October 29th
Today all yatrians enjoyed a very special bus trip, a rare group excursion into the surrounding countryside to visit historic Gurdwaras that preserve revered memories of Guru Gobind Singh’s presence in southern India.
Our first stop was at Gurdwara Sangat Sahib Ji. Here a miraculous insight by Guru Godind Singh, who knew exactly where to dig for a treasure left for him by Guru Nanak, the first Guru, illustrated a way the light of Guru Nanak was passed down through the ten Gurus.
The story of Guru Gobind Singh’s visit is posted in Gurmukhi and in English upon a temple wall. I copied the text from a photograph:
Waheguru ji ka Khalsa
Waheguru ji ki Fateh.
This is Gurudwara Sangat Sahib ji. When Guru Gobind Singh ji arrived at Nanded town from Hira ghat, he made first halt here at Gurudwara Sangat Sahib. Here, during his stay, all the Soldiers of his army demanding salary to return home. Guru Gobind Singh ji ordered to Punj Pyare Bhai Daya Singh ji and Bhai Dharam Singh ji to bring out treasure, which has undergrounded at Mal Tekari in the time of Guru Nanak Dev ji Maharaj. Both Punj Pyare along with soldiers went to the Mal Tekari and the treasure was brought here by Carts and Bullock Carts.
This treasure was distributed by Guruji to his and Bahaddarshah’s army generously, not in counted number of Coins but in Shieldfulls. The Shield (Dhal) with which the treasure was distributed by Guru Gobind Singh ji is royally displayed here as an artifact for Darshan.
The shield is in a glass case within the Gurdwara below a painting of this act of grace. The sight gave me the feeling of being joyfully present when the pearly steel shield was used to generously measure gold coins for the Sikh forces as well as Bahadur Shah’s royal forces passing through Nanded, and the immense gratitude for divine providence felt by all.
We bowed before Guru Sahib and seated ourselves on Gurdwara carpets to fearlessly chant, resonate and meditate together. It may have looked unusual but we were not out of place—the experience powerfully, unmistakably invoked Guru Gobind Singh’s energy and charged our breath and every cell of our beings with his living essence. Wahe Guru!
I know now that the Gurus will come through for us in much the same way in times of dire need. The seeds of fruits for our rejuvenation were planted long ago. All is pre-destined, part of a Master Plan,for those who see.
We followed chanting with an Ardas whereupon one of our yatrians was blessed to take a Gurmukhi Hukam from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, further gracing our sangat with Guru’s divine presence.
Our next destination was Gurdwara Shikar Ghaat, a simple, elegant architectural beauty situated on a bluff near the Godavari river. From its walled compound can be seen the wooded hills which Guru Gobind Singh used for his hunting excursions.
After we bowed before Siri Guru Granth Sahib and sat among the sangat, a temple Sevadar with a warrior-saint demeanor held up a painting of Guru Gobind Singh’s arrow piercing a hare and told us this story:
Guru Gobind Singh came here following a chase (shikar) and, to his Sikh warriors’ astonishment and dismay, killed a small, harmless rabbit. It seemed senseless to them. Guru Gobind Singh’s vision was much vaster—in a former life the rabbit had been Bhai Mula, a devotee of Guru Nanak Dev ji who had once accompanied Guru Nanak on his travels. When Guru Nanak visited him at a later date, Mula hid himself fearing the Guru would make him go on another long journey. Mula died soon after from a snakebite. His soul was made to continue in the cycle of birth and death through low-life existences until released by the tenth Nanak. Guru Gobind Singh consciously emancipated his soul with the divine touch of his arrow.
Our last destination was Mata Sahib Devan Gurdwara on the banks of the Gondavari River, a spiritual sanctuary where my spiritual quest, the purpose of this yatra for me, was fulfilled, easing my earthly being into the destiny Guru Gobind Singh has chosen for me.
Our God-guided cycles of birth and death have purposefully brought each one of us to Guru’s feet to be liberated by the touch of Guru Gobind Singh’s double-edged sword. Such is the Amrit we drink to enter our new life as Khalsa, the Pure Ones.
Wahe Guru ji ka Khalsa Wahe Guru ji ki Fateh!
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