Darshan Singh (spiritual master)

Darshan Singh (1921–1989), also known as Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, was the founder and head of Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission / Science of Spirituality from 1974 until his passing in 1989. The spiritual successor of Kirpal Singh, Singh was also widely recognized as one of India's leading poet-saints, writing in the Urdu language. Upon his sudden passing on 30 May 1989, he was succeeded by Rajinder Singh.

Darshan Singh died on May 30, 1989, a few days before leaving for a tour of conferences in the West for 3 months, already all reserved.

During Darshan Singh's four world tours, he was presented with the keys to many cities and was honored by the Colombian parliament with its Medal of Congress and by the Congress of the United States with citations of merit. In 1986, Darshan Singh was invited to the United Nations on the invitation of Dr. Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, to expound on the subject of inner and outer peace. During his visit, Darshan Singh held a prayer for world peace in the Security Council of the United Nations.

Some of his English publications include Portrait of Perfection: A Pictorial Biography of Sant Kirpal Singh (1981), Spiritual Awakening (1983), A Tear and a Star (1986), and The Wonders of Inner Space (1988). He also published hundreds of articles and poems on spiritual topics in various periodicals. His writings have been translated into fifty languages.

During his 15-year spiritual ministry, he founded Kirpal Ashram in Delhi, and established over 550 meditation centers in forty countries. He presided over the Sixth Conference of the World Fellowship of Religions (1981), the Asian Conference of Religions and Peace (1981), and the Fifteenth International Human Unity Conference, held in Delhi, India., in 1988. On July 27, 1980, he instituted “Master’s Day” to be celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July each year, in which people of all backgrounds can sit together to honor the saints and spiritual Masters of their traditions. In addition, he was acclaimed as one of India's greatest poet-saints. His collections of poems, won him four Academy Awards for poetry.

He was educated at the Government College, Punjab University (Lahore). He went on to have a 37-year career in government services, retiring in 1979 as Deputy Secretary of the Finance Ministry. In 1943, he married Harbhajan Kaur.

His Urdu Pharsi poems are published in five collections viz. Talash-e-Noor, Manzil-e-Noor, Mata-e-Noor, Jada-e-Noor and Mauj-e-Noor. He was awarded by Urdu Academy,Delhi and Urdu Academy,Uttar Pradesh for his books Manzil-e-Noor (1972) and Mata-e-Noor (1989).

After the sudden death of Darshan, his biological son, Rajinder Singh (b. 1946), succeeded him.

Born in India on September 14, 1921, Singh was the son of Kirpal Singh. In 1926, at age of 5, Darshan Singh was initiated by and received instructions on the meditation on the inner Light and Sound of God from Baba Sawan Singh Ji Maharaj. For the next 22 years, Singh selflessly served the mission of Hazur, and continued to do so throughout the spiritual ministry of Kirpal Singh from 1948 to 1974.