Yogi Bhajan Receives His Title of Siri Singh Sahib
March 3,1971 – Yogi Bhajan is honored at the Akal Takhat for his missionary work in the West and presented with a Siri Sahib (sword of honor) by the employed Jathedar of the S.G.P.C. for the Akal Takhat. He is addressed as the Siri Singh Sahib by Sant Chanan Singh, President of the S.G.P.C. and he is requested to organize the Sikh Dharma of the Western countries.
March 8, 1971 – The S.G.P.C. issued a letter to Yogi Bhajan authorizing him to establish an ordained ministry in the West, to perform marriages, final rites and to administer Amrit according to the Sikh traditions.
Yogi Bhajan was both a master of Kundalini Yoga and a Sikh. As thousands of people flocked to study yoga with him, some of his students became fascinated by the Sikh tradition. One by one, through his inspiration and example, they began to adopt the Sikh way of life – Sikh Dharma.
Through his personal efforts, Sikh Dharma was officially recognized as a religion in the USA in 1971. In 1971, in acknowledgement of his extraordinary impact of spreading the universal message of Sikh Dharma, the president of the SGPC (the governing body of Sikh Temples in India), Sant Chanan Singh called him the Siri Singh Sahib, Chief Religious and Administrative Authority for the Western Hemisphere. He was given the responsibility to create a Sikh Ministry in the West by the Akal Takhat, the Sikh seat of religious authority in Amritsar, India.
He was honored with the title Bhai Sahib by the Akal Takhat in 1974.
Founded in compassion, and a commitment to sharing teachings that would help free people from their pain and confusion, Yogi Bhajan built his mission for nearly 40 years. Under his spiritual guidance, ashrams, yoga centers, Gurdwaras and communities sprang up all over the world. He was also a pioneer in the interfaith movement and a friend and mentor to public leaders everywhere.
From 1968 until his death on October 6, 2004, Yogi Bhajan traveled, taught, and inspired millions around the world. His work had such far-reaching impact that after his death, a special bipartisan Joint Resolution was issued by the United States Congress honoring his life and work. He taught that God lives in everyone and everything. And that to experience the Divine is the privilege, right and ultimate aim of each human life.
Here’s an excerpt from the 1977 Fall Beads of Truth Magazine, a 3HO Foundation publication:
In 1971, after two years of loneliness away from his family and friends in India, Yogi Bhajan personally took a group of 84 Americans to India to show them the Holy City of Amritsar, and his beloved Golden Temple, where he had cleansed and purified himself during four years of washing the floors every night. He brought them to the lap of Mother India, whose vast and ancient culture has preserved and protected all religions through thousands of years.
Humbly going to the House of Guru Ram Das in Amritsar, he was invited to the Akal Takhat, the ‘undying throne,’ chief seat of religious authority for the whole Sikh world. There, in the presence of the entire sadh sangat, a huge assembly, Sant Chanan Singh (President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee) bestowed upon Harbhajan Singh Puri (Yogiji) the title of ‘Siri Singh Sahib.’
Sant Fateh Singh (President of the Akali Dal) blessed him, and the Jethadar (head priest) of the Akal Takhat presented him with a Siri Sahib (sword of honor). He was charged with the responsibility to return to the West and establish the Sikh Dharma in an organized way.
The title of Siri Singh Sahib was an unprecedented honor, one which Yogiji was reluctant to accept. However, since the Holy Order came from the Akal Takhat, whose edicts are immortal and irrevocable, he humbly accepted both the title and its obligations.
Those who were present recall that there was a discussion about this unprecedented title, and it was suggested that simply the title ‘Singh Sahib’ should be given. But, Sant Chanan Singh with great foresight said, “No, Harbhajan Singh Yogi will create many Singh Sahibs in the West, so he must be called the Siri Singh Sahib”. And so, it was done.
Read this full article from the 1977 Fall Beads of Truth, a 3HO Foundation Publication.