by MSS Guruka Singh Khalsa, Espanola NM
Summer 2009
In 1992 I learned the true power of “A Dish and a Wish.”* I remembered that the Siri Singh Sahib had said to cook a dish “with your own hands” from scratch.
I spent several hours doing just that and brought it to the Gurdwara and presented it with my $11 and my prayer to Guru Ram Das.
The Siri Singh Sahib had just told my wife and me to move to New Mexico immediately, and my prayer was very simple: “Guru Ram Das Ji, let our house in California sell quickly so we can get a place in Española.” That’s it.
As usual with a dish-and-a-wish Gurdwara, it was after 10 p.m. when we got back to the house. There was one message on the answering machine and it was our friend in California.
The message said, “You just received a full-price offer on your house. They don’t want to negotiate, they just want the house.”
There has never been a single wish-and-a-dish when my prayer was not answered. Never… Not once. I understood very clearly: do it correctly with full devotion and piety and let it go. It will be taken care of perfectly.
The Siri Singh Sahib said: “Do you know why you are afraid? You are afraid when you act. But when you act in the faith of Guru Ram Das as the Sikh of the Guru, then there will be no fear, because Guru shall cover it. Life is no more than a dollar bill. It is the biggest scripture on the Earth… the only currency in the world which says, ‘In God We Trust.’ And every Sikh has a dollar bill within himself which says, ‘In Guru I Live.’
“In all your actions don’t think too much. Don’t think about commercial things. Don’t think about every corner of the psyche. Just think one thing: Whenever you act, act in the Name of the Guru in whom you believe. Don’t act yourself. Therefore there shall be no reaction. It is a simple way to feel enlightened. It is a simple way to feel rich. It is a simple way to prosperity. It is a simple way of fulfillment and it is the best public relations for opportunities. Because when one is saintly, one is trustworthy, one is gracious, one is enlightened, one is wise and everybody seeks such a person. That’s the life of a Sikh.”—The Siri Singh Sahib (October 26, 1988)
*The Siri Singh Sahib requested we bring a “wish and a dish” to our sixth of the month Akal Takhat remembrance gurdwaras.
About the Author
MSS Guruka Singh Khalsa is an ordained Sikh Dharma Minister. He is a teacher, writer and loves telling stories. His love of poetry and Gurbani have led him to translate Yogi Bhajan’s Gurmukhi poems in Furmaan Khalsa as well as translating Japji Sahib and other Gurbani. The original founder of SikhNet, he now lives under the blue skies of New Mexico with his beloved Khalsa family. He co-authored “Heroes, Saints and Yogis: Tales of Self-Discovery and the Path of Sikh Dharma,” with MSS Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa.