Just like body, mind also gets impure with bad thoughts, like cheating, stealing, lying, getting angry and etc. In order to clean our mind we seek shelter in Guru Granth Sahib and the Sat-Sangat. It shows that the only place is the Gurdwara where we can meet Guru and Sat-Sangat together.
We need to regularly cleanse and feed our soul. So we come to Gurdwara to purify our thoughts of mind and our actions.
The True Guru meaning much more than a teacher. When you were young children, parents taught you how to walk, how to talk, and so on. When you grow up and are in teen age, to learn driving and get a licensee. Similarly, when IJ learn a foreign language, you need a teacher who is a specialized in that particular language. In our religion True Guru, the teacher shows us the path to relate to God, to be spiritually advanced, or to be one with God.
Everyone in the world wants to have a Healthy body, free of sickness and disease. To have the same, we should keep it clean and take care of it. In the same way to have a healthy and strong mind, we must keep it away from evil thoughts and actions in simple words we will have then a clean and pure mind.
This is why we come to Gurdwara, tore new and enlighten our minds.
In our faith the Guru Granth Sahib teaches us that there is only one God, All human beings have the same light through almighty. All we are created equal from the same Supreme Power. The same light is perceived in all human beings. When were a laziest, we see ourselves in others. We do not hurt ourselves. If we hurt others means we hurt ourselves. Guruji says that in order to gratify (fulfill) your selfish needs do not exploit others, do not hurt others.
Gurdwara is an institution or school, where we learn the Religion through curriculum of Gurbani or Guru Granth Sahib.
Now you might have understood that what is a Gurdwara and why we should visit this Holy Place.
Though there is no exact likeness of our Gurus, but many homes and Gurdwaras do keep pictures of them. They are not for worship but only to remind us of their great teachings and their qualities. A child is taught the alphabet with examples like ‘A’ for apple “B’ for ball these pictures can have a similar function.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 12, 1991