Just a crazy may be thought!

DISCLAIMER: This post is not a post related to PhD struggles or education in general. If you want to steer away, please avoid reading this post.


Every Sunday I have a little ritual that I follow. For the people who care to know, I am a staunch believer in the existence of the Lord. A free thinker and a non religion conformist, I guess I would say to myself. On this note, I don't have any particular religion that I conform to, but I do follow teachings of most of the prominent religions of the world.

New York is home to religions and religious places. This Sunday I went to a Sikh temple and there I had a moment. Well, I could not find any other decent or fancy name/word to describe what I experienced.

Here is the Pre-cursor
Sikhism is a religion originated in Punjab, India. First spiritual leader (aka Guru), Guru Nanak Dev ji when was searching for his successor, He met Guru Angad Dev ji in his preaching journey across Indian Sub-continent.

It is something like this -
When passing by through a village with his followers, since his spiritual enormity always exceeded his physical presence, Guru Nanak Dev Ji was offered a lot of materialistic stuff as money, jewels, land, food etc as offerings and part of remembrance. As they moved from one village to another village, his followers would gather all the stuff and move ahead. This "stuff" would generally have a lot of money and materialistic materials.

As soon as Guru Nanak Dev ji would reach the next village, he would donate all of it to the poor and needy people. Seeing this donation and non-attachment to materialistic life, some of the followers started to think that why would Guru Nanak dev ji do this all the time? Why can not keep what he gets, he can earn and get all rich and worthy! Sensing this sense of thought, Guru ji (as they said) asked his followers to pick up some of the offerings. After the followers took their portions of offerings and started to move, they started to feel heavy with the stuff they were carrying. Villages after villages, his followers bag became heavy and heavier. And soon it became very heavy, even to move.
When Guru ji reached the last village on his entourage, only one person was behind him. It was Guru Angad Dev ji.

Surprised he looked and asked Guru Angad Dev ji why are you still following me when no one is?? Why did you not take any of those offerings?? Don't you feel attacted to these jewels and this money of all the heavens?? To this, Guru Angad Dev ji said, " Sir, I don't want any of those materialistic offerings, whatever I have ever wanted, I got all of them just by following your foot steps. Everything I have ever wanted for my life and my soul, I got it just by following you and your teachings. Whatever you say goes for me, like a line drawn in the stone. ". Listening to this, Guru Nanak Dev ji said, God bless thee :)

So, I guess what hit me hard and deep was the fact that "Even though he himself was a spiritual leader and he could had everything that he needed, but in his righteous mind following his Master's advice was worth more than everything in his life; The path to success, spiritual glory and all the riches of life, originate from the lotus feet of his Master"

I hope you can share some of your stories and experiences Or at least inspire others with your stories and experiences.