Pujya V. D. Nagpal ji - A Tribute

In Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta, Lord Krishna says:
"Jaatasyahi Dhruvo Mratyu"

Death is destined and inevitable for that which is born.

This is the law of nature. Everyone comes and goes.

But some people, when they leave this world - they also leave a great impression on our minds -they leave their marks and beautiful memories behind that we may cherish for the rest of our lives.

One such great soul for me was Respected Shri V. D. Nagpal ji- who helped shape my thoughts and strengthen my faith during my youth.

He was posted as J E - a prestigious post on the Punjab Electricity board when I joined as a junior lecturer at Govt, women college, Patiala In 1969. That is when I first met Res. Nagpal ji at the Sant  Nirankari Bhavan.
Pita ji (Sant Amar Singh ji) was very close to Nagpal ji and always spoke very highly of him.

I started accompanying Pita ji on his Prachar tours during weekends and holidays, along with Pagal ji (Amar ji), Sewak ji, Asha ji, and Nagpal ji. While traveling in the station wagon - going from one Sangat to the Sangat at the next place, Pita ji would teach us many things and engage us in deep spiritual talks. After the Sangats, or whenever we found some spare time, we discussed and reflected on those teachings and shared our thoughts and experiences with each other. I became very fond of Nagpal ji. Though there was a significant age difference between us - we became good friends.
I always had a great reverence and regard for him and looked up to him as a mentor - for guidance.
I respected him like an elder brother - and he loved and treated me like a younger brother and guided me whenever I stumbled and needed any help.

I can never forget one such incidence when he helped strengthen my faith and changed my thinking forever.
I have shared this many times in individual and group conversations and even in the formal Sangats as well.

A few times, Pita ji scolded me for some tiny mistakes in front of other people. 

I felt inadequate and insulted - and stopped going to the Bhavan other than at the Sangat times. I stopped going on tours with him. Whenever Pita ji asked me to accompany him, I made an excuse of being too busy. 

He noticed it and said to Nagpal ji, 'it seems that Rajan is upset with me. He respects you and loves you like an elder brother, so go talk to him.

Nagpal ji came to my residence - to my room that I had rented at Dr. Dalip Singh Ji's home in Desi Mehmandari.

After listening to my resentments, he said it does not make any sense. Either you tell me that Amar Singh ji said this - and did this. But if you say, Pita Ji, then there should be no complaints.
He said - other than your father - calling someone Pita ji means that you are giving that person the highest respect that there is.
Therefore, my dear friend - either address him as Bhai Amar Singh ji - not Pita ji. Or, if you really respect him as Pita ji, then show that respect with your actions - because it's the actions that count, not the words. 

I became speechless and went to the Bhavan with him to see Pita ji. 

That was one of the greatest lessons of my life that he taught me and rescued me from drifting away from one of the most distinguished personalities I ever met.

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I often visited Nagpal ji and his wonderful family in Nand Pur Kesho - a small town near Patiala.
His wife became my elder sister and tied Rakhi on my wrist. 

At Nand Pur Kesho, I met Nagpal Ji's father - a sweet old man. 

He told me that Vishan was always a kind and saintly person since his childhood. 

'Who is Vishan?' I asked.

He laughed. 

Until his father told me, I never knew that his name was Vishan Das Nagpal - because everyone always called him just - Nagpal ji.  

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Later, in 1971, as per Baba Gurbachan Singh Ji's Aadesh', I resigned from my college job at Patiala and moved to Jammu. 

Nagpal ji got transferred to Mukatsar. Baba Gurbachan Singh ji told him to live at the newly build Bhavan there. Nevertheless, he obeyed but insisted on paying a monthly rent - as he would have to pay if he had rented a place elsewhere. He even separated the residential electric wiring of the residential area from the rest of the Bhavan - and paid the residential electricity bill himself. 

During my Prachar tours to Punjab, I often went to Mukatsar also and got the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with Nagpal ji. 

Rev. Surjit Singh ji Virk (Calgary) also used to live at Mukatsar in those days - so I had the privilege to know him and spend time with him as well. On one occasion - When I praised Nagpal ji for paying rent and his own utility bills, he said, I am simply following Pita Ji's teachings.

Along with firm faith - honesty, integrity, and adhering to the principles were the essential lessons Sant Amar Singh ji always insisted upon and taught us. And Pujya Nagpal ji made those teachings a part of his life.

He was a great Saint and a skilled administrator with firm faith in Satguru and trust in Almighty Nirankar. 

I never had any direct interactions with him on the administration level. But I have heard from many that although he was a good administrator, his spiritual side and sainthood were always prominent while fulfilling his official duties. 

We all will miss him - but at the same time, we will always cherish the sweet memories and the times spent with him - and the lessons he taught - by words and through his simple, modest, and practical life.

 ' Rajan Sachdeva '

                                               

   At Mukatsar Bhavan - 1981