According to the will of Akal Purakh
Kindly
stay back, Sir, and bless the meals and partake of them, along with all of
us. This request was made by the father of the bride to S. Amar Singh, who
had presided over the marriage ceremony. He had punctually reached the place
of marriage as was his wont and conducted the marriage ceremony in his
mellifluous voice. Unlike other marriage ceremonies of the Sikhs, there was
pin-drop silence at this marriage ceremony and all categories of people -
men, women and children - in spite of the usual, non-serious jolly mood
customary on such occasions, were deeply influenced and moved by the
discourse of S. Amar Singh, given after the four "lavans around Guru Granth
Sahib - had been completed. S. Amar Singh was not a professional Sikh priest
but a hard working high Govt. Officer with a big family. But he was always
in demand on such occasions on account of his piety and exemplary Sikh mode
of living. His was not a scholarly, high flown discourse, but a heart to
heart talk, bearing on the joys of marriage and responsibilities of life
thereafter.
S.
Amar Singh politely begged to be excused from joining the festivities, as he
said, he had very urgent matter to attend to immediately. The bride's father
pressed again, but sensing the urgency in the pleadings of S. Amar Singh he
reluctantly acquiesced.
S.
Amar Singh took a taxi and went straight to the cremation ground where
relatives and friends had gathered to collect the so called "flowers", bones
and ashes, of his young son, who had died two days ago. After the death of
his son, his wife had requested S. Amar Singh to cancel his engagement for
the marriage ceremony. He had refused, saying that everything happened
according to the will of Akal Purkh and he would not like to cast gloom over
the marriage ceremony, by referring to a sad event. With the expected calm
of a man, reared in the true Sikh traditions, a day before, he had himself
lit the pyre of his young son and set an example to accept the inevitable,
Bhana (Will of God), for his wife, his children and his
daughter-in-law. Inspired by his rock like calm, there was no lamentation
and crying, usual on such occasions.
On
the day of the "gathering of flowers", people had again requested him to
send his excuses without telling the true cause. But he remained firm in his
resolve and requested his relations and friends with folded hands to go to
the cremation ground straight, where he would join them soon after the
marriage ceremony was over.
(Gratefully reproduced from "Glimpses
of Greatness" by Dr. Gajindar Singh)
