Baba Nanak....Gurpurab!!

ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ ਦੇਵ ਜੀ ਦੇ ਗੁਰਪੁਰਬ ਦਿਆਂ ਲੱਖ ਲੱਖ ਵਧਾਇਆ !!!

Since my childhood, my beeji used to tell me stories of Baba Nanak.

I still remember sleeping on the nice strong floor next to my beeji. Every night, my personality was getting colored by these stories, night by night new colors of humility, standing up for yourself, stay focussed, equality and many more were added to my personality.

And somewhere in my being, when I think of Baba Nanak, I feel the warmth of my beeji. I feel the extension of that unconditional love from beeji.

I loved going to the gurudwaras and serving langar, helping with the shoes and cleaning of vessels. The environment of the gurudwaras used to feel pure, pristine, calm, relaxed and my brain waves used to transform into the slow steady and calm ones. It was addictive and I went every week to receive my dose of calmness.

Baba Nanak and his name feels pure, pristine, relaxed, calm, source energy and also has the warmth and the unconditional love of my beeji.

And then came a time when I grew up and was no longer a child.

I still remember the day when my beeji and my dad spoke to me about “growing up” in my small little room with the red floor in the evening.

They told me that “the society is an extension of the gurudwara”. Going to the gurudwara is important and more important than that is to give back to the society. They told me that I was getting stuck by the rituals and my role was to be free and give back to the bigger gurudwara which does not have the four walls.God resides in each and every being. They told me that honoring the God in others with whom I interact is the best service.

And all this was explained with Baba Nanak as the hero of my story and his life incidents as my inspiration.

Baba Nanak is associated in my mind with my dad and beeji both of whom have merged into the source but they along with Baba Nanak pour their blessings on me....

And today on Baba Nanak’s birthday, I remember him and my two stars- beeji and daddy too.... and consolidating the teachings and concretizing them!!!

Happy Gurpurab!!!