KnowThySelf

Ganika the Prostitute- Translated from Sri Gur Bhagat Mala Steek by Pandit Narain Ji Ganika was a prostitute and she used to live in a market in the centre of a town. She used to commit adultery and other sins. Men were mesmerised by her beauty and her youth. Every evening, her house will be lit with candles and she will be dressed up with all kinds of jewelleries and beautiful dresses. Gurbani mentions, sUAw pVwvq ginkw qrI ] Teaching a parrot to speak the Lord's Name, Ganika the prostitute was saved. so hir nYnhu kI pUqrI ]2] That Lord is the light of my eyes. ||2|| ( rwgu goNf bwxI nwmdyau jIau kI Gru 2 Raag Gond, The Word of Naam Dayv Jee, Second House) Bhagat Naam Dayv Ji tells us that Ganika was saved teaching a parrot to say Lord’s Name. She was then known to be a God’s devotee herself. This was how her life changed for the better. How did this happen? One day, a saint came to her house. He had a parrot in his hand. It is said ...

Part 3 - The concept of hell and heaven Gurbani has confirmed the reality of heaven and hell. But heaven and hell are not the ultimate places in Sikhi. Gurbani gives the perspective of heaven and hell in this world and also hereafter. Gurbani says, ‘Not anyone should think she/he would receive honor hereafter - because s/he thinks so; she/he will be treated according to deeds.’ ‘By mere talk, people do not earn passage to Heaven. Salvation comes only from the practice of Truth..’ Gurbani says that heaven is where the remembrance of God is. ‘Heaven is where the Naam is chanted. All bliss comes, when one obtains the Blessed Vision of the Lord.’ ‘Liberation and heaven are found in the Saadh Sangat, the Company of the Holy; his humble servant finds the home of the Lord.' Gurbani then says that hell is when the soul is stuck in the reincarnation cycle of birth and death.   ‘One who turns away from God suffers the hell of 84 lakh life forms.’ ...

Part 2- Reincarnation Sikhi believes there are 8.4 millions live forms, and scientists have also come close to this figure. Reincarnation is the transmigration of the soul from one body (after its death) into another body. The soul gets transmigrated from one body to another until ultimately, through the human life, it is able to commit good deeds and unite with God.  Gurbani says, ‘One who does not know the Lord who created him, comes and goes in reincarnation over and over again.’ The only escape from the cycle of reincarnation is through Godliness and remembrance of God, which is the source of bliss. Gurbani gives example of the life form we take due to our actions in this life in Guru Granth Sahib Ji. Thoughts/actions in this life Next life form Indulge in wealth Serpent Sexual desires Prostitute Attachment towards childr...

  Part 1 -  Understanding life and death Life is just one breath. We think that our whole existence would be life, but truly, it takes one breath at a time to live. Gurbani says, ‘We are human beings of the briefest moment; we do not know the appointed time of our departure.’ Life is there when we are living in the present moment. Each breath we take, is a new life, as we decide what to do with each breath we take. We can either make this life fruitful being compassionate (remembering God) in every breath, or we waste this life by indulging in falsehood (hatred) that won’t even go with us when we die. Gurbani says, ‘Fareed, if I had known that I had so few sesame seeds, I would have been more careful with them in my hands.’ The sesame seeds are our breaths. If we know that we have limited time in this world, then why not value each seed of breath and make it meaningful? We need to understand the purpose of life . We are given th...

      Bhagat Prahlad Ji- Translated from  Sri Gur Bhagat Mala Steek by Giani Narain Singh Ji During the time of the early yug, when in Hindustan, the gods and demons used to live, before Sri Ram Chandr Ji, Bhagat Prahlad was born in Uttarakhand. There are a lot of praises for this bhagat. There are many mentions of Bhagat Prahlad in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji. He used to recite and remember God’s Name. At that time, the meaning of Ram was ‘The Almighty God’. The praises of Ram were sung by all the Vedas. The story of Prahlad is mentioned in the Puranas. Once, there was a Rishi called Keshav Rishi. He used to carry out penance and meditate a lot. One day, while meditating in the forest, he thought of going into the village. While wondering, his gaze went upon a girl called Ditti, and he had the wish of marrying her. She agreed and so did her parents. Soon, they got married. After some time, Ditti gave birth to two sons and a girl. The names of the sons w...