On December 5, we remember Bhai Vir Singh (1872–1957)—the luminous “Poet of the Sikhs,” the “Sixth River of Panjab,” whose current still flows through Sikh thought, history, and devotion. His birth anniversary invites us not only to recall his life but also to immerse ourselves in the timelessness of his words, which continue to guide and nourish.

Bhai Vir Singh rose during the Singh Sabha movement, a time of great upheaval and contestation. While others responded with sharp polemics, he responded with vision. He chose to heal a wounded community not through confrontation but through beauty, not through debate but through the pen. His gift was to awaken, to re-anchor the Sikh spirit in Gurbani, and to show that the true renewal of Panjab’s heart lay in remembrance of the One.

In 1892, at only twenty, he established a printing press in Amritsar. What began as a press soon became a wellspring: the Khalsa Tract Society, Khalsa Samachar, and countless works flowed through it, strengthening Sikh consciousness and countering missionary narratives. But more than structures, it was the depth of his words that breathed new life into the community.

His historical novels did not simply retell the past; they reimagined it, calling readers to see themselves as inheritors of courage and faith. His poetry was not merely descriptive; it was devotional, a precious offering. His biographies and religious histories did not just preserve names and dates; they sought to awaken longing for the One. Every page carried the fragrance of Gurbani, echoing its cadence, urging us toward the One.

For Bhai Vir Singh, literature was never distant from life. His words were prayers inscribed in ink, devotion rendered tangible. He saw the One not as remote, but as intimately present—in the hush of dawn, in the fragrance of jasmine, in the currents of the Ravi, in the whisper of wind across the fields. His communion with nature was never sentimental; it was a recognition that all creation breathes with the presence of the Beloved.

His life’s journey reveals a profound metamorphosis. He began as a custodian of Sikh identity, steadfast in defending boundaries. Yet, by the end of his life, his voice had softened into intimacy with the Eternal. Mere Sayian Jeo, his final work published in 1953, stands as his offering of pure love. There, Bhai Vir Singh transcends all limits of identity, time, and form dissolving into longing, surrender, and embrace of the Infinite.

It is this movement—from identity to universality, from defense to transcendence—that makes his legacy so enduring. In Bhai Vir Singh’s life and writings, we sense that the defense of faith is never apart from love of the world. To be rooted in Sikhi is to open into the infinite. And in the turbulence of history, the way forward is always to return to the current of love flowing through Gurbani.

Today, nearly seven decades after his passing, Bhai Vir Singh still walks beside us. Through his words, we feel the gentle pulse of Gurbani—ever-living, ever-guiding—carrying devotion, service, and love across generations. His presence steadies us when we falter, stirs us when we grow weary, and draws us quietly closer to the One.

The question remains: will we allow ourselves to be carried by this current of love?

May Wisdom-Guru guide us!