When the Heart Begins to Sing

A Letter to Guru Arjan Dev Ji

Dear Guru Arjan Dev Ji,

A few weeks ago, I attended a wedding.

The hall was beautiful. There were flowers everywhere, music filled the room, and people couldn't stop smiling. Everyone was celebrating the bride and groom beginning a new life together.

As I drove home that evening, I wondered why weddings move us so deeply. Maybe it's because every one of us longs to belong to someone completely.

The next morning I opened Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and found Your words:

"ਮੰਗਲ ਸਾਜੁ ਭਇਆ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਆਪਣਾ ਗਾਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥""The time of rejoicing has come; I sing of my Lord God."

Suddenly I realized...

You weren't talking about that wedding.

You were talking about mine.

Not the marriage of two people, but the reunion of a soul with its Creator.

Then You wrote,

"ਅਬਿਨਾਸੀ ਵਰੁ ਸੁਣਿਆ ਮਨਿ ਉਪਜਿਆ ਚਾਇਆ ਰਾਮ ॥""I have heard of my Imperishable Husband Lord, and happiness fills my mind."

I smiled because that's exactly how love begins.

Long before two people marry, they hear about one another. A friend tells a story. A photograph is shared. A name is spoken. Before they ever meet, hope is born.

Perhaps faith begins the same way.

Someone tells us about Waheguru.

A parent.

A grandparent.

A friend.

A shabad.

The Guru.

And suddenly the heart begins hoping for Someone it has never seen.

Then came the line that felt as though You had borrowed my own thoughts:

"ਮਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਿ ਲਾਗੈ ਵਡੈ ਭਾਗੈ ਕਬ ਮਿਲੀਐ ਪੂਰਨ ਪਤੇ ॥""My heart is in love with Him; when shall I meet my Perfect Husband?"

Guru Ji, I have asked that question without even knowing it.

Every time I searched for happiness in work...

Every time I thought another accomplishment would finally satisfy me...

Every time I chased something that faded...

My soul wasn't asking for success.

It was asking,

"When will I finally come Home?"

Then You gently answered:

"ਸਹਜੇ ਸਮਾਈਐ ਗੋਵਿੰਦੁ ਪਾਈਐ ਦੇਹੁ ਸਖੀਏ ਮੋਹਿ ਮਤੇ ॥""Tell me, O companions, how I may meet the Lord and become absorbed in Him."

Even You teach through humility.

The path isn't found by pretending we know everything.

It's found by walking with those who love Waheguru.

Guru Ji, thank You for showing me that the greatest wedding isn't one that lasts a day.

It's the one my soul has been preparing for since the day it first left Your embrace.

Help me spend my life getting ready for that celebration.

Prayer

Guru Ji, let my heart rejoice not because life is easy, but because it remembers Waheguru. Keep me in the company of those who love Him, and prepare my soul for the day it finally comes Home.

Reflection for Becoming a Sikh

Every longing in the human heart is, at its deepest level, the soul remembering its Eternal Beloved.