by SS Siri Pritam Kaur Khalsa, Yuba City CA
Courtesy of the Spring 2018 Ministry Newsletter

In each of our lives, we are told, challenges must come. It’s a universal law. Otherwise, no forward movement is generated. It is said that we all have “squares” in life that have to be conquered, have to be processed. On the spiritual path, we are further implored to accept good and bad alike. Ideally with grace. To live an exemplary life.

One can make a comparison to the weather: When the rains come, when hail and thunder hammer us, we stay safe by putting on protective gear and find ways to stay warm and dry. We generally don’t throw a fit or wail against it. So how do we get from the very personal experience of stormy emotions to the highly impersonal such as inclement weather?

How do we let go of what hurts? How do we surrender? How do we overcome the squares of life? How do we swim across the treacherous ocean of life? What help is there for us?

As students on the path of the Guru, we have been blessed with a unique and profound tool, a technology so subtle, so sophisticated, so sweet. It’s called the divine sound current, the song within, or Shabd Guru.  Take your despair, disappointment, pain, and misfortune and literally, physically, energetically, put it at the feet of the Shabd Guru.

Begin to sing that song eternal, that song of love, reciting the words and sounds once spoken by ancient saints and sages, from their own state of deep ecstasy and divine bliss, that highest state of love and surrender. By that action see your emotions and pain melt away.

The hymns of these saints—Guru Nanak, Guru Amar Das, Guru Ram Das, Guru Arjun and Guru Gobind Singh—have been brought to us at this time in history so we can tune in to the rich tradition, devotion and sacrifice out of which these hymns were born. They are to inspire and uplift us on the path, in our search for wisdom, truth, and solace.

If done with devotion, an experience of true love, you can feel the love of God within your own heart.

Message from Heaven

Five hundred years ago when India was experiencing great turmoil, religious fanaticism and upheaval, Guru Nanak, in his compassion to help humanity with their pain, came forth with his message, which had reached him from the infinite, from the heavens above. That event has a profound meaning for us today. Humanity is indeed in great pain. Yogis call this the Kaliyuga—the dark age before we are ready to enter the Age of Aquarius. The Shabd Guru is meant to be a solace to help us cross over.

For Guru Nanak,  the Shabd Guru (sound current) was his very own Guru, his very own place of peace. This can be shared by each of us through our devotion.

Whether you are born into this Dharma—or perhaps stumbled upon it more recently—whatever brought you here, these songs are for you. These hymns are vast and rich and plentiful. Listen to the recordings of SS Snatam Kaur and the many other Sikh musicians that so beautifully set the sound current to music in order to discover your own eternal song of bliss.

See your questions melt and problems disappear. With time and devotion, heavenly gifts will be yours and that elusive bliss will be felt. Life’s challenges will be absorbed by the timeless sound current of divine love resounding within and without. Let the ocean’s waves wash away the pain, permitting ever new reflections of your own purity play upon the expanse of life as you experience the joy of absorption in the One Creator.

About the Author

SS Siri Pritam Kaur Khalsa is an ordained Sikh Dharma Minister. She has been part of Sikh Dharma and walking the path of a yogi for decades. After 10 years living at Hargobind Sadan in Berkeley, she and her late husband moved to Yuba City, CA . She is very much part of the Punjabi Community. Professionally, Siri Pritam Kaur works in the healthcare field in Physical Therapy. She is a founding member and past president of the Punjabi American Heritage Society. A KRI-certified Kundalini Yoga teacher for many years, she teaches locally on a regular basis. A mother and grandmother, she served for years on the Siri Singh Sahib Corporation board.