dukh

You come stealing in like

a clandestine lover

in ungaurded moments

when the chaperone has gone

to sleep.

Unwelcome

but embraced none the less

in passion.

The body clasps you to itself

unwilling to let go.

The mind screams “Out, Out,"

but its useless.

You won't  leave unless forgotten.

Then you creep out the way you came

on silent feet

unnoticed

until the next time we meet.

 Soon Yoda and few other Naamis arrived and the “WaheGuru WaheGuru" began. I lay still listening to them. Each “WaheGuru” was like a balm; soothing and calming me. I closed my eyes again (since my sister wasn’t watching). But this time I didn’t sleep. In fact I had never felt more awake! A faint light appeared and hovered over me. It shimmered in such a way that made me think of a fairy sprinkling gold dust with her golden magic wand. I felt a tingling move through me and the particles of light shone incandescently in rainbow colors. I felt a kind of a thrill and then an incredible peace thick like the powdered sugar coating of a naam ladoo settled over me. Mmmm, I could even taste it, but without the stuffed heavy feeling I got when gorging myself on them. In fact, I felt light and buoyant almost floating among the sparkles. I felt fresh. I opened my eyes. The pain had disappeared.  For the first time since I had beaten up the Goons (it’s true, I beat them up - read the paper if you don't believe me) I felt completely pain free. 

After the Amrit Vela Naam Simran Session, Aunty Jee asked my sister to read the next 4 paurees of Jap Ji Sahib:

suni-ai siDh peer sur naath || suni-ai Dharat Dhaval aakaas ||
suni-ai deep lo-a paataal || suni-ai pohi na sakai kaal ||
naanak bhagtaa sadaa vigaas || suni-ai dookh paap kaa naas ||8||
 
suni-ai eesar barmaa ind || suni-ai mukh saalaahan mand ||
suni-ai jog jugat tan bhayd || suni-ai saasat simrit vayd ||
naanak bhagtaa sadaa vigaas || suni-ai dookh paap kaa naas ||9||
 
suni-ai sat santokh gi-aan || suni-ai athsath kaa isnaan ||
suni-ai parh parh paavahi maan || suni-ai laagai sahj Dhi-aan ||
naanak bhagtaa sadaa vigaas || suni-ai dookh paap kaa naas ||10||
    
suni-ai saraa gunaa kay gaah || suni-ai saykh peer paatisaah ||
suni-ai anDhay paavahi raahu || suni-ai haath hovai asgaahu ||
naanak bhagtaa sadaa vigaas || suni-ai dookh paap kaa naas ||11||
 

Auntie jee told us, “These paurees are about the benefits of listening.  The Guru says the listener of Guru's teachings (gurbani) and the Naam within Gurbani, is a true devotee and loses all pain (of ego) and erases all sins (of duality) and (thus) always lives in joy.”
 
She paused for a moment, “The listening that the incomparable Guru Nanak is referring to is not your average in-one-ear-and-out-the-other listening.  Guru Nanak is referring to listening where the listener listens so deeply that the listener and what is being listened to, merge to become one."

 She took a look at our blank faces and said, “Let me give you an example.”  Aunty Jee instructed my sister to phone my-suit-is-custom-made-by-a-top-notch-tailor-from-Zurich- Switzerland-while-yours-stinks-of-a-dinky-little-shop-in-Choora-Bazaar-Ludhiana-Punjab-India aunties. Sis put the speaker phone on so we could all hear the conversation.  After the usual where-the-best-suit-sale-is-on-today talk, Aunty Jee asked her if she had gone to the Gurdwara last Sunday. 

“Of course!" replied the other aunty, “I never miss the Gurudwara! " 

“So tell me, any thing going on?" my Aunty jee inquired. 

“Oh like usual.  The bhai once again screwed up the prashad.  T hey put too much oil in the sabjee.  No salt in the daal!!!  And you-know-who had the gall to come there arm-in-arm with HIM!!!" 

Then my Aunty jee asked the killer question, “What did the hukam-nama say?" 

“Dead Silence” on the other end.

 After she hung up, Aunty Jee said, “Now that is definitely not the kind of listening that Guru Nanak is referring to.  Although sitting in the Gurdwara at the time of hukanama being read with her ears wide open (its hard to shut 'em), she can’t remember a word of it.”

 Then she looked at me, “Why don't you tell us your dream?"

 Even though I hadn't thought much of the dream (except when the king had called my sister a dummy 3 times in 3 different languages - that was royal), I knew from previous experiences that the dreams I get are special (just like me!).  So with unconcealed importance, I told everyone my dream. Aunty jee asked the kids there, “So what did the wise man advise?"

(Editors Note: Oh goody! When the kid woke up without finishing his dream first… I felt like sending this back for a re:write so I could find out what happened!)

Everyone looked around at everybody else, but no one spoke. Then the DVD kid opened his e=mc2 mouth, “I know, I know... that a sand storm was coming to AbbuKhana and they better get their camels butts out of there fast.  I saw this documentary about the effect of sand on camel butts recently..."

Thank WaheGuru the conspiracy-theory-kids interrupted him, “It’s actually very obvious what this quote wise man unquote said.  Just between you and me, this wise man is actually (obviously) a KGB agent!” he paused and looked around giving us one of his best CIA smiles.  He appeared disappointed that he didn’t see any dropped jaws (only rolled eyes) after he revealed this top-secret information (well, except for the DVD kid’s jaw, of course).  He continued with his briefing, “The US is going to soon invade AbbuKhana; in fact, I, for one, know for sure that the US special forces are already in AbbuKhana laying out the plans and it is just a matter of ..."

 Thank WaheGuru Aunty jee waved him to be silent.  “Let me repeat what the King had said and this time *listen*: The one whose camel is slower will win."  Then she repeated, “The one whose camel is slower will win."

“Ahhhha," the Vaja ToR kid jumped up, “They swapped their camels."

 “Excellent!" Aunty jee pronounced, “The difference enabling you to resolve this mystery was in paying attention. You really listened the second time around.  That is the kind of listening that Guru Nanak is writing about.  In the case of listening to the Gurbani, we have to listen with so much concentration that we discover and drink the Naam that is saturating gurbani. Indeed, the more deeply we listen, the sweeter is the extracted Naam.
 
The wonderful Guru Nanak lists other benefits for listeners too:
The mysteries of all the Universes along with all their sciences and scriptures are resolved by the listeners. After listening, even the spiritually blind attain the (seeing and visual) state of mind of the demigods and other evolved and immortal beings.

 That’s how powerful listening is!  In the upcoming paurees, the Guru states the benefits of implementing what we have heard. But now I can smell some delicious pranthas and there is only so much listening (pun intended) that a person can do on an empty stomach."

(Editors Note: Has anybody but me realized we still don’t know who won the RACE!!!!!)

 “والإثيوبيين الأسبوع الماضي أثناء محاولتهم الوصول إلى اليمن، من الصومال، على متن قوارب يديرها مهربون. ومن ضمن القتلى نساء وأطفال صغار، وفقا للشهود. والكارثة هي الأحدث في سلسلة حوادث تسببت في مصرع المئات في”

Subtitles by Ze Subtitle Artizts: “Hi, eeetz Ackhmed fvrom Zze tomb, juzt vanted to drop eeen and szay hi andt make a comment if I may: vhen vill ju szhowbeez typez reeealize dat eeet’z not all about vinneengk Zze raczzze?" 

Subtitles of Subtitles by The Subtitle Artists: “Hi, it’s Ackhmed from the tomb, just wanted to drop in and say hi and make a comment if I may: when will you showbiz types realize that it’s not all about winning the race?”