Gurdwara at Sat Nam Fest

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Sikh Dharma International was honored to set up and host the Gurdwara at the recent Sat Nam Fest gathering in Joshua Tree, CA.  We created a beautiful and sacred space where we came together each morning, for the Gurdwara portion of our daily sadhana, to sing the praises of the Infinite, to connect to our divine Self, and to listen to the daily hukam from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib.

About 100 people attended each day, and for many, this was their first experience in a Gurdwara, or “House of the Guru”. We explained that, in the Sikh tradition, the word “Guru” refers to the great Eternal Wisdom that connects our soul to the Infinite.  The Sikh form of worship is through the Shabad Guru, the Divine Sound Current, and so together, we sing the praises of the Infinite and connect with that eternal vibration of wisdom and devotion through chanting the sacred words from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the sacred writings of the Sikh Gurus and other saints and sages.

The language of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib is Gurmukhi, which means “from the mouth of the Guru”. When we sing in the original language, we can experience that same exalted state of realization and devotion, as when the words were originally uttered.

Each day a Jatha, a small group of musicians, played Gurbani Kirtan, and we were blessed to have beautiful kirtan played by Snatam Kaur and Prabhunam Kaur. As we recited our Ardas, or Prayer each morning, we sent loving prayers, blessings and healing energy to friends and family around the globe. And the culmination of the Gurdwara was the daily Hukam, a passage read from the Siri Guru Granth Sahib to give guidance to our day.

We had a devoted team making Prasad each morning, led by Dharampal Kaur, who recited Japji Sahib while cooking the delicious mixture of flour, ghee and honey, and which we served at the end of the program. What a wonderful way to start another beautiful day at Sat Nam Fest!

Photo Credit Dharampal Kaur Khalsa (pictured).

 


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