Founder
Mahraz Darshan Das
‘Hum Karne Aayeh Lok Bhalai’
I have come to serve mankind.
Many words and plaudits have been used to describe Mahraz Darshan Das; he has come to mean different things to different people. The epithet ‘Mahraz’ literally translates as a greater secret or mystery. Yet time and time again Mahraz Jee encouraged openness, stressing the need to question and not to follow blindly.
Darshan Lal Vasdev was born on 7th December 1953, at Batala, a city in Northern Punjab, not too far away from ‘Gurdwara Kaand Sahib’ a famous place of pilgrimage. Darshan Lal was for all sense and purposes a normal child who enjoyed a normal childhood upbringing. Yet, aged just 17 years old, he was to receive a spiritual revelation. On 15th August 1971, Mahraz Jee accepted his call of duty and declared “on this day my personal life has come to an end, I now dedicate my life for the service of others.” He subsequently gave up his family name and referred to himself as Das; a free servant of God.
Mahraz Jee’s rallying call, ‘Hum Karne Aayeh Lok Bhalai’ the rendering of selfless service for the welfare of all was central to his life’s mission, Das Dharam. Mahraz Darshan Das asserted that Man's suffering was primarily due to him forgetting God’s covenant; to love and serve His creation. His task was merely to alleviate Human suffering, and reawaken Human conscious. People, he said had to ultimately choose their own path, and recognise themselves first, as God could only be realised within. The true temple he said: “was the living body and it is towards this that all our efforts must be directed.” This was only possible by Naam, the Word or Logos, and a living Spiritual Master.
Mahraz Darshan Das was a proficient writer and wrote in excess of 300 hymns (Shabad, Shalok, Dohe) compiled in a collection he titled Yashwanti Niradhar Dham Pehla. His hymns encapsulate the souls yearning to unite and merge with its beloved, the Almighty. He was an exquisite poet and wrote a plethora of verse, Geet and Qawaali.