Gobind Sadan
Henry Ahlefelder from the USA (also known as “Bhai Himat”), a yoga teacher and doctor of Oriental Medicine, had a long audience with Baba Virsa Singh in 2007. When Babaji gave him the Nam, the spiritual impact was so great that Henry began bringing a group of yoga teachers and students from Sweden every year for in-depth experiences of Gobind Sadan’s spiritual programme. This year was their ninth visit, during which they dove deeply into many of the spiritual activities and were greatly inspired.
They took 2-hour shifts around the clock in the World Peace Havan reading Jaap Sahib, Hanuman Chalissa, and Chandi di War. Many of them also went to the central havan every morning every morning at 2 a.m. to sing Baba Siri Chand’s Arta to Guru Nanak. They sat there again each morning from 8:15 to 9:30 for the special havan dedicated to Baba Siri Chand. They attended the Akhand Paaths going on continuously in Gurdwara Sarbat Sangat, and there sevadars taught them how to sing Anand Sahib, the hymn of great spiritual bliss composed by the Third Sikh Guru. Every afternoon they had Punjabi lessons offered by Gobind Sadan sevadars, followed by in-depth discussion of and meditation on passages from Guru Granth Sahib. Every evening they also went to Jesus’ Place and lovingly recited the Lord’s Prayer in Swedish along with the nightly prayers in other languages.
During their stay, Gobind Sadan was celebrating Navratri, the nine-day worship of the Goddess. They were delighted to join the celebration organized by Gobind Sadan’s gardeners at Mataji’s temple, and also the celebration of Navratri in the World Peace Havan.
As always, they packed their suitcases with lovely Swedish clothes that their children had outgrown, and helped to distribute them to poor children from the area. They also brought excellent wooden puzzles for the smallest children in Baba Virsa Singh Ji Maharaj Public School.
After a farewell dinner of South Indian food cooked for them by sevadar P. K. Ravindra, they spoke of how they felt at Gobind Sadan. Elisabeth, who had come for the first time, said, “It has been an overwhelming experience. It is exceptional that a place like this can exist, grounded in love and peace. Other people speak about such things, but here it is a real experience.” Jacek from Poland said that for him, Gobind Sadan is a “spiritual portal, a dimension of love.”
Christina said, “It is really swimming in the ocean of love. Everywhere you go here, it feels like everything is coordinated for you to learn the lessons you need. It feels like home. That is why we keep coming back.”
Susanna said, “This time I have been showered in love. I had a lot on my mind when I arrived, and for the first time in a year, I feel completely calm. I feel joyful, happy, uplifted, stable, and strong. When we go back to Sweden, we try to meet every month. We have meditations on Guru Granth Sahib in my home, for whoever would like to join. We also do havan at Wiveca’s home. It is a wonderful way to keep in contact with that we have here and what we carry inside from being here.
Susanna added, “ When you come to Gobind Sadan, you never leave. Even though you go back home, you carry Gobind Sadan in your heart. Nam is singing in your heart, and you can always go to that place for comfort, or to be uplifted, but most of all, to feel the connection to the Divine, or what I call the Endless Love Force that penetrates the whole world. For me, Gobind Sadan feels like it is the heart of the world, and when you sit in the World Peace Havan, you feel like you are right in the heart of the world, and you can feel it beating.”
Henry explained, “Every year we have a homecoming to Gobind Sadan to reconnect with the Source of the Universal Love that powers us through the rest of our year, and to which we try to stay connected when times get difficult, until we come back and renew ourselves again. All these activities around the clock are like beads on a mala. This is the source of the Nam that Maharaj has given us. That is the once-in-a-lifetime experience to be lucky enough to have this connection to a greater and higher Truth. Nam makes it our experience, not just a belief.”