Prosperity Experienced During the Yatra
SS Harbhajan Kaur Khalsa
Millis, Massachusetts, USA
Finally I have a photo to ask you to put on the Prosperity Altar in New Mexico for Jot Singh and me, taken at the Golden Temple.
It was our blessing that the Siri Singh Sahib asked Jot Singh to deliver a kirpan to the Akal Takhat Jethadar in India, and myself to accompany him. It was the final push we needed to make our first trip to India. We experienced the truth of the Guru running to meet us when we took even a few steps in His direction.
Who among us hasn't seen enough photos of the Golden Temple to take, or give, a subtle body dip there during our healing meditations? Who knows how many lifetimes we may have been blessed with its sight, and with the touch of the Gurus? I've even said sincerely in the past that while it would be a blessing to go to India in this lifetime, it was not necessary for me to feel the love of the Guru, and I wouldn't want to create a karmic desire. So you can imagine how unexpected it was to arrive in Amritsar in the middle of the night, trudging wearily toward our quarters, only to be stopped by uncontrollable weeping at the luminously floating vision of the Golden Temple suddenly appearing on my right, like a mansion of Heaven in a cloud. Even though I didn't really care at the moment how such a large blubbering woman might appear to passersby and ‘new’ people on the Yatra, Guru did not let me feel alone. A Khalsa sister put her arm around me and we wept together, feeling the presence of Guru's home, our home.
All of us felt very lucky to be staying at the Golden Temple every night except the one spent at Anandpur Sahib, (and Delhi, of course, on the way home). Normally one who prefers silence during sleep, I found the continuous kirtan of the Golden Temple a soothing and healing touch. It was easy, almost automatic, to arise in an air of excitement, take a shower under a tap, and prepare to be drenched in the etheric nectar of Amrit Vela and kirtan at the Golden Temple. There was a special satisfaction in praying and dipping for family members, ashram members and loved ones, a feeling that we had brought them with us to the Golden Temple, and would be bringing the Golden Temple back to them in Sarovar water, saropas and photos. Some of the water was even used in a special Solstice celebration here in Millis. Though the air pollution might be unbearable in the market two streets away, it always felt like a seaside resort at any of the Sarovars in the Land of the Gurus.
Even the food prepared by the sevadars at Nanak Nivas for us was nectar. My favorite was a simple cabbage curry. There is an almost medieval idyllic loveliness to the perfectly organized Punjabi fields, and the colorful perfection of the produce stands. Mudge pies along the road convinced me that there was an "organic" quality that may have made the food taste better, as well as the devotion with which it was prepared. While I always thought it must be cumbersome to try to travel with so many people, sharing this trip with Khalsa brothers and sisters and new friends from around the world magnified the vibration and made the Yatra more special. SS Kirn Kaur was an especially spirited and conscious guide, and we had devoted and knowledgeable sevadars from the Golden Temple and Anandpur Sahib who accompanied us on our day trips.
Jot Singh felt especially blessed when privileged to handle Guru Gobind Singh's weapons at Anandpur Sahib. A few of us women had some lighthearted moments helping to make chapatis at Guru Amar Das' kitchen in Gowindwal, where we were not quite adept at tossing chapatis onto the stove, yet deeply appreciative of the heritage in which we participated.
It is always inspiring to see our youth playing kirtan, dancing, doing gatka; and our teachers keeping up in every challenge. It was a special privilege to be present for the ground breaking ceremony for our new school, where our prayers for providing the environment in which our children will excel were laid along with its cornerstone.
Our kirtan celebrating Guru Nanak's birthday was televised and warmly received in Delhi, a celebration so populous that the Guru was set up outside the Rekalb Ganj Gurdwara. I always tend to believe in such instances that it is the Khalsa spirit transcending boundaries, as well as the kirtan itself, which exalts the shared inspiration. And it's a source of comfort, in any language, when the Siri Singh Sahib speaks. His presence brought the Guru to us, and us to the Guru.... tangibly sipping the healing waters of Guru Harkrishan at Bangala Sahib Gurdwara, touching our foreheads to the manjee on which Guru Arjan sat to oversee the work on the Golden Temple, and witnessing the weights with which Guru Nanak counted, the tiny space in which Guru Teg Bahadur meditated for so many years.
How can anyone begin to define the prosperity experienced during a Yatra to India?
All Love in the Divine.