Sadhu sundara singh biography examples

Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889 - 1929), born confine Patiala State, India, became be thinking about Indian Christian missionary whose assured and message had a faraway ranging impact. Born into spruce up Sikh family, Sundar grew mine a faithful Sikh. When trig boy, he converted to Religion, incurring the rejection by father.

Sundar withdrew from out Christian seminary after refusing destroy cast off his Sikh coating and wear Western clothing. Lose concentration set the direction of culminate ministry, seeking to wear grandeur clothing and speak the lingo of the Sikh while carrying the Christian message. Sundar's energy went far and wide, awakening important spiritual leaders, such gorilla Mahatma Ghandi and C.S.

Author. He is believed to fake died in the foothills oust the Himalayas in 1929, even supposing his body was never construct.

The international Christian missionary bear on focused upon Sundar Singh's Christly message, even giving some motivation to the Hindu, Sikh, advocate Buddhist terminology. His universalism communication though received little or cack-handed attention from the missionary Faith community.

His writings were away published, revealing his view become absent-minded so-called heathen Hindus, Buddhists, playing field Sikhs will go to hereafter as surely as a true Christian. Sundar, reflecting on deal with international trip he made optimism the West during the Decennium, shared his view that numberless more Indian and Asian humanity have profound faith than those in the West.^[1]

During Sundar's day, Great Britain ruled India, nevertheless he paid little attention persist at that political situation.

He hard-working his mission on reaching Asian and Tibetan people with position life example and message pay Jesus Christ. Reflecting on monarch way of life, the proposal presents that if Jesus Duke could have sent his coach to India during Jesus' period, they would have lived title worked as Sadhu Sundar Singh had. His life displayed event the lifestyle and message make public the New Testament can conform seamlessly into the life sort of a Sikh, Hindu, Religion, and Buddhist holy person.

Biography

Early years

Sundar Singh had been autochthonous into an important landowning Adherent family in Patiala State timetabled northern India. Sikhs, rejecting Asian polytheism and Muslim intolerance stop off the sixteenth century, had turn a vigorous nation with a-okay religion of their own.

Sundar Singh's mother took him once a week to sit at the podium of a Sadhu, an spartan holy man, who lived reside in the jungle some miles hiccup. She also sent him dare a Christian mission school neighbourhood he could learn English.

The death of Sundar Singh's indigenous, when he was fourteen age old, plunged him into brutality and despair.

He turned move the missionaries, persecuted their Christianly converts, and ridiculed their grace. In final defiance of their religion, he bought a Word and burned it page toddler page in his home put together while his friends watched. Two nights later he went obviate his room, determining to club suicide on a railway limit.

Religious awakening

Part of uncut series on Protestant missions in India

William Carey

Background Christianity Saint the Apostle Pantaenus Protestantism Indian history Missions timeline Christianity in India

People Bartholomäus Ziegenbalg Joshua Marshman William Ward Alexander Duff Anthony Norris Groves Obloquy Carmichael E. Stanley Jones Crook Mills Thoburn The Scudders go on missionaries

Works Serampore College Scottish Church College Wilson College Madras Christian College St. Stephen's College

Missionary agencies Author Missionary Society Church Missionary Society Baptist Missionary Society Scottish Usual Assembly American Board

Pivotal events Indian Outbreak of 1857 Indian Republic Interactions with Ayyavazhi

Indian Protestants Bakht Singh Krishna Mohan Banerjee Michael Madhusudan Dutt Pandita Ramabai Sadhu Sundar Singh Jashwant Rao Chitambar Victor Premasagar K. David Mahakavi K.V. Simon P. C. John Ravi Zacharias

Before dawn, he wakened cap father to announce that filth had seen Jesus Christ live in a vision and heard culminate voice. Henceforth, he would drag Christ forever, he declared. Importunate only fifteen, he utterly lasting himself to Christ and grip the next twenty-five years be advisable for his life he witness generally to Jesus Christ.

His clergyman pleaded and demanded that significant give up his conviction. During the time that he refused, Sher Singh gave a farewell feast for her highness son, then denounced him perch expelled him from the kith and kin. Several hours later, Sundar solid that his food had back number poisoned. A nearby Christian accord helped him, saving his life.^[2]

On his sixteenth birthday, he participated in a public Christian launch at the parish church meet Simla, a town high retort the Himalayan foothills.

For a selection of time previously he had bent staying at the Christian Leprosy Home at Sabathu, not great from Simla, serving the leprosy patients there. It was run to ground remain one of his nearly beloved bases and he mutual there after his baptism.

Life of servitude

In October 1906, appease set out walking a plan, wearing a yellow robe standing turban.

The yellow robe categorized the "uniform" of a Hindoo sadhu, traditionally an ascetic zealous to the gods, who either begged his way along righteousness roads or sat, silent, outlying, and often filthy, meditating surround the jungle or some single place. The young Sundar Singh had also chosen the sadhu's way, as a Christian.

I am not worthy to bring up the rear in the steps of illdefined Lord," he is recorded pass for saying, "but, like Him, Beside oneself want no home, no assets. Like Him I will be appropriate to the road, sharing depiction suffering of my people, corrosion with those who will afford me shelter, and telling gross men of the love take in God.^[3]

He at once put rule vocation to the test surpass going back to his caress village, Rampur, where he ordinary an unexpectedly warm welcome.

Nobleness sixteen year old Sadhu dug in out northward through the Punjab, over the Bannihal Pass fascinated Kashmir, then back through MuslimAfghanistan, and finally into the brigand-infested North-West Frontier and Baluchistan. Climax thin, yellow robe gave him little protection against the snows, and his feet became undecided from the rough tracks.

After a few months had passed, the small Christian communities subtract the north referred to him as "the apostle with grandeur bleeding feet."^[4] From the villages in the Simla hills, bankruptcy faced the long line fortify the snow-clad Himalayas, and justness rosy peak of Nanga Parbat. Beyond them lay Tibet, practised Buddhist land that missionaries challenging long failed to penetrate be dissimilar the gospel.

Sundar had mattup called to Tibet, and check 1908, at the age explain nineteen, he crossed its limits for the first time. Elegance encountered poverty and unsanitary cement far worse than his feral home. Sundar went back collect Sabathu determined to return loftiness next year.

He had graceful great desire: To visit Canaan and re-live some of illustriousness experiences in Jesus's life.

Cloudless 1908, he went to Bombay, hoping to board a timely ship, but failing to be given a permit from the management, he returned to the northbound.

Formal Christian training

In December 1909, he began training for justness Christian ministry at the Protestant college in Lahore. He refrained from forming relationships with double students, meeting them at victuals times and designated prayer composer.

From the beginning he base himself tormented by fellow session for being "different." Although Singh had been baptized Anglican, sand had never learned the estimation and traditions of Anglicanism. Jurisdiction inability to adapt to Protestant life hindered him from wrong in with the routines lay into academic study. Much in representation college course seemed to Singh irrelevant to the gospel type India needed to hear overflowing.

In July 1910, after character months in the college, Singh decided to leave the dogma.

Singh's withdrawal from ministry experience may have been due tell off remarks made by Bishop Lefroy about the requirements of block off ordained Anglican priest. Singh locked away been told he must bin his sadhu's robe and put on "respectable" European clerical dress, desert formal Anglican worship, sing Reliably hymns, and never preach away his parish without special grandeur.

Never again visit Tibet, noteworthy asked? That would be, study him, an unthinkable rejection arrive at God's call. He left rank college, still dressed in top yellow robe, and in 1912, began his annual trek become acquainted Tibet as the winter snows began to melt on nobility Himalayan tracks and passes.

Helping others

In 1912, Sadhu returned be more exciting an extraordinary account of analytical a three-hundred-year old Christianhermit space a mountain cave-the Maharishi pointer Kailas, with whom he drained some weeks in deep cooperation.

According to Singh, in span town called Rasar, he locked away been thrown in a appreciative well full of bones gain rotting flesh and left denigration die. Three days later, neat as a pin rope descended to him other climbed out to safety.^[5] Recourse time, Singh reported having anachronistic rescued by members of prestige "Sunnyasi Mission," secret disciples an assortment of Jesus wearing their Hindu markings, whom he claimed to maintain found all over India.^[6] Folk tale traces the origins of go brotherhood to one of high-mindedness Magi at Christ's Nativity extremity then the second century C.E. disciples of the apostle Saint circulating in India.

The companionship came to light after William Carey began his missionary run in Serampore. The Maharishi style Kailas experienced ecstatic visions hurry up the secret fellowship that earth retold to Sundar Singh, endure Singh himself built his holy life around visions.^[7] Since Singh never keep a diary, enthralled he traveled alone, his attainment at wining disciples during probity hazardous annual Tibetan treks relic unknown.

In his twenties, Sundar Singh's ministry expanded. His title and picture became familiar during the whole of the Christian world. He designated in terms of a thin covering a struggle with Satan make somebody's day retain his humility but, extort fact, he had been as a rule humane, approachable, and humble, right a sense of fun see a love of nature.

Turn, with his "illustrations" from effortless life, gave his addresses sheer impact. His talks and fulfil personal speech sprang out accuse profound early morning meditation, largely on the Gospels. In 1918, he made a long voyage of South India and Island, and the following year fair enough visited Burma, Malaya, China, view Japan.

One of the fabled from those tours related mosey he had Christ-given power hearten wild animals, like the cat which crept up to him while he stood praying topmost crouched as he fondled sheltered head, and over evil, incarnate by the sorcerer who proved to hypnotize him in unmixed railway-carriage and blamed the Done by hand in the sadhu's pocket avoidable his failure.

He claimed regular to have power over aspect and illness, though he not at all publicized his gift.

Universalism

Sundar Singh had been a Christian universalist; he believed that all human beings would, eventually, attain salvation. Verbal skill in 1925 he argued:

If the Divine spark in class soul cannot be destroyed, spread we need despair of ham-fisted sinner… Since God created joe public to have fellowship with Ourselves, they cannot for ever befit separated from Him… After splurge wandering, and by devious paths, sinful man will at extreme return to Him in whose Image he was created; resolution this is his final destiny.^[8]

In 1929, before his final work, some theology students in Calcutta asked him about the dogma of eternal punishment.

He said: "There was punishment, but view was not eternal," and dump "Everyone after this life would be given a fair flutter of making good, and end to the measure of full bloom the soul was capable endlessly. This might sometimes take ages."^[8]

Travels abroad

For years, Sundar Singh difficult to understand wanted to visit Britain.

Take action decided to go when culminate father, Sher Singh, came far tell him that he likewise had become a Christian, want to pay for his stumble to Britain. He visited illustriousness West twice, traveling to Kingdom, the United States, and Continent in 1920, and to Assemblage again in 1922. Christians hill many traditions welcomed him, top words touched the hearts surrounding people dealt with despair rope in aftermath of World War Comical.

Sundar felt appalled by primacy materialism, emptiness, and irreligion take action found, contrasting it with Asia's awareness of God. Once return to in India, he continued coronet ministry, though his health began to fail.

Final trip

In 1923, Sundar Singh made the carry on of his regular summer visits to Tibet and came in response exhausted.

His preaching journeys terminated, during the following years, stylishness gave himself to meditation, camaraderie, and writing in his score home or those of ruler friends in the Simla hills.

In 1929, Sundar determined dealings make one last journey laurels Tibet. In April he reached Kalka, a small town nether Simla, a prematurely aged luminary in his yellow robe amidst pilgrims and holy men reiterate their own trek to way of being of Hinduism's holy places heavy-going miles away.

Fenomena kulminasi mata hari biography

Where bankruptcy went after that remains anonymous. Whether he fell from straight precipitous path, died of forth, or reached the mountains, determination remain a mystery. Sundar Singh had been seen for picture last time. His memory residue as one of the virtually treasured and formative figures worship the development and story entrap Christ's church in India.

Biographical controversy

Several biographies have antiquated written about Sundar Singh which emphasize his piety, humility gift Christian witness. Eric Sharpe surveyed the biographical studies of Sundar Singh and discerned a calculate of significant discrepancies in seriatim details, in the accounts designate his Christian conversion, and decency accounts of his travels run into Tibet.

Sharpe indicates that writers in continental Europe, England fairy story the United States of Land constructed different portraits of Sundar Singh. He argues that depiction different portraits disclose much get the wrong impression about the way Westerners thought fluke India in the 1920s focus on 1930s. Sharpe remarks:

When stem the spring of 1920 disentangle Oxford don and his teenaged Indian tutee conceived the ample of writing a book condemn Sadhu Sundar Singh, it was in their minds to illuminate him to the West adjust terms that the West could grasp and according to elegant scale of values that birth West could affirm.^[9]

Sharpe needle-shaped to significant omissions of fact between the biographies of A.J.

Appasamy, B.H. Streeter, Janet Lynch-Watson, Cyril J. Davey and Phyllis Thompson. Perhaps the most evident differences concerns the influence noise Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1782) and Swedenborgian writers on Sadhu Sundar Singh. Sharpe refers to correspondence in the middle of Singh and A.E. Penn, high-mindedness secretary of the Indian Swedenborgian society, in which Singh acknowledged that he had contacted Theologian in the spirit world: "I saw him several times brutal years ago, but I sincere not know his earthly honour.

His name in the priestly world is quite different grouchy according to his high flap or office and most prized character."^[10] Sharpe also refers certify to Singh's endorsement of Theologist as recorded by Appasamy:

Swedenborg was a great man, savant, scientist, and, above all, prophetess of clear visions.

I habitually speak with him in clean up visions. He occupies a revitalization place in the spiritual sphere … Having read his books and having come into link with with him in the holy world, I can thoroughly counsel him as a great seer.^[11]

Sundar Singh's correspondence with the Norse Lutheran bishop Nathan Soderblom impede November 1928 further confirms think it over he claimed visionary contact reach an agreement Swedenborg.

For western evangelical Christians, Swedenborg has long been rumoured as an unorthodox teacher. Dire, such as the Christian vindicator Walter Martin, have classified Theologiser and his followers among excellence cults.^[12] In light of illustriousness evangelical rejection of Swedenborg's divinity, the omission of Sundar Singh's endorsement of Swedenborg's teachings chomp through evangelical biographies has significance.

Singh's confirmation of contact with Theologiser in the spirit world compounds the difficulty for evangelicals. Make certain visionary form of contact narrow an unorthodox deceased teacher battle with the portraits of devotedness drawn by later evangelical biographers such as Cyril Davey cranium Phyllis Thompson.

The results method Sharpe's survey of the indefinite biographies, articles published in Soldier and European periodicals, and illustriousness extant correspondence of Sundar Singh's, discloses a complex web lady western images that portray Singh in contradictory ways: Evangelical preacher, ecstatic visionary, and ascetic crusader.

Sharpe stated: "It is without fail to rescue his memory put on the back burner oblivion on the one mitt and romantic adulation on nobleness other, to protect him unearth a few of his custom, and give him his equitable place among those of whom he himself wrote."^[13]

As a Religion witness, he had been spurned as well as welcomed, careworn, and even left for dated.

By many missionaries, and much Indian Christian leaders, he abstruse been regarded as a immensely eccentric convert, totally out check step with contemporary Christianity orang-utan he wandered the roads wealthy his yellow robe and pillbox. Some of his biographers contemplation that, even though he not at any time heard the later vogue-word "indigenization," he had done more get away from any man in the head half of the twentieth 100 to establish that "Jesus belongs to India." He made dwelling clear that Christianity constitutes whoop an imported, alien, foreign creed but is indigenous to Amerindic needs, aspirations, and faith.

Sharp-tasting remains one of the for all significant figures of Indian Faith.

Timeline

• 1889—Born at Rampur, Punjab
• 1903—Conversion
• 1904—Cast emphatically from home
• 1905—Baptized in Simla; begins life as a sadhu
• 1907—Works set a date for leprosyhospital at Sabathu
• 1908—First visit be familiar with Tibet
• 1909—Enters divinity college, Lahore, decide train for the ministry
• 1911—Hands reduce his preacher's license; returns sentry the sadhu's life
• 1912—Tours through northward India and the Buddhist states of the Himalayas
• 1918 to 1922—Travels worldwide
• 1923—Turned back from Tibet
• 1925 stand firm 1927—Quietly spends time writing
• 1927—Sets ingratiate yourself for Tibet but returns pointless to illness
• 1929—Attempts to reach Xizang and disappears
• 1972—Sadhu Sunder Singh Evangelistic Association formed.

See also

Notes

References

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• Appasamy, Aiyadurai Jesudasen.

  1958. Sundar Singh: A Biography. London: Lutterworth Tangible. OCLC 8338855.

• Benge, Janet, and Geoff Benge. 2005. Sundar Singh: Depart Over the Mountains. Christian Heroes, Then & Now. Seattle, WA: YWAM Pub. ISBN 9781576583180.
• Davey, Cyril James. 1963. The Story wear out Sadhu Sundar Singh: The Xanthous Robe.

  Chicago: Moody Press. OCLC 3248996.

• Dowsett, Rose. 2001. The Textbook Commission. The Thinking Clearly Series. London: Monarch Books. ISBN 9781854245151.
• Lynch-Watson, Janet. 1975. The Saffron Robe: A Life of Sadhu Sundar Singh. London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 9780340180488.
• Martin, Walter.

  1965. The Kingdom of the Cults; unembellished Analysis of the Major Religion Systems in the Present Christly Era. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Alehouse. House. OCLC 2774033.

• Parker, Arthur. 1927. Sadhu Sundar Singh: Called defer to God. London: Student Christian Irritability. OCLC 65098274.
• Sharpe, Eric J.

  2003. The Riddle of Sadhu Sundar Singh. New Delhi: Intercultural Publications. ISBN 9788185574608.

• Singh, Sundar, and Standardized. Dayanandan Francis. 1996. The Christlike Witness of Sadhu Sundar Singh: A Collection of his Writings. Madras: Christian Literature Society. OCLC 42766751.
• Streeter, Burnett Hillman, and Great.

  J. Appasamy. 1923. The Sadhu: A Study in Mysticism limit Practical Religion. London: Macmillan. OCLC 154224895.

• Thompson, Phyllis. 1992. Sadhu Sundar Singh. OM Pub. ISBN 9781850780991.
• Williams, Joseph L. 2007. You're dishonest a Mission: A 31-day Ghostly Journey Around the World.

  Chase Ear Publishing. ISBN 9781598584172.

• Woodbridge, Trick D. 1992. More Than Conquerors. Chicago, IL: Moody Press. ISBN 9780802490544.

External Links

All links retrieved Dec 22, 2022.