NEWS FROM GOBIND SADAN May 1995 Gobind Sadan Gadaipur, via Mehrauli New Delhi 110030 This is a time of particularly intense spiritual Speaking to the sangat gathered at the havan after practice at Gobind Sadan. Baba Virsa Singh himself is carrying in the Guru Granth Sahlb, Babaji remembered a engaged in secluded meditation, rarely receiving any hukam that came long ago in his village of Sarawan Bodla. visitors. The community has been given many special Someone requested Akhand Path but there were no people hukams (divine commands). First, the Guru Granth available who couldread. Usually Akhand Path requires five Sahib was carried in with great ceremony. Babaji very good readers taking turns 48 hours to complete. himself walked along the flower-bedecked Babaji recalls: “My chola (garment) was hanging entranceway waving Chaur Sahib over the sacred there. I was told, ‘Give this chola to that man (one of the scripture. Then fifteen Akhand Paths (continual illiterate people). Wearing it, he will do the entire Akhand reading of the Sikh scripture) were carried on at one Path by himself.’ So Ardas (prayer) was done and he was time, with people eagerly awaiting their turn to read. told to sit and do the Akhand Path. He could not read a single syllable, but he started doing Path. He felt as if someone were standing behind him reading the Path. He kept looking behind him to see who was doing it. I said, 'You go on reading – some other Power will do the whole Path.' Hukam is such a powerful thing that an illiterate person did the whole Akhand Path. Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj 's blessing is so great that no one can imagine it, no one can explain it. There are many things which I myself cannot understand. But He says, 'Do it! 'and I say, 'Okay — Let's do it.' This place is not under the control of any human being. Twenty-four hours a day it is under God 's orders, I feel. Whenever He says, 'Go,' I go that way. He says, 'Sit,' and I sit. He says, 'Stand,' and I stand. Whatever hukam I receive I tell you. This is Maharaj 's home. He has made instruments of the people who come here. I am doing whatever I have been given hukam to do. All of you should also try to act according to hukam, to continue doing whatever hukam you receive. It is up to us how much blessing we can receive by Guru Granth Sahib carried in before 15 Akhand Paths obeying hukam. During these days, do as much seva (voluntary service) as you can, read scripture as much as Then came the hukam that one lakh (100,000) you can. Feel that this is Maharaj 's hukam and a rain of 15-kg tins of ghee are to be offered in the havan (sacred light, of blessings, is being showered on all of us. We are fire), with each family encouraged to sit for 5 hours very fortunate that Maharaj has given us this hukam. and 15 minutes in the havan, reading Jaap Sahib, Crores of people are waiting to see Maharaj. It was such a reciting Nam, and offering ghee. Sometimes as many great day, such a great tongue, such a great merciful gaze as five families are doing so at one time. from him when he gave the hukam to decorate the entrance A young pandit is daily reciting ancient Vedic and bring Guru Granth Sahib through it. You are blessed." mantras in Baba Siri Chand's havan. Every evening after the community prayer, he brings his arta tray around to the worshippers so that they may be Training in dharam purified and blessed by that light. Asserting that religion, or dharam, is a matter of On April 1st, the hukam came to sit at Gobind inner character development, Babaji sponsored a Sadan's havan and collectively recite 125,000 Jaap week-long children's camp on character development. Sahibs. Everyone is encouraged to contribute as many Energetic 81-year-old Bhai Kirpal Singh led the camp readings daily as possible and enter the amount read and was the main teacher and caretaker of the 50 in a notebook. At this writing, the total is about 97,000, children who came for the week. He also invited eminent with some people reading Jaap Sahib 100 or more scholars to teach the children. times daily. Everyone is finding Jaap Sahib especially sweet during this time, and people are also becoming more loving with each other. One of the highpoints of the camp was an evening cave, God is in the mountain.' He said, 'That which is God Universal Worship Service conducted March 28 at Jesus's Place gives His Light and Truth to every place and takes care of the by Zia Shapiro from the United States. She prepared a table with whole Creation.' one large candle representing God and many smaller candles Similarly, Guru Nanak said, 'God is not limited to one representing the prophets. As the children helped to light each of country; God is not only in one place. God gives Light and the candles from the one large light, she explained that each of the Love to the whole Creation. Just behold Him clearly.' And messengers has come from the same Light. Then she led the Lord Krishna once said, 'Look with the eyes of your soul. congregation of several hundred children and adults in singing There is nothing which is not inside your soul. His Light, His sacred Names of God uttered by the various prophets. Love is everywhere. Don't make boundaries, don't stress On that special evening, Baba Virsa Singh also taught the sectarian divisions. Stress the universality of Creation.' children, telling stories of the saints to illustrate that God exists and that one can talk with God. He said, "God talks. God can be Heal your mind first seen more clearly than you. Those who search for Him talk to Once Guru Teg Bahadur, in his wisdom, spoke of the Him. Those who do not carry out this research say, 'Where is unconscious violence which precedes thought and speech. He God?' Just as someone has become a doctor or a scientist after said, ‘Beware even of achet pap — subconscious sin which carrying out research, the saints have carried out research hasn't even come into conscious thought.' regarding God. They talked with God. They loved God. Then they Our mind is like a wild horse — our thoughts, our started describing the existence of God. " desires are not under our control. We are all in need of enlightened wisdom and healing. I think if we all fight Inner non-violence against our bad thoughts from morning to night, we will be On March 22, Gobind Sadan hosted a reception for so busy that we will have no time for hurting others or for participants in the International Pilgrimage for Peace and Life. To speaking angrily. commemorate the end of World War II by drawing attention to the Look what we do: We hold big seminars, big lectures, need for nonviolence and respect for all life, they had been and speak about peace after reading books. The prophets also walking for months from Auschwitz, Poland, on their way to always spoke about peace, but what is the difference between Nagasaki and Hiroshima, Japan. In Gobind Sadan's peaceful us and the prophets? They were already healed. They spoke hillside garden, Baba Virsa Singh said to them, "Who is from inner enlightenment, and thus their words, their gaze, responsible for peace or violence? Human beings. To bring peace and their thought had a power which was transmitted to and end violence, we each have to turn within ourselves and bring others. peace therein. Peace is an inner thing. It cannot be obtained by Lord Buddha did not speak in fancy buildings. He spoke marching or reading books or by delivering lectures. We must not everywhere, and whenever he spoke, he had an impact on the advertise goods which we do not possess. minds of the people. All of them then wanted to grow in love, There may be obvious violence in our actions. But even when spiritual enlightenment, and service. Similarly, Lord Jesus did we speak egotistically, we commit violence. To think bad thoughts not speak in big buildings or hold big seminars. Whenever he is also violence. We must first control these things. encountered a conflict along the way , he healed it. He also When someone commits violence, the very air becomes healed the trees beneath which he stood. Why? Because the disturbed; the land, the trees, the animals become upset. Unless power of God which always heals everything had come within we turn within ourselves, we will never see God in the trees, in the him. Inside us is a very great Power which we do not see. animals, in the earth, and our mind will never leave its fortress. Now all of us should look inside ourselves, just for one When Lord Buddha was enlightened, he said, 'Do not commit minute, and ask, 'Is there anyone among us in whom anger violence.' He said that when he saw Light everywhere. Likewise, has not come? In whom ego has not come?' I think that anger when Jesus saw God everywhere with enlightened vision, he also and ego have come within everyone . The day when we gain said, 'It is necessary to love people, but at the same time love the control over our own bad thinking — even two or four people flowers, the trees, the animals, the whole Creation.' But when did — then perhaps there will be no violence in the whole world he so speak? When he was enlightened.