction of a universal spiritual mission. Others, who have systematically separated and kept the figure of Baba Virsa Singh cancelled, intentionally or unintentionally, are missing key aspect of a visionary source of experience and visions that precedes the idea of “Golden Chain” taught by Yogi Bhajan.
It is true that neither the chain of spiritual masters was invented by Yogi Bhajan nor was it represented in the Yogi’s terms by Baba Virsa Singh, yet the idea clearly passed from the Saint to the Yogi. This type of transmissions from yogis to saints and from saints to yogis is not uncommon. Baba Virsa Singh declares that he was taught by the Master Yogi Baba Siri Chand.
and he inspired and taught people of all walks of life, yogis and non-yogis as well. In my opinion Baba Virsa Singh has to be acknowledged and reintegrated in the life, history and consciousness of the yogis who study and practice Kundalini Yoga.
Baba Siri Chand is an outstanding yogi who achieved mastery over the Ten Bodies, the Seven Chakras, the Five Elements, and the Three qualities of energy and life force (Prana/Chi). His proficiency includes the art of healing and longevity, two fundamental aspect of Kundalini Yoga. Baba Siri Chand excels in the profound teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga and holds a deep understanding of the profound science of sound (Naad) and mantra, imparted to him by his father, Guru Nanak. He lived for more than 140 years and is the master who transmitted the mantra Ek Ong Kar Sat Nam Siri Wahe Guru to Baba Virsa Singh.
History is not a fixed narrative and historian are not to judge people from the past, let alone the experiences of others. That is not the history that I studied and that is not what a good historian does either. That is why these paragraphs are neither intended complicate the history nor to validate superficial narratives. I must admit that these pages are of a personal significance, because they represent the addition of one more piece in the puzzle of my path. I am yogi, specially inspired by the stream of wisdom of Baba Virsa Singh’s teacher, the greatest yoga master of the linage of Kundalin Yoga, Baba Siri Chand. This is my way for unravelling and distinguishing what truly constitutes the experience of a spiritual chain, from an academic or public discussion about the meaning and shape of a lineage.
Baba Virsa Singh was himself illiterate. Yet he managed to articulate key universal truths with a narrative that is congruent with the perennial philosophy of all spiritual paths. His teachings have, nevertheless, spread broad and far, via his own actions or via those of his students. In the case of his student, Yogi Bhajan, some of his ideas have mutated their outer forms, others have grown further or become more complex over time.
The careful examination of shared concepts between Baba Virsa Singh and Yogi Bhajan reveals an exceptionally coherent logic and pattern deserving of thorough exploration. The Saint's presence goes beyond being an enigmatic figure in Yogi Bhajan's life story; indeed, he represents an enduring, sturdy link within the very spiritual chain they both taught about. While the intricacies of relationships among individuals in the spiritual realm might be open to misinterpretation and even falter, it's of paramount importance to acknowledge that such bonds are inherently unbreakable, transcending generations. This is why these themes consistently resurface in the lives of those who walk the path today or in the days to come. It's evident that we are on the right track when viewing this subject from a spiritual perspective.
Jivan Mukta
PS: If you like to know more, you can view my full webinar Exploring the Teaching of Baba Virsa Singh. Watch these 3 classes for free clicking here
Notes
[1] Grafton, Anthony The history of ideas: Precept and practice, 1950-2000 and beyond. Journal of the History of Ideas 67#1 (2006): 1-32.
[2] Antion Vikram Singh (former Vic Briggs of “The Animals”, interviewed by Kamalla Rose Kaur)
[3] Dyson, Pamela Premka: White Bird in a Golden Cage: My Life with Yogi Bhajan. 2020, p. 52
[4] By e-mail conversation.
[5] By e-mail conversation.
[6] Me and my wife have sincere gratitude for the people at Gobind Sadan, the ashram of Baba Virsa Singh. Thanks to Nirmal and Ravi for the warm welcome and thanks to Mary Pat Fisher, for the hospitality, and openness. Without Mary’s views and generosity these reflections would not have been possible. All the pictures of Baba Virsa Singh here presented are from the Museum of Gobind Sadan.
[7] Chryssides, George. The Study of Religion. An Introduction of Key Ideas and Methods. 2nd ed. 2013.
[8] In the webinar “Exploring the Teaching of Baba Virsa Singh” I have discussed other aspects of his life and views and some of our experiences when visiting his Ashram in New Delhi. This article is my attempt to clarify and deepen some of the points addressed on that course.
[10] Fisher, Mary Pat. EVERYDAY MIRACLES in the HOUSE OF GOD. Stories from Gobind Sadan, India. 1993, p.174
[11] Fisher, p. 121
[12] Singh, Ralph (Ed). Arrows of Light. Healing the Human Mind. Selected Talks of His Holiness Baba Virsa Singh. 2009. p 207
[13] Fisher p. 121
[14] Fisher, p. 181
[15] Singh, Ralph p. 142
[16] Singh, Ralph p. 139
[17] Fisher, p. 174-175.
[18] Fisher, p. 41
[19] Fisher p. 170-171
[20] Singh, Ralph, p. 67
[21] Singh, Ralph p. 67
[22] Fisher, p. 106
[23] Fisher, p. 174
[24] Fisher p. 128
[25] Singh, Ralph, p. 58
[26] Fisher, p. 75
[27] As we know Baba Siri Chand was alive and present during the evolution of Sikh history, in the life of the first six Gurus. The son of the sixth Guru, was blessed to be appointed by Baba Siri Chand as his successors. Baba Gurditta as he became known became the leader of the Udasi Sampradaya. Baba Gurditta was the father of the seventh Guru, the grandfather of the eighth Guru, the older brother of the ninth Guru and the uncle of Guru Gobind Singh. It must be remembered that when Guru Gobind Singh left Anandpur, he put an Udasi in charge.
[28] Swami Dayananda, Introduction to Vedanta. 2011, p. 88-89
[29] Singh, Ralph, p. 144
[30] Otto, “The Idea of the Holy”. 1917, p. 57
[31] Deslippe, Phillipe From Maharaj to Mahan Tantric (2012), In Sikh Formations. Vol. 8. No 3, p, 369-387.
[32] Bianchi, p. 211-212
[33] Bhajan, 2000, p 193.
[34] Fisher p. 185-186.
[35] Fisher p. 122
Jivan Mukta’s (Aka JF. Lafontaine) doctoral thesis, 3HO in The Light of Experience (2016), provides a scholarly exploration of the experiences shaped by the power, effects, implications, and transformations sparked by the practice of Kundalini Yoga, its community, and the teachings that frame them —Download Here
Briefly about: Yogi Bhajan
Read Jivan Mukta’s essay on Master Baba Siri Chand The Sublime Steps of a True Yogi, the greatest yoga master of this linage.