A Minister came to me and said she was having great difficulty answering the first question on the 2016 Minister’s Exam (“Write an essay on Japji”). She asked if she could respond to the question with an artistic rendering. I gave her permission to do so. An artistic rendering—I was curious to see what this Minister would manifest from her unique God-given talents.
When SS Guru Kiren Kaur Khalsa (wife of Dharm Singh) from Espanola, New Mexico very humbly gave me this painting and scroll at the end of Gurdwara a few weeks ago, I sat down on the floor and tears streamed down my cheeks. She very kindly began to explain all the different parts and depictions of the verses of Japji that had inspired her for this painting. It is a work of art that you can study over and over and still find more to see and appreciate.
Japji Sahib painting submitted by SS Guru Kiren Kaur Khalsa
I would not do her painting justice by attempting to explain all the various parts.Instead, I am including her “scroll” of inspiring verses and a copy of the painting itself. I encourage you to look for all that you can see and then read those verses of Japji again. I would be curious to know if you think more deeply about them. Enjoy!
Japji Sahib—the bani of Guru Nanak that we repeat daily as part of morning Sadhana is so rich with meaning and guidance. The Japji course in June 2003, organized by Sikh Dharma International (SDI), was such an important event that the Siri Singh Sahib was the primary teacher.
SDI is currently offering a Japji Sahib course that will continue to deepen and enrich your understanding and practice of this Bani. I strongly encourage you to participate in it.
In a lecture to the Khalsa Council on October 16, 1997, the Siri Singh Sahib said: “We have a Ministry where you are Ministers. You have sometimes never renewed it. You will not be a Minister if you don’t renew it. Set procedures are such that the system should never fail the man, and that’s a discipline.”
It is my experience that many go well beyond the minimum requirements for renewal. Blessings to you and the consciousness you bring to your Ministry.
Humbly,
SS Dr. Sat-Kaur Khalsa
Secretary of Religion
THE SECRETARY OF RELIGION
SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa has served as Secretary of Religion since 1991 and was ordained as a Sikh Dharma Minister in 1975. As Secretary of Religion, Dr. Sat Kaur oversees and is ultimately responsible for the delivery of the functions of this Office. Dr. Sat Kaur is a long-time member of the International Khalsa Council and the Khalsa Council Executive Committee. She maintains a full-time psychotherapy private practice in Santa Monica, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico, counseling individuals, couples, and families to support their personal and spiritual growth. She is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, a facilitator of White Tantric Yoga®, and a published author.
