Sundar Singh (1889-1929), an Indian holy man, was raised in a wealthy Sikh family. At sixteen he left his home to live as a sadhu, or wandering holy man. His beggar-like existence, his intense devotion, his mystical encounters with Jesus, and his simple parables became the stuff of legends. His parables and meditations probed the essence of the gospel, calling listeners to awareness and compassion. When he disappeared during a journey to Tibet, millions mourned his passing.
Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889 - 1929)
Was an Indian Christian missionary. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929. Sundar felt that his religious pursuits in Sikhism and the questioning of Christian and Hindu priests left him without ultimate meaning. Sundar resolved to kill himself by throwing himself upon a railroad track. He asked that whosoever is the 'True God' would appear before him, or else he would kill himself; that very night he had a vision of Jesus who opened Sundar's soul to the truth.In October 1906, he set out on his journey as a new Christian, wearing a turban and the yellow robe of a Hindu sadhu, an ascetic devoted to spiritual practice. Singh viewed himself as a sadhu, albeit one within Christianity rather than Hinduism, because he realised Christianity could not penetrate India unless it was in an Indian way. "I am not worthy to follow in the steps of my Lord," he said, "but, like Him, I want no home, no possessions. Like Him I will belong to the road, sharing the suffering of my people, eating with those who will give me shelter, and telling all men of the love of God."
Sadhu Sundar Singh was an Indian Christian missionary. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929.
Searching since boyhood for the way to God, Sundar Singh found truth in Jesus Christ. On his sixteenth birthday, he was publicly baptised as a Christian in the parish church in Simla, a town high in the Himalayan foothills. For some time previously he had been staying at the Christian Leprosy Home at Sabathu, not far from Simla, serving the leprosy patients there. It was to remain one of his most beloved bases and he returned there after his baptism.
At sixteen, the former Sikh became a Christian Sadhu, or holy man, and at great risk devoted his life to Christ. With bare feet and few possessions, Sundar crossed the precarious Himalayas between India and Tibet many times, sharing the gospel with Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs. As he traveled, Sundar constantly read the Bible, prayed, and meditated, confident that God was always with him, even in the face of death. Preaching in India, Europe, and as far away as America, this Indian saint impacted thousands with his quiet yet bold words and actions.
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