TRUE HUMILITY IS TRUE PRAYER

Pic.: Alex. D.

Last week, I had been to gurudwara Sri Dasmesh Darbar at Sion-Koliwada to attend the  fourth day condolence ceremony of a senior member of our housing society.

I came back a lot moved by just being there!

The first thing that I was moved by was the way the community volunteers  - on that day, two young well-dressed and well-educated Sikh gentlemen – collected everyone’s footwear so gracefully, keeping it in designated vaults, giving  tokens… and, while returning, the way the shoes and sandals were nicely polished/cleaned and returned!

“People, irrespective of their age and position, volunteer to do this ‘seva’ which they believe will help them receive Guru’s blessings,” a friend accompanying me told, “It is one of the humblest acts a human can perform showing another fellow being the greatest respect.”

Next one was the water in which everyone had to dip his feet before stepping into the shrine. I could, literally, feel leaving behind the ‘dirt’ before stepping into the holy place!

Next was covering of one’s head. I took out my handkerchief to do that and managed to keep my head covered till the ceremony was over…

The head, where the arrogance and pride come from, needed to be reminded that it was a place of God and pride and arrogance had no place out there…

Inside, everyone had to sit down on the floor, unless one was unable to do so. I had painful joints… and I was struggling to sit down. A good soul, noticing my discomfort, said, “You may please sit on one of chairs or benches on the sides, sir.”

I did feeling a lot shy.

The kirtan was in Punjabi. I did not understand the lyrics. But, how did that matter? The feeling was so rejuvenating, so divine that I wanted the experience not to end, that evening!

I was a Christian and my Holy book was the Bible. But, when I bowed down completely before the Guru Granth sahib, I truly felt the bliss of bowing before the Bible!

True humility is true prayer.

Perhaps, we do not show it outside the shrines… in our daily life. Perhaps, we do not deal with the footwear – leave alone the dirty ones – of any one at our homes, schools, offices and anywhere. Perhaps, we do not cover our heads before entering a mall or a cinema hall where, too, God resides. Perhaps, we do not wash our feet before walking into our homes and our neighbors’ where, too, God resides. Perhaps, when Holy Scriptures of other faiths are recited, we do not feel the moving experience as we feel when the holy scriptures of our own faith are recited… Yes, perhaps.

I came back a lot moved, that evening, from gurudwara Sri Dasmesh Darbar…

I came back chanting, “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa… Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh.”

GERALD D’CUNHA