Jaimal Singh is a fascinating Shabd Yoga adept, whose spiritual quest to unravel the secret of the five melodies is both deeply moving and legendary. How he finally came upon his guru Shiv Dayal Singh in Agra, India, in the mid-1850s borders on the unbelievable. But find him he did on that obscure back street, now famously known among satsangis worldwide as Panni Gali.

Although we have salient details about Jaimal Singh’s life, there is much that remains unknown. There are no photographs of the solider sage, except one that Channan Singh alleges Sawan Singh had of him but which by his own retelling is nondescript and appears to have been taken before he retired on the banks of the Beas river in the Punjab.

Although Kirpal Singh has penned a fine biography of the esteemed mystic, it still lacks details that would help us better understand Jaimal’s relationship with his guru’s family, particularly Partap Singh who clearly served as his benefactor and patron. We are fortunate, however, to have a large correspondence from Jaimal Singh to his favored disciple and heir apparent Sawan Singh.

First published under the guidance of Charan Singh in the late 1950s in the original language and in an abbreviated (and somewhat bowdlerized) English translation, these intimate letters reveal a guru who was deeply concerned with the physical and spiritual welfare of his beloved student.

From this correspondence, we learn about the inner practice of Surat Shabd Yoga and the importance of deep meditation where one focuses on the inner light and inner sound to plunge into the source of one’s own consciousness.

Jaimal Singh was raised a Sikh. Even though he may be considered heretical by some of his more orthodox brethren, who exclusively focus on the sacred scriptures of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and don’t accept living human gurus, the fact remains that Jaimal represents the very best of Sikh ideals.