In this article, SS Rupinder Kaur Khalsa from Canada,  shares her personal experience of Guru Nanak’s Teachings.

I remember with great longing the first time I attended an Akhand Paath (uninterrupted reading of Siri Guru Granth Sahib). It was the year 2009.  I was 21 years old and doing my Level 1 Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training in Santiago, Chile. There was a small room on the second floor of the yoga studio, where the Akhand Paath was being held.

I come from a Catholic background and had wonderful experiences doing Seva with my peers and friends. Serving the moment was a must for me when I was a teenager. So when I overheard a couple of Sangat members talking about this 4-day, uninterrupted reading (yes, it takes 4 days to read the entire Siri Guru Granth Sahib in Spanish), I felt compelled to see what this entailed and, hopefully, to get more involved in Seva activities.

As soon as I arrived to the Gurdwara (the small room on the second floor) I smelled the Guru Prashaad being prepared (I had no idea what that was), and I was so curious about this unique blend of wheat, ghee and honey that I rushed into the kitchen and sang Japji Sahib along with my friend, who was preparing it. I was so amazed at how chanting a prayer while preparing this special offering to the Guru and Sangat, was truly a profound meditation that can be also taken into our daily lives, when cooking and doing our daily tasks.

We brought the Guru Prashaad into the room where the Akhand Path was taking place and I smelled the sweet fragrance coming from the clean white sheets on the floor, the flowers and the Guru Prashaad…a perfect blend– the most exquisite perfume that I had ever smelled in my life. I felt so at home and so uplifted in my heart and mind, that in that moment, I made the decision to stay and help holding the space for 4 days and 3 nights.

I remember that it was particularly challenging for us to find enough Sevadars to cover all of the reading shifts, especially at night time, so I offered myself to read and cover as many shifts as I could. What came as a result of that, changed my life forever.

I must have read at least 6 hours a day, plus a few more hours at night time, eating mostly Guru Prashaad everyday, not feeling hungry at all.  One of the days, I bowed in front of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib and I had this feeling of deep love rushing into my heart, and I had the certainty that I was at the right time and the right place…Finally I had found what I was looking for my whole life, I found my Guru, I found the source of happiness.  With tears in my eyes, I acknowledged that my destiny was to serve this path in any possible capacity. Even though I didn’t understand all of the protocol, I felt myself surrendering to that unknown force that brought me to His feet, and still does.

I can’t explain how grateful I am to Guru Nanak Dev Ji and his teachings, which are the foundation of our beloved Siri Guru Granth Sahib and our Sikh Path. How liberating his message is! How much purity and innocence I have been able to experience in myself and others through his teachings!  And how his sacrifice for this entire humanity has saved my life so many times! 

The longing of the soul is so great, that even if it takes you thousands of incarnations, you are destined to have the experience of Oneness. That’s the Guru’s promise to all of us. Let’s keep walking together.

SS Rupinder Kaur Khalsa is a KRI certified Kundalini Yoga Teacher specialized in Yoga for Women and Yoga for Mental Health. She has taught in different Teacher Training programs in Santiago, Chile and Toronto, Canada. She is also a Business woman with experience in social interventions for women who have suffered domestic violence, incarcerated women and different communities.

Currently, she works as a Marketing Assistant at Sikh Dharma International and as National Kundalini Yoga Association Assistant Coordinator at IKYTA.

She is committed to sharing the ancient teachings of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan and the teachings of the Gurus in a profound and transformative way.

RESOURCE:  If you would like to learn more about setting up and conducting an Akhand Path, please see our Akhand Path Resources Page.  You will also find numerous articles about Akhand Paths on our website, which you may find helpful.

Leer en Español