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As I looked on, a light-form similar to mine, but much more brilliant, rose and
departed from my husband’s physical body. He checked out this new dimension of himself, grinning ecstatically! Then
he noticed me and winked, “Woman, do you have to follow me everywhere?!” He came close to me, our lights merging.
After embracing me with his luminous form, he ascended, disappearing from my sight.
Quite suddenly he returned, still in his brilliant form, but very definitely less ecstatic.
He explained he had not been able go any higher because a Guru-less person cannot enter the finer realms! We
looked around and we saw all of his party of Singhs in a similar state of dejection. Down below, the moghuls forces, after rejoicing in their “victory”,
moved on towards the lakebed, gathering up their dead as they went. They left the Singh’s bodies behind lying in the
field. This time they proceeded with more caution, sending scouts on ahead to check for ambushes. The scouts soon
came galloping back, “It’s a trick! The lake is dry!” they
shouted. The remaining moghul leaders huddled together. They decided to pull out. The Khalsa
would have to be eliminated and their Guru captured or killed, another day, and by another group of moghuls. They had run
out of water and supplies had dwindled. They had suffered humiliating losses. The soldiers’ morale already dangerously
low, continued to erode with each passing moment. The late hour of day meant darkness would be upon them. No sensible moghul
wanted to face the Khalsa at night! Their legendary uncanny ability to attack and seriously damage moghul forces had
been proven beyond a doubt by the afternoon events! No moghul leader in his rightful mind wanted the responsibility
spending a night even remotely close to a Khalsa encampment. So the old general gave the order to retreat. The Singhs spirit bodies glowed brightly as they rejoiced realizing what an amazing
feat they had helped to accomplish. Against all odds, because of the Singhs selfless sacrifice, the main body of Khalsa, had
survived to live another day and fight another battle. Watching the army as it turned to go; we noticed dark shapes swooping in and around
them. We shuddered as we saw them sucking at the wounded and plucking dim murky forms from the dead. Somewhat uncertain about
what would happen next my husband commented, “All is in WaheGuru’s will.” No doubt disappointed he hadn’t been able to go to a higher
khand, his spirits eyes told me of his relief not to have been carried off into darker realms. He vibrated happily, the essence
of his light reflecting his joy and gratitude. He used to passionately describe to me how he imagined it would be like in SachKhand;
Freedom from worldly care, continual keertan being sung in the presence of naami gursikhs. Not impatient the least little
bit; he knew that only ones who had been fully graced by a perfect Guru could go there. I understood how much he had
been hoping to be one of those gursikhs. So we waited... I prayed silently for intervention. Somehow I knew something
great would happen…
Miraculously we saw Guru Gobind Singh jee riding into the battlefield where our
fallen warriors’ bodies lay. I had seen the gloriously and incomparably beautiful Guru many times in my life.
But in that moment he seemed perhaps a million times more beautiful. In addition to viewing his earthly body, we also
were blessed with a glimpse of his immaculate inner-self. I believed what I saw to be his soul although ignorant of such matters
and unable to distinguish between a soul and light-forms such as we had become. Absolutely stunning to behold, the
Guru emanated pure light white as milk. My husband had told me of seeing light within during meditation, brighter than a thousand
yellow suns. But his description paled beside the True Guru’s radiance. Around the Guru’s brilliance, revolved the living luminosity of millions
beings who had chosen to serve the Guru. At a subtle level they circled the Guru twinkling in ecstasy and in awe. Outside
the immediate radius of light orbited the glow of beings in human form. These seemed to be naami gurikhs, who after their
physical deaths retained their Earthly shapes to stay and watch over the Guru. No worldly words could do justice to
the luster of the light illuminating their Naam imbued faces. Awestruck, I had experience with Naam but could not have imagined anything like
what I beheld. I silently bowed to the Guru and thanked him profusely
for allowing me to view him in this way. Stunned, all of the Singhs bowed deeply to the Guru’s luminous brilliance.
I might have only imagined it but it seemed as though the Guru also gave a slight nod in our direction. I *wanted* a face
like the naami gursikhs surrounding the Guru. The importance of my previous existence diminished. I knew from that point on,
everything would be different. My remaining life’s goal would be to get immersed in the light of Naam. Surveying the battlefield where his fallen ones lay, the Guru jumped down from
his horse. He strode quickly to Mai jee and knelt by her side. Badly wounded
but alive, we could hear her moaning “DhanGuru
DhanGuru” softly. He gave her water. She opened her eyes to look up at him with wonder.
She, like most of us, had never seen him so close before. I could tell from her eyes that she found him breathtakingly beautiful.
His lips drew back in a gentle smile and he exclaimed, “Wah!
Khalsa Jee! Wah! You have surpassed my expectations! Ask Guru Nanak for anything and you shall receive it!” Mai Jee humbly joined her hands, “Sire, I wish to spend
the remaining breaths that you have bestowed upon me to serve you and you only.” The Guru’s put his hand on her head and blessed her, “Like
the moon lights up the way for lost night-travelers, your name will guide and inspire generations to come in this dark age
of Kalyug!” He instructed the Sevadaar accompanying
him to tend to her wounds and needs. He then walked to one of the Singh’s body. He tenderly turned
the bloodied lifeless Singh’s face towards him and wiped it with his hand saying, “Wah Singha! Wah! You are my 5 hazari! – Honour, Tribulation, Exaltation,
Accepted Servant and Dearest Companion.”
Immediately, the Singh’s luminous floating body immensely brightened by maybe 5,000 times. But to the visibly ecstatic
Singh it hardly mattered whether his light increased by 2 times or 2 millions times One by one, the Guru took all the fallen Singh’s faces in his blessed hands
and graced them with gifts that our minds could not comprehend. My husband too received his blessing. Not only did he
brighten up but the intensity of my luminous body also increased.
At last he walked over to the body and sat down.
Gently he raised the Jathedaar’s head and pillowed on his lap. He turned the Jathedaar’s face towards
his and wiped it lovingly with his hand, clearing off the dried blood and debris. To all our surprise, the Jathedaar opened
his eyes and looked at the Guru’s face. He spoke in wonder, “My love! I have found you once more.
How beautiful you look in Sach Khand! I love you so. Always I have treasured you. Always and forever through eternity I shall cherish you.” He lifted his hand and touched the Guru’s face, stroking it gently with
immense love. “Never will I leave you again; you just watch! There is no escape for you now!”
Then he softly sang sKI vis AwieAw
iPir Coif n jweI ieh
rIiq BlI BgvMqY] sakhee vas aaeiaa fir shhodd n jaaee eih reeth bhalee bhagavanthai|| O my companions, when He comes under our power, He shall never leave us again. This is
the good nature of the Lord God. The Guru smiled and kissed the Jathedaar’s hand. The Guru’s kiss made
the Jathedaar aware of his Earthly surroundings. He realized that he was touching
the face of the One who is the Lord of this and the unseen world. Quickly he withdrew his hand, thinking he had been too forward
with his brash behavior. Looking at him with love, the Guru lifted the Jathedaar’s hand back to his
face and held it there pressed against him. The Guru spoke, “You have done well, my precious
son! Guru Nanak is pleased with your Sikhi - ask for anything and you shall receive it!” A tear formed in the Jathedaar’s eyes. His voice quivered as he pleaded, “I ask for one thing only, my Sire. Please oh Please, tear up the bedava! And tell me that I am yours and that
you are mine again.”
The Guru removed the bedava from his waist band.
As I watched from above, a great lump arose in my throat. An ache crept over me, I want to weep profusely in sorrow
and cry aloud with joy all at once. The Singhs moved beyond words, looked on in wonder. The Guru had held on to this dastardly
piece of paper and kept it safe even in the battlefield where one keeps only what is most precious. An immense longing took
hold of me and then relief flooded my being as he tore it up into several pieces and threw it into the wind. The Gurus engaged
the Jethadaars eyes with his compassionate gaze as the pieces lazily floated away. The Jathedaar smiled. He tried to
join his two hands to say thank you, or perhaps to say Fateh, for at that very moment, his head fell backwards. We watched
his immensely brilliant soul take leave of his body. My husband turned to me. He smiled,
and then disappeared. My heart told me that he had been finally accepted into the dimension that Guru Nanak calls Sach Khand.
scy qyry KMf scy bRhmMf] scy qyry loA scy Awkwr ] scy qyry krxy srb bIcwr] scw qyrw Amru scw dIbwxu] scw qyrw hukmu scw Purmwxu ] scw qyrw krmu scw nIswxu] scy quDu AwKih lK kroiV]
scY siB qwix scY siB joir] scI qyrI isPiq scI swlwh] scI qyrI kudriq scy pwiqswh] nwnk scu
iDAwiein scu] jo mir jMmy su kcu inkcu] sachae thaerae khandd sachae brehamandd||
sachae thaerae loa sachae aakaar|| sachae thaerae karanae sarab beechaar || sachaa thaeraa amar sachaa dheebaan||
sachaa thaeraa hukam sachaa furamaan|| sachaa thaeraa karam sachaa neesaan|| sachae thudhh aakhehi lakh karorr|| sachai sabh thaan sachai sabh jor||
sachee thaeree sifath sachee saalaah|| sachee thaeree kudharath sachae paathisaah|| naanak sach dhhiaaein sach|| jo mar janmae s kach nikach|| <463> True are your realms, your creations, your actions and your
deliberations. True
is your hukam, your mercy and your insignia. Infinite beings call you True; you are the True strength in all. True is your praise and your
creative power. O Nanak, those who meditate on you are True while those who die and are re-born are False. To be continued…
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