How Much Do We Really Love God?

Recently I've been thinking quite a lot about love for God. Do we really have love? What is love? Am I showing love? Am I doing enough Bani to show love? Am I doing enough Seva to show love? Am I doing anything for the homeless to show the love?

On a personal level, the answer is a big fat no. Then you look around at pictures of Gursikhs with radiant faces. You hear stories of how they've given their lives for love. How they spend all day and night in meditation. How they travel all around the world to spread Guroo's word. That's love.

Every time I think of love for God I always think of this one sakhi of a Gursikh that someone told me.

A gupt Naam Abhiyaasi Gursikh regularly done Seva in 5 Pyaare. Before the Amrit ceremony can commence, the jathedaar, in the presence of Guroo Sahib, will always ask the 5 Singhs if their Rehat is good and if there is anything they have done and want to get off their chest.

The jathedaar asked the first Singh. The Singh said there was no issues and his Rehat was good. The jathedaar then moved on to the 2nd Singh. The Singh said the same. The jathedaar made his way through the rest of the Singhs. When he got to the 5th Singh he said. "So Singh Sahib, have you broken your Rehat? Is there anything you want to confess?" At this point the Gursikh just burst into tears. "Yes there is, I've done something so bad I just can't stop thinking about it." The rest of the Singhs looked shocked and didn't know what to say. "The other day I was really hungry, I went to eat my food and forgot to thank Vaheguroo for giving it to me."

That's love.

 

jinaa n visarai naam sae kinaehiaa |

What are they like - those who do not forget the Naam, the Name of the Lord?

 

bhaedh n jaanahu mool saa(n)ee jaehiaa |1|

Know that there is absolutely no difference; they are exactly like the Lord. ||1||

First Time Hearing Akhand Keertan

It was new year's eve 2005/6 and there was a handful of sangat in the dabar hall. The local auntiya are doing Keertan and not many people seem interested. I'm sitting towards the back in a massive coat, tiny dastaar and goatee.

Suddenly 3 Singhs arrive on stage with beautiful flowing beards and pure white clothing. This is not the norm in this little Gurdwara.

The auntiya get off and the Singhs start, someone turns off the light. From the first word the Singh sang it had struck a chord in my heart. They're doing Keertan by memory, and faster than usual, what is this? The words they're singing, I'm finding them too powerful. They're not looking around the room, seeing if anyone is listening, they're just sitting there with their eyes closed. This is very different.

Then they start doing Simran, quite fast with a lot of love. So this is Simran? I could feel my soul move within my body. It was coming up to 12.00, the Simran got faster and faster, louder and louder. It felt like no one else was there. Just me in this big hall, with the King sitting on the Throne as the light shone down.

That day, God had pulled me into his arms. Tears stroll down my face. Why did they have to stop?

prabh keejai kirapaa nidhhaan ham har gun gaavehagae ||

O God, Treasure of Mercy, please bless me, that I may sing the Glorious Praises of the Lord.

ho thumaree karo nith aas prabh mohi kab gal laavehigae ||1|| rehaao ||

I always place my hopes in You; O God, when will you take me in Your Embrace? ||1||Pause|| The next day at work, I was working on the fragrance department and I just wanted to do Simran the whole time I was there. Luckily, I was going through my old computer and found the video recording I made of it. It was nearly 10 years and video technology was a new thing on phones, hence the bad quality. Vaheguroo.