By Prabhu Singh

Pyaray Sadh Sangat Ji,
In the last article, reading a slot in the Akhand Path was likened to planting a seed of inexhaustible wealth each time we sign up. The wealth of the Naam is inexhaustible and our efforts towards maintaining our Akhand Path are like the seeds of that wealth which we keep planting. The harvest of course belongs to the whole Sangat, but the blessing of our individual experience, especially as we’re reading, could be considered the sprouting point of that wealth by the Guru’s grace. This month I wished to share some of my experiences while reading my monthly 2:00am slot and other “easier” slots.

While reading an “easy” 8 P.M. slot a couple weeks ago, I realized, wait a minute, it’s 84 “difficult” spots to fill. Eighty-Four (chauraasi in Punjabi), the same number as the steps in Goindwal, signifying the 84 Lakh Joon (8.4 million lifetimes) it takes to receiving the blessing of a human birth. Then I thought ‘I have yet to get 83 other volunteers’ after my last article. So I thought this month, I want to invite you all to join the club. Each time we go to read one of those 84 slots, we could imagine ourselves clearing the Karma of one Lakh (hundred thousand) lifetimes for each sangat member. Doesn’t that sound like an opportunity to good to pass up?

Often when I go to read at 2 A.M. I am kind of tired and concentrated on arriving precisely on time. When I relieve the previous reader I settle in and before long I get into that familiar cozy and intimate rhythm of meditating with the Guru. I read a lot in Gurmukhi to feel the naad, the sound current of the Guru’s own spoken words. I also read in English to better understand the meaning. I’ve found that the theme during this slot has a particularly strong message about not getting stuck placing importance on unrighteous distractions in this world. To not let our precious life slip away in chasing after Maya. It is an easy reminder in that moment why it’s so worth it to give myself to this beautiful experience as often as I can.

The quiet of that time is like a focal point on what’s happening in the now. If the now includes reading from the Guru, the quietness brings a total suspension of the meaningless and a magnification of the meaningful. There is nothing but you and the Guru at that moment. When the ego is confronted as well, there is no other option but to place it at the altar of the Guru.

The first time I left the Gurdwara after reading this slot, I went outside to retrieve my shoes and leave. As soon as I breathed in the night air in the very still darkness of the night, I felt a shift in the heavens. I felt the sants and shaheeds (the saints and martyrs) come to the door of the Gurdwara to welcome the soon to be arriving Sangat in time for Sadhana. Part of a daily celestial celebration in honor of us, the Guru’s beloved Sangat, the sowers and reapers of the inexhaustible wealth of the Naam.

When you plant the seed, what will be your experience when it sprouts?

WaheGuru Ji Ka Khalsa, WaheGuru Ji Ki Fateh!
-Prabhu Singh