An IIM Graduate’s Reflections on Two Decades of Gurbani 

It’s been around 22 years since I became interested in the message of Gurbani. My education, especially the two years at IIM-A, has trained me to be analytical, to seek proof, and to build logical frameworks. Yet, the most significant lessons of my life have come from a source that often defies our logic. Gurbani has profoundly influenced my understanding of myself and the world, but two aspects of its wisdom have been particularly foundational. One is a message that provides a tremendous sense of stability and groundedness; the other is an experience that has filled my life with beauty.

The Anchor of Oneness: A Foundation for Safety

The most wondrous, mind-blowing, and profoundly stabilizing message I have received from Gurbani is that of Oneness. The idea is simple in its declaration but infinite in its implications:

All that exists is the Divine manifesting in countless forms, shapes, and colours. All there was, is, and will be—every individual, every plant, every phenomenon—is a manifestation of that single, universal consciousness.

At first, one might ask, “What’s so great about that?” Over the years, however, I’ve come to understand the practical, life-altering implications of this truth, which are confirmed time and again throughout Gurbani.

The first implication is that if everything is Divine, then I, too, am a piece of the Divine. And so is everyone else. This simple fact has become my bedrock. It means that, fundamentally, I cannot be harmed. Whatever is going on in my life—the anxieties, the insecurities, the fears—is a temporary illusion. It feels completely real, of course, but the relief lies in understanding that it is not the ultimate reality. My true nature is divine, which means I am fundamentally safe and unconditionally deserving of returning to that nature.

This understanding has been a powerful antidote to the voices of self-rejection and insecurity. It doesn’t matter how many reasons my mind conjures for why I am not good enough. I know that according to Gurbani, I remain an immaculate piece of the Divine, even if I cannot see it myself. Rejection is an impossibility. I may not know the truth of who I am, but the Creator necessarily does. My ultimate future—reunion with the Divine—is guaranteed.

This doesn’t erase life’s challenges. Adverse situations will arise. But now, I understand that I have a source of power within me that I can always connect with. Irrespective of what is happening outside, I can be at peace. I can be full of joy. The very things I have been seeking—peace, joy, security—are not external achievements but inherent qualities of my being. They belong to me by my very nature.

Even when I am surrounded by external threats—people who could harm me, self-centred leaders, wars, and social strife—a modicum of inner stability remains. I am not saying I don’t get threatened or anxious; I experience all of it. But these feelings no longer overwhelm me (or I haven’t been threatened enough 🙂) , because the message of Gurbani provides a deeper, quieter current of hope and safety that runs beneath the choppy waters of daily life.

The Unconditional Embrace: The Divine in Everyone

A critical implication of Oneness is that this divinity extends to everyone, without exception. This includes the people we, as a society, consider evil—terrorists, corrupt leaders, and criminals. The message of Gurbani is that they, too, are pieces of the Divine. Their future is the same as ours: to one day realize their own divinity and become embodiments of joy and peace.

This may sound strange, even discouraging. Many of us strongly desire that those who cause immense suffering pay for what they have done. But I have come to believe that unless I can accept that the Divine will care for them, help them, and guide them out of their current state of suffering and misunderstanding, I will always be doubtful that the Divine will take care of me.

If I believe that divine love is conditional—that a person can become so “bad” that they are no longer deserving of it—then I will always question whether I, too, might one day cross that line. This doubt would shake the very foundation of faith and stability built within me over these last 20 years. My sense of safety is intrinsically linked to believing in a love that is truly for all.

Kirtan: The Experience That Makes Belief Possible

While the philosophy of Oneness provides an intellectual framework for stability, it is the experience of Kirtan (the singing of Gurbani) that has been my emotional lifeline. It has been a source of so much softness, love, peace, and joy that I have found nowhere else.

I remember a time when I was facing immense financial uncertainty, staring at the possibility of what the world deems “failure.” The thought of losing my standing and my social circle was terrifying. Even in those moments of despair, I was buoyed by a simple, powerful realization: no matter what happened, I could still listen to Kirtan. Nobody could stop me from going to a Gurudwara and immersing myself in that sound. This was a profound source of comfort, a guarantee that my life could never become truly empty.

This experience is not just for moments of crisis. It enriches my daily life in vital ways. A life without Kirtan feels unimaginable—a hollow, meaningless existence that I would rather not have. Kirtan has been the greatest gift I have ever received.

More than that, Kirtan is the very reason I have continued to strive to believe the seemingly irrational and incomprehensible messages of spirituality. Gurbani’s truths—that the world is an illusion, that we are all one—can feel grandiose and unverifiable. They run counter to our everyday experience. It is far easier to pay them lip service than to believe they could actually be true.

Accepting Gurbani’s reality turns everything on its head. It means my priorities, my desires, my entire perspective on life, are a reflection of falsity. It would have been much easier to deny Gurbani than to deny the life I have always known. But I could not. I could not bring myself to call the Gurbani I was listening to untrue, because my experience of Kirtan was so undeniably real and life-giving. To dismiss Gurbani would be to dismiss Kirtan as a figment of someone’s imagination, and I could not make peace with that.

I chose to wrestle with the idea of my life’s falsity rather than face the hollow meaninglessness of a life without Kirtan.

Even today, I do not know the ultimate reality. I have not had a single, definitive experience of it. The only thing that tethers me to the spiritual perspective is that I cannot deny the truth I feel in Kirtan. And so, I continue to strive—to believe in and make sense of the message of Gurbani, not as a dogmatic exercise, but as an act of protecting the most beautiful experience of my life. I cannot replace the sense of beauty and peace I feel within listening to kirtan with hollowness and meaninglessness.