I am a poor janitorial safai-karamchari worker. I was serving in a gurdwara. Then, I made the mistake of stealing one rupee, less than three cents, from the golak.
I am at a loss to understand how I did it. I instantly realized that this was a sin and cannot be justified by any means. But this had already occurred. I was under the spell of my dilemmas. Suddenly one of the Gursikhs close to the management happened to be there, and as is said, I was caught red-handed. Alarm bells were sounded and the alert committee members were there. My pleadings, my prayers, tears rolling down from eyes, my folded hands, reference to my kids, my job, my request for forgiveness, my future and so on to the surrounding management was not able to soften their toughened attitude. Then I realized how helpless a poor person can be when confined and in the custody of all powerful.
Then came the hour of instant justice. First, a slate was made with the inscription "golak chor" haan. ਮੈਂ ਗੋਲਕ ਚੋਰ ਹਾਂ and I was made to hold it. As if this was not enough, I was handed over to the police. I lost my job. My wailing children unattended back at home and I found myself sitting behind bars, pondering my mistake. My mind prompted my body to commit this crime. The committee decided to give me physical punishment. These days the jails are also called reformation centres, ਸੁਧਾਰ ਘਰ . If instead of handing over this physical punishment they had just asked me to sit in the sangat for a month or so and listen to the katha-kirtan it would have definitely cleansed my soul and reformed me. But this was not to be.
Am I wrong if it just comes to my mind that I got this rigorous punishment because I was poor and down-trodden? Had I been one of the gurdwara controlling bodies then perhaps bigger scams and scandals would have just been pushed under the carpet. If they even sell the Gurdwara itself nothing happens. But if a poor person like me just pilfers a rupee, he is given demolishing punishment.
Guru Nanak Dev ji also reformed Bhumia Chor and Guru Hargobind ji reformed Bhai Bidhi Chand by bringing him to sangat and washing away their sins with naam-simran and sangat. Is not compassion the first sign by which we recognize the Guru’s Sikh?
